The Nail File

MAC Glitter and Ice…

- is MAC’s Christmas 2011 collection, with 34 pieces including Paint Pots, Mineralize Eye Shadows, Lipsticks, Dazzleglasses, Beauty Powders, Technakohl Eye Liners (LOVE the silver) and, of course,  Nail Lacquers. This is pretty big collection.

- is on counters already, and some pieces have sold out already (including some of the lacquers being sold out online!)

- is a little bit different from the usual MAC look because the packaging is WHITE instead of black. Very clean and minimalist. Tres chic.

- has three polishes; two cremes and a glitter. Get Noticed! is a gorgeous bold red creme that has a slight undertone of pink (that would be because it’s blue-based).

LOADS more pictures after the jump…

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If I have said it once, I have said it 100 times – OPI mini sets are the bees knees for trying out a bunch of colours without the commitment of a full bottle. Plus, they’re really cute.

I have to admit I wasn’t totally enamoured with the OPI Touring America collection – I love a grey as much as the next person, but it was all a bit drab for me. That said, the mini collection is a great sampler for this collection, with the four best colours highlighted and available for miniature consumption (although I Eat Mainely Lobster is a pretty fantastic colour that missed the boat – buy a full size of that one).
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Having recently attended the Sydney International Spa & Beauty Expo, I can tell you that gel nail polish is big news right now. OPI have Axxium already, but they are bringing out GelColor at the end of the year. Orly are bringing out GelFX. I saw loads of other smaller brands all with their own offerings as well, like Gelish. And then there is Shellac, who is one of the market leaders in this space.

Come September/October, Shellac are rolling out six new colours to add to their already extensive collection. While their current line is staple colours like pinks, reds and corals, these new colours are high fashion and a bit different. We have:

Zillionaire – a dazzling multi-coloured glitter effect, not unlike CND Teal Sparkle – I think this will look amazing over Hotski to Tchotchke
Studio White – semi-sheer soft White perfect for french manis
Moonlight & Roses – opalescent pearly Pink
Asphalt – a strong concrete Grey
Hotski to Tchotchke – a great name for this vibrant Teal (my favourite)
Purple Purple – a striking iridescent azure Violet

Keep an eye out at your local salon for these – definitely worth trying them all!

Shellac manis start at $30 and pedis $40, depending on where you go.

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

Dear Mecca Cosmetica,

I love you guys. Truly I do. You do fabulous nail polish collections (the new ones that just landed on my desk…amazing! I die), and I love visiting your stores because I always find something new and fun to buy. I love that you import all these fabulous brands from around the world that no one else has, like Diptyque, Bumble & Bumble, Chantecaille, Wei and Dayna Decker. And NARS…OMG don’t even start me on NARS. Fabulous eyeshadow, amazing lipstick and who doesn’t love to orgasm. But I’m disappointed.

Oh yes, you make me very sad Mecca. You bring all these amazing NARS products onto your shelves and into our hearts, but you have left out one crucial element – the nail polish. Do you know how I feel when I hear that the Fall 2011 collection has dropped with a heavy, opaque grey polish and I can’t get it? Sure, I’ll probably buy the Outremer blue eye shadow and Pago Pago pink lipstick, but it won’t be the same. There’s a beautiful dark grey nail polish out there calling my name and I can’t get it because NARS American website won’t ship internationally. How do we fix this situation? Do you need me to call Francois? Me and Franky, we’re tight. Just say the word…

Yours in anticipation,

The Nail File

I can totally see why this new trio of polishes from Mecca Cosmetica is called The Sophisticates. Each colour is mature and elegant, with a subtle air of I-know-I’m-classy-but-I-don’t-need-to-shout-it-at-you. Lustable.

Mecca Cosmetica The Sophisticates

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It’s always interesting when I dig through my (very large) box of polishes that I need to swatch, and find two that look almost identical in every way except for the label. That’s what happened when I dug out Sally Hansen’s Commander in Chic and Illamasqua’s Stagnate.

Get educated!

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Today we’re looking at the second half of the collection (part one is here) and, while they are all pastels, they are actually quite unusual shades. Let’s dive straight in…

Taken in natural light

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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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**This post was originally posted on Sassi Sam**

The Dior Rock Your Nails collection and Rock Coat topcoat totally nails (zing!) the mood of Autumn. The five colours at this party are all sultry, dark and saturated, adding an edge to any outfit, while the Rock Coat topcoat adds a rich smokiness that sexes up whatever it is on top of. Tres chic.

The fabulous Sassi Sam offered me three of the five to try out and I found them all really easy to apply. The brushes are flat with a rounded tip (like the Cutex Quick ‘n Go polishes), so you only need one stroke for smaller nails, and three strokes for bigger nails. It glides on like cashmere and dries pretty quickly, so you can paint on the run.

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