Archive for the 'Creme' Category
If the whole texture trend is giving you hives, Zoya has the cure with its summer nail polish collection of six cremes, Zoya Stunning. A rainbow of rich, creamy hues that can be worn together or on their own.
Zoya Stunning
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This type of candy-colored collection always brings back memories of the first Skittles manicure I showed you, using the Zoya Candy collection, or how we debated whether multi-colored manicures were trendy or tacky. Now, that wouldn’t even be a question. Oh how times have changed since I launched this site, over six years ago.
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As we spend this Memorial Day remembering and honoring the men and women who died in service of our great country, I just want to share a quick USA themed #ManiMonday with you. I originally created this look during the Olympics last summer but it works so well for any USA-centric holiday or event; Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc.
Striping Tape Manicure
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It’s a classic red, white and blue nail art look using nail striping tape I bought on Amazon and L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail.
I started with two coats of L’Oréal Paris I Will! (white creme), as my base and waited for it to dry. Next, I applied four strips of striping tape to the right half of each nail. I then painted over each half with L’Oréal Paris Caught Red Handed (tomato red creme) and Jet Set To Paris (blue creme), alternating the colors on each nail.
Application tips: 1) Use a quick dry top coat or UV top coat, like Seche Ultra-V, over the white to speed the drying process. 2) Lay the first tape strip in the middle of the nail and work your way to the edge for a balanced look. 3) Remove the tape immediately after applying the polish with tweezers. 4) Wait 10-15 minutes before applying top coat to avoid blurring the lines.
Simple, easy, a bit time consuming, yet eye-catching. Would you try this look at home? Do you wear themed manicures on holidays?
What’s on your nails on this ManiMonday? Tag me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter and use the hashtag #ALUManiMonday so I can share it.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for L’Oreal Paris. Affiliate links appear via a third party link service. For more info, view my Disclosure Policy.

Last week we looked at the blues and purples in the OPI Euro Centrale collection so now it’s time to talk about the rest of the shades. A mix of red, pink, cream and metallic, these shades are a darker take on spring than we’ve been seeing from other brands.
OPI Euro Centrale for Spring 2013
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According to Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP Artistic Director, “Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania make up an exciting new fashion hotspot. When visiting these countries, you’ll view Gothic churches alongside vibrant graffiti murals, blending two very different aesthetics.
This fusion of old and new was also seen in runway looks during New York Fashion Week, where classic styles were reinvented with modern silhouettes and patterns.
Whether you’re looking to spice up a black and white print, or add neutrality to a vivid brocade, these lacquers are designed to accessorize spring’s hottest looks.”
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Get your passports ready for we’re off on a European adventure. No, not with the Griswolds, though I would totally tag along with Clark, Ellen, Rusty and Audrey. Instead, OPI is whisking us away to far off places with the OPI Euro Centrale collection for Spring 2013.
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OPI has a long tradition of selecting countries or regions for their semi-annual seasonal collections (Australia, Chicago, South America) and although they’ve done Europe before (2002) this time they are focusing on countries in the middle of the continent; Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland. I’ve broken down this collection of twelve shades into two parts and knowing the love I have for blue and purple nail polish, a close second to my undying devotion to green, reviewing these colors first is just a given.
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Okay, so I’ve never been one of those people who tears pages from magazines or uses the clever reminder tabs that come with Lucky when I see something I like. Instead, I’m the one who saves decades of magazines and then has to ransack them looking for that one thing, I saw that one time, that I now want, but can’t remember the name of. Brilliant system, eh?
Fortunately, there’s Pinterest and it’s been a revelation, and a giant time suck, for me. I credit Pinterest with changing my mind about nail art. Not gonna lie, I’d been drinking the nail art hatorade. When nail art took off, a lot of what I saw was too over-the-top for my taste. Seeing tons of it roll by on Pinterest has warmed my heart, though I prefer the simpler, more geometric designs. It also helped me find amazing nail art bloggers like Chalkboard Nails and Lucy’s Stash.
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Over the past year I’ve been collecting nail art designs on Pinterest that I want to try someday. Well, today is that someday. I’m going to attempt to recreate my fave nail art looks in this new series PinspiratioNAIL. I’ll put my spin on an image I find on Pinterest. My first look is a Fishtail Manicure using the new L’Oréal Paris Versailles Romance nail polish collection.
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