Nail art is a Birchbox obsession. One of the first places we look for inspiration is Glitter, She Wrote, Anna Norman’s cheery, imaginative blog, where she shares her gorgeous designs and muses about life in the Big Apple. This week, Anna takes us inside her nail guru world, and will show us how to get gorgeous, DIY art on our fingertips.
I often tell people that the top two things you need for nail art are creativity and patience—but having the right products and tools certainly helps, too. Here’s a peek at the items I keep on hand, so I’m ready to rock whenever nail inspiration strikes.
1. I love the look of short, well-groomed nails, so nail care basics like clippers, buffers, and files (including this adorable heart-shaped file from Birchbox) are essential.
2. A good top coat adds shine, smooths brushstrokes, and keeps chipping at bay. All year I’ve been using and loving Wicked Fast from the up-and-coming polish brand Cult Nails. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails is also a great, easier-to-find choice.
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The Show: Tracy Reese
Makeup: Mally Beauty
Hair: Jeanie Syfu for TRESemmé
Nails: Jin Soon Choi for Sally Hansen
The Vibe: Color, color everywhere. Nails featured a new Sally Hansen collaboration with Reese. The two shades, Scarab (pictured), and Copperhead will debut in October. We got the scoop from the lead manicurist, Jin Soon Choi, who told us the secret to the collection: the polishes are formulated with real silver, which gives it a metallic shine and longer lasting finish.
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Show: Prabal Gurung
Hair: TIGI
Makeup: Charlotte Tilbury for M.A.C.
Nails: Jin Soon for Sally Hansen
The Vibe: Good and evil; light and dark. Prabal Gurung’s collection was translated quite literally in this season’s beauty look: the line started all black, then transitioned to blue looks, and ended with ivory and gold pieces. Fittingly, Sally Hansen created four custom colors for the show, three of which were used on models: a black called Onyx, a lovely blue called Blue Rose, and a gorgeous chrome glitter gold called Gilded Lily. “Whoever is wearing black gets black nails, whoever is wearing blue gets blue nails, and gold polish is for the blonde girls wearing white and gold” explained lead manicurist, Jin Soon.
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teenvogue:
First look Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects stickers for Avril Lavigne!
Photographed by Eva Chen
Just as punk pop princess as we’d expect! We’d happily sport the pink cheetah.
Playing with all the fun polishes around the office this morning landed me on this 15-minute design: Essie’s Turning Heads Red and of course a status nail in Sally Hansen’s Blazing Blue, all accented with Borghese in Chroma. Fun Fact: I used a wooden cuticle stick to apply the silver tips— super easy.
What colors are you wearing on your nails this weekend? Comment and let us know!
—Shana
Pick up some other fun polishes in our Birchbox Shop.
The Birchbox Beauty Diaries is a regular feature where one of our team members tries out a new beauty look every day for one week. Whether it’s lipstick or eyeshadow, different hairstyles or fun makeup techniques, we’ll give you five fun ideas for how you can shake up your routine.
Birchboxer: Lorelei
Title: Assistant Editor
A Week Of: Awesomely cool nail art (a.k.a. Birchbox’s obsession)
Monday: Essie in Turning Heads Red ($8.00), Butter London Matte Finish Topcoat ($14.40), Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Blazing Blue ($1.49)
I felt very patriotic with this red and navy moon mani. I’m already planning to resurrect it for Fourth of July weekend, potentially with a little star detail if I get ambitious. In this case, I had already been wearing the red for a day or two but wanted to spice it up a bit with a matte topcoat and the navy. I used Turning Heads Red by Essie, the Matte Finish Topcoat by Butter London, and Blazing Blue Insta-Dri by Sally Hansen.
Tuesday: Deborah Lippmann Between the Sheets ($17.90) and Daytripper ($16.00)
I’m obsessed with these new shades by Deborah Lippmann, Between the Sheets (purple) and Daytripper (pink). They’re so fun and punchy, I couldn’t resist wearing them together. I did get a few weird comments from people that thought I mistakenly wore two different colors, but I loved it.
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This week, we’re lucky enough to have the uber-talented Grace of Stripes and Sequins on board for a week of blogging fun. So far she’s inspired us to try cheery blushes and coordinate our makeup with our accessories; now she’s schooling us in proper nail art application.
Working in brand management, one of the most interesting launches I’ve ever worked on was Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects. Everyone refers to them as the “Sally Hansen nail stickers,” but what’s interesting about these is that they actually aren’t stickers — they are strips of real nail polish that adhere to your nail in seconds, giving you a manicure that lasts up to ten days. (To remove, you simply take them off with nail polish remover.) I’ve applied these everywhere — in the back of a cab, at work, you name it. But I’ll be the first to admit that they are a little tricky to get the hang of. When the Birchbox girls found out that I had worked on the launch, they immediately asked me for tips.
First and foremost, you absolutely must start with clean, dry, smooth nails. The kit comes with a little buffer stick. Buff your nails and then give them an extra swipe of nail polish remover to eliminate any trace of dirt or oil. (Even the smallest amount of oil on your hands can affect the wear of your manicure – so keep this in mind next time you paint your nails, too!) The next tip is to use warm hands. Rub your hands together a few times to warm them up, and then warm the strip before you apply (which you do by removing the adhesive backing). This will make the strip more flexible and help you to get the best possible fit for your nail. Lastly, press them down – hard! The kit comes with a cuticle stick. After applying the strip to your nail, run the angled edge of the stick along the perimeter – this helps to really seal the strip.
Do these three things and you’ll have a long lasting manicure. My personal three favorite shades are the Electric Shock (shocking neon yellow), Misbehaved (fishnet pattern), and Laced Up (black lace over a nude background).
Learn more about Sally Hansen Salon Effects and the nail art trend in our handy guide.
Sticking to traditional polish? Pick up the hottest shades in our Shop.
Left: Drew Barrymore in August of last year (Photo: Steeping Beauty). Right: Ombre nails (LesleyKat).
Last year Hollywood had a love affair with the grown-out ombre hair trend. Everyone from Drew Barrymore and Ashley Simpson-Wentz to Rachel Bilson and Alexa Chung sported this look on the red carpet at some point. It seems though that the enthusiasm the style has faded (get it? Ha!), but there is a new color gradation fad on the horizon: ombre nails. We first spotted one of our fave vloggers, Miss Glamourazzi, doing a how-to video during the holidays on a Nutcracker-inspired purple mani, but now it would seem that the trend is starting to really take hold. Prime example: earlier today OnSugar blogger LesleyKat posted her tips on recreating a Valentine’s Day-themed nails. Minus the hearts (Lesley, what were you thinking?), it is so pretty—and certainly no easy feat. She used four, yup four, different types of pink polish to get this effect and even a makeup sponge to help blend. Even though I am pretty adept with lacquer, I am secretly hoping Sally Hansen comes out with Salon Effects ombre polish strips so I can partake in the look with just one simple foolproof step.
—Meredith
If you love be crafty with your nails, you’ll love our selection of daring Deborah Lippmann products.
As promised in our previous post about Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips, we’re putting these to the test to determine wearability and general awesomeness. So far, we’re impressed. The strips are easy to apply and look great right away. If anything, the edges tend to peel a bit if you don’t prep your nails right (which I didn’t) so make sure you’re starting with clean, dry nails; buffing; and wiping nails with a bit of nail polish remover right before applying.
I’ve tried metallic gold strips with a geo/snakeskin pattern called Misbehaved. It’s fun and a big change from my standard solid color manicure but I’m doubtful that it will last up to 10 days as the package claims. More pics and nail art to come all month!
- Lorelei
If you love nails, you’ll love the selection of Deborah Lippmann nail products in the Birchbox shop.
Haven’t you heard? Nail art isn’t just for Harajuku girls and teenagers anymore. Unlike the misguided French mani attempts of your high school self, nail art 2.0 is super stylish (Refinery 29 and Alexa Chung both approve - what more do you need?). But getting nail art right is easier said than done. If you’ve got a steady hand, by all means grab a brush and go all Picasso with your Essie. But for the rest of us, we’ll need a little more help to get a perfect houndstooth (or faux lace, or butterfly) motif. Enter nail strips. Pioneered by Minx nails, sheets are a flexible sticker-like product that conforms to your nail shape and gives you a uniform finish. We love the look but Minx is only available at certain salons and, honestly, we’re not sure we want to commit to paying a professional for Pop Art-style nails. A better option? Sally Hansen’s soon-to-launch Salon Effects Nail Strips. It’s the same idea, at a fraction of the price. We’ll be giving these a try soon - stay tuned!
Read about how P.S. I Made This’s Erica Domesek gives herself crafty manis.
Shop all chic Deborah Lippmann nail polishes in the Birchbox Shop.
