Nails | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Hello Kitty Beauty and Makeup

When MAC Cosmetics put out their limited edition Hello Kitty for MAC collection, it was wildly popular. That got me wondering what other Hello Kitty makeup, beauty, or Hello Kitty cosmetics might be out there. After a bit of browsing, I came across a decent amount of Hello Kitty lip balm and lip glosses, along with some Hello Kitty nail polish.

The most interesting to me were the Hello Kitty press on nails. I personally can’t see myself wearing something like that, but they are kind of cute. Below are shopping links for some of what I found.

Note that if you are reading this in the feed, you will not be able to see the shopping boxes. To see those, click the title to go see the links on the site.

Popularity: 1% [?]

OPI Matte Lincoln Park After Dark

I love the OPI nail polish shade Lincoln Park after Dark, so I grabbed it in both the OPI Suede version (read my OPI Suede Lincoln Park After Dark review) and the Matte version. OPI says that because the suede and matte polishes do not wear as long to not use a base coat with them. Trust them on that! When I tested OPI Suede, I followed that advice and it wore very well. I forgot when I tried the OPI matte and it was chipping off less than 24 hours after I put it on! Not using a top coat it obvious–it would ruin the mattte or sude look.

In terms of appearance, I like the Lincoln Park After Dark matte version better than the suede. But I still prefer the regular polish over both of them. If you try the matte, experiment with doing a glossy tip. I think that gives the matte nail polish looks a better overall look. I also like using a mattifying top coat better than using the already matte nail polishes. It seems to wear longer and gives more flexibility, since you can wear your favorite polish shades either normally or matte that way.

Popularity: 1% [?]

MAC Nail Trend Matte Nail Look Using Beyond Jealous

The MAC Cosmetics Nail Trend Collection has some wonderful fall shades, and its dark green shade, Beyond Jealous, has been particularly in demand. I love MAC Polishes. They always apply and wear well for me, and the shades are always unique. Beyond Jealous is a deep green shade that is so dark that in some lighting it looks almost black. I decided to use it to try out this fall’s other hot trend—matte nails with a glossy tip.

Here is a swatch of the shade in natural sunlight.

After applying two coats of MAC Beyond Jealous (although I really could have gotten away with one coat on this one), I then applied Essie Matte About You Matte Finisher this top coat gives any posh a matte finish. It is rather fun to watch it as it happens! Here are my nails after I applied Matte About You.

finally, I added a bit of glossy top coat to the tips. I don’t have the steadiest hand for that, so I think that next time I will have a pro do it for me in order to get the best look. But you can still get the idea of how they should look with a glossy tip from the swatch below.

I think this look works best with darker shades. So try it with dark green, red, black, navy etc. for a trendy look this fall!

Popularity: 1% [?]

SpaRitual Nail Polish

I got this SpaRitual Nail Lacquer in the shade Air Head in my latest edition of Beautyfix (a great way to test products BTW). SpaRitual lacquers are eco-friendly: They are formaldehyde and toluene free. They also have a vegan formulation (but don’t all polishes??? I don’t think animal protein is a regular nail polish ingredient) and use recycled glass for their bottles. They use mica for shimmer instead of fish scales (maybe this is where the vegan note comes from).

The polish is on the sheer side, although it got fairly opaque with two coats. One coat was a bit streaky, but I was happy with it after the second coat. It wore quite well for me, better than many of the polishes that do not have formaldehyde and toluene. I managed to go several days without chipping it, which is good for me.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Fourth of July Nail Polish

I decided to get festive with my nail polish for the fourth of July holiday. This look was done using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Polish in Rapid Red, a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Blue, and Kiss 3D Nail Art stickers. I got all of the items at a local drugstore.

The look was pretty easy to do. Apply a base coat and then a coat of Insta-Dri. Put on the 3D star stickers, and paint on the blue polish. Then set it all with a clear top coat.

This was my first time using the Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens. I really like them. The color is water based, so if you make a mistake, you can erase it with a wet cotton squab. Once you have the design that you like, a clear top coat will seal it.

Popularity: 2% [?]

OPI Nail Polish South Beach Collection

I had a hard time choosing a nail lacquer shade to try from the OPI South Beach Collection. I finally decided on Paint My Moji-Toes Red, Miami Beet, which is a nice berry red shade.

For some reason, this polish didn’t last all that long for me though. Usually OPI lasts OK for me, so it was likely something I did, such as applying it too thick—I’m often guilty of that and this one didn’t need an extra coat. In any event, I do really love this shade. I got mine at an Ulta Store.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

M. Asam Classic Beautiful Hand and Nail Set

The M. Asam Classic Beautiful Hand and Nail set has everything that you need to do your own perfect manicure. It includes the following:

Hand Scrub –This scrub contians sugar crystals soaked in grape seed oil. I loved this item and the way it gave a light exfoliation and conditioned at the same time.
OPC Hand Cream – With vitamin C and green tea, this cream is a nice general hand cream.
Intensive Nail Serum – Contains panthenol, biotin and silica to moisturize nails and brittle, dry cuticles. The serum does a nice job at conditioning and leaves a good shine.
Cuticle Care Pen – I love this cuticle pen! The formula contains natural oils such as soya, jojoba and avocado oils that are applied to the cuticles with the soft tip of the care pen. The pen includes replacement tips.
Polishing Nail File – This is another great product! The file has a green side for buffing and a white side for shining—and boy does it bring out the shine! buff your nails with this and you might be quite happy leaving your nails bare!
Nail File – This 2-sided file features a rough green side for shortening and trimming your nails and a softer white side for finishing. It comes in its own pouch.
Cosmetic bag – Included is a satin bag embellished with a white faux leather bow and the M. Asam logo in black at the zipper top.
.10 oz. Face Mask sample packet.
.10 oz. Day and Night Cream sample packet.

The M. Asam Hand and Nail kit is featured in episode 7 of HSN’s online series Faces of Beautiful You. This is the best all around nail kit that I have tried. So, if you want a good manicure kit, or if you are looking for a great gift, check it out!

Comparison shop for M. Asam products