Nail Tech Secrets

Teri, at PrettybyNature has a great post about SpaRitual’s Nail Elixirs - they are Vegan, and also free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde. I have a renewed interest in these polishes after seeing how well they can perform! Go check out what Teri has to say about them…

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The best of beauty and fashion across the web last week, brought to you by my dear friends:

Aesthetics + Economics breaks down fabric trends for Fall ‘07.

The Bag Snob dishes out their disgust for the latest of Louis Vuitton’s atrocities.

Bon Bons in the Bath discovers a new beauty product that makes life worth living.

Coquette showcases the cute wares by Susie Ghahremani of Boygirlparty.

eBeautyDaily reviews the new and improved SkinVitalizer by Dove.

Fashiontribes has the scoop on the Top 10 most interesting trends from Paris Fashionweek

Online shopping with Girlawhirl: Lucite accessories.

KRiSTOPHER: A Silver Knot Gucci Ring is the only way you want to tie down your boy, outside of p.m. fun.

LA STORY - All Hail The Queen (not Mirren or Elizabeth)! Lipstick Queen Poppy King!

Feeling a little fruity? Take a look at the 6 best fruit inspired accessories according to My Fashion Life.

Eva at Papierdoll evaluates negative comments on New York Times fashion writer Cathy Horyn’s blog.

Second City Style’s Got Your Hot Trends For Spring. Get Graphic: Bold, Colorful Prints in Bloom.

SheFinds.com - Lots of Toes, Up High or Down Low in the Spring Shoes Guide.

Luxe for less: StyleBakery.com offers a $35 version of a pricey designer shoe in yesterday’s Daily Scoop.

Just when you thought you had heard of every accessory for an iPod..presenting for your Styleaholic pleasure the iPod THONG!

Read Stylehive’s interview with Katherine Kwei who combines East and West with her intricate knot handbags.

The Jewelry Weblog has the latest news from Swarovski and their predictions for spring and summer sparkle.

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I have to say, I was not expecting much from this collection. I have never been one to be very picky about the chemicals in my nail polish, or too worried about them, to be honest. I just want my polish to apply well, and last 2 weeks and I figure we are using alot safer stuff than we did 40 years ago, so it must be ok. So when I heard about this Extra Virgin collection, which is DBP (dibutyl phthalate), toluene and formaldehyde free, I really thought - there is no way this polish is going to be any good. Each of these chemicals have been blamed for various cancers, birth defects, fertility problems and a myriad of other stuff, so if we can do without them, yeah, we probably should. So, enter Dashing Diva’s Extra Virgin collection:

My assumptions were SO wrong about this polish - this is excellent polish. Absolutely among the best.

First I tried the gorgeous darkest color - Kissing Cranberry Kim - it lasted 2 weeks, no problem. Thinking this must be a fluke, I tried the bright, Prima Donna Pink. Huh, it lasted too. One more - the gorgeous PERFECT red - Convertible Red Connie. It is perfect too. This collection is not only healthier for you (especially important for those of you who are pregnant), but the colors are amazing. The perfect dark red, the perfect red-red, the perfect bright pink - the perfect French manicure colors. The application was great - the polish is nice and thick (not too thick, although you will want to be careful to keep the bottle necks clean or they will get too thick pretty quickly, I bet). This collection seems a little more geared towards cool skin tones, although there are a few of the colors I have not actually seen in person, so there may be some more warmth to those than I think. Get one of each, they are a very reasonable $7.99 each from DashingDiva.com. I promise you will love them!

For more information about polishing your nails so it actually stays on and wears well, explore the Polish That Lasts! category. And please feel free to ask if you have any questions or need any tips.

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I do think we are going to keep on seeing the “wicked” red/blacks of the last year - that trend isn’t ready to die quite yet - but Essie’s view of the Spring 2007 colors is a sweeter, milder more “mod” vision:

I put a color very similar to Mod Squad on my toes the other night, but I am just not quite there yet. Give me back my Wicked. You can get the latest Essie colors first from your favorite local salon.

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The guilt has been killing me not writing here for the last 2 months - but I have been crazy busy since starting full time with b5media a few months ago, and then I decided to move Nail Tech Secrets to a new host and transfer the domain. What a nightmare, but the nightmare is over. I am settled in to my new home, where I will stay until they don’t want me anymore.

What I really want to say, other than just plain ol’ whining is that my dear friend Elke pointed out a relatively new site, All Lacquered Up, who is doing an AMAZING recount of nails at Fashion Week. She has too many posts to link them all up, but go there now (now!) and check it all out while it is neat and tidy on her front page. I am busy buying shoes and underwear, and she is such a great nail blogger, covering those shows. I am humbled by her passion and look forward to reading All Lacquered Up for a long time to come, and I hope you will as well.

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A quick update - I tried the Mineral Nail Infusion, and really love it - the quality of the polish is wonderful. Almost 2 weeks, with no maintenance, and no chips at all. Really, this is probably the best polish I have ever used. I posted a review of it at eBeautyDaily, I hope you will check it out (and buy some yourself so it will be a success, and they will come out with some more colors!!)!

Mineral Nail Infusion, by Bare Escentuals

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Wow - one of my favorite beauty companies, Bare Escentuals (mother of bareMinerals), has come out with Mineral Nail Infusion, a nail polish that incorporates minerals for healthy nails.

About the colors:

• i.d. “It’s Not Red” Nail Color – This violet nail shade is anything but red, which is why “It’s Not Red” is the plum-perfect choice. Bare Escentuals customer Heather from Pasadena, California, suggested this witty name. Married to her high-school sweetheart (“He’s still hot!” she says) and a mom to three kids, Heather grew up acting. Unsurprisingly, comedy is her forte.
• i.d. “Tighty Whitey” Nail Color – During Bare Escentuals’ Friendship Customer Cruise, the applause meter went crazy at the suggestion of this bright white shade. Originally mentioned by Leslie’s son Trent at the dinner table one evening, this underwear style-inspired name won hands-down (or dare we say “pants-down”?) among the cruise gals.
• i.d. “Give Peach a Chance” Nail Color – All we are saying is that this creamsicle color will soon be as famous as the song that inspired it. Proving that great minds think alike, five Bare Escentuals customers–Terry, Stacy, Leslie, Marjorie and Sandy – came up with this clever name.
• i.d. “Sunny & Share” Nail Color – Truly sunny, this is the shade you’ll want to share. As zany and fun as the 70’s, this nail color pairs bright sunshine with a dash of friendship for a name that’s hard to beat. And many of you thought so, too. When Leslie Blodgett revealed the name on TV, loyal customers emailed to say “Groovy.”

I will be so interested to see how this polish performs! But, everything else Bare Escentuals has is great, so why not the nail polish? I will let you know, stay tuned!

Bare Escentuals Mineral Nail Infusion will be available this month at all Bare Escentuals boutiques and by calling 1-800-227-3990. Let me know if you try this!

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DuWop Toe Polish is the most unique concept I have seen since Pawlish (but thats another article) - it is designed for toes, and has special features like a quick drying formula, and benefits like extreme shine, and anti fungal ingredients.

My opinion? It is GREAT on toes. I have the color Flip Flops (the current - and first, I might add- collection are all named after shoes), and it dries amazingly fast - which is great for polishing toes before bed - which I always do. The color also stays nice and shiny for a long time. The down side is that it really needs to stay on the toes. Although you may think your feet take a lot of abuse, your toenails stay much more protected than your fingernails do, and therefore do not need “tough” nail polish so much. This will chip on your fingernails quicker than you would like - but, thats why they call it Toe Polish, right?

DuWop’s Toe Polish is $12 a bottle, and can be purchased from various stores, and from QVC.

Look here for lessons on how to do your own pedicures at home, and how to apply Polish That Lasts!

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This is Essie’s offering for Fall of 2006. This is a nice combination of warm and cool colors, and a couple of gorgeous new colors for the always stylish French manicure. I am heading out for the Clutch Me If You Can - this looks like the perfect trendy fall color to me!

Don’t miss the great story at CBS about Essie Weingarten!

You can buy Essie nail polish and their wonderful nail treatments from most good salons, or through Beauty.com.

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I am heading out for Fedora - my hubby has dug his heels in against the currently “oh so popular” black polish, but I am going to keep trying with this one, a nice dark chocolate cool brown.

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