Recently in Nails Category

The hottest nail color right now is this grayish taupe from OPI. When you see it, it will look muddy and mousy but it looks so incredibly chic and soft on. It also works for all skin tones, my 2 girl friends and I all used it on our lunch and manicure outing and it looks great on all of us. I'm Chinese and my friends are Mexican and British, so we span the spectrum of skin tones and it is damn impressive that this off looking color would work for everyone (not that these 3 races include everyone everyone, but you get the idea). I have to say, I was the one poo-pooing this color because I am pretty conservative when it comes to nail colors - red toes and nude fingers, so I have to give credit to my girlfriend for insisting on trying this out. I mean, isn't that what friends are for? =) You will see this color on a lot of magazine editorial shots. Dark is in! OPI You Don't Know Jacques! from the France Collection $5.49 at Amazon.com.

Photos from Instyle.com

What do all these celebrities have in common!?? A love for Sula! That's right all of these gals are fans of Sula the Susanne Lang fragrance line that just came-out with a wonderful new line of non-toxic, environmentally-friendly nail polishes that are water-based and allow you to paint-and-peel your color avoiding harsh nail polish remover all together! So use these polishes when you're doing an at-home mani/pedi and you'll be able to peel-off your nail color when you get bored of it in just one clean swoop! Just don't forget a base coat to protect your nails and a top coat to give them that professional shine!

CHANEL and SEVENTEEN are proud to announce the 2008 winner of the CHANEL Colour of the Year Contest. Amy Gonzo, 19, of Port Washington, WI, created Haute Chocolat, a shimmery chic brown nail lacquer with flecks of gold. It was inspired by her favorite holiday drink, hot cocoa, and is available in October 2008 at department and specialty stores nationwide as well as on CHANEL.com. 
I tested out the shade in New York last week and it's a delicious shade of chocolate that looks really warm and rich on the nails.  It's also a shade that works on different skin tones.  Go check it out for yourself next month!

Thousands of entries were reviewed by Seventeen and CHANEL to determine the selected winner whose shade name and inspiration would be launched exclusively in the United States as part of the limited edition CHANEL Holiday 2008 Makeup Collection. The winner will be officially announced in the October 2008 issue of Seventeen (on newsstands September 16th).  Haute Chocolat, destined to be a sell-out shade, will retail for $20.00 and be available from October through December 2008.

 The best color collection for fall I have seen BY FAR is MAC's Cult of Cherry. This color palate emphasizes smoldering eyes and ripe, plush lips to create a dramatic and sensual look. I have the quad in "Tempting", which has every color you need to play up whatever eye color you have, when my friends are raiding my makeup bag they are guaranteed to find something flattering for them to play with, lol. On my wish list: Silverstruck and Illegal Purple nail lacquer -swoon-! I am already picturing myself perched on a stool at one of my favorite bars, reaching hedonisticly for my martini, when the light hits my nails- a dark flash of the most royal purple informs people they are dealing with beauty royalty... Muahaha!

I've been very into pink fluorescent and deep reds/pinks all summer long (gotta love essie!), but now my mindset is turning to fall and I have to say that I'm kind of over all the color. The only problem with doing a 180 and going bare or with nude shades is that nail maintenance becomes even more important (especially because all the color has given my nails a touch of discoloration). I've had the hardest time tracking down a good manicure/pedicure kit (when I was about 10 I saw an episode of 20/20 about a young girl who went to get a mani/pedi with her mom and because the equipment used was not sanitized they both broke out in awful rashes/permanent scarring resulted...scared me for life! I have a total phobia of manicurist/pedicurist). My apartment is in walking distance from 4 different Sephoras, but my quest has been fruitless:( Thankfully I totally by chance was told about Red by Kiss and they have everything you can possibly need for ab fab looking toes and nails! More on how to get Katherine Heigl nails after the jump!

A few weeks back I wrote about essie's Neon Collection which I still think is one of the best collections (I wear the pink shade "Short Shorts" on my fingers and the orange shade "Mini Shorts" all the time), but I'm loving their current seasonal collection as well. I've been alternating the louder neon colors with the more classic summer colors...they're just really fun, happy colors for summer:) Also they're great for both day and night which is key for everything from makeup to clothing to accessories during the summer months. As all of essie's polishes always are, these colors are long-lasting (I'm a pretty active person and I've gone a week without reapplying), and you only need one coat. If this was a Steal vs. Splure post, essie would be the counter-part to Chanel...of course Chanel will always be number one in my book -- from quality to packaging they're just tops -- but essie has some truly innovative shades, great quality, and they're just $8!!! But unlike your typical Revlon and such, there's something undeniably cool about essie -- I have so many friends who only shop designer whether it be makeup, clothing or otherwise, and even lot of them will wear essie. I actually think a lot of that has to do with the fact that besides delivering an amazing quality product (their top coat and base coats are also wonderful -- they help protect your nails and make taking off your polish so much easier -- also nothing beats a little top-coat shine!), essie comes-up with the absolute cutest names for their colors -- Check-out the names they gave their summer colors after the jump!!

Don't have time for a strict weekly mani-pedi? Keep your cuticles looking fresh with the O.P.I. Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go. I keep one in my bag and another in my bathroom and apply whenever I think of it. This is especially handy and much needed for the toes during the summer with sandals and flip flops wear. I don't need to tell you how BAD dry, crusty cuticles look when you are trying to rock it with your Manolos. This is a total lifesaver for overdue pedicures - you get all dolled up and ready to head out the door but as you slide on your open toe heels, you see the disaster that is your toes! Just brush brush where needed once you've got your shoes on (so you don't get your shoes all oily), that is, if your polish is not peeling and cracked. Only $8 at Amazon.com.

My mother always taught me that the three things you should always keep looking pretty and polished are your hair, your eyebrows and your nails. I try to heed my mothers advice, but being a 22 year old full time college student ...and working ...and trying to have a life can leave me rather distracted. This past weekend I moved home from my apartment, and all the cleaning and packing left my nails peeling and snaggely. Lucky for me I have Talika's Nail Regernerator serum! After soaking my nails and cuticles in the serum for a few days, my nails had already noticeably grown and are looking much healthier! Nail Regenerator Serum is made from combining only three ingredients- myrrh, benzoin and incense. These powerful plant oils nourishes, hydrate and restructure fragile and lifeless nails. The oil comes in a pen with a clicking dispenser, which is very easy and mess-free to use, and equally hassle free to store -(I heated my pen in hot water to warm up the oil before I used it, to make my application extra spa-like!). This product is like candy for your nails, you will see a difference in just a few days...use it twice a week for a month and you will see a big change!

Nail Regenerator Serum $37.00

I know, I know everyone has already heard that this season is all about the neons, so I hate to bring it up, buuuut I absolutely love essie's new line of neon colors. Just released, the limited-edition collection consists of--

Short Shorts, a flamingo pink
Mini Shorts, a vibrant orange
Shorty Pants, a lemon yellow
Bermuda Shorts, a bright purple

Not all shades of nail polish have the versatility that I have seen from MAC Demi-Blanc. Demi-Blanc is translucent and iridescent, perfect for a shiny topcoat on your favorite summer shade or layered by itself for shimmery, natural looking nails. This shade is perfect for summer! Summer nails should either be bright and fun or natural, you can add Demi-Blanc to complete both looks =) …Almost year round, I cut my nails short and usually sport a light pink shade. But with beach weather here, you will find me in my bikini wearing this sexy, barely there shimmer!

MAC Nail Lacquer in Demi-Blanc- $10

*This picture is quite a bit darker than what it looks like on your nails, I recommend going in and trying it on to see the real color.