I know I can’t be the only one out there drooling over the upcoming Chanel Robertson Boulevard limited edition nail polishes; the neon-bright shades in pink, purple, orange and yellow remind me of 1960′s pop art. I think they’ll look groovy on fingers and toes, but at $25 apiece, they sure aren’t budget friendly.

Let’s consider an option. If you’re lusting after Chanel’s upcoming Robertson Boulevard colors like I am, then Essie’s super hot Neon collection (just released this month) may help. I have yet to see the Robertson Boulevard colors in person (I’m basing this on the promo photos), so I can’t say exactly how close these Essie colors are to their apparent Robertson Boulevard equivalents, but the shades in both collections sure look close to me based on Chanel’s promo shots. And at a reasonable $8 apiece, you could buy all four Essie Neon shades for a total cost just a few dollars more than a single one of the Robertson Boulevard colors.

Essie’s Neon Collection…

Short Shorts – hot pink matte
Mini Shorts – neon highlighter orange matte
Shorty Pants – banana yellow matte
Bermuda Shorts – bright violet matte

What do ya think of the names? Aren’t they fun? I sort of wish Essie had included a shade called Booty Shorts, ha!

My favorite out of the four shades has to be Shorty Pants, the bright yellow. It reminds me of a perfectly ripe banana (sans brown spots).

All of the colors, with the exception of Mini Shorts, have that thick, high shine, classic finish Essie is known for. Mini Shorts doesn’t seem to be quite as shiny as the other shades are, and I’m not sure why that is, but a high shine top coat like Seche Vite should bring the shine up to par.

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Summertime means being able to wear brighter nail colors like corals, hot pinks and even sparkly blues or purples without looking like crazy nail lady. Here are a few ideas to brighten up your fingers and toes.

• Essie Summer 2008 Nail Polish Collection: Help!
  “After washing off my neon-orange fingers and chewing three Tums (note to file: do not eat half a bag of cheese crunchies in one sitting), I pulled out my Essie Summer 2008 nail polish stash and painted each of the nails on my left hand (and the pointer finger on my right) different colors. This is what too many cheese crunchies can make a woman do.”
• China Glaze Text in Colour 2BHOT: Holographic Hotness
  “The 2BHOT colors are a bit flashier/more club kid than my usual pink, peach, and coral nail color choices, but I really like them. The funky way the colors seem to change in the light adds another dimension to these polishes that makes them a lot of fun.”
• Chanel Flamingo Nail Colour: My Sunday Morning Manicure
  “Part of Chanel’s summer 2008 collection, Flamingo is a soft, pale pink with flecks of shimmery silver. I swooned when I first saw it in the store a few weeks ago; I have a well-documented weakness for pink.”
• China Glaze Ink Nail Polish: Wow, That’s Bright
  “The set includes six bright and slightly obnoxious colors, a cute packet of nail decals, a wee bottle of black polish (great for drawing patterns on the other nail colors) and a bottle of orange-scented cuticle oil.”
• China Glaze OMG Text in Colour 2BKEWL Nail Polishes
  “I’m lucky enough to live close to my parents, so tomorrow I’m heading home to visit my mom for Mother’s Day. I thought it might be fun if she and I painted our nails a matching color. Here’s the twist: I would like it to be a slightly obnoxious color, so her yoga friends at the senior center can ask her about it (‘Girl, I saw those nails from across the room while I was mid-downward dog!’).”

Right now I’m wearing coral on my toes and sheer pink on my fingers. How about you? Do you have a current favorite nail color?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I did a little post-birthday beauty indulging yesterday at the new Nordstrom store (only three months old) in Oahu’s massive Ala Moana shopping center. Visitors to Oahu often miss or skip Ala Moana, but it’s really quite impressive as malls go.

Beyond the beautiful layout, with open-air sections, koi ponds and indoor palm grottos, Ala Moana is a retail paradise. It houses more than 260 stores and restaurants (making it one of the largest malls in America) and includes a great mix of ultra-high end, Rodeo Drive-esque stores like Chanel, Prada and Tiffany; consumer-friendly shops like Old Navy, Gap, Sephora (aka, home away from home); and larger department stores like Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

Before coming out to Hawaii, I was told by a friend that the new Oahu Nordstrom store was the only one in the United States with a Lippmann Collection Nail Studio. Uh … when I heard that, I booked a manicure and pedicure with a quickness only known to animals in heat and hopelessly addicted beauty junkies.

Lippmann polishes, designed by celebrity nail manicurist Deborah Lippmann, are recognized for their durability and color. With Nordstrom’s help, Lippmann created the Lippmann Collection Nail Studio (referred to as The Lippmann Nail Bar by the Nordie’s staff). She got her start after makeup guru Bobbi Brown discovered her polishes, which are known as much for their fun names (Lippmann is also an accomplished jazz singer and names her polish colors after song titles like Tiny Dancer) as they are for their strength and quality.

Since Lippmann began in the business by catering to on-the-go starlets, several of her nail treatment products can be used quickly and without water. The studio is also known for its waterless manicure.

While I had “some work done” at the nail bar, Aimee (pronounced eye-me), the store’s Lippmann counter manager and manicurist, filled me in on the philosophy behind the Lippmann services.

A Lippmann manicure is less painful than a typical mani/pedi treatment. Cuticles aren’t cut, hands and toes are soaked in large bowls of warm water rather than spa tubs with jets, and the nails are only filed in one direction to prevent breakage. It’s more of a holistic approach to nail care. A Lippmann manicure focuses on improving the health of your nails over time. During a mani/pedi, the nail technician asks you about your personal nail care habits and will also recommend treatments and techniques that you can apply at home.

Six Degrees of Mariah Carey

The singer is currently on Oahu to shoot a new video. The first thing Aimee said when I sat down for my manicure was that she was currently on-call to do Mariah’s nails and might have to leave at any second. Consequently, all I could think of during my manicure was, “I’m with Mariah Carey’s manicurist, holy frickin’ crap!”

The Lippmann Nail Bar offers several different nail treatments. I really wanted to indulge myself, so I went for the Star Treatment Manicure and Pedicure, which includes an exfoliating scrub, as well as a hand-and-foot massage.

Partial menu of services…

Star Treatment Manicure ($40)
Nail and cuticle care, scrub with heated mitts, hand massage, polish (55 minutes)

Star Treatment Pedicure ($60)
Nail and cuticle care, foot soak, exfoliation of callused skin, exfoliating scrub to knee (oy! I’m so glad I shaved my legs), foot massage, polish (60 minutes)

Studio Manicure ($30)
Nail and cuticle care, hand massage, polish (50 minutes)

Studio Pedicure ($50)
Nail and cuticle care, exoliation of calloused skin, foot massage, polish (50 minutes)

Aimee helped me pick out shades for my hands (Tiny Dancer, a pale pink) and my toes (It’s Delovely, a bright coral) and described several of Lippmann’s famous nail treatments.

I really enjoyed both the manicure and the pedicure, but the pedicure took the cake. You’re treated like queen for a day, reclining in a comfortable, squishy chair while your toes get pampered and painted.

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According to a story in The New York Times, a new trend in nails has lazy women everywhere jumping for joy! Get this: chipped nail polish.

On the fingers of some fashion-forward women, streaked, chipped and basically tow-up nails are replacing well-manicured nails.

“Over the last few years — since the era of the skull print scarf, let’s say, or the (metaphorical) rise of the Olsen twins — having streaked, chipped or just plain grotty nail polish no longer suggests drug addiction, manual labor or pure laziness. Like untied high-tops, thread-worn jeans and bedhead, it’s now part of a deliberate look.

And chipped polish is not sported solely by nail-biting school students and downtown punkers. It has been spotted uptown, in professional settings and gala parties, behind department store sales counters and even (gasp!) on beauty and fashion industry insiders.

Anyone can get caught between manicures. But now women no longer have to sit on their hands when they do.”

NYTimes.com (free registration required)

This works out great for me. Lazy women rejoice! Is it a sign of the times? Are we too busy to take care of our nails? Homemakers, businesswomen, fashionistas, students, beauty bloggers — we all lead busy lives. Where does painting your nails rank on your list of things to do?

I’m all for new trends and the evolution of style, but I think chipped nails look messy. Hell yeah, I’m certainly guilty of sporting chipped nails from time to time (BlackBerry/CrackBerry typing wreaks havoc on nail polish, girl!), but rarely on purpose.

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I don’t have any tattoos, but I always knew that if I got one it would be colorful, maybe like these tattoo-inspired shades from China Glaze’s Ink collection ($24.12, 8-piece collection).

They’re sold either individually or as part of an eight-piece set. The set includes six bright and slightly obnoxious colors, a cute packet of nail decals, a wee bottle of black polish (great for drawing patterns on the other nail colors) and a bottle of orange-scented cuticle oil.

I was pretty stoked to give the colors a try when I spotted the kit because I’ve been going through a bright nail polish phase. I couldn’t wait to try these colors on.

Blue Sparrow

Flying Dragon

Rose Among Thorns


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