Tips and Toes

 Going on vacation and wondering which colors to paint your nails and toes? I personally don't like matching my fingernail color to my toes, so here are some nice color combinations.  The top three go with the theme of this blog - shades of purple and blue.

I painted all of these on a white fake nail, with 2 coats and no top coat, except where noted. 

Dark purple creme and bright pastel blue creme: Ginger + Liz "Hold the Drama" and Zoya "Robyn"

Slightly dark purple creme and sparkly dark blue: Zoya "Lael" and on the right, one coat of OPI "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!" plus one coat butter London "Henley Regatta"

Bright pastel purple and teal-toned blue: Zoya "Perrie" and butter London "Artful Dodger"

Dark purple shimmer and raspberry-tinged red creme: Chanel "Vendetta" and  Rococo "Trash Creme"

Dark bright pink creme and primary blue creme: Milani "Punchiest Punch" and Mattése  "Neon 14 Lighting Blue" (I used three coats and this dries matte so I added a top coat)

Mousey grey with lavender undertones and soft hot pink: OPI for Sephora "Metro Chic" and Zoya "Tobey"

Creamsicle orange and bright hot pink: Zoya "Jancyn" and Zoya "Ali" (this dries matte so I added a top coat)

Sparkly tropical green and shimmery true orange: Zoya "Midori" and Sinful Colors "#33 Courtney Orange"

Blog Love: Uncommon Caribbean!

Curious about Turks & Caicos, St. Kitts & Nevis, Guadaloupe or Curacao? Or what about Belize, Trinidad & Tobago, Bequia, Dominica or the Dominican Republic? Or perhaps the nightlife, rum, and beer that is produced in the Caribbean?  You can read about all I wrote about above and more at Uncommon Caribbean! This blog is brought to you by two brothers from the U.S. Virgin Islands who love their culture and the Caribbean way of life, although they are both currently residing in the U.S.

I love the Caribbean too, and having visited Trinidad & Tobago, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands (both U.S. and British) and Grenada, I can't wait to see more.  The brothers feature great photos, recipes, videos and rum reviews.

So which of their  Wallpaper Wednesdays has me longing for a plane ticket? Tough decision, but I will go for English Harbor, Antigua. Sailing around the island? Sounds great.  Dropping anchor in the bay? Even better.

Here are a few of the many destinations that they highlight:
Exuma, Bahamas:

St. Vincent and the Grenadines:

Bermuda:

Anguilla:

photo credits: uncommoncaribbean.com

Blog Love: Beach Tomato!

There are two beach-themed blogs that I want to shout out because they are fantastic.  The first one is British-based Beach Tomato (and note, there are nipples in some photos so part of the site is Not Safe For Work). I really love the Beach of the Week feature on Beach Tomato, as well as the sun-centric products that they recommend. 

For the more recent beaches of the week, they recommend a book from a local author - how awesome is that? If you will be traveling anywhere, it is best to get a feel of the local culture to enhance your outlook on the trip. 

You gotta look good on the beach, or at least feel good!  On each featured beach the editors suggest some beauty products such as mascara, bronzer, and sunscreen as well as cute swimsuits.  They also highlight some doctor-administered treatments for cellulite reduction and liposuction. 

Don't have a perfect body? That's perfectly OK and join the club!  They have a great reminder to all women out there from a love-life coach who is also easy on the eyes (is it ironic that I had to throw that shallow comment in there? lol):

You see: Thighs. Massive thighs. A lardy cacophony of pizza, sofa and regret.

He sees: A lovely, smooth, soft lady body.

It has been said before, but I can only say it again – men love a curve. We are, quite literally, biologically programmed to. So you're immediately on to a winner, as long as you're reasonably hair-free and have a bikini that fits. (When it's too tight it cuts into your flesh, creating fat where there isn't any and spoiling the whole silhouette. Equally, baggy isn't good either.).

So, if I could choose one of their beaches of the week, where would I go?  While I certainly wouldn't turn down any of them, the one that called my name the most was Baía dos Porcos, Fernando de Noronha, Brasil.  What is most attractive to me, other than the dreamy turqouise water, is the fact that the beach most likely won't be too dense.  Fantastic!   I hate crowded beaches.  

 

Put me on some sand ASAP!

They have a contest for a trip to Hawaii, but be forewarned that it requires you to fly out from London, which will be great for Europeans, but difficult for people in the US or Asia, for example.  

Other highlights:

Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesian islands

Anse Source d'Argent, Seychelles

 

Ranhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands

photo credits: beachtomato.com

Starry Night nails

Jezebel linked this awesome tutorial for Van Gogh inspired nail art



Of course the one color I don't have in my 50+ polish collection is yellow, lol.  So I guess I won't be trying this one!

 Some other easy art inspirations:

Joan Miró:

Salvado Dalí:

the Mae West lips couch may make a cool half-moon mani

Claude Monet:

Jackson Pollock:

Pablo Picasso:

Henri Matisse:

photo credits: joanmiro.com, art.com, and bbc.co.uk

Beauty sales

Not much going on this weekend, but two specials caught my eye.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is offering three lip tar 6-packs - primaries, pastels, and nudes.  According to their facebook wall, it is only available this weekend, so act fast.

 

Bliss World is offering $25 off your purchase of $75 or more with the code "JULYGIFT".

Fall 2011 Couture Makeup

Although I do not wear make-up regularly, I really love a classic lipsticked lip and dark smokey eye.

Jean-Paul Gaultier did strong eyeliner an a red lip. On the three pictures on the Beauty Counter blog, the lip looks sort of orangey, but it does look like a true red on the runway.  Maybe it was blended to suit the undertones models' skin?I dunno.  Your best bet may be to blend a customized color using OCC's Lip Tars in NSFW and Safety Orange.  I have them both (along with Pageant and Tarred) and love to blend them to get a unique color.  Nars' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is also a great choice - Cruella and Dragon Girl are both gorgeous reds, Cruella being slightly darker.

 OCC NSFW on the left, Safety Orange on the right

Chanel had an awesome winged-out black smokey eye using their illusion d'ombre shadow called Mirifique, as reported by Style's Beauty Counter blog. It looks like it has gunmetal shimmer, so I am not sure if it was blended with Épatant on the center of the eye.  And I am not sure if it my computer screen, but I am seeing a bit of green like their nail polish Black Pearl, though not as strong.

photo credits: style.com

Euro Sales: British Womenswear and Lingerie

Last few days of asos's sale! Thousands of choices, but act fast!

Sale at Agent Provocateur! Bras from $60! Briefs from $50!  Thongs from $20! Jewelry! Stockings!

Karen Millen has great bodycon dresses that are not short and hoochie-fied.  In other words, perfect for professionals.

Topshop currently has over 550 pieces in their sale section, including lingerie, bags and dresses. 

Ah, Reiss... you make it so easy to achieve a chic outfit...

Prints on skirts? OMG, yes, please, Boden!

Hopefully I didn't miss any other major online sales going on!

photo credits: asos.com, agentprovocateur.com, karenmillen.com, topshop.com, reissonline.com, bodenusa.com

Euro Sales: British Tailored Button-Downs

The first week in July equals summer sales in Europe!

So now is the time to stock up on classic shirts. I love a British button-down - lasts longer, is more stylish, and is cut better than American shirts from my experience.  So some may cost you up to $200 regularly, so they are a steal for $30-$50 now!  This is also a great opportunity to shop for any men in your life who need or wear dress shirts.

I already have a few shirts from Thomas Pink, I love them:

Thomas Pink

This site currently has a 10% promotion for  new customers:
Savile Row Co. 

 I am usually drawn to dark shirts:

Hawes and Curtis

This striped shirt is kind of awesome:
Charles Tyrwhitt

Remember to order using your British size.  My Thomas Pink shirts run true to size (via their size guide), but I am not sure about the other places listed here. 


photo credit: thomaspink.co.uk, savilerowco.com, hawesandcurtis.com, and ctshirts.co.uk

Review: Davines Love Curl Conditioner

OK, I already adore the  regular Davines Love Conditioner (which is also fantastic for curly girls), so when I ran out my first jar, I had to try Davines Conditioner - Love, Curl . It is definitely curl-enhancing and it makes my hair feel smooth and soft.  I have kinky/curly hair and I would recommend it to people with naturally curly and/or thick hair.  Mine is sort of like Tracey Ellis Ross.  The texture of the product is very very thick and heavy - thicker than most conditioners that I have ever used.  Because of this, I don't need to use a lot. 

The way that I use conditioner most effectively is that I part my hair in sections, apply some conditioner to one section and starting from the roots, twist that section around itself so that the product squeezes downward and is subsequently concentrated at the ends.

The only complaint that I have is of the packaging - it is made out of a thin plastic, which is good from an environmental standpoint, but it cracks easily.  Luckily, the integrity of the actual product wasn't compromised, and it was nothing a little tape can't fix.   Another negative point for me is that it smells like grapefruit.

First few ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl  Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol...

It also include parabens,  pistachio oil, more silicones, polyquaternium-10, and rice bran wax among other ingredients.  If you are looking for something totally natural with no parabens and no silicones, unfortunately, this product is not for you. 

Hmmm now I wonder what my next Davines purchase will be! I am definitely an enthusiastic fan!

photo credit: amazon.com