Nailene

Color-blocking continues to rule the runways. Popularized by the fashion houses at Gucci, Jil Sander, and Prabal Gurung, this hot fashion statement has had amazing staying power. We think it’s the boldness and vibrancy of the look, which of course, can be translated to nails, too.

If you’re feeling inspired to create something a little more original and unique on your own, here’s a do-it-yourself video so you too can have a fab color-blocked look in just a few simple steps!

Nailene Do-It-Yourself Color-Blocked Nails

What You’ll Need:

• Tape and Scissors
• Top Coat
• Nailene Artist Expressions – Warm 71502
  http://www.nailene.com/products/nail-art#71502
• Polish shades of your choosing

Don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel for more fun DIY videos.

XoXo Nailene

Background: I have been working in the beauty industry for 8+ years. I worked for a variety of cosmetic companies such as MAC, Makeup Forever and Shu Uemura, aside from freelancing as well. I also managed a salon for three years, which was my first experience in the beauty industry, and I’ve been hooked ever since!

Beauty Tips: I’ve learned a lot of valuable beauty secrets during my time working in the beauty industry. My favorite tip for styling hair is to flip your head upside down, when blow drying, to get the roots dry first then before flipping your hair back over shoot the roots with a blast of cold air. This will keep the hair from falling flat and is a great way to add volume without having to tease the hair. I also love to use my flat iron to curl my hair, and add my favorite styling product Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray; it makes for a messy effortless look.

I think the most important tip for having your makeup look the best is to use primers. The better your skin is prepped, the smoother your makeup will go on and the longer it will last! My favorite eye primer is Bare Canvas from MAC; it works great if you have oily eyelids like me. It is a sure way to keep your eye makeup from creasing and making the colors pop! My favorite face primer is Makeup Forever’s HD Microperfecting Primer, it will make your skin look flawless even before you apply foundation.

Can’t live without: I am definitely a beauty product junky!! I cannot live without my Smoky Eye Mascara from Makeup Forever; it makes my puny lashes look like falsies! And I am also obsessed with nail polishes and my collection just keeps growing. I probably buy a new color once a week!

Where do you get your inspiration for your style? I am most strongly influenced by the style of the 60’s. Mainly the Swinging London scene that emerged from England, where style icons like Jane Birkin and Marianne Faithful were discovered. I love the mix of effortless beauty and famine rocker chic.

Where do you like to shop? Since I spend the majority of my time behind a computer I tend to do lots of my shopping online. I love Free People, Spanish Moss and Nasty Gal. I also love doing some vintage shopping when I have time to explore; I love boutiques like Moss & Rock, in Long Beach California. They have a great mix of vintage and new apparel.

Our Blogger of the Month is LLYMLRS and here is a little bit of background about her:

What does LLYMLRS mean?
LLYMLRS is my name (Lily Melrose) without vowels.

How did your blog get to popular?
I really don’t know, It just sort of happened. I hardly had any followers (about 100 or so) at the beginning of 2010, and it all sort of exploded from there! I just found my niche and then ran with it! My blog wasn’t a overnight success and I think you must try and be as patient as you can and keep going and working hard at achieving your goals

How do you do your nails?
I either use Nailene 200 full cover nails in active square or these from ebay. The Nailene ones dont need any prep as they are small and easy to stick on and go, but the cheaper ebay ones require alot of effort to shape them. Its so easy to do nail art on the eBay ones, as I tend to paint them before I actually put them on, saves having to wait for them to dry! I use Nailene Quick Dry Nail glue on them, I change them every 5-7 days. My nails are ruined from years and years of acrylics, so I’ve not noticed any difference since using them.

Here’s an excerpt from one of our favorite blog entries:

See more of her pictures and read the rest of this entry here.

Nailene wants to wish all of our fans a Happy Holidays. We hope it’s full of happiness and joy!

XoXo Nailene

Image Source: pinterest.com

Our Blogger of the Month is Deborah Elliot and here is a little bit of background about her;

My name’s Deborah, and I live in a small town in central Scotland. I started this blog after months of religiously trawling through beauty blogs picking up tips and reading reviews, and I decided I would like to start one of my own.

We are excited to post her blog and great review on our Nailene 200 count full cover nails and how they helped her with her nail problems!

Image Source Etsy Shop Yvetteinufio

We have decided to give you a look into our world and our style here at Nailene. So we thought it would be perfect to pick an employee every month and have them give us some insight into their style and what inspires them. We chose Jeni our receptionist the first person everybody meets to be November’s Employee with Style. She has a background in beauty and let me tell you she knows how to dress. Below is what she shared to be her favorite pieces and must haves!” and below what she wrote.

What Inspires your Style? Inspiration can come from anywhere I’ve been inspired by lipstick colors to a day trip to Venice beach.

I tend to gravitate towards modern style and throw it off with a vintage piece every now and then.

One of my favorite quotes is “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”― Coco Chanel

Who’s style do you love?

That’s a hard one but I would have to go with Sienna Miller.

What are 5 items you can’t live without?

1. My jewelry
2. MAC Smolder eyeliner
3. MAC strobe cream
4. Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner
5. My vintage coat

What Represents your style?

My jewelry represents me. These are my one of a kind pieces. My rings and earrings are from Venice beach hand made by local artists. My favorite is the one with the fresh water black pearl, a sterling silver fork from the 1900′s is wrapped around it. My bracelet with the 3 pearls was given to me by a friend from Portugal. The bracelet with the holes was a gift my Dad got me when he went to Spain. I love collecting unique pieces that bring an outfit together!

I know the end of the year kind of snuck up on us, but it is here, and it’s time to think about the Holidays. The Holidays can be one of the more expensive times of the year, with parties, cards, ornaments, and gift expenditures, but don’t let money worries stress out your holiday season. Here are a few ideas to make sure it stays affordable, and you can ensure to keep the joy of the season

Save on Gifts
Plan ahead by looking year-round for the perfect gift for family and friends. Go bargain hunting when stores have weekly and seasonal sales, and don’t forget to use those coupons! As you visit unique shops or craft boutiques, select items with special meaning for the recipients. After a year of doing this, you should (hopefully) amassed the majority of your loved ones’ gifts. Now it’s just time to wrap them up – hopefully you’ve remembered where you’ve hidden them!

Make Your Own Holiday Cards or Ornaments
Holidays and special occasions are the perfect excuse for getting crafty and creating your own greeting cards or ornaments. In most cases, they’re even better than those that are store-bought since you can express your own personal holiday cheer. Moreover, creating beautiful homemade cards or ornaments is such a rewarding way of spending time with family and friends, and a gift that truly bears special sentiment.

Skip the Expensive Ribbons and Bows
There’s no need to buy expensive ribbons and bows to decorate your packages, especially if you can find cheaper (or free) materials that will adorn the package just as creatively. If you have pine cones, flowers or greens lying about, that may be just the right embellishment your presents need.

Homemade Goodies as Gifts
Beautifully-packaged homemade goods — cookies, candies, jams, spice mixes – are great gifts to make and receive, especially in this world that offers so much that is mass-produced. If you’re really great in the kitchen, homemade Holiday gifts are nearly as much fun to make as they are to receive, and best of all, just imagine all the money you can save!

Save on Your Beauty Routine
Finally, with all the get-togethers and Holiday party invites, you’ll have even more reasons to look your best. If you regularly get acrylics done at a salon, why not try to save some money and do it at home yourself? With Nailene’s Deluxe Salon Acrylic Kit #77197, you’ll have a complete professional kit for multiple acrylic nails and fills (Actually, 3 complete applications!). This kit contains all the necessary components, all housed in a handy case.

Image Source: Pinterest and Martha Stewart

The cooler air beckons us to switch up our beauty routine. Most of us are already revising our skincare each season, but did you know that your nails need the same TLC?

When the cold weather arrives, both nails and cuticles react to the temperature change by becoming more dry and brittle. Additionally, they’re more likely to split, crack or tear and, even your nail polish is more likely to chip! Plus, you may see a greater chance that your cuticles are plagued by hangnails. Ugh

What can you do?

• Moisturize your hands more often. Apply a generous amount of lotion or oil so that your hands won’t be dry and brittle. We particularly like shea butter or any product that contains it as it is quite emollient and will do a great job of keeping your hands smooth and soft. Also, protect your hands and nails by wearing gloves each time you wash and rinse dishes. It will lessen your chances of getting dry, wrinkly dishpan hands.

• Exfoliate your hands. Exfoliating every so often will help get rid of dry and dead skin cells. You can purchase one of the many hand scrubs available or better yet, make an oatmeal hand scrub, which is simple to make and won’t cost an arm and a leg!

• Condition Your Nails and Cuticles. A winter must – massage your nails daily with an oil or lotion. Another tip – apply cuticle oil to your nails before you get into the shower. When in the shower, the steam will help the oil penetrate into dry and cracked nails and skin when you massage it in. Finally, massage your nails at night just before bedtime. Not only will it help stave off dry nails and cuticles, it’s a great way to end the day!

• Treat Any Hangnails and Don’t Pull! I know it’s tempting, but resist the temptation to pull a hangnail. Instead, take a nail clipper and gently clip the hangnail at the root. Then, spray the entire nail with an astringent to prevent germs and bacteria from infecting the nail.

• Save Your Split, Cracked or Torn Nail. Use a small drop of nail glue (such as Nailene’s Ultra Quick glue) and drop a dollop on the nail where it is cracked or torn. When the nail glue dries, gently buff to smooth.  Then, you can reapply your polish and your nails will look good as new.

Image Source: Pinterest.com and cfabreu

Ever wonder what makes up your nails? Both fingernails and toenails are important structures made of tough proteins called keratin and hardened skin cells, but they serve two important purposes: first, as a protective plate and second, as a sensation enhancer of the fingertip, as it acts as a counterforce to the fingertip and provides even more sensory input when an object is touched.

They’re quite necessary structures, so it’s vital to keep them healthy! Here, then, are the parts of your important nail:

Nail Plate: The nail plate is the hard, visible part of the nail on your fingers and toes. It is translucent and made of keratin.

Nail Bed: The nail bed is the skin beneath the nail plate and acts as a support for the nail plate. It is composed of two types of tissues: the deeper dermis, which is the tissue fixed to the bone and contains capillaries and glands, and the epidermis, the superficial layer just beneath the nail plate.

Lunula: Occasionally called “the moon.” It is most pronounced on thumbs and often absent in pinky fingers, and is the white part of the nail at the base that looks like a crescent.

Eponychium: It is often erroneously called the cuticle, but it is the skin that extends from the posterior nail wall onto the base of the nail. This layer of non-living, almost invisible skin is the cuticle that “rides out” on the surface of the nail plate. Unlike the cuticle, the eponychium are living cells and should not be touched.

Cuticle: Skin that frames the nail base, protecting the hardening nail as it grows out. Together, the eponychium and the cuticle form a protective seal. The cuticle on the nail plate are made of dead cells and often removed, or pushed back, during a manicure.

Matrix: The tissue upon which the nail rests that extends beneath the nail root. It is the living portion of the nail hidden underneath the cuticle, and contains nerves, lymph and blood vessels. This is where nail growth takes place.

Nailene has decided to post our favorite blogger every month who represents the brand and gives a great review. We thought this would be a great way to interact with our consumers and other consumers to reach out to other Nailene lovers! There were so many great blogs about our product this past month it was so difficult to choose just one. The lucky blogger is Melanie from Montreal, Canada. She gave a great review along with great directions and her application turned out wonderful! Below is her blog it’s definitely worth checking out: A Little Purple Folie.

… Read the rest on her blog, purplefolie.blogspot.com!