PopSugar

Kylie Minogue's Painting Medium of Choice Is Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:11 -0800

Kylie Minogue is unquestionably a pop music icon, but now she's trying her hand at being a visual artist, too - and nail polish is her paint of choice. It's an interesting choice, and totally in keeping with Kylie's girly persona. This piece, a photograph of her by the artist Rankin that she covered in abstracted swirls, is being auctioned off this Saturday for the UK charity Youth Music. Since nail polish and car paint have very similar formulas, I can see it being a legit medium. But what do you think? Is nail polish art like Kylie's meant to be taken seriously?

Are Your Nails Usually Painted?

BellaSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:00:01 -0700

How important is a manicure to you? For some friends, like PartySugar at Yum, having polished nails is a beauty necessity. (She does a DIY manicure every Wednesday.) But you might be surprised to find out that as much as I like the idea of manicures, I usually don't have painted nails. I keep my nails clean and groomed, but I rarely sport polish these days. Why? Because I play guitar - sadly, not this awesomely - I wind up chipping the polish almost immediately. What about you? Are your nails usually covered with lacquer, or do you leave them bare?

Photo by ashendove

Should Japanese Swimmers Be Allowed to Paint Their Nails?

BellaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:02:33 -0700

If you're in a Tokyo pool, think twice before pulling out your nail polish. From now on, Japanese competitive swimmers could face a lifetime ban from the sport if they dye their hair or have brightly decorated nails. Why? Officials say, "We have had many recent controversies with marijuana in sport and at universities, and this is about swimming taking a stand on its own initiative." The officials also cited similar rules for the US and Australian teams.

In my seventh grade speech and debate class, though, we learned that an appeal to authority isn't the same thing as a good justification, and I'm having a hard time viewing these rules-in any country, the US included-as fair. What do you think? Is this a standard that's necessary to maintain the dignity of the sport, or is it unfairly biased against young women who want to express themselves?

Woman Paints Entire Car With Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0800

What would you do with approximately 250 bottles of nail polish? Why, painstakingly paint a giant colorful quilt on your car, of course.

According to The Gazette, that's just what Urbana, Maryland resident Jill Bell did. After finding a dent in her car's hood, she cleverly painted a Band-Aid over the unsightly bump. Chuckle. She liked the idea so much, she decided to paint her entire car with nail polish! Click here to check out the photos. I'm guessing (and hoping) she didn't use one of those $30-a-pop lacquers from Chanel's Moscow Collection.

Nope. What she did use? The help of others. "Lots of ladies in my church donated nail polish, and lots of ladies at Weight Watchers, too," she told the newspaper. Bell estimates that 100-250 bottles of nail polish were used to accomplish this feat - a feat that took 13 months to finish. Whoa.

Source

Russell and Taylor Help Creative Katy Celebrate Her 25th

PopSugarUK — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:09:10 -0700

Katy Perry got creative with Oompa Loompa nails for her 25th birthday bash at Sunset Beach in Hollywood on Saturday night. All the guests, including Taylor Swift, wore white but left with mutlicoloured outfits as the celebrations involved paint-splatting and cake fights! Katy's beau Russell Brand joined in the fun, and the couple are getting even more serious, as they are reportedly house hunting together for a place to rent in the Hollywood Hills. Russell has also apparently invited Katy to spend Christmas with his family in London, while she hired a plane to skywrite "I Love You" over Russell's LA home. She still finds time for fun without Russell, however, going to a Mika concert on Friday and working out on Melrose Avenue in the day.

To see more pictures of Katy and Russell's weekend, just read more.

View 10 Photos ›

5 Ways to Get Chip-Resistant Matte Nails

BellaSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:29 -0700

There's no denying that matte nail polish is the "it" polish finish right now. In fact, there's no denying that nail polish in general is having one hot moment - particularly in the drugstore category. While matte has a very fashion-forward appearance, the problem is that it just doesn't wear as long as regular polish.

While chips can sometimes lend to the cool factor, they're typically unwanted. Besides, the only "Chip" I ever really liked was this blond-haired, dark-eyebrowed cutie from the high school years. At any rate, to find out some of my tips for getting the most out of your matte finish, read more.

How Do You Sample Nail Polish?

BellaSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:25 -0700

Yesterday I took a little jaunt down to Sephora to check out some new nail polish shades. I was fixated on the bluish-green-toned Ocean Love Potion ($9), perfect for that oceanic nail trend we've been seeing as of late. After looking through the display case for my new favorite turquoise shade, I noticed a small sign: "Please do not paint on fixture." Although I question the idea of trying out polish on your nails in the first place, isn't it just as bad to create visual clutter, particularly when specifically instructed not to do so? What's your try-it-on philosophy?

Bella Brand: Auto Paint Cosmetics, Inc.

BellaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:00:09 -0800

Steve McQueen's observation that "everything looks prettier when it goes fast" is the motto of a new line of pretty polishes. Auto Paint Cosmetics is rolling onto the scene with its slick collection of 60's classic car inspired colors, all with corresponding names like 66' Stingray (a metallic silver) and 67' GTO (a sexy deep red). Adding to the appeal are the mudflap-inspired pinup girls adorning each bottle in a range of risque poses.

A few colors are pretty intriguing, like 60' Rambler, a bright fuchsia pink that could be perfect for summertime toes, and 61' Galaxy, a bright, electric blue. My favorite part about the line is that their products are free of the known carcinogens found in most polishes, such as toluene and formaldehyde. All this for only $9 a bottle. I can't wait to give one of these a test drive.

Paint Your Nails With a Click

BellaSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:00:40 -0700

OPI is always entertaining, from its wild and wacky naming strategies (Cosmo-not Tonight Honey!) to their oddly addictive "Try On This Color" feature. While you don't actually upload a picture of your own hand, OPI provides a blank palette from which you can work.

All you have to do is choose skin tone and nail length (mine are nub-like). Then, you can click (and click, and click. . .) away to try on a selection of more than 200 shades, which are broken down by color and collection. And now that it's wedding season on the Sugar network, I imagine that this interactive feature will probably prove invaluable to all you engaged lasses out there who are looking for a nice polish to show off that sparkly ring. Just don't wear that Cosmo-not Tonight Honey! on your honeymoon.

View 5 Photos ›

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Fab Tip: Lacquer Those Jewels

FabSugar — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:15:22 -0700

Nail polish is created to color nails - we all know this. But that's not its sole purpose. Have you ever considered using nail polish to liven up your jewels? I have a friend who uses it to spice up her earrings - like these Mini Hearts Studs ($14) - and the result is pretty fabulous. If you're interested, the process is rather painless.

To learn how to use nail polish to jazz up your jewels, read more.

Start with smooth-surfaced jewelry (earrings work best but rings, bangles, and necklaces are doable too) to work with. Make sure your item doesn't have rhinestones or a rocky surface.
If you're going to paint with a light nail polish color, it's preferable to use silver or white jewelry. Dark polishes like red and hot yellow work fine on gold.
Now it's time to start painting your earrings with the nail polish of your choice. Apply evenly and use two to three coats to avoid chipping.
Allow to dry for about 30 minutes.
Though not required, you can add a coat of clear polish for extra shine or glitter polish for pizzazz.