Products used included:
Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Color Care in Fog
Milani One Coat Glitter Lacquer in Silver Dazzle
Reinforcements

The Beauty Bug applied 2 coats of Fog and waited for it to dry, completely. Even though the bottom part of the white (closest to the nail bed) is the only exposed part, it’s important to apply it equally and smoothly to the entire nail. Once dry, place a reinforcement at the bottom of each nail, thus creating a crescent shape. After making sure the sticker was totally flat, The Beauty Bug began applying the glitter. Just as the name suggests, one coat is all you need. Finally, rip the reinforcements off like band aids – swift and quick!

After all the questioning and hesitancy, She didn’t  even know if  she was in the right salon. It was reminiscent of when Steve Sanders went to a convenience store and tried to “exchange an egg” on 90210. Remember that episode? He and Andrea went to try to go get information about a certain underground club using the code words “exchange an egg”. They soon concluded they were in the wrong place when the cashier had no idea what he was talking about. Lucky for The Beauty Bug, She was in the right place.

She chose LCN’s Iron Magic. Despite the salon needing to slightly brush up on their “holding the magnet over the nail” skills, The Beauty Bug approved of Her new textured tips. Next up, The Beauty Bug will attempt to do this at home  and enlist the help of her husband. Something tells Her that She’ll be back at the salon…

Disclosure: The Beauty Bug paid $22 for Her magnetic manicure. 

Annie applied two coats of OPI Black Onyx first, being careful to let it completely dry.  What happens next ladies, is magic. It’s one of those things that you don’t try to understand  – you just marvel at. As soon as she began to layer the mysterious white polish over it, the cracking began instantaneously.  It’s  truly a site to be seen for any product or polish junkie – instant, easy nail art! Annie smiled and looked down at The Beauty Bug’s toes as if it they were her own work of art.

To learn more about the trend and how wide spread it is, The Beauty Bug went straight to the source -  Her friend, Miss AllLacqueredUp. Here’s what she had to say: “Textured nails have made quite a splash on Fashion Week runways these past two seasons.  From crushed glass to leather-like finishes, high fashion nail styles have trickled down to the masses in the form of new finishes in polish.  Between that and the rising popularity in nail art, it’s natural that 90′s crackle polish, a la CoverGirl Crackle, would rear its head.  It’s no muss, no fuss nail art.  At the moment crackle polishes aren’t easy to acquire and only available to professionals but if they make their way to retail, I see crackle nails being the next big thing.”

The crackle manicure isn’t something on the menu of services – not yet at least – and The Beauty Bug hopes it stays that way!

Disclosure: The Beauty Bug paid $25 for this pedicure!

The Beauty Bug sports dark nails all year round – even on Her wedding day (much to Her Grandmother’s chagrin.) The latest polish to coat Her tips is shu uemura’s égérie nail enamel in PA010. Part of their glam-rock Spring 2010 collection, this chic, intense black infused with sparkles dazzles on Her nails.  The glitter is subtle and smooth and not thick in the least. The photos above (the first in artificial light, the second in natural light) show Her nails after two coats of polish. A bit punky, a  lot stylish, and very sharp, the polish appears charcoal gray in some lights, and a solid black in others.

shu uemura nail enamel is available on shuuemura.com and in shu uemura boutiques and counters for $18.

Disclosure: A press sample was provided to The Beauty Bug.

Check out The Beauty Bug featured on Shecky’s.com!

The Beauty Bug finally decided to take a chance with matte polish…and opposites have never been more attractive together.

Check out The Beauty Bug’s new Lincoln Park After Dark matte manicure with a touch of shine added to the tips for a bit more drama.

When news of the mattes hit the polish world, The Beauty Bug wasn’t all too drawn to this new muted look. No base coat and no top coat with a lackluster finish? No thanks. However, while She’s never been one for a French manicure, She did like this adaptation of it. Striking, isn’t it?

As The Beauty Bug learned, matte nails are a bit more high maintenance than just your regular manicure (Her manicurist recommended that She wear gloves in the shower). This isn’t a manicure you want to get at your local, corner quickie nail salon. Be sure to go to a manicurist who has worked with mattes before. The Beauty Bug’s manicurist, who was familiar with the matte line, took nearly 15 minutes just to polish Her nails as the formula seemed to be a bit temperamental and messy. The first coat went on rather streakily, and took a few minutes to dry down to the no shine finish.  After the second coat completed The Beauty Bug looked down and Her nails and thought…how dull.

The finishing touch of the shiny tips made all the difference.  Another upside to the matte manicure? It takes almost no time to dry. The Beauty Bug was out of the salon after only sitting under the dryer for 3 minutes.

Will The Beauty Bug “matte” again? Right now, She’s undecided. Her commitment to matte is dependent on how it wears. While it’s not recommended to use base coat with the matte colors, Her manicurist did.  She claimed that it would make the manicure last longer.

To matte or not to matte again…that reminds to be “sheen.”

The Beauty Bug left for Saint Maarten with China Glaze’s Flying Dragon on Her toes – toes that The Beauty Bug Fiancee said “Prince would like”. Yes, The Beauty Bug is a big Prince fan, but no, She wasn’t trying to channel him.

She wanted to love the color, but instead She really just loved the idea of it – a deep purple with red and blue glitter. It didn’t wear particularly well, and after just a few days, was very lackluster and worn looking – almost as if there was no top coat applied at all. That combined with Her ragged beach feet, and She was in dire need of all pedicure.

So, let the beauty rehabilitation begin!

Barely off the plane and still in vacation mode, She chose Essie’s Bermuda Shorts for Her toes. Described as a high voltage violet, the polish is part of Essie Neons Collection – a collection that The Beauty Bug was already familiar with.

In an attempt to keep her toes on an extended vacation, She had her manicurist add a small tropical flower as a finishing touch. Now, every time The Beauty Bug looks down at Her feet, smiles and thinks of drinking piña coladas poolside.

While both the flower and the color are not the typical The Beauty Bug style, She must admit that it’s quite charming and perfect for the summer.

She knew they were different, but it’s just nail polish, right? It’s not like a bad hair cut that has to grow out – it’s just nail polish. But, She didn’t think that She’d be getting so many obvious stares on the train, on elevators, etc. Just today she got in the elevator only to have a gentleman remark to Her, “Weren’t we in the elevator yesterday together? I remember your toes.” The Beauty Bug flashed a half smile, and noted that they are hard to forget. The man added that he liked the color for summer and that he only changes his polish in the fall. The Beauty Bug, again, half smiled and said, “At least you’re consistent.” Longest. Elevator. Ride. Ever.

But back to the important stuff – The Beauty Bug, for the first time in a while, has stepped out of Her comfort zone of dark, vamp-ish nail polishes and made Her way over to the brighter side. For this week at least. She first set Her eyes on Shorty Pants 2 weeks ago when Her manicurist was sporting it, and She’s been thinking about the color since. She even discussed it with Polish Guru Extraordinaire, Miss All Lacquered Up, who warned her about its streaky properties.

She was right – it was definitely a bit streaky – which is why The Beauty Bug would never attempt to apply it Herself – but Her manicurist did a pretty decent job and was able to avoid any unevenness.

While the Essie site describes the color as a neon yellow, it’s actually more of a golden yellow creme. Or as The Beauty Bug Fiance described it, a “canary yellow.” The color, which takes a while to get used to, provides quiet the contrast against The Beauty Bug’s pale skin

When asked what He thought, The Beauty Bug Fiance thought that the color looked “interesting” and claimed to be “indifferent”. The jury is still out on this one. Take a look at the photos in the various settings and tell The Beauty Bug what you think.

Described as a “deliciously dark black-red”, Black Cherry Chutney is a vampish red with a hint of shimmer. The color is true to its form in most lights, but takes on a purplish tone at certain angles. See color swatches below.

For other swatches, check out this Flickr photo, and of course, check out the queen of polish herself, Miss All Lacquered Up.

Black Cherry Chutney/Dark Cherry Pulp is The Beauty Bug’s new favorite nail polish shade – a title that had recently been held by Lincoln Park After Dark.