Who Is The Boss? Essie's 2012 Wedding Collection, that's who.

I am seriously in love with Essie's 2012 Wedding Collection. There are four gorgeous colours, and I had a hard time choosing one for today's manicure. Who Is The Boss stood out today with its dreamy dusty silvery green colour. I LOVE it. I say silver only because of the impression it gives- this is a cream colour without a hint of shimmer or frost. I can already tell this will be a staple, and may even be the stand-in for the Unicorn of Dusty Teals, Essie Absolutely Shore. Yes, it's that awesome. Formula of Who Is The Boss is outstanding and gave me opaque non streaky coverage in 2 coats. It reminds me of the exquisite Essie Sand Tropez that was basically the perfect formula. I was rushing a little bit so this could be a neater mani, but you get the idea.

from left: Who Is The Boss, Love & Acceptance, Like To Be Bad, Instant Hot

Verdict? Love. If you can find this collection anywhere, grab it!

Essie Play Date is Fun & Purple-y!

I love purple nail polish, and Essie Play Date is my new fave. It's somehow a warm purple with lilac, but it's not a cool lavender tone. It's punchy and playful and believe it or not, goes with everything. Love it!

It's brighter in person- very hard colour to photograph! Love....

Essie Sand Tropez...In Which I Find Yet Another Perfect Nude

Oh how I love the nude nail polish. Makes hands look clean and neat, and also manages to elongate fingers and add a little bit of elegance to everything you do. My two faves to date are Deborah Lippmann Naked (probably the best nude nail polish in the world) and Fashion- they are what I would call warm nudes, each being perfect for medium and light skin tones. I have another Essie nude, Jazz, that, while not quite as warm as the Lippmanns, is warm as it has a slight pinkish tone.



In natural light. Pardon dry cuticles.



Sand Tropez is a true beige with a creamy (and I mean delicioulsy creamy) grey undertone. Loves it! I keep looking at my hands and wondering why it took me so long to get this. Nude nail polishes are like red nailpolishes. And shoes. And perfumes. You can never have too many....

This is me on the sand in St Tropez. Well, actually Brigitte Bardot.

Learning To Be Glam at Essie's School of Hard Rocks

Essie School of Hard Rocks is another colour from the Cocktail Bling collection, my other one being the delicious indigo blue Baubing For Baubles. This one is a nifty teal colour, with a grey-ish somewhat dusty tone to it. It is non-traditional for sure, yet somehow the muted tone keeps it from looking too funky. I really like this and find it goes with just about everything. As with all Essie polishes, it is smooth & creamy and applies like a dream. These shots are 2 coats on top of my soon-to-be-reviewed miraculous ridge filler base coat (stay tuned) and Lippmann Top Speed top coat.

I have a few greens now- Lippmann Billionaire, which is quite dark, and Chanel Khaki Vert. They are all quite different and I love them all. Now I think I need a light sage or pistachio green to go with the Spring weather that will be coming...eventually....

Out of direct light...

In direct light. Actual colour somewhere in between....

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Essie St Lucia Lilac is So Very Pretty

When were finally packing up to come home from holidays, it was time for a fresh mani. I'd been reading about pastels for spring over here so when I found this sweet little Essie double pack with sweet mini bottles of Essie St Lucia Lilac and Jazz. I knew it had to be mine. I've been obsessing about Essie Absolutely Shore for awhile, and seeing as how I have yet to find it in an actual store & it's not available online....If any of you know of a dupe for it let me know! Da Bush from Fall 2011 looks like a contender and my search continues. So pastel nails are my new thing. Not even halfway through January and I am already feeling Spring 2012....

St Lucia Lilac is a soft powdery lavender/lilac shade and Jazz is a nude shade. Although, different enough from my other nudes that I don't feel it is, ahem, redundant. I guess I'd say it has a grey tone to it vs pink. Can't wait to try it. I can't find these little boxed sets online anywhere but I found mine at Walgreens. There were a couple sets with two minis as "Essie's Favorites" or something similar...

Top right: Jazz, top left: St Lucia Lilac, Bottom: Jazz, DL Naked, DL Fashion

Holiday Mani Pedi Courtesy of Lippmann & Essie

"Now listen gals, holiday nails must have glitter!"

Just a quick little post to share my fun mani-pedi. The mani is the stunning navy blue Essie Bobbing For Baubles from the Holiday 2011 collection. It is a creamy almost dusty blue and I just love it. Not flashy or bizarre, just elegant. The toes...well. Inspired as always by my Lippmann Guru, Elena, I opted for Lippmann Naked on the base and Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening on top. The gorgeous perfect nude with delicate rose glitter on top is beautiful! Perfect for holidays at home, and also will work perfectly with open toe shoes and flip flops on the beach! Goodbye snow.....

Beautiful Nail of The Day by Essie Angora Cardi

I guess it has something to do with that "end of summer feeling" thats going on now. Thanks, Back To School Sales EVERYWHERE I GO. Ok, I'll stop crying in a minute....Anyways, I've been craving a slightly darker more dramatic nail these days. I have some super vampy colours and reds but I wanted something in between. 

It doesn't read as dark on the nails- more like the bottle colour. iPhone pic! 

I blame Gaia over at The Non Blonde and her stunning Rescue Beauty Bruised, which is a gorgeous burgundy shade I've been coveting for awhile. Funny, Essie Angora Cardi is kind of a dupe. Kind of dupe-y? At any rate, it fit the bill nicely and even on a warm summer day it looked fantastic. I'm not sure if the chipping 2 days later was due to my decision to clean out my fridge or the polish itself, but the colour is so lovely I will definitely give it another chance. FYI, my pedi is Essie Chinchilly which is the perfect grey is a perfect match with burgundy. I may switch it up soon as Angora Cardi would be fantastic on toes peeking out of a sandal....

What is your fave burgundy polish?

Note the burgundy in Sophia Loren's sweater....ok it's not a cardi, but who cares? Sophia!

Beautiful True Red- Essie Fishnet Stockings

My daughter Emilie and I are constantly searching out nail polish. We love the new collections and the myriad of “it” colours that come out each season. We love cool and interesting colours, and colours that compliment our skin tone. And then there is the search for The Perfect__________. You know what I mean. We always want The Perfect Mauve,  Greige, Pink, Teal- you name it. She told me ages ago that she wanted to try Essie Fishnet Stockings, that it was allegedly The Perfect Red. Apparently it is Dita Von Teese's signature red and if anyone knows a classic feminine red nail, it's Ms. Von Teese. Not too brown, not too blue, that it works with all skin tones and was a the perfect classic red and that “we” simply had to get it! She is a pretty smart girl and is usually right about these things. 

Lo and behold, months later, we are shopping at Canada’s favourite drugstore, Shoppers Drug Mart (one of my beauty Meccas, but that is another post…), and find a little stash of Essie nail polishes in the nail section. Not only that, but they were $6.99. And much to our surprise, there was one lone bottle of Fishnet Stockings! Of course we grabbed it and Emilie loves it. Seeing as how the 4 bottles of Red I already have, while lovely, haven’t been Perfect, I figure I need Fishnet Stockings. Happily, I stumbled upon another $6.99 bottle at yet another Shoppers.

From left: OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, OPI The Thrill of Brazil, Essie Fishnet Stockings, OPI  Manicurist of Seville,  OPI Quarter of a Cent-Cherry

I’m wearing it now on fingers and toes, and can attest to Emilie’s expert opinion. It is a clear clean red, application is flawless and looks pretty amazing with two coats, although I went for broke and applied three. Along with my Lippmann Hard Rock to protect it, of course. It IS The Perfect Red.

The Beautiful Rachel Sin & Ottawa Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011

Ottawa Fashion Week 2010 at the National Gallery is featuring the fabulous and stylish Ottawa native Rachel Sin tonight. Trained architect turned fashion designer Rachel Sin says ‘having a sense of style is a lifestyle.’ You have to surround yourself in beautiful things to develop a keen eye for good design. While fashion and architecture often inspire one another, Rachel began developing a passion for all things well designed in her studies, earning a Masters degree in architecture. This woman is smart and passionate and this is obvious in her line- if fashion can have beauty and brains, Rachel pulls this off perfectly and personifies it in her clothes.


A quick glance at Rachel's beauty routine shows us that beautiful glowing skin is key. She cares for her skin and keeps it moisturized which is so important while travelling. Her perfume choices tell me she loves rose, a soft rose for day, and a darker patchouli enhanced rose for night. Elegant, as I think of rose when I think of those red stained lips. The neutral nail is a fave for her, and I think that would perfectly compliment her clothes. The hair and eyes from her collection are to die for and I cannot wait to see the show tonight! Thank you Rachel, for taking the time from your whirlwind day to answer these questions for us.

What is your daily 5 min beauty routine?
Since I travel so much, I shop abroad for all my beauty products.  Also, my beauty routine  varies depending on which city I am in.  It is incredible how much climate, water and pollution can affect your skin.  I love the Laneige Products and use the Hydra Solution Essence and Hydra Solution Cream daily.  I have oily skin, and the product hydrates my skin without clogging pores.  The Laneige Mystic Veil Foundation has SPF33 and provides great coverage without being too heavy.  I also always travel with a SK-II Facial Treatment Mask.  It’s hard to find the time to get a facial when you are on the go, so I use it the night before an event and it gives you an instant fresh look.

What are your fave products for hair, skincare, nail polish and others?  
My favourite nail polish colours for this season are a light gray by Essie called Playa del Platinum and a taupe gray by Essie called Chinchilly.  The 1950s style manicure is very now. I will be getting this nude on black manicure for my runway show.  

If you were stranded on a deserted island what is the one beauty product you could not live without?  
Probably my Carmex lip balm, I have a stick of this in every purse. 

Favorite perfume?  
Chloe for day.  Stella for night.

Who is your beauty inspiration/icon? Why? 

There are so many, but I would have to say Gwen Stefani is a favourite.  I was always jealous that she could pull off red lipstick with anything.  Then I found my shade of red and once you do, you never go back.  I was at the MAC counter, and the artist said “this is the red that every designer should wear” and this was the Matte So Chaud A69.  I thought it was daring to wear to a photo shoot and now I wear red lipstick with jeans and a t-shirt.  The new Armani Rouge 400 is another favourite; it is deep wine red with a glossy sheen.  Red is so much more fun, it adds that punch of colour. Now I feel naked when I wear nude.  I believe everyone can find their shade of red.

What spring beauty trend are you embracing in your new Spring Collection?  

What do you love about Spring/Summer?  I love that Spring Summer collections are always less conservative, I think it is because a woman can experiment more with her wardrobe.  In the summer, you tend to wear brighter and lighter colours, you take more risks and have more events to dress up for.  The new Spring-Summer 2011 collection is edgier and more sophisticated, look for the unexpected combination of feminine with an edge.  I love when studs or metallic details are added to a very feminine dress.  It’s a very rocker glam look, metallic details like sequins andshimmering fabrics are added to a soft, sensual fabric to give a twist.

What is the makeup/hair inspiration in your runway look for Spring/Summer collection? I always love the 1950s look, it is timeless, feminine, and will never go out of style.  On the runway you will see a modern take on the cat-eye and reinventing  simple yet polished up-dos. 

Beautiful Blogs of the Week

Ok I missed a week and am now a day late with my Beautiful Blogs of the Weekly round up. Get used to it lol. I found some great beauty reading out there...hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!

Dane over at Pere de Pierre gets a few things off his chest about the current state of perfume in Dear So & So. I love his writing- he makes me a lol-cat.

A newly discovered perfume blog, The Perfume Chronicles, reviews the gorgeous YSL "Y". I just got a bottle of this after not having it for years (thanks Dane xo) and I had forgotten how timeless and beautiful this scent is. If you are bored with the endless glut of fruity disasters at the perfume counter, YSL shows us how its done in "Y".

Gaia at The Non-Blonde reviews the perfect seasonal transition nail polish offering from Essie as part of their fall line- Essie In Stitches. The perfect soft easy to wear, office appropriate rose colour I'd say and almost a perfect dupe for my Chanel Rose Confidentiel.

Michelle over at Beauty Editor, offers up some Mad Men inspired beauty tips. Perfect? I'll say. I am ready to bust out my hot rollers and embrace lady-like style :)

Keeping on-topic with retro looks, the lovely Victoria over at EauMG does an amazing job of reproducing elegant vintage cosmetic looks. This week she takes on the beautiful Dorothy Dandridge and I think she looks stunning!

Well, so far this weekend is looking perfect - sunny clear and cool, everything I love about fall. Have a good one!