Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Art of Nails

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Good morning lovelies. Hope you're having a fabulous week!

Today I'd like to talk a little bit about nails. From your comments over the past few weeks, I can tell that a lot of you are obsessed with nails these days. And you're not alone. I'm right there with you. Us and pretty much everyone else it seems.

I've been monitoring nail trends since I first started working in the beauty industry {I won't count the years because then I'll feel real old, but trust be it's been a loooong time:)} and this is, by far, one of the most exciting times I've seen in the nail arena.

Sure there was Vamp {which was released my first year working in the beauty industry. Hint, hint :)}, Minx, and a few other things that made women excited over the years, most notably limited edition shades especially those released by Chanel, but we're really all over the place now.

Glitter and metallic, ombré nails nails executed two ways...each finger a different color in progression from light to dark or ombré on an individual nail from root to tip, glitter accents... glitter French tip, reverse French and glitter ring finger, matte, matte/shiny blends, crackle, nail strips, and my latest obsession magnetic nail polish. There's a lot going on, no?

A little bit about magnetic nail polish. I know it's been available in Europe for a while now but the states are finally getting a taste of it. Nails Inc. recently launched in Sephora US it is beyond fabulous! The nail color is infused with metallic particles and after applying the second coat you hold the magnetic bottle cap over your nail to create at really cool 3D looks. You can play for hours, I promise! Too much fun especially for a beauty junkie like me. :)

So what about you all? Any particular nail trends that you're playing with these days? Have any of you tried magnetic nail polish before? If so, 'd love to hear how you like it.

Enjoy the day, sweets!

xoxo

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 All edited by The Alternative Wife
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67 comments:

Unknown said...

wow you are a realy expert!!! I love the classical coral red or a pale rosé... however I continue to buy ecclectic colors but then I realize I stick to my favorite tones!!!!Kisses

Andrea Reh said...

The nails in the last picture are incredible. If only mine were long enough!

Andrea x

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Dawn,

I just bought a lovely Chanel one the other day.
Great post and hope you have a lovely Thursday

Hugs
Carolyn

Ann said...

Oh I really love this post.

I am a nail polish enthusiast (love playing with them),

I mean I always have a nail polish on my nails for over 20 years now... and I mean always. And I love the new trends these days so chic and stylish not at all boring. Although there are days that I prefer the classic and simple ones.

Rachel {little bits of lovely} said...

Oh yes, I do love painting my nails! I love the darker colours and tend to stick to Chanel as they don't seem to chip as much. My favs are Blue Satin (deep blue), Vendetta (deep purple) and Particuliere (brown/grey). For everyday I do also love Ballerina, which is a gorgeous soft pink. Great post Dawn! xx

Marina said...

My nails look so retro.. I did them last night and I use some colorful sparkles :D Really retro.

Collette Osuna said...

Hello sweets....I get my nails done with Chloe every two weeks, shes a little more :daring: than me, lol...right now Im wearing a really really dark OPI color....she recently had the "crackle" polish, looked pretty cool.

Cmon Friday!!!


Statements in Fashion:A Funky Little Fashion Blog

Anonymous said...

Yes, I am feeling the "fingernail fever" too. I am thinking of buying a shellac light for gel nails, (one of the perks of being a licensed stylist). That way, polish would stay on for a good 14 days. Logan's friends would all be over here non-stop... not sure there would much time left for much else if I get the light! xo

Vanisha @ Vanisha's Life In...Australia said...

Fabulous post! I love the third one, you wouldn't happen to know the brand and the color would you? What nail look are you sporting at the moment Dawn?

Lindsey Regan Thorne @ be pretty said...

Dawn, I love it when you talk about all of your knowledge in the beauty department!!! :) As a product wh*re I get sucked into these posts! hahah!!! Loving all of the techniques esp the reverse french with the sparkles... oh and the ring... yes, the RING paired with the gunmetal polish, gimmie!!!!! xxLRT

Cara Kuhl said...

Oh these are all so fantastic! I've never heard of magnetic polish, at least I didn't know how nails achieved this amazing effect. SO neat ~ you know I'll be experimenting :)

pdessa said...

Love them, am totally obsessed with finding the perfect color (and pattern) xoxo

BEAUTYEDITER.COM – Beauty Blog said...

the last nail is really amazing.

Lilacandgrey said...

I am all about the metallics and sparkles and glitter these days <3
Lilac and Grey

Tanvi said...

I like to experiment with all of them. Depends on the occasion! :)

P.S. I had chrome nails in yesterday's post! :D

♡ from © tanvii.com

little luxury list said...

Oh yes I definitely want to do ombre or marbled nails - so many fun possibilities!

xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap Living

Maria V @SoNailicious said...

I'd like to try glittery nails... and yes, I'm obsessed with manicure and red jeans LOL just saw them in one of your previous posts.
Great blog, darling!
xx
Newest follower:)
http://crashingred.com

Jess said...

Hmmm, might have to try the ombre! And loving that emerald green as well.

SabinePsynopsis said...

Love them all! I've never heard of magnetic nail colours, but now I want to try them. xoxo

Styleabaad said...

I love experimenting with my manicures! I love the ombre trend (both of the ways...) but I haven't gotten around to actually try it out yet... I've never heard about magnetic manicure before (which one of the photos is it?) but it sure sounds interesting! I also love the reverse french manicure with glitter - so pretty!

xoxo
Elsa @ Styleabaad

Priscilla Joy said...

Absolutely chic and great for all the upcoming parties.

Have an exquisite day!

Unknown said...

I have never been into it but have definitely noticed the large amount of nail art photos on Pinterest and blogs! The ombre ones (each nail) are really cool!

What about pedi's? Any trends there? And since I'm so out of the nail-club, are we still not matching or matching our mani's and pedi's? (See, I'm THAT out.)

Gail Royeca said...

Oh, I'm stunned! These are very beautiful! I love everything about your blog! well, I fell inlove with it! I'm so glad I stumbled upon it! <3

Following,
yourlivingmannequin.blogspot.com

Chicago Chic said...

Hello beauty!! I absolutely loved reading this, and I just always want to do more with my nails! It's exciting that you work in the beauty industry, and your knowledge of the trends is so impressive! I really just want to go nail polish shopping with you now! :) I naturally have really long strong nails, so I worry that a lot of these trends would be overwhelming for my long long nails. What do you think? What do you think is the best trend for nails that naturally grow French-tip-like? For having as great of nails as I do, I never take care of them like I should! :(

Such a fun post Dawn, and loving these images of beautiful nails!!!
xo
Rachel

Anonymous said...

I'm obsessed with the reverse French!!

classiq said...

Great post, Dawn! I usually choose between French manicure and Chanel Rouge Fatal, I never get tired of these two. :)
Ada

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

@Vanisha - you can check out Refinery 29 on how to execute the ombre nail look in photo 3 :)

http://www.refinery29.com/nail-art-tricks

ilene @ muchloveilly said...

i'm obsessed with nailpolish so LOVED this post!

Tiffany Kadani said...

Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! My nails needs some extra TLC for sure.

sugarhoneybaby said...

I love nail polishes,I collect them.These days I love glitter ones:)

Jennifer of JennySue Makeup said...

I am loving all things glitter for nails- like OPI's Muppet collection in Rainbow. I'm a girly girl, so what better accessory than glitter and shimmer??!! Love doing my nails bc it's the easiest way to switch up your look. Love your blog,I'm a new follower now, check mine out if you get a chance, I'm a mommy with a makeup problem...http://www.jennysuemakeup.com

Unknown said...

Dawn,
I'm usually standard french on my nails, but on my toes...that's where I love color! Am sporting one of the glitter polishes by OPI right now and love it!!! It's got just enough sparkle!

Have a sparkling day!
xoxo Elizabeth

Unknown said...

Nails have kind of been at the bottom of my beauty prep list but I totally agree, they seem more exciting right now- just so many cool new applications- like those black with sparkly tips...so heavenly. All of these new products etc. are making me want to pay more attention to my rather sad looking nails...to much pretty not to try!

Unknown said...

Dawn, you have no idea how much I like this post! Even though I get more product sent to me than I could ever use, polish never gets old for me--I always have so much fun with it! I haven't tried magnetic polish yet but I am in LOVE with the dark sea colors for fall and winter :)

xo Mary Jo

B. in the Know said...

Gorgeous nails - I love how many beautiful options there are and how they add so much to a look. I am getting my nails done on Saturday for a birthday present - and I can't wait. Love that treat!
Much love,
B

Diana Mieczan said...

What a fantastic post, sweetie and I'm in love with the first colour. Its so perfect for a romantic date-night:) Muah

Lin said...

Wow, love the nail art ♥

Elle Sees said...

Yes! I am all about the nail craze too. I've got some tutorials coming up next week!

Alexa said...

I have to say that my top pick at the moment would be gold + sparkly. Plus I'm really into gold tones this fall...so there you go. Now I just need to find the time to paint my nails. Haha.

Anonymous said...

You know how much I love nail trends! :) I still need to master the ombre (I like it on each nail as opposed to the whole hand, obviously harder to do which I why I need to work on it lol) and I still need to pick up a Nails Inc magnetic polish! With Sephora's friends and family sale coming up thatll probably be a good time :)

Martina said...

I love bold colors on my toenails - but only light and natural tones on my hands. French Manicure is my favorite!

Maria @ Orchard Bloom said...

In the last 10 months I have gone from owning less than 10 nail polishes to over 40. I used to stick to reds and nudes, but now I'm willing to try anything. Most recently I've been loving glittery polishes, especially those with big chunky glitter.

Unknown said...

I love manicure ideas! So lovely!

the nyanzi report said...

i cannot stop looking at the last shot. absolutely beautiful!

honey my heart said...

ombre nails are so pretty! i also love anything with glitter. now if only i could get a manicure and not ruin it the next day.

Vanisha @ Vanisha's Life In...Australia said...

Thanks for the link Dawn.

PS the book doesn't focus too much on her coming out, I thought it would, but it was only a few pages towards the end of the book. You and J may still enjoy it though <3

Meta Musings said...

i am obsessed with the delicate ring in the 4th image!! great nail polish colors!

Unknown said...

These are all so beautiful!! And really inspiring!!! :))


xoxo
Antonia

FASHION IMPERATIVE

designchic said...

The last nail...amazing. Must do a little more work on mine!!

Tamra {ever swoon} said...

I loove the ombre nail look, but I haven't even mastered painting my nails to where they look professionally done. I never get the ends like they do at the salon, so I haven't tried the tricky stuff, but I really want to. Perhaps my unsteady hand would help with the Ombre though! I do love the glitter or different color on the ring finger. My girlfriend kept blue on her ring finger leading up to the birth of her son. :)

Lonely Wife Project said...

So many amazing options! I need to buy a glitter polish stat :)

STYLE'N said...

SO pretty Dawn! but I have to tell you somehow I was more drawn to that beautiful (onyx?) ring.I need to experiement more with my nails.

Bring Pretty Back said...

Dawn, I seem to play it a little safe with my nail color because I feel at my age i would look silly if I got a little wild with the glitter , etc. I will be 43 this month... But back in the day I loved to get a little wild .
These photos are gorgeous!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin

S and O said...

Bling, bling ;P
The last nails are really interesting they look like the galaxy.
Xoxo
Sarah

kristina@beancakes ★ said...

hi dawn!! gorgeous pics my friend! and yes, i'm right there with you on the nail fun ~ right now i'm loving the glitter on one finger trend as well as polka dots, stripes and gems!! i'm curious about magnetic polish now ~ i've never tried it before!! and you are right about the trends just now reaching the u.s. ~ it has been in japan for a long time now!! hope your thursday was a great one my friend! ;) ;)
xoxo ~ ks

Anonymous said...

Gosh, I must be boring when it comes to nails, hahahaha. I'm such a nail minimalist but I like all this fun stuff on others, well only if it's well done ;-)

Plum Pretty Sugar said...

Such great ideas!

xo

www.PlumPrettySugar.blogspot.com

Elena said...

I love them all!

ECLECchic said...

Yes, i go crazy for the nail polish too, but my tastes are very simple. I like natural colours, classical red, or very dark tones...nothing of special effects in my nails. :-))

Dawn said...

ok now I want my nails done...very inspiring. Dawn Suitcase Vignettes xo

Unknown said...

I'll be honest I haven't had my nails done in a very long time. Maybe your email is a little reminder that I need to head to salon for a little r-n-r. :) I'd love to have my acrylics and a dose of color, a shade of red.

Santi said...

nails <3
what a nice post !! :)

santiroyalhome.blogspot.com

Poppies and Sunshine said...

I am loving all these nail trends! I especially love that reverse French with the glitter and the glitter ring finger (I've tried this one, except without the glitter)! I really want to try the magnetic nail polish now!
Great post!!

alicia said...

that ring in the third photo... wow :)

pretty affairs said...

oh, i actually have nails inc magnetic nail polish - exactly the one that is in the last photo! ;) i love it!! the colour & pattern is beautiful xo

Haley @ Cardigan Junkie said...

Wow, that ombre effect with the teal polish is amazing! I couldn't even begin to recreate it, though... I can barely paint without messing up!

Unknown said...

Hi Dawn, thanks for including my nails in this round-up (they're the navy and gold glitter numbers, second to last photo.)

Could I ask you to properly credit the photo to the original source, please? It's http://lyndarthemerciless.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/talontastic-thursday-tuesday-tops-tails.html

Thank you x