Polished: Flip Flop Fantasy by China Glaze

China Glaze

Flip Flop Fantasy Nail Lacquer

For my birthday/summer vacation in Dominican Republic I wanted crazy nails that screamed summer.  I chose China Glaze’s Flip Flop Fantasy nail lacquer, a neon coral/pink with a flat finish.  The polish glowed while I was drying my nails in one of those contraptions with a fan and a UV light making it club/rave approved, none of which I would be taking part in on my trip.  The manicure was accented with an acrylic bow that was my first foray into 3D nail art.  I could have done without the bow but it was fun to try something different with my nails.  Besides it is not like tricked out fluorescent nails are work appropriate, which is funny because I am actually still wearing them at work (minus two nails but we will get to that later).

If you are wondering if those wonderful long nails are mine the answer is yes, as in yes I paid for them.  I made an appointment for a Valley Nail Set at Valley NYC in Soho and it turned out that they use Dashing Diva’s Virtual Nails.  The same exact nails, glue and everything, down to the packaging.  I had gotten Virtual Nails at Dashing Diva many times before and they are similar to those press on nails that you can find at drugstores except that they come in a wide range of sizes, are custom fitted and glued on to your nails.  They last two weeks or even longer in my experience.  I used to swear by them until the last time I got them done at Dashing Diva.  I had them for no longer than two weeks and when they were removed (through soaking them off in a nice pool of acetone) all of my natural nails had a healthy tinge of green.  Basically I got nail fungus and it was not pretty.  Thankfully each nail was not entirely covered and it grew out quickly.  It is not fair to judge their Virtual Nails from one bad experience after countless successful ones, but one bad nail fungus can scar you for life.  As you can imagine, I was not exactly thrilled to see Virtual Nails at Valley but I decided to go through with it anyway.  After all it is more about proper application than the nails themselves.  I was happy with my nail technician Karen who did a great job fitting, applying, trimming and shaping the nails.  It is really important that the Virtual Nails fully adhere to your natural nails.  If they start to lift around the edges within a few days, get them removed immediately.  Once moisture gets trapped between your nail and the virtual nail you will have a prime breeding ground for fungus.  The lifting happened to me that last time at Dashing Diva and instead of having the nails removed right away, I waited until the two weeks were up.  Learn from my mistakes and do not let it happen to you.

It has been a week and a half since my service at Valley and I am happy with my nails besides the two that are missing.  I lost one nail trying to organize the fridge in the room at my grandmother’s house where my fiancé was staying.  A gallon of water slipped out of my hand and broke a nail in the process.  One of my uncles usually stays in there when he visits and why he would put a full size refrigerator in a bedroom is beyond comprehension.  I was furious for a few minutes since I had to trim the remainder of the nail and walk around with nine long nails and one short one.  I take nail symmetry very seriously.  The second victim did not infuriate me as much since it happened on my way back home.  I do not even know where I lost it, which is kind of hilarious to me/horrifying for the person who finds it.  Some minimal lifting is happening around the edges because of hanging out in the beach and pool at the resort but that was to be expected.  I need to make time to have them removed stat!

Polished: Little Girl Type by MAC

 

MAC

Little Girl Type Nail Lacquer (limited edition)

Little Girl Type, another Nail Lacquer from MAC’s limited edition Quite Cute collection (available on their site at press time), was the color of choice for this week’s manicure.  I headed over to my usual Dashing Diva to get my nails done and received a proper/inaudible scolding for having the audacity to have gotten acrylics.  Knowledge of how terrible they are for my natural nails was not enough to keep me away in a moment of desperation right before my trip to Florida.  In any case, after spending close to 30 minutes with my fingertips hanging out in a pool of acetone (that also has to be good for me too lol), the acrylics finally melted off to reveal nails thin enough to be mistaken for a sheet of paper.  I can’t complain about weak nails because that is the life I chose. 

Enter Little Girl Type.  The  polish made my ragged nails look, dare I say, quite cute? (you know I can’t go a post without being a cornball ha ha).  The “creamy pale lavender” color appears to skip between purple and pink depending on the lighting.  I was worried about how Little Girl Type was going to turn out during the application since its thin consistency resulted in a very faint and streaky first coat.  However, my manicurist was able to achieve full coverage with three layers of the polish.  In my experience needing extra coats is typical for many MAC Nail Lacquers, but each layer will be so thin that you will not end up with a thick slab of polish on each nail in the end.  Lastly, bonus points for being appropriate for work! 

What do you think of Little Girl Type?  Let us know in a comment below.

-DRB

Polished: Mischievous Mint by MAC

MAC

Mischievous Mint Nail Lacquer (limited edition)

(picture taken outdoors)

Mischievous Mint Nail Lacquer

(picture taken indoors)

MAC’s limited edition Peppermint Patti nail lacquer, released two years ago, was where my mint colored nail polish craze all began.  When I realized that it was true love it was too late for me to get a backup.  Scrambling to find something similar, China Glaze did me a favor last year by rolling out Refresh Mint and the love affair was just as strong (or perhaps stronger)  than it was with Peppermint Patti.  This year Mischievous Mint, from MAC’s Quite Cute collection, appeared just in time for me to wear during my week-long stay in the sunshine state (that should be renamed the broiler state).  It looks minty green indoors and looks a little bluer under the sun.  If the amount of times I have stared at my hands is any indication, Mischievous Mint and I are going strong.  I will be revisiting this polish again this season and the next.

What polishes will you be hooked on this Spring and Summer?  Let us know in a comment below.

-DRB

Polished: Wildfire Shellac by CND

CND Shellac

Wildfire

Bliss Soho

568 Broadway, 2nd Fl. (between E Houston St. and Prince St.)

New York, NY

Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-9pm (12pm-9pm every first Wed)/Sat 9:30am-6:30pm/Sun 10am-6pm

Appointments: 1-877-862-5477/http://bliss.vipguestservice.com/

I finally got my Shellac on at Bliss Spa’s Soho location last month.  I was booking another service and was excited to see that they added it to their menu and after a few clicks I was on my way to Shellac heaven.   Shellac is similar to a gel manicure in its longevity and is similar to a nail polish in its application.  The result is an incredibly long-wearing manicure with a shiny finish.  It looks a lot more natural than a gel manicure since each coat of Shellac is applied in thin layers.  The manicure is supposed to last 2 weeks (which is how long my manicure lasted) and the uv curing method allows you to dig your hands right into your messiest handbag and extract them without a nick.

Back to Bliss…I had never had my nails done at the spa and was a bit nervous after hearing mixed reviews, the main complaint being that nail technicians rush through your service.   Luckily there was only one person getting a pedicure when I arrived so I only had to wait a little while for my manicurist to appear and she did not disappoint.  She took her time and was very meticulous, taking the time to inspect my nails at different angles to make sure that she didn’t leave any visible gaps without polish on the sides of my nails.

Out of the limited range of colors available I chose Wildfire, a fire engine red, since it had been Valentine’s Day that week.  The manicurist began by giving me a quickie manicure consisting of filing my nails into my desired shape and cleaning up my atrocious cuticles.  Seriously, my cuticles are a disaster and because they are a disaster I am constantly picking at them only to make them worse.  To prevent further picking and subsequent ruining of the manicure, I purchased CND’s SolarOil at my local Ricky’s before scheduling the service to keep my cuticles moisturized and my nails looking fresh.  After tidying up my nails, the nail technician applied 1 coat of the base coat, followed by 2 coats of the nail color and finished off with 1 coat of the top coat.  She place my nails under the UV lamp and set the timer for 2 minutes in between each layer and added an extra 2 minutes for the top coat.  Once the Shellac set, she removed the tacky residue with rubbing alcohol and completed the manicure with a round of SolarOil on each nail.  Like many others who have tried Shellac, I could hardly believe that I could just carry on with my day like I didn’t have a fresh coat of paint on my nails.  It was a very liberating experience. 

Dear Shellac,

Where have you been all of my life?  How many countless $15 manicures have I ruined to find this genius?

Love,

DRB

For removal, CND recommends that you use their Shellac wraps, which focuses the acetone on your nails instead of soaking your fingertips in a bowl.  You don’t need to use a nail file and risk damaging your nail beds, just gently remove any residue with an orange wood stick.  Bliss offers a Re-Shellac service where you can remove  and re-apply your Shellac safely.

Check out a picture of my nails 14 days later (day 1 is pictured above) and where you can get Shellac-ed after the jump. 

Polished: Best of New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011

CND

The Blonds

CND’s Kristina Estabrooks made another dazzling rendition of nail art at The Blonds last night.  New York Fashion Week may not be over, but I do not need to look any further than The Blonds’ show to know what manicures will be my favorites of the season:

February 16, 2011 – Where were you at 7pm this evening? If your answer is not, “At The Blonds show,” you’re about to wish it was…

Tonight at The Blonds, CND‘s Kristina Estabrooks introduced 22 handmade, theatrical manicures inspired by Eastern culture meets ultra glam – in the form of fortune cookies (“You don’t have to be blonde to be a Blond”), red sparkly Chinese characters (translated to “Blonds Love Diamonds”), “HIYA” and googly-eyed nails, and absolutely fabulous “Tranny-cures” comprised of Swarovski crystals and crushed glass with ombre undertones to color coordinate with outfits on the runway. Thai nails shaped with blinged-out hair clips, and dragons curled from thumb to pinkie were just some of the surprises to be seen. Matched with technicolor eyes and glittery hair pieces in afro and cleopatra bob shapes, this collection put the Delightful in DRAMA.

I wish I was at The Blonds last night indeed.  Check out more pictures of the fabulous nails after the jump:

Polished: Hold the Drama by Ginger + Liz

Ginger + Liz Colour Collection

Hold the Drama

(photograph taken with flash)

(photograph taken without flash)

I am loving the shades of polish that I picked up from Ginger + Liz colour collection.  I discovered the line backstage at New York Fashion Week and shortly after ordered a few of their items. My current favorite is called Hold the Drama and is described as a “blackened eggplant purple shade.”  Hold the Drama is more of a cream finish as it does not appear to have any shimmer/glitter.  The purpleness of the polish is not lost in the darkness of the shade, which happens often with shades done in those dark tones.

Hold the Drama has been a big hit! I’ve received plenty of compliments and stories like “I’ve been looking for  a color like that for a long time.”  The nail technician that did my manicure and pedicure must have said “such a pretty color” or some variation of the phrase at least 10 times.  I’m not sure if she thought I could not hear her or could not understand her (even though I said thank you multiple times) or if she wanted me to give her the polish… not happening!  Especially with what felt like one of my toes going on fire during the pedicure, which after studying it at home, must have been screaming at the combination of being stabbed by one of her tools and then giving the wound a good dousing with acetone.

It was also a hit with the ladies of the hair salon where I spend way too many hours getting my hair done each week, but this is not a rant post so let’s move on.  This is my second manicure with the color and my hair stylist scolded me for failing to bring her the polish yet again.  I am not leaving it at home on purpose, my memory is just that bad…or is it?

Glossy Kissez,

DRB