Like A Kawaii Kelly Bundy: My Adventures In The World Of Japanese Manicures!
[ 21 May 2011, 22:01 ]
My first experience in a nail salon was when I came to New York City in September of 2006. I was staying in the Chelsea Hotel at the time. Every day we would would go out & discover the city, & return to the room in the evening bearing flowers or Chinese food. One night, my boyfriend was sleeping, & I ventured out into the street to get my nails done.
I walked into this crazy, frantic place full of women who didn’t speak very good English, & a bunch of bored-looking American ladies. I had never had my nails done before, so had no idea what the procedure was. I was laughing & smiling at the ridiculousness of the whole affair, but the woman who was working on me was not amused. She performed her rote tasks & sent me on my way. It was an uninspiring beginning, to say the least!
Despite my dour debut, I was committed to the search for a better manicure experience. I have encountered many, many other nail salons since. Thankfully, none were as disappointing as my first! In fact, you could say that they keep getting better & better.
I discovered Galleria when I moved to the East Village two years ago, & I adore them. They take their time, which I appreciate. I go to Galleria to relax. I don’t want to rush my mani/pedi experience! Yeah, take your time, girl! Scrub my calluses! Massage my legs! Make it count! Ooh, yeah! I adore Galleria & recommend them to everyone. They are fantastic. HEAPS of my readers go there now too, which makes me feel really good!
But… well… you know, I have this obsession with bigger & bolder. I always want more. It has gotten me into trouble more than once, but now I manage to restrict my bigger-better complex to certain facets of my life. Nails, for example. It is okay to trade up when it comes to nails!
I had had enough of OPI nailpolishes with a bit of sparkle thrown in. I wanted BLING on my nails. I wanted something truly ridiculous & over-the-top. It’s pretty safe to say that Japanese women have the lockdown on c-r-a-z-y nails, & I wanted to experience it for myself!
That’s how, on Friday evening, I experienced my first ever Calgel manicure. Calgel is a nail treatment which is painted on & then essentially baked to harden. It doesn’t damage your natural nails & allows them to grow long & strong — always an issue for me, my nails break if I look at them funny! Calgel also creates a fantastic base for all kinds of nail art. It is pretty much the manicure holy grail.
I had known about Calgel for AGES, & as such, I had done my research. By all accounts, Sakura in the East Village was the place to go — & even better, on the same street as my favourite juice bar!
I had such a great time, but it didn’t come off entirely without a hitch. Firstly, the appointment I had made a week in advance had mysteriously disappeared from their calendar. They had no record of me! At all! After searching for my name & phone number in their system, & apologising profusely, I said I’d go home, check my calendar & book for another time. Administrative issues be damned; I wanted those Calgels!
Luckily for me, as I was halfway up the stairs, they called out & asked if I could come back in twenty minutes. Of course I could! I ordered a juice & when I came back to Sakura, I sat in their waiting area & flicked through back issues of Nail Up! magazine. Have you ever seen that magazine? My god. It is unbelievable.
Overwhelmed by choice & slightly boggled by the fact that I really could get ANYTHING on my nails, I wasn’t totally sure what to do. I took a few snaps of some designs I liked, including this one, which was my front-runner. But when I was called up to the nail technician’s chair, my mind went blank.
“Um… I’ve never done this before,” I started. She smiled at me, surely thinking it was about to be a looooong appointment! Suddenly, I had a flash of inspiration. I turned & grabbed my hoodie off the back of the chair. It’s a simple black hooded sweatshirt from Victoria’s Secret, but on the back of it is embroidered LOVE PINK. The “LOVE” is in light pink sequins, while the “PINK” is magenta sequins, with an amazing leopard-print all over it.
I held it up.
“Do you think you could replicate THIS?”, I asked.
She looked it over, then nodded, seriously. “Yes.”
Hoodie from Victoria’s Secret — it’s my go-to sweater!
What followed was three hours — no foolin’ — of nail mania. After a very basic manicure (filing my nails & pushing back the cuticles), we began. My nail technician would put on a coat of Calgel, mix it with some hot pink glitter, then painstakingly apply it so it didn’t look blotchy or uneven. When she was done with two fingers, she would instruct me to stick them into the little UV light machine.
After we had done two coats of hot pink glitter, it was time to add the leopard print. She grabbed some tubes of acrylic paint & a bundle of insanely skinny brushes, then got to work mixing up a light pink colour. She would paint dots of it on my nail, then trace half the shape in black to create the leopard print. We finished up with a layer of fine, pale pink irridescent glitter over the top, & a clear top coat.
Of course, I was delighted. Who wouldn’t be?!
Calgel manicures last 3 weeks, & all that UV light means that when you walk out of the salon, your nails are completely dry! There’s no fear of messing them up, which is fantastic for those of us who are hard on our hands. This stuff is solid.
It doesn’t come cheap, though. When I got my total — $100 — my eyes almost bugged out of my head. The breakdown? $70 for glitter, $30 for the design. Oh, & of course there is gratuity!
But when you consider that a good quality manicure in New York City is about $40 — & it only lasts about a week — Calgel starts to sound like a better & better option. ...If you have three hours to spare, that is!
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beauty,
consumption
Shout Out To San Francisco!
[ 29 September 2010, 12:57 ]
Just a quick note to my girls in San Francisco! Remember the amazing make-up Lauren Warner did on me for Wicked Schoolgirls On The Streets Of San Francisco & Eccentric Heiress In Dolores Park?
Well, Lauren is teaching two make-up master classes at Macy’s in Union Square in San Francisco tomorrow! The details are below! (I would normally include this in Friday’s Carousel but I just found out, & don’t want you to miss it!)
A Personal Appearance of Professional Make Up Artist Lauren Warner
Tutorial Master Class
Sept. 30. 2010
12:00 & 6:00
Macy’s Union Square, San Francisco
Reserve your space now!
415-296-4187
Tutorial will cover:
Skin: Prepping, foundations, concealers, bronzers, blushes and highlights.
Eyes: Clean look, day to day business casual, and smoky, sultry, night time eyes.
Lips: Full natural and nude lips, colorful and luscious for day, defined and sensuous for drama.
Special effects: Tricks and tips for special events and dynamic party looks.
I would be there in a heartbeat if it wasn’t on the other side of the country! Lauren has been in the business for a long time & she knows what she’s doing! Go meet her & learn some AMAZING tricks from one of the best make-up artists I’ve ever met!
Oh, & by the way… it’s free! Just make sure to reserve your space!
Have fun, & take your friends!
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how toOh, Make Me Over...
[ 28 September 2010, 11:41 ]
I love make-up! I think it is an important part of your appearance, & I see it as an integral part of your overall look. I also believe that dressing up is polite — ‘cause other people have to look at you, after all — & so, putting on a dash of make-up improves everyone’s life! (NOTE: Um, when I wrote this, it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek & silly! Sorry to anyone who was offended…)
“Dressing well is kind of good manners, if you ask me. When you’re standing in a room, your effect is the same as a chair’s effect, or a sculpture’s. You’re part of someone’s view, you’re part of that world, & so you should dress well. I find it’s a show of respect to try to put on your best face & look as good as you can.” — Tom Ford
Having said that, this past week across the blogosphere was No Make-Up Week! I wasn’t able to participate because I had a bunch of meetings, appointments & events which required my face to be “done”, but I quite often go without make-up! I used to be really insane about never leaving the house without a full face of it, but as I get a little older (& hopefully a little wiser), I’m becoming more & more comfortable with my appearance.
One thing which has really helped me in getting more comfortable with how I look is eating sensibly (read: avoiding processed food as much as is humanly possible & upping my consumption of fresh fruit & vegetables), & maintaining my slightly ridiculous vitamin regimen. When I don’t have angry red bumps on my face, I have absolutely no qualms about strolling around au naturel, but when I do, I feel much less confident. Sad but true.
I do think it’s important to investigate our relationships to the many things we do seemingly without thinking. If you wear make-up religiously, why not scrap it for a week? If you’ve never tried it, why not ask a friend to make you up?
Have a look at No Make-Up Week for a massive variety of posts, pictures, & general goodness!
Now, back to the topic at hand! When we were in Los Angeles, Nubby & I talked about make-up constantly, & visited multiple MAC & Sephora outlets in our quest for lovelies. We both decided we’d write about our favourite new things on our websites. Here’s her piece: Beauty Products: 2010 Edition. Below is a little summary of what I’m using & loving!
I’ve also included links to the Sephora & Makeupalley reviews of the product where available. Click them, they’ll give you a really good idea as to whether the product might be right for you, & the reviews are full of great alternative ideas as to how they can be used! (P.S. Makeup Alley reviews are open to members only, but it’s free to join! I research everything there before I buy it!)
Lauren Warner used Skinflash on me in San Francisco & I was so spellbound by the effect that I decided to pick some up for myself. (It is all she used on my cheekbones in these photographs!) I’m using shade #2 — you might like to test it under your eyes to check it’s the right colour.
It is a MARVELLOUS product & I use it for a variety of purposes. I put it underneath my eyes to lighten dark circles when I’m feeling more sleepy than sassy, dab it from the corners of my nose to the corners of my mouth to soften laugh lines, smudge it along my cheekbones to give a radiant shimmer & around my lips to give them more shape & make them appear more plump.
I’ve heard Skinflash compared to YSL’s Touche Éclat, but I’ve never had much luck with the famous Touche Éclat! One size does not fit all when it comes to cosmetics, unfortunately. But I would definitely recommend giving Skinflash a shot. It’s lovely.
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I am totally loving this mascara. I used to be a MAC Cosmetics obsessive, & it was really the only company whose make-up I used, but as I learn more & branch out to new products, I realise how many more options there are!
DiorShow is another product Lauren Warner used on me (she uses Dior almost exclusively) & it really does give my lashes some major va-va-voom! It makes them plump & long without looking spidery, & gives lots of definition.
It’s difficult to wax poetic about mascara — this is why I’m not a beauty writer — but I like this one very much. I think it’s a tie with MAC Cosmetics’ Plush Lash, which is brilliant too.
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I was sent a couple of bottles of this by the owner of the company, who saw me talking about jojoba oil on Twitter. Skin & Bones is a combination of jojoba oil with essential oils of frankincense, myrrh, ylang ylang, grapefruit, jasmine, lemon, rosewood, sandalwood & cedarwood. It can be used in exactly the same way you’d use jojoba, which is that it works for everything! I’ve been using jojoba oil as my moisturiser for a LONG time now, & was keen to see how Skin & Bones worked.
Well, it’s gorgeous. It smells absolutely divine & is a wonderful new addition to my morning routine. Jojoba oil is such a great thing to use on your skin, since it is the closest thing to our own sebum. It soaks in to the skin quickly, & just deep enough to keep you moisturised & soft all day. When you add essential oils to the mix, its efficacy is enhanced. For example, frankincense is known for balancing oily skin, while rosewood assists in rebuilding tissue & encouraging skin elasticity.
All these ingredients combine to make for a fabulous elixir for the skin. Oh, & can we talk about how cute it looks on your shelf? Any black glass bottle with a skull on the label has me from hello!
I’m definitely going to continue using this. It feels much more luxurious than plain jojoba oil!
I love wearing pink or red around my eyes, it’s something I never really got over. When that “heroin chic” thing was in (1995?), I bought a cheapie eyeshadow palette which included red & wore it smeared around my eyes for, well, a long time. When you wear too much, yeah, you look like someone with a secret stash of tourniquets, but just a little bit looks fab. It makes the whites of your eyes look really clear, & it makes green or blue eyes pop like you wouldn’t believe!
Mauve Electro is a fantastic shade of deep pinky red which absolutely suits my purposes. The pencil has a lovely texture, goes on sparkly (though not obnoxiously so) & wears well. It’s a little darker than I was expecting, but I’ve been wearing it with pink sparkly liner over the top (see below) & it looks amazing!
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I’m totally loving this glitter liner. So many glitter liners make promises they can’t keep, & when you go to apply them, the sparkle is minimal & it looks more like you have dirt along your lash-line than a fabulous sweep of sparkle.
You can’t pretend to be a drag queen with that kind of rubbish!
I’d heard a lot about Urban Decay’s glitter liners, & I finally bit the bullet & gave them a shot. Well, I’m glad I did. Catfight is this fantastic hot pink, & I’ve been applying it over the Sephora glitter pencil I mentioned above for a rad, sparkly look. I did a little pink sparkly cat’s eye the other day, & it looked so great! It’s fun to substitute your usual black eyeliner out & try a bright colour, it really opens up your eyes & looks brilliant.
This gets my vote for best glitter eyeliner EVER. I want more colours!
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I selected Sparkly So Electric based on the teeny swatch provided on Sephora’s website but thankfully I chose well! I am on the constant hunt for good, sheer lip colour — I look silly in lipstick or anything too bright. Some of my favourite picks are Purple Lab‘s Big Lips Skinny Hips & Armour lipgloss. This Sephora brand ranks amongst them! I love it. While I adore the look of MAC Dazzleglass (& all their lip glosses), they are way too sticky for me. It makes me feel crazy when I think I’m going to stick to my boyfriend if I kiss him!
When we were on our way to Disneyland, Zoetica told us how great the Sephora glosses were. I think the phrase “holy grail” was used. This is a woman whose opinion about make-up I trust, & so I ordered one. I have NOT been disappointed — in fact, I’m elated at how lovely it is. It has a brush applicator (such good news, I hate having to apply lip product with my finger!), it goes on super-smooth & it stays put for a pretty long time (for lip gloss anyway). It’s also really sparkly but in an understated way — the kind of sparkle which plays up your pout, rather than making you look like the recipient of unfortunate lip injections.
I LOVE IT! It’s a new purse essential.
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I am a harsh deodorant critic. For some wonderful reason, deodorants in New Zealand & Australia are perfect. They do what they say they will. They all work & they don’t give you a rash, or make your armpits feel like they are covered in plastic wrap, or anything similarly crazy. Since I moved to America, I have had I-S-S-U-E-S finding a deodorant which fulfills my criteria. My criteria is not overly stringent, at least I don’t think so!
In my opinion, deodorant must…
a) work;
b) not leave gross white residue which congeals & that you end up showing everyone when you raise your arms;
c) not be so laden with horribles that you get a rash, or feel itchy, or burny;
d) not be so harsh that you feel like you can’t get rid of it, even in the shower, & it coats your hands with sticky residue. (GROSS!)
I have tried sooooooooo many. I am like a deodorant fiend/crazy person. Anyway, after much anguish, I have finally found two I like. The Fresh deodorant smells amazing (like brown sugar!) & works very well. One caveat though, I wouldn’t wear it if you’re planning on having a super-active day. I wore it to walk around the city one day & I ended up a bit pongy, which you don’t want. Which brings us to the other, Dove Cucumber & Aloe. It smells super-fresh & crisp, it doesn’t leave gross white stuff behind & it really does work. Even when you’re hoofing it all over the place.
Americans, give ‘em a shot. Antipodeans, continue with your standard issue deodorant, & be appreciative that the anti-pong Gods smile down upon you!
I very seldom buy a product more than once. Usually they don’t thrill me that much, & so I’ll go out & try something else as soon as a bottle is finished.
This is a product I bought again. I am SO skeptical about eye creams, even though I know that they are essential &, if applied religiously, can actually work miracles. (You should see my mother’s skin — she has been using Estee Lauder since day dot & she looks AMAZING.) I’ve just never found one which did anything for me, so would usually put a couple of dabs of jojoba oil under my eyes & call it a day.
Korres sent me this as a sample to try out, & I (politely!) thought, ‘Oh, whatever’, but decided to give it a shot. Their cited clinical studies sounded pretty impressive, & I was looking for an eye cream so the timing was good. (I will be 30 in three years time & I have started noticing teeny little creases under my eyes which absolutely WERE NOT there a couple of years ago!)
Let’s just keep it simple & say, this stuff works. It really, really does. The little creases under my eyes have faded & am almost invisible now, & the bags around my eyes look SO much better! I use it in the morning & at night, even though it is supposedly just for night-time, & it’s great. Love it. I bought a second bottle when my first ran out & I know I will buy another…
I really like this powder. I recently ran out of MAC Mineralise Powder, which is what I usually use to set my make-up, & so I did a little research to see what else was available.
On my “days off” — meaning days where I don’t really have to see anyone specific, but am out & about running errands — this is what I wear. I apply a light dusting of this all over my face, & I use a couple of dabs of Skinflash underneath my eyes, to brighten them up. I apply a light coat of mascara & I’m ready to go. It’s my new Sunday routine, & I’m into it.
While I think I prefer MAC Mineralise Powder for its coverage & staying power, this is certainly an excellent back-up (& the fact that it comes with a sponge inside makes it perfect for throwing in your handbag).
Sephora reviews / Makeup Alley reviews
I hope these reviews will inspire you to inject a little more glamour into your everyday life!
P.S. Reader Emily just introduced me to The Skin Deep, a database which rates cosmetics as to the safety of their ingredients. Ooh la la! Have a look!
Title image by Lady Pandacat. Check out her eye makeup set on Flickr, it is awe-inspiring!
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consumptionQua Baths & Spa
[ 18 June 2010, 16:57 ]
One of the most exciting things I did in Las Vegas was pay a visit to Qua Baths & Spa inside Caesars Palace. Jess & I spent a few hours there on our last day in Vegas, & it was the perfect wind-down to a wonderful holiday.
(In the interests of full disclosure, my visit & treatments were provided to me gratis. Thanks, Michelle! However, my thoughts & opinions are mine alone.)
I consider myself a bit of an expert on the spa experience. I have indulged myself in Wellington & Auckland, Sydney & Melbourne, New York & Las Vegas, & I know a thing or two. Yes, I judge a spa by the softness of its robes & the products in its locker room. I am well-versed in massage. I know a good facial from a hack job. So it is from this basis of knowledge that I can tell you, with some authority, that Qua is an excellent spa. I really enjoyed my time there.
I was thrilled to discover that Qua’s focus is on relaxation, not on flashy opulence. This is Las Vegas, after all — if they had a gold-plated spa bath & masseuses wearing togas, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Thankfully, when you’re inside, you could be in any city in the world. It’s a wonderful escape from the slightly ridiculous pace of the Strip, & the constant over-stimulation of miles & miles of chromatic, hallucinatory carpet.
As you walk down the hallway, the unabating “KA-CHING!” of slot machines fades into the background & gives away to the sound of a waterfall. But it’s not some cheesy spa soundtrack — the hallway actually features multiple waterfalls. Water trickles down the walls & rain falls softly onto statues. It’s fabulous.
So, what’s on offer? They’ll scrub you down with coconut crème, indulge you in a Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage, wrap your body in essential oils. They do Shiatsu & have Thai floral foot baths. You can have your chakras balanced or get your dreams interpreted. They’ll spoil you with a chai tea mud wrap & rinse you down with a customised Vichy shower experience. You can float in a lotus flower bath or bliss out in a session of reflexology. There is even a Tea Sommelier, who will match a tea to your treatment. Basically, they have everything you can think of, & more.
Listen to this.
The Qua Mystic Journey: To begin, you will enjoy a pearlescent body gommage with pure virgin coconut oil, lotus flower and imported Bora Bora sand. Warm towels remove your gommage leaving a silky glow to your skin. A fine, warm French mud is applied softly, then you are layered with warm towels and wrapped in a blanket to maximize your experience. An essential oil facial to relive fatigue coupled with a mini scalp treatment combining deep sea blue algae and essential oils, will help send you into your own relaxing sensory stimulating journey.
Just reading about it is relaxing.
So what did I get into? I had their Signature Hourglass Treatment. It’s really the best of everything. You choose a few treatments which appeal to you, & they employ a bit of multi-tasking magic so that you can experience them all within an hour. I chose Raindrop Therapy, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage & a mini-facial.
I can hardly even tell you about it. The treatments blended together in beautiful synchronicity & when the time was up, I could barely speak.
A fun thing about Qua is that in addition to your treatment, you’re also able to explore the facilities for the rest of the day. Jess & I made great use of this, going from pool to pool, hopping in & out of herbal steam rooms & drinking lots of water.
In the picture above, you can see a couple of the baths. This room is fantastically appointed. There’s a cold dipping pool (Frigidarium), a perfectly warm spa (Tepidarium) & a bubbling hot pool (the Caldarium). All the pools are enriched with minerals to restore essential elements to your skin. The shower you see in the middle is the temperature of an ideal shower, & the loungers are made of stone, & heated from the inside. They’re amazing to lie on & warm your muscles — especially if you’ve been doing a lot of walking, as we had!
Okay, okay, I’m not done. I saved the best until last. What you see in the picture above is the Arctic Ice Room. Yes! You heard me.
The Arctic Ice Room was one of my favourite facilities. It’s utterly unique. The room is kept at a cool 55°F (12°C) & is decorated in deep blues & luminous white. It’s the perfect place to go after a long session in the sauna or spa. This idea is fantastic on its own, but the best thing? FLAKES OF SNOW MADE OF BODY LOTION FLUTTER FROM THE CEILING. When I first heard that, I could hardly wrap my brain around it — but as you can see from the photo, it is true & IT IS AMAZING!
Hello, whoever designed this is a genius.
I don’t know that I need to say any more than that. Qua Baths & Spa are fantastic, we had an incredible time & I recommend it really, really highly. The whole place is immaculate, the staff are charming & knowledgeable, & the treatments are radical & unique. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: beautySugarpill Cosmetics Winners!
[ 18 May 2010, 15:39 ]
Oh my god, you guys! The results of the Sugarpill Cosmetics contest blew us away! With close to 1500 entries, Amy & I totally had our work cut out for us picking winners. After a lot of back & forth (you cannot imagine!), we settled on the following few.
She also decided to add six additional winners who would each receive 1 eyeshadow for their amazing effort. She is such a lover!
GRAND PRIZE
10 eyeshadows!
RUNNER-UP
3 eyeshadows!
RUNNER-UP
3 eyeshadows!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
SUPER-MERIT
1 eyeshadow!
If you see one of your sets above, congratulations! Please check your Polyvore messages! You should see one from me asking for your contact information, which we’ll need to send you your prize!
Thanks SO MUCH to everyone for putting in all your hard work. I wish we could have given Sugarpill Cosmetics to all of you, you made it really difficult for us to choose! You are such a cute & talented bunch, thanks for being so rad! Much love!
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