Beauty of a Site Blog

Essie's Resort Collection for Summer 2010 is beautiful, airy and as fresh as a coastal vacation.  Take a whiff of fresh ocean air when wearing these four new colors to relax and enjoy your vacation filled summer.  Calm and sophisticated, the Essie Resort nail polish hues are extremely unique, and the perfect shades for your summer. We have to admit, once we received these colors in our salon, we were surprised to see that they were a little more lively and vibrant than the promo pictures.  It is the perfect mixture of a fun vacation and a calm getaway: the perfectly colored middle! Here are our swatches! Playa Del Platinum is a gorgeous neutral, with warm browns- the color of shells and pristine beaches.  Perfect for business meetings as well as warm afternoons in the sun, this pink toned brown neutral is feminine and simple. Turquoise & Caicos is a cooler, calmer hue reminiscent of the popular jades, turquoises and greens of the season.  Fresh and relaxing, this turquoise is perfect to express creativity, excitement and a subtle playfulness. Lapis of Luxury explores the deep blues of the sea.  Musty but gentle, this periwinkle based blue is airy and breezy, beautiful against all skin tones and refreshingly distinct from the other colors of the season. Splash of Grenadine is a neat twist on Essie's staple pink featured in almost all of her collections.  The perfect-for-your-toes magenta is more calm than the average bright pink, but is fun, cool and spunky.  For the woman of all ages! Let us know what you think about these beautiful shades!  CLICK HERE to start shopping for them!

It's only fitting that since we started last week blogging about polish that we could start this one with the same thing.  Along with the OPI Softshades, we've received Essie's newest collection, The Art of Spring.  Featuring very complex and interesting pastels from a palette that praises the world of art and design, we were pleasantly surprised with Essie's interpretation of the "it" colors for Spring 2010. As we have come to expect from her, Essie gives us a brand new soft pink and classic red to celebrate the season in Pop Art Pink and Red Nouveau, respectively.  However, the subtle gray undertone gives the colors an unexpected complexity and a very trendy look.  Lilacism, in particular, redefines a classic lavender to become a shadow dusted lilac; a truly beautiful neutral infused with interesting color.  Van D'Go offers another light pink for Spring, but shares the orange-y warm undertones of Tart Deco, while remaining muted and complex.  Neo Whimsical features the perfect medium pastel pink we always expect from Essie; cool undertones behind a muted and pastel pink that match any outfit, any occasion and any season.  These great colors allow us to enjoy the sophistication of pastels without the easter basket shades we can trip across during this season. Click here to buy Essie's Art of Spring colors!

So... it's here.  We were excited, but we didn't expect to love it so dang much.  What are we all pining over at Beauty of a Site, you ask?  Why's it's Essie's new "it" color:  Essie Mint Candy Apple. We all were excited about Essie's limited edition North Fork Collection from earlier in the  year, which featured three blue-ish greenish colors, and when we saw the promotional pictures for Essie's Mint Candy Apple from her new Sweet Time of the Year Winter Collection, we were expecting something extremely similar, but this was better! Less bold or blue than Essie Greenport and decidedly more "minty," one of our fellow bloggers straight up called this the color of an after-dinner mint.  And we're pretty sure she's right. Expect a color slightly  more green than the promotional pictures, a true mint green with a tinge of blue, with enough creamy, milkiness to the formula to make it perfectly wintery.  We found that in about two coats, you can get the even and incredibly unique minty green color you're expecting.  And alongside Rock Candy & Lollipop, it's the cutest little holiday collection of nail polishes you've ever seen. And, PS, this color is FLYING off the shelves.  If you love it, you're certainly not alone.  And if you don't love it... you should. Click here to purchase Essie Mint Candy Apple today!

Essie sent over some awesome manicure step-by-step instructions yesterday, and we thought we'd share the wealth! Essie's Matte About You Matte Nail Finisher has made matte polish so easy, and now it makes nail art even easier! Here's how to get these great looks!

* For these layered looks, wait about 2 minutes between applying each layer! *

1.  Glossy Nail with Matte Tip:  Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with glossy top coat like Essie Good to Go!.  Carefully apply Matte About You to nail tips from side to side in a semicircular shape.  (Or use nail guides to get the perfect tip!) 2.  Matte Nail with Glossy Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of Matte About You.  Carefully apply Good to Go! to nail tips as described above. 3.  Glossy Nail with Matte Moon & Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of a glossy top coat like Essie Good to Go!  Using the edge of a nail polish brush, apply Matte about You to the bottom third of the nail in a crescent shape.  Carefully apply Matte About You to nail tips. 4.  Matte Nail with Glossy Moon & Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of Matte About You.  Using the edge of a nail polish brush, apply Good to Go! to the bottom third of the nail in a crescent shape.  Carefully apply Good to Go! to nail tips. Have fun!  Let us know how your nails turn out!

See pictures and hear our reviews about Essie's newest nail polish collection for 2009! We're really interested how you all like these, because there are some really great colors in here!

In today's industry, a flat, matte, no-luster polish is totally taking over nail polish fashion, and it seems like everyone is talking about.  And when we say matte, we mean MATTE. Three of our favorite brands are offering matte nail polish solutions, which we're totally excited about: OPI is releasing six of their classic OPI colors in a chic matte finish.  The OPI Matte Collection includes matte versions of Alpine Snow, Gargantuan Green Grape, You Don't Know Jacques!, La Paz-itively Hot, Lincoln Park After Dark & Russian Navy.  These colors will start selling everywhere in July, but we're starting pre-orders next week! Click here to purchase & for product availability updates. [caption id="attachment_356" align="alignright" width="170" caption="Zoya MatteVelvet Collection"][/caption] Zoya's matte polishes are from the Zoya MatteVelvet Collection, set to release in July.  This three polish collection offers interesting matte shimmer choices, claiming to be as matte as ever, with a subtle shimmer for an extra ounce of wearability.  These are also going to be available for ordering.  Click here to order & check product availability! (by the way, from the swatches I've seen, these are TOTALLY my favorite) [caption id="attachment_354" align="alignleft" width="154" caption="Essie Matte About You Matte Finisher"][/caption] Essie approached the matte polish trend from a totally different angle.  Instead of releasing a matte collection for the fall, in August, they are releasing the Essie Matte About You Matte Finisher.  This matte topcoat is designed to make ANY Essie polish totally matte.  We're excited about this product, because it allows you to make any of your favorite colors matte, without having to buy all new!  What a good idea!  We'll be selling this in August, at this link.

Check out four brand new neons from Essie for Summer 2009! Back by popular demand this year's neons are bolder, brighter and more beautiful than ever!

Try Essie's newest collection, featuring three incredible blues!

Although my favorite way to utilize coconuts involves Margarita mix and those cute little umbrellas, I have found an even better way to celebrate and treat myself to an extra special skincare treat. Essie’s new Naturally Clean Collection Purifying Hand Wash is infused with the ultra rich and uber healthy coconut oil. Did you know?

• Coconut oil is not only an anti-bacterial, its can be used as an anti-fungal and an anti-viral solution for problem areas on your skin. This is due to is unique properties that mimic the processes used by breast milk to protect babies from infection.
• Coconut oil stimulates your metabolism and aids in weight loss. Next time you’re at the grocery store pick up some macaroons, cream soups and crackers – they all contain a good amount of lauric acid (the good stuff found in coconut oil). If you’re feeling exceptionally frisky, try some coconut milk – it’s akin to the nuttier flavored soy milks but not sold in most supermarkets.
• Researchers are studying the beneficial effects of coconut oil in treating diseases such as HIV/AIDS, herpes, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, influenza and certain types of cancer.
• Coconut oil based products are effortlessly perfect for any skin. They serve as a great moisturizer as well as aid in the treatment of psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema. Finally, products containing coconut oil assist in your fight against aging, wrinkles, and sagging – the things we dread the most! Ah!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Essie Naturally Clean Purifying Hand Wash"][/caption] Now that we know a little more about the advantages of coconut oil, it’s time to spring into action! Transitioning from winter to summer can dry skin out and cause unwanted, flaky irritations. We suggest trying Essie’s Naturally Clean Purifying Hand Wash – it’s new, it’s natural and it smells remarkable! Got any other splendid natural products made with coconut oil? Leave a comment and let us know what works for you!