Nail Care : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Maybelline Salon Expert Nail Polish

I grabbed a bottle of Maybelline Salon Expert Nail Color because I loved the bright summer pink shade (pink splash, number 822). Turns out that I also love the polish in general.

Maybelline Salon Expert covers really well. You can get away with only one coat of this stuff, but I went ahead and did two. It has a great shiny look when dry, and boy does it last! I type so much and tend to be hard on my nails, so I generally chip the heck out of polish within a day or two. I managed to make the Salon Expert lacquer last about 5 days, then I stretched it a few more by tossing another coat on top.

I was so impressed that I went and bought another bottle in a different shade. It is affordable, quality, easy to find, and has some great shades. What more can a person ask for?

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Olay Definity Foaming Moisturizer and Protective Lotion

When I first started writing Beauty and Fashion Tech, I reviewed Olay Definity. I loved it then and I still love it. Now I have had the opportunity to try both the Olay Definity Foam Moisturizer and the Olay Definity Facial Lotion. Each are excellent companion products for the cream.

Olay Definity works on skin discoloration using a glucosamine complex. This relatively simple mix of glucosamine and niacinamide has been shown to lessen hyperpigmentation and melasma, thus making it worthwhile compound to add to treatment for those conditions. I tend to be sure to use one or more of the Definity products in conjunction with a melasma treatment serum such as or .

I love the Olay Foaming Moisturizer! The light foam is formulated to penetrate the skin deeper than a standard cream or lotion. It absorbs incredibly quickly and can be used with other moisturizers, but I find it particularly nice for days when my skin is extra oily because it provides very light moisture by itself that won’t overwhelm oily skin. Then on drier days, adding something over it is easy.

The correcting protective lotion is also a joy to wear. Formulated with SPF 15, this is a great light day cream that can be worn alone or over the foaming moisturizer. It absorbs quickly and fully and feels quite light, but actually provides a pretty good amount of moisture. One thing to note though is that while Olay products tend to have a light feel to them and tend to absorb fast, that doesn’t mean that the moisturizing properties are all that light. I have seen some people state that they though Olay was not moisturizing enough, but keep in mind that a cream or lotion does not have to feel heavy or leave a film on your face to provide sufficient moisture. I think people tend to underestimate the amount of moisture that Olay products actually provide. The lotion is lighter than the cream, but still quite moisturizing.

You can find Olay products at just about any drugstore or big box retailer.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Thymes Gardener Sink Set

I was sent a lovely sink set from the Thymes Company Gardener Collection to try, and I found it rather unique. first, unlike the standard soap and lotion sink sets out there, the Gardener set includes a nail brush, something I made good use of after planting flowers last weekend!

It also has a fresh grass scent that the site describes as: “Freshly clipped grass, aromatic parsley, cool watercress, dewy moss and a pinch of pink peppercorn.” I really like the scent, especially in the lotion. It has a great spring and summer feel to it.The Gardener Collection is full of other interesting products as well, such as cuticle cream, soap pebbles, and a lip balm. Items from the collection would be a perfect gift for the green thumb in your life.Shop for Thymes Bath and Body Products

Popularity: 8% [?]

Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer

I’m no nail polish expert, I’ll leave that for the women at All Lacquered Up and Nail Tech Secrets. But I do know when I find something that I particularly like. Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer is one of those.

I have always leaned toward purchases of Sally Hansen nail polish. I suppose that is largely because they are so easily found, have a large selection, and are affordable. But I also have always like their quality over OPI, which is another more expensive brand with a huge number of colors. Lately, I go right to the Sally Hansen section because I adore their Salon line.

The Sally Hansen Salon nail polish line comes in attractive bottles with a no slip cap and the colors are amazing. In no other line have I found so many shades that I just love. There really are not all that many, it is just that I love almost all of them.

The polish itself goes on smooth, dries relatively quickly, and lasts without chipping pretty well, which for me is just a few days because I beat the heck out of my nails! I definitely get as long as or longer time with the Sally Hansen Salon polishes than I get with other brands.

Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer can be found in most drugstores.

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Popularity: 23% [?]

Holiday Stocking Stuffers

The shopping list posts are winding down and next week will return more to standard product reviews as usual. I wanted to get the lists out in time for online shopping! For those like me who wait until the last minute (yeah I am a procrastinator), I might yet run a gift list for last minute drugstore shopping.

Looking for cosmetic and beauty items to use as stocking stuffers or small holiday gifts? Take a look at some of these options:

These Holiday Emory Boards are cute, practical, and affordable.

Consider this festive Peppermint Candy Soap Set. Or take a look at some cute Snowglobe Soaps.

For the spa and bath lover, the Ahava Delights Set provides a nice sampling of some good products. I really like Ahava products and sets like this are a great way to try several items out at once.

I love bath fizzys! This Holiday Bath Fizzy is particularly cute.

This Mitten Manicure Set is another cute holiday themed item with lots of practicality. Pair it up with an Opi Holiday Collection Nail Polish for a complementary stuffer.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

M.A.C Cosmetics Blue Storm Collection

The M.A.C Blue Storm Collection is a collection based on blues hues released just in time for fall. The shades are also utilized at fashion week for the spring looks.

The shadows range from a beautiful light blue/gray to a rich teal, to a deeper and brighter blue.

Also available are cool tone lipglass shades in silvery violets and plum, and eye pencils in a teal and black.

My favorites of the collection though are the nail lacquers, which come in a teal blue frost and and gray frost with lilac undertones. Both are unique and interesting shades that should work well with the blues, blacks and other darker nail polish colors that are in style this fall. They also should provide interesting looks well into next spring.

The Blue Storm collection consists of mostly limited edition products. So take a look at it while you can!

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Nubar Support the Cure 4 Pack of Polishes

The Nubar Nail Lacquer Support the Cure Package is nice set of nail polishes with a percentage of sales going to cancer research. From the Nubar company product information:

“nubar announces the Collection for the Cure for 2008. A collection of four nubar nail products which are great for everyday wear. Two beautiful pink shades, Pink Cami and Je’Taime, a foundation base coat and Diamont Seal & Shine. 10% of the retail price of the Collection for the Cure will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cancer Treatment Research Foundation and the City of Hope. nubar offers products that are free of harmful ingredients such as; Toluene, Formaldehyde or DBP (Phthalate). Your purchase is a commitment to help support education, outreach, research and all of our critical programs throughout the country.”

I tried the polishes and the shimmery colors are quite nice. I used the darker pink on my toe nails and the lighter on my finger nails. I particularly liked the very light, yet quite luminescent quality of the lighter pink shade. The base coat and top coat were fine, and everything went on nicely. The shades would also work well for French tip manicures.

If you are looking for some nice pink shades to try and want to send a bit of money to a good cause, check out this set!

Popularity: 6% [?]