Tag Archives: spring nails

Un-Manic Manicure

Posted on by
Reply

I stopped dead while flipping through a mag recently, upon discovering the ad for Tom Ford’s latest beauty collection. It wasn’t the gorgeous face (those are everywhere!) but the simply (and I really mean simply) amazing manicure featured on the page.

main1_021813I mean, is that not just so striking in its neutral simplicity? So elegant, feminine and strong at once? We’ve all had our Ballet Slippers and other bare and creamy Essie moments, but a nude this gorgeous is something I haven’t come across before. I became obsessed.

Unfortunately, I initially decided that on a bridal budget I don’t have much of an excuse to shell out $30 for a bottle of polish right now. But if you do, please hop over to Nordstrom right now and buy yourself a bottle of Toasted Sugar. I hunted the racks and was unable to find a suitable replacement. So, scratch what I said above. I now plan to buy the polish when my next paycheck lands. In the meantime though, I’m being tided over by Essie’s Sand Tropez, which is much paler than the Tom Ford but a truly delightful beige. Have you found one you love?

For more inspiration on getting nude nails right, check out the glorious article in this month’s Vogue. Eva Chen takes the reader on a wild ride from New York Fashion Week to China, focused on those subtly sexy, sheerly brilliant new nudes.

Matteify for the moment

Posted on by
1

Nails, nails, nails. Can we ever get enough? Here is something on my spring It List: Matte nail polish. Now, I realize that the matte look had its moment last summer, but I think we can bring it back if we want to. Pros and cons?

The only real con I can think of is, you’ll need super-smooth nails to start. Any ridges or specks of dust will show through a matte polish dramatically so make sure you buff ‘em really well. The other thing you should note is that you won’t be able to use traditional top coat with matte polish because it will ruin the whole process. Instead, just apply a third coat of your color and you should be good to go. Or, try a matte top coat instead (which can also be used to matte-ify glossier polishes). I really like Essie’s Matte About You matte finisher ($8, soap.com).

Pros? Having a matte mani says you’re cool and stylish with a little edge. It almost, almost looks up close as if you’ve colored your nails with a magic marker like you used to (or at least, like I used to) in grade school. It also adds one more item to your list of nail adventures. You can also have even more fun by trying a matte polish and adding glossy top coat to certain areas in a fun pattern. So, why not? Pick out a cool hue and get on with it!