Essie in Watermelon

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Watermelon
(bright pink color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Ok, it's not quite summer yet, but watermelon is my favorite kind of melon and I can't wait to eat lots of it this summer.  Until then, I'll just look at my pretty nails.

Essie in Topless & Barefoot

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Topless & Barefoot
(nude color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Ok, don't look at this one up close. I took it at the END of my manicure, not the beginning. But I was kind of amazed that I had this on for 10 DAYS! So, it's a little dull, and has tiny chips, but it looks pretty good. Nice work, Essie!

Essie in Winning Streak

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Winning Streak
(gray purple color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This lucky shade is a nice alternative to greens around St. Patty's Day (or is it Paddy's Day?). Maybe if you wear it, you'll find a pot of gold!  And if you do, please call me. 

Essie in Roarrrrange

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Roarrrrange
(reddish orange color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
I kinda love this one -- it's like Cinco de Mayo in a bottle. It's easy to find a good margarita.  It's hard to find a good orange. Wear this one to your next fiesta.

Essie in Devil's Advocate

Brand: Essie Nail  Lacquer

Shade: Devil's Advocate
(super dark black plum color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
I was feeling inspired by the season but I love this shade. There's just something about super dark nail polish that looks edgy and elegant at the same time. When you put the first coat on, you'll see it's plummy, but another coat or two will turn it black.

Essie in In the Cab-ana

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: In the Cab-ana
(turquoise blue shade, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Essie calls this In the Cab-ana but I call it Squeezing Out the Last Drops of Sum-mer. Drip, dripity, drip!

Essie in Garden Variety

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Garden Variety
(turquoise blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This another one of Essie's Spring 2015 collection. I picked it up at CVS while I was looking for cold medicine and just looking at this happy shade made me feel better.

Essie in Flowerista

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Flowerista
(magenta purple color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Boy, my nails have gotten long! Spring is basically here, so I had to dig into Essie's cheerful 2015 shades. This one's a winner. After the long, frigid winter we had in NYC, it makes you happy just looking at it.

Essie in Wicked

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Wicked
(oxblood red shade, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Wicked was Essie's color of the month for October, so I fished this one out of the archives (see, it's so old, the logo isn't even white!).  It looks brown-ish in this picture, but it's a deep shade of red, kind of like dried blood. Perfect for Halloween, no?

Essie in On a Silver Platter and No More Film

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shades: On a Silver Platter & No More Film
(silvery gold shade, blue and iridescent glitter with metallic finish & deep navy blue color, glossy finish

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Did you know that today's a holiday? It's 10/10, the Perfect 10 Manicure Day! In honor, I'm posting one that combines all my favorite things: navy polish, something sparkly, and an accent nail.

Essie in Armed & Ready

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Armed & Ready
(brownish-army green color, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This shade that looks different from every angle. A cool effect with a badass name.

Next Shade: Nicole by OPI in A Phil's Paradise

Essie in On a Silver Platter

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: On a Silver Platter
(silvery gold shade, blue and iridescent glitter with metallic finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This is a shade shifter, depending on the light it looks silver or gold, and the glitter is blue or iridescent. Lots going on here, but I kinda like it.

Next Shade: Sally Hansen in Booty Camp

Essie in Hide and Go Chic

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Hide and Go Chic
(deep peacock blue color with glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
A friend of mine from work loaned me this shade and I couldn't wait to try it on.  Now, every time I look at my fingers, I smile and feel zen, just like lovely Lauren.

Next Shade: Nails Inc in Kensington Square

Essie in Lapis of Luxury & Stroke of Brilliance

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer & Essie Luxe Effects

Shades: Lapis of Luxury & Stroke of Brilliance

(cornflower blue color with glossy finish, and blue glitter finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:

This picture makes the combination look more speckled than it actually is.  In real life, the glitter is the color of the polish so it's a far more subtle effect.  Maybe someone can teach me how to take a good picture, and I can teach them how to paint their own nails!

Next Shade: Nail Rock Caviar in Venus

7 Red Carpet-Ready Manicures

Looking at the Oscar nominees for Best Picture this year, I realized I've actually seen most of them, which is rare for me. Usually, I just root for the one or two films I actually recognize, but this year I'm torn. Too many good ones!

So, I did what any sensible movie-lover would do: I turned to nail polish.
 

Here are 7 easy nail designs to help us decide who should take that little gold man home. Pick your favorite movies -- and manis -- below.
 

Brand: Julep Nail Vernis

 

Shade: Oscar

(gold color with glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$$

 

Inspired by: American Hustle, starring Amy Adams & Jennifer Lawrence

Brand: OPI Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Big Apple Red & Be-Claus I Said So

(fire engine red color with glossy finish & red glitter with clear finish)

 

Cost: $$

Inspired by: Her, starring Scarlett Johansson & Amy Adams

Brands: Sephora Formula X Color and Red Carpet Manicure Nail Art Appliques

 

Shades: Dark Matter & White Matter, Champagne Wishes & First Class

(jet black & snow white colors with glossy finish, white & black floral decals)

 

Cost: $$$$ & $

Inspired by: Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Ignite the Night & Matte About You

(pewter & black color with glitter finish, clear color with matte finish)

Cost: $$

Inspired by: Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock

Brand: Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer

 

Shade: HRH

(royal purple color with metallic finish)

 

Cost: $$$

Inspired by: Philomena, starring Dame Judy Dench

Brand: Nail Rock Velvet Manicure Kit

 

Shade: Velvet Burgundy

(mulberry color with velvet textured finish)

Cost: $$

 

Inspired by: Dallas Buyers Club, starring Jennifer Garner

Brand: China Glaze Nail Lacquer

 

Shades: Smoke and Ashes & Graffiti Glitter

(forest green color with shimmer finish, emerald green with glitter finish)

 

Cost: $$

Inspired by: The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Margot Robbie

I think I've got to go with American Hustle. Gold glitter and Oscar are like peanut butter and chocolate -- a perfect match!

Find out who really wins when the 86th Annual Academy Awards airs tonight on ABC at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

 

Essie in The Girls Are Out

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: The Girls Are Out

(magenta purple color, subtle shimmer finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:

I chose this girl power shade in tribute to Pantone's 2014 color of the year, Radiant Orchid.  I could do without the subtle shimmer, but the it grew on me by the end of the week. Kinda like a clingy friend.

Next Shade: Ten Over Ten in Carmine

New Year's Eve Nail Looks

(Note: This is a sponsored post for SheKnows Experts Among Us, the opinions -- and nails -- are all my own.)

To celebrate the launch of the new beauty counters at Kohl's in almost 300 stores, I tried 3 sparkly manicures -- perfect to celebrate New Year's Eve. 

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer & Luxe Effects

Shades: Smokin' Hot & Set in Stones

(deep purple gray color with glossy finish, clear color with silver glitter finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This ombre glitter look is easy to do at home. Start with 2 coats of a glossy (or matte)  polish.  Then paint a coat of glitter, stopping halfway down your nail.  Finish up with a 2nd coat of glitter just at the tip.  Essie Luxe Effects gives an extra-special touch with glitter pieces at all different sizes.  I got lots of compliments on this look -- you will too!

Brand: Candie's Nail Polish

Shades: My Kinda Teal & Over the Rainbow

(teal green clear color with glossy finish, clear color with green, bronze & silver glitter finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:

Bright green was such a popular color in 2013.  Give it a fond sendoff with this manicure, then add an accent nail coated in glitter so you are sure to twinkle well past midnight.

Brand: ELLE Nail Lacquer & Sugar Nail Frosting

Shades: Fuchsia Fusion & Confetti

(hot pink color with glossy finish, clear color with pink, blue, and silver glitter finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Doesn't this one just look like a party?  Try this retro look and pretend it's 1999, when the hair was big and the nails were bright.  Happy New Year!

Essie in Bobbing for Baubles

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

 

Shade: Bobbing for Baubles

(navy-ish gray color, glossy finish)

 

Cost: $$

 

The Scoop:

I always gravitate toward darker colors -- grays, blues, blacks all year round but I think this shade is better suited for fall or winter.  They say it's a deep sapphire, but it really looks gray in most lights.  The first coat goes on pretty thick, but I did a second just to be sure.  It wore well all week, didn't start to chip until day 5!

 

Next Week's Shade: China Glaze in Riveting & Luxe and Lush

Essie in Trophy Wife

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: Trophy Wife

(teal green color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:

How awesome would it be to work at Essie and name their polishes?  This is a loud one, so probably not appropriate for the office.  But it's a fun, bright shade that definitely pops.  Perfect for a tropical vacation -- I'm sure it would look great on tan hands and feet. 

Next Week's Shade: Julep in Jennifer

Essie in No More Film

 

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shade: No More Film

(violet navy blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:

I first saw this shade on Pinterest, and loved it because it looked like a denim blue color.  So I bought it, and in reality, it's much darker, but I still like it.  It's pretty opaque after a single coat, but this one definitely needs a topcoat -- it wasn't all that shiny right out of the bottle. 

Next Week's Shade: Bobbi Brown in Twilight