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The Nail Files – Jin Soon Choi
Last fall during a trip to NYC with a few of my beauty blogging buddies, I had the pleasure of meeting Jin Soon Choi at her eponymous Upper East Side salon for a mani/pedi and a little nail chat. We connected through our mutual friend, the MAC goddess and SeoulDiva herself, Heather Park. Little did I know, Jin was already at work collaborating on the Fall Nail Trend collection for MAC. She hinted at a future collection but couldn’t reveal details.
It wasn’t until last February when I saw Jin and Heather backstage at the Doo.Ri show that I got my first glimpse of Beyond Jealous and info on the rest of the collection. Needless to say, I was DYING over the blackened teal creme and thrilled for Jin’s success.
Learn more about Jin, which of her favorite NARS polishes I tried and hear how she earned the nickname “Bicycle Jin” after the jump!
In The Beginning
Jin came to the US from Seoul, Korea after working in fashion design. To hear Jin tell it, becoming a manicurist is just what you do when you come to the city but the passion in her voice as she talks about nails makes me believe it was her destiny. She started out in a small salon to gain experience but when she learned it was closing she took to her bicycle, riding to clients’ homes to tend to their nails. It was during this “Bicycle Jin” phase of her career that she met Andrea from Glamour who admired Jin’s work enough to help her get an agent and enter the editorial world.
The First Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spa
After gaining success working on photo shoots and with celebrities, Jin decided to open her first salon in the East Village. It was when she hired architect John Coughlan to design the space that she met her future husband. They found and refurbished old school desks and incorporated Jin’s style based on the scrapbook full of magazine clippings she collected. While the following West Village and Upper East Side locations each have their own distinct look, they both represent Jin’s simplistic, refined aesthetic.
Fast Forward To Today
With a chain of successful salons, Jin continues her editorial work alongside some of the greats in the fashion and beauty world. Famed photographer Steven Meisel books her for weeks at a time to work on all his shoots while he’s in NYC. She describes him as sweet and soft spoken and together they’ve made many a memorable Vogue cover. Highly skilled in nail art Jin creates some incredibly intricate designs including a fun spread for Teen Vogue last March.
Jin’s passion for education and proper manicuring techniques has led to a desire to impart her vast knowledge on the nail community. The number of poorly trained techs out there giving improper manicures is staggering and she hopes to find a way to teach them the basics you can’t learn in school. She personally trains her staff so that every guest at her salon receives the same high standard of service.
Jin Fun Facts and Favorites
Loves the PedEgg – That’s no joke. Even though regulations prevent her from using the popular infomercial tool in her salon, she’s a fan of it for home use. In the salon they use a scrub and pumice stone.
Is a film and architecture fan – When she’s not at work in her salons or on set, Jin likes to enjoy simple Korean food, see a movie and walk hand-in-hand with her hubby exploring the unique and diverse architecture of the city.
Has GORGEOUS nails – I experienced some serious nail bed envy with Jin. Despite the amount of work her hands go through, she has flawless, strong nails. She attributes them to genetics and Omega 3s. If only we could all be so lucky.
Reads to improve her English – Jin loves the challenge of deciphering new words to expand her grasp of the language.
The most flattering nail shape is The Jin Soon Shape – Jin warns against following the cuticle line or free edge when shaping nails. Her employees dubbed her signature filing style “The Jin Soon Shape” which is straight and a little rounded at the edge. Somewhere between squoval and flat. I’m modeling it wearing NARS Jungle Red. This was after 5 days. Just LOOK at that amazing wear.
Jin’s first TV appearance was on Tyra – She was brought on to talk about the “fish pedicure” but wasn’t familiar with the technique. After an early morning working with Reese Witherspoon she was rushed to the studio at the last minute and extremely nervous. Jin’s take on the treatment, it’s odd especially since “fish poop a lot!”
The 3 cornerstones of her business - Great music, great tea, great technique. It’s all about customer service and the experience with Jin. Her warm demeanor lends to an atmosphere that feels like you’re sitting amongst friends. During my time at the salon, her clients would just join in the convo, adding their two cents on nail color, the fish pedicure and the need for an Upper West Side locale.
Dark polishes belong on short nails, period – While long, dark talons may be OK in the editorial world, for the everyday wearer, dark polishes look best on short tips.
Loves the edgy, more editorial shades – I just call those “me” colors. Jin digs the greens, grays and funky taupes, like You Don’t Know Jacques, for their edge and sophistication. In fact she recently picked Barielle U-Concrete-Me as one of the “It” colors of the season in US Weekly alongside her creation, MAC Beyond Jealous.
Names Essie & NARS among her fave polish brands - While there are many brands on Jin’s shelves (Chanel, OPI, Zoya, etc) Essie Allure, for a natural look, and NARS Chinatown and Jungle Red are her go-to polishes.
Jin is one of Seche Vite’s legion of fans – The Fanatic Favorite is also Jin’s though when it comes to base coats it depends on condition of the client’s nails. She lists Duri Rejuvacoat and Essie base coats as staples.
The staff are her guinea pigs – Before any product is used on a client, Jin and her employees rigorously test it themselves.
I want to thank Jin for her time and congratulate her on the stunning MAC Nail Trend F/W09 collection. I wish her much happiness and success.
Peace, Love & Polish, Michelle
OPI Spain (aka Coleccion de España) – Primera Parte
Doesn’t “primera parte” sound much more interesting than “part one”? Ah the beauty of the Spanish language. OPI is transporting us to Spain for their fall color story and after reading your numerous pleas and comments, I have swatches of the collection for you.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been chomping at the bit to review OPI Spain. It’s not that the colors aren’t pretty or well made, it’s just that, with a few notable exceptions, they don’t give me a thrill. Normally I pass on a collection if I’m not “in like” with a majority of the shades but I couldn’t ignore the overwhelming number of you wanting to see these colors. Check them out!
With six polishes in the berry family I chose to start with the more diverse and unique shades from the collection. Now while I’ve applauded OPI’s formula over the past year I noticed that the pigmentation with most of these are off. Even a polish as dark as Here Today… Aragon Tomorrow required three coats.
Here Today… Aragon Tomorrow is a blackened forest green. This is the season of dark green and I’m sure this color will be an instant hit. Consider this the green LPAD. I’m sure it will have that same kind of fan base. What I found odd was the grainy texture of the formula. It’s visible in the first and second coats but disappeared by coat three. If I had to compare it, Zoya Envy would be its closest relative though Envy has a brighter, less blackened base.
Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees really surprised me. I was expecting it to look black when dried but it’s actually a stunning bluish charcoal creme. I tried to find something similar in my collection but came up short. If you’re looking for “the new black” try this!
Give Me Moor! is a rich aubergine creme. It looks like there is shimmer in the bottle but it dries creamy on the nail. It’s pretty and vampy but feels recycled. Like Black Cherry Chutney redux.
Can You Tapas This? is best described by OPI as “raisin” and I won’t try to top that. This is another one that surprised me. It looks very understated in the bottle but pretty scrumptious on the nail. This color is so outside of my wheelhouse but I’m diggin it.
Bullish On OPI has a slightly browned appearance in person but it just didn’t translate in pictures. It’s definitely better than your typical cherry red creme. It feels a bit vintage a la Dita Von Teese. If you’re into reds I suggest checking this one out in person.
Barefoot in Barcelona is deeper than your typical nude. It’s darker and more pink than last fall’s Tickle My France-y? Think of it as the cool toned version of CND Cocoa which is very yellow based. Deep nudes and mushroom hues have been popping up on celebrity toes and this shade would fit right in with the trend.
The OPI Coleccion de España is on shelves now and retails for $8.50/ea. Look for OPI at fine salons nationwide including chains like ULTA, Beauty First, Beauty Brands, Trade Secret and JCPenney.
What are we feeling about OPI Spain so far? Have you picked any of them up yet? Which ones are going on your shopping list? Sound off Fanatics!
Jin Soon for MAC Nail Trend FW09
The launch date is upon us Fanatics. The MAC Nail Trend collection created by Jin Soon is launching next week! When I first wrote about the polishes in July, August 27th seemed like forever and a day away. Seriously, where did the summer go? Well, if you’re mourning the end of the season you can rejoice in the coming of Nail Trend. I’ve got the entire collection swatched for you after the jump and in case you missed it, click here for more details on the collection.
We’ve discussed MAC’s formula in the past but here’s a quick recap. MAC polishes are 3 Free and tend to be somewhat thick. Their cremes are generally streaky but the darker shades are workable and the glitters are phenom (Hello Vin Goth I’m talking to you!). I tend to use three coats with the majority of their polishes to avoid streaks and my preferred method is two very thin coats followed by a third thicker coat.
What I noted this time that I’ve meant to mention in the past is my love for the MAC polish brush. There’s something about the density and size of their brush that makes controlling the polish practically goof proof. I rarely can create that perfect rounded line of color at my cuticle but it’s always pretty darn close with MAC’s brush. Now onto the colors.
In my previous Nail Trend post I mentioned our (Jin & I) mutual love of green so seeing Beyond Jealous backstage at Doo.Ri wasn’t a huge surprise, more an utter joy! There are not enough greens for this fanatic and while there may be some close dupes to this blackened teal, I still got giddy applying it. As I told my pal Heather from MAC, Beyond Jealous is Beyond Stunning!
Cool Reserve is a shade the piqued my interest based on description alone. Dirty, grey lavender… you’re talking my language. It’s a lighter more greyed version of my fave from last fall, OPI Parlez Vous OPI?
Rich, Dark, Delicious reminds me of an old Special Dark bar. Random I know but you get what I mean, right? When you find an old candy bar and there’s a layer of dusty whiteness on top. This rich brown has an undertone of charcoal to give a hint of that effect. And even though you can see a bit of silvery shimmer in the bottle, it dries creamy on the nail. You’d have to be looking in some pretty bright light to see it.
I reviewed the next three colors previously but I’m re-posting my thoughts for you here.
Dry Martini is a deep olive that leans towards brown, like a dark army camouflage green. It’s edgy and funky and a nice change from the more emerald/forest shades we’ve seen in seasons past. In case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you are, it’s much darker and more browned than last fall’s RBL No More War.
For Fun is just that, a spunky, bright red-grape. It’s a bit more red based looking in person but I just couldn’t capture it dead on.
Dance All Night’s brick red hue reminds me of one of my all time fave OPI reds, That’s An “EL” Of A Color, minus the golden shimmer. It’s rich, warm and very fall.
The MAC Nail Trend collection by Jin Soon launches in stores on August 27th. It should be online at MACCosmetics.com on Tuesday the 25th as they tend to launch online a couple days early. The polishes retail for $12/ea.
So spill… who’s buying? Which colors? What do you think of MAC polishes? Do you have any LE shades you wish they’d bring back? Inquiring minds want to know.
Orly Once Upon A Time Collection
 As a child I was very much enamored with the world of fairy tales. I used to collect Madame Alexander dolls in my favorite characters like Cinderella and Snow White.
And even though our beyond ancient Encyclopedia Britannica set didn’t know man had landed on the moon yet it did come with an amazing set of children’s books that included the works of the Brothers Grimm. Now I don’t know if any of you remember the Fractured Fairy Tales from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show but I was SUCH a fan! Knowing all this you can only imagine my delight in hearing that Orly was taking the fairy tale theme and running with it for Fall. Their chic, grown up version not only includes a gorgeous GREEN but a fantabulous grey. Take a look at Once Upon A Time after the jump! |
For some reason the polishes in this collection all apply a little differently so I’m going to address them individually rather than as a group.
Enchanted Forest – Hello LUVAH! Words don’t even begin to describe this gem. This rich forest green creme is deep, dreamy and utterly perfect. I applied it in two flawless coats and fell head over hells in love. Need I say more?
Now I wish could proclaim that Prince Charming swept me off my feet but alas he left me feeling a little flat. This muddy brown is too yellow for my skin tone and just isn’t working for me. The pigmentation and application were decent, nothing newsworthy. It’s a bit jellyish in texture but with two coats you’re done!
Can you have a fairy tale themed collection without a luscious red? I think not. Poison Apple not only represents that evil fruit but it makes me think of the cherry red lips our fair maidens are described as having. I will say I was impressed with the pigmentation on this. It looks true to bottle in two even coats.
Pixie Dust is my other stand out, must have, don’t think about not buying shade. This blue tinged dove grey sparkler is the work of magic. Once it’s on your fingers you won’t be able to stop staring. It’s an uber pigmented two coater though a little tricky to apply. I actually used top coat here to even it out.
You know how I love a grey and Mirror Mirror’s light cement hue is right up my alley. Unfortunately the formula didn’t wow. It was streaky and lumpy and even after three coats it looked imperfect. I want to love you Mirror Mirror but your competitors did it better.
Finally Happily Ever After is quite a unique berry. It looks all simple and creamy but there’s this hidden undercurrent of sparkle peeking out. It’s not easy to detect but in sunlight it pops out to surprise you. 
A little Fractured Fairy Tale for your enjoyment!
The Orly Once Upon A Time colleciton launches in September and will retail for $7.50/ea. You can buy Orly at OrlyBeauty.com in stores at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA and online at our fave e-tailers (see sidebar).
What do you think Fanatics? Who’s feeling the mystical, magical love?
Nails Inc Kensington Caviar 45 Second Top Coat Review
 Twitter followers may remember my overzealous tweets about the Nails Inc. Kensington Caviar 45 Second Speedy Dry Top Coat (that’s a mouthful) while I was in Vegas for Cosmoprof. You can’t give a girl like me a product with such significant claims like a 45 second dry time and expect me to wait to try it out.I was very skeptical of this whole “45 Second” thing but they aren’t kidding. Even over multiple layers of polish, I’ll explain that in a second, it dried my CND layering project to the touch in under a minute. Crazy, right? Now I could just say it dries in 45 seconds and expect you to believe me but wouldn’t it be better if I showed you?I put the Kensington Caviar Top Coat to the test for all of you. Not only did it get my standard 5 Day Wear Test but I also shot a VIDEO to show you how fast it really dries. See the results after the jump! |
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