 A reader contacted me yesterday via Twitter to see if I had any tricks for removing pens marks from her nails without ruining her manicure. I’ve had it happen to me from time to time but never thought it was a regular occurrence for others. Since I do my own manicures, I usually just redo the nail at home.
But when you pay to get a manicure in a salon, the last thing you want to do is wreck a nail over a silly pen mark. So I wondered if any of the at-home remedies for removing ink from fabric/carpet would work. The most common are rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover (that’s out!) and hairspray. Hmm, hairspray. That shouldn’t harm lacquer but would it remove the stains? I grabbed a pen and a canister of hairspray and here are the results… |
Consider that ink GONE! Now I got a little overzealous with my drawing so I ended up making a couple dents in the polish from the pressure but otherwise, everything was removed and it didn’t harm my glossy top coat in the least.
Do you have any unique nail tricks to share? What are your most common nail stain issues? Are you regularly afflicted by pen stains? If you try this tip at home, let me know your results.
 There’s a party on my nails and you’re all invited. I’m talking about the Spring collection of polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge. RBL founder Ji Baek went for all that is glam with a set of three sparkletastic shades. In the rough economic situation we’re all facing, it’s Ji’s thought that these glitzy creations will add a little luxe to your life at a time when high end spending is being drastically cut.
Check out my swatches and review after the jump! |
I’m not normally a glitter-bomb loving kind of girl. Mainly due to the rough finish and irritating removal process. Though I have to say that compared to some I’ve tested, Ji used a relatively fine glitter and trapped it in a thicker jelly-like clear base to aid the texture issue but removal still isn’t a joy. And I’m pleased to say that I only needed one coat of Seche Vite to get a glass like finish (other brands have required two).
Removal Tip: Add a coat of polish/base/top before removing. Adding a new layer of wet lacquer softens the polish underneath, making it easier to swipe off.
What you see below is two medium-thick coats of polish with no top coat. I love that it stays sparkly instead of getting all bumpy and matte.
Locavore looks very green in the bottle but it’s deceiving. On the nail it reminds me of Mardi Gras. A mixture of metallic glitter hues, much like a shiny masquerade mask.
Frugalista is an aluminum foil, silver metallic peppered with purple flecks. Purple is an underlying theme between the three shades but it stands out most in Frugalista. I have to say, this is the hands down winner for me. I love a purple and mixing it with silver is like perfection.
Look Rich Be Cheap‘s gold glitter is much softer, not as yellow, in person yet it has a lot of fire and brilliance. Gold accents, more than silver, have been popping up on the runways and that makes Look Rich Be Cheap very fashion forward.
So you’re not sure about glitter, can these still be for you? If you love the look of polish but are shy about full on sparkle nails try icing your tips for a funky french manicure or add a thin layer over another color for subtle sparkle or wear them on your toes. At that distance, the bling appears less powerful and, for a lack of better words, in your face.
The Spring bling polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge retail for $18/ea are available now at RescueBeauty.com.
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?
The ribbon cutting to signify the official start of New York Fashion Week is less than 24 hours away. The backstage madness is about to begin for all the models, makeup artists, hair stylists and nail techs. And this season yours truly will be joining them to report the upcoming nail trends straight from the tents, as they’re happening. That’s right, I’ll be at Fashion Week!
So to get an idea of the kind of preparation and backstage frenzy that surrounds Fashion Week, I had a nice little chat with Roxanne Valinoti, CND’s Backstage Nail Team Manager. An accomplished nail artist who has worked with countless celebrities, Roxanne is an International Educator for CND who has been part of the Fashion Week team from the very beginning. During our talk, we not only discussed Fashion Week but also CND’s Spring trend forecast and manicure techniques.
Fashion Week
Last September, CND ascended on New York Fashion Week with a team of 20 artists to tend to more than 37,000 fingers and toes at 62 shows in only 10 days. Now that’s a lot of polish!
So what goes into the planning and preparation for taking on such a venture? Two months prior to show time the CND team starts working with the fashion designers to plan the right nail look to showcase their collection. And at the two week mark, a team of three artists get to work in CND’s production suite creating pre-made tips.
The creative process is a collaborative one between the designers and CND Co-founder and Style Director Jan Arnold. Even though each designer has a specific look they want to convey, Jan is always at the ready with ideas for different nail styles, designs and colors. When needed, colors will be custom blended to match a pantone or fabric swatch. Last season there were custom blended shades making their way down the runways at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Akiko Ogawa, Benjamin Cho, Costello Tagliapietra, Karen Walker, Malandrino, Ports 1961, Three as Four and Twinkle.
Then there are the designers that really take it to another level with custom designed nail tips. For example, when Kimora Lee Simmons announced the Russian theme for her Fall 2007 Baby Phat show, Jan showed her handmade badges she brought back from Russia. Kimora wanted them on every nail of the models hands but production for that would have taken months. In all 40 badges were made from a mix of liquid and powder that were then painted and embellished before being attached to each model’s thumbnail. Last season, L.A.M.B. had reverse french tips, Renee Larc requested a pink and white moon manicure and the Snoopy For Fashion charity show featured Peanuts characters. They were all created in advance and applied with a nail shield that peels off to prevent damaging the nailbed.
Trends
When it comes to nail trends, CND doesn’t follow them, they set them. And this is what they see for Spring 2008.
Healthy, clear pastel tints, like lip gloss for the nails
CND’s spring collection, Plexi Pop is filled with sheer, glossy shades, resembling lucite. They were shown on the models at BCBG, Behnaz Sarafpour, Chaiken, Chris Han, Douglas Hannant, Luca Luca, Peter Som and Rachel Roy just to name a few.
Bright pops of hot pink
Brights including pink popped on the runways at DKNY (Hot Pop Pink and Hot Pop Orange), Lyn Devon (Passsionfruit Poppy) and Pegah Anvarian (Studio 54, Burn and Orange-a-Peel).
Dark nails are the new classic for dressed up events
Chic dark tips and toes graced the scene at Badgley Mischka (Fedora topped with Decadence), Marchesa (Nail Noir), Max Azria (Limited Edition) and Proenza Schouler (Moroccan Ruby).
Techniques
Working in such a fast paced environment takes poise, patience, skill and the right products. Roxanne shared with me some of her favorite products and techniques for surviving the backstage insanity.
- 5-6 designers requested a matte finish. To achieve the look wait for you top coat to dry and hit it with the gray side of the girlfriend buffer.
- When it comes to mixing polishes, be careful. Roxanne suggests you stay within the same brand to avoid any dangerous chemical reactions.
- CND Air Dry is the preferred top coat for its shine and drying time even though Speedy is faster.
- CND Serenity is the backstage basic nude and all around go to color for a clean polished look.
So now that we’ve seen what Spring has to offer, I look foward to bringing you with me as I go backstage to see what Fall 2008 will be all about. Stay tuned!
A reader contacted me yesterday via Twitter to see if I had any tricks for removing pens marks from her nails without ruining her manicure. I’ve had it happen to me from time to time but never thought it was a regular occurrence for others. Since I do my own manicures, I usually just redo the nail at home.
