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This nail pen is another beautiful example of “form meets function”. With this nail polish pen, it gives any woman (like me) the ability to do a “mistake-proof” manicure while also having a luxurious golden pen to boot! All that I needed to do was to shake the pen, click the top until the color began to form on the brush and then apply to my nails.

I also could not get over how quickly it dried! The staying power was also good, I would say with a top coat it lasted 5 days and without 3-4 days (but this is with me being pretty hard on my nails). What I loved about it is that it's portable, and more importantly, distributed the nail polish evenly and easily. There is also a cap to protect the brush when you are done.
The shade is a flattering neutral; a soft, pretty light petal pink which everyone can wear. I now want it in some of the other colors like Beige Touch to add to my collection. This is a new favorite gem of mine that is worth every penny!” (via Palacinka)

Updated May 14, 2008

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Butter London Nail Varnish in Prince's Plums

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A knock out of a color!

This was the perfect combination of modern and edgy yet still sophisticated and quite a head turner of a color.

This is a gorgeous blue based purple that made me rethink wearing purple altogether. (I basically gave up any variation of purple cosmetics when I was about 13). One coat looked like a very metallic medium toned true purple (no shimmer). The color went on smoothly and I liked the wide bottle top brush for application. However, the second coat took it up a notch and gave it an almost hologram effect where I could then see various deep dark tones of inky purple as well as indigo blue depending on the light.

This color is when you want to make a statement, add to a sexy edgy fashion look or just to switch from your usual dark nail color. This looked amazing on our testers with lighter brown skin who had tans (think Christina Milan) and was also stunning on very dark skins (think Grace Jones to Alek Wek). The lasting power, as with all of the other shades I’ve tried, was excellent and it stayed shiny throughout the week. It also resisted chipping very well. This is also amazing on the toes for those of you too shy to use it for a manicure – you will still be sure to have people take a double take! Even my manicurist said she was going to order some for herself she loved it so much!

Butter London’s nail products are “3 Free Nail Products”, which means they do not contain harmful chemical products. There is no Formaldehyde, Toluene or DBP. (via Palacinka)

Updated May 25, 2008

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CHANEL Robertson Boulevard Collection Nail Polish

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Description

I was so happy to try one of these in-demand Robertson Boulevard limited edition colors from CHANEL. Out of the four shades in the collection, this is one of the less “edgy” shades, but really pretty and flattering nonetheless.

L.A. sunset really is reminiscent of the shades in sunset! It’s a warm, medium coral color with a touch of salmon pink (note: it appears more red in the picture). It’s bright but not neon. It’s such a happy summer color. I loved wearing this when I got a pedicure. It looked even better when I got a tan. The formula is smooth and easy to apply, and looked great with either one coat for more of a salmon stain, or with two for the brighter effect. It’s shiny with no shimmer and as I’ve found many of the CHANEL formulas, has great lasting power with no chipping.

I think this is one of the most versatile colors in the collection and should be added to their permanent collection. This is perfect those women are out of their teens and 20’s that still want to be fashion forward yet still have a flattering color that will work with their clothing, lifestyle, work etc. This shade will work best up to a Queen Latifah shade.

Available online on the CHANEL site in July (via Palcinka)

Updated Jun 26, 2008

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J. R. Watkins Lemon Hand & Cuticle Salve

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2 people recommended this item

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J.R. Watkins hand & cuticle salve is just a fabulous product all around! I loved how my cuticles felt while using it. This salve lasted forever on my hands/nails, even after several hand washes during the day, and they continued to feel soft and moisturized!

The lemon/citron scent is truly lovely. It’s not too lemony; just authentic enough with a touch of feminine sweetness. It felt like silk on my fingertips and then it disappeared ever so gently into my skin with out feeling greasy or sticky.

The label color coordination with the scent of the product is clever as well. I just had a blast having this product and it made me smile every time I opened it up! Once the product is finished, you can re use the tin to organize your paper clips, tacks, or precious coins!

P.S. It worked so nicely that I snuck it onto my very dry ankles and bam! -- my ankles felt so soft. (via Palacinka)

Updated Jul 22, 2008

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China Glaze Nail Color in Flying Dragon

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2 people recommended this item

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So you want a dark nail, but not necessarily blue and not all the way black. Here’s the answer!

This is a beautiful, alluring, deep purple with blue accents (not purple-black) with a bit of a neon effect. The glitter is fun. It has touches of red, magenta and blue; and really makes this color stand out. The formula itself is on the thicker side, and smooth. It is more of a matte finish, so I had a glossy top coat applied which I really loved.

It lasted nicely during the week with a touch of top coat every few days. However I did find that because of the glitter, it took a few more cotton balls than normal to completely remove. I found that by applying a thicker basecoat at the beginning of my manicure, it did make it a little easier to remove the glitter particles from my nail bed. The color itself will look especially wonderful on dark and very dark brown skins, but also for lighter skin tones that want a more dramatic look like I did. This is a lovely, unique color and I’m very happy with my first experience with China Glaze! (via palacinka)

Updated Jul 31, 2008

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Bernadette Thompson Wipe Out Nail Polish Remover

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It's not often that I rave about a nail polish remover, but it seems that time has come!

Celebrity manicurist Bernadette Thompson has a line of nail colors and nail products under the Bernadette Thompson name. The star of the line, however, is this remover, Wipe Out. I have never used a nail polish remover which moisturizes and conditions my nails and cuticles SO well, and still manages to get every last trace of polish off in an instant! Wipe Out is a unique deep orange shade and has no horrible harsh smell (I still smelled chemicals, but it was an improvement over most removers). I was very impressed that it didn't dry out my nails and skin like many nail removers I've used in the past (even the ones which bill themselves as moisturizing!). It left made my cuticles soft and smooth and my nail beds were glossy and hydrated.

This is a bi-phase formula and as per the instructions, I made sure to first shake it well to mix the moisturizing oils and the actual remover together. I have natural nails, but Bernadette was smart enough to create a formula which not only works amazingly well with natural nails, but also for artificial nails as well! If you think that all polish removers are the same, try Wipe Out and you will surely change you mind. (via Palacinka)

Updated Apr 21, 2009

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Ellen Sirot Hand Perfection Hand Cream

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For 20 years, Ellen Sirot’s ageless hands have earned her worldwide acclaim as the “supermodel of hands.” Her hands have appeared in countless advertising campaigns, every major fashion and beauty magazine and worked with the world’s top photographers. Now thanks to the new hand care line she has created, Ellen Sirot HAND PERFECTION, any one of us can have amazing skin on our hands too!

From the first drop of Hand Perfection that I applied, my hands became noticeably softer and moisturized. The lotion is white and a medium weight - a cross between a cream and a lotion.

The lotion had the perfect amount of slip, felt lightweight on my hands and had a very faint scent, where I picked up some evening primrose oil fragrance. The cream is also very concentrated, so I literally only needed the pea sized amount that it suggests on the tube directions.

It provided a beautiful sheen to my hands (not greasy) and sank in within a minute or two. After using daily for several weeks, I noticed that the overall tone of my skin improved, some discolorations were lightening, my nails and cuticles had never looked better and they were always soft and smooth - even after washing!

Ellen Sirot certainly knows what she is doing. This is a fantastic product, and the Ellen Sirot Hand Perfection Night Cream, which I used in conjunction with this, just made my hands look amazing. The only improvement I could see with the day cream would be the addition of an 30+ SPF which would help in the maintaining of the skin brightening and anti-aging effects.

The purse size (about 4"in long) was a perfect size and also has a secure flip top dispenser. (via Palacinka)

Updated May 2, 2009

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Np2 Nail Perfection

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I've just discovered a new Nail Polish line - and you're going to love it!

It's called Np2 Nail Perfection and it's a nail polish duo of durable, chip-resistant color base paired with an express top coat.

The colors in the line up are truly unique, edgy and beautiful! There are 32 shades and they are all free of Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP.

For those of you looking for an easy French manicure solution, they have several mix and match collections with pretty pinks and nudes combined with soft whites.

The two bottles are stacked and easily snap apart so you can mix, match and experiment. This is also a perfect solution for travel!

I have several favorites, such as Atomic, Blue Planet, Cosmic Ray, Hypothesis and Symmetric. I recently got a manicure with a deep, iridescent black/slate grey with a touch of purple called Theory - and I can tell you this is going to be one of the hottest shades for fall! (via Palacinka)

Updated Aug 17, 2009

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Urban Outfitters Nail Polish Line

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Let's talk about what caught my eye about these little beauties!

The bottles are short, rectangular with a soft black vinyl cap. The shades, (which are even more vibrant in person) were really unique. All the shades are just named by color and number. I picked up Blue 2, Blue 3, Blue 4 & Purple 2 (pictured, left to right above). They also had a wide variety of pinks, oranges and even a few pretty greens to choose from.

The series of blues ranged from a really pretty sky blue with a touch of violet (Blue 2), to a lovely periwinkle cream shade (Blue 3) to a navy with a touch of purple (Blue 4). I also loved the (Purple 2) shade which is a true purple cream. These are all creams formulas with no shimmer, glitter or iridescence.

The polish is a thin/medium consistency which flowed well on the brush, application was smooth and it gave great coverage. With two coats the shades were very close to what is seen in the bottle. The staying power is good for a polish of this price. I would say about 3-4 days with a daily top cop applied.

They are currently having a buy 2-for-$8 deal too! A single polish is $5 each.

I suggest you head over to your closest Urban Outfitters ASAP as many of the shades were going fast and, unfortunately, at this time they ARE NOT available on urbanoutfitters.com (they do offer their exclusive lines of lip gloss and colored mascara online. Happy Hunting! (via Palacinka)

Updated Oct 27, 2009