Features
All Lacquered Up’s Fanatic Favorites 2010 – Nominations
Calling all nail polish fanatics!! It’s time to sound off about your favorite nail polish colors and products in ALU’s Fanatic Favorites 2010. That’s right, it’s your chance to vote for the best colors and collections from 2010 and ALL TIME!
Instead of just doing a single vote, I’ve listened to your suggestions and am kicking things off with a nomination round. From now through January 14th you have a chance to nominate your favorite colors and products for the final vote. From these nominations readers will vote on the Top 5 plus one Wild Card to select the Fanatic Favorites for 2010.
Let’s get started!
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Katy Perry’s Latest Nail Art Creations – Candyland and Glitzy Gray
Katy Perry is one busy lady. Between her recent wedding to Russell Brand, the launch of her own fragrance, Purr, and the free concert she put on for the release of the Windows Phone she is probably going blind from all the camera flashes in her face.
Being photographed at so many public, and not so public, appearances means your makeup, hair and nails have to be on point. To keep her digits looking perfect, Katy has been relying on Manicurist Pattie Yankee, Executive Technical Director for Dashing Diva. I spoke with Pattie to find out more about Katy’s candy coated tips from the performance and the glittering gray nails she wore to the Purr launch event yesterday in NYC. Keep reading to find out how each look was created. |
Katy Perry’s Avant-Garde Lace Nails
When Katy Perry posted “Glove tip lace nails anyone?” on Twitter yesterday along with this pic I knew that Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees had to be involved and I was right. We’ve seen lace used to cover the entire nail before but this is something new. Kimmie shared that these nails were created for a photo shoot but she couldn’t reveal which one so be on the lookout as Kimmie is hoping they make the cover!
Get The Look: “She wanted beige so I used nail tips from Broadway Nails and polished them in China Glaze polishes; Modern Elegance topped Nude. What an amazing shade that combination created.”
“I took out my lace and noticed the V shape. I decided to cut along the V’s and place it in the polish from the cuticles towards the free edge. Leaving the lace on the end came to me after I placed it. I tried the tips on myself and loved the effect. When I showed [the people from the magazine] what they looked like on, they were relived and impressed! Luckily Katy and the rest of the glam squad agreed it looked fantastic. Katy said she loved them!”
China Glaze Modern Elegance is a discontinued color from the Urban Chic/Platinum series but I did find it on eBay and Victoria Nail Supply. China Glaze Nude also looks to be dc’d but it’s available on eBay and VNS as well.
What do you think of this look on Katy? I’m thinking it could be something fun to try for a Halloween costume, like a gothic bride or something. Would you wear this nails and for what occasion? Have you tried incorporating lace into your nail style?
Fanatic Feedback – To Buff or Not To Buff? That Is The Question!
Happy Friday Fanatics! Things have been a bit slow this week because I suffered a massive tear on my ring finger and I’ve been been babying it. However I do have a few fun things to show you that will go up later today.
In the meantime, I was reading a recent article on Glamour’s Girls In The Beauty Department blog about whether or not nails need to “breathe” (they don’t btw) and in it they mentioned “buffing is key” to getting your natural nails to look good.
I’ve talked to many a manicurist over the years and there are definitely two camps when it comes to buffing. Those that feel that an occasional light buffing to smooth out ridges/imperfections is okay and others who consider a regular buffing part of a proper manicure.
Now let me clarify, when I say “occasional” I mean once every few months and by “regular” I mean once every week/two. I doubt I could find a manicurist worth their salt that would advise to buffing your nails every few days as that would severely weaken the nail plate.
Personally, I stand firmly in the anti-buffing camp. I rarely buff my nails because they are naturally weak. When I do, I use a tip I received from Celebrity Manicurist Elle who told me to apply cuticle oil to the nail plate prior to buffing. The oil provides slip that prevents you from removing too many layers from the plate.
So what’s your take? Is a good buffing part of your regular manicure routine? Are you in the no-buffing camp? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
All Cracked Up with Crackle Nail Polish
Who remembers the old CoverGirl Crackle Lacquers? I know they were popping up in dollar stores a few years ago but I was never lucky enough to score one. I did find one old bottle of purple Crackle in my Caboodle at my parents house a while back but it was dried and crusty. And yes I realize I just totally dated myself with the Caboodle reference.
With nail art hitting a fever pitch it’s no surprise that this look would come back. Between nail stampers, water marbling, nail art pens, ombre nails and crackle nail polish DIY nail fanatics have endless options when they want to amp up their nail style. I’m still unsure of how I feel about the crackle look but I figured I’d give it a whirl. As I mentioned in my Link Love post on Sunday, my friend Sara from Bit By The Beauty Bug had a crackle pedicure at her salon in Boston. Sara told me about it just before I went to Vegas and mentioned that her tech got her bottle from overseas. So of course while I was at Cosmoprof I scoured the International section looking for crackle nail polish. I hit the jackpot when I visited the Mia Secret booth. |
Lisa N.
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