BellaSugar

Holiday Makeup: The Golden Girl

BellaSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:31 -0800

When it comes to holiday makeup, all that glitters truly is gold. There are few shades more universally flattering, and the light-diffusing properties of metallics make skin look soft, warm, and undeniably inviting. There's no better time of year to deck yourself out in a little royal glitter, whether you want to glow in soft candlelight or correct the harshness of fluorescent office lighting. I've put together a complete gold color palette, from lip gloss to eye liner and mascara, to help you have a little fun with the original precious metal. Click through and stay golden, Pony Girl.

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Trend Alert: Gold Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:00:29 -0800

I've always seen a range of gold polishes available in stores, but I never knew anyone who actually wore them. However, in the past two episodes of The Hills, I've spied pale gold digits on Heidi Montag. They match her newly lightened hair well and since we know that metallics aren't going anywhere, it's only natural that this gilded trend has trickled down to the fingertips. Here are a couple of wearable gold polishes to help liven up your holiday look!

MAC Gold Veneer Nail Lacquer ($10) is part of their Holiday Antiquitease Collection. It is a frosty gold, almost tarnished yellow shade that contains UV protection as well as new technology to make it extra extra glossy. One coat adds a nice pale touch to your fingers, while two coats is darker and a little bit more dramatic.

For one more gorgeous gold nail polish, read more

OPI 18k Ginza Gold Nail Polish ($6) is a glittering slightly deeper gold that also contains a bit of an orangey hue. This light-catching color sparkles like the moon and is part of the very popular Japanese Collection. Would you dare to wear gold nail lacquer?

Are You Into The Gold Nail Polish Trend?

BellaSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:11:22 -0700

As you may already know, the French clothing company Paul & Joe has branched out into developing beauty products. I couldn't resist writing about their ultra chic metallic nail polish color called, Etoile Scintillante, $12.

We've already acknowledged that silver polish is a super hot trend for Spring, but how do you feel about going for the gold? Is it something that you'll be sporting on your nails, toes, or both?

What Are Your Favorite Makeup "Dupes?"

BellaSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:00:04 -0700

The economy might (might) be on its way to recovery, but that doesn't mean I'll stop saving my pennies as much as possible. I'm always in the pursuit of looks for less, and over the weekend, I picked up Milani Blush Compact in Luminous ($3.50) - a pretty decent lookalike of the classic gold-toned peachy pink Nars blush in Orgasm ($25). While Milani's Luminous is not an exact replica of the famous afterglow shade, as it's not quite as pigmented, since it's about $20 less, I'm a happy lady.

Now I need your help. Whether it's a trendy new nail polish shade or an old-school lipstick favorite, share your favorite affordable alternative in the Beauty Dupes group.

The Look For Less: Nars' Hot Fall Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:00:18 -0700

Every time I hit Sephora, I gaze longingly at Nars Tokaido Express nail polish ($16). It's a deep, sophisticated purple with subtle gold flecks that a cool girl like Kim Gordon might wear if she were invited to a fancy-pants brunch. If you're looking for a similar shade at a smaller price, you're in luck. I've found a drugstore dupe that's pretty close to this shade. To hop aboard that train, just keep reading.

Three Tips For Going Glittery

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:02 -0700

I'm dazzled by these new sparkly shades from rescue beauty lounge . . . and smiling at the clever names. Locavore blends earth-friendly hues of green and blue with metallics, Frugalista blasts out with gunmetal specks in a rich purple, and Look Rich, Be Cheap is a gold polish with purple flecks.
As posh as the products are, applying glittery polish can be tough. Check out my tips for a smooth sparkle when you read more.

Polish prep. Start with a layer of clear (or complementary colored) polish on top of a base coat. This additional layer keeps nails smooth and helps hold glitter in place.
Seal the sparkle. If you find fault with the gritty feel, seal in the glitter with a powerful top coat like Seche Vite that allows the top coat to penetrate to the base and lock it all in.
Clean and clear off. Use swabs to take off polish, as glitter is typically harder to remove – it can scrape your nails if you're not careful. Cotton helps pick up the bits while the color rubs off smoothly.

Trend Alert: Glitzy Black Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:26 -0700

What's black, sometimes white, and glitzed all over? It's the black nail polish trend taken up a notch, that's what. I've spotted different stars putting a new spin on this trend, which - let's face it - had been getting a little stale. In lieu of a straight up manicure with black polish, these celebrities have taken it up several notches with their own unique embellishments (see them up close after the jump).

Paris Hilton has been sporting a black and white French manicure; Solange Knowles opted for some geometric gold patterns at an event last month; and singer Keri Hilson chose a black with silver stripes design at her launch party. What do you think of this look? Bring it on or not?

To see closeups, read more.

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Bellissima! Yves Saint Laurent's Nail Touch

BellaSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 06:00:29 -0700

Yves Saint Laurent can now add another product to its beloved line of click-able makeup. First came the famous Touche Eclat Highlighter, then the gorgeous and glittery Touche Brilliance for Lips, and finally the flawless face Perfect Touch Foundation. But this baby is by far the coolest of the bunch!

Allow me to introduce the Yves Saint Laurent Nail Touch nail polish pen ($23). Say so long to messy bottles that can spill and gooey caps that get stuck. With a couple of clicks of this no-fuss pen, you can polish your nails in one easy step - and with one hand.

The fluid tool releases just the right amount of sheer, high-shine lacquer to coat each nail, while a blend of solvents dry the polish upon application. It is also supposed to be long-lasting and chip resistant, since the finish is so thin. For the rest of the details, read more

To use, simply shake before opening, then remove the cap and click away until the brush loads. As soon as you see polish, stop clicking and paint. Right now, Nail Touch is available in six shimmery pastel shades:

Golden Beige Reflections is a light shimmery gold polish.
Pearly Light Beige is a nude polish with opalescent shine that's a touch deeper than Golden Beige.
Parma Radiance is a shimmery, sheer lavender polish.
Metallic Pink Radiance is a sheer baby-pink polish with hefty shine.
Secret Radiance is a crystal-clear polish.
Pearly White Sparkle is more opaque than Secret Radiance and looks like a cloud-colored opal polish on the nail.

Bella Interview: Roxanne Valinoti, CND Nail Stylist

BellaSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:30:01 -0800

Just in time for Fashion Week, I have a preview of what we'll be seeing on the runways-well, manicure-wise, at least. I recently talked with Roxanne Valinoti, a lead nail stylist with CND. She's in charge of CND's nail team for Fashion Week, which means that she knows what will hit the runways before most other people. Read on to find out how her team works with designers, how fashionable nails are about to shift their size and shape.

Tell me about the process of working with designers.
We’ve established great relationships with designers. Our artist team collaborates with the designers on what their story is, what their fabrics are, what their colors they chooes to use. Then we collaborate with our artists and they come up with some really cool nail styles and we do sample nails. We go back and forth and decide what the designer feels complements their work the best, and then we go into full production.

How far ahead of the show do you start?
The lead time could be a month out or it could be three days out. It depends on the designer. Some are more prepared and have more advance notice than others. Unfortunately for us, we’re not a hair and makeup team where we can just come in and do makeup or hair. If we’re doing certain designs or they want length and tips, that’s something we have to have prepared well in advance. We need a little more lead time when it comes to actually doing specific designs. Although if it’s just polish, our leads show up to a show and they’re fully equipped with every polish that we make. They have big bottles, so if a designer decides they want a custom color, the girls can mix it right on the spot.

For the rest of the interview, read more.

How many manicurists work backstage?
We have four teams, with three people on each team. They’re super-fast, they’re totally professional, they’re very experienced. They get in, we have a team lead that’s assigned to meet the contact and get the model list, and they go to work. We’re mobile, so it’s a little bit easier for us to get in between the models while they’re getting their hair and makeup done. It’s important to us to get our job done as fast as possible so that the polish has time to dry. That way it doesn’t get on the clothes or the shoes.

You said that sometimes you mix special polishes for a show. Do those ever hit the consumer market?
That’s exactly what happened with Phillip Lim two seasons ago. We did a deep purple. That color wound up becoming a holiday color that we had this holiday season called Deep Velvet. Sometimes it’s inspiration, and sometimes we will actually create one. We work with a trend forecasting company, so we know before Fashion Week what the textures, styles and fabrics are. That’s really what gives us the inspiration to create the color collection ahead of time.

So what nail trends are you seeing for fall 2008?
A lot of the colors are pretty industrial-metallic, there’s a dark black with lots of shimmer in it for texture. I think that is going to be the trend. In fabrics, I've seen deconstructed leather or wool or tweed. The colors are monochromatic, but it’s the texture that makes it look unique. Dark and shiny and architectural are words to describe the trends. The other ones they’re calling savage chic. The colors are earthy and raw and primitive-gold, but weathered. So it’s not perfect, it’s a little rustic.

What about length?
We’re looking at longer nails. The shape is not really so square; it’s more almond.

So now I have to start growing out my nails?!
Normally the trend has been that if you go dark, you should have really short nails. But for me, it’s more chic: The darker the nail, the longer the length. So it’s not really sporty, it gives a little edge to that darkness-but not in a goth way.

Jennifer Lopez Nails It

BellaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:00:07 -0700

When you think of Jennifer Lopez's beauty, you probably think about her famously glowing skin or fragrance empire. That might change now that she's jumping on the celebrity black nail polish bandwagon. Proving that dark polish really is here to stay, she's been wearing Dior Vernis polish ($19) in Black Sequins. The silver-flecked black is more glam than goth, and if you prefer gold over silver, get a similar look with this double-layered manicure.

If you're going to go dark for Fall, a few tips will make your polish go on smoothly and last longer. First, be sure to soak your hands and push cuticles back; this should help you keep paint on the nail bed rather than on cuticles. Always use a base coat to avoid any yellowing from the dark polish, and clean your nails twice when it's time to remove the color.

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