Holiday nails

“Be prepared to be overwhelmed.” That’s what I texted my sister-in-law.

She was on her way over to my place the day after the ice storm hit. The roads were clear, she told me. My niece and my mom were with her, and they were joining me for a new tradition: Hannam women’s holiday nail art.

The power went out just before 2pm, minutes before their arrival. I set us up in the kitchen, as the most light was coming in that room. I displayed the bottles and boxes in sections: remover & pads, nail art kits, tools such as files, scrapers and nippers, cuticle softeners and hand creams, and polishes that were bright, dark, pearlized, neutral and glittered, along with top coats of varying effects. (I have a serious addiction to nail products. So much so that in university friends would give me gifts from the drug store, and it would make my year.)

My nephew came too, and he joked that the spread was impressive it made him almost want to paint his own nails. He avoided the estrogen-lacquered mess in the kitchen by watching a football movie on his laptop.

My sister-in-law, knowing that she had to be in the office on the 23rd and the 24th, opted for a petal pink base, pretty snowy-white glitter ombreed tips and an accent nail of white sequins.

My mom and niece went dramatic, especially after searching “nail art for short nails,” and “holiday nail art” on Pinterest. My mom did a gilded thumb, layered glitter polishes, snowflake and candy cane pictures with the dotter tool, and a nighttime snowstorm on her pinky. My niece played with her favourite colours, like pink ombre, black glitter, holographic nail sticker, asymmetrical two-tone and a trendy blue.

Myself? I had never done texture before and I was inspired by my mom and niece to take each nail to the next level. I glitter bombed one nail, dipped another in sequins, another in metal beads, ombreed my thumb and bedazzled my pinky with faceted plastic crystals.

The next day though, I discovered that textured nails aren’t my thing. I unknowingly picked it all off. I redid them with a white glitter polish and black chevron tips inspired by some spring runway nail art.

Happy holidays from the Hannam ladies!

PS. If you want to know any of the products we used, let me know in the comments below and I’ll send them to you.

Party girl

It’s my party, I’ll wear pants if I want to.

I was trying to figure out what to wear to our engagement party. Most stylist and fashion editors recommend a pretty party dress. I know, as I’ve given the same advice. But that’s just not my style. It’s just not me.

Granted, I’m in for any excuse that helps me buy new clothes, but a dress wouldn’t work for our wine and cheese. I wanted something more cool, fun and not so girly or rustic. A tea party dress just wasn’t on my agenda.

I headed to Zara and picked up a pair of faux leather pants. They were more like leggings (button- and zipper-less, elastic waist) but the fabric fit much better and wore like pants.

I was feeling like a billowy blouse with a 1970s fashion sensibility would be perfect. So I grabbed this powder blue silky top and wore a long gold necklace that I knotted about midway down.

I had to wear heels, but instead of buying a new pair I wore my Via Spiga T-strap pumps I got from a shoe sale at Hanleys last summer. I painted my exposed toes with Rimmel 60 Seconds in Blued Eyed Girl.

My nails I painted in Nars Andy Warhol Collection in Black Room, leaving the moons open. I just used the Essense French Manicure Tip Guides at the cuticles to create that perfect line. Here I’m enjoying a stacked sandwich the next day with our cheesy appetizer leftovers.

Heck, why not read more: Here are one published story and two blog posts I wrote.

• What to wear to an engagement party

• Shopping at Zara.ca

• Planning an engagement party

Crayons!

As a kid, I loved to colour. I loved my crayons. It appears nothing has changed. Just look at the latest inclusions in my makeup bag.

And why should it? Crayons make sense. They’re easy to hold. They are injected with a beautiful ribbon of colour. Even in makeup form.

I can imagine the creative meeting in the slick boardroom of a cosmetic company. They’ve decided that makeup is fun and playful, so it makes sense to encourage shoppers (like myself) to get into that child-like mindset of playing with makeup the way we would with crayons. Clink martini glasses and back to their desks.

It’s more than eyeliner that has gotten the Crayola-treatment. Lipsticks and eye shadows have taken on this new-ish form. While I’m sure there are others, the first time I noticed it was with Clinique Chubby Sticks, about two years ago. Then came the Revlon version a bit later. But now it’s a crayonmageddon! Here are a few new colouring book-inspired cosmetics.

Stila After Glow Lip Colour, $24

Part balm, part stain, this lipstick packs on some serious colour. Here it’s shown in (L to R) Tangerine Dream, Party Pink and Rave Red. It’s a high-impact lip that’s suitable for day or night, IMHO.

Elizabeth Arden Bold Eye Pencil, $22

Generally I have better luck with liquid eyeliner pens. But this chunky pencil goes on smoothly and accurately. Here it is shown in an earthy dark brown, Terra. Winged tip, here I come!

Rimmel Scandeleyes Eye Shadow Stick, $7

You know how you sometimes look at your closet and have nothing to wear? I’ve done that with my makeup bag. These bright shadows are a cheap and chic pick-me-up. With almost no pressure, I line the top of my eye for an opaque hit of colour that’s got a bit of shine. Here are (L to R) Gossip Green, Guilty Grey (Thanks for spelling it with an E, Rimmel), Tempting Turquoise and Paranoid Purple.

This next one is not new, but it’s definitely an honourable mention:

The Body Shop Kajal Eyeliner, $??

This was a special edition that I want to come back! Some have blogged that it’s now selling in Asia and you can find it on Ebay. Here’s hoping that it’s a hint it might get relaunched on this side of the ocean. Unlike the other crayon-inspired makeup, the encasing on this one is a retractable lipstick container. With some shine, this liner goes on similarly to the eyeshadows and can be blended.

Heck, why not read more. Here are three published beauty stories of mine:

• Almay’s new launches

• New makeup launches for spring

• Hot topic