The Thrill of Brazil

Summertime means smooth, silky, soft skin -- and for many women that means all over, as in a Brazilian wax.  Ow.  Here's a way to experience a different kind of "thrill of Brazil" -- with a pedicure in OPI The Thrill of Brazil nail lacquer (a brilliant orange-red seen on divas de Janeiro!). Think of it as a reward for your pampering pains!  Try it on at opi.com

No Makeup Required

I have to applaud Jessica Simpson for doing what most women would never even consider -- being on the cover of Marie Claire magazine WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP. You  have to hand it to her. She's been put under the microscope for her appearance nonstop, and now has taken the offensive, showing the world that she's fine with who she is and what she looks like.  "I don't have anything to prove anymore," she tells the mag. "What other people think of me is not my business." For those of us who shy away from even running out for the proverbial quart of milk without mascara and lipstick, Jessica's cover says a lot.  I'm sure she doesn't plan to shun cosmetics in public, but she's showing us all that sometimes enough is enough.  And none is just fine.

Nails Jeopardy

Nails in jeopardy?  Dry, brittle, soft, thin, sensitive, won't grow, discolored -- oh my!  For a personal consultation right at your fingertips (sorry) log on to www.opi.com and visit Nails Rx under Beauty Consult.  It will take you question by question through your nail care woes, and then lead you to a beautiful solution.   And once you've gotten there, be sure to visit the Try It On Studio to try on every shade of OPI Nail Lacquer.  Next category, I'll take Romantic Movies for $200, Alex.     Color shown:  Koala Bear-y

Drugstore Galore

Just as winter makes us dream about spring, it also makes me dream about new spring shades.  And what better way to get an inexpensive (or free, if you don't buy) fix of spring beauty than on a visit to your fave drugstore chain in January.  A recent tour revealed pretty pastels and shimmers for eyes; fruit-hued glosses for lips; great new formulas for lashes, foundation, anti-aging, and hair; and even some new flirty fragrances, all modern and fresh.   Check it out!

Make Me Gorgeous -- Quick!

Everyone who has lots of time to spend on getting gorgeous this holiday season, raise your hand.  Just what I thought.  Between entertaining, gift shopping and wrapping, baking, texting, traveling, and year-ending business, we're lucky to even have a moment for mistletoe!  If you're looking for one product that can make you look great in seconds, try Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go. Packed with hydrating oils, including avocado, sesame, sunflower, and kukui nut, plus antioxidant Vitamin E, this pocket-sized tube with soft-touch brush and leak-proof cap packs a punch.  Swipe on to perk up hands and give them a hydrated, more youthful look.  As I told First magazine, "it's a mini spa treatment whenever."  If only getting a massage or highlights was this easy.

Mom's the Word

'Tis the season -- for moms?  December mags devoted to moms chose OPI Nail Lacquer as a perfect accessory.  Pregnancy and Newborn  loves OPI Designer Series Nail Lacquer in silvery-platinum DS coronation for "a little glitz and glamour this winter."  Ser Padres (Being Parents) magazine picks the OPI Tiny Toybox pack, filled with mini lacquers from OPI's Holiday in Toyland selection.     

And Parenting.com chooses OPI holiday Nail Lacquers in Rosy Mistletoe-sies and A Ruby for Rudolph for merry moms. 

  

Holiday Nail Mail

Just in time for holiday dress-up -- color cues for holiday nails. Classic red is always a terrific shade for nails this time of year.  Choosing one with a bit of shimmer is especially festive, and looks great whether you're going to a gala evening on the town, a cozy family get-together, or even an office party.

Another big story for holiday nails is subtle metallics.  Shades of silver-grey and muted gold are sophisticated and sexy.  And as always, there’s nothing like dark nails for glamour, from deepest indigo to charcoal grey (the season’s big shade).   Try a metallic French – with gold over the entire nail and pale silver on the tips.  Or paint a dark grey tip on a pale grey nail for double the fashion impact. 

And don’t forget glitzy toes for the season’s high-heeled open-toe pumps!  Rich reds look fabulous against black leather, and shades of grey rock silvery soles.

OPI’s Holiday in Toyland Nail Lacquers include 12 shades new for Holiday 08, including six of this winter’s boldest, most beautiful reds, and six dark and neutral tones, including softly gleaming, chic metallics. 

Lacquers shown, left to right:  Girls Just Want to Play, Baby It's "Coal" Outside!, Glamour Game, all from OPI Holiday in Toyland

A Lesson from the Pros

When you want the real skinny, it just makes sense to go to the pros.  And the readers of Nails magazine (salon professionals) have chosen their favorite products in the Nails Readers' Choice Awards, so let's go to them for their recommendations.  These nail-know-it-alls voted OPI RapiDry Top Coat as Favorite Top Coat -- it dries to a tough, long-lasting, non-yellowing, high-gloss shine in minutes.   

And OPI Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops was named Favorite Polish Dryer -- it dries nails to the touch in one minute, completely in five, with just 1 to 2 drops.  Want professional results at home? Go with the pros -- they know.

Lured by Allure

The “allure” of OPI continues, as Allure magazine’s beauty editors and experts honored the brand with coveted Best of Beauty Awards in two categories this fall. The  “beauty bible” named OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark (where midnight meets purple) as Best Dark Nail Polish, and Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go  as Best Cuticle Cream.

Allure describes Lincoln Park After Dark (the shade that practically started the dark-nails revolution) as a mix of “eggplant, chocolate, and black” and “more flattering than any of those alone.”  And the magazine loves Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go because “the creamy formula is hydrating, and the brush-on applicator means the product doesn’t drip down your hands.”  What can we say -- a girl can never be too alluring.

Postcard from Paris, Part 3 -- French Lessons

The easiest way to learn French may very well be at your fingertips -- with La Collection de France by OPI.  Beauty editors everywhere are speaking beaucoup about it in magazines.  Just master these Lacquer names, put your hair in an artfully disheveled chignon, throw on black eyeliner, a silk scarf, a perfect red pout, a great handbag, and killer heels, and discover what effortless elegance is all about.  Here's the latest beauty buzz:  InStyle loves Bastille My Heart, a "classic ruby red with a sexy metallic finish"; People StyleWatch calls rich, chocolate I'm Fondue of You a "fab fall treat"; Ebony magazine spotlights the brilliant A Oui Bit of Red; Allure applauds the "glossy wine" of Eiffel for this Color; Justine magazine calls naughty nude Tickle My France-y one of "fall's finest beauty must-haves"; and Glamour magazine's daily beauty blog can't get enough of lush, grey-brown You Don't Know Jacques!  And that completes today's French lesson.