Mani Monday: Modcloth's Nail Klub

You've heard of Modcloth right? Yes, haven't we all. They offer an ecclectic mix of adorable clothes and accessories for the fashionable, stylin' gals out there. They also have an awesome blog where they highlight hair do's, home stuff and even nail art. This nail art I speak of is part of their Modcloth Nail Klub. They recently challenged me to create some sassy nail art to match one of their sassy dresses. My first real challenge was choosing a dress, since Modcloth dresses all adorable but I narrowed it down and eventually landed on a Fall floral that had me swooning from first sight, the Cornucopia of Cute Dress.

Cornucopia of Cute Dress, $99.99

Julep Inspired Propah Polish Color

Julep recently contacted me to create a mood board to inspire a new polish color straight out of my imagination! Since I would like to think that I have a lot of imagination, I immediately told them that I was up for the challenge. I checked out their newest shades (and started crushing on some right away). The thought of creating a Propah Polish to add to their collection sounded amazing. I knew instantly the colors I would work with in creating a polish with my site's namesake. Propah polish would be a base coat of pink, darker than pale but not quite fuschia with a black glitter imbedded in the base color. Pink with a pop of badassedness I'd like to think. I can just imagine myself drink some bubbly and snacking on chocolate (now that I'm not pregnant anymore!) with my girls before we head out of the night. The Propah shade would be feminine but with a rock-y edge... getting my vision, kids? Do an at home mani, pop a bottle, put on my imaginary Manolo's and hit the town!

Julep inspiration colors: Caitlin, Avery, Annemarie, Carol, Cleopatra, Patti, Beatrix and Estelle

My Must Haves for an At Home Manicure

Happy Mani Monday, my friends. I was recently disappointed with some nail salon experiences plus have been super lazy when it comes to spending money at the salon, so I have been doing my nails at home these past couple of weeks and I must say that I am getting pretty good at it. I have found that right combination of products that help me achieve a pretty fierce and pretty long lasting manicure (for at home that is). I thought I would compile my faves for you and let you know exactly what I like about each product. I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have tried many different things so have narrowed these down after lots of trial and error.

Mani Monday, Pretty Pastels

Happy Mani Monday my dear friends. What am I most obsessed with for my nails right now? It's all about the pastels to me... blues, purples, pinks and sea foam greens. I swoon. Spring is the time to rock these shade after all, am I right? I have compiled some of my favorite shades that may or may not be coming home next time I hit Ulta. To my husband, it looks like I collect a lot of the same colors but I have to set him straight. I say "it's statistically proven that men cannot determine the smaller distinctions in color...." or something like that. But all you gurlz know what I am sayin'... I need what I need and this batch of polishes is no exception.

essie nail color in guchi muchi puchi, $8, Maybelline Color Show in Iced Queen, $3.79, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Coral Reef, $5,  L'Oreal Colour Riche in Butterfly Kisses, $3, butter LONDON in Bossy Pants, $15,  essie nail color in fashion playground, $8, Deborah Lippman in Flowers in her Hair,$15, Crabtree and Evelyn in Petal Pink, $6

What's your favorite polish shade right now?

Mani Monday, Oscar Inspired

Last week's Oscars left some wishing there was more fashion goodness to go around but I am able to look at every aspect of an ensemble, from the dress to the jewelry to the makeup, hair and manicure. There were some classic beauty looks on the red carpet as well as some somewhat funky looks but I found that most ladies that I saw, kept it very classic, clean and "at home" doable.

Get the Look, Fall/Winter Evening Wear

Of course, I peruse all manner of People Style Watches and US Weekly's for what the stars are donning for their evenings out. I cannot afford Louis V or Armani but I can take some sweet inspiration from what they girls are wearing and pull it into my own wardrobe. I mean, how hard can it be to recreate some simple yet effective evening looks for Fall parties and nights out with the ladies?

New Colors from MiniLuxe

If you have read my blog before, you know that I am a big fan of a local salon chain, MiniLuxe. They were kind enough to share some of their newest polish shades with me and obvi, I had to share with you gals as well!

MiniCure has a gorgeous pale pink designed to support the Ellie Fund Do Good Campaign’s effort to battle breast cancer.  All net proceeds from the nail polish bottles will go towards the campaign. *The Ellie Fund is a non-profit organization that provides things such as groceries, nutritious meals, transportation to medical appointments, childcare and housekeeping all free of charge for over 500 breast cancer patients and their families across Massachusetts every year.

MiniLuxe in Lynnfield is set to open this month and bring the best of Boston to their first ever North Shore location! Right in the MarketStreet shopping area, MiniLuxe Lynnfield offers 8 manicure stations, 9 pedicure stations, 2 brow stations, and 2 private waxing rooms.  There is even a new fall color named LUXE Lynnfield (a sexy maroon, rich and deep) to celebrate the addition of the 8^thlocation!

What do you think of MiniLuxe's new polish shades?

MiniLuxe Spring Colors

I am sure you are well aware that I am a big fan of a local chain of salons in Massachusetts... good ol' MiniLuxe, which has seven locations for us Boston gals to get our nails did as well as get other various splendid services that they offer. The reason I am writing to you today? Well, it's to introduce the fabulous Spring colors that MiniLuxe offers at their salons... I am slightly enamored with these lovely little shades and I think you will be too, once you take a gander. I am passionate about polish, much to my husband's dismay but I just can't stay away!

Pampered MiniLuxe Style

I was first introduced to MiniLuxe back when my friend Tamy opened her location in Chestnut Hill. I didn't actually get a chance to visit her salon until right before the wedding (she'd be open nearly a year!). I happened to get my wedding manicure and pedicure there... and let's just say that I am hooked on the service that MiniLuxe represents. Clean, attentive and just as importantly, the work is stellar. MiniLuxe invited me back to get a manicure and pedicure at any one of their locations, so being that I would be in the area, I made an appointment at the Newton Center location. I was just as pleased this time around as I was on my first visit. 

The Year of Nails

This year I feel like I have see everybody and their sister's nail art online. Instagram and other such photo sharing apps have made it possible for everyone to share their fave manicures whether they had it done at the salon or did it themselves. I have seen so many that now I actually feel that there are really good and then there are the poorly done. I guess the overload of sassy manicures has made me somewhat of a snob now, that I tell the man when I see one I don't like "if you're gonna post your self manicure online, make sure you clean the nail polish off your skin on your fingers, gah!"... and he looks at me with a blank stare. Anyhoo, I have seen some great manis on our fave celebs and thought I would share some of them as well as the polishes I plan to pick up (if I don't already own them) so check them all out after the break!

Laquerous Launched Today, Are You In?

If you travel in my social media circles, today has been a day for nail polish rental. You heard me correctly; there is a newly launched site, called Lacquerous, where you can rent designer nail polishes on a monthly basis for less than the price of one bottle they offer (in most cases). So what's the sitch?

From Refinery29: Lacquerous, Like Netflix and Rent The Runway before it, this subscription polish club revolves around the concept that renting is just the same, if not better, than owning something high-end. Here's how it works: Members pay a flat rate of $18 a month and are sent three designer nail polish shades to paint and play with for 30 days. After the month is up, members pack up the polishes and send them back with the prepaid postage label, then three new polishes are delivered a few days later.

The site currently has nine brands which include Tom Ford, Deborah Lippmann, NARS, Butter London, OPI, Chanel, MAC, Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana. Save OPI, these are not brands that I ever use because, frankly, they are too expensive for me to buy on a bottle to bottle basis. So in this regard, the service makes sense to me. When I asked my online buds to tell me what they think about the possibility of renting nail polishes, the opinions were mixed. One friend immediately noted she thought it was "gross" while another thought it was "a fantastic idea". I think I fall somewhere in the middle. We share our nail polish at the salon so why couldn't we share designer polish with one another? 

Currently, there is a waiting list to join the membership club. I put myself on said waiting list because I am never one to knock it until I have tried it. We shall see how long it is before I can decide for myself if this will be money well spent.

What do you think about renting/sharing nail polish in a membership club?

Check out Lacquerous on Facebook and Follow Lacquerous on Twitter for the latest updates on what's shakin' in the nail polish rental world....

via Refinery29

Essie 2012 Summer Collection, Bikini So Teeny

As I have mentioned to some of you before. I am really starting to dig Klout perks. I feel like recently, they have become more in tune with your "specialties" and also, I have been better about not paying attention to the sucky ones. I feel like these perks have given me the opportunity to try new websites (see Bottica.com perk) and also new products.

I am a lover of nail polish. It's not something that I regularly post about because, well, so many other fashion/beauty bloggers post about it and the "market" is saturated.  The Essie Summer Collection Klout Perk was worth mentioning though. The color that they sent me, Bikini So Teeny, is literally the sweetest color blue I have ever seen. In addition to my adoration, and the man telling me how much he likes it, legitimately 10 people I do not know have asked me where I had gotten it. It's Essie's Summer 2012 Collection people, and it's called Bikini So Teeny. In addition to this color, I really think I am going to have to try Mojito Madness and Fear or Desire. You can grab Essie at so many places but if you really don't know, check out their store locator and grab their newest shades for your fingers and for your Summah!

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength

Anytime I go into a Walgreens, CVS or Rite Aid, Mama has to check out the nail polishes and perhaps add one (or in this case two) to the collection. I was immediately drawn to the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Collection, mainly the Garter Toss (a mint color) but then inspired to add the Jewel Overcoat in Multi-Faceted. I normally don't purchase Sally Hansen products, don't know why, but in this case, I just had to have them.


I used the Garter Toss as a base and then proceeded to use the jewel overcoat on top. You might remember my love of the Essie Luxeffects overcoat, so I am sad to say that this didn't live up to those expectations for a glitter topcoat. The thing that made me want to buy the topcoat (all the different colors/sizes glitters) is what made this such a pain in the @$$ to get on evenly. In order to make your nails look even and not clumpy, it was a chore to move the glitter all around before the overcoat dried. What this resulted in was a really thick topcoat. I might use it again but I am always in a hurry to do my nails and this wasn't the best option for that. The end result was decent. Given the chose between Essie and Sally Hansen... for now, I'll gravitate towards the Essie, thank you.

Obsession Alert: Essie Luxeffects

 


I received the Essie Luxeffects topcoat in my most recent Birchbox and I have to say that I am legitimately obsessed. I have been using it over and over again for 2 weeks to the point where my man has actually noticed. (Note to self: it takes two weeks for the man to catch on to beauty trends in my daily wear) This isn't just the same ol' glitter top coat. There are multiple different sized pink sparkle flecks in this aptly named A Cut Above, a shattered pink diamond blitz.


I think I will be keeping this in my Spring rotation pretty heavily. Not only does it last awhile but even with wear, it is not noticeably ratty looking... therefore giving me a little leeway between polish changes. I usually don't like to drop $9.00 on nail polish but this is prob an exception to my rule.