i want

Despite having the best manicure of my life last week at Rescue Beauty, these are making me want to venture back into nail art territory. Thanks, SK…

another convert to the dark (+ light) side

Olivia’s killer new Minx:

unjust!

Nail art banned by Japanese Olympic officials.

nails redux

Behold, my new and improved nails, by Maki @Valley_NYC.

passage de l’industrie

With Paris fashion week quickly approaching, I’d like to share some more info for my fashion-minded friends visiting the city. I already blah blah blogged about Merci, but those of you craving a hair + nail fix should head over to Passage de l’Industrie in the tenth, just off of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin. My friend and hairdresser Chris has been telling me to pass by because I always short-circuit my blowdryers on the wimpy euro plugs, so earlier this month I finally did. It was not at all what I expected. Upon parking our Vespa in the semi-seedy neighborhood and turning onto the Passage, we discovered the charred remains of the Comfort Hotel St-Martin, lending the claustrophobic alley a charmingly authentic war zone quality. Wig stores line the first block — Postiches, Max’s Perruques, Schana’s — with utterly bizarre window displays that we couldn’t resist photographing. Amazingly, almost all of the wigs are shown with sunglasses, as if to say: you, too, can be a master of disguise!! I wasn’t sure whether to cry, laugh, or run, but by the time we reached Delorme none of those other stores really mattered. European pharmacies are pretty much my favorite thing ever but Delorme is coming in an extremely close second.

Delorme is the epicenter of the Passage de l’Industrie. The beauty supply store has everything a beauty professional (or wannabe) could wish for — hairbrushes, hair accessories, enough pins and clips to fill a hair tool belt (Chris has one of those… it’s awesome),styling products and tools, nail polish, and things you don’t even know existed. Browse a giant catalog of the aforementioned goodies (with pictures you can point to if you don’t speak French), pick out what you want, and the helpful staff will get it for you. After much deliberation, I ended up with 300 bobby pins and 300 French hairpins for 3€ each (although I expected nothing less, they have turned out to be excellent quality) and a Mason Pearson brush I have been coveting for 30% less than the US retail. There is so much variety that the store can be a little overwhelming, but it’s the best place to get a great deal on a few choice pieces. Be prepared with a few things you are interested in buying and stick to those; otherwise you could end up in a pickle (yes, I said it) at customs when airport security finds your bag full of sharp pointy objects and in flagrant violation of the liquids policy.

Delorme, 17 Passage de l’Industrie, 75010 Paris, France‎ – +33 01 44 83 65 00‎

valley girls

It’s all about statement nails. Months ago, I noticed the coolest girls from our Japanese buying team rocking the most incredible ombre manicures. Gold at the tips that faded into nude, the look was edgy, chic, and as eye-catching as it was imperceptible. I immediately went out and bought some gold glitter polish and tried to recreate it myself, with disappointing results. It was hard enough to get my normal manicurist to give me properly round nails, so I didn’t even go there with the sparkles.

The answer: Valley NYC. A concept shop started by California sisters Nina and Julia Werman, the space is a playground for the downtown fashionista. Inside the Elizabeth Street space, you will find a nails, waxing, facial, and skincare salon alongside a selection of vintage clothing, Portia & Manny, curated by the girls’ friend Christina Kornilakis (formerly of Sweet Tater).

Since I had never had the Cal Gel process done, I spent a lot of time discussing with my manicurist, Markita, and Nina. They were both really helpful and made suggestions since I had a hard time deciding. I wanted to go with a nude/pink sparkle on the tips but such a glitter doesn’t exist (yet) so I went with pale multi, accessorizing one fingernail with tiny stars. Markita seemed disappointed at my lack of ambition but I love the results. It sparkles brilliantly in some light and is almost invisible in others. I am obsessed!

The first time at Valley can be overwhelming because there are so many ways to accessorize one’s nails. Nina told me that many women come in and can’t decide what they want, so they choose different designs for each nail. Her advice is to go with something cohesive vs. choosing a bunch of different looks. She also strongly advises booking a gel mani if you are planning on getting nail art – it will greatly extend the life of your manicure. Friends I have spoken with say that the Cal Gel can last up to three weeks, and when it comes off your nails are stronger and longer.

As for me, I can’t wait to go back and try something bolder. Check out the pics above and Valley’s website for inspiration. The majority of 3D nail art is a bit too fabulous  for my tastes (and, honestly, gives me flashbacks to the first time I saw the Guinness World Records winner of the world’s longest nails). But I adore the glitter, reverse French, and tiny decals. I also think Cal Gel is great for regular manicures, especially when you are going on vacation and don’t want to bother. My personal advice to my readers would be to do a little research and remove the manicure yourself rather than paying $10-$20 to get it removed at the salon. A good tutorial is here (cute nails too).

Clockwise from top: round reverse French mani in red + gold at Valley NYC; hot pink + black graduated nails from Marie Claire; French manicure with leopard Minx at Valley; the “Louboutin” manicure by Zoe Pockock of Charles Worthington; my nails; nude + black at Thakoon; nice and simple nude with tips.

Valley, 198 Elizabeth Street, 212.274.8985, www.valleynyc.com

sneak peek

This morning Minami walked into the showroom sporting these killer nails. She thinks they’re going to be the next big thing. Not big like oh we just did M.I.A.’s nails for the next Vogue (even though they did). Big like fashion week is coming up and that bottle of Chanel Jade ain’t going to cut it no more. And you know what? She’s never wrong.

You don’t have to go to the outer boroughs anymore. Can’t wait to fill you in later this week…

naked nails

1. uslu airlines / ROR airai palau : über-modern nude, located by Joëlle (must be the umlaut) at Colette, and definitely the coolest of the cool

2. essie / mink muffs : an elegant, soft taupe that goes with everything

3. nars / bohemia : a pretty pale pink with a touch of (surprise) green shimmer

4. chanel / jade rose : i’m not ready to embrace the ever-so-trendy jade yet, so this will have to do for now

5.essie / chinchilly : only my favorite polish name ever. chinchilly chinchilly chinchilly

6. rescue beauty lounge / opaque nude : “there are pink girls and there are natural girls and in between are wildly sophisticated girls with perfectly oval buff-colored nails who never have a bad hair day”

mani break

Thanks assistant for lending me your bottle of Diabolic, and thanks Chanel for making such awesome nail polish that I can apply just one coat myself and have it look professional. Off to Brinkley’s.

mani break

I was feeling extra grossissimo this rainy afternoon and decided to break up the monotony with a manicure (Berry Hard until my assistant remembers to bring me her bottle of Diabolic) at my favorite neighborhood nails boutique. Lo and behold who is getting his precious toes pedicured but Zac Posen. This is not the first time I have seen him there. The last time, my coworker hilariously stared him down, then turned to me and said loudly, “Marc Jacobs is getting a pedicure right over there.” We watched him awkwardly try to use his credit card to pay for his pedi and, curiously, buy a dark purple O.P.I. color (We’ll Always Have Paris?). When the card took forever he flung a couple of bills at the proprietor and flip-flopped his way out of there. Today’s encounter was disappointingly not quite as blundering. With that, it’s time for the line opening.