After my out-of-body glitter experience with Lippmann’s Happy Birthday polish last week, I thought I’d go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs when I spotted the sparkly bottles in their 10th Anniversary Celebrate Set ($35, limited edition).

If you really think about glitter — and I mean REALLY think about glitter (LOL!) — there are different kinds, right? From the Celebrate Set, I’d expected shiny happy glitter, but it surprised me with darker, less shimmery shades.

The color 411…

Ruby Slippers: For this shade, Lippmann jammed bits of red glitter into a black jelly base. The glitter bits vary in size, and the resulting polish, a semi-opaque black with a medium-shine finish, strikes me as something that would go well with sexy Halloween costumes, perhaps a nurse or traffic cop. It’s not something I’d wear every day, but it earns points for originality. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Funky Chunky: I just could not get this color to look pretty… It’s a shiny black with black hexagon-shaped glitter, which, in theory, could be very cool, right? Nope, not for me. While it has potential, it looked bumpy and messy, like fresh tar. That, and the glitter hardly even sparkles, BOO! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C-

Superstar: This polish packs small bronze glitter bits in a brown jelly base. I’ve liked the color ever since I saw it in last year’s Holiday 2008 collection. I still think it’s fun and totally appropriate for fall. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Ruby Slippers

Superstar

Continue Reading…

The year was 1999… I’d finished school and moved back in with my parental units while I looked for a job and tried to unwind.

My BFF/dancing buddy J. Money and I were also deep in our clubbing phase. I’ll never forget — it was the same thing every time we’d go out. One of our Filipino parents would ask, “Are you girls going to the disco?”

LOL!

Or, “Are you going disco-disco?”

Hearing parental units refer to “the club” as a disco… That’s just so funny. It always cracked us up.

Still, there are times when “disco” just feels like the better word, ya know? — like when it comes to Lippmann Collection’s Happy Birthday ($18), the newest addition to their permanent nail polish line.

This stuff’s so blinged out and sparkly that it would be a shame not to wear it to “the disco,” ha!

It’s all about taking glitter to the next level, with bits in a plethora of shapes, colors and sizes — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and silver.

For a full-on, eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-the-head glitter-gasm, try three coats.

Three coats!

Two coats — when you’re in the mood for quieter glitter

So far I’ve only worn Happy Birthday by itself, but I’m guessing it would look extra festive layered beneath a polish in solid black or red.

Continue Reading…

“This season, I wanted to create a new set of classic, yet fun colors that are wearable on every skin tone.” – Essie Weingarten, Founder and President

YOU GO, E-Money, with your “I’m every woman” approach to nail color.

The shades in Essie’s Sweet Time of the Year Collection for Winter 2009 ($8 each) should flatter a rainbow of skin tones and appeal to a range of colorful personalities.

Which ones suit you?

• Classic dames: If pearls, little black dresses and patent leather pumps speak to your soul, then try two rich coats of Lollipop, a creamy, candy-apple red.
• Trendy types: Do you like life on the edge? Take a bite out of creamy Mint Candy Apple. Go for three layers with a base coat to avoid streaks.
• Subtly sassy: A whisper of sheer, creamy pink’s just *so* quintessentially Essie. Wear Rock Candy when you’re in the mood for a dash of color. Try two coats for blinding shine with a hint of pink.

Continue Reading…

Fellow nail polish nerds, did any of y’all spy Whitney’s blue nails on last night’s episode of The City? I am CONVINCED my girl Whit was rocking Lancome’s Indigo Paris, a favorite of mine for fall.

Can I reality TV dish with you for a sec?

It’s about The Hills and The City, two of MTV’s most progressive and enlightening programs, LOL!

LOVE The City, but I barely made it through five minute of The Hills before I had to look away.

I can’t suspend disbelief anymore when it comes to the Kristin/Justin Bobby/Audrina love triangle. It just feels kinda … fake, like a really bad counterfeit purse, ugh!

That, and I think my Speidi cup hath runneth over. I can’t take those two anymore. They made me choke on a meatball — that’s how angry I was.

After coughing it up (it even caught air and launched across the room), I said a prayer of thanks and pledged to live a Speidi-free lifestyle from now on.

Thank goodness The City was actually pretty entertaining. Whit’s fabulous blue nails were hawt!

They’re visible toward the end of the episode. Whitney and her new frenemy/roommate, Roxy, are sitting at work, discussing the previous day’s photo shoot.

I could totally be wrong, but isn’t her polish a dead ringer for Lancome’s Indigo Paris ($18)?

Continue Reading…

One girl. 24 hours. Three random acts of beauty.

10:17 a.m. — While packing, I stumble upon an ancient artifact buried deep in the bedroom closet: my pink and green Caboodle makeup organizer, ooh!

Back in the early ’90s, Caboodles were a staple of teenage makeup life. This one housed all of my first makeup treasures (like Clinique Raspberry Glace lipstick… so old school!) and kept them safe and secure.

Over time, its role changed from Protector of Makeup to Defender of Costume Jewelry and Random Keepsakes.

I haven’t opened it in ages… My heart quickens! I dust off the top and brace myself before opening the lid.

Inside: a time capsule of my teenage years.

First, evidence that my evolution into a CCL (crazy cat lady) began at an early age.

Then, my vision wavers when I see this dress clip thing-a-ma-bobber, and it’s suddenly 1993 again. I’m at school, and girls are wearing them clipped to the backs of loose, floral-print dresses all around me.

I return to the present and find a small manila envelope… I’m intrigued. What’s inside?

EWW! It’s my old braces!

Sifting through my Caboodle’s long-forgotten bits and bobs, I smile, lost among memories. It’s the first time in many days I’ve felt present and “in the moment.” No stressing over work, packing, bills that have to be paid — nothing.

2:30 p.m. — I’m petting Tabs with my foot. I glance at my toes and note how massively ‘TOW UP my pedicure looks.

It’s down to polish remnants, and it’s not a pretty sight.

I don’t have much time to spare (must. continue. packing.), so I reach for a bottle of Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish ($3), aka drugstore nail polish savior of time-strapped women everywhere.

It delivers rich, even color and dries in — yup, you guessed it — about 60 seconds flat. With 26 color to choose from, there’s a shade for many moods and occasions.

Finally, my feet are cute once more; order has been restored.

11:49 p.m. I’m tucked beneath the covers in bed and starting to drift to sleep. El Hub is quietly explaining how The Final Four college basketball playoffs work…

Continue Reading…