Ode to Deborah Lippmann

       I'm sure you all recognize the photo above; it's Twitter. But more specifically, it's THE Deborah Lippmann twitter. On the auspicious day of Labor Day ( monday that just passed, for some us under the NYFW stress) she retweeted a tweet from yours truly Acetone Anonymous! Thats right, RETWEETED. I know I maybe a little too excited, but I am a HUGE fan of Deborah Lippmann. I liked her way back when her nail polishes used to say Lippmann Collection, instead of her today revamped collection: Deborah Lippmann.

      I know some of you may think that paying almost $20 for a nail polish is absurd. However, your not paying for the bottle, your paying for quality, color and the dimensions of the glitter ( if your purchasing glitter polish.) My best friend is a real stickler. She will look high and low for a cheaper version of anything. She did almost come close to one of Deborah's "Superstar" nail polish, but the quality was crap and the shimmer/metallic color was separating. 

     Now I'm not saying that you should own every nail polish bottle by Deborah Lippmann (seriously though... if you do, BRAVO!) But when the right color comes along, you can bet your whole nail polish collection that your not going to find something like it anywhere else. 

L-R: Daytripper, Dancing in the Dark, Just Walk Away Renee, Across the Universe

      This is my collection ( not all of it, but just the Deborah Lippmann one's), I know it's not cohesive. But I love these colors. I can't find anything similar or close to it in any brand.  So this past weekend, I wanted to wear Daytripper which is a neon/coral color. Anyone who knows me, knows that coral is my favorite color, like I'm obsessed with coral. So it doesn't come as shock that I love this nail polish. It is a little brighter than normal coral colors, but it looks phenomenal in the sun/summer time!  Usually 2 coats does the trick. 

      Unfortunately I also have major commitment issues, and I can't really commit to one nail polish color for a whole week. I also happen to be obsessed with Glitter+Sparkle, literally anything that shines like a million diamonds. A while back I came up with this B-E-A-U-tiful combination. The OPI color is "The One That Got Away" which is the from the Katy Perry collection. If anyone is familiar with this polish, it's a gorgeous pink maroon color with shimmer mixed into it. I do love this color on its own, but I decided to pair it with Deborah Lippmann's "Dancing in the Dark". Now this color was originally in a set of 3 mini bottles over the last christmas holiday (circa 2011 & only available through Nordstrom). I'm so happy she decided to make it into a full sized bottle, because it's kinda THE BEST gunmetal glitter polish out there. 

Here's my formal for this gorgeous combo:

• 3 coats Opi-Katy Perry "The One That Got Away"… Let it dry fully.
• 2 coats Deborah Lippmann "Dancing in the Dark" …  I only apply in the middle of the nail, I like how the OPI color shows through.
• Topcoat it, I usually use Seche Vite, but right now this Orly Super Shiny top coat is working it's magic on me. 
• & Voila! You have one insane sparkle-tastic manicure!

      

Hope you discover your love for Deborah Lippmann polishes as I did. 

xx

Mar

NOTD: Essie's Penny Talk

As Mar said, fall is around the corner so I chose a more fall appropriate polish today. To me, some of the most autumn type colors are warm colors and this polish is a good example, not to mention absolutely gorgeous!!

Please, allow me to introduce you to Essie's Penny Talk. This polish, from Essie's 2012 Mirror Metallics collection, is a coppery metallic color. People have been calling it rose gold and I agree, it matches perfectly with my MK watch! In the sun you can see the micro shimmer particles (as you can see in the picture above) and in less intense light (for example indoors as in the picture below) it really looks like a matte foil on your nails. It is unlike any polish I own.

 Let's talk formula. As with most metallics, this is kind of hard to apply. It is very thick, dries very fast and the streaks are very visible. If you work fast and make sure to not cover the same spot twice while painting the same coat, you should be fine. The finish was semi-matte and even after I applied my beloved Seche Vite, my nails do not look glossy. While this is perfectly okay with me because the color looks good, I still thought it was worth mentioning.

I can't wait to wear this color during the holiday season! It'll be a great polish year round for sure. Tell me fellow AA'ers, would it be crazy for me to buy a backup even though I've only worn this once? I think I just might!

-Iman

P.S. Sometimes when my nails chip or I get bored, I like to freshen up my manis with a little nail art. This one turned out so well I couldn't wait to share with you! Penny Talk, some cut up tape, and a very old peach polish from Icing and we have...

Hope you like it!

NOTD: Sally Hansen's Coral Reef

Labor day's approaching so I'm making sure I get in all my favorite bright polishes now! Today I'm wearing Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear polish in Coral Reef. This was promoted with their summer line, and is still available in stores.

The color is so fun! It's very bright and was as close to neon I was able to get this past season. I find the name to be misleading however, because I see more pink than coral in the polish (but maybe that's just me!). The formulation is on the thicker side, almost even goopy, but if your patient the result is still good.

Plus, you can't really go wrong with a 2 dollar polish! With a wide brush, similar to OPI's, this version of Sally Hansen is my favorite drug store nail polish as of now. What are your favorite drugstore polishes?

-Iman

A New Method for Newspaper Nails

Hi everyone!

Today I want to share with you my personal way of creating the newspaper nail. :) Every tutorial I read when this trend first came out told me to dip my finger in alcohol for two minutes and then transfer the newspaper image. Unfortunately, I found this method took too much time and, more importantly, didn't even work! Read on to see how I changed things up.

To create this look you need white nail polish (I used OPI's Alpine Snow), rubbing alcohol, a little cup (I used a shot glass) to put the alcohol in and some newspaper cut into finger nail sized pieces (see images 1 & 2). Begin by painting your nails with two coats of your white polish (see image 3) and allow this to dry completely. You will be pressing the newspaper against your nail so you should make sure they are perfectly dry. Then dip your strip of newspaper into your rubbing alcohol (see image 4) for 7 seconds. Shake off the extra alcohol and press the wet strip very firmly against your nail for 10 seconds (see image 5). Let dry and finish with some top coat! Make sure you allow the ink to dry because it runs pretty easily under top coat.

Do you have any tips or tricks to achieve the newspaper nail look?

-Iman

NOTD: OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape

Today I was feeling extra summery so my nail of the day is OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape!

 A newer purchase for me, this polish is a minty green polish, however I find that it has a pretty heavy dose of a lime green it. I also feel it is a lot more neon than most. The photos don't really pick up on it, but I definitely find it different from my other mint greens (Essie's Mint Candy Apple and Orly's Jealous, Much?).

I had to apply 3 coats but the result was very smooth. OPI rarely disappoints in terms of consistency of polish. These photos are taken in sunlight without flash or top coat.

Excuse my fading henna! I hope you enjoyed this post. Let us know, what's your favorite minty green polish?

-Iman