Archive for January, 2009

I’m not gonna lie to you, kids. I’ve got a serious case of the WIN going on here with my nails. No, seriously, they’re all silver and shiny. Like REALLY shiny. Like, to the point where I can see my reflection in them.

And I have Soo-Jin at the CosmoSpaLounge to thank for it, as she spent nearly an hour and a half meticulously applying the Minx to my fingers, thus making them look completely fabulous. It was pricy, I paid $57 for the application, and that’s counting the 15% discount I received because it was my first time in the shop, but given the number of compliments I’ve received since this afternoon I’d say it is well worth the price.




So let me break down this lengthy process:

First I selected my color – silver lightning. That was the easy part, as that’s the color I saw on Mariah’s nails on the cover of Redbook, so you know I had to have it.

Then Soo-Jin had me do a little prep work – a thorough hand washing and lotion application – before we got started. She also had me put on a pair of fingerless gloves (think Madonna circa 1984) to prevent my skin from drying out, as there is heat involved in the process.

Next, she had me put my hands in front of a heat lamp to warm the nails, as this ensures a smooth application. The heat lamp did get a little hot – on par with a tanning bed I would say- but the gloves made it a lot more comfortable. Once I was all warmed up, it was time to apply the Minx, which come on a little sheet, like stickers. During this step, I had to keep my hands in front of the lamp so the Minx would stay soft enough for Soo-Jin to smooth out a few creases that had formed because my artificial nails are a little too curved. She also took a few extra steps to ensure the Minx would last as long as possible, which is likely going to be about the same as a regular manicure, around 2 weeks or so.

Though my Minx look awesome, I would suggest getting them on your natural nails, as I do have few creases due to my acrylics being a little too thick. I’ll probably try that next time, and I most definitely foresee a Minx pedicure in my near future!

In the meantime, I will enjoy the fact that I totally have nails like Mariah Carey (cue heavenly bells please…thank you), which in my world is like mega epic WIN!

So ladies, if you have the means, I highly suggest you get yourself some Minx pronto. Check out the website, www.minxnails.com for a list of salons in your area. And if you’re in San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend going to the CosmoSpaLounge in Oakland, as this is where I will be getting my Minx from now on.

Ok, I’m gonna go stare at my beautiful nails now…

UPDATE: It’s 11:53am and I have been staring at my nails since 10:00am. They look like little lightning bolts darting around my keyboard as I type. Why oh why do I have to be so amused by shiny things?

UPDATE 2: It’s 2:23pm, and I’m still distracted by my nails. And the whole office has noticed that my hands suddenly look all “futuristic.” Schhhhhhweeeeet….

I know this has nothing to do with make-up but…

My co-worker, The Illustrious Ryan, sent this to me yesterday and I laughed so hard it nearly killed me. So i’m gonna need you all to use the restroom, then sit down and ask yourselves…Where’s the Chapstick?

I was trolling the interwebs for celebrity gossip today and found this – the artwork for Kelly Clarkson’s new single “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Can I just say, I effin’ LOVE her make-up? I can? Ok good, cuz I effin’ LOVE her make-up!



I mean, I know it’s been photo shopped to high hell and it kinda looks like the Valentines Day card I gave to my first crush Ronnie in the 3rd grade blah, blah, blah…but still! The smoky eyes, the deep red lips, the creamy skin – I’m verklempt over here!

Naturally, I must know how to re-create this look. SO I’m going to rely on my journalism training to help me track down this info so I can pass it on to you oh faithful readers! It’s research time suckas!

Hey kids-

A few of you wanted to know about the lipstick I was wearing in my NYE post, so I decided to give this whole video tutorial thing a whirl and show you how to do it!

Enjoy!

I finally did it – I made an appointment to get Minxed! So next Saturday at 4pm, I will be heading to the Cosmo Spa Lounge in lovely Oakland, Ca for my very own set of shiny, fabulous disco ball lookin’ nails!

I was a little reluctant to make the appointment when I heard the price – $65 for a set – but I figure it’s worth it considering I’m gonna be the first person I know to sport the trend. I’m also excited that I can get them put on top of my acrylic nails, since I would never wanna spend that much on my raggedy old natural nails. What sucks is the salon doesn’t do acrylics, so I’m gonna have to get my nails filled at my usual place (shout out to PK Nails!) in the morning before my Minx appointment.

My latest beauty quest is obviously not going to be cheap OR convenient, but they say pain is beauty, and lord knows I’ve made the sacrifice before. Let’s not forget the blue hair streaking debacle of 1998, that left blue hair dye on my moms bathroom floor, and a very pissed off teenager grounded in her room. And don’t even get me started on the time I tried to wax my own legs. You know that stuff is hot? Cuz I sure found out!

So check back next Saturday for pics of my fancy new nails and a full report of what the lengthy – hour and a half long- application process is like!

Now go have a good weekend suckas!