Archive for the 'Essie' Category
Every year since we’ve met, The Boyfriend and I have taken a vacation in the Spring. We’re about to hit 11 years in April, that’s a lot of travel. It’s usually to a tropical destination though we’ve had a few cold weather vacays as well. Anyway, this year we talked about heading to Cancun for a week of laying by the pool with endless fruity drinks but due to my inability to pull the trigger on a deal I found in January, that didn’t happen.
Instead we’re taking a trip to the Finger Lakes (one of our fave destinations) for a week of wine tasting so it’s not all bad but then I open my email to find THIS info from Essie. It’s like she’s teasing me with these colors. I just want to dive into Turquoise & Caicos and not come up for air.
Beach bound jetsetters can now reach the pinnacle of resort-inspired style with this newest limited-edition collection by essie. The Resort Collection was created to mimic the sights and sounds of the world’s most exotic destinations. The four colors are must-have accessories for any tropical vacation and the only escape for your hands and feet that doesn’t require a passport.
Lapis Of Luxury – a dreamy ocean blue
Splash Of Grenadine – a playful magenta pink
Playa Del Platinum – an elegant and sheer sandy gray
Turquoise & Caicos – a flirty and pretty tropical aqua
“I wanted to create colors that would reflect a passion for all-things paradise,” says Essie Weingarten, founder and president of Essie Cosmetics, Ltd. “Chic vacationers are known for their island-inspired style and these nail colors add the final fashionable touch to that look.”
Vibrant and trendy, these bold colors are a must-have accessory for every beach goer and for those with no vacation plans in sight, they’ll bring a ray of sunny paradise into the day.
The Essie 2010 Resort Collection launches in May on essie.com and in salons nationwide.
Lapis of Luxury is calling my name. What about you?
 I have yet to see Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire but from what I hear, Golden Globe Nominee Gabourey Sidibe, gives an amazing performance. Considering how much the Hollywood Foreign Press tends to favor the new kid on the block, I was actually amazed that she didn’t take home a golden statuette last night.
In the sea of purple, black and gold dresses on the red carpet last night, Gabourey really stood out in her emerald green gown. Though what caught my attention was the bit of bling on her tips that matched her sparkly clutch. It’s a party after all, why not add some glitzed out glamour?
Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees was on hand to tend to Gabby’s manicure and she used a layering combo for maximum bling. At first glance I thought she was wearing silver chrome Minx but instead Kimmie layered the glittery Essie Silver Bullions over metallic silver Essie Loophole. |
Both Essie Loophole and Silver Bullions are available online at Essie.com and in salons including national chains Regis, ULTA and Trade Secret.
What do you think of Gabourey’s nail look? What would you have paired with that gorgeous shade of green?
image credit: WireImage & Celebutopia
 In case you were wondering, the mint green train isn’t stopping anytime soon. I know some of you feel it’s too light for Fall/Winter but I’m so all over it, I can’t stand it! In fact, Essie is introducing her twist on the minty nail trend in her candy-themed Winter 2009 collection.
I had the privilege of meeting Essie backstage at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. In fact, I saw her two days in a row. How crazy is that? A friend introduced me in the backstage area and we chatted for a few and then the next day she hosted a press event for the limited edition Capri Blue polish she created for MBFW. That’s when I first laid eyes on the Winter colors and you KNOW I fixated on that green. Get all the details and see the colors, after the jump! |
 First of all, let me say that Essie is a doll to chat with. I was uber-intimidated to meet such a giant in the polish industry and her statuesque figure only adds to her presence. She’s one tall drink of water. But my butterflies were unwarranted because Essie is very down-to-earth, extremely inviting and so in love with color.
When asked what colors she loves to wear, Essie admitted that while she’s normally a Bordeaux girl when it comes to her toes, she wore Lacquered Up all summer. And because she spends a lot of her time in meetings, she prefers to keep her fingernails pretty and safe. She wears combinations of sheers and pales, changing her look each week. Some fave combos include Ballet Slippers with Mademoiselle and Fed Up with Blushing Bride though she’s currently loving Mademoiselle with Blushing Bride. |
 For Fashion Week she collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to create a polish to match their Capri Blue metallic paint. Essie Capri Blue was available exclusively in the Mercedes-Benz backstage lounge but you can get a similar look wearing Midnight Cami from the Fall Cuddle With Color collection. |
For Winter, Essie wanted something whimsical, fun and refreshing. She created these confections with that in mind.
Rock Candy is your typical Essie pink sheer. It’s a bit milky and I ended up using three coats to get it even. You know I’m not one for sheers so it’s not really my style.
Lollipop is unique in that it applied like a glaze. Not jelly-ish and not creamy more like a lip gloss. Though in spite of its texture the color is opaque in two coats. Very unusual and candy-like for such a traditional red hue.
Mint Candy Apple is the pièce de résistance. You know how I’ve swooned over the other mint greens to date and this one is in a class all its own. This really does look like pastel after dinner mints. Oh how I love those. So delicious and melty in your mouth. This beauty is creamy, slightly blue and unfortunately for your wallets, utterly unique. Even though it took three coats for a completely even, opaque finish, I. Don’t. Care. It’s gorgeous!
I swatched it next to every mint green I own and not a one comes close. Lined up against its predecessors it totally stands out.
MAC Peppermint Patti, Barry M Mint Green, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Damone Roberts 1968, Chanel Jade
The Essie Winter 2009 collection launches in November though I’ve heard rumors that it will go on sale on Essie.com tomorrow October 15th.
What do we think Fanatics? Who’s up for mint green-a-palooza this winter?
 Love it or hate it, Matte Nails are the big trend for Fall. With all the matte nail polish collections coming out, it will be a hard style to ignore. If you’re not ready to jump in feet first, why not try a matte top coat instead? Using them to mattify any polish in your arsenal makes it a more versatile and budget friendly way to embrace the look. Give your tried and true shades an update with a new finish.
From flat to satin there are a plethora of choices in the non-glossy top coat realm and I’ve tried them all so you don’t have to. Check out the results after the jump! |
First things first. There are certain things you give up in using a matte top coat.
- These are not fast drying products so you have to be willing to put in the time to get the look.
- The more matte the top coat, the more unforgiving it is. Brush strokes or unevenness can plague you if your application isn’t perfect. As with all new things, practice, practice, practice.
- Matte top coats absorb oil and water as you go about your daily routine so the finish will become more satin over time.
Essie Matte About You ($10, essie.com) and Rescue Beauty Lounge Matte Top Coat ($18, RescueBeauty.com) are the most mattifying top coats I’ve come across. If you desire that truly flat finish this is your best option. The cloudiness does lighten the shade a touch but not significantly.
Nubar V For Men Matte Finish Nail Protector ($8.99, ByNubar.com) comes in a close 2nd to Essie and RBL in terms matte-ness and I love that it’s more forgiving in terms of application. It applies smooth and even every time.
Now for those wanting a satin style nail, the next three options are ideal. They take down the gloss giving a more buffed look. Orly Matte Top Coat is actually discontinued but still available on Head2ToeBeauty.com for $4.95 so get it while supplies last.
Orly Nails for Males ($6.99, SallyBeauty.com) performs similarly to the Matte Top Coat in spite of its dark appearance.
Finally, Barielle’s Matte-inee Top Coat will be launching soon on Barielle.com.
I received quite a few questions regarding InStyle’s June issue. One of the tips in the Summer beauty section was about matte nails. They suggested using “your base coat as a top coat to remove the shine from your lacquer.”
Here’s my problem with that. They showed
="font-weight: bold;">butter London’s Nail Foundation
($18, butterLondon.com) as an example yet they neglected to explain that only ridge filling base coats dry matte. Using your clear or tacky base coats won’t achieve that look. Overly opaque or shimmery ridge fillers won’t get it done either.
Nonie Creme of butter London used her Nail Foundation over Yummy Mummy backstage at Alexander Wang to matte down the shine and in this instance using a base coat totally worked. She even sent me a pic from her iPhone to share with you (above).
However when I used it over my test shade, OPI No Room For The Blues, it didn’t turn out as well. The nude pigmentation in the base changed the color drastically. If you don’t mind that, it’s a simple mattifying solution but I still prefer a matte top coat.
So did this clear up a lot of your questions reagarding matte top coats? Which do you prefer… matte top coats or matte polish? Or do you wish this whole matte thing would just go away already? Sound off Fanatics!
 What’s On Your Nails? is a series focusing on my fellow beauty bloggers and industry insiders, their favorite nail polish and other hot nail topics.
Another week, another WOYN? and this week we’ve got Carla from Product Girl who is FINALLY sharing her NOTD with us (j/k Carla). Kids, this girl is a true “product girl” as her knowledge astounds me. Her love of makeup is deep and real and she can recall color names, collections, etc. like no one I’ve met. This girl has it down!
Since we chat regularly on IM I get to hear about her beauty hauls which makes me want to run to the mall and spend, spend, spend. That’s the last thing the boyfriend wants to hear. I can’t justify $45 for La Mer lip balm but hearing her rave about it is extremely enabling. For that reason alone I’m avoiding the La Mer counter.
Read on to learn more about “Product Girl”, see her favorite red and learn which Sally Beauty find is her go-to top coat. |
Introduce yourself to the ALU readers. Tell us a little about you and your blog.
I started Product Girl in September of 2005. I had a personal blog for years and I found myself talking about my beauty purchases more and more. Eventually I decided that those posts needed their own home because I really enjoyed talking about beauty products and that’s how Product Girl was born.
What is your favorite nail polish?
I am absolutely in love with Chanel’s Lotus Rouge nail polish. I’m a sucker for a red, especially blue reds and this red definitely has quite a bit of it. Unfortunately, I don’t wear it as much as I would like to simply because I only have 1 bottle but you actually suggested some shades that help me make do. 
Plus reds make me feel good, they make me feel a little glamourous.
What is on your tips and toes right now?
Right now I have Essie’s Geranium on my tips and my toes are bare. Geranium is an almost perfect duplicate of NARS Hunger, Hunger has a little more orange to it but you wouldn’t pick up on that unless you compare them side by side.
Do you consider nail polish a beauty necessity or accessory? Why?
To me, it’s an accessory… for now. I’m a reformed nail biter and for years I didn’t really give much thought to what was on my nails. I also got the short end of the stick when it comes to nails. Everyone else in my family has these gorgeous broad, long nails and I have short, stubby, weak ones. I’m starting to work on them though and I definitely have started building a collection of polishes.
How many bottles of nail polish do you own?
I don’t have an exact count on how many bottles I own, mainly because I have products scattered all over the place but I know I have at least 40 of them right now. For the most part, they are different hues of red, mauves, nudes and browns. I’m starting to expand into grays and some more adventurous colors.
How often do you change your nail polish?
Sadly, not as often as I should. It took me about a month to do my nails this time. It’s one of those things that gets put on the to-do list but somehow never gets done until it’s the wrong time. Like this time, I decided to do my nails right between loads of laundry.
Do you have a favorite nail treatment you think my readers should know about? Why is it so fab?
Right now I’m loving INM’s Out the Door top coat. As I mentioned, I often decide to do my nails at the wrong time, like right before bed, and I’m very impatient when it comes to drying time so a speed dry top coat is a must for me. I tried using Seche Vite and didn’t like its consistency so then I started using Poshe. That works like a charm for me but I saw Out the Door in a beauty supply store and picked it up on an impulse. This works even faster than Poshe.
What do you think will be the big nail trend for summer?
It always seems to go back to bright, vivid colors which is great but it seems like I’m seeing more pinks and oranges around this time it seems. I’m not really good at predicting trends though, I just know what I like and what works for me.
What nail trend do you wish would go away?
I do not understand why a person would get a French pedicure, that just seems ridiculous. Just because it looks nice on your fingertips, doesn’t mean it belongs on your toes. Seems like a lose lose situation; either your nails are too long and have the white tip (which then can be uncomfortable) or your nails are too short for the white tip and that just doesn’t look cute either… to me anyhow.
What is the biggest nail faux pas that women make?
Walking around with horribly chipped nail polish, so badly chipped that there’s barely any color left. This is something I’m guilty of doing myself from time to time but at a certain point, your nails are just begging for the nail polish remover.
My thanks to Carla for letting me bully her into showing off her nails. Fanatics make sure you visit Product Girl and see if Carla can enable your next beauty purchase.
