Chanel's Got The Blues

Here are the new Chanel nail shades for Spring. A feast of blues designed by Peter Phillips as an homage to denim. In essence he is celebrating our eternal love affair with our jeans be they indigo skinnies, faded boyfriend baggies or turquoise crops. I'll be wearing Blue Boy, what do you think? Are they potential wait-list shades? Are you feeling the love?

(they launch in March)

Nail Treat

I've been using this Billionails treatment from Essie for the past few weeks as they had become a bit brittle (due to anxious biting!). I am happy to report that they look SO much better now and have truly had quite the growth spurt. Full of vitamins and fortifying ingredients, it is designed to be used on clean nails for a 90 day treatment period, which is a pretty long time but it acts really well as a base coat so you don't have to sacrifice your Christmassy colours at all. I'm not sure I'll go the entire 90 days, but I'll certainly file it under 'old reliable' on my bathroom shelf - I can see this little bottle getting lots of use.

Fame Fatal

Allow me to introduce my new nail colour passion. Fame Fatal by Essence. It's a perfect tomato red shade (the pic looks pinker than it is) as with all of this Colour & Go range from the line, it really does dry in minutes and above all else...it is €1.29!

New Season Nails

Last night I performed a long overview edit on my nail polish collection. The old, almost empty summery shades were ditched making way for the new season deep tones. I have to admit to loving this time of year. I find a sort of security when pulling out the coats, boots and scarves. I do Winter well...Summer, not so!
So I pulled these two polishes to the front of the talon troops....Sally Hansen's Plum Luck and the gorgeous grey/taupe called  Commander in Chic will be adorning these Autumnal nails for the next few weeks. And happy I will be!

Supermodel

I know that the greige polishes may seem a little last year but actually I think they are a new classic and will be around for a long time. They suit all skin tones, looking slightly different on everyone from pale to olive tones. Nail guru, Leighton Denny's Supermodel is a great example of these great neutrals....And it's free with Harpers Bazaar this month!  You may have to root through the mags on the shelf as there is also a red being given away too (it's nice, but Supermodel is the clear winner!) A great magazine with a great nail polish... make some tea, paint it on and sit back and read.....aaahh.

The Story of Two Red Bottles

I was sent these two new Sally Hansen products to test lately and so I decided to give them their first outing at the (fabulous!) wedding I was at last week. The polish is The Complete Salon Manicure which, as the bottle says, is all you need in one bottle. Ditch the base and top coats, this does it all! And it really does. The colour is strong and vibrant and I only had time to apply one (thickish) coat but the colour looked perfect. The shade I wore is the one above, All Fired Up, and I adore it's orange based red tone.

Now, this little bottle was the real star of the show as I have to admit to painting my nails in the car on the way to the wedding (no, I wasn't driving!). I never have enough time to let my nails dry properly and frequently end up with smudges so I was very excited to try this Insta-Dry Top Coat out. It says on the bottle to wait  two minutes after finishing the polish so I did. Then I painted on one coat of Insta-Dry and waited 30 seconds as directed... Guess What? They were dry!! Of course they weren't totally and completely dry, but they were 'get out of the car, get bag from boot, fix makeup, have quick drink and run to wedding without a smudge' dry... Was I happy? Was I ever!

These products do what they claim and therefore are superstars in my book.

Sparkle & Shine

My metallic crush continues unabated over here at Ellie Loves Towers! How pretty is this sequinned crepe t-shirt by Vince at Net-A-Porter? It would be so gorgeous with white skinny jeans for day or black capri pants by night....

...and you would have to finish off the look with these Minx nail films on your toes. Aren't they just fabulous!

Chanel Nail It

Feast your eyes my friends...here are the Autumn/Winter '11 nail colours from Chanel. From left to right they are Graphite, Peridot and Quartz. I haven't tried them yet but judging by swatches I've seen they look like a little bit of metallic heaven. Peridot in particular seems very interesting, with it's greeny, gold shimmer. My nails are beside themselves with excitement!

Pretty Polish

I am currently sporting this very pretty soft blue nail polish called Up in the Air by German brand Catrice. If you haven't spotted this newly re-packaged, excellent budget brand yet, I would drop what you are doing and run out and find it in a pharmacy near you. It's price point is fantastic - the polish is €2.79, and everything else is great quality with a wide shade range. I really rate their blushers, shadows, gel eye liners and brushes... Go!

Shine On...

I've always thought that a top coat is a top coat, is a top coat, if ya get me! As in they are all pretty much the same - just another layer of clear gloss to enhance the polish and seeing as they all chip after three days on me, I've never really been that moved by them. I did try out this new Nail Shine Miracle by Sally Hansen though and it does seem to last and it's really shiny. So  much so that it makes my cheaper polishes last at least three days longer than before. They claim it lasts for ten days, but it gives me six and that's ok by me!

Nail Colour of the Week

Fast and Fuchsia by Rimmel is my current fave for my nails. I love it's brightness and I find it suits my pale skin better than the coral tones which I also love but will leave till the Summer when I have more of a glow.

As you can see, it's one of the wonderful 60 seconds range which is totally necessary when you are mother to an almost two-year old and time to allow nails to dry whilst flicking through Vogue is a luxury from days gone by!

Nail Saviour

I've been nail nibbling a bit lately...aah stress and tension, you are my nail's enemy! I've always bitten when feeling a bit stretched but I have found a secret weapon to help with matters. This Ultra Rich Cuticle Cream really softens my dry and jagged cuticles and I can see an improvement in the nail texture too after using it for just two weeks. The extra bonus is that it smells gorgeous and as I can smell it when I attempt to nibble - it makes me aware of what I'm almost doing - so I don't. Result!

Springtime For Nails

I'm coming over all candy coloured this week. The Lavender tone from Lancome is so nice with blues and denims as well as bright reds. It's all part of the kaleidoscopic brights trend that is working it's way into our sartorial sensibilities.

I'm just crazy about this new Watermelon shade from Essie. Although I feel I won't be wearing it until the Summer actually arrives. I think the cool lavender is a bit more appropriate for the still cold days of February.

A Darker Shade of Pearl

Black Pearl. It sounds so opulent and luxurious....and indeed it is. This is Chanel's latest nail polish that will hit counters on the 28th of January. It is a glossy, glamorous pewter tone with just the right amount of shimmer that will take you in to the Spring months with ease. Not too dark, not too light; it is a transitional beauty. Run, don't walk to counters, this will sell out!

Stocking Fillers

In my view, Mavala always nail it with their fashion forward new shade releases such as this winter 2010 Woodland Collection. Ranging from Mink and Onyx to Cedar Green with a deep ruby too, they always hit the mark. Although I think that the very best thing about them is the fabulously low price and the small bottles - just enough polish to reach that boredom threshold and guiltlessly move on to another shade!

They have some lovely little gift boxes that are perfect for stocking fillers or something small for your best friend or sister. This Deep & Dark set holds the perfect winter shades and a classic red.

Who wouldn't love this?

Lauder Nail It

I'm feeling so Christmassy yet have one eye towards Spring. I'm a typical Gemini - one foot in either camp! So when I spotted these new nail polishes from Estee Lauder's Spring Collection I came over all excited.

I love the shades. This deep coral is called Tempting Melon (the one on top is Sizzling Taupe). The finish of Lauder's polishes are always excellent and really professional. Super makeup artist, Tom Pechaux, is at the helm at Lauder Towers, so you can rely on great strides from this previously unexciting colour brand.

This is Purple Passion - dubious names but delightful colours! Bring on Spring-like prettiness for our nails!

But back to my Christmassy reds for now. Patience is a virtue etc etc...

(images via British Beauty Blogger )

Grey Days

This is my current shade of choice for my nails; Grey Matter by Rimmel. I like how it is a really flattering pale tone of grey... I find it blends very nicely with my pale Irish skin. Not as dark or beigey as the Bourjois Gris Cashmere which has been a regular adorner of my nails so far this Autumn. This is it's lighter- shade- of- pale cousin and I'm loving it...

Just A Quickie

I've just painted my toenails in this fab shade, Rapid Ruby by Rimmel. It's one of my tried and tested reds and it's perfect for this time of year. It's that bit deeper than the orangey based reds of the summer months.

But the main bonus of this polish is that fact that it really does dry in 60 seconds. I can even put my shoes on a few minutes afterwards and there is no smudging. A product that does what it says it does....Lovely!

I find that it can lose it's glossy sheen after a day or two though, but a quick top up of top coat and the nails are perfect again.

The Chanel Paradox

I'm sure a lot of you have seen this by now; it's been blogged about for a while but I just got my mitts on it the other day. It is Paradoxal; the new hot nail polish by Chanel.

I tried it out and I have to say I like it a lot, I'm not going crazy about it but I think that's because I'm still dragging out the summer looks and it feels a little wintery to me...I won't give in to the dark shades just yet!

That said, it's a really interesting mix of tones. It's a metallic aubergine with a hint of mink underneath so fans of last seasons ubiquitous Particuliere will be happy with the colour connect.

Chanel are used to creating a wave of hysteria with their fashion forward nails each season and this one will cause as much fuss and frenzy so if you love it, get your name down at a counter!

Cause-metics

To be really honest, sometimes I find the whole beauty with integrity thing a little wearing...controversial, I know. While their ideals can be worthwhile, sometimes their makeup isn't so. Wouldn't it be great to find a brand that created excellent products as well as leaving an excellent legacy behind. Now before you all jump down my throat, I know that Estee Lauder and many other companies have fantastic initiatives to support some wonderful causes and I really rate their Breast Cancer Awareness month and it's related product launches very highly. However, at the end of the day, it's only a drop in the ocean of what the particular charities need and it's not entirely balanced with what the billions the companies make each year...but yes, it's big corporate business and that's how it works.

So, when I came across I am a Peacekeeper I was dubious to say the least but I was wrong to be so judgmental. They have a limited little line of natural, mineral based lip paints, nail colours, lip glosses and balms. I tried the lip paints first and boy was I eating humble pie; I loved them! They are deeply pigmented yet smooth and they have some lovely shades. With names like Paint me Accepting, Paint me Empowered and Paint me Truthful they may be a bit much for the cynical but I thawed out somewhat and a slightly warm fuzzy feeling evolved when I read that after taxes, they donate ALL their profits to urgent women's rights issues. They focus on women living at the bottom of the pyramid living on a dollar a day or those living in servitude or exploitation.

So far, so great and I was so happy to see that their products really are good. Their nail polishes are pretty sheer but they are good and they have the bonus that they are a very highly rated natural nail polish which can be hard to find. This really matters if you are (and you should be!) concerned about the levels of toxicity in your system which can be really added to by cosmetics.

The Cosmetics Safety Database rates the Peacekeeper polishes as a 3 on a scale of toxicity with water being 0 and 10 being dangerous. This is the lowest rating of a nail polish apparently...good to know eh? Also the Lip paints were recently a finalist for Best lip product of the year by the Cosmetics Executive Women.

I hope I don't sound too preachy but I'm so happy to find this line and I think it deserves support, check it out and enjoy the glow you will get both from the products and it's message.

Warm fuzzy feeling anyone?