We’ve officially hit holiday season, which means we can start having even more fun with our nails . Today we’re looking at a mix of the hottest trends of the season: matte, reverse French, glitter, the color purple
Matte Reverse French in Orly Purple Velvet
Matte nail polishes made a showing at NY Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last spring (for fall) and again last month for Spring 2010. If you haven’t put your hand into the anti-shine movement, at the very least you need to know the trend is extending into next season. Common complaints for matte include low durability, flat colors and difficult applications. Orly solves those problems with:
A good formulation. They also offer a matte bonder to help adhesion.
Appealing colors. The collection is small, but the purple and blue are quite pretty. The black does fall into the flat, but works. I think companies need to stop equating “matte” to mean “black”. Matte works so much better with fresh colors.
Again, this goes back to good formulation. The Orly polish goes on fairly smoothly and has a slow dry down. True to matte though, it is a bit unforgiving, so you need a steady hand and apply evenly. If you are having a very tough time, you can apply a matte top coat. I only had Essie’s Matte About You which does help with any ridging that may occur. There is no top coat in the nail pictured.
Orly supplied Purple Velvet and I was smitten the moment I tried it. The look is very true to the bottle color. I put this look together showing a Reverse French manicure with Purple Velvet. Ways you can alter the look:
The moon can be left blank or another solid color used for work. If you have a little more freedom, you can fill the moon area with a glitter polish as I have done. I used a mixture of Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #11 Strobe Light and #24 Shooting Star. These are very dense glitter polishes and fill in the space well.
It is hard to tell in the photo, but I also lightly pulled the glitter polish brush across the tip, which creates a faux French, a bit of a finish. Skip if you don’t need bling.
If you want to switch things up, add a glossy top coat. It deepens the color and creates a near hologram with the glitter.
Matte Reverse French in OPI Merry Midnight
Oh. Mah. Goodness. Merry Midnight is part of OPI’s holiday collection, and it is a stunner. This deep purple base is filled with bitty flecks of blue, and thick flecks of red. Applying, it is a crap shoot how much sparkle you get on each nail, but the red just makes this pop. I would have been happy if they had added even more. This look is the same reverse French, with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear #11 Strobe Light. Worn with a very shiny top coat it just sparkles. Worn with a matte top coat produces a very interesting look – it magnifies the flecks. Note: Merry Midnight can take up to five coats to achieve true opaqueness. But it is worth it.
Will you be wearing the mattes and/or sparkles this season? How do you feel about the reverse French?
The long blogged about Jimmy Choo collection hits H&M on November 14, and a sweet preview is available via website and video below. Along with shoes, there is an accessory line and Men’s & Women’s. As you can guess, the happily affordable shoes and accessories should prove to be a sellout, and some items have limitations on numbers that can be bought per person.
Only the first 160 will receive a bracelet that allows them to shop the H&M Jimmy Choo collection! Tell me, are you going to be waiting in line? I’ve included the rules below. Read up to make sure you follow correctly, and enjoy browsing for your purchases in the video below. November 14th – Save the Date for H&M Jimmy Choo
Nails Night Out NYC was a success as brands and beauty lovers gathered to hear about new launches, swap, and talk polish. Top lacquer brands that attended included:
Rescue Beauty Lounge
Nailtini
No Miss Nail Care
Priti NYC
Color Club Nail Polish
Flutterby Beauty
Anise Cosmetics
No6 Nails
ManGlaze Ink
Zoya Nail Polish
Forsythe Cosmetic Group
Barielle
Nubar
Jesses Girl Cosmetics
OC Nail Art
Sigma Makeup
BBCouture Cosmetics
PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics
Lucky winner!
Guys liked it too!
Do all of those little bottles make you dizzy with delight? Me too.
There is promise of a national tour, with the next stop in Atlanta in February 2010. To keep updated visit NailsNightOut website (under construction) or email info@nailsnightout.com to be added to mailing list.
You read right. That hottie of fashion trends Joe Zee is selecting a few lucky men in dire need of a makeover. Ladies, you can nominate! Make it snappy – you only have until Nov 2nd to get in a photo of the both of you to AtoZee@hfmus.com and don’t forget to include a few lines for why he should be selected. You could see yourselves in an upcoming issue of Elle. (I think I’m nominating the His & Her jacket couple)
Our final look for Halloween 2009 is inspired by a blockbuster book and cable series. True Blood/Twilight took vampires and night worship to another level for millions of fans, and you can show your allegiance to the dark side as Victoria. Described as “feline” with a “terrible beauty” Victoria’s locks are long, flowing and captivating. Pantene Stylist Danilo shares with Solessence how to get this look without wigging out:
1. Start by using the Pantene Pro-V Moisture Renewal Shampoo to hydrate hair for a good styling base
2. Apply the Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine Mousse to damp hair for lightweight hold and added shine
3. Blow-dry hair using a natural or combination bristle brush
4. Curl hair using a 1-inch curling iron wrapping hair from tip to root to create tight curls; for defined curls, hold each section of hair in curl formation as it cools after removing iron
5. Pull hair half-up starting approximately ½ inch above the ears and secure with a clip or bow
6. Apply the Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Frizz control Anti-Humidity Hairspray to hair keep curls smooth and frizz-free
Have a great Halloween, and if you try any of these looks, please share your photo!
Solessence brings you four looks through Friday – inspiration for Halloween Hair. Each of these looks takes after a celluloid celeb, so you can try these during the day, and well after the witching hour.
Thursday: Betty Draper of Mad Men Wednesday: Uhura of Star Trek Tuesday: Gossip Girl Blair Waldorf
