Nail Polish With Staying Power

Several months ago I got a goody bag full of samples from Ulta (free with order of $25+ at Ulta.com). Among the samples was Essence Multi-Dimensional 3 in 1 nail polish in Object of Desire (a pinky coral). Since I am my own personal manicurist, and I always have my nails painted, I was happy to try a new product.

I usually use MAC nail laquer or Sally Hansen; with these brands my nails stay chip-free for about a week and at the end of a week and half my nails need to be redone. This is typical of most nail polishes, and of course the length of wear depends on how hard you are on your hands.

Essence Multi Dimensional 3 in 1 Nail Polish

So, you can imagine my surprise when my nails painted with Essence Multi-Dimensional 3 in 1 nail polish was still fully intact after over a week of wear and hardcore cleaning, even dog bathing. The other great thing about this nail polish is that when I was ready to take it off, I was able to remove it easily and it didn't stain my nails at all.

The bad news? I can't find this nail polish anywhere! Ulta carries Essence Colour and Go and Essence Nail Art Freestyle & Tip Painter. From what I did find, it appears this nail polish is available in several European countries and is between 2-3€ (about $3-4).

Keep checking the web, drug stores and beauty stores!

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Decorate Your Nails

Chic Prints from Sephora by OPI have hit the stores. Now you can get fun, creative and eye catching nails at home. Choose from 8 patterns for $15 each and get free shipping on orders of $50 + and three free samples with every order.

Each package of Chic Prints includes 16 sheets of nail art, just in case you mess up one nail or need to replace one. Application is simple: remove any old polish, swipe nails with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt or oil, trim sheet if needed, rub sheet to warm (they are heat activated), peel off and apply to nail, rub onto nail from the center out, smooth, use a file to remove any excess, press down again just to be sure and that's it! Removing the nail art is just as easy: rub the sheet to warm and peel off slowly starting at one side.

Tiger Chic Prints, $15 from Sephora

Patterns include black and white stripes with several sheets containing an anchor (anchor), black and gold geometric patters that are a bit dizzying (black and gold geometric), fuchsia and light blue checked (checkers), black and white lace (chrome lace), pink and white fishnet (fishnet), black and white skulls (skulls), blue and white stripes with yellow and red stars (stars), and traditional tiger (tiger).

My favorites are chrome lace, skulls and stars. Click here to see all the patterns close up; just click on the thumbnails on the bottom.

Order online at Sephora, or find a Sephora near you.

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Photo from Sephora

Matte Nails

Forget your super shiny top coat to finish off your manicure. Matte nails are in and Essie has what you need.

Besides coating your entire nail with the matte top coat, you can just do the tip in matte, or vice versa. If you have a steady hand, you can also do your half moon. Essie has a guide that shows you the looks; but, you can always be creative and do your own thing.

Fans of Essie's Matte About You ($10) say that it works best with dark nail colors, like black, maroon, dark purple, navy, brown and other similar colors. Don't be afraid to try it on light colors to add interest to your spring nails.

Unfortunately, nail polish and top coats do chip and Matte About You is no exception. After several days you may notice the matte-ness chipping off. No worries though, simply reapply Matte About You.

Most of us are too busy to sit still long enough to let our nail polish completely dry. Good thing that Matte About You works over fast drying top coats.

Essie is offering free shipping on orders of $75+ (freeship75), so be sure to check out their spring collection of 6 new colors, their new wedding collection, limited edition sets and all of their regular colors (nail polish $8, sets $14+). Plus, Essie has tools and accessories ($10+), treatments (like ridge filler and protein base coat, $8-10 ), solutions (like sun-e to protect from UVA and UVB, $15). Essie also has lotions and hand care items so your hands look perfect to show off your manicure.

Matte nails are an inexpensive trend, Essie is easy to buy online and is carried in most beauty stores. So, no excuses!

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Photos from Essie

Spice Up Your Manicure

Plain nails are well...plain. With Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen you can do a colorful French manicure or let your creativity take over and try stripes, dots, flowers, or anything else you can think of. The pen is the size of a Sharpie marker to allow for maximum control; the tip is fairly fine, but may be too large for intricate designs. The pen, $7.99, comes in white, black, red, light pink, pink, gold, blue and silver. The colors are saturated enough to color over dark polishes, such as gray, black, dark purple and maroon.

After you paint your nails, and let them dry completely (very important or the nail art pen does not go on well), start designing your one of a kind manicure. If you mess up, simply wipe your nail off immediately and the color will easily come off. When you are satisfied with your art work, let your nails dry completely and add your top coat. The top coat is important to keep the design from chipping off quickly.

Tip: Do this with a friend, because when it comes to painting your dominate hand with your non-dominate hand, things can get messy and your friend can do it for you.

People will definitely notice your unique nails and ask where you got them done. Watch their surprise when you say that you did it yourself.

To purchase Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen click here to find online retailers and local stores.

For wardrobe & image consulting visit TheStylista Website.

Picture from Sally Hansen