VS. 

Butter London’s “Fairy Lights”  {VS}  Color Club’s “Foil Me Once”

This shimmery metallic rose pink can be rocked with any skintone and by edgy hipsters and girly girls alike. Butter’s will run you about $17, while Color Club’s about $8. Take your pick and get ready to be staring at your nails all day long!

xx

You couldn’t wait to get your pastel fix on during the springtime and then you couldn’t wait to paint blazing oranges and classy corals on your fingertips during the summer. But what is a girl to do when August dies down, Labor day rolls around, your tan is still intact but your nail color options are played out?

You choose “Don’t Tell Mama” by Deborah Lippmann, of course. Though the product description mentions “mistletoe” and uses holiday diction, I’ve found potential for this product elsewhere. In a whole different season. 

From an all-black to an all-white outfit for those Labor Day weekend parties, “Don’t Tell Mama” is wearable with any outfit. A major plus? It complements your tan! This deep shimmery green will take you from those final beach days into those Indian Summer stints right into when the leaves turn color. 

DB is the equivalent to the Holy Grail of nail color (big statement, yes, especially when I hold Essie so close to heart). Quality nail polish, quirky/cheeky names and colors to die for, all of Deborah Lippman’s nail colors are worthy of your time (and money). 

xx

By now, you must know that I am a metallic addict. Sparkle, shimmer, shine…all things I overuse in my wardrobe and beauty product choices. 

And here’s Essie, coming to my rescue (yet again). Essie’s Mirror Metallics line is a dream come true for a girl like me. Have you seen those epic manicures on Pinterest or Tumblr that are so metallic they look like melted gold? Odds are, it’s Essie. 

Best of all, she’s offering 5 shades (from classic trendy to eccentric trendy) so that girls, no matter what their style, can buy in on the metallic trend. At $8 a pop, it’s a worthwhile investment because you won’t find quality polish with good metallic options elsewhere. (Side note: Penny Talk is my personal fave.) So hit up your nail lady, Ulta, favored drugstore, etc. and get your shine on! 

xx

Excuse the messy edges and take in my latest stab at a DIY manicure. After seeing all these quirky and creative looks on Pinterest, I decided to make an attempt (instead of live vicarious through Pinterest-ers) using some OPI, Kiko Milano and good ol’ Scotch tape. 

The look: 
- Base layer: 2 coat of Kiko Milano’s #371 (a taupe with an iridescent gold shimmer)
- Top layer: 1 coat of OPI’s Curry Up Don’t Be Late (a light gold)

You can opt to use other colors (i.e. watermelon pink and mint, black and white, etc.) and different patterns (i.e. diagonals, stripes, etc.) - the point is to use your Scotch tape creatively!

The how-to: 
- Paint your nails with your base coat color (1 or 2 coats, not too thick)
- Wait until dry — Then, cover the parts of your nail that you DON’T want your top layer color on
- Paint the parts uncovered by the tape
- Wait until dry — Pull off the tape and voila! 
* Side note: Be careful when pulling off the tape! Sometimes the tape doesn’t always pull completely off, leaving you with tape residue on your mani. Try making the tape less sticky before using!

Enjoy!

xx 

(Yeah, I shamelessly Instagram’d my insta-fix.)

So, I’m the queen of chipping nails. In need of a quick fix, I love to just take some super glittery (and I mean SUPER — big chunks of sparkle and all) nail polish and go over the haggard old polish once or twice. (I highly recommend Urban Outfitters’ “Dust”)

It’s the simplest, easier way to revive your manicure (or even revamp) between visits to the salon. 

2011 has been a year of experimentation when it comes to manicures. And I love em all. Crackle, magnetic, marble….you name it, I like it. 

Sheer boredom and obsession with glitter made me play around with two colors I already had the other day, and voila! 

I used Sephora Brand’s Double Platinum for the first layer and Urban Outfitters’ Dust for the sparkle. Here’s how:

• Paint one (or two) coats of a sheer silver color. (You can really do this with any color your choose.)
• Paint a thing layer of Dust on each nail, (carefully!) only letting the little baby glitter specks get on your nail and the big glitter pieces at the tip. [Disclaimer: NOT an easy task. But like I said, bored? Try it.]
• Scoop Dust with your brush (and attempt to scoop as many big glitter pieces as possible) and then line the edges. Do as many layers as you so choose, but let each coat dry thoroughly before you do (because otherwise you’ll move the glitter). 

Feel free to go wild and be messy with it. The messier, the better. It’ll look like falling, glittery snowflakes. And that’s appropriate and a win.