I am thrilled to announce the opening of the first offical Bobbi Brown store in Madrid. This New York City brand highlights the importance of enhancing your natural beauty, and just so happens to be one of my favorite brands of makeup.
You can buy all sorts of makeup, brushes, skincare and fragrance at the store. It´s located in Barrio Salamanca on Calle Lagasca, 32.
Posted in Beauty, Body, Fashion, Hair, Makeup, Nails, Scent, Skincare, Stores
Tagged Bobbi Brown, Bobbi Brown tienda madrid
During my recent trip to Miami, my gay BF went to get our nails done. I wanted to do something a little different-something fun, bright, and sassy! (After all this is MIAMI!) So I decided on a french mani but instead of the traditional colors, I went with sparkly orange OPI tips and an Essie tangerine color for the nails. It was definitely fun and my manicurist did a great job! The salon is called Lace and I immediately liked it upon walking in, as the color scheme was white and pink. The manicurists and the lady at the reception desk (possible owner??) were very helpful and nice and the whole salon just had a nice ambiance to it. They also sell clothes and jewelry and some beauty products-I got an OPI bright orangey-red color for just 5 dollars on sale! And icing on the cake…I was offered my favorite drink upon sitting down for my mani-PINK LEMONADE!
Note that I snapped these pics a good 4 days after my mani…and low and behold, not a single chip or scratch! Even after an international flying experience!
Another fabulous thing about the Lace Salon is it´s retro, bold, funky pink look. See below:
You see where I got the bright nail inspiration?! This is just SO Miami and I love it.
If you are in the Miami area and you would like a great mani or pedi, I highly recommend stopping into LACE Nail and Beauty Lab.
One thing I distinctly recall from my childhood, (and I think most Americans would agree) are Crayola Crayons. Now, adults can continue to enjoy the array of colors Crayola offers…through nail polish! That´s right: Crayola now has a line of nail polish colors! The old school, typical crayon box comes with 8 colors for just 12 dollars. Available from Fred Flare.
Cerulean, anyone?
New York City. The land of the free, the melting pot of the world, the most amazing city on earth. The gritty gray metropolis filled with millions of people and fabulous fashion. Sometimes I miss it so much it hurts.
I was lucky enough have a 48 hour weekend in NYC this March, thanks to my GBF (gay boyfriend). Of course most of it was spent shopping, people watching, eating, and partying…in my opinion the best things to do in NYC.
I love going there because everyone is so on top of style, trends, it doesn´t matter that Europe technically seems to be ahead, New York City is a different animal, and even the least fashionable are fashionable.
One of my very best friends, MP, always keeps me in the loop with the hottest nail colors in NYC each season. Last spring, she brought an amazing gray color from Essie, and this spring, its a fantastic, pastel, pistachio green color that I immediately fell in love with.
Please welcome this springs hottest new addition for nails: Essie´s Navigate Her.
Buy it, or buy something similar…in any case, get this color on your nails asap. I guarantee you´ll love it as much as I do.
Stay tuned for more posts on my NYC trip-fashion and shopping updates!
Recently I have been seeing a lot of the new ´cracked´nail polish look. I decided to head right to the source to get the down low: OPI.
What I found at OPI LITERALLY shook me to the core. THEY HAVE A NICKI MINAJ NAILS LINE!!!!! (I have an unhealthy obsession with girl rappers, esp Minaj) And even better, this line includes the new shatter style polish!
My personal fave…SUPER BASS SHATTER!!!!
As you can see the polish gives a ´cracked´look which is fun and original. You can purchase this type of polish not only through OPI but also at Sephora, Kiko, and probably any local drugstore if you are in the USA, it´s becoming more mainstream now.
The idea is you paint your nails one color first. For example, pink. Then you let the polish dry and apply the ´cracked´polish on top. When this polish dries, it leaves unpredictable ´cracks´ and results, for a new and fashionable look each time you apply.
I also like this black one, created for Sephora by OPI.
One trend from 2011 that I am sure will continue on this year is nail polish. Having always been a fan of painting my nails, I was thrilled this past year when it really caught on to the general public and everyone began painting their nails. Even though the world is amist an economic crisis, according to Womens Wear Daily, nail polish sales were up 59% in 2011.
A great alternative to the trendsetter, expensive colors like Chanel and Dior are Wet n Wild if you are the USA and Kiko if you are in Europe. They have fantastic colors and are super cheap! My tops picks for starting off 2012…
Wet n Wild Teal of Fortune
Frozen Ultra Shine Nail Polish in Green
For those of you that know me or that follow my blog, it´s quite clear I have a rather unhealthy obsession with nail polish. This winter, I am obsessed with a couple particular colors, which I will list below.
Tom Ford´s Bitter Bitch
Number one, the name can´t be topped, and the deep red color is sexy and perfect for the holidays.
Chanel´s Periodot
Thanks to Megan for calling my attention to this amazing color. It´s ombre effect make for a tantilizing range of gold, green, blue and gray, depending on the light.
Finally, Nars Zulu. It´s back this year with Nars ´Vintage´Collection and I absolutely LOVE dark green nail polish. Kiko also makes a very good green imitation if Nars is not in your budget!
We all know by now I have a serious obsession for nail polish. When I spotted this tangerine color on a fashionable friend this weekend I practically died, it´s absolutely perfect for the summer! And it´s cheap too! Availabel at Forever 21 for under 3 USD. LOVE IT!
A new Sephora has recently opened it´s doors on Calle Gran Via 32 in Madrid. On Nov. 16 the store held it´s innauguration complete with celebs, a red carpet, stylists and beauticians explaining beauty tips and giving makeovers. Sounds like my kinda party! The store is enormous and is home to not only designer labels like Dior, but also brands that are often difficult to locate in Spain, like Urban Decay, Benefit, Make Up For Ever, and of course Sephora´s inhouse brand called…Sephora! Get shopping!
Posted in Beauty, Body, Hair, Makeup, Nails, Scent, Skincare, Spa
Tagged Benefit, Dior, Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Urban Decay
I should probably document the moment I fell in love with Kiko. It was a Monday night last winter. I was cold, alone, sad, and in need of a pick me up. Vodka, one might ask? No, nail polish was the only answer. As I wandered down the crowded streets of Fuencarral, suddenly, rays of light pointed me towards my own personal heaven: the Kiko Makeup store.
I skipped into the store, knowing that its black, Mac-esque packaging and sheek polished look would call for expensive prices. I asked a shopkeeper how much a bottle of nail polish cost, dubiously, knowing I shouldn´t drop 12 euros on yet another new nail polish color. She told me ´1.90 euros´. You don´t say! (No me digas, is actually what I said). But it was true. A plethora of delicious fruity flowery colors of nail polish, all at the palm of my hand for under 2 euros a bottle!
I wasn´t sure how much time had passed in the store. Minutes, maybe, hours, possibly, even days, who knows. All I knew was this place, this place, was the greatest place on earth.
Now flashback to modern day…where my roommate and I have quite a combined collection of Kiko nail polish (bitchfights ensured when we have to move out next year and divy up…I call dibs on the blue´s)
See below for the amazing color variety!
First, some summer colors
Now, some fall and winter picks
The best part about it is that although the nail polish is available at a really great price, the quality is also fantastic. I honestly don´t see a different between Kiko and Essie or OPI. I have tried many nail polishes in my time and I find that many cheaper brands get gunky or separate shortly after opening but that isn´t the case with Kiko. And the color selection is phenomenal, they´ve got everything!
A word about their other products…I happen to really like the eyeshadow, bronzer and lipstick I have purchased there as well. I know my besties are crazy about the black liquid eyeliner as well. Kiko also has a great selection of eyeshadows, and everything in the store is reasonably priced. They have good quality brushes, which will run you slightly more expensive but in comparison to other brands, still extremely reasonable. They even do makeovers and makeup lesssons for 10 euros.
Pictured below: Lipstick, lip pencil, eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner and an eyeliner brush
GET TO KIKO IMMEDIATELY, everyone! Locations: Isla Azul shopping mall, La Gavia shopping mall, Calle Fuencarral
There are also locations throughout Europe, since the chain is based in Milan, Italy. Sorry Americanos, still not in the USA! Check out their website for more details.
http://www.kikocosmetics.com/
