my holiday manicures...

bonjour, loves! 

so, how was your christmas?! 

for me it was a fun/busy/memorable/stressful/funny/irritating/blessed couple of days, but overall, i'm thankful. it was fabulous and many delightful memories were made.

i decided this year to do two different nail looks. both have a deep base with added sparkle, are  incredibly easy to do, and would definitely work in the post-holiday season...

for christmas eve {pictured at top} i wore three polishes: Julep Jillian as the base with OPI All Sparkly and Gold {from Mariah Carey Holiday} at the cuticle; Sephora by OPI in Only Gold for Me added mega chunky glitter to punch it up a bit.

for christmas day, i went with L'Oreal After Hours, a gorgeous deep blue hue, painting SinfulColors Top Me Off on the index finger of my left hand and on the ring finger on my right. i told you...super simple!

did you do a special manicure for your holiday? tweet at me or tag me on instagram to share!

fun, fab nail look!

happy thursday, beauties ~ don't you love this fabulous nail look?!

i certainly do! it seems to be quite simple to do and looks fab, so i thought you'd also enjoy...

products used {you can, of course, experiment with different shades}:

OPI ~ Suze Takes The Wheel, RapiDray TopCoat
Mattese Elite ~ Always On Top
Deborah Lippmann ~ Boom Boom Pow

here's how to do it...

*paint all the nails with two coats of OPI Suze Take The Wheel, except the rings fingers on each hand.

*paint the ring fingers with 2 coats of Mattese Elite Always On Top.

*apply Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow to the top edge of the nails and then use the edge of the brush to lightly drag the polish down the nail bed, about 55% of the way down.

*wait a few minutes of that to dry, then apply more Boom Boom Pow to the top edge of the nails, without dragging down.

*apply OPI RapiDry TopCoat to the entire nail.

et voila! fun, fancy nails. can't wait to do this myself! :)

source: Annamarie Tendler

worth the wait...OPI Black Shatter!

i have been waiting (and waiting...) for OPI Black Shatter for some time now. it seemed everywhere i could possibly get it didn't have it because they sold out so quickly (obviously, i'm not the only nail polish fan in my area!).

boo.

until wednesday when i took a chance at Trade Secret and found they had just received a new shipment-- yes! i was beyond excited. i have been telling my daughter all about it and she, a huge nail polish fan, didn't stop asking me every other week, "did you find it yet?".

haha!

in any case, i did find it and as soon as i was able, swpied a coat over my fresh manicure (pic at top; the color is an old fave, Color Club Ms. Socialite). i have to say, i love it! it's no wonder it's so popular. plus, application is so easy-- one coat, let it sit, and within a minute you've got a most fabulous shattered mani! a top coat is necessary if you want it to be shiny, but other than that you really can't mess it up.

my baby girl's nails, Shatter over Sally Hansen Choco-Latte...cute, no?

have you tried OPI Shatter yet?

nail color of the week: OPI DS Extravagance

from the fabulous Designer Series, OPI's DS Extravagance was my choice of nail color to wear this week. it really helped cheer me up in this gloomy weather. this pretty and sparkly magenta would put any beauty girl in a better mood, don't you think?

i bought my bottle at Cosmoprof (for industry pros only), but you can visit opi.com to find a retailer near you.

xo

nail color of the week: Sapphire in the Snow

this week's nail color comes from OPI's Holiday Wishes Collection. Sapphire in the Snow is a fabulous deep purple that leans so much toward blue, it doesn't quite photograph the way it looks in person (the pic was taken with a flash). it's a great color worth adding to your polish collection. :)

xo
pic taken by me :)

nail color of the week: OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

after seeing an amazing pink nail color being worn so fabulously by my blogger gal pal Marta, i immediately had to find out what color it was. turns out OPI's Feelin' Hot Hot Hot was making her tips look so fun and oh-so summery.

as you can see the pics (indoors, natural light on left, indoors w/flash, on right), this pink isn't an over-powering inyourface neon shade, but rather a perfect flamingo-esque pink that looks great on toes, too!

xo
pics taken by me :)

a little nail polish shopping for me...

i stopped by my local Cosmoprof* today and picked up two nail polishes: OPI Feelin Hot Hot Hot (i saw this on my friend Marta in one of her YouTube videos and had to get it for myself), and China Glaze Bare If You Dare, which looks very much like Dior's Sweet Orange nail polish from what i remember. i couldn't buy it the last time i was in the store because it was sold out. hopefully i'll be able to compare them soon.



i will be featuring these fabulous colors in future nail color of the week posts, so stay tuned!

xo
*Cosmoprof is a beauty supply store for professionally licensed people.

nail color of the week: OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

if you are a fan of dark polishes or nail polish in general, chances are you have OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark in your collection. i myself love this color because it is such a dark shade of purple, it can appear to be black. i find that with only two coats, the purple tone (photo above left) is more apparent outdoors, while three coats makes it look more eggplant (photo above right).

now if you don't own this color, you can pretty much find it in any nail salon that features OPI. try it out for your next mani, and let me know what you think.

xo

nail color of the week: OPI Pompeii Purple

another OPI lacquer this week, and it's one of my favorites! Pompeii Purple is a bright pink with a bluish-purple iridescence to it. in certain light, you can see it.

this color always makes me feel cheerful, and it looks great on toes too! :)

xo
photo taken by me :)

nail color of the week: OPI Baby It's "Coal" Outside

Baby It's "Coal" Outside is a color from OPI's Holiday in Toyland collection. this is a fabulous, deep charcoal color with shimmer.

i thought about wearing red, you know, the "typical" holiday color, but i wanted to do something different this year. it's really a great color- I love it!

xo

nail color of the week: OPI Pink of Hearts

Pink of Hearts from OPI is a very pretty pink that is not completely sheer, and gives your nails a great pink "flush".

this color, first introduced in 2007, also helps support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

a heartfelt, hopeful light pink, Pink of Hearts is a shade every woman will be proud to wear because it represents the power of caring, the power of women supporting each other, and the power of pink.

support the cause, buy it here.

xo
photo taken by me :)

nail color of the week: Metro Chic

Metro Chic is a very popular shade from the Sephora by OPI collection because it is being sold on ebay for outrageous prices.

it does seem to sell out quickly, but there is an email service to alert you when it comes back in stock. i did however, pick this color up in store, and there were plenty.

so if Metro Chic is a color you want, don't buy it for $50 on ebay, just be patient if it's not on sephora's website-- it will come back in stock-- or call your local Sephora store and see if they have it in stock so you can pick it up there!

xo
photo taken by me :)

nailcolor of the week: OPI Tutti Frutti Tonga

one of my favorite nail colors, Tutti Frutty Tonga, is a great shell pink that i believe would look fabulous on every skintone. as you can see, it looks different in different lights, but still pretty.

though this shade isn't featured on the OPI website, you can still find it wherever OPI is sold (at least this has been my experience, and online here.

xo
photos taken by me :)

nail color of the week: OPI A Oui Bit of Red

this is a new color from O.P.I's France collection.



i don't know why, but i've become a little obsessed with red nail polish. i never thought i would like it so much. A Oui Bit of Red has a bit of shimmer to it, but it isn't very noticeable. as you can see from my indoor shot, it pretty much disappears. even the outdoor one doesn't pick it up too much.

overall, it's a pretty red, and i know it will be worn a lot this coming season!


xo

photo taken by me :)

timesaver: Nic's Sticks

ever wish there was an easier way to do your nails? want to be able to "paint and go"? do you want the color to dry quickly and be long-lasting?


of course you do! no one always has the time to go to the nail salon or sit down to polish their nails. enter Nic's Stick's part of the Nicole by OPI line. tthis ultimate time saver was discovered on a much needed shopping trip. i was surprised by the concept, but was intrigued at the idea of having a truly portable nail color. i mean yes, you can take your own nail polish with you where you want to go, but there is always the issue of finding a flat surface to put the bottle on or the possibility of dropping the bottle. nail polish isn't easy to keep in your purse at all times, let's face it. so, having a product like this is fabulous!

the color is in the pen, so you shake it gently as with typical nail polish, and apply it after pumping the color onto the brush. and applying is easy and quick, just pump the color button and brush the color onto your nails. it is thinner than traditional polishes, so darker colors may require three coats. the color dries in about a minute. really! it's super quick and that is super convenient! throw the pen in your purse for easy on-the-go touch-ups.

my manicure (using the color Stick With Me) lasted a week with only two tiny chips. i didn't even use a topcoat! i was thrilled! how much better can it get? try it for yourself. Nic's Sticks are available in 24 shades of beautiful and retail for less than $8.

have fun and be fabulous!


xo