Product Review

In an effort to share my love of all things hair, makeup, and nail related, I’ve begun to include reviews of some of the hottest new beauty lines. For the first round of reviews, I’d like to introduce you to the new Essie “Sleek Sticks” nail appliqué collection from their Nail Effects line. Essie kindly sent them over for me to try out and share my thoughts with you on how well they work.

If you’ve never tried nail appliques–in a nutshell–they are basically stickers for your nails. Quite frankly, when I first heard Essie was doing some I was a bit apprehensive to test them out as my experience in the past with other brands had more misses than hits. However, I LOVE Essie polish ,so I figured I’d give them it a go…plus the designs really caught my eye.

Essie Sleek Stick nail appliques, come in a variety of designs (12 to be exact, and listed at the bottom of this post); they are UV cured and said to last up to 10 days. In my history with other appliques: they usually don’t last more than a day without at least a little lifting. I didn’t have these on long enough to test out the wear time, but I’ve heard they are the best with staying on and you can get a good 4-5 days out of them.

Let’s get to it! | continue reading..

WHO: Ashley Madekwe
WHERE & WHEN: Entertainment Weekly Pre-SAG Party in Los Angeles on January 26, 2013.
WEARING: Monique Lhuillier dress, Saint Laurent shoes, Judith Leiber clutch & Kara Ackermanjewelry.

MY VERDICT: Ashley looked fabulous last night!  She put on her best party dress (courtesy of Monique Lhuillier), which was a classic short sleeve a-line silhouette with a playful splatter of silver against a beautiful teal base. Is it possible to love a dress so much more off the catwalk than you did when you saw it on the runway? The answer is yes, and this “Revenge” star is proof. She found the perfect black sandals to compliment the skinny belt before completing her look with slightly curled tresses, a hot pink lip, an embellished clutch and sparkling diamond stud earrings. ACED. | continue reading..

WHO: Nina Dobrev
WHERE & WHEN: Entertainment Weekly Pre-SAG Party in Los Angeles on January 26, 2013.
WEARING: Matthew Williamson dress, Elie Saab clutch

MY VERDICT: It’s always such a treat to see Nina out and about on the Hollywood scene, and that might be partially due to the fact that I’m always interested in seeing what she’s going to wear.  Last night “The Vampire Diaries” star rocked the black carpet at the EW party wearing a beautiful printed strapless maxi dress by Matthew Williamson.  It may be January, but considering I’m freezing my tushy over here on the east coast, I like that Nina’s look is reminding me that springtime isn’t far ahead!  I adore the sleek silhouette, and the colors used in the pattern really compliment her complexion and dark hair.  With soft subtle makeup, Nina completed her look with a metallic Elie Saab box clutch. Effortless and lovely.

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WHO: Michelle Dockery
WHERE & WHEN: Entertainment Weekly Pre-SAG Party in Los Angeles on January 26, 2013.
WEARING: Peter Pilotto

MY VERDICT: The “Downton Abbey” star stole the show last night at EW’s bash for the SAG Awards when she stepped out on the black carpet in this colorful Peter Pilotto dress.  Although this might not be the best angled photo to show off the halterneck and tea-length flared silhouette on Michelle, I can’t help but love the dress on her.  I like that she’s taking such a bold approach to the red carpet lately!   As if a statement dress wasn’t enough, Michelle topped it all off with poppy red lips and matching pumps.

Kristen Stewart caused a stir on the green carpet at the world premiere of her new movie “Snow White and the Huntsman” when she arrived in a gothic black lace Marchesa gown with sparkling skeleton embroidery.

Typically you’d think Kristen’s first instinct with a dress like this would be to opt for black lacquered nails, but the 22-year-old braved the London rain with a stormy pale grey polish.

You asked about Kristen’s pretty nail color and I heard you loud and clear — before tracking down the exact color!

Kristen’s manicurist buffed her nails short before adding a few coats of the lightning nail varnish “Raindrops” by Illamasqua. The shimmering soft color has subtle hints of grey, ice green and pale blue. | continue reading..

It’s always so refreshing to see Sophia Bush at an event — and now that her new show “Partners” was picked up for the Fall 2012 line-up on CBS, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.

The 29-year-old actress attended the Lucky Magazine and ESSIE celebration for their June cover last Tuesday in West Hollywood wearing a fun little printed party dress by Ellery.

This black sleeveless mini comes from the Resort 2011 collection and features a bold white floral and vine print throughout the design as well as a cutout above the waistline. | continue reading..

Emily VanCamp is the cover girl for the June issue of Lucky Magazine and in honor of the summer cover, the magazine partnered with ESSIE nail polish to throw a special celebration this past Tuesday evening.

The 27-year-old “Revenge” star stepped out at the party at the Sunset Tower in West Hollywood wearing a black “Robin” lace bodice peplum dress with cap sleeves from the Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet Pre-Fall 2012 collection.

This is probably the most ‘daring’ dress I’ve ever seen Emily in as she usually plays it kind of safe on the red carpet. But while this isn’t risqué or anything, it’s still a pretty bold move for her. | continue reading..

All hail the power of K.Stew — because Kristen Stewart officially shut. it. down. tonight!

Kristen practically gave everyone whiplash when she arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ tonight at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The future neck-aches for so many will be due to the fact that the movie heroine hit the black carpet wearing a show-stopping gown from the Spring/Summer 2012 collection by J. Mendel.

K.Stew bared a whole lotta leg in this black and iris sequin brushstroke print mousseline sleeveless belted column gown which featured an cut up-to-there thigh slit. That was dangerous.  | continue reading..