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Posted by on Apr 29, 2013 in Beauty, Nails |

CND Vinylux Weekly Nail Polish Swatches

Vinylux by CND, available to professionals, is the latest release in new, longer lasting nail polish

After discontinuing their Colours & Effects nail polish line, CND had to make a comeback with something special.  The new Vinylux line does this with highly pigmented color, longer lasting wear, and a faster drying top coat.

Thirty of the 62 colors also match the Shellac line, which will be a boon to resale for extended wear users.

The colors officially launch May 1st in the US, after having been released first in New Zealand and the UK.

I have a small sampling, but from the colors I saw (not all were in yet) the matches were pretty impressive. The one dud?  Tropix, which is much creamier and pinker than the Shellac version.  A pretty color, but not a match.

A mini intro kit of “Summer Brights” contains matches for the four newest releases for Shellac (Grape Gum, Water Park, Pink Bikini, Lobster Roll & Top Coat).

Suggested Use:

Vinylux is said to be the perfect product for the fashionista that needs to change out polish on a weekly basis.

  • NO base coat required = faster service
  • Self adhering formulation that continues to cure in the sun (natural UV lighting)
  • Top coat said to be specific to Vinylux cures in under 10 minutes

CND uses their polish line to create looks for designers at Fashion Week, so it’s imperative the colors dry quickly and look rich.  The polish is smooth, and seems to dry at the same speed as Colours & Effects.  I think this is fine, because any faster and you start getting into competition polishing ;) and that isn’t a pace everyone can keep up with.

I’m currently having Vinylux testing out on some hands, and will get back with you on wear. I will also update with colors released.

Have you seen/tried the new weekly polish from CND?

Locket Love

Night Glimmer

Tropix

Rock Royalty

Dark Dahlia

Bicycle Yellow

Electric Orange

Gilded Pleasure

(Similar to Chanel Peridot or Orly duochrome)

Daring Escape

Purple Purple

Pink Bikini

Water Park

Lobster Roll

Grape Gum

Follow me on Instagram to see new looks daily: http://instagram.com/solessence#

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Posted by on Oct 8, 2012 in Beauty | 0 comments

The fall 2012 CND Shellac Color Swatches are here!

The NEW fall Shellac color swatches are here and as usual, CND comes through with very rich, gloriously pigmented color. Behold:

PRETTY POISON: A deep forest green with undertones of rich golds that keeps it mossy and multidimensional (opaque/fine glitter)

 

MIDNIGHT SWIM: A deep blue swimming in silver shimmer that is absolutely mesmerizing (opaque/fine glitter)

 

FAUX FUR:  A creamy brown that is anything but flat. No-nonsense, high fashion brown. (opaque cream)

 

VEXED VIOLETTE: A sweet shimmer violet that is dark enough to be taken seriously during fall/winter (opaque shimmer)

 

OVERTLY ONYX: No one can resist the pretty power of pewter/gunmetal (opaque shimmer)

 

SUGARED SPICE: The golden girl version of Iced Cappuccino (opaque shimmer)

All colors will be sold open stock as opposed to the six piece sets we’ve seen in the past.  Scattered deliveries are happening, but expect to see all colors by November 2012.

Keep your eyes on this space – more to come.

 

 

Beauty and Fashion Tech

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Posted by on Dec 2, 2011 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

Amazing French Manicure – CND Shellac

This client came in to re-Shellac, and even I couldn’t believe the results.  It had been four and a half (4.5!) weeks since I had given her a French manicure using Soft White and Negligee. She came in with one broken nail on her right index but that grew out beautifully.

I see this all of the time with color applications, but I don’t get many requests for French manicures, so it was a pleasant surprise.

How is this long wear possible? Look at the shine still on it!

Shellac is a patent-pending product combining nail polish, gel, and a new technology created by CND that blends the benefits of both to give a thin application similar to nail polish with the long lasting, high shine benefits of gel.

This formula is the only formula on the market that doesn’t require:

  • Filing of the natural nail for adhesion – CND Shellac is formulated to adhere to natural nail beds.
    • The filing required for gel nails is often overdone, resulting in nail damage.  This eliminates any potential issues from a heavy-handed tech.
  • Filing of the topcoat for removal
    • CND Shellac has tunnels that run from the top coat of the product to the base coat, allowing for an amazing 10 minute removal!
  • Taking a “break”- done correctly, application and removal does not create nail damage.
    • The above mentioned tunnels also allow for cuticle oil to penetrate all the way down to the nail bed, nourishing the entire nail and not just cuticles

If you can’t imagine life with an extended wear manicure, you have never tried CND Shellac.  Treat yourself or give this power polish treatment as the perfect stocking stuffer.  It is the most amazing nail product to come out in ages.  But you don’t have to take my word for it.  Advertising Age recently wrote up on the product as one of America’s Hottest Brands.

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Posted by on Jun 26, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Nail Swatches Category in Header bar

Swatches are grouped up on the header bar (scan the top if you haven’t spotted it yet) for quick reference.  Uploading continues at a slower pace than I’d like, but at least it appears to be working now.  I had it broken down by company, collection and color but it wouldn’t load correctly.  I’m hoping this will help streamline the searching for all of the swatches through multiple posts! 

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Posted by on May 24, 2011 in Uncategorized | 8 comments

CND Shellac – Romantique Swatches

NEW! The header tab at top of the page contains swatches


Pearl recently asked a few questions in a CND Swatches post about the color Romantique. I thought I’d go ahead and post additional swatches here because it might be helpful to others.

Note: I’ve enhanced the French tip on the ring finger to further demonstrate coverage

Q: How many coats of Shellac have you applied for the swatches ? The salon I go to applies 2 coats and I dont get the same shade for Romantique or Negligee. Yours looks exact like the bottle color !
A: My swatches are two coats of color. It is possible they are not getting the pigment mixed enough. I would suggest they shake the bottle very well to ensure uniform color. Also, Romantique does take a bit of skill to get fluid. If the tech is having trouble, it’s better to do three thin coats to get it even.

Q: Does Romantique look similar to OPI Bubble Bath ?
A: OPI’s formulas have been undergoing a lot of changes since the Coty buyout, and the new Bubble Bath is a different shade, horribly streaky and takes multiple coats. In that regard, I would say no. CND Shellac Romantique is a beautiful milky pink. With one layer it can provide a nice base for a French. With two layers it is an opaque finish.

Romantique – one layer (no topcoat)
Provides a masking layer for French. More opaque than the pink Negligee and gives a pink-white cast.

Romantique – two coats (no topcoat)
Opaque coverage. If having trouble achieving this look, opt for three thin coats. Or, you can opt for three layers to give complete, zero sheer coverage.

Romantique

Romantique is the option for someone wanting a creme based color where the nail won’t be seen. It is very feminine with a bit of bold, and one of the most popular Shellac colors in my salon. It’s no stranger to celebs either – Katy Perry is also a big fan of this color and has been Shellac’d multiple times.

I’ll find a set of fingers to update with a BB comparison.

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Posted by on Feb 23, 2011 in Uncategorized | 40 comments

Color Swatches – CND Shellac Spring 2011- March Release

Click here for the new Fall September 2011 CND Shellac colors and here for layering options

Finally!  New CND Spring/March swatches can begin. I have seen the colors and layering options a few times over, and they are fun!  Thanks to CND I was able to provide better photos of the spring 2011 Shellac release  for you in this December post  and, as I did with the first set of Shellac, I’ll be adding actual hand watches.  These are all two coats with base and top.

I’ll continually update this page until all Shellac swatches are available.  To get you this information before the March launch, so you know what you want to order and/or try on first, I’m posting photos as I can get swatches.  They will be updated for better lighting/consistent look. Keep checking back.

Rock Royalty – the bottle is not a match. This is a plum/purple

 Black Pool – Very rich black

Hollywood – True to the bottle, and even prettier.  If you can handle a bright red, this one is flecked with metallics.  Stunning.

Iced Coral – A very useful layering color, this is also a great peach/pink with a hint of green.  I’m not the biggest fan of frosts but this one is perfect for my skintone. 

Gotcha – This bubbly pink is much brighter than the original photo but softer than last year’s Tutti Frutti. Shown with glitter

Cocoa - This is a lovely camel that serves as a really pretty base for Shellac layering or with the right skin tone as an updated neutral.

Original Cocoa photo swatch:

Decadence – This is a tough one to photograph.  It keeps popping out cherry red – I’d say the thumb is the closest in shade.  In terms of swatching, it is very similar to the CND Jason Wu collection red.  It is on the sheer side, like a jelly.  I didn’t think that was possible with Shellac.  Very, very pretty, but looks best with three coats. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Pop Pink
It doesn’t get much pinker than this! Similar to OPI’s Strawberry Margarita.

Beau – You may wonder why you are getting the color Negligee in a Romantique bottle, but wait, there are differences. Beau comes on with a bit of a violet/blue and white transparency. This alternates as a good layering and base color as well.

Clearly Pink Clearly Pink is that crystal clear with a hint of pink color many have been asking for. Although Pink & White/Traditional Frenches have been out for many years now, think of the base color used. There you have it. It makes for an extremely clean looking nail, but is a little too clear if you have any trouble spots or damaged nails. Example below shows how nice it looks on nail, and how exposed any damage will be.

Masquerade
Mmmm, this is one I was waiting for. It has the same richness as Red Baroness but a lot more pink. It photos a bit mottled. While it is highly pigmented, 3 coats can probably ease out any shadowing if you are having troubles. Very true to the bottle color, even a tad darker.

 

Mother of Pearl

Contrary to most impressions, Mother of Pearl is not a white Shellac with glitter, but a clear with glitter.  It’s very random how the glitter lays – I find multiple shakes and laying the bottle on the side helps get the glitter on the brush.  Very, very hard to photograph, you can see a pic of it overlaid on Black Pool below, as well as how it can look coming out of the bottle

 

 

This new batch of colors plus the first release brings 24 colors total, but CND’s original goal had been to have 100 by fall.  Not sure if they are still up to that but these new colors bring the a huge variety of layering options.  Here are a few:

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Posted by on Dec 14, 2010 in Uncategorized | 32 comments

CND Shellac New Colors – 2011

Swatching on hands has begun! Check here for updates

I recently posted on the twelve new colors CND is releasing March 2011 for their two week, no chip manicure called Shellac.  Thanks to CND I’m able to show you better photos of the Shellac hybrid nail polish bottle colors and swatches.

One of the biggest things to note is the new glitter version called Mother of Pearl.  If you’ve been in my chair you know a signature look of mine is what appears to be an opal glitter fade.  I do this freehand with my custom mix, but I’m very excited to see this in the lineup!

Another noteworthy color is Rock Royalty.  This is a guess here, but CND did a custom blue mix for Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. show and this is carrying forward the trend.  It’s a gorgeous color. 

The rest of the pinks and tans are lovely and super feminine – another big trend for 2011.  I don’t know how we’ll be able to wait!

One of my favorites in the group shot is what appears to be a magenta-ish Decadence.

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Posted by on Sep 1, 2010 in Uncategorized | 33 comments

Editorial Shoot: Fall Fashion for Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

hillaryfry_mjsshoot_essievelvetvoyeur

Yesterday I had the opportunity to work as the manicurist on the Fall Fashion shoot for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Editorial is what I love, and it was a blast to be a part of this. I felt very lucky – I had full creative license. Even so, my goal was to highlight nail trends without going too wild – I really wanted to focus on what women would wear day to evening. Big love to essie for previously sending me their limited edition Fall into Fashion collection. I knew the moment I saw the gorgeous, muted jewel tones that they had to be featured! What a way to swatch the essie colors – onto models :)

DSC04307

First up is Amber, who wore essie Sew Psyched, a green gray blend that perfectly complimented her skin tone.  I have not been a fan of the green nail polish trend, but this color turned it around.  When we got to Cuvee, the location for the shoot, everyone was asking about “that pretty green”.  It is fall without being too dark, and is totally fresh.

essie_sewpsyched

essie’s Velvet Voyeur looked smashing on model Tiffany.  It enhanced her beautiful pale complexion, dark hair and eyes, and the metallic brocade dress.

That’s Kristin Lindemann, esthetician and makeup artist, creating an evening look.

hillaryfry_mjsshoot_nailsmakeup

Location: Cuvee, Milwaukee

mjsshoot_cuvee

Amy Haubrich, hair stylist, working the locks on the sole male model, Alan Charles.

mjsshoot_hair

Ugh. Bad lighting.  Wish you could see better how Heather rocked a fabulous mane of red hair, and essie’s neutral taupe Merino Cool.

Her nail polish was a perfect tie-in with the outfit and shoes.  Also? I want that bracelet.

essie_merinocoolcloseupJPG

hillaryfry_essie_merinocool

I didn’t get a chance to photograph Anne, the model wearing CND Shellac (just named a top 5 fall trend by People Magazine!).  She wore Negligee.

Thanks to everyone that made this happen.  Look for the full layout and clothing/jewelry/credits in the September 26th issue of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

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Posted by on Aug 19, 2010 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

Essie Nail Polish: Fall into Fashion 2010 Collection

Want to see these swatches – on models? I used this collection for the fall fashion layout for the Milwaukee Journal-Seninel issue that comes out September 26th.  See the preview post here.

Everyone’s fav cult brand, essie, is prepping for fall with the release of six rich shades for your tips and toes.

Dubbed “Fall Into Fashion,” the rich plums and browns are meant to evoke the decadence of velvet textures and reflective metallics shown as part of Fall 2010. Can you say rich, lush and subdued? That’s exactly what founder Essie Weingarten was going for in this release.

I drew inspiration from the range of elegant, sanguine hues and camouflage tones.

I can tell you now that Little Brown Dress will be a hit in Northshore.  The Fall Collection by essie becomes available at the beginning of September 2010 (just in time for Fashion Week) online and in stores.
Check below for official photo release from Essie.
limitedaddiction_essie
institches_essie
merinocool_essie
velvetvoyeur_essie
sewpsyched_essie
littlebrowndress_essie

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Posted by on May 26, 2010 in Uncategorized | 25 comments

CND Shellac – Color Swatches

Looking for information on Shellac? These posts might interest you: Swatches , FAQ link , 27 Days of Shellac , Removal

Milwaukee/Mequon/Shorewood area: Make your appointment now for this 14-day manicure online or call (414) 964-9311

I’ve been working with Shellac for the last month and have to say, it is an amazing product!  I finally had a minute to swatch but had to stop because of the rain.  The largest photo is Negligee, which is one of the most requested colors. L to R: Negligee, Strawberry Smoothie, Romantique, Rose Bud, Tropix, Hot Chilis, Cappuccino, Cream Puff, Fedora(more to come)

cnd_shellac_negligeecnd_shellac_strawberrysmoothiecnd_shellac_romantique cnd_shellac_rosebudcnd_shellac_tropixcnd_shellac_hotchiliscnd_shellac_icedcappuccinocnd_shellac_creampuff

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