Manicure of the Week

Now that fall is decidedly in the air, I've switched to darker nail colors. I have a real issue with nail polishes chipping given how often I wash my hands, but I've discovered that layering a glitterly polish over top helps extend the wear time of my manicure. Plus it just looks so gosh darn pretty. This week I'm wearing Sephora by OPI A Little Dangerous (a deep shimmery eggplanty purple) with Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me (clear with chunky and micro gold sparkled suspended inside) over top. I've already gotten a number of compliments and will definitely be repeating this combination.

Manicure of the Week

This week I have a combination of Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Stormy Blue topped with Sephora by OPI Just a Fairy-Tail. Unfortunately the Sephora doesn't photograph well--it's a sheerish silvery holographic shimmer. The combination is beautiful in the sun!

Manicure of the Week

I picked up OPI for Sephora's Iris I was Thinner ($9) last week and finally got around to applying it. It's a total Grimace purple shade. Shimmer-free and opaque with two coats, this is adorable for summer on short nails and like most of this brand's polishes, applies easily. This is going on my toes as soon as OPI's My Chihuahua Bites starts to chip!

Manicure of the Week

Actually, this is my second manicure of the week. On Saturday I applied Paul & Joe 04 Provence and was so bored of the shimmery pink-beige-nude that today when I picked up L'Oreal Mango-Get-Em on the way home from the gym I couldn't wait to repolish! I love a bright color on short nails in the warm weather and this shade is summer in a bottle! It's a bright mango melon with no shimmer. The formula is stick and streaky and it has quite possibly one of the worst, most unweildy brushes I've ever used, but it dried fast and I love the shade. It's available for $4.99 on drugstore.com, and that's the same price I just paid at CVS.

Manicure of the Week

This is Priti Firecandle Nail Polish from my Spirit Beauty Lounge order. It's a just-shy-of-bright-neon pink with a subtle opalescent blue shimmer. The camera flash really picks up on the blue making the polish appear a bit more purple than it really is and unfortunately Blogger really washes them out. . This nail polish went on nicely and dried quickly. Hopefully it lasts since I love that the line is non-toxic and big-3 free. $12.50 a bottle makes it a bigger splurge than Essie or OPI but not as great an investment as Rococo Nail Apparel.

No Flash:

Flash:
Close Up:

Manicure of the Week

If you've been reading my Manicure of the Week posts since the beginning, this shade might look familiar since it's appeared here previously. Nonetheless, I love it so much it bears repeating! This is Rococo Nail Apparel in Dollar, an opaque, highly metallic silver with shimmer. It goes on easily, lasts decently well, is Big 3 free and a somewhat ridiculous $16.50 (yes, the price has gone up since the line debuted). This shade is in the Molten Lava formula and I think that give s a pretty good indication of how the polish appears in the bottle and on the nails. You can purchase Rococo at SpaceNK in the US and UK. I haven't seen it sold anywhere else and recommend checking it out since the line features many unique shades.

Manicure of the Week

I haven't done one of these in a long time since my nails have not been in the best shape. Even though I had to take the pictures on my iPhone since my new digital camera won't arrive for about a week, I find this color so interesting I couldn't help but share! I normally stick to softer nail shades, but after seeing repeated raves for the color I caved and picked it up!

This is Sephora by OPI Nail Colour in Read My Palm, a light jade green. The first coat was a bit sheer and streaky but the second coat made the polish opaque and uniform. I'm still undecided on whether I really love it or not and it garnered mixed reactions at the office (with my 20-something coworkers being fans and the older set thinking it ridiculous). As I said it's a different look for me, but I was in the mood for a change! I'm a pretty classic, conservative dresser (mostly J.Crew) and this is an easy, subtle way to be a bit rebellious.

What do you think of the color? Fun for a change or a definite don't?

Manicure of the Week

This week I used my brand new OPI for Sephora Nail Polish in Set the Mood, which Sephora describes as "metallic dark pink" but I think is closer to a warm iridescent pinky plum. When I bought it I kept thinking what a pretty and unusual color it is, but after going through my nail polish collection I'm finding it quite similar to Zoya Pru. I also bought a new base and top coat in the hopes of extending my manicures past 48 hours! I opted for Creative Nail Design Sticky Base Coat and Duri Miracote Super Fast Dry Through Top Coat at the recommendation of the salesperson at the beauty supply store. Has anyone tried either of these?

Go. Buy. This. Polish.

Here is my manicure of the week. This nail polish was under $3 I believe at Duane Reade and is beyond stunning. It's a pale lilac with holographic microshimmer that I cannot stop staring at. And this is taken with a flash--you should see it in the sunlight! Prevail Nail Lacquer in Concrete Jungle--prettiest polish ever. Click on the image to enlarge and see some of the detail.

Paul and Joe Manicure of the Week

I've been trying to let my nails "breathe" for the last week or so because they're in pretty bad shape--breaking, peeling and brittle. I have no science to back me up but for some reason I really think that's the damage was cause by all of the glitter-laden polishes I've been wearing lately. After a week of bare nails and judicious applications of cuticle oil, I think they're on the mend.

Paul and Joe Nail Enamel 04 (Provence) is a super pretty, very sheer, iridescent shimmery nude pink with a hint of mauve. It has the same perfumey smell as the Lipstick mixed with the characteristic nail polish scent. (Since I've never heard anyone mention the odor of the nail polish or lipstick before, I'm beginning to wonder if the ability to detect the signature Paul and Joe scent is a recessive trait similar to the ability of one to smell the bitter almond of cyanide. But I digress...)

This is 3 coats as the shade is sheer, but builds nicely. It went on smoothly and evenly. At $14 it isn't the most cost-effective polish, but it if wears well I'd definitely consider purchasing additional shades, especially since the bottle is so gosh darn cute! Overall, this is a nice, natural look.

Manicure (and Pedicure) of the Week

This week's manicure is Essie Eternal Optimist, one of the shades they made for JCrew this year. It's a very natural pink beige. My toes are Zoya Roxy, a deep magenta with magenta glitter. Even though it's absolutely frigid here and my feet spend most of their time in boots, I always think it's nice to have a fun color on your toes (even if you're the only one who knows about it)!

Manicure of the Week

I wanted to go with a deep rosy shade this week so I cut my nails, as I prefer dark shades on shorter nails. This manicure is Sephora Brand Multi-Action Nail Polish in Rosy Glow ($6), a deep rose with silver shimmer. The formula is supposed to fortify and strengthen weak nails while filling in ridges and providing a long-lasting finish.

Manicure of the Week

This is Illamasqua Viridian, a gorgeous blackened emerald with multidimensional shimmer. The lasting power is unimpressive, but the color is unique and divine!

Manicure of the Week

This week is Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Stormy Blue. I did my nails last night and already have a bit of chipping on the tips today! Grrr...It is a fun color but the lasting power is not impressive. Or perhaps I'm just getting spoiled by Rococo Dollar which lasted nearly two weeks!

There will be no Manicure of the Week this week because...

The Rococo Nail Apparel in Dollar has lasted the full week! Just a little bit of wear on a few of the tips but nothing a quick touch up and fresh application of top coat can't cure! Given how often I wash my hands and that I do not have a dishwasher, this is a minor miracle and despite the high price ($16.50), I'll definitely be looking into more of these. Have you tried them? What's your take?

One week later:

Manicure Of The Week

I present my super-dry-hands-and-cuticles manicure of the week! This week a resurrected a favorite from last holiday season, Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora. This is a smokey black shade with copper flecks and rainbow shimmer. It's very festive and pretty on short nails without being a typical seasonal metallic red. It's different and pretty and always elicits positive comments.

Manicure of the Week (featuring Rococo Nail Apparel)

Rococo Nail Apparel is a "professional" polish range at "ladies who lunch" prices. Regular lacquers are $16.50, while their most publicized item, the Gold Leaf Lacquer, will set you back a whopping $16.50. The only US brick and mortar retail location I've seen for the London-based line thus far is Space NK. You won't find a huge range of colors, and in my opinion the existing shades offer a good balance of wearable everyday hues as well as on-trend, fun colors. I purchased Dollar, which is now on my tips and toes! Dollar looks like mercury--molten dark silver with a strong metallic sheen. The nail polish went on completely opaque with one coat, and was akin to liquid metal with two. A very fun look, especially for the holidays! In my experience, silver polishes tend to go on sheer, dull, or just look cheap and juvenile. There is no Tinkerbell with this color! It's a grown up festive shade that's whole lot more sophisticated than a reindeer sweater! :)

The sales associate at Space NK praised the longevity of her manicure with the polish. I guess time and my dishpan hands will tell!

Manicure of the Week

Another Zoya this week! I used Pru, a metallic plum with a gold sheen and metallic sparkles (not glitter). The first coat goes on sheer but it builds nicely and I was satisfied with the opacity after two coats. The shimmer and sheen is beautiful! Unfortunately the sun has already set here in NYC so I couldn't get a picture of it in the sunlight. The flash made this shade appear a bit more pink/violet than it is is real life.
Getting closer...
Extreme Close Up!

Manicure of the Week

After wearing this season's vampy berries and glittery charcoals for the last few weeks, I was ready for a change and opted for a breath-of-fresh-air creamy, non-shimmery mauve. Zoya Zanna applies opaque with one coat, but I went with two mostly out of habit. Zoya updated the classic mauve by adding a dose of lavender, making the shade modern but easy to wear.