Nails

Beauty Quickie: Kur Nail Concealers
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Beauty Quickie: Kur Nail Concealers

Who: Londontown

Kur Illuminating Nail Concealer

What: Kur Illuminating Nail Concealers

When: Anytime I want to strengthen my nails and look more pulled together, pronto

Where: I usually swipe it on while watching tv in the living room

Why: These easy to apply, quick drying nail concealers add strength and a pretty shine to nails. It’s impossible to mess up your at-home mani if this is what you’re doing. It helped me fix a cracking nail issue this winter and is a quick and easy way to add a little more polish (see what I did there?) to your day. I’ve tried the original white shade and the pink concealer; other options are available here.

Kur Pink Illuminating Nail Concealer
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Holiday Preview: Essie Wrapped in Luxury

I know it’s a little early, but the holiday season will soon be upon us. If you’re looking for the perfect nail color for the season, look no further. Essie Wrapped in Luxury is a lovely deep red from the 2022 holiday collection that will have you looking festive and put together from Thanksgiving straight through to New Year’s Eve.

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Gimme Some Greige

I never thought I’d be singing the praises of the grey-beige hybrid known as “greige,” but here we are. It seems like it should be the ultimate boring color. But, it turns out, it’s actually really lovely.

I made this discovery a couple of weeks ago. I stopped at the beach one especially hot late August afternoon to dip my toes in the water and spotted an impossibly chic woman lying under her beach umbrella, perfectly pedicured toes resting in the sand. Her nails were a beautiful lavender-greige and they looked fresh, pretty, and absolutely perfect with a tan at the beach.

I immediately went home and started researching greige nail colors. I came across Londontown Lakur in Beaumont, which was precisely the shade I was looking for. I promptly ordered it and impatiently waited for it to arrive.

I’ll admit, this cool shade is a sharp departure from my usual hot pink summer toe nail polish, but I really like it. It feels very together and, we’ll, polished. The Lakur goes on easily and gives great coverage. I find it does chip somewhat easily, but it’s also easy to touch up. Overall, I’m very into my new nail color, and plan to rock it long after beach season has passed.

What’s your favorite greige?

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Beauty Quickie: NCLA Take it off! Soy Based Nail Lacquer Remover Sheets

Who: NCLA

What: Take it off! Soy based nail lacquer remover sheets

When: Last night, when I noticed how chipped my manicure was

Where: I found these in my medicine cabinet – they came with a previous order from the NCLA website

Why: When my standard nail polish remover simply would not remove the polish from my nails, I decided to give one of these sheets a try. Not only did it quickly and easily remove my polish, it was also a pleasure to use. No harsh stinky chemicals. It wasn’t sopping wet and my hands didn’t smell like remover all night. I just gently massaged the sheet over each nail and the polish is completely gone. I immediately went to the website to order more, but sadly didn’t see any in stock. I did find a bottle of this soy based remover, though – and it’s currently on sale for $4!

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So Polished: Static Nails Liquid Glass Lacquer in Irene

When I received a bottle of Static Nails Liquid Glass Lacquer in Irene in my Allure Beauty Box, I thought it was a pretty color. What I didn’t realize was that it would instantly become my new favorite nail product. Here’s why:

This sheer nude shade is pretty and flattering. The applicator brush might be the best I’ve ever encountered – the lacquer was so easy to apply that I made zero mistakes – no messy spots around my nails that needed to be cleaned up when I was done. It dried fairly quickly and left a gorgeous glassy finish. In a matter of a minutes I gave myself a manicure that looks natural but also extremely put together. What’s not to love about that?

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Halloween Mani: NCLA She’s Dead To Me

I’m a sucker for some fun packaging and one look at the bottle design for this midnight purple nail polish told me that I needed it. When first applied it dries to a matte black (think chalkboard) with a subtle deep purple shimmer. I wanted something a little glossier so I added a top coat. Either way, the polish was easy to apply and gave full coverage and lots of color with just one coat.

This fun polish is only available for a limited time at NCLA so go grab some while you can!

What’s your Halloween nail polish pick?

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Beauty Quickie: Great Nails to Go

Who: KISS

What: imPRESS Press-on Manicure One-Step Gel

When: For a special event or anytime you want to feel like you have your act together.

Where: I picked up a package that included 36 nails (six were accent nails) at Walgreens.

Why: I really like the look of gel manicures but I don’t like to spend a lot of time or money on my nails. For less than $10 and about as many minutes, I was able to give myself a fun, glossy manicure that didn’t require any drying time and that stayed put for five full days (my friend’s lasted seven, but I was particularly hard on my hands when I had them on). Pro tip: I find most press on nails to be too long and square for my taste – I prefer a shorter and more rounded tip for a more natural look. After I applied the nails I used a regular nail trimmer to cut and shape the nails – the file that came with the kit didn’t work for me. I received tons of compliments on my manicure and people were surprised to learn they were fake. I’ll definitely buy these again.

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Color Me Impressed: NCLA Nail Lacquer

In theory, I’d love to be a person who always has her nails done. Nothing makes me feel more, well, polished. But in reality, getting regular salon manicures can be expensive and finding the time to do it at home can be nearly impossible, especially when you take into consideration all the touch ups you’ll likely have to do to keep your nails looking halfway decent.

This is why, on those rare occasions when I find that I won’t need to use my hands for anything for a while and decide to paint my nails, I prefer a nail color that delivers a lot of pigment and shine in one coat. Enter NCLA Nail Lacquer. I received a GORGEOUS bottle of Call My Agent in my January Allure Beauty Box and I couldn’t wait to put it on. I hastily painted on one coat – no base or top coat – and let it dry. I cleaned up my cuticles with a remover-soaked cotton swab (the lacquer brush is just a little bigger than I’d prefer, so clean up was definitely necessary) and went on my way.

The results? I love the color. It goes on true to what you see in the bottle and stays shiny until you take it off. And I cannot say enough how impressed I am with this product’s staying power. I painted my nails Monday evening and the polish didn’t chip at all until Friday morning. I received compliments all week on both the color and quality of my manicure. With a single coat lasting this long, NCLA lacquer makes regular manicures seem possible and worth the effort. Even for a lazy nail painter like me.

The best part? NCLA products are 7-free (meaning they don’t contain formaldehyde and all the other toxins commonly found in nail polishes), vegan and cruelty-free. NCLA also has gels and wraps for nails, and beautiful lipsticks, all in fun and lovely packaging. And as of right now, they are doing a buy one get one free sale on all lipsticks. I just took advantage of the deal. Click here to check it out for yourself. You’ll want to grab yourself a nail lacquer too.

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Nearly Naked Nails

  There’s just something about summer that makes me crave a nude nail. It’s such a fresh, breezy look and just feels right this time of year. 

I’ve tried several nude polishes that looked chic in the bottle and tragic with my skin tone. Luckily, Zoya Professional Lacquer in Pandora is not one of them. This pink nude is lovely, ladylike and everything I want in a nude polish. Fair warning: it chips fairly easily, but it’s so subtle and easy to reapply that I’m still a big fan. 

If you’re looking for a nude with a bit more impact, I have to suggest Essie’s Tuck it in My Tux, a gorgeous ivory polish. I’ve been dying to get my hands on it ever since I spotted it on a coworker a couple of weeks ago. 

What’s your go-to nude?

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Pretty in Pink: Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Berkeley Street

  I like the look of gel manicures and the fact that they are so durable, but as a person who prefers to do most of my beauty treatments myself, I haven’t been all that jazzed about getting a gel manicure done at the salon. That’s why I love the gel effect trend, which allows you to paint on your own sleek-looking polish in the comfort of your own home. I’ve been drooling over the Nails Inc Gel Effect line for a while now, so I finally decided to give this hot pink polish a try. I love the color and I have to say I’m impressed with the quality of the polish. One coat, with no base or top coat, gave me even, opaque color. It smoothed out some imperfections in my nails and stayed chip-free for 4 days. It stayed glossy all week and came off easily when I was ready to remove it. I’ll be trying some of the other Nails Inc shades for sure!