Nail Care

I have great memories of my time in Switzerland, so when I heard that OPI’s new fall/winter shades were called the Swiss Collection, I was really hoping that I liked them.  And after seeing them in person, not only do I adore them, I kind of can’t imagine anyone else not finding at least a few colors that they’ll want to wear over and over again.  It’s that kind of collection.  When describing the shades, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s Executive VP and Artistic Director, said that “Switzerland provided the inspiration for this season, with a backdrop of snow-peaked mountains, lush glacial valleys, and glittering lakes.  With luxurious hues across the color spectrum, the Swiss Collection features jeweled tones from ruby red to shimmering gold and everything in between.” (more…)

Editors’ Note: Ever wonder what makes it out of the beauty closet and into our personal beauty routines? Despite the numerous samples we’re lucky enough to test, some of us are very selective about what we use everyday while others like to have a bit of fun! Our new feature, “Editor’s Closet,” will highlight a few beauty products a TDO editor is using that month…hope you enjoy and we welcome your feedback! (more…)

When I think of fun, funky makeup colors, my mind automatically goes to Urban Decay.  There’s no other brand I’ve found that does bright shades with such wearability.  Even the colors I think I could never get away with are somehow possible when I try them with Urban Decay products.  And what better time to whip them out then as we head into the summer?

Two of their new offerings are both called the Summer of Love – the Summer of Love Nail Kit and the Summer of Love Shadow Palette.  The Summer of Love Nail Kit is the perfect set to bring along on all your mani/pedi appointments because if you’re like me, you constantly change your mind on what colors you’re going to wear, right up until the second the technician is staring at me with annoyance.  (There are just so many cute colors out there!)  The Summer of Love Nail Kit has 7 different shades in it, all in mini bottles that are totally portable and easy to pack.  (I especially appreciate this when it comes to nail polish because when I head to NJ to visit my family, I always want to bring polish with me since my mom and always go and get mani/pedis, but I hate packing full bottles since they don’t really fit anywhere and take up a lot of space.  These mini bottles are the perfect size to fit in my makeup bag while still leaving me enough space to pack all 47 of the eyeshadows I absolutely can’t live without).  The polishes all have fun 1960′s themed names, like Woodstock, Magic Bus, and Aquarius, and they’re almost all super fun and cheerful.  I love the way Psychedelic Sister, a bright coral, looks on my toes, and I’m going to try Woodstock, a hot pink, on my nails at my next manicure.  For all of you commitment-phobes out there who hate spending a lot of money on one bottle of polish that you know you’re never going to use up, this is the perfect investment at only $28.

The Summer of Love Shadow Palette comes in the cutest packaging – it almost makes me wish I’d been alive back in the ’60′s to experience the life of a hippie.  (But then I come to my senses because I shower like, twice a day and really hate being dirty, so there’s no way I would’ve made it.  The first time someone asked me to go four days without shampooing my hair and washing my face, I would’ve been like, “It’s been fun, but I think I need to stop being a flower child now.”).  It’s yet another one of Urban Decay’s must-have palettes.  It has four shadows in totally wearable summer shades – three neutral shades and then a pop of color with a bright purple – that lets you create several different daytime to nighttime looks.  You also get a mini Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin and an eyeliner in Bourbon (a great dark brown shade).  Again, I’m all about the portability and this palette is great for that with the three different products you need to create a perfect eye all at your disposal.  Just add a coat of your favorite mascara and go!

Thanks to Urban Decay, you can have your very own Summer of Love… showers included!

In addition to their Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection for summer, CHANEL has also introduced a very exclusive collection called Noir Et Or.  There are only a few items in the collection, but it’s so dramatic and stunning, you’ll definitely find yourself hunting it down once you’ve seen the pictures.

Noir Et Or was created by Peter Phillips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL, and it’s meant to evoke the glamorous fantasy of Shanghai in the 30′s and 40′s.  The look consists of black and gold eyes and nails – definitely a nighttime look that you’ll want to wear when you’re dying to make an entrance.  (more…)

During the fall and winter, I’m all about the dark shades on my nails – reds, browns, greys… I can’t get enough of them.  But once the warmer weather comes back around, I can’t wait to bust out the colorful colors (especially on my toes).  This summer, Zoya introduces two new color collections – Sparkle and Flash – that are bright and cheerful and perfect for the season. (more…)

Even though some summer makeup collections are already being talked about, we still have to get through the spring first.  Sephora by OPI has introduced their Spring 2010 collection and the shades are very varied and interesting (definitely nothing boring and safe here!)  OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann says that “The Modern Flowers collection was inspired by ‘city girl’ flowers – simple, dramatic, iconic blooms of color and sophistication.  Think calla lilies, orchids, irises, tulips.”  The shades include:

• Handpicked for Me – Light pink lilac with silver shimmer
• Leaf Him at the Altar – Metallic vine green
• Cover Me in Petals – Vivid tigerlily red orange
• Iris I Was Thinner – Medium iris purple
• Go With the Flow-er – Bright tulip pink with hot pink shimmer
• It’s Bouquet with Me – Sheer violet with silver and holographic glitter

Aren’t those the cutest shade names ever?  Love them!  As far as the colors go, I don’t tend to go for the brighter shades on my fingers, but I would wear them all on my toes.  So far, I’ve had pedicures done with Leaf Him at the Altar (very chic) and Cover Me in Petals (vivid and cheerful). I’ve been dying to pick up It’s Bouquet with Me because any polish with glitter in it makes me happy, but my Sephora is always out of it whenever I stop by.  (I guess glitter makes a lot of people happy!)

The Modern Flowers collection is at Sephora stores and on Sephora.com now.

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Everyone likes to shimmer and shine during the holidays, but sometimes it’s a little hard to find ways to do that without making yourself look like you’re heading out to a disco.  So I’m always looking for subtle touches to add a little sparkle to my wardrobe.  Right now, I’m getting it from the new polishes from Sephora by OPI’s holiday collection.  The six shades were all inspired by the magic of the season and range from the classic bright red to the funkier dark green.  Here’s what you’ll find in the Sleigh of Hand collection:

• Meet for Drinks – shimmering magenta plum
• Sample Sale – warm candy apple
• High Maintenance – bright orange red
• Absinthe Makes Heart – smoky dark gray with green and iridescent glitter
• Untarnished Image – clear with large and small silver glitter
• Worth My Weight – gold with iridescent and silver glitter

The first three shades have been available before, but the three glitter shades are brand new.  They’re all super sparkly and shimmery, but they manage to do it in a sophisticated way, not in a way that makes you look like a 12 year-old who just discovered nail polish.  I’m currently wearing Worth My Weight on my toes, where it looks fun and very holiday-esque in heels.  Absinthe Makes Heart was my most recent manicure choice and it’s so pretty on my nails – a funky twist on your standard dark shade.  I have a feeling I’ll be wearing these for many holiday seasons to come! Available at Sephora.com.

What’s autumn like in New York? Ask Dashing Diva and their new fall collection of nail polishes! I always love seeing what additions they have to their Manhattan Collection line of polishes, and this fall’s newest creations are oh so pretty. Here’s the rundown on the new shades, from left:

• Jazz Nights: bright ruby red glitter
• Bryant Park: light copper shimmer
• Fashion District: soft gold with light shimmer
• Grand Central Station: deep, rich green
• Astor Place: slate gray

Although Jazz Nights was a bit too gritty/bumpy for my liking, I love the shimmer colors, as well as the Astor Place gray. Grand Central Station is a great forest green that doesn’t look black, for you green polish fanatics out there. And as always, Dashing Diva’s Manhattan Collection polishes are made without DBP, formaldehyde, or toluene, so you can apply safely. So, do you think these colors capture fall in NYC? Try for yourself at dashingdiva.com.

My new favorite color for my nails when I’m feeling something dark, is this glamorous midnight blue, named Midnight Cami, from Essie’s Cuddle with Color Fall 2009 Collection, for its subtle sparkly shine and rich color.  I’ve recently been finding the typical black nail polish passe and boring.  I like to paint my nails with a spot of color so that I have something pretty to look at while I type away at my keyboard all day.

I equate the deepness of the color to a blue ink pen spill or a sapphire stone, one of my favorite exotic jewels. The color has a lushness that is pure jet, but injected with a high shine finish.  A cousin to this color from the OPI nail family would be their Russion Navy color, but this color is more vibrant and less flat.  Midnight Cami is a great color to try out when you have short nails, because it is so dramatic that it draws the eye in and makes your nails look longer than they really are.  Short nails also keep the effect of the color looking dramatic, chic and polished, rather than Smurf or Martian-like.

Check out pictures of Essie’s Midnight Cami on nails from The Lipstick Diaires and Makeup and Beauty Blog and let me know what you think!