Snow Crackle

 

I'm off by a day this week - probably because I had Monday off from the day job. I did another super-easy manicure this week that reflects our current weather: crackling snow. I like it...it looks a bit chaotic and cold, and that's kind of how January is, I think.

Colors Used: 
Zoya "Natty"
Sally Hanson "Snow Blast" Crackle

This is the first time I've opened Natty, and I really like it. It's a medium denim-like blue that goes with pretty much everything. Very nice, and excellent smooth formula as always from Zoya. I really like Snow Blast too - Sally Hansen crackles always perform well, and this white is crisp and shiny. As a point of disclaimer, this bottle was provided to me awhile ago. The original review is around here somewhere...

This manicure really needs no explanation...just two coats of Natty over one coat of base coat, and then one sort of medium-thin coat of Sally Hanson over the top, starting at the base of the nail and brushing up in different lengths. Easy!

The tip pull this time...I'm not sure. Could be old base coat, could be I didn't get my nail beds clean enough before polishing. I didn't pull the polish up over the tips this time though, so my bad.

Until next week, happy polishing!

Magnetic Silver & Burgundy

Look what I got! The folks at Sally Hansen were kind enough to send me a complimentary set of the new Magnetic polishes, and man, these are cool. I'll show the whole set next week, but this week, I just wanted to get a quick manicure done, and this worked great. Nail art really doesn't get any easier than this...

 For this week's manicure, I used "Red-y-Response" (which is not red, it's more burgundy/fuschia, and the color in the photos below is pretty true to what I see), and "Silver Elements", which is a great silver all on it's own, but when the magnet pulls the sparklies up, it's stunning.

 So the way these work is, there's a larger cap over the normal polish cap. In the top of that outer cap is the magnetic plate, and there's a slight ridge on top to rest on your finger just below your cuticle to put the magnet at the right height above your nail. My picture isn't very good - I'll make sure to get a better one next week.

 I started with two coats of each color on alternating nails over one coat of base coat, just like normal. This formula is easy to control and very nice to work with, but the silver, as with all metallics, gets a bit splotchy if you're not careful.

 To get the magnetic effect, I just brushed on one more thicker coat, and then held the magnet over the nail for 10 seconds. I rotated the cap a bit to get the sides of my nails too, since they're so curvy. Worked great!

I did the silver nails first, and then the burgundy. I did make a few mistakes (accidentally touching the magnet to the polish, which just screwed up the polish like putting anything in it would), but overall it was very quick and easy. I'd like to experiment a little more with moving the magnet around, to see if I can make different designs...

Two coats of top coat, clean up, and voila! Awesome nails in a relatively short order. Perfect for those 2am manicure nights. :-)

Next week, I'll showcase the whole set and see if I can't do something different with the magnetic effects...

Until then, happy polishing!

Cracklin' Gemma

Sorry for the delay - I'm on vacation from the day job, and thus my routines are all screwy (or non-existent) this week. But I do think this manicure turned out pretty nicely, although the clerk at the hardware store today took one look at my nails and asked, "Did you do that on purpose?" Cracked me up, so to speak. ;-)

The folks at Sally Hansen were kind enough to send me a couple of crackle polishes with the polish strips, so this week, I decided white and green were the colors du jour. I've been wanting to try Zoya's "Gemma" for awhile now, and since it was already on the manicure tray...

As always, I started with a coat of Seche Vite base coat, followed by two coats of Gemma. I have to say, I love, love, love this color. You'll be seeing a lot more of it, for sure!

 

 

After it dried, I put on a somewhat thickish coat of "Snow Blast" crackle overcoat. The formula for this crackle is nicer than some I've used...it's got a nice consistency that is easy to work with. It started cracking soon after I applied it, and the crackle is matte in it's dry state. I put a matte topcoat over it at first, but I didn't care for the matte finish - it left the lines really sharp.

So I finished it off with two coats of Seche Vite, which smoothed out the lines and gave it a nice shine - so it looked like I did it on purpose (supposedly). ;-)

I think they turned out pretty nicely...reminds me of leaves, or snow on grass. Or distressed paint on old furniture...

Thanks to the Sally Hansen team for providing the crackle...and a purple one, which I fully intend to use for my Halloween costume this year. Stay tuned for that!

Next week...hmm. I'm not sure. I'll think of something though. Until then, happy polishing!

Fashion Week & New Spring Colors from Sally Hansen

I'm late with the manicure post this week - sorry! While I'm pulling that together, check out the new Sally Hansen Spring line-up, and some videos backstage at fashion week... (between you and me, tomboy that I tend to be, I'd still like to see these fashion shows...for the nail bling, of course).

Sally Hanson

INTRODUCING

COMPLETE SALON MANICURE

LIMITED EDITION SPRING 2012 DESIGNER NAIL COLOR COLLECTIONS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Trend-setting spring polishes, hot off the runway.

WHAT THEY ARE: A designer spring wardrobe for your nails. Nail leader Sally Hansen took New York Fashion Week by storm, joining forces with Tracy Reese, Prabal Gurung, and Alexander Wang to create exclusive nail colors to complement each of their runway collections. Sally Hansen’s limited edition fall collections put exclusive runway nail looks at your fingertips.

The designers looked to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure to create their custom colors. Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines the components of a professional salon manicure—base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, rich color and top coat in a single multi-tasking polish. Backstage Beauty fixture and nail expert, Jin Soon Choi, created the manicures at each of the three shows.

Tracy Reese joined forces with Sally Hansen for the twelfth consecutive season to create seven bold shades that mirror the designer’s relaxed, romantic spring aesthetic. On the runway, models wore Complete Salon Manicure in Temptation.

Prabal Gurung’s three-color Complete Salon Manicure collection features eye-catching brights and creamy pale hues with an edge that reflects the designer’s spring collection inspired by Nobuyashi Araki’s photographic series, “Sensual Flower.”On Prabal Gurung’s fall runway, models sported Loves-Me-Not, a deep plum.

Alexander Wang enlisted Sally Hansen for a first-time collaboration to create a clean, natural-looking runway nail to offset his spring collection which channels a tropical speed racer using perforation and lasering. Models wore Parchment, a sheer nude Complete Salon Manicure shade on the runway—the perfect accent to Wang’s downtown cool looks.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:  

·         Buttercup

·         Fired Up

·         Honey Whip

·         Olive Branch

·         Temptation

·         Parrot

·         The Sky’s the Limit

Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:

·         Barely Bluebell

·         Loves-Me-Not

·         Purple Posy

Alexander Wang with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:

·         Oxblood

·         Parchment

·         Petrol

WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, $7.99 each.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Sally Hansen products are available at chain drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers nationally starting April 2012.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRODUCT IMAGES OR SAMPLES:

SUSAN GOLDBERG/DANIELLE STORCH/ MICHAEL RIGGIO

TRACTENBERG & CO.

212.929.7979

Personally, I think Oxblood, Petrol, and Olive Branch are looking pretty fun...see anything you like there? 

This week's manicure coming up later today...