Filed In: nail polish

NYFW Nail Edition | OPI covers Dion Lee SS/15

For the NYFW Dion Lee SS/15 runway show held at Hosfelt Gallery this past Saturday, OPI once again partnered with the designer to create a striking look that was both simple and yet managed to play up the collection’s metallic fabrics. To create the look, Miss Pop played with negative space (I did mention that this is one the hottest nail art trends right now, right?) to create a look inspired by light reflectors: a thick silver stripe was painted along one side of each nail for visual impact and to catch the light. The look:

Each model’s nails were first painted with 1 layer of Base coat, followed by 1 vertical stripe along the outer edge of each nail using 2 coats of My Signature is DC from the OPI/Coca-Cola Collaboration (reviewed here), finished with 1 layer of Matte Top Coat.

The look for the toes was the new nude: OPI Flex Buffer was used to lightly buff the nails, then Matte Top Coat was applied to provide a polished, powdery finish.

Images credit: OPI

NARS | Thasos & Night Out

September 10, 2014

When I saw the newly reformulated nail polishes from NARS, it was a no-brainer that Thasos – a pastel mint, and Night Out – a vivid blue, would be coming home with me. To begin with, Thasos holds a special place for me personally, as it is named for the island in Greece in the area my family hails from (yes, once again my Greek pride is showing) and as to Night Out, well … just look at it! I am on a mission to collect every single cobalt shade I come across, or so it seems.

Thasos (CAN $23.00) | A light aqua/mint with greenish undertones in the base, in a crème formula. Self-levelling in application and ending in a glossy finish, there are a few things to take note; to begin with, make sure to shake the bottle well first, to re-combine any pigment separation that might have occurred. Secondly, Thasos can almost be a 1-coater if you load up the brush, but you run the risk of it pooling along the nail edges and/or cuticles that way. I found that the best application is with thinner coats (the first layer will appear patchy, but looks perfectly smooth by the 2nd coat). Surprisingly opaque for such a pale shade, as well as relatively quick-drying, I was less than impressed with the brush – something I’ve mentioned in my previous review on NARS’ re-formulated range, which made application a bit of a challenge as the brush hairs seem to be of inferior quality compared to other brands. Nevertheless, I love the shade and am willing to overlook that – but NARS better take note. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

With regards to my heritage, enjoy the following images of Thasos, Greece’s emerald island

Night Out (CAN $23.00) | In a word: SPECTACULAR. An intense cobalt blue shade in a jelly formula that falls slightly thick, which was nevertheless easy to apply. Self-levelling, and plush-looking, as well as über-glossy at the finish, there are no running/pooling issues with Night Out, and as with most of the re-formulated NARS polishes I’ve tried thus far, this is fairly quick-drying as well. BONUS: non-staining upon removal. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Once again, my only issue here is with the brush – but this time due to a few wonky, stray hairs that I had to trim. Sigh.

Since I am a fan of aquatically hued shades, I would have fallen hard for these two no matter what. The minty tone of Thasos is unique in that it will work equally well against both cool & warm skin tones – just don’t rush the application. Night Out is undoubtedly an eye-catcher, but what makes it really stand out, is the stellar formula. Now if only NARS would do something about the brush …

*Purchased products

NYFW Nail Edition | OPI covers Charlotte Ronson SS/15

September 10, 2014

For the Charlotte Ronson SS/15 show held this past Friday at Lincoln Center and part of NYFW, Lead Nail Artist Miss Pop created a look with alternating demi-lune shapes using negative space – the latest nail art trend. With softly feminine tones punctuating the clothing in shades of blue from pastel to navy, as well as mint & cream, Miss Pop used That’s Hula-rious! to create the look. This never-before-seen pastel OPI mint hue is slated to be released in February 2015 as part of OPI’s Spring/Summer 2015 Collection. Details on the mani/pedi looks:

“For the nail look, each model sported one hand with the pinky, middle and pointer fingers featuring a painted nail with a natural half moon, and the ring and thumb fingers featuring a natural nail with a painted half moon. On the other hand, the look was reversed, with the pinky, middle and pointer fingers featuring the natural nail with a painted half moon, while the ring and thumb fingers had the painted nail with a natural half moon.

Toes were lacquered in one coat of Bubble Bath; each model’s big toe was painted with a daisy falling toward the nail’s free edge. To create the daisy, the following shades were used: Put a Coat On It! (petals), Jade is the New Black (stem), and Barefoot in Barcelona layered with Need Sunglasses? (flower center).

Both manicure and pedicure looks were prepped with OPI Base Coat and finished with OPI Top Coat”

Photo images credit: OPI

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone Nail Lacquer (Limited Edition)

September 8, 2014

The Fall 2014 Fade to Grey Collection from Giorgio Armani Beauty, is filled with softly elegant autumnal shades but what makes the products really stand out, is their textures. Of the four limited edition nail lacquer shades, I was sent #214 Woodstone (CAN $32.00) to try and I confess that it was instant love for me … plus I really love the name.

What seems at first to be a rather ordinary brown shimmery polish, is in fact so much more complex than that – it took even me by surprise. The bottle colour shows #214 Woodstone to be cross between bronze/taupe/brown filled with an ultra fine prismatic shimmer and that’s exactly how it appears on the nail (it actually looks like rich chocolate as well) – with the difference that the final finish is closer to a buttery suede, although the shimmer is still present and accounted for. The formula is highly pigmented (this can basically be a 1-coater, especially on shorter nails) and bears an excellent flow, applying in a self-levelling way which eliminates any visible brush strokes. Giorgio Armani Beauty lacquers are made to be worn without the need for either a base or top coat, although I wouldn’t recommend ever skipping your base coat. The brush is yet another unique aspect of this range: densely bristled but not excessively so, with the rounded tip helping nail polish spread smoothly and evenly along the nail bed. BONUS: non-staining upon removal. All swatches are with 2 coats, top coat only where indicated.

Unlike other matte/satin finish lacquers that seem to dry at the speed of light and make it a challenge to achieve a smooth, brush stroke-free finish, #214 Woodstone takes a couple of minutes to fully develop, which means you don’t need to rush your application. A steady hand is key in achieving the smoothest finish (again, to avoid the possibility of visible brush strokes, something many matte shades can be prone to) but the finally result is so totally worth the your patience.

I personally absolutely LOVE this type of finish as I find it edgy and unique, almost 3D-like due to its fine texture, but for those still not on board with matte/satin nails (but seriously, matte has been seen on all the runways for the past few seasons now and is still going strong — something to consider), you always have the option of adding top coat – 1 coat is enough to achieve a glossy finish (unlike some other textured polishes that literally eat up top coat, forcing you to add layer upon layer). Still, my opinion is that top coat takes something away from the overall effect, but it also manages to bring out all the shimmery bits.

My initial impression on seeing #214 Woodstone, was how much it resembled another favourite, CHANEL’s #247 Haute Chocolat (discontinued), and they are indeed very similar, with the CHANEL being just a few degrees deeper/browner but with both bearing the same unique shimmer. For those who collect CHANEL lacquers and missed out on that beauty, here’s your chance to scoop up something very close in tone & colour.

NOTE: in the last 2 comparison swatch photos, #214 Woodstone is shown with top coat, CHANEL’s #247 Haute Chocolat without top coat

Giorgio Armani Beauty | Fade to Grey Fall 2014

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone (in sunlight)

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone (in sunlight, alternate view)

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone (with top coat)

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone (with top coat & in sunlight)

Giorgio Armani Beauty | #214 Woodstone vs CHANEL #247 Haute Chocolat (discontinued) on ring finger only

I absolutely love this colour, and even without swatching the other three lacquers of this collection, this would still have been the only shade I would have wanted. Everything about #214 Woodstone — from the name, the colour, to the finish — says ‘Autumn’ to me and almost makes the coming colder weather bearable. My only issue is with the cost; I don’t get how this brand’s lacquers can be $20.00 in the US and yet jump to $32.00 here in Canada, which basically prices them far out of reach of the average consumer. That’s something I hope the company addresses soon (other items from the range are actually significantly less expensive here – go figure), because the quality of these polishes is truly outstanding and well worth collecting.

Available now, be aware that the lacquers are limited edition. Find more information via:

*Disclosure: Press sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

NYFW Nail Edition | OPI covers Houghton SS/15

September 7, 2014

The barely-there nail trend that has been sweeping red carpets and runways for the past few seasons now, is apparently still going strong at NYFW. At the Houghton SS/15 show held at Milk Studios, designer Katharine Polk worked very closely with Miss Pop to create a “light feminine look with an unexpected edge on both fingers and toes”.

Nails were first painted with OPI’s Base Coat, followed by 2 coats of Samoan Sand – a sheer nude colour – sealed with Matte Top Coat, and finished with a few hand-placed Swarovski crystals. The gemstones were personally chosen for each individual model by both Katharine Polk and Miss Pop: their nails were adorned with one, two, or three Swarovski crystals in clear or black and then vertically stacked on the middle finger nail of both hands (starting from the cuticle edge), while the toes had one crystal on the big toe to match. This understated look still managed to give an unexpected sparkle against the matte backdrop and worked beautifully to compliment the show’s bold accessories and feminine prints. This is definitely a look I can’t wait to recreate on my own nails.

All images credit: OPI