Sally Hansen

My Fashion Week NOTD Challenge Wrap-Up

By Michelle Mismas on September 22, 2009
in Barielle, Chanel, NY Fashion Week S/S 10, Sally Hansen with 2 Comments

After 7 long, tiring, fun-filled days in NYC, I returned home with one desire… to recoup!! Fashion Week takes a lot out of a girl. I have so many exciting things I want to share with you from my trip but let’s start off with the results of my NOTD Challenge (click to read part 1). In case you missed it, I challenged myself to wear a different nail color every day of NYFW. While I failed to change my color EVERY day, I did make a valiant effort.

Hear tales from my trip and see what colors I picked after the jump!

When we left off I was wearing Zoya Savita on the day of the Total Beauty Blogging Summit and Fashion’s Night Out. Wouldn’t you know it, I ended up being invited backstage to a show and seeing Deborah Lippmann while wearing another brand. The horror!!

The next day, Friday, I had a visit to the Chanel offices planned so naturally I wore Jade. It launched the night before at the Chanel SoHo Boutique for Fashion’s Night Out and I spotted it on many ladies backstage that day. Considering the torrential downpour outside, Jade brought a bit of sunshine and light to a very gloomy day. Can we say rain-soaked shoes and a ruined blowout? Good times!

I was running late on Saturday, no time for a change. Luckily Roxanne Valinoti from CND was there to freshen up my look. She added a coat of Jade Sparkle from the new Effects line to totally bling me out! And once Jan Arnold set her sights on the shade, they started layering different Colours trying to duplicate the hue. Using Green Scene as a base, they came very close but not dead on. I hope they’ll keep working to find a twin.

Saturday night I went to a fab blogger party hosted by Lianne from The Makeup Girl and Paul from Beyond Beauty Basics. I was running so late that I didn’t even realize it was THE Ted Gibson holding the door for me at the W Hotel until the next morning when he asked if I enjoyed the party. What a memory he has. But seriously, how oblivious can I be? The man is a tall drink of gorgeous! Though I did get to meet his brilliant partner and hair color genius, Jason Backe, who said to me, “YOU’RE All Lacquered Up?” as though I’m someone to know. I was beyond flattered, to say the least.

Anywhoodle, post party and late night diner run I did this slightly drunken mani with Barielle Slate of Affairs in preparation of seeing my pal and ALU collection collaborator, Elle, at the Reem Acra presentation. Reem contacted Elle after reading that Slate of Affairs was based on one of her Fall collection gowns and asked her to do the nails for her show.
Monday was my uber-crazy seven show day and it started at 8am so as I’m sure you can guess, there was no color change. It wasn’t until I stopped by the CVS Beauty Lounge at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Lab on Tuesday that my nails got a much needed switch.

Not only did I get to do a little people watching, like Top Chef guest judge and former Queer Eye food guy Ted Allen and Miss J from ANTM but I got a little pampering too. Jake Bailey from CoverGirl, who is so adorable, was doing touch-ups and helped me find a foundation that doesn’t just sit on my skin (Simply Ageless) while Sally Hansen was giving manicures. I decided that for my last day in the city I wanted a little party on my nails so I went with a layering combo of Xtreme Wear Disco Ball over In The Navy.
So that pretty much wraps up my own personal nail story at NYFW but not to fret there are many more updates to come. I spent the weekend processing everything I saw so I can bring you the best of the best in Fashion Week nails. Stay tuned!!

Backstage with Sally Hansen at Tracy Reese S/S ’10

By Michelle Mismas on September 17, 2009
in NY Fashion Week S/S 10, Sally Hansen with 12 Comments

At every New York Fashion Week I’ve attended, one of the shows I most look forward to is Tracy Reese. I’ve been a fan of her colorful, feminine designs ever since I saw Lauren Ezersky interview her on Behind The Velvet Ropes. Oh how I pine over Style canceling that show.But it isn’t just the clothes that draw me in season after season. It’s her recurring partnership with Sally Hansen. For the past eight NYFW’s they’ve teamed up to bring runway ready colors to the masses and they’ve done it again with a brand new line called Complete Salon Manicure.

Read on to view the chic, layered nails, get a peek at the new collection and see my first on-camera interview!

Tracy’s collection was all about contrast, embellishment and intense colors. Bringing together hard edges and soft shapes, layering opaque and sheer fabrics. It’s the layering that became the focus for the hair and nail teams.

I spoke with Jeanie Syfu the hair stylist working with Tresemme (you may have seen her on Project Runway) who shared that she used Tracy’s concept of layering to create this sky high hair. Syfu explains, “There looks like there isn’t a lot happening but there is.” Using Tresemme 24 Hour Body Foaming Mousse and Finishing Spray, she created three stacked ponytails that she pulled into a loose bun to keep the sides sleek and avoid restricting the height.

For the at-home stylist, she recommends teasing the crown and gathering hair into a chignon. She added that teasing hair and then curling it with a 1″ iron creates fluffy volume.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Willer for Maybelline went for a modern 20s makeup look. She wanted edge and got it with exaggerated penciled-in brows, glossy lids and heavy under-eye liner juxtaposed with sweet, pink lips. She used Shiny-licious Lip Gloss on the lids, Eye Studio shadow palette (launching in January) under the eye, Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara, Mineral Power Naturally Luminous Blush in Fresh Plum and Color Sensational Lip Color in Make Me Pink.

Of course the nails are what really caught my eye. Using the new Complete Salon Manicure line, set to launch this Spring, Sally Hansen Nail Expert Dana Caruso and her team painted the models’ nails with a rich black (Midnight In New York) topped with a sheer glitter (Hidden Treasure) that when combined look like burning embers in a pitch black night.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Boraczek, SVP of Marketing for Coty (Sally Hansen’s parent company), who told me that he often polls employees not connected to the line for their take on new shades. That when he asked about Hidden Treasure, his favorite description was that it looks like “crushed gems”.
Bill spoke of Tracy’s aversion to “frost” in creating the Spring collection. That she wanted to avoid the outdated look our mothers wore. So even though the vivid teal and bright yellow have been softened with a pearlescence to make them wearable, they’re still bold enough to be modern.

While backstage I was asked to do a quick interview about Sally Hansen and the nail trends I was seeing at Fashion Week. I was extremely nervous but flattered to have the opportunity. The footage has been used in a great recap of the show that includes interviews with Tracy Reese, Bill Boraczek, Dana Caruso and actress Gabrielle Union. Check it out!

image credit: Style.comand All Lacquered Up

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Defintion Giveaway

By Michelle Mismas on July 22, 2009
in Giveaway, Sally Hansen with 22 Comments

Hi Fanatics! I’m back from Vegas with a fantastic giveaway. I know I said this would go live on Monday but traveling and scheduled posting issues got in the way. So let’s get this party started.

I told you all about the amazing sweepstakes Sally Hansen is hosting on their own site (click here) to promote the HD Hi-Definition line launch. As if that’s not enough, Sally Hansen is sponsoring a giveaway just for ALU Fanatics. FIVE (5) lucky readers will WIN a full set of the HD Hi-Definition polishes.

What do you need to do to win? We’re going to do this one two ways. TWO (2) Winners will win by completing the form below and THREE (3) will win via Twitter.

I’m SUCH a Twitter fanatic and I’m on a mission to get everyone I know to jump on the bandwagon so for the Twitter portion of this giveaway I’m asking you to JOIN Twitter, FOLLOW All Lacquered Up (so I can contact you) and TWEET this message: I want to win @AllLacqueredUp’s Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Giveaway.

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and ends on August 7th, 2009 at 11:55pm. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email or Twitter.

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Sweepstakes

By Michelle Mismas on July 17, 2009
in Giveaway, Sally Hansen with 6 Comments

Happy Friday Fanatics! Let’s kick off the weekend with a fun sweepstakes you can enter. To celebrate the launch of their new HD Hi-Definition line, Sally Hansen is hosting a giveaway on their website.From now through September 15th you can enter to win:

* Grand Prize winner will be randomly selected to receive a 32inch HD TV
* An iPod Nano will be awarded each month to a randomly selected winner
* 10 winners total will be randomly selected to receive a Sally Hansen gift bag

note: contest open to US residents only

And check back on Monday for a fun giveaway sponsored by Sally Hansen just for ALU readers!

Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color – Part 2

By Michelle Mismas on May 25, 2009
in Blue, Coral, Pink, Sally Hansen, Summer 2009, Yellow with 10 Comments

Last week I showed you the first half of the new Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition collection and now I’m wrapping up the back end and including a couple comparisons for you.

I should note that I was not aware that there are actually eight shades in the collection. A reader pointed out that I am missing a pink named Digital. I incorrectly assumed that Opulent Cloud was the eighth polish in this lineup but it will actually launch closer to fall. Check out the rest of the colors, after the jump!

Lite has got to be one of my favorite yellows of late. It’s the yellow brick road in a bottle. I love how it glows on the nail and its pigmentation is way more impressive than its HD sisters.
Looking through my collection of yellows, OPI Lemonade Stand By Your Man is a very close twin to Lite. The only major difference is opacity. After three coats, the OPI still has a VNL (visible nail line). And just for funsies I threw in China Glaze Yell-O-Neil which is way more French’s mustard than the rest.
Three D is a warm coral that flashes hot pink. It’s not quite as vibrant as the other HDs and therefore not really wow-tastic. Of all the colors in this collection, this is the one I’d pass on.
Hi Res is much more rosy in person and extremely vivid, not an easy one to capture. It’s packed with pigment so three coats were barely necessary, though I did it anyway for consistency.
After seeing Blu in part one, reader moonchaii asked to see it next to Illamasqua Fern and China Glaze Frostbite. I’d say it falls somewhere in between the two.

The Sally Hansen Hi-Definition Nail Color collection ($5.95) officially launches in July at drugstores and mass retailers like WalMart, KMart and Target though readers have already begun spotting them on shelves around the country.