Holiday Glam - The Nail Polish Colours You Should Be Wearing this Holiday Season

Lovelies, I'm back from my mini-vacay with a new series for the holiday season. It's the perfect time to glam up your look and I will be sharing my tips and tricks for style, beauty, decor and recipes to help you have a fabulous holiday so get excited - this is gonna be fun!

Today's post is about nail polish colours and the holiday is the perfect time to break out the sparkle and the gem coloured polishes. Think rich reds, blues, greens and violets or top your favourite colour with a generous coat of glitter polish you have in your collection. To make it even cooler, go for a glitter ombre effect or glitter tips  or half moon cresecents. Basically, the possibilities are endless.

Here are some of the shades I will be reaching for this season:

Essie - Toggle to the Top

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This colour reminds me of an ornament on a lit up Christmas tree at night. It sparkles and is girly but is also deep enough to be sophisticated. The added bonus to glitter nail polishes of course are that they take far longer to chip than other formulas so when you top with an excellent top coat like No Chips Ahead you can forget about chipping.

Essie - Aruba Blue

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Again, this is a blue I could see in an ornament on the Christmas tree and looks fantastic when paired with silver or gold.

China Glaze - Emerald Sparkle

This is a pretty intense colour. If you are super festive then by all means go for it, it definitely screams Christmas and will be a fun colour to pair with gold midi rings and delicate bracelets.

NYX - Matte White

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Winter White is a thing this year - no matter your nail length. You can pair this with glitter or even top with a holographic sheer coat like OPI Ski Slope Sweetie.

Textured Glitter - L'Oreal Color Riche in Sexy in Sequins

Textured polishes have been all the rave this year and the holiday season is no exception. L'Oreal has put out a more affordable, easier to apply version that will have everyone asking what colour you're wearing on your nails.

What colours are you loving for the season? Do you have any faves that you bring out year after year? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Till later dolls,

**Jane

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How To : Keep Your Manicure Longer

Very few things are as frustrating as having your manicure chip a day or two after you've forked out money for it at the salon. After numerous impractical attempts to keep my hands away from anything remotely strenuous, I burrowed into the internet, did some experimenting and found tips that all together extend the life of my manicure even to the point where I do my own nails at home without fear of chipping.

Here are some easy tips:

1. Hair Spray & Cold Water : As soon as you get home, spray a little hair spray on your fingers and dunk them in a bowl of cold water for sixty seconds. This is said to seal the ends of the polish and prevent lifting, smudges and dings. 
   
2. Moisturize your Cuticles : Ever notice that when your cuticles are dry they tend to peel? Same thing will happen with your nail polish. So be sure to grab a few squirts of lotion during the day and rub into your cuticles. Before you bed you can use your favourite oil and gently rub it in.
3. Every two/three days apply a THIN clear coat on top of the polish to help seal it in further. Don't do this for more than a week though as it will just end up gooping up your manicure .                                               
4. Wear Gloves:  Let gloves be your best friends. Anytime you are using chemicals or immersing your hands in water longer than sixty seconds, wear gloves. Not only will you preserve your manicure but this will also help to keep your hands soft.
5. Make sure that your nail tech uses a good top coat. My personal favourite is Essie's No Chips Ahead top coat- my manicure can last up to 9 days with this thing! See my review on it here . Other favourites in the beauty community include Seche Vite and Sally Hansen.

That's it ladies! Let me know how it works out for you.

Till later,

*Jane

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The Nail Polish Colours You Should Be Wearing Now

Summer is almost here and its time to pretty up our tips and toes. So clear away your moody colours and reds and get out your neons, brights and pastels. Here are my my five favourite colours for this season:

1. Essie - Saturday Disco Fever
   
   
   Nothing says summer to me like bright orange toes. This will look great on all skintones. The color is from Essie's new neon collection and reminds me of last year's pantone colour - tangerine. I love it. It can be girly, it can be classy, it can be edgy. Super versatile colour. I wouldn't do this on longer nails though unless you're going for that more ghetto-fabulous vibe.

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2.  Klean Kolour - Pastel Purple

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There is such a thing as a neon pastel - and this is an example of that. Usually if you want your pastel colour to stand out you have to paint a white base underneath. But just one coat of this baby and it's opaque pastel brightness will wow you. I fell in love the minute I saw the bottle. It looks equally pretty on toes as it does fingers. And though Klean Kolours is on the cheaper end of the spectrum, this has very good lasting power - five days before a single chip. Run out and get it now.

3. Brucci - Luscious Lori

You can't quite capture the luminescence of this colour. It's a cross between a parrot blue and cobalt. I am not a blue person unless it's a dark dark blue. The formula isn't very smooth so you do have to work with it but the colour is opaque on the first coat. The colour is pretty close to essie's butler please but it has a little more depth to it. Luv.

4. Bruci - Kelly's Kool

I tried several times to capture this colour but it doesn't photograph well. It is a striking neon purple with an undertone of fuschia. Pretty, bright, girly colour. It's a tad sophisticated but still playful and flirty. Nuff said. 

5. China Glaze - Custom Kicks

Not the tiffany blue colour or the mint colour that everyone's been rocking, but a deeper, more modern take on it. Looks amazing on dark skin. It just screams Sunday afternoon barbeque by the pool to me. Close your eyes and imagine it - white shorts, staw fedora, blous-y yellow top?Yess....

And that's it my lovelies! What colour are you rocking this spring? Leave a comment below and let me know. ( All nail polishes bought from Woolworth Pharmacy in New Kingston Shopping Centre).

Till later,

**Jane

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OXBLOOD!!!

When I first heard the name given to the deep rich red colour trendy for the fall season a couple years ago, I must admit my stomach roiled because of the vivid imagery the name stirred up. Nevertheless, those that be in the fashion world persisted and everything that was originally referred to as a form of burgundy is now being labelled the more chic term 'oxblood'. 

Now I am not a red girl, but deep burgundies look good on almost every person because the deep colour warms you up and gives you a rosier appearance. This is the reason why you will also find so many celebrities and models now wearing the same deep burgundy colour on their lips. It is reminiscent of that flapper era as well, when glam was still trendy and grunge didn't exist.

I am as in love with the colour as I am in hate with the name, and so I've derived several different ways you can wear the trend this season:

1. Faux Leather: 

Leather is really really hot this season and we are seeing more and more of it popping up even in tropical Jamaica. The coolest (and I do mean this literally) way to wear leather is on your bottom half - shoes and skirts are what I recommend. A float-y circle skirt will keep your thighs cool while adding a bit of edge to your outfit without sacrificing femininity.


2. Chiffon/Sheer

The sheer trend of this spring is continuing into Fall because of its ability to layer well. Pair a chiffon dress with charcoal heels as an alternative to black. And you can wear a maxi skirt with a sleeveless button up top and a bib necklace or with a heather grey off the shoulder loose fitting top tucked in. Cobalt blue shoes are also a nice alternative.



3. On the lips

As a nod to the 40s flapper era, deep coloured lips are back. If you are a newbie to colour on the lips, your best bet is to grab a lipliner in a chocolate brown or a deep burgundy line the lips then follow with a similar-toned lipgloss. If you are feeling more daring then by all means, go for the new lip stains that are on the market so that the colour is less likely to fade or bleed. This can be worn matte or glossy.



4. Nails

Dark nailpolish has always been trendy for fall. Oxblood has the unique quality of making your fingers look sophisticated and trendy at the same time. I snagged this nailpolish in the pharmacy above Subway in Oaklands but these colours are popping up everywhere.


How do you plan on wearing oxblood this season? Leave me a comment and let me know if you're into this trend or if you'll skip it.

(All images courtesy of the web, except last image)

Till later,
Jane.

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Once You go Shellac, You never go Back!!! maybe...

I am always looking for the easy way out, anything to skip the long, tedious process of staying groomed. Sooo Shellac seemed like it was something right up my alley. Brilliant, no chip nail colour that lasts fourteen days or more? Lovely!

Brief explanation: shellac is basically the application of gel nailpolish to the nail, dried and bonded to your nail by a blue uv light. The entire process from cleaning your cuticles to staring in amazement at the high gloss, completely dry finish is about 30 minutes. I kid you not!

Someone seems to have really thought this through- the range of colours is pretty decent, and they seem to have covered the bases - they range from very dark to very light and some even offer pearlescent finishes. It can be done with french tips or gem stones but the designs that can be done are more on the subtle side. If you are into pure colour this is definitely the best idea for you. 

The cost will vary depending on where you are but if you are in Kingston Jamaica, then head on over to The Face Place at 3 Carvalho Drive (off Hope Road near where Colour World used to be, on the road where the comestic surgery building is). You will only pay $2500JMD for the process. The environment is clean, spacious, chic, comfortable and the ladies who serve are cordial and quick.

Check it out:

Do you see how shiny it is ? and do you see how thin it is?? U cant even see it!  sooo happy!

Watch this space for an update at 7 days then 14 days :)

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