A veteran magazine beauty editor/writer (and a member of the 40+ club), Genevieve Monsma created MediumBlonde to help Gen Xers and Baby Boomers age the way they want.
All tagged Essie
I’ve been wearing Essie’s Stop, Drop and Shop non-stop for two weeks now: It’s a surprisingly neutral deep rose that’s part of Essie’s Fall Collection—but doesn’t look out of place on September days that still feel like summer. (Note: Essie calls it “mulberry red” but I think it’s more dark, velvety pink.)
With holiday reds and metallics behind us—and warm-weather brights still (alas) months away—early February can feel like nail lacquer purgatory: neither here nor there.
I am impatient. Nearly two decades of living in New York City taught me to loathe long lines, inefficient service, and slow-walkers (if a New Yorker bumps you while you stroll down Fifth Avenue, you probably deserve it. Think how you’d feel if she went to your town and drove a Suburban 10 mph down a one-lane road.). When we first moved to Ann Arbor, I even stopped visiting one coffee shop because the barista was too chatty, greeting my order of a soy latte with “soy-tainly!” and then taking 15 minutes to mix my drink. Nope. Not before 8 a.m. Buy-bye.
Here in Ann Arbor, the air is crisp, the kids are back in school, there’s football at the Big House, and I’m loving all the fall colors. (P.S. I’m talking about nail lacquer; the leaves haven’t started changing yet. We’re not that far north.)
All month long, I’m asking discerning beauty insiders to share their favorite hot-weather staples. Today’s expert: Kristen Comings, VP of Integrated Consumer Communications at L'Oreal Paris
Despite writing about nailcare and polish trends for decades, I’m terrible at a DIY manicure. My fine motor skills are nothing to brag about; sewing on a button takes effort, and my “scissor skills” (or lack thereof) screwed up my GPA in preschool. Thus, when I “do” my nails myself, I typically stick to a buffed finish. However, pigs must be flying because I just discovered a polish even I can apply—and be pleased with the results.
If you read Monday’s post, you know I spent the past week on the road (and in the air). I discovered so. many. amazing. products. But, to avoid overwhelming you with a list as long as my arm, I’m parceling them out in a series of posts. To start, these three dusty-blue finds are surprisingly versatile— neutrals (but not) that will break you out of a beige/brown/pinky-nude rut.
In the past week, I’ve been to New York City, Greenwich, Bronxville, Jersey, and Tennessee. All this traveling did prevent me from posting—but not from stockpiling new beauty and health info. My trip to the East Coast was peppered with breakfasts, lunches and cocktails with editors and publicists (and I took copious notes). Then Mary Kay took me—and about two dozen other beauty editors—to Blackberry Farm outside of Knoxville to showcase their new spring and summer launches. I’ll be weaving info from this weeklong trip into posts for weeks to come, but here, to start, are five (surprising!) tips and tricks I picked up along the way.
This week marked the official beginning of the new season. And though it still feels pretty wintery here in Michigan, when I went to get a manicure, I decided to trade in my navy Essie After School Boy Blazer and Chanel Pirate for something less moody from Essie’s new cheery spring collection.
For years, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect gold nail polish. I love the idea of glittering, golden nails for the holidays. Like a statement cocktail ring, it’s a chic, easy accessory to an LBD. However, most gold lacquers I’ve tried have been too yellow or too pale for my skin, leaving my nails looking more fungus-ed than festive. Until now.
I’ve already declared my devotion to denim-colored tips and toes. So it’s not surprising that my two favorite hues in Essie’s newest nail lacquer collections are blue too—albeit moodier, green-spiked takes on the tint.
