Lighten Up, Lady!

I did something this past weekend that I have never done before. I painted my nails blue! Naturally, it being Halloween and all, I just HAD to have my fingernails match my pretty blue and black fairy wings that made up part of my bad sexy fairy princess costume; didn’t I?! It’s no secret that I am a fan of darker colors … but blue? Well, as it turns out … blue is fun!!! I’ve gotten lots of comments on this pretty shade that I picked up on a whim at a local nail salon on Halloween afternoon. #134 Midnight Blue by Sation is a bit darker and less electrifying than another cool shade of blue – #70 Electric Blue – made by Sation. I didn’t have time to shop for the perfect shade of blue. OPI’s Sapphire in the Snow or Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees which is a deeper blue-grey might have also done the trick; but I am satisfied with my selection, as the blue matched the blue on my wings perfectly. Additionally, I found that Sation’s polish goes on smoothly and easily, but most importantly cleans up perfectly – an awesome feature especially when using darker colors. It also seems to be wearing well and I used the standard base coat, two coats of color and top coat four-step process. It’s fun to try new colors and to wear them out with different outfits. This blue has proven to go nicely with my black satin peep-toe pumps and black silk dress I wore to a concert Sunday night as well as my new navy Juicy Couture t-shirt and blue jeans. Classy and sassy … just like I like it!   

I am going light again this weekend for a photo shoot, as I want to go for a more natural look. But who knows what next week will bring? Perhaps I will go regal and opt for OPI’s Here Today … Aragon Tomorrow – a dark, emerald shade that I mentioned in my previous article Let Your Fingers do the Talking (http://www.cougarcandystore.com/2009/10/let-your-fingers-do-the-talking/). Or maybe I will try the other fun shade I got on Saturday at the dollar store beside the nail salon just because. This Peacock Green Glitter nail polish by Santee goes on very sheer, almost translucent, but has small and large glitter chunks in it to jazz things up a little. I think I might have some fun with this one! OPI’s Suede Collection has some fabulous colors like Suede Russian Navy – a beautiful shade of dark blue – and Suede You Don’t Know Jacques – a rich brown that can only serve to remind you of your favorite suede winter thigh high boots.

While I have my favorite dark colors like the most perfect shade of red EVER – Alondra by Renova – a limited edition shade that I picked up on a vacation in Mexico, light colors go a long, long way. I think they wear better and extend the life of your manicure and pedicure, but also make your nails look longer. One of my favorite light shimmery shades is Mist You by Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer. Another is Golden White by Elizabeth Arden – a limited edition holiday shade. If you are looking for something a bit more glamorous, try Scene Stealer by Nicole by OPI, Colors with a Conscience. This shade is a bit more lilac than pink, but is a great in between color to go with cool and warm tones in your wardrobe. Celebs like Kristi Yamaguchi endorse this line and the Website even allows you to “try on” a color by first matching your skin tone and nail length and then selecting a shade. (See the “TRY IT ON” tab at http://www.nicolebyopi.com/.) OPI’s Burmese Blush is a bit on the sparkly side and is a very neutral pink. Embrace by OPI is a more standard French Manicure beige, but is sometimes a bit too milky for me. Looking for a bit more pink? Try Mademoiselle by Essie.

While color selection is important and can even serve to brighten your mood, don’t dismiss good nail care overall. OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener and Start to Finish Base & Top Coat are great to store in your beauty arsenal. I also really like Garlic Nail Developer Hardener by Nutrine. This formula contains Garlic Oil, Garlic Extract and Vitamin E. Sally Hansen also makes a great deal of nail care products like Medicated Cream Cuticle Remover, Smooth Nails Ridge Filler, Advanced Hard as Nails Strengthening Topcoat, Advanced Hard as Nails with Nylon and Retinol, Dries Instantly Top Coat, and so on. I tend to use the Hard as Nails solo, as I don’t feel that it works well as a base coat. I prefer Bonder – a rubberized basecoat – by Orly as a base. Some products work better for some than others. I try to remember products I like and those I don’t. When using Sally Hansen’s Top Coat you really need to wait a bit before applying to just colored nails as it will pick up some of the color and create streaks. Barielle’s Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender was a Beauty Insider’s Choice Award Winner for 2006 and is touted as an “award-winning, high gloss, quick drying formula that will provide a hard, chip resistant top coat.” It also is specially formulated to help protect nail color from UV radiation which can cause dark colors to fade and cause light colors to yellow. I’d argue that this is one of the most important steps in the manicure. My sister and I popped in for a manicure at a nail salon near the Los Angeles airport on a trip to Philadelphia not long ago, and the next morning while at brunch with friends in Philadelphia my friends and I couldn’t stop laughing at how my French manicure was slowly becoming more and more orange. Yuk! Whatever top coat they used on my manicure surely didn’t pass the test, and I wasn’t too happy about having to repaint my nails a day after my manicure. Needless to say I never visited that salon again.

Seche Vite’s Dry Fast Top Coat is one to write home about. This formula goes on well without picking up any color and without any bubbling. This line carries nail fortifiers, ridge fillers and even French manicure travel kits, but Seche Vite is a professional line so the offerings are more geared toward salon treatments. (See: http://www.seche.com/Product.html for product offerings.) This line’s top coat is recognized as “the first patented single procedure non-yellowing dry fast top coat for nail polish that dried and protected the underlying nail polish much faster and created a more durable shield than anything on the market at the time and even to this day. It is still, after more than a decade, the finest and most highly acclaimed top coat for nail polish in the world.” I also like Healthy Hoof Hi-gloss Protectant Hoof Lacquer. It keeps nail polish fresher longer by providing a clear, strong shield which prevents chipping and cracking. Originally developed for horses’ hooves, this lacquer was discovered by groomers to be excellent for personal care. The formula can also be used prior to any color or alone to help strengthen brittle nails. 

Barielle also makes a whole line of repair and growth formulas like the Fortifying Nail Builder with Calcium Fluoride. I tried a formula of theirs a while ago. I believe it was the Nail Rebuilding Protein, but it didn’t work too well for me because it kept peeling. I prefer Rejuvacote Nail Growth System (known as the nail doctor) as this seemed to really strengthen my nails. This formula is guaranteed to help weak, brittle nails grow into stronger, thicker, healthier nails, and is especially good to help repair nails damaged by acrylic. There are plenty of options available to help you grow long, strong and pretty nails. Websites like eNail Supply (http://www.enailsupply.com/) can help guide you. Whatever your mood, try to keep things light and always, always try to have some fun!

Elizabeth Hawk

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