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Nail polish and nail art has become such a big fashion statement, no one dares walk around with bare nails anymore. But what kind of nail look do you want? In This review (Part 1) the Advice Sisters give you a look at some of the newest colors, trends, collections and products on the market, with something for everyone, depending upon your interests, personality, and budget. Do you really know what’s new for nails? NOW YOU DO!
“Clean Slate” Gelish Nail Polish is the Grey for Fall 2014
you cant go wrong with any of these for Fall 2014, from GELISH
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T WANT TO RE-APPLY OFTEN (GELS ARE THE ANSWER): Ready for Fall? You’ll want the perfect grey polish. Gelish MINI Clean Slate is a dove grey that goes with everything. Want something a bit deeper? Go trendy and green with a greyed khaki called ‘Rake in the Green.” it’s not really a forest green or a khaki, but something in-between with enough grey to keep it subdued but not dull. We are also loving the nude “Do I Look Buff?” and two very berry-centric colors: “Berry Buttoned Up” is a rich Bordeaux, and “Hello Merlot” is a slightly brighter version. Add some glitz and glitter with the browned ‘Whose Cider are You Anyway?” *The gels come in an array of colors, apply like polish, with twist cap and applicator, but are cured in a LED lamp in 30 seconds or in two minutes in traditional UV lamps, just like gels. Gelish® stays on nails for three weeks with no chipping or peeling, and soak completely off in only 15 minutes. Click here to find a salon near you
GELISH MINI AT YOUR FINGER TIPS a new app! If you have an iPhone you can also enjoy the new Gelish MINI iOS app (download it from iTunes)and “try”over 50 best-selling colors, view video tutorials and purchase products right at the tip of your finger. Boo hoo for this writer, who has an android phone, as you need iOS 6.0 or later and it is only compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and the app is optimized for iPhone 5. Not everyone in the entire world wants or chooses to use “i” devices, but I love the idea of the app so for those of you who have love for iPhone, enjoy!
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR TRENDY COLORS ON A BUDGET: Looking for trendy color at beer and peanuts prices? Milani Color statement Nail Lacquer will delight you. This polish is not only under $4.00 a bottle but it offers one stroke, saturated color with high shine. When you’re in a hurry, that is paramount. But you want your polish to last, and Milani’s polish (as the press release states) “delivers a long list patent-pending promises to ensure exceptional gloss that actually lasts.” How long the polish lasts is like most, up to you, depending upon whether or not you carefully apply a base and top coat, and how hard you are on your nails to begin with. But Color Statement Nail Lacquer is detergent and chip-resistant, providing maximum nail protection. Better still, you can get it in 37 different colors in creams, sheers, and metallics. a subdued nearly Khaki called “Silhoutte” is my pick for now — edgy enough for Fall fashion, but not so green that it makes you look like “Kermit.” Milani makes other cosmetics items too, of course. If you plan to pop these into stockings for stuffers for the holidays or add them as part of a beauty gift, you’ll also want to know that all Milani products are cruelty-free and hold certifications from PETA. For more information on MILANI please contact
Color Statement Nail Lacquer starts at $3.99 at CVS stores nationwide and you can learn more on the MilaniCosmetics Web Site
Pacifica tangerine 7-free nail polish $9.00
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR NATURAL PRODUCTS WITHOUT A LOT OF ADDITIVES: The Advice Sisters have become big fans of Pacifica for their cosmetics and skin care (check our search box ton the top right hand side of every page on advicesisters.com to read all the reviews we’ve done so far), but we haen’t ever tried their nail polish before. Now that we have, we are happy to report that it is impressive. This polish is 7-free, in other words, it eliminates many chemicals that you might find in traditional nail polish, so it is safer for your nails, and safer for you in general. For our information: 7 FREE is formulated without parabens, phthalates (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, xylene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, and animals.And of course, there is a wide (but 100% vegan) brush for easier application. There are dozens of colors, but I am still loving “Tangerine,” a bright orange that adds a welcome burst of color to fingers and toes and still works with tweets and wools. Not into Tangerine, there are more than 30 other colors in all sorts of tones from light to deep to delight you. Give your nails some bliss, visit the Pacifica Web Site and be sure to check out all the other swoon-worthy products for face, fragrance and body, too.
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish colors $9.99 each
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GEL POLISH BUT DON’T WANT THE HASSLE: We all have come to appreciate the long lasting benefits of gel nail polish, but sometimes, we just don’t have the time to go to a salon and have it applied, or we’re not into doing it ourselves. Now, Sally Hansen has a new product Miracle Gel Nail Polish ($9.99) with Miracle Gel Top Coat ($9.99) that lets you get the benefits of a gel manicure, without using the UV light and having to “cure” the polish to set it. To get just a bit technical the Miracle Gel manicure contains patented Tube Technology which Sally Hansen says allows a higher level of actives and continuous care ingredients to release into the gel lacquer film, prolonging the integrity of the film and also resulting in beautifully durable, shiny nails. The advanced Color Coat, which is a combination base coat and nail color in one, and Top Coat formulas contain an oligomer, and the Top Coat also contains a photoinitiator. The photo initiator in the Top Coat formula reticulates with the oligomer contained in the Color Coat, thus curing the formula without the need of an LED/UV light. As the manicure cures over time, it becomes more durable due to the increased hardness of the film. So LED/UV lamp curing is not necessary, only natural light. Then, when you’re ready to change up your look, Miracle Gel comes off easily with both acetone-based and acetone-free nail polish remover – no soaking, wrapping, scraping, or filing necessary.
NYC New York Color In A New York Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish $1.99 each
FOR THOSE WHO ARE REALLY IN A HURRY:
Are you really in a hurry?
NYC New York Color has a In a New York Minute Nail Polish ($1.99) that claims to dry in 60 seconds. I have to admit that the one coat I tried of a beautiful deep wine called “Queen of the City” needed two coats, and the first didn’t dry in 60 seconds, but did in less than two minutes. That is still quite quick! And the flat brush let me apply one coat smoothly. UV filters help prevent fading, and some of the key ingredients are good for your skin calcium, magnesium and iron. There are more colors than on this chart, but you can see that there is a nice range. For Fall, my suggestion is the deep wine and slightly shimmery “Queen of the City” and it’s even slightly deeper and creamy counterpart,”Royal Chic” ((not shown on the chart) with a jewel-like shine and a price tag that is hard to beat. Get NYC New York Color in chain drugstores and mass retailers nationwide, for more information visit the NYC New York Color web site
Madam Glam polish $8.99
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO TRY SOMETHING FROM A NEW COMPANY: Every now and then I get an email asking me if I’ll try a new brand, and when the marketing manager of Madam Glam asked if I’d try the 5-free, cruelty free nail lacquers that others have compared to OPI and Essie, I thought I’d give them a try. I was sent four polishes, three of them super-light and one really bright neon green, not really Fall/Winter colors, but there are dozens and dozens of other colors to choose from. The brand, French inspired by rooted in NYC, is growing and sold exclusively online. Just in case you’re still not sure what all the “free” means for nail polish affficiandos, 5-free mans the polish doesn’t have any Formaldehyde, Toluene, DiButyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde Resin or Camphor– things you really don’t need or want on your nails that can seep into your skin. When on the Madam Glam site (http://madamglam.com/), you can see an ingredients list for a polish by clicking on its picture—very convenient and reassuring for those of us who love polish but are trying to use beauty products with fewer harsh chemicals. The best part is that Madam Glam polishes are cruelty-free so they are not tested on animals. My pick from the polishes I received is “So Nude(” a sheer, pink-ish beige that is classic, year-round, and feminine, but not obtrusive. I liked the polish and there really is plenty to suit every taste, but personally, I’d go for the neons and glitters! Check out all the colors and formulas on the Madam Glam web site
“ZIV” by Zoya from the Zimmermann runway show Spring 2014
FOR THOSE WHO WANTS TRENDY COLORS STRAIGHT FROM THE RUNWAY WITH HIGH QUALITY: It’s hard to play faovrites when there are so many fabulous nail polish brands at every price point, but I have to admit that I have a bit of a crush on Zoya. Every time I try one of their polishes I find a color that I adore, and the polish lasts without chipping, retains shine, and doesn’t dry out my nails. There are two new great collections, Entice (6 creams) and Ignite (6 metallics) which at just $9.00 per bottle, makes them affordable as well as fashion-forward (see my report on Zoya’s negative space nail using ZIV nail polish from the Zimmermann Spring 2015 runway show )
Zoya ENTICE Collection of Nail Polish $9.00 each
But for Fall/Winter you can’t go wrong with any one of the six creamy shapes (1 sheer, 5 opaque) in the “Entice” collection. My favorite is “Ryan,” a blackberry that is softer than black, chic-er than plain old blue. It is a perfect color to try the negative space nail or for adding texture or nail art. But all of the shades are medium to deep and will work well with the deeper earth tones, berries, greys and classic blacks and neutrals you’ll be wearing.
“Ignite” starts with a creamy base but you aren’t going to find a demure cream in this collection of stunning shimmers. While I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite, the bronzed “Sansa” has all the attributes of a shimmer shot through with tons of gold, but the deep purple base (in some lights it looks brown) makes this a bronzed beauty that can be worn easily even to a conservative office during daylight hours and it looks gorgeous at night as well, and I just can’t stop staring at nails done in teal-blue “Remy,” with so much shimmer your nails catch the light every time you move (sigh!). The greyed “Yuna” is a fresh look at shimmer, while Autumn, India and Tiegen gives copper, red and berry a whole new look.
Get these and many more fabulous colors on the Zoya Web Site
these are some of the designs I made with my own photos on the INNI web site. You can actually purchase these for $9.90 on inni.com By AlisonD)
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE NAIL AND AND WANT TO BE CREATIVE: Nail stickies for those with really no time or talent for nail art: Nail Art “stickers have been around for a while now, making it easy for anyone to produce picture-perfect (and I mean that literally) nails with all manner of nail art designs on them, and do it in literally, minutes. But INNI Nails allows you to go one step furtther, and crate your own nail art using photos or logos or any design you can conjur up, from your iPhone or jpeg. Simply snap a photo or upload one to the INNI Nails web site and make nail stickers that look like your cat, your logo, your design. You can also choose form over one million ready-made designs, if you are feeling less than creative. Even better, the nail stickers will last up to two weeks (14 days) as they are made of durable and flexible vinyl, so the wraps can be stretched to cover the entire nail surface, and they won’t peel or chip, not even in water or when it’s hot. When you want to remove them, just peel them off. You get 30 different pieces in 13 different sizes from very slim to quite large, so you they will fit just about any fingernail or toe nail. As someone who has very small and thin nail beds, this is a big plus., Custom sets on the INNI Nails web site retail for just $9.90 and include free shipping.
Of course, all good things come to and end, and when it’s time to take it all off you need good removers. In TOMORROW’s review, CUTEX comes to the rescue with four innovative products to handle everything above!
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