As much as we love nail art, we’re better at admiring designs than coming up with them ourselves. That’s why we’ve enlisted Anna Norman, the smarty pants behind Glitter, She Wrote, to be a regular contributor. Every Monday, she’ll be sharing her latest lacquer inspiration—you won’t be satisfied with plain ol’ polish again.
The bright, eye-grabbing colors and intricate nail art that dominated the fashion runways last year have stepped aside. What’s replaced them? Minimalist-chic. In other words, pale, barely-there nails. From Marc Jacobs to Rag & Bone, the fashion scene is all about nudes and neutrals. Here’s how to get the look this spring:
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We used to default to glitter polish whenever we wanted to wear something eye-catching on our nails. Then we met the new breed of holographic polish, and we were instantly smitten (ok, more like borderline-obsessed). Made through a top-secret process in the lab, holographic polish emits a multidimensional rainbow effect when exposed to light. It sounds a little sci-fi, but the results are just plain pretty.
In this month’s issue of the Birchbox Magazine, we interviewed Color Club chemist Michael Di Meo to learn why this covetable polish is so difficult to create. Read on and get excited to try this gorgeous nail art trend!
—Mai
We’ve got plenty of pretty polishes in the Birchbox Shop.
Logistics Coordinator, Loren, has a thing for nails—and we can’t blame her. We love reading about new finishes and fun techniques, so we thought we’d give her a slot on our blog to wax poetic about all things manicure (and pedicure!) related.
Hello, spring! The mood-lifting effects of longer days and warmer weather have put a bounce in everyone’s step here at Birchbox HQ. The skirts are flowing, the shoulders are bare, and the polishes are vibrant—which of course means that our Operations Team (@BirchboxOps), a.k.a. Special Ops, has started rocking the bright mani trend. Here are a few of the springtime lacquer looks that have made a star appearance in the office:
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As much as we love nail art, we’re better at admiring designs than coming up with them ourselves. That’s why we’ve enlisted Anna Norman, the smarty pants behind Glitter, She Wrote, to be a regular contributor. Every Monday, she’ll be sharing her latest lacquer inspiration—you won’t be satisfied with plain ol’ polish again.
Sorbet shades, greens, and pale neutrals are at the top of the list this spring, but if you’re looking for something a little different, you’re in luck. Almost every nail polish line is featuring textured or special-effect lacquers this season, and they are seriously fun. Here are my four top picks.
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Getting Our Sweat On With Women’s Health At Barry’s Bootcamp
As many of you know by now, we’ve teamed up with Women’s Health for our April box. The overarching theme is “tiny tweaks, big results,” which means we’ll be talking about all the ways to improve your overall wellbeing. We decided to kick off this stellar collab with a fun series of classes at Barry’s Bootcamp (a workout studio known for its notoriously hard interval-based sweat sessions) in Chelsea this afternoon. Subscribers and bloggers were on hand for two kick butt (or rather butt-kicking) shifts as was this editor—who could hardly believe the arms section of the class. (Let’s just say the phrase, “is this for real?!” ran through my head more than a few times).
But as they say, with hard work comes great rewards, and in Birchbox terms that means pampering after 45 minutes of dripping and panting. Guests were treated to complimentary manis by Color Club as well as hand and arm massages by (MALIN+GOETZ)—and after how many bicep curls I did, my arms were in serious need of some TLC.
—Meredith
Eager for more health-related content? Check out our Well-balanced column!
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
In addition to all things nebula-inspired, metallics always make my heart skip a beat. I rocked the look above this past New Year’s Eve and kept the gilded theme going with bold treasures by LAS Jewelry, VeraMeat and TOMTOM. (I don’t have the exact shade name, sadly, but it’s by Color Club and I received it in a Birchbox a few months back.) Besides making an instant statement, what’s rad about this trend is that it’s a great way to rock bling sans actual jewelry, which is necessary for a writer like myself. (Try typing for hours with fussy rings on and you’ll see what I mean.) If you’re ready to give your digits a futuristic upgrade, here are a few of my favorite shades of the aluminum foil-inspired variety.
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As much as we love nail art, we’re better at admiring designs than coming up with them ourselves. That’s why we’ve enlisted Anna Norman, the smarty pants behind Glitter, She Wrote, to be a regular contributor. Every Monday, she’ll be sharing her latest lacquer inspiration—you won’t be satisfied with plain ol’ polish again.
It’s officially March, and even though it’s still quite chilly out, I’m itching to switch up my nail polish wardrobe. Goodbye dark, vampy shades, and hello to the colors of spring. While I do enjoy a pastel here and there, spring lacquer doesn’t always mean Easter egg-inspired hues. Here are my five picks to carry you through the season.
Poppy Red (thumb): This bright orange-hued red is one of the most universally flattering colors—it was even selected as one of the Pantone Fashion Color Report shades for the season. It’s livelier than the blue-hued reds of winter, but still looks sophisticated and classic. I’m wearing the brand new My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours by OPI.
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The 3 Coolest New Nail Trends from Fashion Week
Over the last few fashion weeks, nails have become just as important as the hair and makeup. This past season was no exception and we were delighted by all the bold colors and creative designs that we spied. After taking it all in, we’ve narrowed down all the incredible looks to our top three favorites. Will you be trying any of these trends?
1) Studs: Deborah Lippmann for Kate Spade NY
The bright pink talons at Kate Spade NY perfectly matched the Pop Art-and NYC-inspired fall collection. We’re definitely picking up some metallic pyramids to affix to our nails ASAP. Plus, we can almost guarantee we’ll be seeing more almond-shaped nails on celebrities and trendsetters this fall. In fact, Deborah Lippmann called it the “nail shape of the season.”
2) Oil Slick Motif: Essie for Rebecca Minkoff
These multi-tonal oil slick nails were not only pretty—according to the lead manicurist Michelle Saunders they were so easy to do that one of the models did her own nails. Click through to see how to get the look yourself.
3) Picture Framing: Color Club for Charlotte Ronson
The nails at Charlotte Ronson’s show are always inspiring. Remember last season’s wave nails? This season, nail artist Simcha Whitehill (aka Miss Pop) created picture frame nails that really stood out. Whitehill gave us the deets on creating the look ourselves and having tried it with some success, we feel confident that with a little practice, this style isn’t too hard to do.
—Lorelei
Want to get inspired for spring nail looks? Take a look at our 10 favorite designs from the spring 2013 shows.
Between busy work schedules and jam-packed social calendars, it’s tough to fit in a little mani time. With the work week winding down (whoo hoo!), we’ve rounded up eight topnotch manicures to try this weekend:
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