Weekly Manicure: Interview Appropriate Polish

As you (might) know I am an HR professional. Today I will be coordinating another entry level career day, wish me luck... One of the things that I stress to the attendees is that they should come dressed in professional attire. Naturally they all show up in their best suits (or the closest thing) but, there is more to your personal appearances than the clothing you wear. Men need to comb their hair and shave, ladies should do the same equivalent. You want to be the most polished you that you can be especially because a shrewd HR professional will make their first impression based on all those things; Don't forget the little stuff!

One of the most forgotten things for some ladies is giving yourself a neutral manicure or any manicure at all. Personally I am always aware of the fact that I might have to shake hands with more than one interviewer so, why not put a pretty polished one forward? Today I am leading by example with a simple and subtle manicure. Enter Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Tutu Much! While this isn't the most fun manicure strip I could pick it is perfect for making a professional impression. What kind of manicure would you give yourself if you had an interview on the horizon?

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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: Buttercup Baby

Do you remember how I said that I saw the perfect yellow polish last week but, left it behind so I could pick from the vast selection at the nail salon? No? Well, you should keep up... Anyway, I couldn't resist and headed back to the Duane Reade near my office to pick it up for this week's manicure; It was meant to be. I knew Buttercup was a Limited Edition color because of it's placement in the store on a shelf with other special makeup displays but, I didn't realize that it was a special edition Tracy Reese color (big difference.) I could have sworn those launched back in April or May. I may have to go back and check to see if the other colors that I was lusting over (Honey Whip, The Sky's The Limit, Temptation) are there for subsequent manicures but, I digress... The color is a little translucent; I'm ok with that. It's a far cry from the extremely saturated gold color that made up my manicure a few weeks ago. Which do you prefer? What color are your nails this week?

Weekly Manicure: Lilac Polish, Silver Accent Nail

Guys, I have to be super honest. I am in LOVE with my manicure this week; Every time I move my hand it catches my eye. Lilac is one my favorite warm weather manicure colors and this particular shade (Revlon Colorstay Provence) is absolutely perfect. While it would have been ok to rock the pseudo neutral lilac manicure I thought it best to spice it up with an accent nail, that really pulled the whole thing together. Although, I think next week I am going to skip the polish and try nail strips again... decisions, decisions. Which one do you prefer for your own manicures?

FBFF: Manicures, and Pedicures, and Nails... Oh My!

I'm sure you've noticed that I have really gotten into doing my own nails. After looking at some amazing nail  blogs I thought, "Everyone has to start somewhere" or "Practice makes perfect" or some combination of those things. That feeling combined with my new(ish) found inability to spend money has been an inspiration and motivated me to lacquer it up.

While simply painting my nails is great practice I have also been trying to mix it up: making my own colors, trying out different types of polishes, using different patterned nail strips. I know it's nothing crazy but, everyone DOES have to start somewhere!  

Weekly Manicure: Accent Nail

This week's manicure was really all about complementing the ensemble that I wore to my cousin's wedding on Saturday. Sure, I could have gone with a classic french manicure but, I wanted my mani/pedi to be a little more interesting. Of all the fun manicures that I have tried I haven't done the whole trendy one accent nail thing and that seemed like a good option. I wanted to use baby blue and silver nail polish so it complimented my labrodorite jewelry as opposed to purple or pink which would have been beyond matchy matchy. I think the manicure came out great and it went perfectly with my dress. What do you think?

Weekly Manicure: Kookoo for Coral

This utterly depressing, dour, and all around dismal weather has not completely destroyed my desire for warmer things. I am craving summer and could not think of a better way to channel that than with my manicure this week! Enter my favorite summer polish, Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Kook-A-Mango (similar to my first coral manicure love Boat House by Essie)! I absolutely love the color, which is best complemented by tan skin and sandy surroundings. Normally, I would have thought twice before wearing such a bright polish to work but, after my boss was sporting a similarly carol manicure last week I felt fairly confident in my choice. What is your polish color of choice for a fun in the sun summer manicure?

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Weekly Manicure: Half Moon Cheetah

Last week I found my manicure in pretty good shape at the end of the week, despite the warnings from the Incoco kiosk person. The only major issue was the fact that my nails had grown a bit (as they tend to do) so, I decided to try something new instead of giving myself a whole new manicure. 

Enter, Half Moon Cheetah! Most half moon manicure tutorials tell you to start with a single color and then use some sort of round stickers to mark the half moon part while painting a second color on the upper part of your nail over the base color. Since I already had the color I wanted on the upper part of my nail I needed to try something a little different to get the desired effect. Using "old-fashioned" hole protector stickers I laid out a half moon shape at the bottom of each of my nails. It was a little tricky on the bigger nails (ex: my thumbs) but, I by cutting them in half a bit off center I managed to finagle them into a shape that worked.

They were was perfect for the task at hand and I painted a few coats of Sally Hansen's Nailgrowth Miracle in Wholesome Earth  in the half moon shape at the bottom of my nail and violá an easy, do-it-yourself half moon manicure!

One of the things that I would be cautious about is making sure that the area you paint is very dry before you remove the stickers or you might mess up the edges. You could seal it with a top coat if you want but, I didn't and it was fine. This is an excellent way to spice up your existing manicure and make those nail strips last one week longer if they are holding up to your daily wear and tear!

How do you think it came out?

Weekly Manicure: Rawr

While I enjoy the options and creative possibilities that nail polish allows I have not yet perfected the manicure process to the point where I can avoid chipping. I think I am in line with what most would consider “best practice” but, still see my manicure falling to pieces (literally) after two or three days. What advice would you have to create or maintain a long lasting manicure? I’d be happy to put this into practice next week when I sit down and do my nails.

Based on this seemingly inevitable manicure disappointment over the past two weeks I have decided to go with Sally Hansen Manicure Strips this week to avoid (almost) immediate chipping. I picked this specific pattern up on complete impulse when I saw it at CVS. I just can’t ignore that lipstick nail polish effect especially when it’s something new and exciting. There have a bunch of fun colors/patterns in this Rock of Ages collection but, Rock N' Roar was the only one calling to me as I glanced over my options. Who can resist a good animal print? That’s right, nobody…

Ironically Sally Hansen Manicure Strips would be against the “advice” of a mall kiosk person I met last weekend. Let me set the scene: I was shopping with my cousin and giving consultative wardrobe advice. As we were crawling the malls near her I spotted a kiosk that sold Incoco strips and Konad plates. I was super excited because I haven’t had the option to buy either in person yet. When I walked over to browse I was immediately assaulted greeted and the salesperson asked if I wanted to try a sample. I said yes (to a Konad design) but, she assumed that I meant the Incoco strips and proceeded to try to remove the polish (gasp) I had on my nail.

The crisis was averted and she stamped my nail, it came out really well. I suggested that my cousin try the strips because of their convenience and ease of use. While I tried to tell my cous about my personal experience with Incoco the conversation was peppered with comments from the sales person. While I said they were similar to Sally Hansen she insisted they were nothing alike and that Incoco is superior. When I said they were both nail polish strips she said Sally Hansen was plastic and Incoco was seven layers of polish. When I said that they lasted for at least a week she insisted that it was more like 14 days. The only thing that she didn’t contradict me on was when I said that there were a lot of great patterns on the website. It was a very awkward experience especially since I am familiar with/an advocate of Incoco nail strips.

While I went Sally Hansen this time around I think my nails came out pretty well, don’t you?

Do you utilize manicure strips or do you think they are just a passing trend? If you do are you a Sally Hansen or Incoco person or do you use some cool new thing that I’ve never heard about?

Weekly Manicure: Mint Sorbet

While I don’t own any mint colored clothing it is one of the Spring 2012 trends that is calling out to me. I was trying to think of a (cost-free/low-cost) way to bring more mint into my life when I remembered Essie Mint Candy Apple polish. That would be the perfect way to incorporate the mint trend everyday next week without breaking the bank or buying any new clothes. With no time to order, I decided to stop by my local CVS and see what I could find in their beauty department.

As expected I came across a few similar shades of mint green from Revlon and Sally Hansen. While I was excited that my plan was coming to fruition I was also overwhelmed with all the choices; Did I want Revlon Minted? How about Sally Hansen Nail Growth Gentle Blossom? Perhaps Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect Color + Care in Sea? So many choices! I’m glad I stopped with those two brands. I ended up picking Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet. Why, you might wonder? Because, it was the cheapest one they had by a (considerable) margin; It was only $3.59, about half the price compared to other iterations of mint and most decent quality nail polish in general! I found it in a commonly overlooked place, at the bottom of the shelf. Don’t let stores trick you into buying the first thing you see! Take time and look high and low (literally) the best deals are normally in places that you wouldn’t check at all!

What spring trends (nail polish or otherwise) are you most excited for? 

Work With What You've Got: Leftovers

I know everyone is familiar with Sally Hansen Manicure Strips. If you're not then you need to get with the program! They are pretty fantastic, allowing people to have some of the snazziest nails without the painstakingly long trip to the actual salon.

But, when all that is said and done you still have 6 additional strips that didn't fit on your digits! And as economical as these nail strips might seem they actually cost more than a manicure in some stores... not cool! What's the point of doing it yourself if you are going to pay more?

I have seen lots of other people do only the ring or pointer finger but, I wanted to try something different! So I decided to do a little patchwork... I started out with a basic manicure using Maybelline's Salon Expert Nail Polish in Sheer Ballet Pink. Then I did some of this:

 

You can cut and place them anyway you like. I cut them in half/thirds and placed them in a symmetrical patterns on my nails. I also ended up painting another coat of nail polish on one side so that the nail strip wasn't dramatically higher than the rest of the nail bed. As great as these nail strips are one of the best ways to ensure a long lasting manicure with them is to start with very clean nails and I don't think manicured nails qualify; We'll see how long it lasts...

Either way I like the finished product! It is unique and it's subtle. I also think it would look great with a more noticeable contrast like lace and maroon, lightbulb! No one has given me any feedback yet but, I think it's only a matter of time... Have you thought of any cool uses for your extra polish strips? 

Wicked Alternative

I don't know if it is the same all over the country/world but, in NYC when the weather starts to cool down and all the stylin' ladies are heading to the salon for their weekly mani/pedi they turn to the quitessential Essie shade Wicked. At this juncture of extreme budget-ness, I can't really afford to be one of those people and I'm ok with that. But, I still really love that look and have found while trying to do my own nails that Essie isn't really the greatest polish; blasphemous maybe but, still true. And so began my search for an alternative product...

I really like Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure but, they just don't have the right color. You know; a maroon that is almost bordering on black in certain lighting situations but, is definitely still maroon. I have tried a few different things and have finally found a good quality product that is the perfect color. I wanted to share it with all of you just in case you have been on the hunt like me, you're search is over!

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Plus polish in Wholesome Earth is the closest thing that I have found to Wicked so far and I am loving the color. The polish is good quality, no serious chipping (impressive since I have a very keyboard keavy job) or streaking. The only thing that took some getting used to was the brush. I prefer something thicker but, once you get the hang of it that's not an issue at all. Unfortunatley while looking for a place to buy it online I learned that it has been discontinued! Bummer, I am fighting the urge to head back to Target and buy every bottle... I guess my search isn't really over.

Lots of bloggers have great advice for easy do-it-yourself manicures. My biggest piece of advice on that front is, practice makes perfect! Also, use good products. I'm not saying you have to go out there and buy extremely expensive things, just stuff that does a good job. I am loving Sally Hansen Complete Care 4-in-1; it is my basecoat, my topcoat, or just a clear polish on my in between days. I am on my second bottle guys, no joke, it's good stuff! Another thing that you can find at salons in the city is super quick dry drops because not all of them are set up with dryers. This is another product I recommend if you're like me and have the patience of a two year old. I have been searching for a good one for at least a year and was lucky enough to find some at the local drugstore, Revlon Liquid Quick Dry will save me from many future smudges! It's not instantaneous drying but, within five minutes or so things can be back to normal.

Because blogging can be a business, I would just like to finish this post by saying that I did not recieve any compensation for anything I said about these products. I purchased everything on my own and am just sharing my humble opinion.