Two of my favorite brands have come together for the coolest little collaboration. What possibly can be better than jewels and nail polish? The winter Essie collection is paired with your custom set of bracelets. Here is how it works:
All four items are $50 and come in an adorable pouch. Such a great gift idea or little treat for yourself.
Floss Gloss was founded by three students from California College of the Arts. While developing their nail polishes over late nights, the deemed their burgeoning company, Floss Gloss, for nails that ‘Flossed and Glossed like a Boss’. Their spunky, funky attitude translates into contemporary but ultra-wearable shades with sassy names. Floss Gloss will knock your socks off with the best glitter polish (yes, I really mean the best), not to mention awesome color lacquers and adorable packaging. While they are advertisesed as one-coat, I needed two, but the payoff was surreal. Some shades I tried pictured above from left to right: Gloss, Perf, DimePiece, Stun, WavePool and Bassline.
My favorite of their polishes is Stun (a gold glitter). Here, I used Stun to cover some chips in OPI’s My Private Jet.
My next Floss Gloss mani was Perf. I was tempted to do an accent nail in DimePiece but opted to let the sugary pink stand alone. I might have gone a touch too Katy Perry Teenage Dream… But that’s okay because I liked it (see what I did there?).
Below is WavePool and DimePiece. I like the unexpected look of two accent glitter nails. You can see the glitter polishes stand up on their own (this photo from flossgloss.com)
One of the thrills of Fashion’s Night Out are the exclusive launches fetting the occassion. This year, Chanel amped up its offering with three lip and nail duos. As always, Peter Philips, the creative director of Chanel Makeup, has hit the trend perfectly with the purples, plums and beiges. There are three new colours for lips – Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Délicate, La Provocante and L’Infidèle – and three new nail varnish colours to go with them – Chanel Le Vernis Délicatesse, Provocation and Infidèle. I’ve got my eyes on the vampy, purple set! How about you?
These shades will be available at select Chanel boutiques on September 6th.
I admit, there is something comforting about going out for a mani/pedi. I somehow feel more prepared to face the world with fresh polish on my digits. But you can’t always make it to a salon (or perhaps those mani/pedis were cut from the budget). I’ve been the queen of at home manis these last couple of months (just check out my Instagram feed – username bellebellebeauty). Yet, I never would have imagined I could get a Gel Polish manicure at home.
Enter the Couture Gel Nail Polish System. This at home gel polish kit made these long-lasting manicures possibly and easy to achieve. Gel nail polish is a light-sensitive lacquer that quickly dries to a shiny, indestructible finish under a UV lamp. I’ve done two manicures and they both lasted 10 days on me. This is an eternity in my books. I think with diligent use of gloves while doing dishes and a gentler approach to using nails as tools (guilty), you could get three weeks.
The colors are really impressive with a range of 65 options. Below, I am wearing Painfully Hip.
The kit, priced at $129, contains:
When you price out $30 gel manicures at salons, this is an amazing deal. And I love the flexibility of being able to do a gel mani at home. It is my current favorite for right before travel, ensuring there won’t be any chips on my trips!
Out of North Carolina, Polish & Co. is a new nail polish line with all the sass and beauty of a Southern Belle. Theresa Williamson is the founder and long-time nail industry expert. And her creativity in naming the shades after North Carolina lifestyle is just the beginning.
For fall, she came up with some serious rich and vampy shades that echo what we have already seen on the runways for Fall. I am loving “Eggplant Parmesan”; the perfect deep purpled burgundy, “Jeans 2 Tight” ; a dusky deep blue that mimics the color of a fall night sky or “Too Shy”; a muted nude taupe with the perfect amount of warmth for any neutral nail lover.
Below, I am wearing Code 9 and 5 O’Clock Shadow. Essie Set in Stones is on the tips as a kind of messy French manicure.
Theresa designed the polish for long wear on natural nails and the formula is 3 Free (without Formaldehyde, Toluene or DBP).
Available now for $12 in a selection of finer boutiques, internationally in Nassau, Bahamas and online at www.polishandco.com.
Beauty subscription services have come on strong over the past year. Birchbox has long been a favorite, having introduced me to brands I would never have heard about otherwise. And beauty samples in the mail is definitely a treat. So it was about time for me to try out another popular service: Julep.
Julep is all about nail care. These boxes are a great way to build a high quality polish collection. You can do a style quiz to determine which introductory box you receive. Or you can just select what jumps out. I was drawn to the Classic With A Twist Julep Maven Box, featuring two polishes (Kate and Rose) and The Best Pedi Cream Ever. I’ve been thrilled with the Pedi Cream – it might even live up to its name. The formula contains exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids. It is unusually hydrating with shea butter and coconut oil. I’ve been using it nightly and have noticed it makes quite a difference.
Kate is a soft white pearl. It requires a steady hand and three coats, but I love the look of white nails. Rose is juicy watermelon red crème that goes on beautifully. The color is opaque with perfect coverage after two coats. Julep Nail Color is “4-free” and does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP. The brush is an exclusive design – flat with micro-frayed brush hairs that makes application a breeze.
When you join Julep Mavens, you receive an introductory box. Then on the 20th of each month, you get an email with the newest offering. You can do nothing if you want the box, or simply log on and opt out between the 20th and 24th to skip the month. Use the code “MAVENINTRO” to get your introductory box for just a penny. The polishes are also currently carried in Sephora.
I am so glad to be able to share an introductory box with one of my readers! The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. Enter using the widget below:
