To help raise awareness and funds for those suffering from eating disorders, Sportsgirl has partnered with six Australian designers to create the Sportsgirl Give Hope Designer Nail Polishes. With all profits going to The Butterfly Collection National Support Line, which offers support to those suffering with body image issues and eating disorders, it's more than a worthy cause. The collection includes polishes designed by Aje (white), Arnsdorf (soft coral), Ellery (gold), Alpha60 (dove grey), The Cassette Society (blush) and Rachel Gilbert (violet). LOVE.
The Sportsgirl Give Hope Designer Nail Polishes ($7.95 each) will be sold during the month of September. Pictured (L-R): Rachel Gilbert, The Cassette Society and Alpha60.
We've had Mad Men the Barbie Dolls, and now it's time for Mad Men, the Nail Polishes. And with all the martinis being slung around at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, it makes perfect sense that the polish brand chosen for this venture would be a cocktail-inspired line, Nailtini. Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the series, said she was inspired by fabrics of the '60s, like satin, velvet and lamé, when creating the limited-edition polish shades: Bourbon Satin (a brown), French 75 (a gold), Deauville (a platinum) and Stinger (an iridescent).
No word yet on Australian retailers, at the moment it's only set for US release at Duane Reade's. Sigh. Time to head Stateside . . .
Six months after avant-garde designer Alexander McQueen committed suicide, the fashion and beauty worlds are still remembering his unique style. The newest tribute comes from Butter London, whose Fall nail polish collections include two shades ($19.95 each) inspired by the designer.
Long Live McQueen, pictured, is a dazzling sparkly gold. Then there's Bumster, a yellow-toned homage to the designer's 1996 collection of extremely low-rise, bottom-baring trousers. While it's hard to top McQueen's outré runway looks, both colours are delightfully out of the ordinary — which is a concept we think the designer would have backed.
Picture this: I paint my nails — a gorgeous nude — expecting to get at least a week's wear out of it. An hour later, it has pen all over it. Just on the ring finger. It's like I'm trying to copy Vanessa Hudgens, but with a cheap biro. Lame. It doesn't wash off. I don't have the polish on me. And I am about to cry, or at least stamp my feet, when Fiona Hay, ORLY's Creative Director, comes up with a solution that's simple, but that I would totes never have thought of.
A) Whitening tooth paste! Due to the gritty texture it makes it easier to wipe off the marks. Then reapply a topcoat after to get back to a high-gloss shine. Ta-dah! Easy, huh?
Nudes schmudes. For anyone who's over the no-makeup-makeup look and beige and taupe nails, the new OPI Swiss Collection is for you. Known for its snow-peaked mountains, lush glacial valleys and well, chocolate, Switzerland was the perfect place from which to draw inspiration for this 12-shade collection which is peppered with shimmery reds, lilac, gold, pewter and strong shades of green, blue and teal. And if you're looking for the perfect red, you'll find it in the OPI Swiss Colour with three rich reds to choose from. From the ruby red A to Z-urich to the bright poppy-esque Color So Hot It Berns, there's something to suit all ages and skin tones. What do you think? Picked a favourite shade or two yet? Mine's Diva Geneva.
Originally this post was going to be all about Vanessa Hudgens' hair. Because well it's pretty and she wore it two different ways on the very same day. But then I saw her nails. At first you'd be forgiven for thinking the same as me. Cute turquoise honey, is it Chanel Nouvelle Vague? But look a little closer. There's metallic glittering bronze on her ring finger. (Side note: is it still called a ring finger if it's on your right hand? Answers on a postcard, please.) It matches her pedi, don't you know. So now you'll see why this post has had to evolve to cover both issues. We're all for a bit of freestylin' here. So, what I want you to do is vote below on which hairstyle you like best: the cute 'lil pigtails that she wore to the Sucker Punch cocktail party or her standard issue tousled waves that she wore to an event on day three of Comic-Con international. And then in the comments section tell me what you think of her makeshift mani.
Are you struggling to see what, exactly, a matte polish is compared to an opalescent one, or how cream polishes are different from frosts? You've come to the right place. Nail polish texture terminology can get a little bit iffy, but once you know a few easy phrases, you'll be discussing the fine points of texture trends like a pro . . .
A cream polish is the easiest to explain, because it's the classic nail polish texture — glossy, but not glittery or shimmery. It's the texture we think of for retro nail polishes and archetypal red nails.
Matte nail polishes are also pretty easy to grasp — they're simply not glossy. They look "flat" and more like marker or pencil rubbed onto your nails than enamel the way other nail polishes do.
Frost (also known as pearlescent) nail polishes are your standard-issue shimmery shades — there's no individuated glitter in them, but they sparkle instead of just shining.
Opalescent nail polishes have a distinctive "mother of pearl" effect — they glisten the same way the inside of a shell does.
Glitter nail polishes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from subtle micro-glitter to big and chunky, but you can tell that what you've got is a glitter polish instead of a frost because you can see the individual glitter bits.
Breaking news: Alexa Chung wows Fab and I again at the Mulberry party. Shock horror. Given that we pretty much worship her every move, you might be wondering what's got us so excited that I've written a whole post about her. Not her eyeliner. Not her balayage and its brilliance. So what is it? Why this heart mani. Just divine, isn't it? Not garish, unlike some people's alternative nail designs — yes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, I'm looking at you — it's cute with a little bit of kitsch thrown in. LOVE. I've been experimenting already so if you can't get your hands on a fine-tipped brush to paint the hearts, use the pronged end of a bobby pin. Dip it against the nail polish brush and paint two dots close together to form a vertical line, then move around about 20 degrees and do the same, joining them at the bottom to form a cute 'lil love heart. Alternatively, pretend you're buying Fing'rs Girlie Nails Nail Art Variety Pack ($12.99) for your niece and get sticking away. What do you think of Lex's latest look? Do you love it like me?
I love a good twist on the French manicure. 'Tis why I love YSL's Rock & Baroque duos so appealing. But I'm not so sure about Jennifer Love Hewitt's take on the trend. She was in Vegas to promote her new movie, The Client List, and at first I was all about how much a fringe suits her. Sure, it's not styled ah-mazingly here but it really works well on her. Then I noticed it. The nails. The yellow tips. My first thought was gross. My second was the same. It's not that it's bad, bad, but more unexpected, I guess. It's not your usual nail look. Or even your usual alternative nail look. What do you think? You rate it?
To help raise awareness and funds for those suffering from eating disorders, Sportsgirl has partnered with six Australian designers to create the Sportsgirl Give Hope Designer Nail Polishes. With all profits going to The Butterfly Collection National Support Line, which offers support to those suffering with body image issues and eating disorders, it's more than a worthy cause. The collection includes polishes designed by Aje (white), Arnsdorf (soft coral), Ellery (gold), Alpha60 (dove grey), The Cassette Society (blush) and Rachel Gilbert (violet). LOVE.
We've had 
Six months after avant-garde designer Alexander McQueen 
Nudes schmudes. For anyone who's over the no-makeup-makeup look and beige and taupe nails, the new OPI Swiss Collection is for you. Known for its snow-peaked mountains, lush glacial valleys and well, chocolate, Switzerland was the perfect place from which to draw inspiration for this 12-shade collection which is peppered with shimmery reds, lilac, gold, pewter and strong shades of green, blue and teal. And if you're looking for the perfect red, you'll find it in the OPI Swiss Colour with three rich reds to choose from. From the ruby red 
