I’m wearing two coats of Tom’s new semi-opaque shimmery white Vapor Nail Lacquer ($30) from the summer 2013 collection.

The color, I feel just so-so about, but I love the brush, which just lays down the color so smoothly, and the sleek formula.

Not bad wear time, either. I’m on my fourth day so far, and I’m just beginning to notice a couple of tiny cracks forming around the edges, and that’s without a base or top coat.

How about you? What are you wearing on your nails?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

As far as I’m concerned, any factoid or tidbit of information can also be used to justify spending time with Chanel’s new coral, Lilis Le Vernis Nail Colour.

• Had the most insane week ever? (Yup, my kitty boss is cray!) Let’s unwind with Chanel.
• Did you floss your teeth this morning? (Sure did.) Now let’s brush our nails with Chanel.
• Did you successfully resist the urge to wear Pajama Jeans to Trader Joe’s? (So far.) Cool! Let’s stay home and paint our nails with Chanel.

It might not sparkle like its shimmery summer sisters, Azuré and Bel-Argus, but it still commands attention in its own way.

Non-streaky with a mirror-like shine, this creamy reddish coral practically leaps off the screen.

I’ve been wearing it on my fingers this week with Azuré on my toes, and even though they aren’t colors I’d normally think to wear together, I like the way they complement each other.

You’ve got creamy coral Lilis on the one hand — ladylike and vintage — and techno teal Azuré on the other, and through some offbeat twist of fate, I think the combo just works.

In a way, Lilis could be considered the most pedestrian of Chanel’s three summer nail colors. It doesn’t exactly tread uncharted territory, and you could probably find similar colors for less, but I bet they wouldn’t be this bright.

And they wouldn’t be Chanel.

PRICE: $27
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Chanel counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m starting to believe that Chanel creates nail polishes for nefarious purposes…like distracting me while toy poodles are trapped in my garage (more on this shortly).

I’ve just been sitting here for the past 10 minutes losing myself in the shimmery blue Bel-Argus on my nails…

Can you blame me? It’s enchanting… Much like Chanel’s other summer stunner, Azuré.

Like Azuré, limited edition Bel-Argus could alsmost pass for butterfly wings, with the way its iridescent shades shift in the light.

Bel-Argus morphs between bright light and darker blues, and sometimes a blackened navy blueat the edges.

I think the effect’s a little less dramatic than Azuré, but it’ll still stop someone in their Jimmy Choo’s from across the room, nevertheless.

Two coats should do you well, and you may even be able to get away with one. Oh, and yay! — no streaks.

PRICE: $27
AVAILABILITY: Available now online and at Chanel counters
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

The Case of the Missing Mr. T

This morning my neighbor knocked on my door and told me that he noticed I’d left my garage door open late last night (I must have forgotten), so he went ahead and closed it.

What he didn’t realize at the time was that his lil’ pup, a toy poodle named Mr. T, was also trying to help…

Turns out that Mr. T must have followed my neighbor into the garage, only to get trapped inside when it closed!

It was late, almost midnight, and my neighbor didn’t realize what had happened until he’d walked back to his house.

Mr. T ended up spending the night alone in the garage. Poor lil’ guy!

When I finally freed him this morning, he was overjoyed.

I’m just glad Mr. T is a cute little poodle… There’s a lot of wildlife in this area (wild turkeys, coyotes, raccoon, bobcats, deer). I wouldn’t be surprised if I opened the garage one day to find a wildlife convention taking place near my Mazda, haha.

Do you ever see any wildlife in your area?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Growing up, I always had an overactive imagination. Sometimes, it was great, because all I needed were two branches and an empty flowerpot to entertain myself for hours (I’d pretend I was hosting a cooking show).

But sometimes, it wasn’t great, like when one of my aunties visited from the Philippines and stayed with us for a month in the spring when I was in second grade.

For some reason, it was a good year for butterflies. There were way more of them than usual, and my auntie, who had a fondness for what my family refers to as “Filipino old wives’ tales,” (here’s one: “Don’t fall asleep with wet hair, or you’ll wake up blind.”) said that the butterflies were the spirits of dearly departed relatives coming to say hello.

Um…

Of course, instead of taking that as a quaint, poignant fairy tale, I kept thinking, “WOW! There are SO MANY dead people flying around my front yard,” and I assumed that it was only a matter of time before one of them, or perhaps a swarming mass, would open an otherworldly gateway in the yard, like from Poltergeist and Salem’s Lot.

I spent that entire spring running away from butterflies…

Butterflies play an inspiring part in Chanel’s new L’Été Papillon de Chanel summer collection, and it shows in the $27 Azuré Le Vernis Nail Coulour.

The first time I saw it, I gasped! — but not in fear. In sheer delight! The conjurers at Chanel captured the beauty of butterfly wings in a bottle.

Sometimes, depending on the light, it’s difficult to describe Azuré’s color (just like a butterfly’s wings).

One minute, I think I see a bright teal with bright blue edges…

…but then I move my fingers a certain way and see a deep sea blue.

And just when I think I have the color finally figured out, a gunmetal shade flashes at the edges.

I think Azuré’s just…interesting. Not exactly a standard holographic polish, where colors dance across it as you move your fingers back and forth. The effect reminds me more of colorful wings and feathers.

I think it just replaced YSL’s Vert D’Orient as my top teal this summer.

PRICE: $27
AVAILABILITY: Available now online and at Chanel counters
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

DMV me

Don’t laugh, but I have to go to the DMV this morning to renew my license, and I’m thinking about wearing false lashes for the pic.

I know, a little over the top, but why the heck not?

You have a great Thursday, ‘kay? Keep an eye out for butterflies.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’ve long held that it’s not plate tectonics, electromagnetic fields or the earth’s core that make the world go ’round. It’s green nail polish, and if green polish ever disappeared, the world would simply stop.

Green nail polish is like when Mom makes your favorite dish. It just makes everything better.

While it’s not officially billed as a mood elevator, the new $25 Vert D’Orient La Laque Couture Nail Lacquer works like one for me. The formula must be packed with liquid positivity.

It’s like a leisurely stroll outside on a perfect spring day… Catching a glimpse of this creamy bluish green on my tips or toes makes me grin like Adam Levine when he finds an extra tight-fitting pair of skinny jeans. In other words, a BIG grin.

And Vert D’Orient’s allure for me doesn’t end with its color. I also love its wide, flat brush because I can cover an entire nail with it in one or two sweeps. Couple that with its smooth texture (which feels almost like I’m painting my paws with half-and-half) and 10-minute drying time, which isn’t half bad, and all signs point to grand.

PRICE: $25 for a 0.34-ounce bottle
AVAILABILITY: Available now online and at YSL counters
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Hey, friend. G’morning! I hope you slept well last night and that today got off to a good start.

So random, but I stumbled upon an old Spice Girls playlist listening to music last night and must have played 2 Become 1 like 10 times.

Dude, I know it’s a cheesy song but still so great. Anyone up for an MBB karaoke Bay Area meetup where we do a group rendition on stage??

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen