Avon Knows The Way To This Girl’s Heart – New Nailwear Pro Greens!
My first beauty related memory involves Avon. The five-year-old me was very outspoken and not afraid of anything. I’m sure that doesn’t surprise anyone. So when I got my hands on an Avon catalog for the first time and landed on the page of flavored lip balms I decided that I needed to place an order.
I immediately dialed the “Avon Lady” to order every flavor of lip balm they made. When she asked for my payment info I dropped the phone, ran to the kitchen and asked my mom to “see her credit card.” ALU Mom is way too trusting because she just handed it over without hesitation. She probably assumed I was playing some game. Unfortunately for me, the Avon rep called back a few minutes later to verify my order with my mom who didn’t seem all that surprised that I had took it upon myself to make my first Avon purchase. In the end I was allowed to choose one lip balm flavor, Root Beer, but it was the launchpad for my obsession with beauty. It’s been a long time since I place an order with Avon. Not since they launched those holographic polishes a few years back. They applied so funky that it turned me off the brand but when I heard they had a couple new greens launching for summer I had to check them out. I mean, how can I pass up a green? I’m happy to report that they did not disappoint. See for yourself! |
ALU Link Love 6-6-10
Did you have a nice weekend? Who else is planning to watch the MTV Movie Awards tonight? The awards themselves are lame sauce but I get a kick out of seeing what the celebs are wearing plus I think Aziz Ansari is going to kill it as host. He seriously kept me watching Parks & Recreation last spring. I almost gave up on it and that would have been a huge mistake!
As for me, I took myself on a date Friday night while the BF was playing hockey. I went to see Sex & The City 2 and I don’t get all the criticism. It was an entertaining romp, just as SJP described. Fun and frothy, the perfect summer movie snack. And did you see Samantha’s nails??? It’s total nail art porn!
Ready for your weekend reading list courtesy of yours truly? Check these out, there will be a quiz later.
Laser hair removal at home? Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic explains how it works and whether the Silk’n Sens Epil worked for her!
Teri at Beautiful Makeup Search has the details on how to touch up roots in your photos!
Nancy from Beauty411 shares her top 5 sunscreen picks!
BellaSugar takes the new Chic Prints from Sephora by OPI and Minx for a test drive. See how they fared.
If you’re a fan of watching “haul videos” on YouTube, you have got to check out this hilarious parody by LesleyKatNYC. I met her in NYC and she’s hysterical. Oh and take notice of her green mani. It’s OPI JITB with SOPI Charge It! sponged on the tips.
Polish Hoarder Disorder challenged their readers to submit their “bling” nails and while I’m not a fan of the Konad craze even I have to give props to this design. It’s stunning!
Product Girl has a sneak peak at the Trish McEvoy Nordstrom Anniversary sale exclusives. They are dying over the Must Have Eye Essentials!
Refinery29 shared their 10 Ten Favorite Nail Polish Names of the year. Do you agree with their selections? What do you think should have made the cut?
Sophy Robson, the brill UK Manicurist, posted a tutorial to replicate her famous Rainbow Nails modified French manicure.
The Arsenal – Graham HandsDown Ultra Cosmetic Pads
I get a lot of questions and comments regarding the tools and treatment products I use to keep my nails healthy and in tip top shape. Since my routine changes as I test new products, I’ve launched, The Arsenal, to share with you the items that are “must haves” in my nail kit.
A cotton pad is a cotton pad, right? Not in my world. For years I went the cheapo route buying whatever bulk cotton pads or balls where the least expensive even though I continued to be frustrated by the little pieces of lint left behind, the polish stains on my fingers and how easily they disintegrated. Enter Graham HandsDown Ultra Nail and Cosmetic Pads. To my nails, they’re like the air I breathe, ESSENTIAL!
What’s so fab about them? For one, the plastic barrier and easy grip tab on the back of each pad. I can easily remove polish from just one nail without messing up the rest of my manicure. I can easily swatch polish without messing up a brand I’m testing on my non-swatching hand.
What else? Well they are lint-free which is a HUGE plus and they hold remover well so you use less product. With cotton pads, my fingers would end up wet which is bad for your skin and a waste. Thanks to the plastic backing, they are also very sturdy so you can remove polish from multiple nails without them falling apart.
Grahams HandsDown Ultra Pads can be purchased in a 60 ct package at Sally Beauty for $4.99 ($4.49 with Sally Card) or do what I do and order the big 240 ct bag from Head2ToeBeauty.com for $12.95.
Compared to drugstore brand cotton balls they are a bit pricey but considering you only need 1 or 2 per manicure, it’s worth the cost.
How many of you are HandsDown Ultra converts? Do you agree that they’re worth the extra coin? What’s your favorite nail polish remover pad?
Manicure Trick – Wrap Your Tips
Much like wrapping the perfect present, a flawless, long lasting manicure requires a little wrapping of its own. Wrapping the free edge of your nail with polish helps extend the wear of your manicure and should become an essential step in your routine.
I’m sure most professional nail techs consider this part of their everyday manicure service but it’s not as well known in the consumer world. Since we discussed this technique in the comments of my Quirius review, and there were multiple requests for details, I figured a quick tutorial was in order. Read on to see my step-by-step guide to wrapping your tips and get a look at one of American Apparel’s latest nail polish releases. It’s GREEN! |
Quirius Nail Polish Swatches and Review
A month or so ago, a reader emailed me asking about a brand of nail polish called Quirius. As much as I try to stay on top of all the brands out there, it seems there are new ones popping up every day and I had no clue what she was talking about. A quick Google search brought me to the QRS Beauty website and what looked like some fun blues, greens and purples. You know, my core color group.
The low prices and fun shades drew me in so I placed an order. The polish arrived a week before I left for The Makeup Show in NYC so I figured that would be a great time to test the wear. The color I chose was gorgeous and received many compliments but did it live up to the test? Read on to find out. |
Lisa N.
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