New Dermelect Me Peptide-Infused Anti-Aging Colored Nail Lacquer Treatments Summer 2012 Swatches and Review

A brand new line of nail polishes! It's called Me and it's by Dermelect Cosmeceuticals, a brand known for their anti-aging and problem-solving skincare products. Dermelect previously only offered treatment products for the nails, like Launchpad Nail Strengthener and Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle cream, but now they've combined the strengthening and anti-aging properties of their Nail Recovery system with bright, shiny, opaque color. I've included the full press release below just to give you the full scoop on these new anti-aging treatment nail colors:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The ‘Cure’ in your ‘Mani’ is at your fingertips with the 1st peptide-infused color treatments for fragile, weak nails. Aptly named ME, Dermelect Cosmeceuticals formulated and designed a 2-in-1 range of bright, beautiful crème shades coupled with a remarkable manicure extending formula.

Infused with ProSina, a pure protein peptide extracted from New Zealand sheep’s wool, the lacquers deliver a fast drying, high gloss shine while providing an unequaled level of strength for stubborn nails to grow longer and more resistant to chipping, peeling and splitting.

In its debut collection, the ME range includes six lacquers with eye-catching hues ranging from the brand’s signature red to a rich lilac, creamy sky blue and color of the year, tangerine.

HOW IT WORKS
The first coat instantly bonds to the nail, while the second fuses with the base coat to create a flexible web of color that resists chipping and improves brittleness (patent-pending technology).

The ME colors combine fast drying, high shine, and a healthy ‘green’ dose of vitamins, peptides, and moisture, offering a colorful solution to the contemporary woman’s beauty concern—aging hands and nails.

For best results, two coats are recommended.

BENEFITS
· Strengthens weak, brittle nails
· Restores nail flexibility
· Helps nails resist chipping and splitting
· Provides long-lasting, high shine and bold color
· Water and detergent resistant
· Protects against UV rays
· DBP, Toulene, Formaldehyde, and cruelty FREE (no animal testing)

KEY INGREDIENT : ProSina Protein Peptide

COLOR NAMES
Persuasive (luscious peach)
Provocative (fabulously fresh fuchsia)
Above It (breathtaking sky blue)
Head Turner (brilliant orange crème)
Luxurious (rich, confident lilac)
Power Trip (burst of red w/pink undertone)

LAUNCH DATE: Summer 2012 (future color collections to follow).

PRICING & AVAILABILITY: SRP: $14.00 (0.4 fl. oz. bottle). Available on www.dermelect.com and C.O. Bigelow in NYC.

ABOUT DERMELECT
Dermelect Cosmeceuticals is a forerunner when it comes to targeted, multi-tasking cosmeceutical skincare. Backed by its board of advisors and formulated with the most effective and sought out ingredients, Dermelect provides a refreshingly realistic beauty philosophy as it seeks to simplify skincare for the average educated consumer.

Dermelect Above It. A pastel blue creme. This isn't one of those super bright sky blues, this is a soft sky blue, almost a powder blue, and with a slight lean toward periwinkle. Shares some similarities with Essie Bikini So Teeny. It does have some minor streaking on the first coat but is perfectly even with the second.


Dermelect Head Turner. A bright orange creme. Looks more yellowy when first applied, but deepens in color as it dries. It's a pretty fantastic orange. Opaque formula, bright color, strong glossy finish. Head Turner is an appropriate name.


Dermelect Me Luxurious. A light purple creme. This one walks the line between being just a light purple and being a pastel purple. It has a lot of color to it and doesn't look whitish or washed-out like pastel purples tend to be. I also like the slightly more warm slant of this color compared to some of my other favorite light purples (it's somewhat similar to Illamasqua Jo'Mina). Really love this.


Dermelect Persuasive. This one is a light peach-pink creme. Like Luxurious, it's somewhere in between light pink and pastel pink. It seems to have a whitish base, but it's not one of those stark, chalky, white-based "mod" pinks. Soft, flattering, very dense, opaque and non-streaky. And oddly enough, doesn't seem to look bad against my skin color.


Dermelect Power Trip. A bright cherry red creme. It looks rather warm in my picture, but in real life it has a strong pink undertone. Definitely more of a cool pink-red than a warm poppy red.


Dermelect Provocative. Bright fuchsia. Has an nice blue tone to it that keeps it from looking weird on my hands. It's bright enough to be interesting but it's not neon-bright. The color of this one is especially rich and saturated.

The formula on these was amazing. I couldn't have asked for an easier to apply formula. It's thick and dense but not gooey or dragging. It's very smooth and creamy and flows evenly onto the nail without running or pooling. The color went exactly where I wanted it to go and gave me a perfect application without me even trying. The dense, opaque formula does take longer to set and dry, so I needed to wait two minutes in between coats in order to avoid smudging or clumping the previous coat. The colors are all opaque in one coat with the exception of Above It, which needed two. I'm wearing two coats of each color here. The only flaw I could find in this near-perfect formula is the long dry time, but that's eased slightly by the use of a quick-dry topcoat.

I'm impressed. For a new brand, they already have a near-perfect formula and every color in the inaugural collection is gorgeous. The colors really stand out because of their density, ultra-smooth creamy-looking finish and their rich pigmentation. The bottles are heavy and well-designed and the brushes are the perfect shape, size and firmness. They are a little expensive ($14 for 0.4 oz), but their quality matches or exceeds that of every luxury ($15 and up) brand I've ever used.

As for the anti-aging effects, the jury's still out. I think if I consistently wore nothing but Dermelect polishes for a few weeks I might begin to see some results, but I only wore these colors for a few days in a row each time and I'm not sure that's long enough for the treatments to kick in. I did notice that they felt strong and protective and that they didn't dry out my nails after I removed them, but that's about it.

Dermelect Me Anti-Aging Colored Nail Lacquer Treatments retails for $14 each and are available now at www.dermelect.com.

(This was sent for review.)

IT Cosmetics Nail Love 2-in-1 Nail and Cuticle Care Pen Review

I recently got a chance to test drive this brand new item from (new-to-me brand) IT Cosmetics. It's a two-in-one nail care pen; twist the base to dispense a hydrating cuticle gel or use the cap to push back cuticles with a gentle rubber cuticle pusher.

This is a click-pen style packaging, similar to a Stila Lip Glaze. You twist the base, it clicks, and eventually the product will be dispensed through the brush on the opposite end. The cap features a soft, rubbery cuticle pusher tip. It is removable in case you don't like how it looks. The label peels back to reveal an ingredients list and a little more information on the product.

The cuticle pusher end.
(That shiny plastic part is just the safety seal that comes on the pen.)


The brush end.


The texture of the cuticle treatment is rather gel-like. The closest thing I can compare it to is warm or room temperature CND Solar Balm. It melts on contact with skin.

To use this, all you do is click the base until the cuticle oil appears on the brush (the first time takes a while- about 50 clicks), and then brush it onto your cuticles. If you only brush it on lightly, you don't need to rub it in, but it's better to rub it in anyway so you get even moisturization.

For the cuticle pusher end, start with moisturized or damp cuticles and gently push them back with the tip of the rubber cuticle pusher. Be careful not to push too hard or you could hurt yourself.

INGREDIENTS: Sweet Almond Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sunflower Seed Oil, Beeswax, Tocopherol Acetate, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Retinyl Palmitate and Tocopherol, Flavor, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Inositol, Panthenol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Collagen.

What I liked:

• Pen-style dispenser is convenient, non-messy and portable. It won't leak in your purse!
• Cuticle treatment inside is effective. It has a good lineup of ingredients and it feels and acts very similar to my favorite oil, CND Solar Oil.
• Has a very pleasant light scent. It smells fresh and sweet but I can't put my finger on what exactly it smells like.
• The rubbery cuticle pusher is gentle, you won't cut yourself or scratch your nails with it. Just be careful not to push too hard and accidentally ram it under your cuticle- ow.
• If you dispense too much, you don't have to use it all. Just leave it on the brush and put the cap back on. The gel-like texture keeps it from running or dripping.

What I didn't like:

• The packaging looks a little cheap. It's not too bad, but it's not something I'd be showing off/applying in public.
  
• This is an oil so it can leave an oily coating on your fingertips until it fully absorbs. Be careful not to handle paperwork immediately after applying!
• There's not much product in here, and with daily use you'll finish it in no time. I used mine 2-3 times a day and it was gone in a week.
• It's expensive for the amount of product you get ($12.50 for 0.05oz)
• Once you peel back the label to view the ingredients, it never sits completely flat again and you'll eventually need to remove it completely.
• The cuticle pusher end will fall off if you're not careful, but can easily be put back on.

Overall, the product performs very well. I liked the formula of the cuticle oil and I had good results from it, and the soft cuticle pusher is a nice touch. It's convenient to carry since it won't leak. However, it contains very little product and won't last very long. You can purchase an entire 0.5 oz bottle of most salon brands of cuticle oil for around $5-$10 (depending on where you shop), so the Nail Love pen at $12.50 for only 0.05 oz is not a very good value. It is nice and portable, ideal for keeping in your desk or purse for moisturizing emergencies, and it does work well, but it's pretty expensive for regular/daily use.

This is available directly from IT Cosmetics, $12.50 for 0.05oz.

(This was sent for review.)

Hand and Nail Care Gifts from Crabtree and Evelyn

Still looking for some last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers? If so, may I show you this small selection of gift ideas from Crabtree and Evelyn? Even if you're not shopping for gifts for someone, these are still really nice sets for yourself.

Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners Gift from the Earth Collection

The Gardeners Gift from the Earth collection comes in a metal lunchbox-style tin. It's about 5"w x 9" l x 3" d, has a metal handle and clasp, and has no markings other than "Crabtree & Evelyn" printed on two sides, so you really could use this as a lunchbox or a tool box after you're done with the products inside.


It contains a 0.9oz Gardeners Hand Recovery scrub, a 0.9 oz Gardeners Hand Therapy hand cream, a 0.52 oz Gardeners Nail and Cuticle Therapy cuticle cream, a 0.9 oz Gardeners Age-Defying Hand Remedy hand cream and a four-sided nail buffer with a cute vegetable pattern on one side.

The texture of the Gardeners Hand Recovery scrub is on the loose side. It feels a bit like a thin body lotion with lots of sandy, grainy particles. I believe it has both salt and pumice as exfoliating particles so they don't all dissolve when your hands get wet and you can get a good, thorough scrub. When it's rinsed away, it leave a light, silky coating on the hands, possibly from the macadamia nut oil and shea butter in the formula.


The Nail and Cuticle Therapy (top) has a very thin texture, similar to CND Cuticle Eraser. It absorbs very quickly and gives a light amount of moisture but isn't oily. The Age Defying Hand Remedy (bottom) is a slightly thicker and waxier lotion than the regular Hand Therapy cream and leaves more of a protective barrier on the hands than the Hand Therapy as well.

All the products are scented with the Gardeners scent of fresh green clover, lavender, sage, rosemary, and thyme. It's herbal, gender-neutral, clean and a little bit spicy. It's currently my favorite of all the Crabtree and Evelyn scents I've smelled so far. It's not too strong, doesn't give me a headache and smells very pleasant but not flowery or too sweet.

Crabtree and Evelyn Hand Therapy Sampler

This is a set of six 0.9 oz tubes of Crabtree and Evelyn Hand Therapy hand cremes in all different scents.


Rosewater: Delicate rose bouquet with fresh leafy green top notes.
La Source: Relaxing Sea Air.
Gardeners: Fresh green clover, lavender, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Lavender: Fresh lavender enhanced with violet, tonka bean, lemon leaf, and soft musk.
Citron: Vibrant lemon & fresh coriander with a touch of sweet honey.
Summer Hill: Warm, white floral blend of summer grasses, wildflowers and orchard fruits.


The texture of the Hand Therapy creme is pretty thick. It reminds me of L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Creme that comes in the same type of metal tube. It's not overly heavy or greasy like a body butter but it feels rich and cushiony going on. It is absorbed quickly and only leaves a small amount of residue. The scents are soft and light on the hands; this is not so strongly scented that everyone can smell your hands from a mile away when you apply this.

I really like all of the scents in this set. I have no complaints about any of them. Even the most floral scent, Summer Hill, was soft and sweet and very enjoyable. Normally I prefer spicy, woody and vanilla-based/foody scents, which none of these are, yet all of them smell fantastic to me.

The tubes are cute, too. The design is really charming and old-fashioned looking. The only complaint I have about this set is that the metal tubes do start looking rough after a while, getting all dented and crinkled with use.

Crabtree and Evelyn La Source Warming Foot Smoother

This is an interesting one. It's a foot scrub that heats up when you use it. It really does! It's a really strange sensation; a wave of mild heat that lasts for a few seconds and then disappears. You may remember the C.O. Bigelow Ginger Mentha Warming Body Wash from a few years back, or that Frederic Fekkai warming hair treatment from even longer ago... This is a similar sensation to that.

The texture of the scrub is buttery but not super thick. It has lots and lots of grains that don't dissolve right away so you get a very good exfoliation. It rinses away quickly and leaves behind a lotion-like coating.

This is a foot scrub, but I use it on my hands and it is fantastic. I absolutely love it. The warming effect is so nice in the winter, even though it only lasts for a few seconds. The scrubby particles feel amazing and scratchy but not sharp or harsh. The coating it leaves on your hands after it's rinsed off soaks in just like a lotion and my hands feel super silky and awesome after I use this. It's just as nice on my feet, too, but I love it as a hand treatment.

My favorite of all of these is the La Source Warming Foot Smoother, but I don't actually dislike any of these. This was actually my first time using any Crabtree & Evelyn product and they made a really good impression on me. Everything looks pretty, smells pretty and is lovely to use. My personal favorite scents out of these are Gardeners, La Source, and Summer Hill, but I still enjoyed all of them.

I think that these would make great gifts for pretty much anyone. Gardeners, teachers, nurses, anyone who works with their hands or has to wash their hands frequently. These are especially nice for winter when everyone's skin gets dry and our hands start to feel chapped and cracked. The formulas are nice, the scents are nice and the presentation is definitely nice enough to feel confident about gifting these.

Also a great gift for nail bloggers... Keeps your hands, nails and cuticles smooth and moisturized after a rough, acetone-soaked day of swatching!

These are all available online and instore at Crabtree and Evelyn. From now until December 25th, 2011 you can get $15 off your purchase of $75 or more at Crabtree & Evelyn with code AFFILIATE15.

(These were sent for review. Contains an affiliate link.)

Cake Beauty Holiday Handful Hand Creme Trio - Limited Edition Holiday 2010

I finally got my hands on the Handful after that wacky Sephora disappearing act. Man, I'm so glad I got these. They rock.

My first experience with Cake Beauty products was the Milk Made hand creme / Cake Walk foot creme duo that I reviewed recently. The scent of Milk Made did not work for me at all, so I was still slightly concerned that I may not like these. The lure of vanilla scented hand lotion overpowered my wariness. Had to have it.

This set comes with three full-sized (3.4 oz) hand cremes in a really pretty shiny metallic box. It's so pretty. Would make an excellent gift. Actually, since this comes with three very pretty tubes of lotion, you could even split it up into three gifts. Who doesn't love hand creme in the wintertime?

Anyway, the scents included in this set are Vanilla Snow, which is exclusive to this set, Desserted Island (coconut vanilla) and It's A Slice (orange vanilla).

Vanilla Snow is the richest smelling of the three. It reminds me a bit of one of my other favorites- Jaqua Buttercream Frosting. Cake's Vanilla Snow is a more realistic vanilla scent, though. All the vanillas in this set remind me more of an actual vanilla bean than an artificial vanilla. Vanilla Snow is sweet but not excessively so. I was somewhat worried that this might be a bitter vanilla like L'Occitane vanilla shea hand creme or Bath and Body Works Vanilla Noir, but it's not the least bit bitter, dry or harsh. It's buttery and smooth. I must point out, in case you can't tell by the little picture up there, that the tube for Vanilla Snow has the most adorable pink snowflakes being carried off in a swirling pink breeze and it looks really nice against the soft blue text on the tube. I adore the design of the tube. I'm a sucker for nice packages. That last sentence is not intended to sound dirty. XD

Desserted Island (get it, desserted? Ha.) has the same smooth vanilla base as Vanilla Snow but it has overtones of beachy coconut. It's not a particularly sweet smell. Some coconut scents are very sweet and candy-like - think Bath and Body Works Coco Cabana- but Desserted Island is more of an unsweetened coconut, closer to Lavanila Vanilla Coconut. Very pleasant and cozy.

It's A Slice is supposed to be an orange creamsicle scent. I'm not much of a creamsicle fan so I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this scent. Same vanilla base as the others but with a hint of orange to make the scent a little brighter. It has a distinct baked goods smell to me, like orange creme cake, or better yet, my mom's Knots (the cookie- also known as biscotti d'annodare). For a while I was really into "Orange Fluff Cake"-type etailer perfumes and this would layer really well with those. The orange scent in this isn't super fresh or sour/acidic, it's a soft candy orange.

All of these have that lovely light, velvety, quick-absorbing non-greasy formula that the Milk Made hand creme has. I really like the formula of Cake's hand cremes. It sinks right in without leaving your hands oily or sticky or slippery. It makes my hands so smooth and silky feeling. It's not the most deeply hydrating creme; if your hands are extremely dry you may need to apply twice in a row. However, I think this formula is pretty close to perfect, even if it isn't super heavy duty.

My one and only complaint with this set is the price. At $32 for three hand lotions, it's really not that good of a deal. They do retail for $16 individually, so it is like you're getting one free, but still. $16 for a 3.4oz hand creme is highway robbery. You can get an entire 8 ounce tube of Bath and Body Works Triple Moisture Body Creme for only $12, and those are always buy two get one free. The only hand creme I have that's more expensive than Cake is Lippmann Rich Girl (which rocks) at $23 for 3oz, but at least that has SPF 25. Then again, no one expects Lippmann to be reasonably priced. The formula is great and I like the scent, but I still think $16 per tube is too steep. That said, I would still buy the set again if I had the choice because it smells like cupcakes.

I'm really happy with these. I would totally recommend them to anyone. Great packaging, great vanilla scents, great formula. Just all around great. And no funky sharp chemical fake raspberry headache scent to be found! Thank goodness.

I got mine from Sephora.com- apparently the Cake Beauty line is online only. Pity, because I'd love to smell the rest of the scents in person sometime. Now that I know I like these I think I want to try one of their bath and body products next. That "baked lemon sugar" I keep reading about in the descriptions is calling my name.

Cake Beauty You Deserve This Set - Milk Made hand creme and Cake Walk foot creme review

Anyone who knows me will know how much this line has my name written all over it. A line of bath and body products that smell like CAKE. I've always been a huge fan of the foody/gourmand/edible scented genre of fragrance and bath products. If it says 'vanilla' on it, I'll more than likely buy it. Probably explains why I have vanilla toothpaste, vanilla-lavender furniture polish and vanilla scented garbage bags...

Despite a theme that suits my fragrance preferences perfectly, I still had never tried Cake Beauty. Partially because no one seemed to carry it. Recently Sephora started to stock the brand online, so this summer I ordered the "You Deserve This" set for my first taste of Cake (Beauty).

The set contains a Milk Made hand creme and a Cake Walk foot creme. Description and photo from Sephora.com:

"You Deserve This Set ($32 Value)
What it is:
A high-value duo designed to indulge the hands and feet.

What it does:

Nourish overworked and underpaid hands with this rich, vitamin-packed hand crème. The lightly scented formula is luxurious and silky, and absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving your hands feeling soothed and smooth, never greasy. For the feet, try this trusted recipe that works to ease tension and swelling with extracts of spearmint, peppermint, and pure menthol. Nourishing and hydrating oils and butters lock in moisture to instantly give feet (and legs) a lasting soft feeling.

This set contains:
- 3.4 oz Milk Made™ Velveteen Hand Crème
- 3.4 oz Cake Walk™ Triplemint Foot Crème

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

What else you need to know:
Milk Made is infused with scents of warm vanilla and a hint of fresh raspberry. Cake Walk features the scent of energizing spearmint with a pinch of peppermint."

The bottles are really attractive. They're white squeeze tubes with a flat flip-top cap which is nice because the tube can stand up and it's also neater than a screw-top cap. The color schemes are cute- pink and white and pink, white and green. The tubes are a generous size but not too big to easily carry in your purse or to keep in your desk.

I was most looking forward to the scent of Milk Made, and at first I loved it. When it first comes out of the tube is has this strong burnt-sugar creme brulee baked goods type of scent. There's not much of a raspberry smell straight from the tube. Sadly, the scent turned really bad on me. The "raspberry" scent came out when I started to rub in the lotion and the whole thing morphed into this sharp, artificial burned sugar chemical type of scent. The kind of scent that makes the bridge of my nose hurt and gives me a headache. The scent is long-lasting, which would be awesome if I liked the scent. It really lingers with you all day.

The Cake Walk foot creme turned out to be my favorite. The scent can easily be described as "mouthwash." I don't normally like mint scents- they end up smelling like gum or toothpaste and that grosses me out. This one, while it does smell like an oral hygiene product, is quite pleasant once it dries down a bit. It's not super strong, it's more of a soft, sweet peppermint and spearmint scent. It is definitely pleasant and even a bit relaxing. It says it contains menthol for a cooling effect, but the cooling effect on me is very minimal. It may be worth mentioning that I seem to be immune to almost every type of cooling/menthol product- I can't even feel Icy Hot- so it may be stronger on someone else. Though, Bath and Body Works Twisted Peppermint lotion still makes me freezing cold and tingly for almost an hour after I apply it. Maybe it's the type of oil or amount of menthol used? Straight mint oil versus oil plus menthol? Who knows.

The formula on both of these was excellent. The hand creme is light and quickly absorbed- not greasy at all. It's not super moisturizing like a heavier hand cream (Neuotrogena or L'Occitane come to mind) but it is still quite moisturizing. The foot creme is even better. It's so light and fresh and leaves such a wonderful feeling on my feet (and hands!) and it leaves my skin smooth for quite a long time. Another thing I really liked about the Cake Walk foot creme is that it also isn't greasy- it's not one of those foot cremes you apply and then try to stand up and end up sliding across the room on greasy feet... It absorbs/dries quickly and doesn't leave a layer of greasiness. It's best applied after a shower, but I like to apply it before bed.

So... my first experience with Cake Beauty. How do I feel? I wish I had liked the Milk Made scent more because I really like the formula of the lotion and the style of the tube. I would definitely buy another hand or foot creme from them if it came in a different scent. I'd really like to try more of their products and scents- the lemon vanilla one has me especially curious because that's one of my favorite combinations (still mourning the loss of Bath and Body Works Hello Sugar). I ordered the Holiday Hand Creme trio that contains It's A Slice, Vanilla Snow and Desserted Island. I was going to get it during Friends and Family but the set mysteriously disappeared completely from the site and didn't reappear until yesterday morning. I was baffled when it was removed from my shopping list and I searched high and low for it. Very mysterious...

On a related note, I've just learned that Cake Beauty is doing a Black Friday special! Starting Friday, if you place an order of $40 or more on their website they'll automatically include a mini Satin Sugar Hair and Body Refreshing Powder. I was looking at that last night, I'm very curious about it... it's a dry shampoo scented with lemon vanilla but it comes in a darker shade that might not be so obvious and white on my dark hair. I kinda want to try it...

Topcoat Fail

For the past few months I've been trying out a whole bunch of different topcoats and basecoats and I think I've found a few new loves (but that's for another post!) but I've also found a few losers.

I took these pictures a couple months ago to document the wear of two of the new topcoats I was trying and it's a good example of how the quality of your treatment products can affect the wear of your polish:

Here's Redi topcoat on day two over a manicure of China Glaze... something, I forget actually... with a coat of the Goldie blue jelly glitter on top. A little tipwear but no chips. Note the nail art. It was not really intentional, I had to cover up a chip on the right hand because I was too lazy to re-do my manicure (but hey, I shouldn't have to re-do on day one anyway!) and I did the left hand to sorta match.



Here's Diamond Dry topcoat on day two over the same polish. The polish on the entire corner of the ring finger nail chipped off hours after applying. But, the Redi topcoat didn't chip at all. How insane is that?

Ironically, it was the Diamond Dry topcoat I was most excited about trying and it turned out to be the worst one. Ugh.

Now the Redi topcoat... I love it. A lot. I think it's going to be my new Seche Vite. I'll save that review for later, I just wanted to show these funny pictures.

Overall Beauty Sale Haul!

Eeek they're here! I'm been dreaming about these nonstop since I first saw them and now they're finally here! *squeal* (Click these suckers to enlarge, they're ginormous!)


Kelly's Green, Redwood Forest, Vampy Varnish, Mendocino Midnight, Union Square, Napa Valley Red. OMG SO HOT

These are Kelly of Vampy Varnish's personal creations! Check out her swatches!

These came along for the ride as well:


Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever, Hard-On Nail Strengthener, Top Rock Topcoat.

Studio 54 almost seems a little frosty, Saturday Night Fever looks like it could be twinny to Emerald Sparkle. I'll admit, I only bought Hard-On for the name and Top Rock because it's scented. Heh.

Looks like they made the bottles smaller, as you can see in the second picture. They're .5oz now instead of .6oz.

I can't wait to try all of these on. OMG I'm so excited. SO MANY GREENS!!! SO MUCH GLITTER!!!! The colors, Duke!

Essie Matte About You Matte Finisher

This just in from Essie- they're doing a long-wearing Matte Topcoat!

Introducing

Matte About You

Matte Finisher

It’s a matte matte world.  The no-luster polish look is taking center stage in today’s fashion.  Essie, the ultimate nail color authority, gives you that high-impact fashion statement with any of your favorite nail colors.  Introducing Matte About You Matte Finisher – the perfect solution to mattifying any color. 

Matte About You is the only product you’ll need to achieve the look – this innovative new product leaves a matte finish on any nail color you choose.  From light sheer colors to dark crème, Matte About You creates a smooth matte finish and adds new dimension and texture to any essie nail color.  The exclusive, advanced formula instantly transforms any polish from high gloss to matte in seconds. 

“A matte finish is very fashion-forward,” explains Essie Weingarten, founder and president of Essie Cosmetics.  “We developed Matte About You so you can still wear the colors you love – classics and hot-right-now – but with a striking matte finish. A totally unique approach to wearing color.”

 Matte About You achieves the matte color look with the same salon-proven, long-lasting durability as our stable of colors and nail treatments.   Start with an essie base coat, followed by two coats of your favorite essie nail polish.  Finish by applying a thin layer of Matte About You in place of a top coat. 

 Matte About You Matte Finisher will be available beginning August 2009 atwww.essie.com and fine spas, salons and beauty destinations nationwide. Contains no formaldehyde, no toluene and no DBP.  SRP $10.

Zoya Color Lock System Revisited

The Zoya Color Lock System is essentially a set of treatments that is meant to make your manicure last dramatically longer. It consists of a nail prep (Remove+), a base coat (Anchor), a top coat (Armor) and some quick-dry drops (Hurry Up).

The first two times I used the Color Lock System, I did get extremely good wear time out of my polish, but I also had a lot of bubbling. Since then, I obtained the 'new' Color Lock System, the big set with all the extras and decided to give it another try. This time, my results were much better, and I think I've pinpointed the cause of the bubbling.

Day one. Nothing worth noting.

Day two. Looks the same as day one. I added another coat of Armor.


Day three. One more coat of armor. No tipwear yet, but I was beginning to see where tipwear was starting.

Day four. Now we have minor tipwear. Nothing noticeable from a distance. Added another coat of Armor, but in hindsight that was a bad idea. I'll explain why in a moment.


Day five. Looks pretty much the same as day four.


Day six. Here's where I started to have very obvious tipwear. I think that if I hadn't done all those extra coats of Armor, I wouldn't have this much tipwear.

Day seven. Slightly more tipwear than day six, but now the polish was lifting up at the edges, like what happens when you apply Seche Vite on dry polish.

Here's what I did this time. I prepped with Remove+ and waited for it to dry. I made sure I wasn't by a fan or vent, and that I wasn't next to a window with the sun shining in. I did one thin coat of Anchor and let it dry for one minute. I did two thin coats of Zoya Roxy and let them dry one minute in between. On top of that, I did one thin coat of Armor. I waited five minutes and then applied a drop of Hurry Up to each nail. Total drying time was about fourty-five minutes. The polish was set at around 20 minutes, but very dentable and soft until around the fourty-five minute mark.

This time I had no bubbles. Looking back at it, a glitter polish probably wasn't the best choice if I was trying to detect bubbling.... But I inspected each nail closely under multiple kinds of lighting and from every angle and didn't see any signs of bubbles.

The main difference between this try and the last two was that this time my Anchor and Armor were noticeably thinner. Almost watery thin. The first two times they were both about the thickness of regular polish- not thin but not thick like Seche Vite either. I'm thinking this is why they decided to add the Renew Polish Rejuvenator (basically a three-free thinner) to the Color Lock System. So, if you're having problems with bubbling while using the Color Lock System, try adding a little Renew to your Anchor and Armor.

I was also sure not to apply my polish in direct sunlight. Even with the windows closed, being in direct sunlight while applying can sometimes cause bubbles. I noticed this while swatching one day, and since then I've made sure my hand was in the shade while polishing.

This time around, I also did an additional coat of Armor for the first four days. I'm positive that this was a mistake. Around day five or six, the polish started to pull away from the tips- it very closely resembled the 'shrinkage' that you get when using too thick of a coat of Seche Vite. I think I did too many coats. The more coats of polish you have on your nails, the more likely it is to chip, shrink and peel. On the last day, the polish lifted at the edges where it had worn, exactly like what happens when you use too much Seche Vite or put quick-dry on top of dry polish. If I had only done a coat of Armor every other day, I could have probably extended my wear to around eight or nine days.

On the seventh day, I decided to try a little experiment. I broke the corner off my ring finger nail, so I filed down the rest of them to match. This removed the tipwear from the seven days of wearing Roxy. I added one additional coat of Roxy, since I think it looks best with three coats. Then I did this:

Matte Roxy.

I found an old bottle of Maybelline Matte Maker topcoat!! Since I found it, I've been mattifying every polish I put on. Matte Roxy is truly breathtaking. It looks so much better in person, though. Each little glitter particle now looks like a shiny metal plate. You can see it trying to reflect from under the surface of the matte topcoat. When it's matte, the glitter in Roxy looks like perfectly smooth river stones. This is so ridiculously cool. Tiny platelets of metal suspended in a purple sea. Gorgeous. I don't know if I'll ever wear Roxy glossy again, this is just too mesmerizing!

(That was the polish experiment I mentioned on Twitter the other night! Matte glitter. )

So, overall, I had great results with Color Lock. A full five days without major tipwear and a full week without chipping. And this time, no bubbles! Again, if you're experiencing bubbles, thin your Anchor and Armor. That fixed my problem. I also did Color Lock manicures on my Mom and on my brother's girlfriend over the weekend (Mom got Audrina, girlfriend got Paz) and didn't get bubbles. It had to be the texture of the Anchor and Armor.

I have not yet used the Color Lock system on non-Zoya polish, but I don't see a reason not to. I would assume that any big three free polish would work. I'm going to try it with a variety of three-free brands (Which is... like... all of them now...) and report back.

Zoya polishes and the Color Lock system can all be purchased directly from Art Of Beauty. Keep an eye out for special deals from Zoya on Twitter as well!

Another special deal from Nubar!

The 20% sale has ended and Nubar is already offering another nice deal for their customers!

Until the 15th, receive a free full-sized Foundation Base Coat and Diamont Shine Top Coat with every order of $50 or more.  (If this were a discount, it would amount to 29% off!)

I don't think there's a code or anything, I'm pretty sure they just add it to every order that totals at least $50.  

The Diamont Shine topcoat has been getting really good reviews lately- I've been using it a lot more and find that it really does seem to help polish wear!  

Thanks, Nubar!

Dazzle Dry Nail System

I've been seeing the Dazzle Dry nail system advertised in Nails Magazine for months, and it had me very curious. I finally broke down and had to have more information on this mysterious brand. Now that I've tried it, I am in love!

Dazzle Dry is a line of super fast drying nail lacquers, if you can't tell from the name... And when they say fast dry, they mean it!! They are seriously the fastest drying polishes I have ever used in my entire life. I am extremely impressed.

For best results, it is recommended to use the entire Dazzle Dry system when applying the polish on natural nails. The system consists of a nail prep/primer, a basecoat, the color and a topcoat.

The Dazzle Dry Nail Prep is sort of like pimped-out rubbing alcohol. It removes oil and sanitizes nails to provide the ideal surface for the bascoat and polish. This step really helps polish wear and prevents chipping.

After you prep your nails with a Nail Prep soaked cotton ball, you apply the special Dazzle Dry basecoat. A word of warning: if it is cold outside or wherever you are storing the basecoat, it will solidify. No joke. When I got my bottle it was a thick, cloudy gel, almost the texture of Vaseline. This is easily remedied by running some warm water over the bottle. It returns to a clear liquid state very quickly. Apply one coat of basecoat to your nails.

It is important for the basecoat to be fully dry before applying the Dazzle Dry polish. If it's not completely dry, it will make the polish streaky and stringy and you don't want that. So give the basecoat a couple seconds to dry before you try to polish.

Applying the polish is a breeze. Of the three colors I tried, one was completely opaque in one coat and the other two only needed two coats. If you are doing two coats of color, wait for the first coat to dry before applying the second to avoid streaking or clumping. The polish dries so fast, you really only need to wait a minute or two for it to be totally dry.

This polish dries to a semi-matte or satin finish. If you prefer a glassy shine, apply the Dazzle Dry topcoat. The topcoat dries in seconds and is incredibly shiny.

Pretty straightforward. The coolest part is how quickly this polish dries. If you do only one coat of polish, it dries completely in about three minutes. If you do two coats like I did, it's completely dry- not dentable, smudgeproof, absolutely bone dry- in about five minutes. Holy crap!!!

The polish dries very hard and shiny. My nails feel very strong while wearing it. And on top of all that, this stuff wears like iron!! I've been wearing it for a couple days already and there's barely a hint of tipwear, no chipping, no shrinkage even after cleaning, cooking, dozens of hand washings and a very hot bath. Friggin' amazing.

Here are the colors I've tried:





Carnival Coral. A vibrant, saturated, summery coral creme. I'm currently wearing this as a pedi and it's very flattering! I don't normally wear this type of shade, but this is bright enough to be interesting.



Lavender Parade. A soft, springy, Easter-egg type lavender creme. It's delicate and feminine but still fun because it's purple! These types of purples seem to be really popular this season, nearly every spring collection released so far has one... I like them, but I think they need a little visit from the Konad Fairy...

And I saved the best for last...




POLAR JADE!!! Wow, can you believe this color??? It's a medium slightly dusty emerald green shimmer, and it's drop-dead gorgeous. Seriously. I'm head over heels for this color. It looks darker indoors than it does in sunlight and it's proving to be a very difficult color to photograph. I'd say it's in between the indoor and outdoor colors- it's not as warm as the outside one and it's not as cool as the inside one. Right in the middle. Absolutely stunning. I'm still wearing this polish and I don't want to take it off!

Overall, these polishes rock. I am very impatient when it comes to polish drying time. I always use Seche Vite and quick dry drops and even then it can still take too long for me. That is nonexistent with this polish. You don't need Seche, you don't need drops, you don't even need to wait for it to dry because before you even realize it it's already dried! This would be the perfect "Emergency Polish" to keep in your purse- you can apply it three minutes before you need to be somewhere and not have to worry about ruining wet nails.

Removal is impossibly simple. Just use regular polish remover and it comes off in seconds. It might be due to the thin texture of this polish, but it is way easier to remove than regular polish.

The formula is great IF you let the basecoat dry. Like I mentioned above, if the basecoat is still wet, the polish will get stringy and sticky. The polish formula is thin, smooth and pigmented. No bubbling or shrinkage at all, no dents, nothing. Perfect.

The color selection is small but good. They have your traditional reds and pinks, but they also have a good selection of unique shades like Polar Jade. They have purple, blue, yellow, gold and even black. I'd love to see this line expand even more, it's become a new favorite of mine and I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to test drive it. It's awesome.

You can get the Dazzle Dry Nail System and Nail Lacquers directly from VB Cosmetics. Individual polishes are $9, the treatment system is $54 and comes with the Nail Prep, Basecoat, Topcoat, three nail colors of your choice and complete instructions on how to use the system. They even sell a special thinner designed to restore the texture of Dazzle Dry polishes and treatments.

Zoya and Qtica Holiday Gift Sets

Every year I say, "Oh, I'm going to get my Christmas shopping done early, I'm going to have everything all wrapped up weeks before Christmas! I'm not going to be one of those crazy people out shopping on Christmas Eve..."

And every year, inevitably, I end up being one of those crazy people out shopping on Christmas Eve. Every. Single. Year.

Instead of doing what I do, why not just shop online? No crowds full of hacking, coughing people and snotty-nosed kids running through the store screaming while their parents are busy elbowing you in the ribs to get the last insert popular item here off of the shelf before you do....

One thing I really love are gift sets. I've always been attracted to gift sets. The way they're packaged with special shiny paper, all the little products inside all lined up and pretty looking. I just love them! When the gift sets are filled with beauty products, it's even better.

Not very many nail companies do good gift sets (or any gift sets for that matter). OPI has some minis and little bottles of lotion, Essie does some minis, CND sometimes has special polish... Nothing impressive, really. Nothing even different than what they do the rest of the year.

So who has the best gift sets? That would be Zoya. They're actual, useful, jam-packed full of awesomeness, honest-to-goodness gift sets. I'll show you a few of my favorites (the ones I'd love to unwrap on Christmas morning instead of another pair of driving gloves.)

In my opinion, this is the best gift set of them all. It has all of my favorite things! The Holiday Nail Gift Kit has three of "my holy grail" products: Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm and Qtica Half Time Polish Drying Accelerator, plus one product I like but just don't use all that often- Qtica Extending Topcoat. I would love to receive this gift, and I'd love to give this gift as well. At $25, it's a very affordable gift to give. It's also a great deal- it comes with full size products, and the Nail Growth Stimulator alone costs $20.

The Natural Nail Growth Stimulator had me skeptical at first, but after using it consistently for months, it's all I use now. I'm sold. It really does help my nails grow quickly! You can see the evidence just by looking at the pictures I post here. I really like this base coat. It helps prevent staining, it helps my nails grow, and even though Zoya says there aren't whitening ingredients in it, I feel like it really brightens my nails.

The Cuticle Repair Balm is just amazing. It's not greasy or liquidy- it might take a while to get used to because it's so different from the usual cuticle products. It's a thick, rich, heavy-duty balm that really hydrates and locks in moisture. It even lasts through hand washing. I use this when I've been neglecting my cuticles and doing heavy cleaning without gloves, and it pretty much fixes them immediately. It also has no scent, so it won't bother you if you're sensitive to scents.

The Half Time Drops are a total staple for me. I was introduced to them when they were included in my first Zoya order as a gift with purchase, and I've been hooked ever since. You apply it to your nails after you put on your topcoat and it helps the polish dry faster. I notice that when I don't use the drops, it does take longer for the polish to dry. I don't know how this works, but it does. It also has the added bonus of preventing dents while your polish is wet. The oil adds a layer of protection that you don't get with just a quick dry topcoat. It makes the polish a lot more forgiving- you won't be able to smudge them or dent them as easily while they're drying. Again, no idea how this works, but it does, and now I use them all the time.

My second favorite gift set is this one. It's called the Holiday Mini-cure, but I call it genius. Genius! It's a mini color lock system, a mini bottle of Remove+ (the Cadillac of Polish Removers) and a mini bottle of Zoya Lacquer in Shiloh. It's like an Intro to Zoya set.

Two reasons I think this is a smart gift set:
1. Maybe you don't want to drop the $36 on the full-size Color Lock System because you've never used it before and don't know if you'll like it, but you still want to try it. This set is $15, comes with the entire system in mini size, PLUS a mini polish. If you don't like it you're not stuck with full size bottles that you spent a lot on. If you do like it, this brings me to my second reason...

2. It's a portable nail survival kit! Maybe you travel a lot, or maybe you're like me and like to always be prepared. This kit has everything you need in one place, but takes up very little space because it's mini! You can keep it in your purse or your car or your desk for a nail emergency.

Like I said, it's an Intro to Zoya. Great idea, especially for people who like to have long-lasting manicures. They also have just the Color Lock items- Anchor, Armor and Hurry Up- in a mini trio for $12.


And my third favorite gift are the Color Cubes. It's a cute little set with a full size Zoya Hot Lips gloss/balm plus a coordinating mini Zoya polish for only $8. It's a perfect stocking stuffer, or a good inexpensive yet still luxurious gift that I'm sure any girl would love. My top picks would be:

• Enchanted Evening which has Hot Lips in Starlet (which is drop-dead gorgeous) and mini lacquer in Evangeline. The colors would be flattering on most skintones, and the colors are not too flashy but still unique.
• Sugar Plum Party which has a Hot Lips in Visa and a mini lacquer in Casey. Casey is one of the most gorgeous vampy colors in existence. It's impossibly stylish and very sexy.
• Fairy Dust includes Hot Lips in Paparazzi and mini lacquer in Austine. Gold is hot for the holiday season, and these are two nice, wearable metallic gold shades.
  

Really, all of them are nice sets, but those are my favorites.

I'm really impressed with Zoya's gift sets. They're all practical yet lovely. For the price, you wouldn't expect something as nice as these. I'm on a super-tight budget this year, and the prospect of being able to give gifts that are affordable but still *nice* and useful makes me very happy. I might have a hard time giving these because I want to keep them for myself... Heh. *shifty eyes*

Zoya Code - Free Cuticle Balm!

I just got this email! Two of my favorite things :) Here's the email:



Grow nails and fix your cuticles this winter. Receive a 0.25oz Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm as our gift with the purchase of a 0.5oz bottle of Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator.
This special is available only through www.zoya.com , www.qtica.com and www.artofbeauty.com.

Just enter "FIX" in the code box during checkout. Not valid with any other coupons or offers. One per order.

Offer expires on 10/24/2008/

10% Off Zoya and Qtica!!

Another really sweet deal... 10% off anything from Art of Beauty! Enter code holiday at checkout. Expires 10/17/08.

They have a really genius gift set available right now: a mini color lock system! For $12, you get a mini Anchor, Armor and Hurry Up.

They're not teeny-tiny, either- they're a good .25 fl. oz. Or, for $3 more you can get the mini Color Lock System plus a mini Remove+ and Shiloh polish!

If you've been wanting to try the Color Lock System (which really does work to dramatically extend polish wear) but haven't wanted to drop the cash on the full sizes, I think this is the perfect way to test it out without risking much.

However, my favorite holiday giftset would be Qtica's Holiday Nail Gift Kit. It has all my favorite stuff: My new 'holy grail' basecoat, Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator (full size!), Qtica Half Time drying drops, and Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm. It also comes with an Extending Topcoat, but I don't use it often enough to know if I like it or not. But the Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, Half Time and Cuticle Balm are must haves for me.

Anyway, I'm babbling. I'm really excited about the gift sets they have this year. I freakin' love gift sets! And even more, I love 10% off.

So... 10% off until the 17th... Sweeeeeet.

Free Shipping with purchase of Treatment System at Rescue Beauty Lounge!

Ok, so how many of you have been wanting to try the Rescue Beauty Lounge three step treatment system? I know I have, but haven't been able to pull the trigger just yet.

I think now might be the right time for me to try it, cause now through Halloween, Rescue Beauty Lounge is giving us free shipping on the treatment system and any order that contains it!

I've never seen free shipping at Rescue Beauty Lounge, so I'm gonna jump on this one!

If you need some polishes to travel along with your treatments (you know, to keep them company so they don't get lonely!), check out some of the swatches I've done- just enter Rescue Beauty Lounge in the search bar above :D

I'm gonna go plot my order... Thanks Rescue Beauty Lounge!!

Scrangie's Nail Care Must-Haves!

In response to a request from lovely reader Gef, here's what I use to maintain my nails:

TOOLS:
Glass File (I like OPI's and Essie's)
Buffer (cheap three-ways from nail supplies work well)
Metal Cuticle Pusher (Round on one end with a pointy thing on the other)
Cuticle Nippers (must be extremely sharp and clean!)
Nail Brush (cheap disposable ones that I change out often, used every time I wash my hands)

Treatments:
Creative Nail Design Cuticle Remover (the clear gel in the big squeeze bottle)
Creative Nail Design Solar Oil
Creative Nail Design Cuticle Eraser
Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm
Qtica Half Time Drying Drops
OPI Nail Envy
Seche Vite (or Poshe)
Cutex Original Nail Polish Remover (or if I'm feeling fancy, Zoya Remove+)

So, there are my absolute must-haves. Now, how to go about using them...

My basic routine is mostly upkeep. I never really take much length off my nails so I usually just file them to maintain their shape. When I do a full manicure, it goes something like this:

1. Remove old polish
2. File nails to desired shape using glass file.
   
3. Apply CND Cuticle Remover and wait a minute.
4. Begin pushing back cuticles and cleaning up around sides of nails and under nails with metal cuticle pusher. Be gentle, but remove as much as you can.
5. Wash off cuticle remover and scrub hands with a grainy sugar scrub.
6. Using cuticle nippers, cut only what's hanging off or sticking up. I never actually cut my cuticles, but if I have a hangnail or just too much excess cuticle I carefully trim it.
7. Gently buff nails with 3-way buffer. I only do this if I need to. Too much buffing weakens my nails, so I only buff when they look rough.
8. Apply tons of lotion and Solar Oil.

Pretty simple, nothing fancy, but that's how I do my manicures.

Now for the "treatments" portion of the list. You'll notice that I have a lot of favorites. I love cuticle oil and cuticle balm and I apply it several times during the day. With the CND Cuticle Eraser, I apply that once or twice a day, sometimes only every other day or whenever I remember to. I also like Poshe's AHA Cuticle Therapy- it comes in a better tube with a label that doesn't peel off and it doesn't smell like rotten lemon juice.

The Solar Oil (or OPI Avoplex, which I also love) I apply constantly. I have the big bottle near my couch, so whenever I'm watching TV I apply it a few times. It soaks in really quickly, so you can apply it repeatedly without getting greasy fingers. I buy tons of mini bottles and stash them all over- in my purse, in the bathroom, in my car, in the kitchen, everywhere. Apply the oil every time you see it.

The Qtica Intense Cuticle Repair Balm is special. It's a new favorite of mine and I don't know how I didn't find this sooner. It's super thick, rich and a little sticky- perfect for after you wash your hands. It really locks in moisture and it's so soothing on dry cuticles. I put this on before bed also.

OPI Nail Envy is one of my favorite treatments, but I'm also really digging Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator. I use them as a base coat before polish. They seem to prevent chipping and staining quite well, with the added benefit of strengthening your nails at the same time. If I'm using a base coat, I like it to double as a treatment. I used to use Nailtek II Foundation, but I've misplaced my bottle and have no idea where I left it.

As a topcoat, I always use either Seche Vite or Poshe. I tend to favor Seche Vite because it seems to dry a bit faster, but Poshe seems a little shinier. Anyway, I don't know what I would do without these! The way to use them, if you've never used them before, is to apply it directly on top of wet polish. You get a decent sized bead on the brush and you spread it over the nail. it will even itself out, but it does start drying right away. Once you apply the topcoat, your nails will be dry to the touch in a minute or two and completely dry in 10-15 minutes. To speed it up, I use Qtica Half Time drying drops. All you do with the drops is drop a tiny amount onto each nail and it protects your polish while it's drying and helps it to dry faster. They rock.


So, there you have it. My bare necessities, my basic nail care must haves!