Gray
Fall Nail Trend Alert – Smoky Tips
 OK so who else has attempted the smoky eye look and failed? Come on, it’s not that easy, I can’t be the only one. Well, here’s a beauty trend you can actually achieve. Forget the smoky eye, this season it’s all about the smoky nail. From the runway to the red carpet, the look for nails is dusty, muted and smoked out.
We all know by now that I jumped on the gray nail bandwagon months ago but this look is not just about the grays. Brands have taken gray’s hazy cast and brought it to other shades like purple, khaki and blue, making the trend more wearable and versatile. Those of you afraid of looking ghostly in gray, fear not. |
Light Grays to try: Carolyn New York Handball Courts, CND Heather Gray Creme, CND Nordic Gray Creme, Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle
Medium Grays to try: China Glaze Recycle, Carolyn New York Hangin On The Stoop, Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy, CND Spring ’09 Custom Blend.
Looking for more gray polish recomendations? Then check out StyleBakeryTeen for an article written by my pal Jamie from The Beauty of Life. Violet/Khaki shades to try: OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Sephora by OPI Metro Chic, Sparitual Solitude Blues to try: Finger Paints Bada Bing, Bada Blue, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Gunmetal, Sally Hansen Salon Stormy Blue, Butter London Big Smoke What do you think kids? Are you into the smoky nail look? Tell us your favorite shades from this genre. images: All Lacquered Up, Elle.com and Getty Images
For day, you can keep it simple with a subtle hue.
If you’re feeling a bit bold, try a mid-tone. I’ll admit, these shades aren’t for everyone. They’re a bit unusual but oh so fun.
And of course there’s the ever popular gunmetal shades. They’ve been featured in years past but have really come to the forefront this Fall. Just last week Petra from Glamour’s Girls In The Beauty Department blog contacted me in search of a dupe for the shade seen on Mena Suvari (right). My guess… Sparitual Mood (below right) because I know Mena is an eco-beauty fan and Sparitual is a Vegan line.
Graphite shades to try: Sparitual Mood, Yves Saint Laurent Tuxedo Gray, Dashing Diva Black Diamonds, Zoya Freja
To shy to jump into gray or just not feeling it? Then how about a purple or browned version of the look instead?
Finally, those jewel-toned and almost-black blues of the past have transitioned into something more steely. They’re grayed out with silver shimmer or charcoal bases that aren’t too dark.
OPI Holiday In Toyland Darks & Neutrals
Toy land, toy land
Li-ittle girl and boy land
While you dwell within it
You are ever happy there
-Toyland lyrics by Victor Herbert
Blocks, Nutcrackers, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs. Visions of old school playthings dance through my head at the mention of the word Toyland.
I think of the workshop from Santa Claus The Movie starring John Lithgow and the late Dudley Moore. Tell me, I’m not the only one who remembers it. How I wanted to play in that toy shop with all the wooden handmade presents. And who didn’t want to be one of the elves? Living off sugary treats, spending their days singing, dancing and playing. What a life, no?
However, even though OPI’s Holiday in Toyland collection has an old time-y theme, the colors are anything but. Suzi has totally hit the mark with the Darks & Neutrals. So on trend with the grays and metallics. Totally “me” right now!
You’re A Doll! – Is a pinkish nude shimmer with very subtle reddish sparkles sprinkled throughout. Not really my deal.
“Sheer” Your Toys! – Is the color I was most excited for. I’m on board with any light gray and this one, with it’s slightly pink tint, is pretty neutral. The only issue, the application. Hello problem child! It was kind of thick and didn’t flow very well. For a polish with the word “sheer” in the title I’m sure this baby wasn’t meant to be worn opaque but I wasn’t feeling it. So three coats later and you get a great opaque, slightly silvery gray.
Glamour Game – is champagne metallic duochrome. In the bottle the shade looks more pewter and on the nail, more gold. Unique but, like most metallics, not the easiest to apply.
Brand New Skates – is an oddball gray sparkler. Its jelly-like formula spreads like the China Glaze glass flecked polishes though it isn’t overly opaque so you need three coats. The micro-glitter give off a warm cast to what would normally be a smokey gray.
Play ‘Til Midnight – well what would an OPI collection be without a dark blue? It seems like Suzi just can’t resist the blues. This one is a jeweled burple with fine pink, purple and blue shimmer. Very similar to Russian Navy. The only difference is in the base color. While RN’s base is blue-green like Glacier Bay Blues, Play ‘Til Midnight is a deep cornflower.
Baby It’s “Coal” Outside! – is my 2nd runner up for best of the collection (behind “Sheer” Your Toys!). I was expecting it to be just another black/gunmetal shimmer. But there’s something about how opaque and pigmented the color is despite the high level of shimmer and multi-colored micro-glitter that attracts me.
The OPI Holiday In Toyland Collection hits shelves tomorrow, October 1st. You can find OPI in salons and stores like JC Penney, ULTA, Trade Secret and online at 8ty8Beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com
SEPHORA by OPI Autumn and Eve Collection
A few weeks back I introduced you to the SEPHORA by OPI collection with some bottle pics and product photos. Well, I’ve had a chance to give the polishes a trial run and am very pleased to share the deets with you all.
I was sent the first seasonal collection from the product line, Autumn and Eve, to test out. A great mix of funky and vampy shades, the lineup is very on trend for Fall. Which makes me wonder if OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann held out and saved the best colors for SEPHORA.
The formula is Big 3 Free and on the medium-thick side yet it goes on smoothly. The brushes are firm and dense, allowing the polish to flow nicely on the nail without streaking or dragging. And since the OPI Pro Wide Brush is almost too big for my pinky and index nails, I’m liking the SEPHORA polish better.
Run With It! – So are you sick of hearing how much I’m in love with light gray? Well, I’m not gonna stop and Run With It! is another swoon-worthy winner. Only this one includes silver and gold shimmer that instead of adding sparkle, it gives the overall shade a slightly rubberized look. It’s one of the coolest colors I’ve come across.
Don’t Go There is a pretty midtone reddish-grape creme. Like if Barney had been rolled and kicked down a dusty road (how fun would that be?). Knowing that you’d want to see it next to Parlez Vous OPI? I included a comparison below. Obviously PVO is more muted, smokey and violet based.
Metro Chic is the shade I was most intrigued by. As much as I love me a unique polish, when I first spotted Metro Chic on the Sephora Blog I thought it was hideous and had no chance of being flattering. Color me wrong. I can see why the other editors/bloggers are giving it raves. This oddball, brown, gray, khaki, purple, Heinz 57 of a shade is pretty damn chic. And nothing like Parlez Vous OPI? or You Don’t Know Jacques! (see below).
Meet For Drinks is a deep burgundy/cranberry shimmer that will pair nicely with the berry lip look that will be popular this Fall. It’s not blowing my skirt up but I don’t hate it.
I’m With Brad is a black based lacquer with red shimmer. Very much in the same vein as Midnight in Moscow and China Glaze X. Super vampy, highly pigmented and very glossy.
Never Enough Shoes is not your average black polish. It has these specs of gold & silver micro-glitter running throughout. What I love is that the glitter is way more visible than the shimmer in say, Chanel Black Satin or Zoya Raven, yet it dries perfectly smooth. Everyone can say what they want about black polish being passe or “so two years ago” but it’s not dying out any time soon.
Finally, a little sunlight action for you. The gold shimmer in Run With It! really pops in direct sun.
The SEPHORA by OPI nail polish retails for $9 is available now on Sephora.com and starting to roll out into retail locations. Call your local store for availability.
Anyone seen the new line at your local Sephora? What do you think? I’ve been testing some of the treatment products as well and will be sharing my thoughts on those soon. Stay tuned for a peek at the core collection colors.
OPI La Collection De France for Fall 2008
The much anticipated Fall collection from OPI, La Collection De France, hit shelves last week and sent my fellow fanatics into frenzy. Ever since the unofficial images hit the net, people have been curious about what the colors will look like in person. I have to say that while there are a few AMAZING shades in the collection, overall I can’t help but say “meh!” But you girls know me; I like new, different, unexpected. And while this extremely wearable palette represents the chic, sophisticated air of France, overall it doesn’t intrigue me.
Where formula is concerned, the shimmers are barely noticeable (exceptions noted) while the cremes have continued to impress me the way India and the Mod Brights did. Excellent coverage, smooth application and a glossy finish. What more can a girl ask for?
My OPI France Hits:
Parlez Vous OPI? is the clear winner and stand out for me. I’m so feeling the smoked out shades for Fall, I can’t even stand it! And this smokey violet creme is a total knockout. If there is one color (besides dove gray) that I’ll be wearing multiple times this Fall, it’s this one.
You Don’t Know Jacques! ended up surprising me. This muddy browned gray didn’t look at all flattering in the bottle but on my nails, LOVES IT! In the same way that China Glaze Wagon Trail felt gritty and grungy, You Don’t Know Jacques! gives off the same edge. The creme finish just makes it a bit more chic.
Louvre Me Louvre Me Not is a fun pop of juicy grape color in a collection with such subdued tones. And the shimmer in this one is more prominent, making this a great shade for us funky nail lovin’ gals.
Baguette Me Not is another one that caught me off guard. I didn’t think much of it in the bottle but it really works with my skin tone. And I’m diggin the slightly dusty quality. So, is it a deep melon, a reddish orange, a browned red? It’s like describing the wondrous taste and texture of sushi in that I can’t quite articulate it, I just know I like it.
The Misses:
What’s there to say about Tickle My France-y? It’s a nice, neutral, nude. How’s that for alliteration? But seriously, it’s a great basic. Very work friendly and I like that it’s not sheer. Finding flattering opaque neutrals can be a challenge.
Crepes Suzi-ette reminds me of the reddish brown shade MAC put in the N Colour collection, Naturally Rich. That one didn’t work for me and neither does Crepes Suzi-ette. It applied beautifully but is just way to blah for me. I could see a darker skinned person pulling this off or perhaps even a red-head. Just not me.
I wanted to like I’m Fondue Of You. I really did. The shimmery slightly bronze bottle shade drew me in. I honestly expected this to be a winner. But on my nails, it just kind of dies. I love me some chocolate brown but this was too light and too red and not shimmery enough for my taste.
And the I’ve Seen It Befores:
A Oui Bit Of Red has visible shimmer in the bottle though when applied, it disappears. I do like that it makes my nails look like little Red Hot candies, which is fun but, it’s not a red I haven’t seen before. I know, what red really is? Like the LBD (little black dress) it’s a staple.
Bastille My Heart is a deep candy apple red with that same subtle shimmer. Pretty but, yawn inducing. Next!
Yes… I Can-Can! and We’ll Always Have Paris (below in that order) both have a reddish grape base that has been deepended to a vampy plum. The shimmer in Yes… I Can-Can! is really the only difference. The silver sparkles do stand out some on the nail but I can’t really say either polish is more unique than the vampies from past Fall collections (Russia, Chicago, 25th Anniversary).
Eiffel For This Color looks to be a Lincoln Park After Midnight twin. I’ll have to do a swatch test and report back. Again, it’s another almost-black plum with shimmer. Do I like it? Yes! Will I wear it? For sure. Does it make me want to run out and buy a backup? Not so much.
The OPI La Collection De France is available now at professional salons and chains like Trade Secret, ULTA, Regis, JC Penney in addition to the online e-tailers I have listed on the right.
So what are your thoughts on the collection? I’m sure by now some of you have already scooped up your favs. What were your Hits, Misses and Seen It Befores?
Nail Polish Obsession – Carolyn New York Handball Courts
For a while now, I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen about how pale grays are the next “it” color, especially come Fall. And while I rarely find shades that I consider worthy of multiple wears (last Fall it was CND Hyde In The Dark, another gray), I’ve found a winner to put on the list.
This dove gray shimmer is perfectly crisp, clean and chic. It feels fresh and I can’t stop staring at my nails while wearing it. And like all CNY polishes it has their fab wide brush that makes application a breeze. Two coats = perfection!
So is anyone else embracing light grays this Summer or planning to be an adopter this Fall? I know that CND has an amazing gray headed our way as well. I saw it at New York Fashion Week and am waiting with bated breath to get my hands on it and the rest of their Fall shades.
Handball Courts can be purchased at CarolynNewYorkColors.com for $5.50. A note regarding the name: On the CNY site Handball Courts is currently listed as Hanging On The Stoop. If you go to order it, just make sure that you’re selecting the shade described as a “pale gray” NOT “grey”
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
