Susana Monaco Flutter Tube Dress
Beautiful Things My Mother Taught Me
Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles: 2 for $22
IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB Creme SPF 15
CoverGirl Outlast Brilliant Shine Nail Gloss in Vio-last
When I first saw this photo, I thought to myself, “Surely this is proof that the ancient Egyptians rocked nail art.” But this is no mummy manicure. Sadly, these hands belong to a real live human being – with tacky taste, access to a digital camera and, apparently, no hand cream.
So my question to you is this: if your fingers were this wrinkled, would you draw attention to them with gaudy nail art?
I’m in the market for some new nail polish, so I enlisted the advice of the DailyMakeover.com Beauty Bloggerati. Read on for some fab light and dark nail polish picks:
“My favorite go to color is OPI’s Bubble Bath. It goes with any outfit and it’s the perfect shade of white/pink! For dark polish, I am currently obsessed with OPI’s Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow from the España line. It’s is a deep deep forresty emerald green and totally fun for the fall!” -Lisa, These Lips Are Made For Glossin’
“I found two new polishes backstage at Fashion Week that I’m loving right now. CND Putty is an a very light beige. Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Blazing Blue…a deep midnight blue.” -Rachel, DailyMakeover.com
“My favorite light polish is the mix of Essie Marshmallow and Ballet Slippers (Marshmallow goes on first). It’s the famed combo that all the editors wore in The Devil Wears Prada (the book), and I have yet to find a light polish that makes my nails look as lit from within. My favorite dark is NARS Chinatown. It’s a much deeper maroon than the bold Mr.-Big-red-wall-red you’d expect from the name.” -Amber, Beauty Blogging Junkie
“I love Essie Ballet Slippers for a pretty, sophisticated look! I just purchased my first dark polish in about 15 years today and I love it. It’s Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Cinna-Snap. It reminds me of a glass of super dark merlot.” -Sarah, Hair Thursday
“For dark, I like the Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora. It’s black, but has sparkles, so it’s not totally goth. For light, I think it’s hard to top the classic Essie Ballet Slippers.” -Anne, The Jet Set Girls
“I’m not a huge fan of light colors but recently I picked up Sephora by OPI’s Under My Trench Coat. This is as light as I get, this shade is a very pretty beigey-grey with some gold shimmer. For my dark color, lately I’ve found myself going with another Sephora by OPI shade Brunette on the Internet. It’s a really rich, dark burgundy brown-red. Totally vampy.” -Carla, Product Girl
“For light I love Essie’s Adore-a-Ball or Revlon’s #910 Barely Peach. They hold up very well if you cook a lot. For dark, I am still in love with OPI’s Eiffel for this Color from their Fall 2009 Parisian color collection.” -Julia, All About The Pretty
“Light: Essie is Waltz the perfect white nail polish, it has no pink undertones what so ever. The pigment is not too thick so it doesn’t look like you have a white-out on. The classic white. Dark: MAC in Nocturnelle is the perfect pure black shade. You can’t get more black than this one. The classic black.” -Marta, Talking Makeup
“Favorite dark: CND Nail Noir – I almost cried during FW when I found out it’s going away. I came home and bought 6 bottles online. LOVE this color. Favorite light: Essie Mademoiselle – a favorite of mine since forever! Now my daughter Bailey’s hooked on it and my bottle disappears twice as fast!” -Erika, Makeup Bag
“I do a “faux-French” manicure. I use something cheap (like N.Y.C. Color white nail polish) to paint a quick, easy French manicure tip, and then use a little bit of cuticle oil cream (or lip
gloss or olive oil) over top create the “shine effect” of a top coat (it takes seconds to do). I also love Neutrogena’s Instant Nail Enhancer to give a quick, healthy shine. I only use dark colors on my toes. I really want to try those Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens, because they look like big, portable markers – so you can paint your toes in a flash.” -Bailey, Makeover Momma
“OPI Lincoln Park After Dark is my go-to dark shade. It looks great on a mani or pedi – and really, when is dark purple not an option for Fall/Winter? It’s classic! Revlon Sheer Pink is my everyday nude. It adds only a touch of color along with a really great shine.” -Tammy, A Mom In Red High Heels
Yesterday, I got my nails did. I’m so indecisive, it took me five minutes to pick out a color – but I finally decided on OPI‘s Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees, a “deep blue-grey” from the España collection.
Haven’t you heard? Black is the new black.
For the past six months, I was anxiously counting down the days until September 24th. Not because it was my birthday, but because I had insider information that MAC was re-releasing its Volcanic Ash Exfoliator as part of the Style Black Collection. If you’re a Spoiled Pretty regular, you’ve probably heard me mention it once or twice…or, possibly, a million times. That’s how much I adore this scrub.
I’ve tested an excessive amount of exfoliants, so it takes a serious scrub to even get my attention…and the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is, hands down, the best EVER. Yes, I said ever – as in since primordial soup ’til today.
Originally released as part of MAC’s Future Earth collection last summer, it became a cult classic. Those who missed out were singing the shoulda woulda coulda’s. And those who got a taste were wishing they could jump in a DeLorean, rev up the Flux Capacitor and go back to June 2008 and snag a lifetime supply. I fell into the second category, rationing my Volcanic Ash Exfoliator like it was a bag of beans on a season of Survivor.
Now that MAC has answered my prayers (and even packaged it in a convenient tube), I’ve stocked up and I suggest you do the same. It’s already sold out on maccosmetics.com, so I suggest you do your best Sherlock Holmes impression and sleuth that sh*t out (hint: Macys.com and Nordstrom.com still have it in stock).
And don’t just buy one lonely tube. Ah, naw. by the time you buy one, try it, and realize you can’t live without it, exfoliating fools will have wiped out the supply. So just trust me on this one, act like you’re at Costco, and buy in bulk.
The Style Black collection also includes these other gems:
Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask, $19.50
Formulated with volcanic ash and natural oils, this ash-black facial mask simultaneously deep-cleanses and treats the skin. When water is added, the mask heats up and the oils instantly lubricate the skin, leaving it feeling soft and clean. Helps keep skin moist, clean, soft and evenly textured.
Mineralize Eye Shadow, $19.50
Cinderfella: Mineralize black with silver pearl (frost)
Gilt By Association: Mineralize black with gold bronze pearl (frost)
Blue Flame: Mineralize black with blue pearl (frost)
Young Punk: Mineralize black with pinkish purple pearl (frost)
Cream Colour Base, $16.50
Black: Creamy true black
Bat Black: Blackened burgundy with pink pearl
Penultimate Eye Liner, $16.50
Rapidblack: True black
Greasepaint Stick, $17.50
Intense black
Eye Kohl, $14.50
Smolder: Intense black
Cremesheen Lipstick, $14
Black Knight: Creamy true black
Mattene Lipstick, $14.50
Night Violet: Deep purple grape
Midnight Media: Dense matte black
Glimmerglass Lip Gloss, $18
Bling Black: Sheer black with gold pearl (as seen at NYFW Fall 2009)
Blackfire: Sheer black with pinkish purple pearl
Blackware: Creamy true black
Nail Lacquer, $12
Seriously Hip: Black with gold particle pearl
Baby Goth Girl: Black with pinkish purple pearl
Nocturnelle: Black as night black
Emmy Awards 2009 Nominee Mariska Hargitay, star of Law & Order: SVU, accessorized her Carolina Herrera gown with OPI nail lacquers.
OPI celebrity manicurist Beth Fricke painted Mariska’s nails in St. Petersburgundy, a rich burgundy, topped with a splash of Can You Tapas This?, a yummy shade of raisin, to add a hint of darkness.
Beth also painted Mariska’s nails in Privacy Please, a sheer delicate pink, for her to wear to the Female Nominee Luncheon, as well as to the NBC Universal pre-Emmys party and the “Evening Before” event hosted by the Motion Picture & Television fund.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Meet my new favorite nail color, OPI My Private Jet. I was all set to paint my nails in Dior Vernis in Melisse for New York Fashion Week, but I forgot my bottle when I headed to the nail salon. So after a perfunctory scan of the polish selection, I chose My Private Jet. The entire time the technician shaped and buffed my nails, I kept second guessing my decision. But once I saw the finished manicure, I made a new spot in my heart for this shade. Described as luxurious black with glints of glamour, it’s more gray-ish (very on trend) with fine sparkle. And in certain light, it morphs into a dark, olive-y shimmer.
I kid you not – more than 10 different people approached me at Fashion Week festivities asking what I was wearing on my nails. If that doesn’t convince you to plop down $7.50 for a bottle…well, you crazy.
The inspiration for the makeup at the Lela Rose New York Fashion Week Spring 2010 show was Venice Beach. “The Lela Rose girl has been on the beach all day,” said Sarah Lucero, Key Makeup artist for Stila/Beauty.com. “At the end of the day, she grabs her towel and heads out for dinner. So she needs a look to play up her sun kissed tan.”
To create the look, Sarah used evened out models’ complexions and gave them a “clean, healthy glow” with Stila Sheer Cover Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. Stila Convertible Color in Camelia, Eye Shadow Duo in Fandango and Cobalt Smudge Pot were applied to eyes. Sarah gave cheeks a little color using Stila Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain. Camelia Convertible Color did double duty on the lips. Finally, lashes were inked up with Major Lash Mascara in Black.
When I asked Sarah to recommend one Stila product that every woman should invest in, she quickly answered Stila’s soon-to-be-released One Step Makeup – which is primer, foundation and concealer (oh my!) all in one fantabulous formula.
Sarah touches up Lela’s makeup.
Next, I stopped by Ted Gibson’s station to inquire about the hair, and was surprised at what I saw. Since I started covering New York Fashion Week four seasons ago, Ted has been the Head Stylist at Lela Rose – and their collaborations typically yield sophisticated, polished hair. Not this year. “This season, the hair is an interesting departure from what we usually do,” Ted said. Inspired by the beachy theme, and the collection’s wave details, he created a slightly messy mane. First, he sprayed hair with Build It Blow Drying Agent. Then he twisted small sections of hair before blasting them with a blow dryer. After repeating this process all over the head, Ted gathered hair in a ponytail and secured with an elastic. The pony was then back-brushed to give it volume and set using Beautiful Hold Hairspray. “This look is easy to replicate and is very wearable,” he said. “If you’re a little more adventurous, leave the hair down.”
It’s not often that I have a tête-à-tête with a nail authority, so I took the opportunity to ask Deborah about emerging trends and nail don’ts. She officially pronounced French manicures and pedicures as DEAD, noting that they should have disappeared along with the Betamax. “The French manicure is dated and uninspired. Many women tell me that they like a French manicure because they’re looking for a natural look. Problem is that no one has a white, white tip. Opaque beiges and tans are the new way to wear a neutral nail. I also love that these opaque nudes can do what pale, sheer pinks can’t: they cover imperfections better, result in less streaks, and make fingers look longer and leaner.”
#NYFW
