Going Green

After being reminded by a very good friend of my love for navy nails last fall, I started thinking about what nail colors I'm loving the same way this year.  After a spring and summer where I was very much into bright corals, hot pinks, oranges and other bright colors that were part of spring's color palette for fashion designers, I have come to love another jewel tone this fall.  Partially inspired by my best friend's favorite color, I have moved away from the sapphire and navy nails I adored last fall and now have an eye for emerald.

Know that, in going with this color, I am going against the grain this year.  A review a what's available from various brands shows a heavy focus on red- and pink-toned colors and neutrals this year.  As a result, this year's recommendation isn't nearly as easy to find as last year's was.  Going against the grain doesn't bother me though.  I think that it is always a good thing to mix in a little originality with your on-trend fashion choices.  What better way is there to be original than to use an eye-catching nail color that stands out from what every other woman is wearing?

The recommended colors are NARS in Zulu, ULTA in The Jungle Look, essie in Pretty Edgy, China Glaze in Paper Chase, CND in Green Scene and Zoya in Holly.

December's Crushes

This month, though it is only 55 degrees, my crushes have begun to be more cold weather necessities like lip balm, moisturizer, cold-remedies and make-up that helps me not look like the walking dead.  I'm sure that current obsessions have a lot to do with the fact that I've just caught my husband's cold.  Now, I'm off to drink some OJ and use that Cold-Eeze.

ADELE's "Rollin' In the Deep"

NARSSkin facial care line

Gorjana Melody necklace

Smashbox High Definition Concealer

Keep A Child Alive/Buy Life Tee

Cold-EEze

Linea Pelle Woven Waist Belt

Gorjana Knox Wrap necklace

Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight

LORAC Make-up Prep

Mask-erade

One of the best ways to clear up and hydrate the skin is by applying a facial mask (especially if application is preceded by exfoliation).  Here are some of the facial masks we like the most.

Sulfur (for acne & blemishes)
Murad Clarifying Mask
Origins Out of Trouble
DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask
Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Cooling Masque

Clay/Charcoal (for clearing pores)
SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque
Origins Clear Improvement
NARS Skin Mud Mask

Peel (for exfoliation & renewal)
Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Peel
Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel
Ren F10 Smooth and Renewal Peel Mask

Hydrating (for moisturizing)
Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturizing Mask
Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Masque
NARS Skin Aqua Gel Hydrator

Nutrient (for renewal & prevention of future damage)

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask
Perricone MD Hydrating Nutrient Mask

Oxygen (for brightening & freshening)
Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
Peter Thomas Roth Radiance Oygenating Masque
BORBA Replenishing Quench Masque

Exfoliators (to use before masks)
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator
LORAC Make-up Prep
Elemis Skin Buff

Skin Deep

The most important part of any make-up look is flawless-looking skin.  Unfortunately, unless you're still 15, odds are high that you no longer have flawless skin.  Luckily, some make-up and skincare brands have some excellent products to help us fake it well.  Some of the best ones are below.

Resurfacing
LORAC Make-up Prep
CARGO blu_ray Polishing Cloths
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base


Primers

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
MAC Prep + Prime Skin
NARS Pro Prime

Super-Correctors
Stila One-Step Correct
Benefit "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer
Face Stockholm Corrector Quads

Airbrush Look
Kevin Aucoin The Liquid Airbrush Foundation
Philosophy The Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas
Urban Decay Razor Sharp

Under-Eye Dark Circle Fix-Its
Benefit Cosmetics Lemon Aid and Erase Paste
LORAC Undercover Lover
Smashbox Photo-Op Under-Eye Brightener

Illuminators
Benefit Cosmetics High Beam
Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer
Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion

Mattifying Correctors
Shiseido Mattifying Stick
CARGO blu-ray High Definition Mattifier
Smashbox Anti-Shine

Concealers
LORAC Coverup
CARGO One Base
Smashbox High Definition Liquid Concealer

Complexion Kits
Smashbox Complexion Perfection Kit
Benefit Cosmetics Confessions of a Concealaholic
LORAC Evening Out Complexion Kit

Foundations
Smashbox High-Definition Healthy FX Foundation
Stila One-Step Make-up
LORAC Breakthrough Performance Foundation

Niki's Navy Nails

If you read our piece on RGB Cosmetics, you may have read that I love creamy beige or almond-hued polishes that my friends insist are all the same color (see: Zoya Clover, Zoya Vivienne, Zoya Corrine, Zoya Sadie, essie like linen, essie allure, Lippman Collection Satin Doll, CND Buff). They say that I need to expand my horizons and be more daring and try some color and, honestly, I've been trying. There has been more nail polish remover used than nail polish lately, but, after a day of whining about it (sorry Rach!), I have stumbled upon a new nail color that I think is HOT! I loved when Lea Michele wore it on the red carpet with her Oscar de la Renta gown (and even tweeted about it), but thought, "I'd never wear that, I'm too chicken."

In the intervening six or seven or weeks, without even thinking about it, I've been wearing navy more and more - a navy minidress one day, a pair of navy tights the next, a navy scarf thrown around my neck on the third. I even redecorated one of my bathrooms in navy this month. When trying to find a "daring" polish for my nails on Tuesday about which my friends would not tease me, I chose a mini bottle of OPI Ink I received free from ULTA back in the spring. Matched with a long blue Rachel Pally skirt and a pair of silver sandals the color really stood out and looked so good I ended up completely reversing my opinion about the color. Now, I am completely enamored with navy nails and think they make the perfect stand-out nail color for this fall.

Now, I am perfectly aware that the biggest "trends" in nail colors at the moment are mint greens, gunmetal grays, jet blacks and metallics; but, I have decided that navy nails should really be the "it" color this fall. This is especially true since Lea Michelle is on board. (If you'd rather stick with the trends declared by fashionistas other than me, see below*). After deciding that I would declare navy the nail color of the moment, I searched for others that would back me up and found that Glamour is with me and Refinery 29 sort of agrees.

To make this trend you and I are starting together even more providential, navy nail colors are relatively easy to find right now. Some of the best shades are OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue, Butter London Big Smoke, Zoya Ibiza, ULTA Blue for You, China Glaze First Class Ticket, Borghese Mezzanotte Blue, OPI Russian Navy, China Glaze Calypso Blue, NARS Midnight Express, OPI Play 'Til Midnight, Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia, M*A*C Ming Blue, Chanel Blue Satin and Dior Poison Blue.

*Polishes that fit nail trends:
Mint Greens
M*A*C Peppermint Patti
RGB Minty
essie mint candy apple
OPI Hey! Get In Lime
Chanel Jade

Gunmetal Grays
CND Hyde in the Dark

CND Asphalt
Lippmann Collection Hit Me With Your Best Shot
M*A*C Nightfall
Zoya Freja
Zoya Dovima
Chanel Steel
Lancome Le Gris L'Wren
RGB Slate
OPI Brand New Skates

Jet Blacks
OPI Black Onyx
Zoya Raven

M*A*C Nocturnelle
Chanel Black Satin
Dior Black Sequins
essie licorice
Butter London Chimney Sweep
Lippmann Collection Fade to Black

Metallics
Butter London's West End Wonderland
Butter London The Full Monty
Lippmann Collection Nefertiti
Lipmann Collection Marquee Moon
Lippmann Collection Boom Boom Pow
Lippmann Collection Today Was a Fairytale
OPI Bring on the Bling
OPI Glow Up Already
OPI Rising Star
essie shifting power
essie silver bullions
essie golden nuggets
Zoya Goldie
Zoya Richelle
Zoya Penny
NARS Versailles
Dior Czarina Gold
Dior Bronze Libertine


Update 10-23-2010:
Now, I have found that both Vogue and Temptalia have given the thumbs up to navy nail polish.


Update 11-7-2010:
After some serious experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that these three colors are my favorites for navy nails.

For a really dark navy bordering on black: Chanel Blue Satin

For a traditional navy with a bit of shimmer: OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue

For a slightly lighter blue with shimmer: OPI Blue My Mind

Key Ingredients

Some of the highest feedback posts and pieces lately were the ones about a recent "Brands We Love" piece on RGB Cosmetics and post on OPI's new color for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Both of these nail polish brands contain no Formaldehyde, Toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), three toxins often found in nail polishes that have gotten a lot of attention over the last 4 years. Some brands of nail polishes have begun eliminating them from their nail polishes, but not necessarily from other nail care products in their lines and some brands still contain these ingredients. A couple of these ingredients have been banned or partially banned by the European Union. The same is not true for the United States yet. Some specific nail polishes listed as having a high toxicity* by the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database are Orly Nail Lacquer, Sally Hansen Hard As Nails, Maybelline Express Finish, Maybelline Fast-Dry, N.Y.C. New York Color Long-Wearing, essie (one of Hippi's faves that she now has to reconsider), Milani and Nail Tek.

A few nail polishes that we here at Sequins celebrate for their proactive elimination of these three ingredients from their nail colors are:

Zoya Nail Polish $7 per bottle at zoya.com

NARS Nail Polish $16 per bottle at narscosmetics.com

OPI Nail Lacquer $8 per bottle at drugstore.com

RGB Cosmetics $14 per bottle at rgbcosmetics.com

Lippman Collection Nail Lacquer $16 to $20 per bottle at lippmancollection.com

Adoree Nail Lacquer $6 per bottle at esthersnc.com

Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer $14 at ulta.com

Rimmel London Nail Enamel $4 per bottle at ulta.com










*We considered all nail polishes rated as having a toxicity of 7 or above on their 10-point scale as having a high toxicity.