Sunday 20 February 2011

London Fashion Week AW11 Collections; Nails from House of Holland

Day 1 at LFW!

House of Holland AW11 collection - it's all about the NEW french manicure. Black, neon, animal print tips;  all were featured at the show and are set to be a big thing this year.

Will you be trying it out?





Saturday 19 February 2011

CND new SHELLAC 2.0 colour range

12 new shades are to be released on March 1st 2011, with colors ranging from beige to black.  This exciting addition expands the Shellac line to 24 chic shades plus countless layering options.  Shellac addicts will now have more choices for the convenience of a 14-day manicure!

Shellac is hypo-allergenic and 3-Free (no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP), leaving a brilliantly shiny finish with maintenance-free wear and safely removes in 10-minutes.  Shellac's status has instantly grown from 'cult following' to 'modern must-have.'  Within one month of its introduction, Shellac sold out four times over.   



What colour will you be trying first?

Friday 18 February 2011

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Nail Polish Collection including Silver Shatter






OPI will be releasing a new nail polish line inspired by the movie Pirates of the Carribean. The collection which is inspired from the Pirates Of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides features 6 alluring options that will glam up your nails in heartbeat and is set to hit the stores in May 2011.



The collection is 6 pastel shades, giving an incredibly alluring and surprisingly feminine look.

As expected all the shades in the collection were named using various references to the movie to highlight the main aspects of the pirate life. Here is the list of names and the colors associated to them: 


OPI Mermaid’s Tears – a subtle green nail polish shade

OPI Stranger Tide – a pale greeny grey nail polish

OPI Planks a Lot –an enchanting modern lavender color

OPI Sparrow me the Drama – an alluring rose pink nail polish

OPI Skull & Glossbones – a very subtle grey with warm touches

OPI Steady as She Rose – a delicate pale rose shade 






Silver Shatter – A glamorous silver shade that provides a two-texture finish 






The OPI Pirates of the Caribbean nail polish line is limited edition, so purchasing the shades early is recommended. Select your favorite colors and get ready to party pirate-style with this fun nail polish collection that is perfect for the upcoming season!

OPI Serena Grand Slam Spark de Triomphe & White Shatter

OPI has again teamed with Serena Williams for the 2011 Tennis Grand Slam Tournaments and releasing a duo of polishes for each event.

The next Grand Slam event is the French Open and OPI has recently released the polishes that are being tied into this event - Spark De Triomphe and White Shatter.

Spark De Triomphe is a shimmery gold with different size flecks of gold glitter in it and is a great color to wear on its own but looks amazing with the white shatter on top of it. Available April 2011.




Friday 21 January 2011

5 Must-Try Nail Trends - Spring 2011 Nail Trends

1. Moon Manicures
 The Tip: Sometimes you need more than a steady hand to get these moon shapes looking crisp. A nail art pen offers you more control if you can't manage a brush!






2. Metallics & Gold Foil




The Tip: Paint a layer of clear basecoat and messily apply gold foil onto your nail tips with a tweezer. Wait until dry, crumble the excess gold foil off, then secure with a layer of clear topcoat. To rock the look with gold polish, use a small piece of plastic to block the parts of your nail you don't want to paint, and randomly reposition it on your nail as you apply gold polish to the tips with short strokes.









3. Pop Art Graphics





The Tip: For really precise graphic nails, we recommend a good Minx salon (find a location here). If you're confidant in your nail art abilities, invest in some opaque nail precision pens and go wild!







4. Neutrals



The Tip: Don't match the nude shade too closely to your skin tone, lest you want to look like you have mannequin hands. Go a few shades lighter or darker, and choose a color with a high gloss.




5. Decals

The Tip: Some heavy-duty nail glue will ensure your decals stay put. Layer a fast-drying topcoat over to set everything in place. If you want the look but aren't ready to commit, look for polishes with large pieces of glitter for some subtler razzle dazzle.


 

Shellac layering combinations



The "rock-n-roll darks" Shellac layering combinations are PERFECT for 2011.

Who's trying them out?

Minx Chrome Collection




Available in: Aqua Chrome, Burgundy Chrome, Yellow Chrome, Pink Chrome and Orange Chrome.

Who's wearing them?

Jason Wu to launch a limited CND nail lacquer collection




The 27 year old New York based designer Jason Wu, who is best known for outfitting First Lady Michelle Obama, has collaborated with Creative Nail Design (CND) on a limited edition nail lacquers - Jason Wu Collection.
The colors featured in the collection: Miss Wu – an ashen matte grey that is Wu’s signature color, Brigitte – a gentle pink named after Brigitte Bardot, Veronica – a blood red named after bombshell Veronica Lake and Sophia – a mushroom hue dedicated to Sophia Loren. Last, but certainly not least is the topcoat, named Anna, which contains fragments of silk and gives your nails a tweed-like look.
The price of Jason Wo collection is £49.95.




 The Miss Wu shade created backstage at Wu's Fall 2010 Show.

Spring 2011's Hottest Nail Polishes

Pastels, metallic greys and sleek nudes are all going to be part of the gorgeous 2011 nail trends.  Instead of going sheer this Spring, this year's picks stay rich and creamy - think smooth purples, bright blues, and yummy peach-tinged pinks.  Bright, bold lacquers are making an appearance, and some optically intriguing shades of gun metal are popping up, too. So, get ready to totally transform your digits in 2011 - here is my guide to Spring 2011 nail polishes:


Neutral nudes: 

Naked nails are in this spring and look refreshingly demure, yet provocative, but make sure your polish comes in a high-gloss formula so you don't end up looking like you have mannequin hands.






Baby Blues: 

This pale blue shade is perfect for spring - think Robins egg or Tiffany's box!




Peachy pink:

Come spring, the new 'geige' nail is 'pale peach porcelain' cream wore in different ways: high shine for luxe perfection, shimmer shined with CND's 'Perfectly Bare Shimmer' (like lip gloss for nails) or satin finish to give it the Barbie look. Clean, bare and polished....best on a little length in an almond shape.





Lovely lavenders: 

Purples look great with most skin tones.  Go for smooth colours and high shine topcoat to make your nails stand out!



Gunmetal greys: 

Don't forget those metallics! The future is now!



Edgy topcoats:

Give your polish an extra edge this spring with striking top coats. Get creatibe and try out a top coat that cracks over your color; (Black Shatter, OPI & Katy Perry collection) one that adds a slick, holographic shimmer; or one that adds a gilded layer of nude shimmer.



Sephora by OPI to launch new Glee nail polish collection

A limited edition range of Glee nail polishes are due for release in February where fans will have yet another way to show their support for the show!

Sephora is commited to what's hot right now and these polishes are definately hot!

The collection, which consists of 6 new shades:
Slushied, an opaque blue; Hell to the No, a bright bold purple; Gleek Out, a glittery lime green; Diva-in-Training, a poppy pink; Who Let the Dorks Out, a peacock green; Miss Bossy Pants, a rich raspberry; and Mash-Up, a pearlescent green-gray. Each will sell for $9.50.



The Sephora by OPI collection will be featured onGlee February 8th, and cast member Naya Rivera -who plays Santana Lopez, is already scheduled for a personal appearance at Sephora's Century City, Califorinia store with two of the show's makeup artists.

OPI & Katy Perry new nail polish collection

I am very excited about the new OPI & Katy Perry collection, released this month.  The collection comprises of 5 polishes - 2 metallics, 2 glitters and 1 crackle effect polish.  I am an OPI fan and always on the look out for what's on the horizon, they have not disappointed me!  I had these on back order and received them as soon as they came in stock.  As always, the the shades are cleverly named; and in this collection, are all inspired by tracks from Katy's new album, Teenage Dream.

From left to right:  Last Friday Night, Not Like The Movies, The One That Got Away, Teenage Dream, Black Shatter.




 The Metallics
Left: The One That Got Away (gorgeous dark berry colour) 
Right: Not Like The Movies (amazing gunmetal grey/silver colour)



The Glitters
Left: Last Friday Night (stunning bold blue colour)
Right: Teenage Dream (for girly-girls and pink lovers gorgeous pale pink colour)



......and finally! 
Black Shatter 

This is truly amazing and the one I was most excited about! It's a top coat that crackles and separates as it dries creating a textured effect.  So far I have tried it over Teenage Dream and it really compliments each other.

What does everyone think of the new OPI & Katy Perry collection?