lipstickandluxury.com » Manicure

Cocktail Inspired Beauty Alert

Nicole — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:30:38 +0000

Nailtini - 119 Amaretto Fizz

While shopping for some new polish I was directed to a brand called Nailtini and their “cocktail” approach to beautiful nails. Nailtini gives us 29 straight up colors, 2 mixers, 9 toppers and 7 garnish nail designs to shake it up and make the ultimate nail cocktail! The straight up colors can be applied alone but to shake things up a bit you can add a mixer like Cream to lighten a shade or Espresso to intensify a shade. There are topper coats which add a bit of a special effect, for example Blue Flame adds a sheer blue iridescence. There is also a garnish book where you can create nail art with stencils, the book includes 7 designs (see below).

Nailtini Garnish Book

Here is one of the toppers:

Nailtini Topper - Blue Flame

My Nailtini cocktail of Amaretto Fizz (straight up color) + Blue Flame (Topper) =

I am loving how this topper has totally transformed my polish into a totally different color. Note to self: Buy more toppers! The best part about giving myself an at home manicure is that these polishes do not have that awful smell that some other polishes have. Nailtini lacquers do not contain formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and Nailtini products are not tested on animals. Welcome to mixing up your custom made manicure cocktail!

Nailtini retails for $12/bottle and is available online and through salons and drugstores nationwide.

Free Manicure at Sephora

Nicole — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:49:18 +0000

Opi Chic Prints are fabulous do it yourself nail appliqués available at Sephora (in collaboration with Minx Nails). Each kit comes with 16 nail patches of various sizes to fit your nails or toes (if you wish). The kits come in various styles such as stars, checkers, fishnet, chrome lace, geometric, skulls etc. The application is for a one-time use only and can easily be applied and removed with heat. Minx Nails are are still very hot among celebs such at Fergie, Katy Perry and Rihanna and now you too can get your sexy nail fix at your local Sephora.

Sephora will be holding an exclusive event open to Beauty Insiders. Purchase SEPHORA by OPI Chic Prints and at your local Sephora store on June 18 – 19, 2010 and from 12 – 6 pm a nail technician will give you a free manicure with them.

Sephora 150 Broadway, New York, NY / (212) 566-8600
Sephora 711 Lexington, New York, NY / (646) 521-2200
Sephora 42nd & Madison, New York, NY / (212) 503-0800
Sephora 34th Street, New York, NY / (212) 629-9135
Sephora Soho, New York, NY / (212) 625-1309
Sephora 76th &Broadway, New York, NY / (917) 441-4760
Sephora Santa Monica, Santa Monica, CA / (310) 395-3460
Sephora Century City, Los Angeles, CA / (310) 843-0123
Sephora Glendale Galleria, Glendale, CA / (818) 550-1749
Sephora Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks, CA / (818) 817-0900

SEPHORA by OPI Chic Prints for Nails, brewed by Minx retails for $15 for a pack of 16.

Look Polished!

Nicole — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:47 +0000

One of the easiest ways to maintain a polished appearance is to keep your nails manicured. It’s one of the least expensive beauty routines that you can indulge in to help spruce up your appearance. Beautifully manicured nails are as important as the clothes that you wear, after all you can’t turn of the TV or open a fashion magazine without viewing a woman with perfectly manicured fingernails. Polished nails are like the icing on the cake and better than therapy, they just make you feel good! As women getting our nails done has become almost an important ritual for all of the important things in our lives. Just think for a moment about all the times that we get our nails done ~ for a job interview, when we get engaged, on our wedding day, girls night out or even as a part of our weekly beauty routine.

I love getting my nails done at my favorite nail spa but sometimes I like to do my own nails. These are the steps that I take for an at home manicure:

1. Wash and dry your hands

2. Remove nail polish with a non-acetone remover. Even if you don’t have polished nails swiping your nails with remover is a good idea to remove the oils on your nails which can cause “bubbles” under the polish.

3. Trim nails, then file in square (or oval) shape. Try to avoid running that nail file back and forth to avoid weakening your nails.

4. Rub a little cuticle cream on (I like to use olive oil or vitamin e oil) to moisturize your cuticles and push them back with an orange stick (do not cut your cuticles).

5. Smooth your nails with a buffer so that the polish has a smooth surface to adhere to. I also like to buff my cuticles as well for a smoother appearance.

6. Apply a base coat.

7. Apply two coats of your favorite shade of nail polish. I’m using Essie Mink Muffs in the picture above.

8. Apply a clear top coat for that extra shine and to help your manicure last!

It usually takes my nails about 15 minutes to dry. I also run cold water my your fingernails to help dry my nails a tad be quicker so I usually do that after I’ve dried my nails for a few minutes. Lastly, I apply clear polish every few days to help my manicure last a bit longer and remain chip proof. I’d be curious to see what other ladies do when they give themselves at home manicures. What are your secrets?

Giveaway! Borghese Cuticle Remover & Nail Lacquer

Nicole — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:26:14 +0000

Win a 2 piece Borghese gift set from Lipstick and Luxury! Borghese Rapido Cuticle Removed is a gentle formula (that’s not tested on animals) that quickly and gently removes excess cuticles in about 15-20 seconds. It moisturizes with Aloe, Chamomile and Green Tea extracts. The kit also includes 3 cuticle pushers. I’m also throwing in a Borghese Nail Lacquer Vernis in Bambina Pink. Hot and Haute!

1. Subscribe via Feedburner to receive updates & post a comment below on why you’d like to win this prize.

2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway.

RT @LipstickLuxury Borghese Cuticle Remover & Nail Lacquer Giveaway on Lipstick & Luxury Blog ! Follow & RT to Enter ! http://bit.ly/5UmDU0

http://twitter.com/LipstickLuxury

This contest is open to US residents and ends on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 11 PM EST. I’ll be picking out the winner randomly and announcing them the next day!

Love,
Lipstick

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