Winter Nail Polish Picks + How to Winterize your nails

Winter is such a brutal season that its important to prepare for it. Some things even involve a "winterization" process to protect them from winter's cold temperatures, snow and ice. Winterization also translates into the beauty world. The cold, dry air can affect your skin, hair and nails, so its important to change up your beauty routine to prepare for it. Before we get into what my winter nail care routine entails, I thought I'd first share my Winter nail polish picks:

Julep Kiki - This is a ice blue with silver shimmer. The color reminds me of the movie Frozen. Its almost the color of Elsa's dress. Yes, I still watch Disney movies as an adult. This is the color I've been reaching for lately when I want a fun pop of color on my nails.

Essie Fiji - This is an opaque pale pink. It is a perfect pastel pink that will transition nicely into the spring. The drawback to Fiji is that with most pastel colors, its streaky. It requires patience and many coats to get the color fully opaque, but it is achievable. I used three coats here.

Julep Joanne - This is a smoky plum color with a creme finish. Its a very ladylike and work-appropriate shade. Opaque in two coats.

Julep Sawyer - This is a molten copper color with metallic shimmer. It is a gorgeous, rich color that looks different depending on the lighting. The formula is thick, you can get away with one coat if you're careful.

OPI Ink - This is a deep ink blue with shimmer. The color is almost a mix of blue and purple that is peppered with a pink shimmer throughout. Its really a mesmerizing color, opaque in two coats.

Now that you've picked out that perfect winter color, its time to treat your hands to a winterized manicure. The cold temperatures and dry air can wreak havoc on your nails so its important to change up your nail care routine to keep your nails healthy and strong during the winter months. Here's how I do it:

Step 1 - Clip & Shape

I use a square ended nail clipper and my trusty Ruby Stone nail file to keep my nails short during the winter. The cool, dry winter air causes my nails to be more brittle. Wearing my nails short keeps them healthy and makes them less susceptible to breakage.

Step 2 - Cuticles: Be Gone!

I soak my nail beds with a cuticle eliminator for about 30 seconds which softens them, making them easy to remove.

Step 3 - Give 'Em A Nudge

Next I gently push back my cuticles with a cuticle pusher.

Step 4 - Clean Up Time

Next I wash my hands thoroughly with warm soapy water. I then buff away any unevenness on my nails using a buffer block and use a cuticle nipper to nip away any nail hangs or leftover dead cuticles. Be careful not to over-trim!

Step 5 - Extra Oomph

Since my nails have been so dry, I've started using a strengthening base coat to give my nails a little boost. I use the base coat under my nail polish and I've really been noticing that my nails feel stronger and I'm having less breakage.

Step 6 - Moisturize Often

Once my nails are dry I finish up with a hand lotion. I massage Essie's Many Many Mani Hand Lotion, into my hands and cuticles as the last step of my manicure. This is a thick lotion but it melts into my skin in seconds and helps keep my hands nourished and happy through the dry winter months. I keep this lotion on my bedside table and use it in between manicures to keep my hands hydrated.

I hope this post gave you some ideas on some new winter colors to try and also inspired you to winterize your nail care routine!


Reference:

Julep
Essie
OPI
Sally Beauty Supply

Fall Nail Polish Picks

Fall not only motivates me to change up my Makeup routine, its also a great time to change gears when it comes to Nail Polish. Each time the seasons change, I like to check out the new collections from my favorite brands as well as peruse my own stash to find the perfect colors for the upcoming season.

Where Fall is concerned, its time to turn in those summer brights for some rich and cozy tones. If you're on the hunt for the perfect fall polish, here are 10 shades I recommend:

(Left Hand)

OPI In the Cable Car-Pool Lane - This is a vampy reddish-purple color with a creme finish. Opaque color in two coats. I've been wearing this one a lot recently and its a great neutral color that goes with any outfit.

OPI Got the Blues for Red - This is a deep red creme finish. I'd call the color a deep blood red that leans more oxblood in in the shade. Opaque color in two coats. 

China Glaze Salsa - This is a bright, fire engine red polish with a creme finish. It leans a bit Orange in natural light which makes it a perfect fall red. Opaque color in two coats.

Essie Going Incognito - This is a beautiful Emerald Green. There are some cool blue undertones in there which makes it not your average forest green polish. Opacity is to die for, you could get away with one coat if you're careful. I think the color is versatile enough to be appropriate for all seasons but I find myself wearing this one most in the fall.

Essie The Perfect Cover Up - This is from Essie's Fall 2014 "Dress to Kilt" collection. The color is a deep teal green creme. The formula is very thick but not goopy. Opaque color in 1 coat!

(Right Hand)

OPI Live and Let Die - This was part of one of my favorite OPI collections, the James Bond Skyfall collection that came out for Holiday 2012. The color is a deep dark green with green and gold shimmer. The formula is thick and again, you can get away with one coat if you're careful. This color is so pretty in the sunlight, it really sparkles.

Deborah Lippmann Chain Reaction - This color is a blend of Gold, Olive and Green shimmery glitter. It is just such a unique color. I think the green and copper in it make it a great accent color for fall. Opaque in two coats. I actually got this one as part of the the "Rock this Town" trio on GILT a while back for a nice discount so keep your eye out for it on the daily deal sites. 

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic - This is a gray-purple creme color. The consistency is very sheer. I used three coats. I can get over the sheerness because I love the color, I really don't have anything like it in my collection. This line is now discontinued by Sephora but they come up every so often on Hautelook and I've spotted them at Big Lots for a huge discount.

Formula X Cosmic - This is a dark plum purple with blue shimmer. It definitely has that celestial vibe as the name intends. Its multidimensional and really sparkles in the sunlight. Two coats to opacity. 

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway - This is an indigo blue creme. The base color is actually similar to Cosmic but without any of the glitter. Its an inky blue that's appropriate for all seasons. Opaque in two coats.

I hope this post gave you some great ideas to change up your nails for Fall. I love curating my own little collection of go-to colors for the season.

What polishes are you loving for Fall?

Nail Care Basics

I love nail polish to the moon and back, but the perfect nail color is nothing if you don't have healthy nails to apply it to. Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips and tools for keeping your nails healthy and looking great!

Cuticle Nippers

I don't go around and remove all my cuticles, I prefer to push them back.  Nippers are handy if you have a hangnail or an uncomfortable cuticle on the side of your nail.  These get right in there and nip it away safely. 

Cuticle Pusher

Pretty self explanatory, but I prefer the metal pushers to the wooden stick ones.

Nail Clipper (square end)

I like my nails to have a square tip.  The square ended nail clipper makes it easy to keep that shape.  Regular nail clippers have a half moon shape, so if you like your nails square you need to follow up with a lot of filing to get the shape you want.

Ruby Stone Crystal Nail File

A stone nail file is a must in my book to keep nails strong and protect against splitting. Once I tried the Ruby Stone, I'll never to back to paper nail files. I picked this up at Sally's, its made of aluminum oxide powder crystals, one of the materials found in Rubies (hence the name). It feels much more comfortable on the nails than the paper files. My favorite thing about this file is that its safe for filing in both directions. 

  

Cuticle Oil

Cuticle Oil is a must for healthy nails. I apply this all around my cuticles when I give myself a manicure. I also use it in between manicures, whenever my cuticles are feeling dry.  I brush it on and then rub it in to instantly moisturize them. This one is by Beauty Secrets and pretty much all the writing has worn off from it jumbling around at the bottom of my toiletry bag when I travel.

INM Out The Door Top Coat

This is my current holy grail top coat. I used to be a slave to the ever popular Seche Vite topcoat, but I got tired of the awful smell, polish shrinkage and the fact that the polish would goop up and become unusable about halfway through the bottle. Out The Door has the same quick dry and high gloss formula as the Seche Vite but without those three drawbacks. Its also a little cheaper! I got mine at Sally's but I've seen it at CVS too.

Be Natural Cuticle Eliminator

This is my manicure secret weapon. It makes getting cuticles under control a breeze. My normal manicure routine is I clip and file my nails, apply cuticle eliminator, let it set for 60 seconds and then push them back. It makes them so much easier to work with. After pushing, wash your hands and you're good to apply polish! I don't usually use this every time I do my nails. I alternate between this and regular cuticle oil, depending on how my cuticles are looking.

Hope these tips and reviews help you on your quest for healthy nails!

Nailed It! OPI Damone Roberts 1968

I wanted to do a quick post about OPI's highly sought out shade, Damone Roberts 1968.  To be honest I didn't know about this shade until I saw a few posts from some of the nail blogs I follow.  From what I gather, this shade was from a limited edition collection by Damone Roberts, of eyebrow shaping fame. He created his own signature shade that mirrors the green color of the walls in his salons.

(natural light)

(shade)

The color is absolutely gorgeous! At first I want to call it mint green, but it is unlike any of the other mints I own.  It is darker, greener, but still soft and pastel.  I think the best way to describe it is pistachio green.

This is a true creme formula, no shimmer at all. The formula is slightly streaky due to the pastel nature of the color, but I actually got away with only two coats.  The pigmentation was great and formula was thin. Sometimes with pastels they try to amp up the pigmentation which results in a goopy formula.  Not the case here!

Of course, this is limited edition again. It was first released back in 2009, then re-released in 2010 and now its coming back for the last time this summer. I picked up my bottle during the pre-sale but the regular sale begins this Friday, June 20th, on his website and in his salons.

Bottom line, if you love green nail polish and don't mind the inflated price tag (regular OPI polish is $9, this is $20) this is the creme de la creme! Check out this fan favorite before its gone! http://store.damoneroberts.com/

Spring Nail Polish Picks

If you follow my instagram you may have gathered that that I'm a complete nail polish addict. Although I do indulge in the occasional mani/pedi at the salon, 99% of the time I do them myself.  I have an embarrassingly extensive nail polish collection and I truly enjoy setting aside some time for myself at least once a week to do my nails.

I love perusing the new nail polish collections each season and also shopping my own stash to find the perfect colors. Here are my picks for spring!

  

(Left Hand)

OPI Can't Find my Czechbook - This is from last spring's Euro Centrale collection. I was psyched to see that this color is still available at Ulta! I loved this collection, so many fun colors! Coverage was great, two coats for opaque coverage.

Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams - This is a beautiful powder blue. Unfortunately this nail polish line has been discontinued, but you can sometimes still find the Sephora by OPI line on Hautelook for dirt cheap! Otherwise, a good alternative Powder Blue Nail Polish is Essie Borrowed and Blue. Although I love this color, this was the streakiest of the bunch and required three coats.

OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around - This is part of OPI's new Brazil collection. It is a pink-toned nude.  It is really beautiful and ladylike. I'd describe it as blush-pink. Formula was good, opaque in two coats.

Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac - This is a pale lilac creme.  A beautiful pastel color.  It makes me think of an Easter Basket! Its part of the permanent Xtreme Wear line. The formula was a bit thick but it was opaque in two coats.

Essie Lapis of Luxury - This was part of Essie's 2010 Resort collection but this color is now part of the Essie permanent line. It is a beautiful periwinkle, cornflower blue. I'd describe it as Cape Cod Hydrangea Blue. Opaque in two coats.

(Right Hand)

Zoya Alexa - This was part of the Peter Som for Zoya trio. This is a gorgeous grassy green.  I have a few forest greens in my collection, but this one was a little lighter.  A perfect spring green. The color reminds me of when your grass comes back to life after a long winter.

Essie Fashion Playground - This is part of Essie's Hide and Go Chic collection for Spring 2014.  Essie describes this color as "pistachio shimmer". The shimmer is very subtle, hardly noticeable at all. It reads more green than blue unlike last year's Mint Candy Apple.  As expected, this polish is streaky, another three-coater! I'll forgive the formula issues because this color is just so pretty and minty.

L'oreal Creme Puffs - This was from last year's limited edition Versailles's Romance collection. The color is a soft pastel yellow a slight golden shimmer. Some similar colors are Butter Jasper and Deborah Lippmann Build me up Buttercup. This one takes three thin coats to full opacity.

Zoya Cole - This is also part of the Peter Som collection. It is a pretty soft peach color. It reminds me of orange sherbet, but a little less intense orange.  Its almost a cross between a pastel and a neon, very unique! It was pretty streaky but builded nicely.  Photo is three coats.

Essie Style Hunter - Also part of the Hide and Go Chic collection, it is a really unique red/fuchsia color.  It is pretty bold and a bit unexpected for a spring collection.  I'd call it raspberry red.  Its showing up more red-red in the pictures. Formula was great and required only two coats.

Well there you have it, my ten nail polish picks for spring!

This past weekend marked our first Cape trip of the season, which is the reason for the beachy-themed pictures. We have a seasonal camp site near the Cape Cod Canal where we keep our camping trailer. I am so excited for all things Cape Cod! I just love it there!

What colors are you loving this season?

Holiday Decor & the First Big Snowstorm of the Season

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas! This weekend was the first big snow storm of the season.  We really didn't do much so I decided to put some finishing touches on our holiday decorations and snap some pictures to share.  We'll start with the main event, the Christmas Tree:

 

 

I am a firm supporter of real trees.  I love the smell, the color, going to pick it out, everything.  Its just such a nice experience that kicks off the holiday season.  This year we tried a new cut your own farm that was AMAZING! So many trees to choose from! To top it off there was a dusting of snow on the ground which made it so pretty.

 

 

 

 

Ok, back to the decorations.  We changed up the tree decor a bit this year and did a red and silver theme.  We used only red and silver bulbs and then draped silver beaded garland all around.  Then we added all of our "random ornaments" which are made up of sovineer ornaments from places we've been, handmade ornaments, and ornaments that we had growing up.  Heres a few of my favorites:

 

 

 

We got the adorable wedding cake ornament as a wedding gift.

 

 

 

 

This is from the gift shop of the resort where we got married. My parents gave us this the Christmas before our wedding.

 

 

 

 

I made this from our first Christmas Tree. My parents used to do this.  I planned on making one every year...fail. Oh well, its a nice keepsake from our first Christmas at the house.

 

Heres some of the other decor around the living room:

 

 

My aunt got us this adorable Clothtique Santa a few years ago.  Look at the Dachshund pulling Santa in the snow! Adorable.

 

 

 

 

This is our other Clothique Santa who is living on top of our hutch putting the star on top of the tree. 

 

 

 

This was my grandmother's nativity scene.  I love how colorful it still is and its very old.  I have it on one of the side tables next to our couch.  I wish we had a better spot for this since the pieces get knocked over alot because it is so close to the ground and the dogs bump into it when they're playing. But for now we are enjoying it here.

 

 

Here is a shot of our table.  I'm in love with the mercury glass trees! I am a sucker for some mercury glass. They are also LED candles that flicker in different colors.

  

 

 

The centerpiece is a glass bowl with a candle in the middle and some bells all around.  I had planned on making this in my big glass hurricane.  But, by the time I got around to putting it together I realized that the hurricane was trapped inside the hutch! The only spot for our Christmas Tree in the living room is in between the table and the hutch, see the first picture.  To retrieve the hurricane would've meant moving the already decorated christmas tree, which would've been just too much work and a big mess. So, I improvised with this little glass bowl I picked up at Michaels in the candle section and a red and white polka dotted votive from Pier 1.  I actually really like the way it turned out! Bonus, the bells jingle a little bit when you walk by.

 

 

 

Piper was alot of help with the decorating..

 

 

 

Since we were snowed in for the night I took the opportunity to paint some Christmassy nails.  I used Essie Going Incognito and OPI Goldeneye on the accent nail, or party nail as my sister calls it.

 

We ended up getting about a foot of snow.  Dale lives for the snow! Here he is chasing snowballs the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heres a shot of our front door after the storm.

 

Hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday season!

 

 

~Monica