The first nail-focused beauty blog

Holiday 2008

NOTD – Duri Night Before Christmas

By on December 24, 2008
in Duri, Holiday 2008, NOTD with 9 Comments

Last Saturday we hosted an Un-Xmas Party, a party to celebrate with our friends without the pressure of decorations, gifts or any type of forced holiday cheer. We just wanted to have a good time with our favorite people. It was a blast of course and like any time my girlfriends come over, we eventually ended up in the polish room looking through my latest finds.

While digging through boxes one of the girls discovered a hidden gem that I had passed off at first glance, Duri Night Before Christmas. As you can see in the pic below it looks extremely glitter packed so I wrote it off as a Lippmann Superstar clone. Boy was I wrong. My friend asked to try on the color and with just one coat, it was glowing under the incandescent light. Right then and there, she proceeded to give herself a full mani and it looked stunning. For a girl that doesn’t like dark nail colors, she was mesmerized by Night Before Christmas so it seemed extremely apropos for my Christmas Eve NOTD.


Night Before Christmas has a berry base that becomes crimson with two coats. The shade is peppered with gold, bronze and red glitter that leaves a slight texture on the nails but it’s nothing that a coat of Seche Vite can’t fix. I showed it without top coat and as you can see, it doesn’t dry matte or rough like a lot of glitters tend to do.

Duri nail polishes retail for $5 and can be purchased directly through the Duri website. Right now they are offering a holiday promotion. Purchase their Holiday Special ($30) that includes Rejuvacote, Herbatherapy and Brush’n Go and you’ll receive 3 Free Polishes. The deal automatically comes with their most popular shades but you can request alternate colors in the comments section upon checkout.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! What’s on your tips today?

Sally Hansen Gift Sets for the Holidays

When you’re out in the shopping frenzy this weekend, if you’re looking for great stocking stuffers, look no further than Sally Hansen. As usual, they’ve put together a variety of gift sets that meet the needs of every budget conscious nail diva.

I don’t know about you but I always get sucked in by the gift sets at the drugstores and discounts stores during the holidays. There’s something about cute prepackaged sets that draw me in. But so many of the nail and makeup sets in the budget price point are by no-name brands. And who wants to give “Joe’s Nail Care Set” to their BFF? You want to give quality products that you know will work long after the holidays have passed. For that reason alone, Sally Hansen is where I put my money.

Tools
Sally Hansen La Cross Salon Manicure Set ($9.95) – Housed in a zipper carry bag, the kit includes a Cuticle Nipper, Toenail Clip, White Buffing Block, Three-Way Buffer, and 6” Cuticle Sticks.

Sally Hansen LaCross Salon Pedicure Kit ($9.95)
Nail Nipper, Toenail Clipper, Pumice Stone, Callus Remover Rasp, 7” Black Cushion Board, and Toe Spacers, all in one Zipper Carry Bag.

Sally Hansen LaCross Stocking Treats Implement Set ($2.95)
These sets come in a festive stocking, available in three different shapes and colors. Each set includes the following essential LaCross implements: Cuticle Scissors, Slant Tip Tweezers, Nail Clipper and a Sapphire File.

Mini Polish Sets
Salon Mini Manicure Kit ($9.95)
The Salon mini sets both come include four Salon shades, a bottle of clear polish and french manicure guide stickers. You can select the Deep Collection filled with dark, trendy shades or the Holiday Collection with classic metallics, a red and white.

Holiday Collection

Deep Collection


Mini Gift Sets ($4.99)
Each set contain five mini bottles of either Diamond Strength, Xtreme Wear or Lacquer Shine Nail Color

The Sally Hansen Mini Polish Sets can be found at Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS and the Sally Hansen La Cross Nail Tools can be found at Rite Aid and Duane Reed.

Happy Shopping!

Deborah Lippmann on Martha Stewart

So I was getting my morning Martha Stewart fix and I was so excited to see Deborah Lippmann as a guest, discussing holiday nail trends and winter manicure maintenance. I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest Martha fan but I started listening to her daughter’s talk show on Sirius radio and seeing her through Alexis’ eyes intrigued me. Realizing that she’s not always perfect, just a real person with flaws like the rest of us (except with a ton more money), made me a Martha fan. Knowing that she’s also Deborah Lippmann fan makes me like her even more.

Deborah was wearing fall favorite Pump Up The Jam on her tips, which were appropriately short, while she gave her best tips for keeping up your manicure during the cold winter months. It’s nothing we haven’t heard before but certainly something a LOT of women fail to do.

Use a base coat – Why people skip this step, I have no idea. The oils on your nail will destroy your mani right quick!

Use a top coat – I know a lot of polishes dry shiny but think of it like waxing a car, you’re sealing and protecting the color while giving it shine.

Hydrate your cuticles – What’s the point of having an amazing paint job if the frame (your cuticles) are tore up? Put a mini cuticle oil/balm/cream in every purse you own. Your skin will thank you.

Wear gloves when cleaning – All the chemicals in cleansers are damaging, protect your skin and nails so you don’t end up with leathery hands by the age of 40.

In regards to color trends Deborah talked about dark nails like the color she was wearing, Pump Up The Jam, a dark berry shimmer. She also gave a great tip for punching up your holiday manicure. Those of you who have read my post, Frankenpolish and The Art of Layering are already familiar with layering but I really loved her idea of popping a wash of red over a sparkly silver to give your tips a jelly, candy apple red look.

Of course, I had to try the look for myself. I picked out a couple reds, including Holiday from Deborah’s holiday collection, to test. I layered them all over Fingerpaints Easel Come, Easel Go!, a foil like silver shimmer.
As you can see in the lower “After” image, having silver underneath really upped the glitz factor. With the creme I chose, Rescue Beauty Lounge Chinoise, the effect was subtle with little hints of glitter peeking out like stars. I think because RBL’s cremes are so pigmented (think one coat red), a more sheer creme would give more bling.

Did anyone else catch Deborah’s Martha segment today? What are your favorite holiday layering combos?

Dashing Diva Sneak Peek – The Manhattan Collection

By on December 17, 2008
in Dashing Diva, Holiday 2008, Winter 2008 with 2 Comments

Hey kids! Guess who’s got the scoop on the new Dashing Diva collection? That’s right, moi! To celebrate the new year and a successful five years in New York, Dashing Diva is launching The Manhattan Collection which just happens to coincide with the opening of their 8th New York location on Long Island.

The Manhattan Collection
Central Park After Dark – a soft wine, burgundy

East Village – chocolate brown

NYPD Blue – true dark navy blue

The Red Carpet – true bright red

And just in time for the holidays, Dashing Diva released two new metallics. Rich and sparkling to add a bit of flair to your party look, Golden Opportunity and A Silver Lining are pure bling.

Dashing Diva products can be found at their salons and online at DashingDiva.com. Right now, they have a bunch of colors on sale for 25% off, including one of my favorite blues ever… Stellar Ella, so check it out.

Full reviews of The Manhattan Collection are on their way so stay tuned.

Gift Guide – The 21 Hottest Holiday Polishes

By on December 16, 2008
in Brown, Gray, Green, Holiday 2008, Metallic, Purple, Red with 13 Comments

So you have a nail fanatic in your life that you’d love to surprise with the gift of polish but have no idea where to begin. Whether you’re dropping a bottle in a stocking or creating a personalized gift set, I’m here to help you navigate the racks with the 21 trendiest shades of the season.

I hand picked the best of the best from this year’s fall and holiday collections to take the guesswork out of the polish shopping experience. Check your fanatic’s stash and if you find the collection lacking these shades, they’ll certainly be delighted to receive any of them from you.

Red and Green – What colors best represent the season than red and green? And this year I got my wish by seeing even more lovely greens come out on the market. So whether your fanatic is traditional (red) or a little more daring (green) these beauties will be the perfect party accessory.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Zoya Alix, OPI Don’t Toy With Me, Lippmann Holiday


Grey/Greige/Taupe – This oddball part of the color spectrum was a huge hit for fall. Funky shades are “it” my friends. And even though Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy technically came out last year, you can’t blame Ji Baek for being ahead of the curve. Leaving Stormy out would be a crime of nail fashion!


Metallic – Molten nails have been all the rage and whether you go subtle with a light shimmer or punch it up with glittering gold and silver, these babies are sure to get compliments. They’re the perfect addition to a New Year’s Eve ensemble. Chanel Kaleidoscope isn’t easy to find but you would be such a rock star for scoring a bottle. I’ve seen them on ebay and even though I don’t condone price gouging, sometimes we have to say “uncle” and give in.


Purple and Brown – This color story wasn’t as prominent but for vampy nail lovers, purple and brown are a fresh take on that tired black and navy of years past. If you’ve been searching, like I have, for the ideal brown creme, one that isn’t too red or black based, you MUST buy Zoya Nina. Perfection!

Color Club Electronica, Chanel Haute Chocolat, Zoya Nina, Givenchy Purple By Night

For purchase information and full reviews, click on the polish names. For those not linked, check RescueBeauty.com, SpaRitual.com, Zoya.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com and 8ty8beauty.com for more info.

So I’m dying to know… how many of you own all of these shades? Which ones are you missing? What makes your “must have” holiday list?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Top