Another open letter...

...to Essie Weingarten, founder of Essie nail polish.

Dear Essie:

First and foremost, hi. Big fan of your work. BIG fan.

Secondly, I am a sucker for anything Halloween related this time of year. If it's dark, creepy, macabre, spooky (you get the idea), I'm on board. However, since I neither work at a costume shop or a tattoo parlor, I can't exactly succumb to all my whims. That's why your polish, simply called "Wicked" is a dream come true. It's a deep red without being black. It's the richest wine shade without being goth. In short, the 9-to-5 girl can wear this safely to the office without freaking out co-workers and it's also suuuuuper sexy to wear out. Another option? I'd put it on my toenails and wear open toed, black patent high heels. And I would be smoking hot.

In short, keep up the good work and please, please, PLEASE don't ever discontinue this polish.

Kisses,

Too Beautylicious

So cool.

I love the blending of styles/genres. My current favorite? Tough and lady like. LOVE IT! And everyone can pull this look off. It just depends on how you do it. A great place to start? OPI's "My Private Jet" nail polish. First off, the color is outstanding in the bottle. You can't quite tell what color it is! Is it grey? Is it brown-ish? Does it look like an oil slick? WHAT IS IT???

The best part is that it is the teeny tiniest bit glittery. Not so much that you look like a Miley Cyrus fan. Just enough that it catches the light. 2 coats of this polish is semi-sheer fabulousness. 3 coats is just plain badass.

(Oh, for 3 days only, use coupon code "FRIEND2010" at www.stilacosmetics.com for 20% off your entire order. You're welcome.)

Sometimes, you just have to splurge

For those of you beauty junkies like myself, you already know about Chanel fingernail polish. This stuff is liquid gold. It's chic and perfectly in tune with whatever season it is fashion-wise. Most importantly, it might be the only Chanel some of us commoners might ever own. :)

Recently, New York City came alive for "Fashion's Night Out." The brilliant Anna Wintour of Vogue fame came up with the idea to help stimulate a struggling retail environment in the city and it was a success beyond anyone's imagination. Cut to Chanel's part in all this- last year, they created the jade green fingernail polish that was seen all over the runways and fashionistas as a special, limited edition shade just for Fashion's Night Out. Needless to say, they had no idea what sort of craze they were creating. The polish sold out in days and became collector's items. People were buying them for upwards of $200 on Ebay!!

This year, going along with the tough and fabulous miltary theme that ruled the fall/winter runways, Chanel has come out with Les Khakis de Chanel- a trio of gorgeous shades that are spot on. This is where the splurge comes in- they are $25 a piece. The good news is that they are not sold out. You can still get them on Chanel's website (www.chanel.com) and they can be whisked in all their French glamour beauty right to your door. (Too purchased Khaki Vert and will be using it ASAP. I am also tempted to order the Khaki Brun. So chic.)

This stuff is wonderful!

Everyone knows about my affinity for polished fingernails and toenails. LOVE them. However, as we all know, even the slightest chip can ruin a fantastic mani or pedi. How excited was I to discover Seche Vite. This stuff is the ultimate top coat. It hardens into the perfect, non-yellowing, extremely shiny finish on any nail color. Did I mention it's also quick drying?? That is a GIANT bonus for me!

Finally, every single beauty magazine out there puts this at the top of their lists for top coats. InStyle, Allure, Marie Claire- they all love it and recommend it annually.

Where can you get it? Trade Secret and Sally Beauty have it. Ulta does as well. I can guarantee that once you've tried this stuff, you'll never go back.

What is in this stuff??

I'm pretty sure that if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am quite the nail polish junkie. I looooove keeping my fingernails short and polishing them bright colors. I admit, I have always been a bit partial to my OPI and my Essie polishes. Sure, I'd stray here and there to a Nicole by OPI or a random drugstore brand. I was in my local Sally Beauty Supply the other day and decided to take a chance. I spotted a color that I was absolutely and instantly in love with (see above). It was called "For Audrey" and I knew I had to take it home. The maker? China Glaze. Now, I've seen China Glaze about a zillion times. I had just never purchased it, snobbishly thinking it was of a lesser quality than MY favorites.

So, I bought it and immediately began a mani when I got home. When I put this stuff on, it was even more perfect than I imagined. It is the perfect blend of Tiffany-and-Co-meets-a-1950's-classic-car shade of aqua. Is is summertime in a bottle. It is unbelievably beautiful. It dried without a hitch and looked great on my hands.

Skip to 5 days later with absolutely NO chips or nicks or any signs of wear and tear. Now, I am awful on my hands. AWFUL. This was nothing short of a miracle. By day 7, there were some signs of abuse, but nothing major. I was more than impressed with polish and will definitely be buying more of it in the future. But, for now, take yourself to your local Sally and get yourself a bottle of China Glaze. Their new summer line is really pretty... :)

Ohhhhh...

I know, you all are tired of hearing about my love for crazy nail polish colors. But it's summertime! Time to wear fun colors, especially on your toenails! This new shade called Ocean Breeze by Sonia Kashuk (yep, the one who has the makeup line at Target) is unbelieveable!! It's the perfect seaside blue that would look phenomenal on just about anyone. And you can't beat the price, honestly.

So branch out! Try it! I think you will be extremely pleased with the results.

A few Memorial Day weekend beauty tips

1. Please, please, PLEASE remember that just because you aren't going to the pool or the beach doesn't mean you can skip the SPF. Being outside all day means you need sunscreen. A hat is always a chic way to protect yourself from UV rays as well.

2. If you're going to wear flip flops or sandals, for the love of Pete, polish your toenails! At the very least, take off the nasty chipped old polish you've got going on right now!

3. I don't know about where you live, but it's going to be HOT here! I plan on wearing my hair up with fun braids and/or clips and bobby pins. Don't just settle on a plain old ponytail. Take a few extra minutes and spice it up!

4. A shimmering lotion looks so pretty on legs and arms and shoulders. It gives you this beautiful glow and evens out skin tone.

5. HAVE FUN WITH YOUR LOOK THIS WEEKEND! AND RELAX!!!

I am such a nerd

I love a gimmick. A tie in. Marketing companies exist because of people like me. Hence my adoration of the new OPI "Shrek" line. Now, y'all know I do not shy away from a crazy nail polish color. So, these 6 shades are pretty much perfect for me. And- they would all be be SUPER cute for a summertime pedi! Just imagine how adorable your tootsies would be with a snappy pair of flip flops and bright polish like these! And remember- it's just color. Repeat after me. "There's nothing to be scared of. It's just COLOR!"

PS- Apparently, the new it color for summer is a pale blue. See anything like that above??

Spring polish

4 days until spring...4 days until spring...

I just keep repeating that to myself. Like a little mantra. Of course, a visual always helps, too. I am looking down at my perfectly polished lavender nails and that is certainly helping. Lavender polish is popping up everywhere from magazines to runways for THE spring nail color. The good thing is that you can only apply one coat for a sheer, sweet, pastel look. Or apply 2 -3 coats for a more intense pop of color. Some shades that I love?

Essie- Lilacism

Essie- Neo Whimsical

OPI for Sephora- Handpicked for Me

OPI for Sephora- Call Your Mother (this would look great on darker skin tones)

OPI Hong Kong Collection- Meet Me on the Star Ferry

Orly- Lollipop

Orly- Bonbon

Soooo pretty!!!

Orly

Who knows what that is? Anyone? Orly?

Well, if you answered a pretty cool nail polish brand, you are correct. These guys make a great product that is free of the 3 bad guys (DBP, Formaldehyde, and Toluene). The quality is right up there with OPI and Essie and they have some unreal colors!! Check out their website at http://www.orlybeauty.com/. The best part about this brand- you can get it at any Sally Beauty Supply! You can also get them at drugstore.com. I recommend the following colors: Glam Rock, Ginger Lily, Wandering Vine, and Pixie Dust!!

More fun fall nail polishes

First off, if you do not frequent your local Sally Beauty Supply, you are MISSING OUT! They have some GREAT stuff at great prices. Plus, if you join their rewards club (for free) you get mailings every month with coupons and what their specials are. I just got mine in the mail today and they have some UBER cool China Glaze polishes for fall. They are Halloween colors and they are dark and glittery and just plain cool. Did I mention that they're like $2.99? Yeah, that's a steal! Go to www.sallybeauty.com and browse around. Check out the nail polishes and other things. I think you can even join the rewards program online! Hello!!! How easy is that??

And your Breast Cancer Research product of the day is: http://www.esteelauder.com/pinkribbon/index.tmpl?cm_sp=Gnav-_-WhatsNewPromo-_-BCA

Estee Lauder has always been passionate about women's health and breast cancer awareness. They offer a range of products. Too recommends either of the 2 pink lip kits. Fantastic colors and handy carrying cases.