Today Johnie of The Beauty Junkie blog talks about a fun way to let your fingers do the talking.

Have you heard of MINX nail coverings yet? I ask because they’ve taken the beauty world by storm.

I caught my first glimpse of MINX nails about 10 months ago in one of the many beauty magazines that gets delivered monthly to my mailbox (always such a good mail day when one of those arrives!). Rhianna was sporting them in silver chrome, and I was like, “WHERE do I get some of those?” Her nails looked amazing and done to perfection.

Back then MINX were brand spankin’ new, and nobody had heard of them before, including the people at most salons.

Since then things have changed.

Now, they regularly appear in magazines, being worn by more and more celebrities. Beyonce is a huge fan and gets caught wearing MINX a lot, and the product’s getting more press all the time.

My first MINX manicure

Salons all across America are getting into the trend, and I was finally able to get my first MINX manicure about a week ago.

I don’t live in a big city like Atlanta, New York City or anyplace like that, yet there are already two salons in my area offering MINX. If I can get my hands on them where I live — rather, get them on my hands — you probably can too.

So what the heck are MINX nail coverings?

Literally, they’re adhesive nail stickers available in a wide range of colors and patterns.

You can go with a seasonal look, a plain jane solid or just go crazy with something outrageous; they have it all.

The variety is what makes these the coolest nail art I’ve ever seen, and the selection continues to grow.

I was told by my salon tech that they can now even do custom MINX nail coverings. If, for example, there’s a particular pattern or print you love, you can send a sample to MINX to turn into your very own design. Pretty cool, huh?

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Today the lovely (and friendly) Kelly of Vampy Varnish shares a review of Nubar’s new collection of green nail polishes for summer.

Nubar — if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’re about to!

Nubar has a huge array of nail polishes in various colors and finishes, everything from pale pink to orange to black, and finishes from creme to shimmer to glitter.

Beyond that, they’re also a responsible nail polish company, meaning that their polishes don’t contain the “Big 3″ worst offending chemicals found in many brands of nail polish: DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde.

They’ve partnered with PETA and are now certified Vegan and Cruelty-Free, and their bottles will soon be branded with a logo to show their exciting new status.

To honor the accomplishment, Nubar has released the Going Green Collection of six, very different green polishes. For a lot of polish junkies, green is the *Holy Grail* of colors, and for a company to release six at once just blows the mind!!

The formula for this whole collection is really fabulous, as most Nubar’s tend to be. I didn’t have any streaking, bubbling, cuticle drag or any issues with these, and they were all done with two coats.

Reclaim

Holographic greens aren’t very common, and Reclaim is a gorgeous one. The color is a sort of muted grass green, and as you can see the rainbow effect is downright amazing.

Wildlife

Wildlife is a very interesting and strange color and, of course, turned out to be my favorite one!

It’s very hard to describe — like a khaki green duochrome that flashes gold and pink, depending on the lighting. It’s a shade you’ll either love or hate, and it’s definitely not for the color shy.

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Essie Canyon Coral

They say “it’s the little things,” and I think they’re right.

A fresh coat of nail polish always improves my outlook, no matter what’s bringing me down. An at-home manicure is an easy, affordable way to brighten even my dreariest days. When I’m feeling out of sorts, I’ll plop down on the floor in front of the TV to give myself a manicure.

Be good to yourself and your nails with the help of these 21 nail polish tips.

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1. Whitening Yellow Nails: Prolonged use of dark nail polish colors can cause nails to turn yellow. By following the tips in this post, you can get your nails back to their natural color.



2. Fingernails FAQ, or Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Fingernails but Were Too Afraid To Ask: Did you know that nails are 10 times more porous than skin or that nails get thinner as we age?



3. Nutrition for Strong Nails: In this video nutrition expert Carla Kay dishes on what to eat for strong and healthy nails.



4. How to Avoid Bubbles in Your Nail Polish: All it takes is one little bubble to ruin a great manicure. Keep these tips in mind.



5. 11 Tips for a Perfect Homemade Manicure: Get great looking paws with this awesome step-by-step.



6. 5-Minute Nail Polish Routine: This isn’t a long blog post, but I think it’s an overview that hits the nail on the head (LOL!).



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Two women I love — my mother-in-law and my good friend Mary Anne — are breast cancer survivors (click here for info on performing monthly breast self-exams), and I know that many of you have also been touched by cancer in one way or another.

With their Nail Lacquer in Bubble Bath ($7), OPI is trying to help women cope with changes in their appearance that can result from cancer treatment. Part of every sale goes toward Look Good…Feel Better, a national public service program with more than 50,000 participants each year.

Easy-to-wear color

Part of OPI’s Soft Shades Collection, Bubble Bath hides chips well, which is one reason I like it a lot. It applies as a non-streaky pale pink and dries quickly to a shiny finish.

Because it hides chips so well, I think it makes a great low-maintenance shade if you’re rough on your fingertips like I am (lots of typing).

Boosting self-esteem

Through the Look Good…Feel Better program women are able to take free workshops on makeup application, dealing with hair loss and taking care of nails both during and after cancer treatment.

Where to buy

Over 10,000 salons and beauty retailers nationwide will be selling OPI Bubble Bath this July and August, so look for displays featuring OPI Bubble Bath and information about Look Good…Feel Better.

Every bottle helps

OPI will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of every bottle of Bubble Bath Nail Lacquer, with a minimum contribution of $25,000.

I like the idea of something as seemingly insignificant as a little bottle of nail polish making a positive difference in someone else’s life.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. The fabulous Christina over at Dishiness has chosen to donate her hair in honor of Farrah Fawcett. The decision is between two worthy groups, Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths, that make wigs for cancer patients. If you’ve ever donated your hair before or know of someone who has, please let Christina know.

I’m sitting here on the living room floor watching The Deep End on IFC and trying to decide on a polish to wear for my Friday night manicure. I’d like it to be something from China Glaze’s new Retro Diva collection.

Out next month, the collection features 12 groovy polishes (about $5/bottle) in shades of purple, burgundy, orange, red and taupe. China Glaze says the colors were inspired by platform shoes, hiphuggers and the rockin’ disco 1970s.

When I think ’70s colors, I think pea green drapes and mustard yellow shag carpeting, but whatev.

Cords

Short and Sassy

Let’s Groove

Stella

Skate Night

Far Out

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