Anxious As Nails

One way I have always been able to temperature-check my mood is by my desire to paint my nails. I know that sounds silly, but when I am happiest, for some reason, I like to see that reflected in my nails being painted pretty colors. However, of late, I have been painting my nails while still being incredibly concerned about the world around me. I mean, my anxiety is sky high! 

I know that somehow people are able to build their social media algorithms. Many of my friends go to their social media accounts and only see beauty tips and crockpot recipes. I see people building bunkers and talking about how we are going to run out of power and will starve to death unless we learn how to turn our urine into drinking water and preserve peppers. As scary as this sounds, and it sounds really scary, at least to me, I still have been painting my nails, excited about the variety of pinks and reds I have. 

What is the moral of this story? What, am I like happily worried or something? I think that in my old age I am finally digesting the fact that you can't change what you don't have control over. The world could end in a few days. So, I can either go into complete panic mode or pray that God has mercy on us while I oil my cuticles. If I am going to meet my maker, I am doing so with a full, polished set. 

Surya Brazil's Exotic Animal Collection

We are a month and some change away from fall. As you begin to make adjustments to your wardrobe to welcome the season, don't forget to make the same changes to your nail colors. Surya Brazil nail polishes are vegan and never tested on animals, and, just in time for fall, they are releasing their Exotic Animal Collection. 

The 19 colors in the Exotic Animal Collection are inspired by some of our favorite friends of the wild, such as the Anteater, Amazon River Dolphin, Eclectus Parrot, and the Pampas Cat. The collection includes nudes, reds, greens, and other fun colors that are perfect for fall. 

See more of the Exotic Animal Collection here.

Sally Hansen launches "Royal Splendor" Miracle Gel Collection

The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel colors have taken off this year, allowing mani and pedi lovers to get a gel color look without needing to use UV light. This summer, they are quenching our thirsts for hot colors for the season with their "Royal Splendor" Miracle Gel Collection. This array of nudes, reds, and a delicious mint are guaranteed to brighten up your look.  

The Miracle Gel™ Royal Splendor Collection, SRP $9.99 each, hits shelves beginning July 2016.

Sally Hansen for DKNY

THE INSPIRATION

“When I think of DKNY, I think of the cool inspiration of the 90's, the color palette of black, gray, white, neutrals, and strong graphic shapes. I knew the nails needed to feel equally sharp. The girls each have their own personality, a variety of hair styles and thus, a variety of nail styles as well. Using two colors, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Dark Hue-mor, a deep navy and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Commander in Chic, a muddy gray-purple, we created four different nail looks which will be randomly applied to the girls backstage. Every girl will have a unique combination of flare.” – Madeline Poole, Sally Hansen Global Color Ambassador

Commander in Chic and Dark Hue-mor are part of Sally Hansen’s award-winning Complete Salon Manicure collection that infuses trend-setting shades with an expert-quality formula to deliver salon-caliber results. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure delivers seven salon manicure steps in one bottle. Chip-resistant strength joins gel-quality shine. Runway-ready color meets nourishing benefits. Plus, with a built-in base and top coat, it’s all you need to achieve a professional manicure at home.

THE MANICURIST

Sally Hansen Global Color Ambassador Madeline Poole is a nail artist working in New York and LA. Trained as a painter, Madeline discovered the world of on-set manicuring, immediately recognizing that it was a culmination of all of her talent, interests and expertise. Her unique ability to craft innovative nail designs, impeccable execution, and emphasis on skin care has made her one of the most sought after names in the beauty industry. As part of her collaboration with Sally Hansen, Madeline helps set the artistic direction for a new generation of modern nail looks and collections globally with her fashion-forward vision.

Introducing Chrome Girl Nail Polish

If you are a nail polish lover like me, you have probably begun to think that all nail polishes are pretty much the same. For ages, I have noticed that every brand has essentially the same colors, and, no matter how much they cost, they all chip earlier than they say they will. But there is a new polish on the block that has peaked my attention: Chrome Girl Nail Polish. 

On the surface, the collection has beautiful colors, much like other nail care collections. However, what sets this line apart is that it is only two years old and the only 8-free nail care company on the market. This means that Chrome Girl products do not include eight of the most harmful ingredients common to nail care products such as Acetone, Silicone, and Formaldehyde. The lacquers are also smooth and do not clump when they are applied. Below are three of my favorite colors from the line. 

Deja Blue, $12

How Merlot Can You Go, $12

Like A Boss, $12

Outside of the colors, I am also a huge fan of the Chrome Girl Nail Lacquer Remover. It smells like Apple Spice and it is Acetone and Paraben free. And even though there is not acetone, these remover pads work awesomely, and get off every bit of polish easily. 

Apple Spice Scented Nail Lacquer Remover, $12

Want to see more products from Chrome Girl? Click here.

Pink Post: Dr.'s Remedy Nail Polish

Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Care is a healthier alternative to traditional nail care products. The products include wheat protein, tea tree oil, garlic bulb extract and lavender and do not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor or pthalates or DBP. Throughout the month of October, Dr.'s Remedy is donating 10% of the proceeds of the sales of their enriched pinks to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.  

PURITY Pink Nail Polish, $17

PEACEFUL Pink Coral Nail Polish, $17

PROMISING Pink Nail Polish, $17

Free: Zoya's Spooky Glam Trio

For those of us that love spooky, dark cosmetics year-round, Halloween is a great time to stock up on supplies. From now until Halloween, you can get the Zoya's Spooky Glam Trio free with any $25 purchase. Use code GLAM3. The trio includes the colors Storm (black), Mimi (purple), and Amy(orange).  Get your trio today at Zoya.com. 

       

How To Remove Your Gel Manicure

Gel manicures are all the rave right now because of how long they last. However, getting them professionally removed can be costly and not an option for a girl on budget. Never fear, Skyy Hadler, owner of As You Wish Nail Salon, tells us how to remove gel polish on your own.

         File – Use an emery board to lightly buff each nail to remove the shiny top coat so you’re left with a powdery finish. Be careful not to over buff so you don’t hit your natural nail underneath the gel.

·           Soak – Next you must soak your nails in 100% acetone polish remover. To do this, take a piece of cotton ball the size of your nail and pour the acetone on it, place it on your nail and cover your nail with a piece of aluminum foil or tape to keep it in place. Do this on every nail and let soak for 15 minutes to relax the gel.

·           Remove – Remove the cotton pieces from your nails and take a wooden cuticle stick to push the gel polish off your nails. If you have trouble, instead of forcing it, soak your nails with a cotton ball for 5 more minutes and try again.

·           Moisturize – After the gel has been removed, wash your hands and apply a cuticle oil to the nail and cuticle. This will rehydrate your nails after using acetone on them to keep them strong and healthy between polishes.

 

Note: It’s important to take your time when removing a gel manicure yourself as it can be a slow process and you want to treat your nails very delicately and carefully to avoid weakening them.

Sally Hansen Summer Polish Picks

I am loving reds and pinks this summer for everything- makeup, clothes, shoes, etc. I can't get enough! I am experiencing a real color crush. But nothing makes me smile and excited about the season like seeing these colors on my nails! Below are my favorite colors from Sally Hansen for summer:

Pearl Crush in Lady Crab

Insta-Dri in Ablazing!

Complete Salon Manicure in Scarlet Lacquer 

Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in All Bright

Introducing OCC Cosplay!

The Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics S/S 2015 Colour Collection has six new lip tars and nail lacquers for the season! The tars are $18, the lacquers are $10, and they both can be found at occmakeup.com.

New: INGLOT O2M Nail Enamel

INGLOT recently released their 02M nail enamels. Their new formula is a mixture of air and water permeable nail enamel – created to promote nail health.

Zoya Brings Us Island Fun and Paradise Sun

On March 5, ZOYA will be unveiling their Island Fun and Paradise Sun collections. Each collection comes with six great colors for summer.

Preview: FALL 2014: ZOYA Ultra PixieDust

The new Zoya Ultra PixieDust collection includes three shades: Noir, Arianna, and Olsen, which include fine micro glitter. No mega hex base or top coat required to sport these sexy colors. 

COLLECTION PRE-ORDER STARTS September 9^th, SHIPPING BEGINS September 15^th or sooner

The ZOYA Ultra PixieDust colors are
$10 (US) and are available on Zoya.com. 

Preview: Zoya Fall 2014 Entice and Ignite Collections

For ZOYA's Fall collections, ENTICE and IGNITE, they drew color inspiration from classic wools, textured brocades and metallic accents.

The ENTICE collection includes the colors Nyssa, Claire, Veronica, Margo, Ryan, and Genevieve.

The IGNITE collection incudes the shimmery colors Autumn, India, Teigen, Sansa, Remy, Yuna.

Starting tomorrow, Aug. 12, both collections can be preordered on Zoya.com  for $9 a piece. 

 

Giving Me Life 5: Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat

I am pretty much a DIY type of girl. I do my own hair and facials and all of the things that most women pay a trained beautician to do. I do my nails as well, looking to nail vloggers for guidance, but very rarely are my nails Instagram worthy. Then I tried this fantastic little pink potion: Perfect Formula's Pink Gel Coat. When placed on top of clean, filed nails, this polish gives your nails a healthy, pink shine that makes your nails look professionally manicured. I am in LOVE!

Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat, $29

Sephora.com
QVC.com

PerfectFormulas.com



Review: Zoya Zenith Collection

One of the things I love best about the holidays are gift sets, and one of the sets on my Christmas list is Zoya's Zenith Collection set, $48. I love metalics, I love glitter, so that should pretty much explain why I have to have this collection. I collect nail polish, but Zoya is one of those brands that just slipped under my radar. That was, until, I saw Mosheen, that pretty ice blue on the end. I need this blue in my life! It makes me smile and it literally looks cold! Dream, the blue next to it, comes in as a close second favorite. If you don't want the whole set, you can get them separately at Zoya.com for 8 bucks a piece. 

Polish Hoarder

I have met bloggers with so much makeup that they have to keep it in luggage. No, not really big makeup bags, but luggage. I like makeup too, but I think my obsession lies with polish. I counted them today: 104 bottles. I have seen on some sites where bloggers have 10 times more than this and make color-coordinated bookshelves for them. Maybe that will be my holiday DIY project, even though I am handicapped when it comes to building things.

Today I was feeling a little down because of the whole Faux-Mega situation. Gloomy, I walked to my door and opened it, half-hoping to see him there, smiling and being sexy. But I got something even better: a box of 12 of the newest nail colors from OPI! Who needs a man when you can have pretty nails?