Weekly Manicure: Oxblood

I have had every intention of doing something spectacular with my nails for my manicure this week but, I have been busy sick and entirely unmotivated. I was long overdue for a manicure but, instead of busting out the makeup sponges, loofahs, or old maps I went in the completely opposite direction and grabbed some manicure strips. Do you think that falls in the category of ultimate laziness or savvy convenience? For my sake let's just say it's the latter...

I went with a shade of maroon called Red Velvet from Incoco but, doesn't it remind you of the quintessential Fall 2012 color? Yup, this shade is SO oxblood! For better of worse I'm not going to look at maroon, burgundy, wine, claret, rosewood, or carmine the same way. Regardless, they are prefect for fall and I am in love with the color, perhaps I am being brainwashed. Have you fallen for oxblood yet?

Normally, I have an extremely positive experience with Incoco manicure strips but, this time they were chipping after the third day. I wonder if it's because I have had this set of manicure strips for a while (think Christmas gift). Have you ever used an older batch of Incoco manicure strips and had a similar experience or did I do something wrong?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a New York Fashion Week Swag Bundle!

Weekly Manicure: A Classic Combo - Neutral Nail, Bold Toe

When I think of a versatile and neutral manicure nothing comes to mind faster than a classic French manicure. When I want thinking ahead to all the activities and events I have going on because of Fashion Week and life in general I wanted my manicure to last and be appropriate through it all; Enter Incoco French manicure nail strips! I've tried them before and know that they are fantastic so it was really a no brainer to go that route again. I did them last week and they are still perfectly presentable in all situations despite the everyday wear and tear of my life.

While I love the French manicure there was still the question of what to do in terms of my pedicure. I don't know about you but, I think French pedicures look weird; Kind of like the toe nails are too long or the person is trying to highlight their natural toe which doesn't work for me since I'm not a huge fan of feet in general... I could come up with a bunch of reasons but, in the end, I just don't like them and wouldn't elect to  paint my tootsies that way. O good, I'm not the only one! Instead I went for a dark purple color which screams fall to me. I sense a manicure in that polish's future sometime soon but, not too soon... summer isn't  over yet! What color did you paint your nails this week?

Weekly Manicure: Incoco Champagne French Manicure

This Last week I needed a polish change. With so many choices in my nail polish arsenal I wasn’t really sure how to proceed so I decided to keep it simple. You guessed it, a french manicure. Thankfully, I had some Incoco french manicure strips to make the process easy and frustration free. How do you think the french manicure came out? Really, I think it’s fab too! I also came to an unexpected realization about how long my own natural nails have gotten.

 

I have a confession. When I was younger I used to bite my nails and it was bad! I’m not quite sure why I felt the need to gnaw on my fingers or why it continued as long (into college) as it did but, it did. There were stretches of time where I wasn’t compelled bite my nails (I was getting regular manicures or I had acrylic tips/wraps) but, the minute consistent stress or boredom crept up on me I found myself right back where I started.

Fast forward to now… I don’t really have problem anymore. I’m not quite sure how I kicked it. Maybe there is always something for me to do (thanks phone) or I’ve learned to cope with my stress differently; Your guess is as good as mine. But, when I went shopping with my mom this past weekend I (proudly) showed her my nails and we both marveled over the fact that I used to pay to have manicurists put acrylic on my nail to make them just as long as they are naturally. How times have changed! Did you ever have a problem with nail biting? How did you move past it?

 

And The Winner Is...

Patti_NotDeadYetStyle!!! Congratulations! I will be in touch shortly with details about your prize. Thanks to everyone who participated. I'm hoping to be able to bring you many more giveaways as 260 Days, No Repeats continues to grow and I hope you'll stick around to take part in that as well!

Reminder: Incoco Giveaway

Don't forget I am going to share some of the Incoco swag I got with you. I will be giving away one of the samples that I got "Suit Up", a 7 way nail buffer, and some nail polish remover pads!

This giveaway will be until October 17, 2011 and is open to ALL readers! This is your last weekend to enter!! I will pick the winner via Excel/random.org. Here are the rules: become a follower in Google (if you aren't already) and leave a comment on the original post letting me know what Incoco pattern or color is your favorite... Don't forget to add your email so I can contact you! For bonus entries:

• 1 bonus entry - "Like" 260 Days, No Repeats on Facebook. Leave another comment letting me know you did this.
• 1 bonus entry - Follow 260 Days, No Repeats on Twitter. Leave another comment with your twitter handle.
• 3 bonus entries - Re-post this giveaway on your blog. Leave another comment letting me know you did this with the link.
• 5 bonus entries - Add 260 Days, No Repeats to your blogroll. Leave another comment letting me know you did this with the link.

Review and Giveaway: Incoco Nail Strips

Remember a few posts/a month ago when I went to all those Fashion Week events? Well, when I was at Robert Verdi's Luxe Lab the first thing I did was have a manicure at the Incoco table and I fell in love! These nail strips are perfect for every fashionista coming in a variety or colors and patterns with no hassle application and staying power. I was so thrilled when I reached out to them and they responded promptly with samples!

Check out all the options! I'm glad that someone else picked them for me because after browsing through their website I wouldn't have been able to make up my mind, they have so many great patterns! Not only was I noticing great things for myself but, fun colors and patterns that would make ideal stocking stuffers for the impending upcoming holiday season.

I'm wearing Casting Call which was also seen on the Spring 2012 Vivienne Tam runway!

I decided to try the sample I found most impressive (and was thrilled they included) the French Manicure strips... No one makes anything like this and the idea of being able to do my own (successful) French Manicure was a no brainer! I wanted to see how easy it would be.

That was simple now wasn't it! Seriously, it really was... after filing your nails to the desired shape/length and cleaning them thoroughly (that is important for a longer lasting manicure) you start with the white tips. This was the trickier part for me because I wasn't sure how much white tip I wanted but, I did the best I could. Then came the sheer strip which, as you can see in the pic, is really sheer. And voila, instant(ish) French Manicure.

I am already seeing some chips but, that is my own fault. Like I said the while tips were tricky for me... My advice would be to make sure that you are 100% sure before you apply the strip to your nail. Do not pull it off and reattach it five or six two or three times. The full sheer pink part (or other nails strips in general) are much less tricky to apply because the beginning point is your cuticle.

Now for the fun news for you! I am so happy to be able to share some of the Incoco swag with you. I will be giving away one of the samples that I got "Suit Up", a 7 way nail buffer, and some nail polish remover pads!

This giveaway will be until October 17, 2011 and is open to ALL readers! I will pick the winner via Excel/random.org. Here are the rules: become a follower in Google (if you aren't already) and leave a comment on this post letting me know what Incoco pattern or color is your favorite... Don't forget to add your email so I can contact you! For bonus entries:

• 1 bonus entry - "Like" 260 Days, No Repeats on Facebook. Leave another comment letting me know you did this.
• 1 bonus entry - Follow 260 Days, No Repeats on Twitter. Leave another comment with your twitter handle.
• 3 bonus entries - Re-post this giveaway on your blog. Leave another comment letting me know you did this with the link.
• 5 bonus entries - Add 260 Days, No Repeats to your blogroll. Leave another comment letting me know you did this with the link.