Another ombré manicure appeared at Diego Binetti by CND. The pink and cream color combination on the nails made them seem as if they were blushing. Gold and silver tips add it to the list of quirky french manicures seen this season.
For Diego Binetti, Candice Manacchio delivered drama for digits, crafting “Harlequin Hardware” manicures stained in CND Colour in Raspberry Parfait and Frosting Cream, capped in gold and silver metal for an artisanal finish. Toes were polished in Raspberry Parfait. Makeup embraced “mask as part of the model,” and hair was crimped and elaborately wrapped for a nighttime beauty look to remember.
As you can tell I am pretty much obsessed with almond/oval shaped nails. It is probably because it is very unlikely that I would be able to achieve the desired length since my nails do not have the decency to at least wait until they grow past my fingertips to break. Therefore, I am living vicariously through CND’s creations. I mean how glorious is the manicure pictured above that was developed by Candice Manacchio for Norman Ambrose? It was one out of the six looks created for Ambrose’s collection that, according to CND, looks like “high glam 1960′s pieces straight out of vintage Vogue – for the sexy, exotic woman who swims in her diamonds.” With a description like that you know the nails had to be hot. The gilded look can be recreated at home with CND Colour in Gold Chrome paired with CND Colour in Blackjack on the tips and gold leafing. CND also shared the components of the other manicures:
CND Colour in Flashpoint iced with Sheer 24K Sparkle Effect for a funky French tip
Flashpoint topped with CND Colour in Poppyfield, acid washed with a sweep of acetone for texture
CND Colour in Gold Chrome topped with CND Colour in Copper Chrome, finished with acetone wash
CND Colour in Desert Suede topped with Ice Blue Shimmer Effect, edged with CND Colour in Silver Chrome
CND Colour in Putty topped with CND Colour in Creamy Cameo and Ice Blue Shimmer, and edged with CND Colour in Silver Chrome
When it comes to beauty, the ombré trend does not have to stop at our hair. CND shows us how to wear it in a striking way on our nails at Jen Kao:
Look, but don’t touch! For Jen Kao, Wanda Ruiz created “Lethal Love” diffused, gradation manicures that attract the eye with bold shades, but like a poisonous frog, have dangerous undertones. These four uniquely artful manicures were shaded using an airbrush tool, but can be re-created at home using CND Colours in Midnight Sapphire, Anchor Blue, Rouge Red, and Green Scene each combined with Inkwell and topped with Air Dry Top Coat while wet for an ombre finish.
Val Garland, for MAC Cosmetics,created “fast, urban graphic liner” to fit with Monique Lhuillier’s athletic and graphic collection. The skin’s dewey look was achieved by using MAC’s Face & Body Foundation (applied with a 187 Brush). The face was slightly contoured under the cheekbone with Sand Brown and Malaysia Contour Creme. Lips were kept natural with Lip Conditioner and the brows were groomed with Brow Gel. The “double color liner” was created with Pro Black Creme Liner applied in a “very straight and aerodynamic way” followed by a thin line of Chromacake in Marine Ultra that was taken back into the crease in a straight line for a “sporty Nike let’s do it kind of a thing” vibe. To recreate the look at home, Garland suggested using a black and a blue eye pencil. Start off with the black, then have the black bleed into the blue liner. Use a q-tip to clean up the lines.
Nails
Wanda Ruiz, for CND, created an “athletic and elegant” look for the nails using different colors on the hands and feet:
For Monique Lhuillier, Wanda Ruiz designed “Soy Milk” manicures on active, oval shaped nails using semi-sheer CND Colour in Cream Washed topped with CND Super Shiney Top Coat for a glossy finish. Pedicures were reminiscent of a cloudy night sky using custom blended blue (which can be duped at home using limited edition CND Violet Shimmer Effect layered on top of CND Colour in Midnight Sapphire). Sporty eveningwear pieces (ie: Anna Kournikova from gym to gala) in pops of cobalt, black and yellow were complemented by slicked back ponytails, and matching dreamy blue eyeliner and toes.
It was very cool to see how much the Violet Shimmer Effect transforms a color by adding a very pretty purple glow to the polish.
Hair
Odile Gilbert for Kérastase created a pony at the crown to show off the models’ shoulders in Lhuillier’s coktail dresses. Hair was prepped with Kérastase’s Fiber Architect, which seals split ends and is coming out this fall, to both treat and style before blow drying and straightening with a flat iron. The pony was secured tightly with a hook elastic then teased to create volume. Double Force Hairspray was used to finish off the look.
View more of my behind the scenes pictures after the jump:
There are no words other than perfection for the lace nails designed by Candice Manacchio for Joy Cioci. The lace details and the clear tips are such a fun twist on a french manicure and I pretty much need this on my nails now:
At Joy Cioci, Candice Manacchio designed “Lucite Lace” manicures using clear tips with hand-detailed lattice work. These see-through nails provided energy and attitude when paired with a fiery orange lip and frantic, whimsical curls.
And did you notice their shape? The almond tips are inspiring me to do switch up from my usual square shaped nails.
CND served up almond shaped nails in a brilliant coral color at Wes Gordon. I love a strong nail as much as I love a strong lip and these nails are giving off the fierceness desired:
At Wes Gordon, Kristina Estabrooks crafted soft almond, nearly neon, coral “Power Nails” with two coats of CND Colour in Poppyfield to complement wispy teased ponytails and fresh faces to embody the height of ’60s SoHo sophistication. Toes were clean and neutral with CND Colour in Desert Suede. The namesake designer loved the edgy length of the nails and remarked that his vision’s muse was “sleek and civilized, but she might scratch your eyes out.”
I had a great experience with my first CND Shellac manicure earlier this year. I selected a red color called Wildfire (pictured above). After two weeks there was minimal wear around the edges of my nails and they still had a glossy finish. If you will be in the New York City area between September 8th and September 10th, CND will be giving free Shellac manicures.
Get a FREE CND Shellac manicure that will last through Fashion Week (and beyond) at:
Fashion’s Night Out at the Malandrino Store (655 Hudson Street): 6pm – 11pm on 9/8
For my birthday/summer vacation in Dominican Republic I wanted crazy nails that screamed summer. I chose China Glaze’s Flip Flop Fantasy nail lacquer, a neon coral/pink with a flat finish. The polish glowed while I was drying my nails in one of those contraptions with a fan and a UV light making it club/rave approved, none of which I would be taking part in on my trip. The manicure was accented with an acrylic bow that was my first foray into 3D nail art. I could have done without the bow but it was fun to try something different with my nails. Besides it is not like tricked out fluorescent nails are work appropriate, which is funny because I am actually still wearing them at work (minus two nails but we will get to that later).
If you are wondering if those wonderful long nails are mine the answer is yes, as in yes I paid for them. I made an appointment for a Valley Nail Set at Valley NYC in Soho and it turned out that they use Dashing Diva’sVirtual Nails. The same exact nails, glue and everything, down to the packaging. I had gotten Virtual Nails at Dashing Diva many times before and they are similar to those press on nails that you can find at drugstores except that they come in a wide range of sizes, are custom fitted and glued on to your nails. They last two weeks or even longer in my experience. I used to swear by them until the last time I got them done at Dashing Diva. I had them for no longer than two weeks and when they were removed (through soaking them off in a nice pool of acetone) all of my natural nails had a healthy tinge of green. Basically I got nail fungus and it was not pretty. Thankfully each nail was not entirely covered and it grew out quickly. It is not fair to judge their Virtual Nails from one bad experience after countless successful ones, but one bad nail fungus can scar you for life. As you can imagine, I was not exactly thrilled to see Virtual Nails at Valley but I decided to go through with it anyway. After all it is more about proper application than the nails themselves. I was happy with my nail technician Karen who did a great job fitting, applying, trimming and shaping the nails. It is really important that the Virtual Nails fully adhere to your natural nails. If they start to lift around the edges within a few days, get them removed immediately. Once moisture gets trapped between your nail and the virtual nail you will have a prime breeding ground for fungus. The lifting happened to me that last time at Dashing Diva and instead of having the nails removed right away, I waited until the two weeks were up. Learn from my mistakes and do not let it happen to you.
It has been a week and a half since my service at Valley and I am happy with my nails besides the two that are missing. I lost one nail trying to organize the fridge in the room at my grandmother’s house where my fiancé was staying. A gallon of water slipped out of my hand and broke a nail in the process. One of my uncles usually stays in there when he visits and why he would put a full size refrigerator in a bedroom is beyond comprehension. I was furious for a few minutes since I had to trim the remainder of the nail and walk around with nine long nails and one short one. I take nail symmetry very seriously. The second victim did not infuriate me as much since it happened on my way back home. I do not even know where I lost it, which is kind of hilarious to me/horrifying for the person who finds it. Some minimal lifting is happening around the edges because of hanging out in the beach and pool at the resort but that was to be expected. I need to make time to have them removed stat!
I am only one week deep into my 30-day YouTube challenge, where I will attempt to post one video per day starting July 1st, and I am proud of myself for posting 6 videos in the first 10 days of the month. I am not sure how the rest of the month will fare since I am going on vacation for a week starting on July 25th to visit my family that lives near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where there are no words for how many years it takes to load a single web page. My sister assures me that it is still possible to have decent internet access, since she does not intend to spend a day without connectivity, through some shady arrangement that involves bringing in a wire through our bedroom window.
Let’s save the worrying for later and let’s recap what I have posted so far:
Makeup Haul: MAC Bloggers’ Obsessions Collection
My purchases from the collection created by beauty blogging heavy hitters.
Shoe Haul: Waren by Steven
I have worn these twice and the verdict is that these were great for wearing to a BBQ but not so great for commuting.
Beauty Obsessions: Top 10 MAC Lipsticks
My most used lipsticks from their permanent range of colors. Bonus: my favorite limited edition color is Brave New Bronze from the Style Warrior collection. It is a rosy nude that does not wash me out when I am at my pasty best and also works when I am tan.
Nail Tutorial: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
The nail polish strips make DIY manicures more convenient since you need zero dry time.
Hair Tutorial: Dry Shampoo
I emptied half of the can of dry shampoo on my scalp to make sure I got my money’s worth, just in case the spray nozzle stopped working before the next use.
Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style Inspired Hair Tutorial
Seventeen sent me their new Ultimate Guide to Style book for review and I was inspired to do my ode to Gwen Stefani hair style that I used to rock in high school. I can’t do a Gwen look without the obligatory red lip so I wore on Stila’s Long Wear Liquid Lip Color in Fiery, which has been a hit in the video’s comments.
Coming up this week:
I have a makeup tutorial on deck featuring a Mineralize Eye Shadow from MAC’s Semi Precious collection and would also like to share the handful of items purchased from the launch.
Little Girl Type, another Nail Lacquer from MAC’s limited edition Quite Cute collection (available on their site at press time), was the color of choice for this week’s manicure. I headed over to my usual Dashing Diva to get my nails done and received a proper/inaudible scolding for having the audacity to have gotten acrylics. Knowledge of how terrible they are for my natural nails was not enough to keep me away in a moment of desperation right before my trip to Florida. In any case, after spending close to 30 minutes with my fingertips hanging out in a pool of acetone (that also has to be good for me too lol), the acrylics finally melted off to reveal nails thin enough to be mistaken for a sheet of paper. I can’t complain about weak nails because that is the life I chose.
Enter Little Girl Type. The polish made my ragged nails look, dare I say, quite cute? (you know I can’t go a post without being a cornball ha ha). The “creamy pale lavender” color appears to skip between purple and pink depending on the lighting. I was worried about how Little Girl Type was going to turn out during the application since its thin consistency resulted in a very faint and streaky first coat. However, my manicurist was able to achieve full coverage with three layers of the polish. In my experience needing extra coats is typical for many MAC Nail Lacquers, but each layer will be so thin that you will not end up with a thick slab of polish on each nail in the end. Lastly, bonus points for being appropriate for work!
What do you think of Little Girl Type? Let us know in a comment below.
DRBrooklyn730
