The Nail File

There’s something about spring that makes me happy – the sun is shining, the weather is warm, daylight savings has started (sorry, Queensland) and everyone is getting about in bright, bold colours.

To celebrate summer only being 13 days away (counting? moi?) I have been rocking a rainbow manicure. Yellow, orange, coral, pink, purple…four of them are creme and one is slightly shimmery (the orange), but it doesn’t look out of place.

From left to right:

Models Prefer – Love To Shop – $5.99 – Priceline

Essie – Bachelorette Bash – $18.95 – Myer (Note: I bought this in the states for $8 and it’s part of the Essie line at Walmart so I have no idea if it’s available here or not)

Maybelline Mini Colorama – Urban Coral – $5.95 – Priceline

Maybelline Mini Colorama – Urban Orange - $5.95 – Priceline

Maybelline Mini Colorama  - Urban Lemon - $5.95 – Priceline

Cute, no? Nail art without the nail art.

The Models Prefer and Maybelline polishes were offered to The Nail File for editorial consideration in accordance with our disclosure policy

As promised, here is the rest of the Essie Spring 2011 French Affair Collection, which is on shelves now.

It’s a really beautiful departure from the crazy glitter, metallic, duochrome , bright, bright, bright we have been inundated with. These are delicious creams that you could sink your teeth into, like little bits of fudgey goodness.

The collection namesake, French Affair, is a chalky pastel pink that errs on the side of lilac. Very pretty and utterly delicious.

Taken in daylight

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The Essie Spring 2011 French Affair Collection is lovely. Six retro pastels that are all opaque, Essie Weingarten designed them to be an unapologetic homage to 1960′s French Glamour. Tres chic.

Taken in natural light

Now I know it’s impolite to play favourites, but from the moment Eva Chen of Teen Vogue tweeted a sneak peak of this collection almost 12 months ago, I was in love with Coat Azure. While the other 5 colours in the collection are quite neutral, with pink, cream, beige, tan etc etc, this is a stunning French Riviera blue. I’ll post the rest of the collection next week, but this deserved its own post.
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Essie. Essie Essie Essie. Why do you torture your antipodean fans with tantalising images of your new collections, when we won’t get them for another 6 months? It’s torture!

The newest collection from Essie, Carry On, is out now for (American) Fall 2011. The inspiration is handbags, and all the glorious hues of those beautiful accessories we cart around every day.

Do you have a favourite? I’m looking forward to Very Structured and Glamour Purse. They will be $18.95 each and available at Myer.

Images courtesy of Essie

Everyone needs at least one classic red nail polish in their collection (along with a nude and a pink, but that’s for another post). I have picked out five of my favourite classic reds, and they all have one thing in common. They are all a true red. Not too blue, not too pink, not too orange. Nothing says sophisticated like a neat red nail.

1. Essie – Red Nouveau

This beauty first hit shelves as part of the Essie Spring 2010 collection and it has been a staple in my wardrobe ever since. One coat gives a delicate look, while two is bold and fierce (pictured with one coat). Excellent formula, it glides on easily and dries quickly. It’s $18.95 for 15ml, and available at Myer. Hook it up.

2. N.Y.C. Color – Chilli

For a cheapy polish, this packs an impressive amount of punch. It’s a rich red with lots of pigment, and can easily compete with the more expensive brands. Honestly, for just $2.50 you couldn’t get a coffee this rich and robust. Hit up your local chemist.

3. Nubar – Sensual Red

Sensual is right – this is a classic red that paints on beautifully and will always make you feel sexy, no matter what else you’re wearing. Nubar’s formula is resiliant and long-wearing, so pop it on your toes for a pedicure that will last for weeks. Nubar is $13.20 for 15ml – call 1300 437 436 for a spa near you.

4. Zoya – Kristi

This is a deep, true red. Very polished (zing) and classy, with one coat being enough for full coverage (pictured with two coats). The brush is short and firm, which gives excellent control when you’re painting – no messy cuticles here! Zoya is $17 for 15ml – check the Zoya website for stockists.

5. Divina Luma Nails – Scarlet

I love this polish because it has a light in the cap, so you can paint your nails in dark. Another bright red that belongs on your shelf – this polish is a beautiful formula that glides on smoothly, but requires two coats for the maximum effect.

Do you have a true red in your collection that belongs in this list? I want to hear about it!

Don’t kid yourself – I know you only tuned in for the same reason I did. What was she wearing? (divine McQueen) What was her makeup like? (she did it herself) And of course…what was on her nails? I’ve got you covered.

Kate, or Catherine as we should probably start calling her, had her pre wedding mani from celebrity manicurist Marina Sandoval from the Jo Hansford salon in Mayfair. After the luxury soak, hand exfoliation, deep tissue massage, file and buff was out of the way (phew!), Marina custom mixed a colour that matched Kate’s skin tone. The mix of Bourjois no 28 Rose Lounge and Essie 423 Allure produced the perfect off-white, bridal manicure. Frankly, if you’re hands are going to be seen by billions of people around the world, you want your mani to be perfect, no?

PS – Good work squeezing that wedding band on Wills! That wasn’t awkward at all.

The details:

Bourjois no 28 Rose Lounge
Price: $12
From: Priceline, Myer, Target

Essie 423 Allure
Price:$18.95
From: Myer

A Princess manicure on a Priceline budget!!

The problem with being in the antipodes is that our seasons are flipped and we get seasonal collections six months after they are released elsewhere. I was drooling over this Essie collection when swatches first hit the web almost nine months ago but to be honest they had slipped my mind by the time they landed on my desk. But man they are gorgeous!

These are real autumnal colours – warm tones that are perfect for the current military trend, changing leaves, crisp mornings and general mood-lifting when the weather is grey.

Taken in natural light

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I love a good trend, and I know you do too (you probably wouldn’t be here if you didn’t). When three chocolate brown polishes all landed on the nail desk within a few days of each other I thought two things: 1 – chocolate brown will be huge this autumn/winter and 2 – I need some Cadbury’s, please.

Taken in natural light

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I mentioned back at the beginning of summer that one of my biggest trend predictions was mermaid coloured nails. If you’re not keen on glitter then Illamasqua has two amazing shades that fit the bill but are still mature and sophisticated. I wore both shades for a week and got compliments left, right and centre.

Taken in natural light

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Hold on to your cowboy hats, berets and nautical caps, there are some fabulous collections from some of the big houses coming to shelves near you in the near future…

• OPI’s Texas Lone Star Collection is 12 bold shades, with a couple of neutrals for good measure. My heart is beating a little faster for San Tan-tonio and Do You Think I’m Tex-y. They will be available on February 1st.
• Speaking of Feb 1st, that’s also the day the Justin Beiber for Nicole by OPI set of 6 hits the shelves. Get ready to rock it.
• The first look at Essie’s spring 2011 collection (our autumn) means we’re off to the French Riviera, with six beautiful pastel shades. I am really excited about this range! This is still a couple of months away, but I am predicting the blue Cote d’Azure will be one of the biggest colours of the year.
• Speaking of the Riviera, China Glaze has us out on the water with their Spring 2011 collection Anchors Away (again, our autumn). This amazing collection is half bold jewel tones and half amazing neutrals. I am drooling over Sea Spray, Pelican Bay and Below Deck like nobodies business.

Stay tuned for swatches coming soon…