BellaSugar

Get Natalie's Yellow Nail Polish Look

BellaSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:01:07 -0800

I never thought of Natalie Portman as being too over-the-top crazy with her hair, makeup, or outfit choices. So I'm somewhat surprised to see her wearing bold, bright yellow nail polish. I guess it's not too outlandish. Pantone, the company responsible for predicting color trends in the home and fashion industries, did predict that the bright and sunny shade of mimosa would be the color of 2009, after all.

As for the polish, I'm not sure if I've embraced its hue quite yet, but I'm digging how Natalie chose to wear it with a crisp white shirt, simple blazer, and dark denim. This shade harkens back to the punky days of the late '70s and early '80s - skinny jeans and black and white striped t-shirt included. Thinking yellow might be in your forecast? Check out some of my nail polish suggestions below:

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Try It: Dashing Diva Virtual Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:11 -0700

Fashion Week is one of those times, like someone else's wedding, where you feel pressured to look amazing even though no one is paying attention to you. So when I realized my nails were a cracked, bitten mess, I decided to go for a complete overhaul. Enter Dashing Diva. DD is a nail salon that offers a service called Virtual Nails (click through for a list of locations all over the world), during which your nubs are lightly filed and falsies are glued on.

Diva differs from a typical nail salon because of its superior hygiene and sanitation regulations. My favorite being that they give you a set of tools to bring back on your next visit. That and they don't use acrylics that smell like chemicals, you know the ones which often require technicians to wear surgical masks.

At the NY salon, the service costs $35 but that's a small price to pay for nails that are neither toxic nor cause the same kind of damage I'm trying to hide. To find out more about my visit, read more.

My technician, Maria, started by rubbing sanitizer on both of our hands. She then trimmed my cuticles and filed my nail beds. Next, she had me wash my hands and then spent a lot of time meticulously choosing the perfect size nail for each of my fingers, writing down what she settled on for next time. Once the nails were glued on, we settled on a length and shape and she trimmed and filed them. As for the color, I chose a modest rosy shade, thinking that I may as well not call attention to my fake nails, but changed my mind and went for a bright yellow called Anna Banana. After all, when someone asks me if they're real, I can always respond, "real cool!"

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Trend Alert: Yellow Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:00:45 -0700

Well, well, well. I wasn't so sure that this trend would ever catch on, but if Rihanna's wearing it, most likely fans will soon follow suit. The singer paid close attention to detail during New York Fashion Week. Not only is she sporting the newest yellow spring nail trend but she's followed FabSugar's advice by balancing out the yellow out with a grey dress - A+ Rihanna! Here are two pretty primary yellow polishes for you to check out. What do you think of this trend?

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Mode Cosmetics Nail Enamel in Couture ($3) is a rich creamy nail polish that is made with high concentrations of natural mineral mica and camphor to coat nails with sheer to full coverage. The bright and bold fun yellow is both trendy and pretty for Spring, but why not be fashion-forward like Rihanna and start wearing it now?

For one more yellow nail polish, read more

Essie Hot Pop Yellow Nail Polish ($5.99) is best way to illustrate that fashion and fingertips are in sync. This chip-resistant sunny yellow shade is sure to brighten up any outfit.

Which Racy Nail Polish Do You Prefer on Rihanna?

BellaSugar — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:00:13 -0700

It seems like Rihanna changes her nail polish about as often as she changes her lipstick! In the past few weeks alone, I've spotted her digits drastically change from yellow, orange, pink, and black colored nail polish - pretty daring choices if you ask me. Which nail shade do you think looks best on Rihanna?

Source, Bauer-Griffin

Doing Drugstore: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:00:28 -0700

I've loved this stuff since it first came out, and if there's a drugstore product that deserves a post, it's this one. Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Polish ($5) has, on many an occasion, saved me from losing my mind waiting for polish to dry and ruining an entire manicure out of sheer frustration.

When I looked in my drawer this morning, I had seven bottles of the stuff, ranging from bright, sunny yellow to teal to perfect French-tip cream. I'm not saying they have the most gorgeous colors, because they're not all that special, but for five bucks and only two minutes for fully dry hands, this stuff absolutely can't be beat. This is my day-to-day nail polish. Sure, I might throw on something luxe, beautifully hued, and boring as all get-out to wait on when a new episode of True Blood is on and I'm going to be glued to the couch anyway, but Insta-Dry is what keeps me a happy and productive member of society. Thanks, Sally.

Get Ginnifer Goodwin's Lilac Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:00:12 -0700

If I had to wager on it, nail polish trends this season will be bright and bold. Think Agyness Deyn's royal blue polish and Natalie Portman's taxi cab yellow tones. I'd also venture to say that we'll be seeing a lot of matte finishes, as well as subdued hues like khakis, grays, and even polish-free nails for a low-maintenance look.

That's why I'm digging Ginnifer Goodwin's smoky lilac nails she wore to a Bulgari bash earlier in the week. This flattering, toned-down shade, which is reminiscent of the insanely popular Sephora by OPI in Metro Chic ($9), uniquely combines the bold with the subdued, and the matte with a creamier finish.

Think you might want to get painted purple? Get some inspiration below, and tell me what lovely lilac shades are your favorites.

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Trend Alert: Teal Green Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:15:11 -0700

Lauren Conrad, known for wearing her signature black nail polish, was out and about yesterday at T-Mobile's Sidekick LX launch party in LA debuting a lighter, brighter pedicure of blueish-green polish. Do I spy a trend alert here?

Perhaps this will be the season for bold, vibrant colors. Celebrities haven't been shy about going beyond the standard classic red manicure; and at an event in March we saw Natalie Portman sport some bright yellow nails, opting for a lighter opaque shade of lemon just yesterday.

As for Lauren, her cool-toned teal polish is fresh and fun, not to mention perfect for both Spring and Summer looks. Want to put a spring in your step like LC? Check out some of these colored-denim tones from OPI, and then peruse my widget for some other options below. Pedicures, here you come.

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Deborah Lippmann Talks Nail Trends, Part Two

BellaSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:00:22 -0700

Deborah Lippmann, founder of Lippmann Collection, had a busy New York Fashion Week. After giving Mariah Carey not one but two manicures during Fashion Rocks (she wore Fashion during the Stand Up To Cancer performance and then Rhapsody in White for her solo) she did the nails at Rodarte, Zac Posen and Zegna (which, if you read my post on nail techs at FW, you know is no small feat). Still, she took a minute to talk to me backstage about a multitude of nail topics, the first being trends.

For today's installation of my interview with Lippmann, I got a genius tip for choosing a neutral nail polish and I discovered a secret from her past, read more.

How do you choose a neutral?
Deborah Lippmann: It’s sort of the same as finding a foundation or finding a lip color. You need to find out if you’re warm or cool. I have two colors in my collection, one is warm and one is more blue based. If you put on the wrong color and your cuticle looks red, it’s not the right color. The warm is called Fashion, the one called You Can Leave Your Hat On has more blue undertones. Even if you’re wearing the wrong red, your cuticle will look red when it dries down.

When switching from a darker nail to a neutral, why do nails sometimes turn yellow?
Deborah Lippmann: Yellowing nails don’t mean you are unhealthy. You may be wearing a lot of pigment in your nail polish. Try a thicker, ridge filling base coat if you are wearing really pigmented colors. It could also be from sunscreen. Or, of course, if you're using acrylics on your nails. Fake nails are how I stopped biting.

I can’t believe you bit your nails.
Deborah Lippmann: That’s how I got into the business! When I was younger, I bit my nails. I started performing – singing, I'm a jazz singer – and when I got on stage, I was holding the microphone and the director was like "No, no, no. Put on a set of nails," and I was like, "[gasps]." I felt so comfortable. It was a really life changing thing.

For how to perfectly polish, check back on Friday!

Just What You've Been Waiting For: All About Nail Fungus

BellaSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:31 -0700

Here's the main thing you need to know about nail fungus: AVOID. Seriously, the best way to treat this stubborn condition is to prevent it in the first place. I've compiled a few suggestions on how to do just that, plus some treatment options if you wind up with an infection.

What it is: Nail fungus is an infection of the nail bed. It often begins as a white or yellow spot under the nail, then spreads to the entire nail. Full-blown fungus usually makes the nail thick, brittle, and yellowed, with crumbly edges to the nail. (You can see pictures if you like, but you've been warned: it ain't pretty.)

How it's transferred: Fungi thrive in warm, dark, damp places, then happily transfer to your toenails or fingernails.

How to avoid it: Never walk barefoot in a public place such as a shower or swimming pool; instead, wear flip-flops to protect your feet from potential fungus hangouts. If you've battled nail fungus before, wear shoes and socks that "breathe," rather than nylons or socks that trap moisture. Take your own tools to nail salons, and never use the Jacuzzi-type foot-soaking tubs - they're harder to sanitize, so you risk picking up someone else's fungus.

To find out how to treat nail fungus, read more.

If you already have nail fungus, you have my condolences. This is one stubborn infection, and it won't go away on its own. In fact, left untreated, the fungus will grow and grow, and it may spread to other nails. While it won't kill you, it's smart to tackle it rather than ignore it.

The best bet is to see a doctor, who may prescribe an antifungal medicine such as Lamisil. (See the little guy up there? He's their fungal spokesperson.) This type of medicine helps new nails grow without fungus, but it takes months to grow a new nail. You may also need to have tests to make sure your liver stays healthy while you take the medicine. Worse yet, these medications can run into the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Over-the-counter treatments are more or less worthless. Any drugstore will have topical anti-fungal products, but read the label; most, if not all, treat the skin around the nail, but not the nail itself. Folk remedies include using tea tree oil on the nail every night, but that's a hit-or-miss plan. Some people swear by using Vicks Vapo-Rub on the nail; while I haven't had nail fungus, the hypochondriac in me thought I did, and I wore Vapo-Rub to bed for two weeks. (Sexy.) It turned out that my fungus fears were for nothing, but the Vicks treatment did improve some of the discoloration left over from wearing red polish.

As you can see, battling nail fungus is not easy. Once again, it all goes back to prevention. If you can avoid picking it up, please do.

Bella Interview: Dr. Carolyn Siegal, Beverly Hills Podiatrist

BellaSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700

Dr. Carolyn Siegal takes care of the well-heeled-literally. She's a podiatrist in Beverly Hills, where she's also launched her own collection of foot care products. After seeing patients who picked up infections from unclean nail salons, she launched the Dr. Carolyn Collection, a line of nail supplies meant to provide a safer pedicure. The smartest product is the savvy nail kit, which contains buffers, a nail clipper, a cuticle pusher, a disposable tub liner and other essential nail implements that you can tote to your nail salon.

Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Siegal about how to keep your feet healthy and safe. She's passionate about her work, and she also knows the value of a good pedicure! Read on for the interview.

What's the sign of healthy feet?
Clean and normal colors-like what you'd see on a baby. There shouldn't be any yellowing or thickening, or signs of lesions or warts. Healthy feet have clean, well-hydrated skin with no cracks in the heels. And, of course, no pain.

For the entire interview, including information on the pedicure tool you should avoid at all costs, read more

How can you tell if a spa or salon is safe and clean?
Well, my kits were developed because I was seeing so many patients who had infections. You can imagine that the corner nail shops-they're cheap, they have neon signs, the staff doesn't speak English-are not necessarily so clean. There are those salons that obviously don't seem up to code, but there's a risk with all salons when tools aren't cleaned-and by the way, those blue UV light boxes don't necessarily sterilize the tools. It's not the way the medical community cleans its tools.

Aren't Jacuzzi tubs more dangerous than stainless steel bowls?
Yes; most Jacuzzi-type tubs are not supported by the medical community. First, you have to understand how fungus grows. It thrives in moist, warm places: showers at the gym, poolsides and tubs. So if someone with athlete's foot or a fungus uses a tub, once that happens, you have a problem because a lot of tubs with Jacuzzi jets have water that gets recycled. The tub gets refilled with water, and the next person can get nail fungus. You need a free-standing bowl made of stainless steel or glass, and a liner.

For those of us who do our pedicures at home, how can we get soft feet?
Don't use sharp blades on rough heels. I recommend that you don't use credo blades-they're illegal in 22 states. Instead, use a pumice bar or a foot scrub. I developed a foot scrub with pumice in it; you can put it on a washcloth. Follow it with a cream. My Velvet Crème is really ultra-moisturizing. It has urea, which doctors use; I lowered the concentration to an over-the-counter level. Follow this routine three or four times a week and you'll have softer feet.

Are nail ridges normal, or are they a bad sign?
The nails tell a lot about your systemic health. You can get ridging if you've had a shock to the system. But it can also mean nothing, especially if you're young and healthy. If you've had significant changes in your nails, go to your doctor.

Can nail polish stain your nails?
Yes, certain nail polishes have dyes that can stain. A good base coat is important. There are nail polishes that are free of dyes. OPI is a good brand, as is Rescue Nail Lounge.

And is it bad for your nails to always have polish on them?
I wouldn't say it's bad, but it's often good to take a break every few months to let the nails "breathe."