I’ve been cutting back on trips to the nail salon since the holiday season began—actually, I’ve avoided the nail salon altogether so I could reallocate my mani/pedi expenses towards Christmas gifts for my loved ones. It’s been both a blessing and a curse—until ManiGuard showed up on my doorstep.
Usually when I do my nails they don’t look very… professional, if you will. You need a steady hand for an at-home manicure, and no matter how slow I go I can’t seem to avoid the spillage. Then I’m frantically trying to clean up with remover around the edges but I just end up creating more of a mess!
Here’s a funny story: As a beauty blogger, I receive a bunch of complimentary beauty samples—not always because I ask, but because I’m on automated press mailings (which is certainly not a bad thing). I was shopping on Sephora when I stumbled across the Ciaté London and Olivia Palermo beauty collaboration. A gorgeous red wine nail polish caught my eye and of course, I had to have it. The day I received my new nail polish also happened to be the same day I received another press mailing. It was from the PR firm that reps Ciaté London. Sure enough, they mailed me a bunch of cute gift sets including The Fashion Edit Nail Set, featuring Napa Valley (the wine red shade) plus three other classic looking hues: Brooklyn (a deep purple), Hutch (a classic red) and Sundays (a powdery pink).
This four-piece mini nail collection was hand-picked by Olivia Palermo (who happens to be one of my favorite style muses right now), which mirrors one Fashion Week destination. I have had Napa Valley on my digits for a week and a half and even though it’s far past chipped, I just love this color so much. These four hues are perfect for the winter season, not to mention are the perfect travel size too.
Shop my beauty favorites from the Ciaté London x Olivia Palermo collection below!
Sheer nail polish was a popular beauty trend backstage at 2015 Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week (think Theory, Donna Karan and Badgley Mischka to name a few). Instead of flashy color, Deborah Lippmann previewed shades from her new Whisper Collection, playing with contour, shape, texture, and finish. I’m partial to Like Dreamers Do (far left), a sheer crème pale bisque. And I’ve already planned on wearing Chantilly Lace, a sheer iridescent shimmer pink, on Valentine’s Day. You’ll need at least two coats will to give you just a hint of color. This collection is fresh, young and sophisticated—which makes it a must-have for my stash.
As much as I love finding cool nail art on Pinterest, I rarely test it out on my own digits. But I’ve been infatuated with the half-moon manicure for quite some time and what a better way to ring in 2015 with something I’ve never done before. On Pinterest I’ve seen subtle half moon nail art, like a pale pink with gold glitter embellishment. This look is definitely bold—bright red Essie polish in Double Breasted Jacket, which is my favorite red polish right now. At the base, I’m wearing Essie in Ignite the Night, a sparkling hematite lacquer. It was the perfect color combination for a beauty segment I did on Fox 5 News DC (segment to be posted online soon)!
Want to try the Half-Moon manicure at home? Read on for my simple five-step tutorial below.
Step 1: Start with clean nails and a base coat. Apply 1 to 2 coats of glitter polish to your whole nail. Let the polish dry for at least 20 minutes to keep from the polish peeling off when you apply reinforcement stickers.
Step 2: Place a reinforcement sticker on each nail, mimicking the shape of the moon of your nail. Cutting a slit in each sticker will allow the stickers to lay more evenly on each nail. Apply pressure to each, making sure they are secure to your nail.
Step 3: Paint the top half of your nail with two coats of solid color polish. Let this coat dry for at least 10 minutes.
Step 4: Carefully pull the reinforcement stickers off each nail.
Step 5: Finish with a clear top coat.
Need some nail polish inspiration? Shop my favorite color combinations below.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been really dedicated to my weekly manicures. I’ll admit though, I had a little help from my local nail salon. I cringe when I trim and file my own nails so it’s easier to just enlist some help for $12. Not sure I can afford to do that every week but it’s a coveted little luxury I’m enjoying right now. Just my like seasonal clothes, I tend to get bored with my nail collection. It’s like I sift through plastic drawers of polishes and realize, I have NOTHING TO WEAR! That was the case until the new Essie Winter 2014 Collection showed up on my doorstep. From demure office-ready hues to a glamorous molten gold, this collection is my favorite to date. I promise, you’ll be set through the New Year with these six dazzling shades. I’m currently wearing Double Breasted Jacket, a passionate tourmaline ruby, which actually looks much more red on my digits than it does in the bottle. I’m saving Tuck It In My Tux, a silken ivory crème, when I’m ready to rock winter white. At first glance, I’m a little thrown off by Back in the Limo, a sheer ripe melon but somehow it works. These polishes will certainly brighten any dreary winter day.
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