Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish

I can't resist new nail polish treatments. First came matte shades, then crackle finishes, now magnetic polishes are ready to make a splash. This Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish is sold exclusively at Sephora and is a great way to experiment with nail art. The actual application is super simple. I did two coats of the polish and held the magnet end of the bottle cap over the second coat for a few seconds while still wet. The results were surprisingly awesome.

I actually bought an Estee Lauder magnetic polish when I was in college, but they seem to have avoided the mainstream for several years. The psychic in me would like to say that textured polishes will be next, but Jason Wu actually designed a Tweed-effect polish for CND last year that went largely unnoticed.

In the bottom photo I am wearing my new favorite Zara sweater. Photos by Mark Iantosca

Giveaway: Zoya Smoke & Mirrors Polishes

I'm not very well-versed in the world of blog giveaways, but I figured nail polish was a good place to start. The Verve salon is giving away two nail polishes from the Zoya Smoke and Mirrors collection. To enter for a chance to win, just comment below with your favorite shade of nail polish (open to continental US only, no Hawaii or Alaska). I will announce a winner next Wednesday.

Thanks to Verve 360 Nail salons in Pittsburgh PA for providing the prize!

UPDATE: The random number generated was 14, which means Joy B is the winner of the nail polishes! Thank you to everyone who entered!

Pamela Love Spring 2012 Nails

It isn't all that often that I am inspired by the nail art of fashion shows. I prefer to take my own inspiration from what walks down the runway. I expect this season will be a bit different since nail art has hit the mainstream. The first example of backstage beauty done right is from Pamela Love's jewelry presentation. I like how she and Essie's stylists translated her signature pretty toughness onto the nails. The black diamond moon manicure is the first square nail I've seen in a long time that doesn't make me cringe. It also takes some of the more geometric elements of the Moroccan influence and makes them thoroughly modern. The gold nail captures more of the thrill of the wilderness, like the glint of the setting sun. A solid gold nail is a favorite of mine for this fall as well, so expect to see more of that to come.

Photos via Refinery29

Sally Hansen Spring 2012 Nail Collaborations

Sally Hansen has been making a very strong case for being the most fashionable nail polish brand. For Spring 2012 they continued their designer collaborations with Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung and Tracey Reese; some of the most talked about shows of New York Fashion Week. So far this season there isn't a hotter designer to align yourself with than Prabal Gurung and the iridescent purple shade that they created together is just as buzz-worthy. Wang went for surprisingly subdued versions of patriotic red, white and blue while Reese opted for juicy brights. Overall a hugely fun success and I want them all.

**If you don't know, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure has the best consistency of any drugstore nail polish. I highly recommend trying it.

Photos via Sally Hansen's Twitter, Style.com

Isabel Marant Fall 2011 Navajo Nails

My latest nail project was inspired by Isabel Marant's monochromatic Navajo-inspired Fall 2011 collection. I tried to go for something easy and subtle, which along with chic is how I would describe Marant's style. For this I chose Essie's Chinchilly, Sally Hansen's silver nail art pen and a light grey from Brucci. I used the two greys for the base and the nail art pen to draw on different Navajo-inspired shapes (mostly triangles and more triangles). Nail art pens are definitely a really easy way to do nail art, but not ideal for detailed executions.

Photos via Mark Iantosca and Style.com

Proenza Schouler-Inspired Nails Round 2: Fall 2011

My latest nail endeavor was spurred by a very sweet present of OPI's sold out Shatter polish and a fortuitous broken nail, both of which happened to take place during NYFW. As always, I was inspired by Proenza Schouler. Their Fall 2011 collection was inspired by a trip they took through the American West. I tried to capture the mix of bold colors and graphic black accents by layering two different shades of blue and neon orange underneath the black shatter polish. I really liked the results, very different from my normal polish routine.

View details from the Proenza Schouler Fall 2011 collection here.

All photos by Mark Iantosca

Half Moon Manicure

A few weeks ago, Leandra (you know her as Man Repeller) very nicely posted pics of my leopard print nails and also very nicely led me to the easiest tutorial ever for half moon nails courtesy of Alix from The Cherry Blossom Girl. I gave method of using hole-punch stickers as a guide a try and not only was it super easy, but the stickers worked really well to give a clean edge. The only trick is to wait until your nails are completely dry to remove the stickers and to be sure to follow up with a nice shiny top coat.

For my nails I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in All Fired Up, my favorite solid red with a pop.

All photos by Mark Iantosca