Of all the amazing things I saw at New York Fashion Week, what I was most excited to come home and try is a look that never even appeared on the catwalk. It’s a new nail art technique that CND Co-Founder Jan Arnold discovered in Russia and I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you. It’s a technique for making your own nail art decals using nail polish that CND’s Russian Education Ambassadors created. Essentially you are designing your own version of Minx or Sally Hansen Salon Effects at home. It’s easy and fun and I just know you DIY peeps are going to love it.

This tutorial video shows you, step-by-step, how to create the decals.

For the look below, I cut out a portion of the River Rock design. In order to help it blend I applied a coat of CND Copper Shimmer over Chanel Blue Bloy though I probably should have used a second coat of Copper Shimmer. The decal stands out a bit more than I would like so if you plan to cut out only a portion of the design it’s probably best to use a clear base.

Here I applied the Desert Rock decal that uses CND Ice Blue Shimmer as a base with CND Desert Suede and CND Copper Shimmer over Peripera P017 (I’ve been on an eBay kick) and the Ice Blue Shimmer background really altered the base color.

One last look at the River Rock decal. This time over Chanel Blue Rebel. I placed the decal over the entire nail and the Copper Shimmer background really comes to life over such a dark base color.

CND Colour & Effects nail polishes are available at salons and spas nationwide including chains like Beauty Brands, Beauty First and Trade Secret. For more info visit CND.com. Online shoppers head to GoInduge.com or TransDesign.com. CND Colour nail polish retails for $9/ea and the Effects retail for $11/ea for a .33oz bottle.

What do you think of this DIY nail art technique? Is this something you would try at home? If you do, please tell us what type of designs you create and the polishes you use.

Disclosure: All Lacquered Up’s coverage of CND at NYFW is sponsored by CND. For more info, view my Disclosure Policy.

For Spring 2012, Sally Hansen is continuing its successful designer collaboration with the innovative and colorful Prabal Gurung. Editorial Manicurist Jin Soon Choi is back for another season and this time she was challenged to create simple, elegant nail art. That resulted in a look she has dubbed the “slim silhouette.”

According to Jin, “[Prabal] said he wanted to have a softness with a strong statement.”  She shared that, “Sometimes it’s hard to do simple nail art. You can do crazy nail art, no problem, but simple nail art is hard to come up with. Prabal is so creative and he always pushes me to come up with something new.”

That something new involves polishing the entire nail with a pale lilac to give the look its softness then applying a darker shade just inside, leaving a ring of lightness around the rim. Jin chose Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac to pair with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Loves-Me-Not, one of the new shades from the Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Spring 2012 collection. To be clear, “This is NOT a French Manicure or Reverse French. French Manicure is outdated.” Jin was adamant about that.

To me, this look is a cross between the Ruffian Manicure from Fall 2010 and the “Slimline” Technique I learned from CND’s Roxanne Valinoti. The Ruffian covers the sides of the nails and in a proper “slimline” the polish starts at the cuticle.

The Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Spring 2012 nail polish collection was inspired by Nobuyashi Araki’s photographic series, “Sensual Flower.” These flowers are beautifully subversive, layered and at further glance very representative of Araki’s work – nuanced with a feminist twist and perverse undertone.

Loves-Me-Not, Purple Posy and Barely Bluebell

The Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure collection will be available this Spring for $7.99/ea.

What do you think of the “slim silhouette” look? Is this something you will try at home? It would also look great using Barely Bluebell under Loves-Me-Not, don’t you think? Are you jazzed over the new Sally Hansen shades?

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. Untried Day #118: This past Tuesday I was invited to the Cleveland Indians game for a special women’s event. I had the opportunity to sit in the Social Suite on Wahoo Women night which benefits the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Even though I’ve always been more of a football fan, there’s nothing quite like spending a beautiful summer night at a baseball game, sipping on a beer and snacking on peanuts (Cleveland’s own Peterson’s naturally). It’s the picture of Americana. And I have to give it up to the Tribe’s marketing team. They have really created something special with their Social Suite. Anyone who is active in social media can apply to sit in the suite, like the fancy people, for a night. The view and the accommodations in the suite are pretty spectacular. So what’s a nail girl to do on a night that is dedicated to both women and the Indians? A red, Tribe-themed manicure of course!  I wanted the perfect Indians red so I looked to my untrieds and found Zoya Sooki and I paired it with CND Midnight Sapphire from the upcoming Fall 2011 “The Look” launch. It is a pretty good match to the team’s blue color. Keep reading to see how it turned out.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant.  Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing.  The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

Sooki has a smooth, creamy formula that glides on the nail. I had no trouble creating clean lines at the cuticle as the lacquer was so easy to control. The pigmentation is pretty good though I do notice a bit of VNL (visible nail line) with two coats but my free edge seems to stand out more than most.

Zoya Sooki is a cherry red creme though what I find interesting is that in natural light it’s pretty rich and cool toned but under a warm light, like the OttLite, or direct sunlight it leans more towards tomato. Obviously this shade was named after Sooki from True Blood, which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, so it’s just an added bonus that it also went with my theme for the night. Though how much does this season suck? No pun intended. I want the old Eric back and I’m over these witches, literally!!

To create my Tribe themed manicure I alternated Sooki with CND Midnight Sapphire, which I will review in full at a later date, skipping the middle fingers on each hand. On my middle nail I applied China Glaze White Out as a base for some fun polka dots. Using my dotting tool, I placed dots in a somewhat organized pattern.

Application Tip: Drop the polish on a piece of card stock or aluminum foil and let it to rest for a few seconds to thicken. It will make it easier to place the dots. Just don’t wait too long or it will get stringy. It’s akin to the “magic hour” for photographers. You have a brief moment of time when the polish is just the right consistency for dotting.

I reversed the pattern on my other hand and, of course, I forgot to take a pic of it before I left for the game so this cell phone shot will have to do.

The view from the Social Suite. Which was phenom until…..

The rains came! When I arrived, one of the other Wahoo Women said she received a tornado warning call from her city, west of Cleveland, so we knew we were in for a storm. We  just had no idea how insane it would be. At one point there was hail coming down and you couldn’t see across the stadium. But, we had lovely distractions during the downtime.

Ketchup paid us a visit in the suite. He wears a pair of bad-ass glasses a la Wild Thing in Major League and runs a nightly race in the stadium against his competitors Mustard and Onion. Even though I only like onions when they’re caramelized or battered and deep fat fried, I root for Onion since she’s the only lady in the race. And surprisingly, she won on Wahoo Women night. Who would have guessed?

Thanks to the generosity of Time Warner Cable of Northeast Ohio we had yummy snacks to feast on and a visit from the DESSERT CART! I had no idea such a thing existed so you can imagine how my eyes lit up. Actually, if you check out Alexa’s post on Cleveland’s a Plum, you’ll see a group shot with many a shock and awe reaction face. As hard as it was to choose, I couldn’t resist a chocolate and mint brownie-like concoction that I was very thankful to have extra Weight Watchers points to splurge on.

The game ended up going until past 2am, which none of us could stay for, but in the end the Tribe pulled out a win against Detroit. Clearly the rain didn’t dampen the players’ spirits. GO TRIBE!

Bottom Line: Sooki is a well formulated red and a great nail polish wardrobe staple. It doesn’t set my heart on fire but it certainly served my purpose. I’m sure the red lovers out there will hate me for saying it but a lot of times I feel like a red is a red is a red. I know that’s not at all true but it takes a lot for a red to wow me so I’m unintentionally hard on them.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Considering how little I actually opt for reds, I’m sure this will get more love with a friend. SHARE.

Zoya Sooki is available now as part of the Summertime collection at salons and spas nationwide including ULTA and online at Zoya.com. Zoya nail polishes retail for$8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

Thoughts on Zoya Sooki? Do you approve of my Indians themed manicure? Are you excited to hear more about Midnight Sapphire? Do you have any dotting tips to share with the group?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Zoya, CND and China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. Step by step, ooh baby, Gonna get to you girl Step by step, ooh baby, Really want you in my world That’s right Fanatics, I went to the NKOTBSB concert and I’m not one bit ashamed because it was AH-Mazing! Those boys, well men, sing and dance their asses off for over two hours to throngs of screaming fans and I was so happy to be one of them. It totally makes up for the fact that I never got to see them perform when I was a kid. For me, the best parts of the concert were seeing my darling Joey McIntyre, who rocked some multi-colored nails the last time they were on tour, sing “Please Don’t Go Girl”, Donnie Wahlberg revealing his rock hard abs and Nick Carter sporting a LeBron James “Choke” t-shirt. Though I couldn’t help but notice that AJ McLean was wearing black crackle on his nails (see here). I went with two of my CLE blogger pals, Suzanne & Allison, and we had a blast dancing and singing the whole night. My ears are still ringing! While I enjoyed Backstreet Boys, I was really there for New Kids On The Block so I had to do a NKOTB themed manicure which I dedicate to Joey and his stunning baby blues. I chose a pale blue, Color Club Factory Girl, to match his eyes and a darker, grittier hue, Orly Sapphire Silk, to represent his “Hangin Tough” Boston background. I also failed at my attempt at nail art using Milani Nail Art polish in Blue Print.

Formula & Application: Orly nail polish is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and does not contain camphor, which can be an irritant. Orly polishes come with the fan fave rubberized cap. That signature easy-to-grip topper makes it easy to control the polish. The brush is long and thin with flexible bristles. I personally would like it if there were more bristles to get more coverage in each stroke.

The consistency of Sapphire Silk is nice and thin even though it’s packed with pigment. I used two coats and each one leveled out, drying with a smooth, glossy finish.

Formula & Application: Color Club nail polishes are 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin). The weighty square bottles are topped with a smooth round cap that feels solid, like it’s made out of metal, in the hand. The thin, round brush has long bristles that have a bit of tension to them but it doesn’t interfere with application.

Unfortunately, I wish I would have tested Factory Girl before choosing it for my manicure. The formula is really thin and sheer. I had to use FOUR COATS and even then I ended up with streaking and pulling at the cuticle. Not exactly a fitting tribute to Edie Sedgwick.

Orly Sapphire Silk is a murky, denim blue creme. It has touches of teal in its undertone but not enough for me to put it in that category. It’s more blue than say Color Club Gossip Column or American Apparel Peacock. Color Club Factory Girl is a sky blue creme, not too far off from Color Club Blue Light though I would say Blue Light is a bit brighter.

I almost didn’t post this pic because my handiwork is so pathetic. Drawing straight lines is one thing but circles and curves are clearly not my strong suit. Regardless, it was fun to try. The brush on the Milani Nail Art Lacquer is just so long, it makes writing a challenge. I thought about using the tip of my dotting tool since you can hold it like a pen so I may try that in the future.

Bottom Line: I dig that Sapphire Silk is kind of muddled and mysterious and it doesn’t fall completely into the teal category. Plus the formula is spot on. Factory Girl was not a winner in my book. The color is beautiful but the streaking and sheerness turned me off.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: I’m definitely STASHing Orly Sapphire Silk but Color Club Factory Girl is off to the SHARE bin.

Orly Sapphire Silk is available at Sally Beauty and ULTA stores and online at OrlyBeauty.com. Both Sapphire Silk and Color Club Factory Girl are available at Head2ToeBeauty.com and TransDesign.com. Orly nail polishes retail for $6-7.50/ea depending on the retailer and Color Club nail polish retails for $3/ea.

Thoughts on Sapphire Silk and Factory Girl? Do you have foolproof method for writing letters on nails? Or is it just practice, practice, practice? Where are my fellow NKOTBSB fans? Did anyone else go see them on tour?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Color Club, Milani and Orly. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. Once upon a time, Lancôme released Le Magnetique, a magnetic nail polish, and people even outside the nail fanatic realm were fascinated. Tiny metallic particles in the polish formed a star sapphire pattern on the surface when a special magnet was placed in front of it. What a crazy and unique concept, no? Of course, Le Magnetique was a US limited edition which upset international fanatics, rightfully so. Then L’Oreal (Lancôme’s parent company) decided to release a special European version of Le Magnetique under the L’Oreal brand in a wider range of colors which upset the US fanatics, rightfully so. That brings us to today. We haven’t heard a peep about magnetic nail polishes in the US since the Le Magnetique craze and it was almost as though we forget they ever existed. But now, thanks to LCN, we have a whole new set of magnetics to play with and a new design pattern.

Formula & Application: The LCN bottles do not list ingredients and the polish is made in Germany so I have no idea if it is 3-Free or not. The short, square bottles have a smooth, stubby cap with an medium length, round brush inside.

The polish itself is somewhat thick and goopy and it has a metallic, brush stroke finish so I wouldn’t recommend wearing the polish on its own, though you certainly can. I’m just not a fan of brush marks so it’s not something I would reach for if the magnets weren’t involved. While the polish is pigmented enough to only need one coat, the pattern will be stronger with more depth if you use two coats.

Application Process & Tips: Magnetic nail polish contains tiny metallic particles that are attracted to the specially designed magnet. Because the magnet has a pattern engraved into it, the particles create a design (star sapphire or diagonal stripes) when held over the nail. The process can be kind of tricky and takes a little practice so here are my helpful hints to working with the magnets.

Work on one nail at a time – The nail polish dries pretty fast and it must be wet for the pattern to form so polish all of your nails with one coat and then, one at a time, apply the second coat, holding the magnet over each one as you go.

Steady the magnet by holding it perpendicular to your work surface – I had a rough time trying to hold the magnet over my nails without hitting the surface. I found that standing the magnet up, similar to the Le Magnetique magnet holder, I was able to raise my nail to the magnet and see exactly how close I was to the surface. This may not be ideal with longer nails but it worked perfectly for my length.

The Le Magnetique polish magnet makes better stars – I don’t know if there’s a difference in the strength of the magnets or if the pattern is cleaner but I had a bitch of a time creating the star sapphire pattern with the LCN magnet. One side of my nail never formed the pattern or it wasn’t very strong. For me, the best stars came from using the Le Magnetique magnet though I still found the diagonals turned out best. Maybe my LCN star magnet is just a lemon.

If you mess up, add a new layer – To perfect your patterns, hold the magnet over each layer of polish. You can essentially “erase” a bad pattern with a new layer of polish without having to start over. I wouldn’t suggest exceeding three coats since the polish will get really thick and start to pull.

Wait until the pattern is dry to apply top coat – If the polish is still wet, applying top coat will destroy the design. Wait at least three minutes before applying your top coat.

LCN Green Temptation Magnetic Nail Polish is a forest green metallic that looks pretty silvery in the bottle but once the magnet is applied, the dark green is revealed as the design forms.

LCN Amazing Mauve Magnetic Nail Polish surprised me as it looks like a pretty blah lilac tinged silver during application. Once the magnet is applied, a vibrant purple comes shining through. It’s pretty spectacular and when you move your nails up and down they look like one of those optical illusion toys from the vending machines in grocery stores. You know, the ones by the jawbreakers and gumballs.

To give you an idea of what the rest of the LCN polishes look like when magnetized I held the magnets up to the bottles. What’s cool is that the pattern stays until you roll the polish.

Copper Seduction and Nude Charm

Fuschia Attraction and Magnetic Moments

Green Temptation and Amazing Mauve

Iron Magic and Ferromagnetic Blue

Bottom Line: Magnetic nail polish is fun and interesting and the science geek in me loves the concept. It’s an easy form of DIY nail art and will surely garner attention. Even the boyfriend, who is pretty immune to nails at this point, took notice.  The thick formula of the polish can be a pain to work with and creating the patterns can be frustrating for a perfectionist like myself but the learning curve is relatively small. I wish the magnets were a little larger and more curved so the pattern would reach the sides of my nails but it still looks cool as is. My must-have colors from the set are Amazing Mauve, Copper Seduction, Ferromagnetic Blue and Green Temptation.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: I’m STASHing them all. They’re too unique not to.

LCN Magnetic Nail Polish is available online to consumers at LCNBoutique.com and licensed professionals at LCNUSA.com. LCN Magnetic Nail Polishes retail for $9.90/ea for a 8ml bottle & the magnets retail for $19.90/ea. You can buy the whole set including 8 polishes and 2 magnets for $115.90. European Fanatics, brands including Essence and Alessandro Go Magic Twist! have magnetic nail polishes that should be accessible in your part of the world.

Are you happy to see magnetic nail polish make a comeback? Will you be picking up the LCN polishes? Which color is your fave from the set? If you already own the LCNs does your star magnet work well?

Disclosure: I purchased these nail polishes at the professional price. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. To celebrate Independence Day in the US, I decided to get my red, white & blue sparkle on. I even planned to get all crafty incorporating scotch tape and the result ended up being one giant mani-fail! Of course, instead of getting down on myself for it, I’m learning from my mistakes and sharing my missteps with you. To create today’s look I went straight for my Milani One Coat Glitters in Red Sparkle and Blue Flash. When you want full-on sparkle without multiple, thick layers of polish, look no further. It’s just a shame they didn’t come out with a white version to complete my manicure. In order to conserve my favorite white sparkler, China Glaze White Kwik Silvr, I pulled out another untried, China Glaze Cloud Nine from the Specialty Glitters collection.

Formula & Application: Milani nail polishes are 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin).  The bottles have a tapered, black shiny plastic cap with a long, thick, round brush.  The brushes on Milani polishes are bigger than most and combined with the flexible bristles they allow for optimal coverage of the nail plate.

The only downside here is that the One Coat Glitter formula is kind of thick so it kind of plops on the nail which doesn’t really allow for phenomenal control.  Thankfully glitters are pretty forgiving so any uneven brush strokes around the cuticle aren’t noticeable from an average distance.

Regarding the “one coat” coverage promise, Milani comes close but doesn’t quite hit the mark.  The first coat definitely covers better than most glitter polishes but it’s not completely opaque.  I would imagine to get it done in one coat you’d need to apply the polish pretty thick which is usually a formula for chiptastic nails.  Applying two thin-medium coats will give the best results.

China Glaze is a 3-Free brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold.

The Specialty Glitters all differ in their opacity and consistency. Cloud Nine is squishy and milky and tries hard to be opaque in spite of the plethora of glitter packed into its base but doesn’t really succeed. I ended up layering it over China Glaze Snow to avoid having to use 4+ coats.

Milani Red Sparkle and Milani Blue Flash are both pretty straight up glitters. They don’t have any noticeable pigment to their bases, just tons and tons of glitter. Blue Flash is a cross between cyan and royal and Red Sparkle reminds me a lot of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. As you can see, Blue Flash mellows and darkens when layered over Red Sparkle.

China Glaze Cloud Nine has a milky white base packed with opalescent flakie glitter that looks like burning embers when the light hits it. The flakes don’t really show up on camera but they made me think of the fiery showers the float down from the sky after a firework explodes. China Glaze Snow’s opacity made it the perfect base since I only needed one coat.

Now let’s discuss the disaster you see above. I attempted a diagonal stripe scotch tape manicure using the two Milani glitters but it just didn’t work out. After my third attempt at getting the middle finger perfect failed, I just gave up. It’s a holiday and I want to enjoy it, not spend it frustrated with my polish.

What went wrong? Well, I thought I would speed up the process by using a UV top coat. I have a few and opted for Seche Ultra-V because it’s somewhat thick and would cover up the texture of the glitter. Well, even though the polish seemed solid after three minutes of curing in a UV lamp and waiting like 5 minutes, it was still pliable and came up with the tape. I attempted to fill in the bald spots but that just made things worse. I also didn’t wait long enough after adding the stripes to put on my top coat and that caused some of the glitter to bleed. Not a good look.

While I like the concept, the execution definitely needs some work. Here’s what this experience taught me:

• The Milani glitters are too thick to try the UV top coat trick. They just don’t cure that fast
• If the tape pulls up the polish, start over. Trying to cheat and fill in spots just makes for more mess.
• Patience, patience, patience. Admittedly this is not my strong suit. Let’s just say, I could never be a teacher. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to this process, stick to solid color nails or do free hand art.
• Tapping the scotch tape on your palm keeps it from being too sticky but don’t remove too much of the tackiness. The tape I used on my pinkie nail wasn’t sticky enough and it lifted up, allowing polish to seep underneath. I tried to push the glitter with an orange wood stick and made things worse (see #2).

In the end, a basic red, white and blue look ended up being the winning combo. As I mentioned above, these glitters dry with TEXTURE. A thick coat of Seche Vite or mulitple layers of a regular top coat are needed and even then they aren’t completely smooth but that doesn’t take away from the sparkle.

Bottom Line: The Milani One Coat Glitters are a glitter fiend’s BFF. They give great coverage in just a couple coats and deliver a ton of bling at a wallet friendly price. If China Glaze Cloud Nine was more opaque it would be a winner but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s basically a milky version of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasures (or Nubar 2010) with smaller, less plentiful flakes. In hindsight, either of those would have been better over Snow than Cloud Nine.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Milani Red Sparkle & Blue Flash are staying in the STASH and I’m kicking China Glaze Cloud Nine to the SHARE bin.

Milani One Coat Glitters are available at drugstores nationwide and online at MilaniCosmetics.com and CherryCulture.com. Milani nail polishes retail for $4.99/ea for a .5oz bottle.

Did you create a special 4th of July manicure for the holiday? Tell us about it. Are you a fan of the Milani One Coat Glitters?

Disclosure: I purchased the Milani nail polishes. China Glaze Cloud Nine was provided by China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to. Color-blocking was all over the Spring 2011 runways but being that my own personal style doesn’t really mesh with color-blocking, I translated the trend to nails. As much as I love how bright colors look on others, I tend to stick to neutrals when it comes to my own wardrobe. My nails are my color statement. Inspired by a dress I saw while online window shopping on Nordstrom.com, I incorporated Orly Ancient Jade from the Precious Spring 2011 Collection to create a color-block manicure.

Formula & Application: Orly nail polish is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and does not contain camphor, which can be an irritant. Orly polishes come with the fan fave rubberized cap. That signature easy-to-grip topper makes it easy to control the polish. The brush is long and thin with flexible bristles. I personally would like it if there were more bristles to get more coverage in each stroke.

I clearly have not been wearing enough Orly polish lately because their formula continues to amaze me, as if it’s the first time I’ve ever used it. I raved over Royal Navy’s application and Ancient Jade was just as fantastic. Thin, easy to manipulate, well pigmented. For a color so light, two coats were more than sufficient. In fact to avoid my color-block manicure from getting too thick (which it did) I should have used one coat. I totally could have gotten away with it if I wasn’t photographing the color on its own for this post.

Orly Ancient Jade is a mint green creme but as the name indicates, it’s not a pastel. It’s rich, like the jade stone it was named after, and along the lines of Chanel Jade. In fact, if it had the same Chanel subtle shimmer, they could be close relatives.

In the past couple years Orly has released polishes in this color group but in comparison Gumdrop is lighter and more blue based, while Mint Mojito is much darker, almost a spring green. The closest I could come to finding a similar color is Models Own Jade Stone which is Ancient Jade’s slightly paler sister. I had hoped, based on the bottle color, that this was a MAC Peppermint Patti dupe but no such luck.

Using this dress from Jay Godfrey as my inspiration, I added CND Blackjack and Sinful Rise and Shine to Ancient Jade to create my color-block nails. Normally I would not attempt such a manicure. Nail art is not in my skill set and a lot of the nail art I see is too much for my personal taste. But thanks to readers who pointed me in the direction of Chloe’s Nails and her amazing scotch tape manicures, my first attempt at color-blocking came out pretty decent. Check out this tutorial for Chloe’s tips on working with scotch tape to create clean lines. I chose to not apply top coat between each layer to keep my manicure from getting too thick so I waited for at least 20 minutes before applying the next color. Application Tip: If you apply the tape too early, as long as it doesn’t pull of any color during removal, any surface marks from the tape will be erased with top coat.  I found that out when applying Rise and Shine. I totally marked up Blackjack and you can’t even tell.

Bottom Line: The jade/mint trend may not be the thing anymore but a great green can always suck me in. Ancient Jade’s formula is top notch and the pigmentation is strong with this one. If you’re into this type of color, you will not be let down.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: STASH!! In fact, I may be dumping other polishes from my collection in favor of this one. It’s that good!

Orly Ancient Jade is available now at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA stores though availability will vary by store. Online shoppers can head to OrlyBeauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com. Orly nail polishes retail for $7.50/ea for a .6oz bottle.

Thoughts on Ancient Jade? How did my color-block nails turn out? Is this something you would attempt? Have you done a scotch tape manicure before?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Orly. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

The recently launched MAC Wonder Woman collection brought out the little girl and “nail artist” in me.  That’s right Fanatics, you didn’t misread the title, I said “nail artist.”  You can check my forehead for a fever all you like but I’m perfectly healthy AND loving my Wonder Woman themed foray into the nail art. I’m sure my fellow Gen-Xers will happily stroll down memory lane with me to the days of Wonder Woman Underoos and raven haired beauty, Lynda Carter, flying into living rooms nationwide in her invisible airplane.  At just four years old my Wonder Woman doll was my most prized possession next to my Donny Osmond doll, purple socks and all, of course.  Way before my Barbie obsession took hold, I was imagining myself lassoing evildoers to confess their crimes. The MAC Wonder Woman collection includes two new Nail Lacquers in WW’s signature colors; red (Obey Me) and blue (Spirit of Truth).  As easy as it would be for me to just wear the colors as a mani/pedi combo or a multi-colored manicure I decided to take it one step further, inspired by one of my fave nail art lovers, Nail Art Junkie’s Keri B.

Keri B is a regular at Sakura Nail Spa in NYC and she’s a faithful CalGel wearer.  She continues to top herself with each design concept she conceives with the artists at Sakura.  She wore some killer plaid for MAC’s A Tartan Tale launch and when MAC Fabulous Felines came out she went all “cat lady” crazy, something the furball mother in me can appreciate.

Now as you know I am normally not big into the whole nail art thing but when I saw Keri’s Wonder Woman nails, I was transfixed.  The gilded red moons, the blue and silver stars that mimic WW’s costume, the iconic Wonder Woman logo.  It all wowed me.  To the point that I decided to test out my amateur (at best) nail art skills to represent this collection.

I’ve had Milani’s Nail Art polishes for a while now but never had a reason to pull them out.  This was the perfect occasion. I used Black Sketch and Art of Gold to create the designs.  The Milani Nail Art polishes come in an easy to grip bottle with a thin nail art brush instead of your stand round polish brush.  While Black Sketch, a black creme, was very easy to work with, Art of Gold was chunky which made it perfect for filling in designs but not for drawing straight lines.

Spirit of Truth reminds me a lot of China Glaze First Mate in that it’s a cross between royal blue and navy.  The two colors are very similar.  To the point that owning one is all you really need.  The application of SoT was perfection.  The pigmentation was spot on.  I barely needed a second coat.  It’s one of those “had me at hello” kind of polishes.  The fact that MAC branded the bottles makes me love it even more.

I chose to do a multi-colored manicure for my base apply Spirit of Truth to my left hand with my Obey Me polished ring finger serving as the accent nail.  I painted the more intricate Wonder Woman symbol on this hand since my polishing skills aren’t as strong with my non-dominant hand.

Using Keri B’s photo as a guide (and practicing on a nail art wheel prior) I first painted the black outline of the WW symbol using Black Sketch and then filled in the design with Art of Gold.  Now because of AoG’s chunky nature it bleed onto the black a bit so I went back and redefined the lines after.  I started with the middle “W” but I placed it too high on the nail so when I painted the top one, the lines got a bit blurred. It’s far from perfect but I’m kind of mesmerized by it and can’t stop staring at my nails with pride.

Obey Me is a candy apple red creme.  It’s pretty straightforward and like Spirit of Truth is flowed flawlessly on the nail.  The formula for both these polishes is exquisite.

On this hand I applied Obey Me on four nails with Spirit of Truth on the ring finger accent nail.  I knew I couldn’t pull off a ton of little stars so I went for one big star instead.  What a disaster that turned out to be.

I can barely draw a respectable star with a pencil and paper so I don’t know WHY I thought I could draw one on my nail with my non-dominant hand with a chunky polish.  I tried to outline the star with Black Sketch to try and make the star shape more balanced but it can only do so much.  Clearly I’m not proud of how it turned out but I’m giving myself an A for effort.

Bottom Line: MAC did us right in this collection. They branded the bottles, which they should in every collection of this type (Venomous Villains I’m looking at you), they gave us beautiful colors that would make Wonder Woman proud and they delivered a formula worthy of the price point. Color me smitten!

The MAC Wonder Woman Collection is currently available online at MACCosmetics.com and at MAC counters nationwide. MAC Wonder Woman Nail Lacquers retail for $15/ea for a .34oz bottle.

Thoughts on the Wonder Woman polishes?  What do you think of my attempt at nail art?  Any tips on how to paint a star or do detail work with your non-dominant hand?  Did you get anything else from Wonder Woman?  I’m loving the fuchsia & red glosses.

Product samples were provided by MAC and Milani. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

image credit: Nail Art Junkie courtesy of Keri B.

Now that I’m home from New York Fashion Week, I finally had a chance to catch up on the Grammys and check out the fashions and nails.

Being a huge Joan Rivers fan, I actually watched E!’s Fashion Police before the actual show.  Joan cracks me up and I love how Kelly Osborne & Giuliana Rancic lose it almost every time she opens her mouth.  The actually Grammy show was kind of meh but I did love Cee Lo Green & Gwyneth Paltrow singing “F*ck You” and seeing Eminem perform.  I have an out of character crush on Eminem and ended up watching his performance twice.

We’re in the height of award season and of all the shows, The Grammys, tends to be the most noteworthy nail-wise.  We already learned about Lady Gaga’s bright yellow nails from Deborah Lippmann and now Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees shares her work on Grammy night with clients Katy Perry and Rihanna.

Changing outfits during an award show is nothing new for celebrities but how about changing nails? Katy Perry switched up her nail game at The Grammys, going from an ethereal red carpet design to a more Valentine’s Day friendly look for her performance.

Katy opted for a neutral color on her toes, using China Glaze Nude.  Kimmie added a layer of Shellac Top Coat to speed up the dry time and prolong wear.

Since Katy wanted additional length on her nails Kimmie used Dashing Diva Professional Pre-Glued Nails for both looks. The pre-glued nails allow for an easy change during the show.

For her red carpet appearance, alongside her grandmother, Kimmie applied Orly White Out topped with CND Perfectly Bare Effect (launching in March) and glitter from an irridescent glitter stick. Kimmie noted that the glitter matched the blue shimmer in her dress.

When it came time for her performance, Katy changed her tips to a heart themed design that was just as sweet as her singing ‘Not Like The Movies’ while video of her wedding to Russell Brand played in the background.

To create the look, Kimmie started with a base color of Orly Polo Princess.  On the pinkie, middle and thumb nails she applied felt red and pink hearts.   On the pointer and ring fingers, she waited till the pink was completely dry and took a Milani precision art brush dipped it into Seche Vite and outlined a heart shape with the top coat and sprinkled glitter into the clear coat.

Rihanna kept her nail look a bit more simple. She chose the rich, reddish-brown OPI I’m Suzi & I’m A Chocoholic for her fingers.  It looks beautiful with her dark lip in the same tone.  Her toes were painted with CND Wildfire but she wore closed toe shoes/boots so we never got to see them together.

What do you think of Katy and Rihanna’s nail looks from The Grammys? Were there any outstanding nail looks that I missed?

image credit: WireImage

Last season we saw nails elevated from accessories to full on jewelry at Diego Binetti. This season at Vena Cava, butter LONDON‘s Nonie Creme is pushing the boundaries, bringing nail polish to a whole new territory; skin.  That’s right, she’s taking over “real estate” from the skin and by creating jewelry with nail polish applied directly on fingers. Nail art savant Melissa from The Daily Nail has extended her designs on to the skin in the past but this is the first time I’ve seen the actual nails ignored entirely.  Nonie applied “finger bands” of color to two fingers on each model, some single, some double, and a simple coat of clear Hard Wear top coat to the nails. To replicate the look follow Nonie’s tips: Start with clean, dry skin.  Swipe with remover.  Start below the first knuckle.  Only paint a few fingers or else it will look too tribal. Allow 15 minutes to dry and expect 24 hours of wear.

Get the Vena Cava look using butter LONDON Royal Navy, Scoundrel, Tramp Stamp, and Union Jack Black. The orange, Flouro Orange, is not yet in production.  butter LONDON polishes retail for $14/ea and are available online at butterLONDON.com and Beauty.com.

My question to you is… is this look runway only or something that could be worn in the everyday world?  Would you apply nail polish on your skin on purpose?  What do you think of the “finger bands” look?