Nail Trend: Introducing The New Pastel

One of the biggest trends this Spring is donning pastel tips, but pastel has undergone a makeover.  The crop of pastels I'm falling in love with this season are much more sophisticated than those of Cadbury Egg Minis (which after this weekend, I should be in rehab for).  From pistachio and cotton candy to lilac, lemon and eggshell blue, I just can't get enough and that's rare for a girl who always wears dark colors. When I received the Spring 2012 Dolce & Gabbana collection in the mail I flipped over the polishes.  Of course, the cosmetics are gorgeous, but these lacquers were my first introduction into the new pastel.  They're milky pastels and after applying, it looks as if you painted a white coat of polish underneath the pastel shade to make it pop.

The first thing that caught my attention about Rococo Nail Apparel's Spring 2012 collection was the packaging.  It's special and I think there's nothing better than getting a beautifully packaged set of beauty products.  Like the Dolce & Gabbana shades, the pastels are also creamy.

While these polishes may be a bit pricey, it's nice to treat yourself once in a while.  Of course, there are other options!  Here are some of my other favorite pastels by Essie and OPI that you can find in your local nail salon and will keep you on trend: Essie in Mint Candy Apple, Essie in Play Date, OPI in Do You Lilac It and OPI in Pink Friday.

Navy is the New Black

You've heard it once, you've heard it twice.  This is the new black, that's the new black, but really ladies – navy is the new black.  At least when it comes to nail polish.  High shine navy manicures are it for fall. If you're anything like me you've been wearing a slew of dark polishes on your tips from Chanel Black Satin to OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, but this Fall in case you haven't noticed, already in your local nail salon are Essie in Bobbing for Baubles and OPI in Road House Blues – two perfect navys.

My favorite right now is by Creative Nail Design called Midnight Sapphire. It's a very inky navy that resembles a an ink mark a dark felt tip blue marker would leave behind.

VIP Pass to the Industry: Lippe Taylor

I'm so excited to introduce you to Lauren Marfoe of Lippe Taylor!  She's one of my best friends (in life, not just at work) and is extremely talented.  She's been working in beauty PR since she graduated college and transitioned into social media.  Currently, she's a Senior Account Executive on the Digital Team who's obsessed with Justin Bieber and stays grounded by noting, "It's PR not the ER!"  Meet Lauren: What college did you go to and what did you major in?

I attended Florida State University and majored in Fashion Merchandising (and will take any opportunity I can to remind people that when I don’t know something it’s because I went to Fashion School.)  :) This is applicable in both work and in real life.

How did you land your first job in PR?

Florida State University has an amazing internship program and for the last half of your last semester you are required to successfully hold a 3 month internship at a location and with an employer of your choice. A close friend of mine helped me get into the industry and I landed my internship at Alison Brod Public Relations. There I was able to learn the in’s and out’s of the Fashion, Beauty, Consumer and Lifestyle PR world and quickly discovered my love for all things beauty – from there, ABPR hooked me up with a former employee of theirs who was working at Lippe Taylor at the time and I’ve been here ever since.

What’s a typical day like for you?

A typical day for me is anything but typical – I can be seen doing anything from creating a social media strategy for a brand to brainstorming new ideas for Facebook applications. I love all the beauty bloggers so I’m constantly emailing with the girls, talking about the newest product launches or the latest news and gossip in our lives. I also help out with bringing new ideas to the table for new business pitches and work closely with all the teams on coordinating and executing our events. But ask me this tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll be giving you a totally different answer.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is the environment I work in – I love coming to a place where everyone is here for the same reason, because we’re passionate about what we do. It’s great to have people around you who you vibe well with and who know how to do their job well without taking themselves too seriously – its PR not the ER, people!

What’s the best advice you would give someone trying to get into the industry today?

The best advice I could give to someone is that being a reliable, solid, hard working intern will pay off more than you think – there’s nothing like having a great intern who is excited to be there and who is willing to learn. You’ve already got your foot in the door so make sure your next step is remarkable!

Confess! What’s your biggest beauty sin?

My biggest, nitty, gritty beauty sin is that…I find my face and my skin look their best when I don’t wash my face before bed. It’s terrible – I’ve committed the carnal sin of the beauty world, but it’s true!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

My guiltiest pleasure….the new Justin Bieber nail polish from Nicole by O.P.I. I’m obsessed with the My Lifesaver color. Goodbye, street cred.

New Spring Shades from Butter London

Normally when I go get manis and pedis I very rarely bring my own shade.  (Mostly due getting them randomly on the go and forgetting to put my color in my bag.) Therefore, I'm always forced to choose between a wall of OPI and Essie colors, which don't get me wrong, I love, but in the wonderful world of nail color, there's so much more out there – like Butter London for instance. I first discovered Butter London a few seasons ago backstage at NY Fashion Week and was introduced to the Creative Director, Nonie Creme.  This Spring, Nonie was inspired by impressionist style prints that graced the Spring/Summer 2011 runways and created a palette that she calls "muted/greige."

“There is a strong move toward ‘retro’ colours this season, with many designers looking at Halston era glamour and style. This collection is all about “pops” of colour that feel unique and edgy but relevant – our trademark," Nonie commented.

The colors include Lady Muck (greyish periwinkle), Dosh (molton apple green), Teddy Girl (pale retro bubble gum), Hen Party (sheer opal, which I like as a top coat) and Blagger (cobalt blue).

Katy Perry Teams Up with OPI

How have you been wearing your nails this fall?  My absolute favorite shades of all time are Essie's Wicked and OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.  Oldies but goodies.  Soon, there will be a new way to wear your fave shades and I'm super excited about it. None other than Katy Perry teamed up with OPI to create a unique top coat called Black Shatter that once dry, leaves behind a cracked pattern on each nail.  I think it's amazing how you can create texture in so many ways with a simple manicure.  I especially like the idea of this new top coat because you can create the texture yourself in a fool proof way.  No fancy specialist needed.

Miss Perry is also designing four fierce colors inspired by her album "Teenage Dream."  The shades and topcoat will hit counters and nail salons in January.

What's your favorite nail polish color for fall?

How to Rock A Sexy, Dark Lip

There's a trend from New York Fashion Week that I've been dying to try and have been recently sporting it on my cross country travels – the dark lip.  No, it's not goth, it's sexy.  But yes, it can look bad if you don't wear it right.  I've been wearing a deep plum that compliments my skin tone (think OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark for your nails).  Below are tips from DailyMakeover on how to make the dark lip work for you and stay put.

• Exfoliate your lips. It is important to remove any excess dead skin from your lips for a smooth surface. Try Smashbox Cosmetics Emulsion Lip Exfoliant.

• Prime lips. This step is very important, so please do not skip! You need to add a small amount of moisture to your lips before applying a dark lip color so the color does not look dry or cracked. The key is keeping the matte look without the greasy residue of some lip balms. A multi-purpose primer, like Natural Born Cosmetics Lip Fix Matte Neutralizer, does the trick! This product, primes, adds a bit of moisture, fills in little lines, and neutralizes lip color for a perfect canvas to apply a deep color...

• Choose a dark lip color. Try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics--one drop of their Lip Tar goes a long, long way! For blue-red shades, try NSFW or Stalker. If you prefer warmer reds, try Harlot. For the perfect deep-burgundy shade, try Strumpet or Vintage. Another favorite of mine is Yves St. Laurent Rouge Volupté Perle in Mesmerizing Purple.

• Apply lip color with a lip brush. To apply gloss with a brush, squeeze a drop of product onto the brush and apply color starting from the outer corners of the lip inwards towards the bow of your lips and fill in. You can go slightly outside of your natural lip line but be careful not to go too high. A similar technique is used for applying lipstick from the tube. Instead of applying directly to lips, swipe your lip brush with the product and apply using the same technique.

Now that you have your lips in tact make sure you keep the rest of your face flawless!  Remember the lip is the focal point.

Duri's New Fall Polish Collection

I love Duri polishes.  Every time I go to the salon my options are limited to OPI or Essie. Not that that's a completely bad thing, because they do have great shades, but there are so many other brands out there who make fabulous colors that are not to be over looked – like Duri. I recently received their fall collection and was so eager to test them out that I painted each of my nails a different color.  Called "Angels and Demons" colors are named Angelic Dust, Seven Heavens, Sacred Quest, Paradise Lost, Path of Light and Wickedly Devine.  My favorites are Seven Heaven – a deep magenta – and Sacred Quest – a metallic brown.

I've been a fan of Duri polishes ever since I tried their Rejuvacote on my brittle nails.  After experimenting with Creative upon removal.  This potion revitalized them and brought them back to life.  My advice: don't get in a rut and always stick to what's offered in your local nail salon for manis and pedis.  There are may other polish companies that make quality polishes with trendy shades.