Lighting Up the Sky

I love fireworks. From the Macy's fireworks show (over the Hudson River this year), to fireworks on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to Disneyland's Main Street celebration, the color, the sparkle, and the patterns have always made me happy.  There's something about being outside on a warm summer night in the dark, just anticipating the very first burst of color, and then being held spellbound throughout the entire display.  And the best part is that just when you think you've seen the last ribbon of light, there's an explosion of color that is the finale!

Happy Fourth, everybody!

 

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                          Photo courtesy Capitol Concerts

 

 

 

 

First Impressions Last

These days, job hunting has become a lot more competitive -- and it may be the little things that help to make a difference.  Whether it's making sure you're not missing a button, giving your shoes a quick shine, or having your blazer pressed, the details add up in your potential employer's first impression of you.  The LA Times Image section calls to attention well-groomed cuticles in its piece "Groom for Success" -- and recommends Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go as the way to keep hands looking neat and well-tended "whether it's the first handshake or handing over your resume."  The pocket-size, totally portable tube features a soft-touch brush to make use as easy as squeeze-and-apply.  And the thick, non-drip gel formula moisturizes and grooms instantly with Vitamin E plus botanical oils.  Now when you put your best foot forward, you can put your best hand forward, too.

 

What You're Searching For

If what you're searching for is nail color, apparently you're searching for OPI more than any other brand!   OPI is the top searched nail polish on AOL Search -- and we're delighted!  Find all you need to know about OPI at opi.com, and try on every single one of our shades on your own skin tone at the online Try It On Studio.  Your search is over -- if there's a color you want, we've got more than 200 choices to help you find it. 

                                                                                                      Shown:  Banana Bandanna

 

When Style Is All that Matte-rs

What do you get when you combine your favorite OPI Nail Lacquer shades with an edgy matte finish?  Matte by OPI – and nails that turn heads.  I created Matte by OPI in six iconic OPI shades – Russian Navy, Lincoln Park After Dark, Alpine Snow, You Don’t Know Jacques!, La Paz-itively Hot, and Gargantuan Green Grape, to let you experience this trend in your favorite shades..

Available in July, Matte by OPI is enjoying advance press and fabulous feedback from, among others: vogue.com (says La Paz-itively Hot Matte may be “the summer’s most intriguing new pedicure shade”), Allure magazine, luxuryspot.com (“makes manicures marvelous”), and fashionbomb.com (loves Alpine Snow Matte).  Go to opi.com starting July 1 to try it all on. You'll see that the look is fresh, confident, sexy.

Just a few rules of the road:  Matte by OPI does not wear as long as original OPI Nail Lacquer.  To maintain the matte finish, do not use any base coat, top coat, drying drops, or hand lotion when wearing these lacquers.

Fashion tip:  Try wearing your favorite shade of Matte by OPI with a gloss tip in coordinating  original OPI Nail Lacquer.

Idol-izing OPI

American Idol star Adam Lambert finally admits all:  he's ga...ga gaga over OPI!  "I like OPI; they have these really cool dark colors," Adam tells OK magazine. Looks like Black Onyx is one of his faves.  

  And speaking of gaga, when Lady Gaga, with her powerhouse mix of glam rock, dance pop, and R&B, performed at the KIIS-FM Wango Tango concert in May, she also sang the praises of OPI’s Breathe Life  Nail Lacquer.  Created to support the Lung Cancer Foundation of America in its efforts to help find a cure, Breathe Life was given away to celebs at the concert’s Gifting Room.   For more info about the foundation, click here.

  

One, Two, Three Free

OPI is proud that its Nail Lacquer is what has been termed "Three-Free" -- meaning that it contains no DPB (dibutyl phthalate), Toluene, or Formaldehyde.  Beauty blog bellasugar.com offers a shout-out to OPI and other nail color companies whose formulas are Three-Free; as well as a downloadable card from the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance listing these brands so that you'll remember whenever you visit your nail salon.

A Three Pointer from Downtown

If you're an LA girl, there's a good chance you're a Lakers fan.  And if you are, you're right there with the team in the middle of the NBA Finals, hungry for a championship.  ROB|B, the OPI Concept Salon, located in Los Angeles. is offering its clients 3 ways to have their basketball and their manicures too -- in pure LA style. 

1) The salon's flat-screen TVs (at all manicure stations) will be tuned to the Lakers games during the playoffs.  2) Along with Laker-inspired OPI manicures (purple and gold anyone?), 3) you can also get your sugar fix (calories consumed during the game don't count -- cheering is exercise) from the Laker-esque cupcakes the salon brings in from  Big Sugar Bake Shop, just down the street.

The next game's tonight -- what are you waiting for?

Colors shown:  Purple with a Purpose, Curry Up Don't Be Late!

 

Coral Me Up this Summer

Unless you've been living under a non-fashion rock -- or not tuning in here -- you know that  this summer is a vertiable kaleidoscope of color in fashion and beauty.  And one of the prettiest -- and most wearable -- colors for this season is coral.  That perfect blend of pink and peach, fuchsia and orange, or berry and melon -- at least one shade of coral looks summer-savvy on every skintone.  And for nails, one of the hands-down favorites is Conga-Line Coral from the South Beach Collection by OPI.  Fashion web site Coutorture.com calls it "an easy way to stay current" this season, while the Los Angeles Times' new LA et cetera magazine gives it a shout-out on its Fashion Plate page.  And Glamour magazine says it's "a great bright shade," with one coat leaving a sheer shimmer. Everybody conga!

Go Toe-gethers

One of the pleasures of summer is baring your toes in fun or fabulous (or both) sandals. 

  has paired its favorite pedicure-perfect nail shades with must-have footwear, and the results are enough to make you want to stock up your shoe stash right now.  My fave -- OPI Nail Lacquer in No Room for the Blues, worn with silvery Sergio Rossi sandals. 

I'm thinking cocktails by the pool ...

 

Double Dose

Essence  magazine loves OPI's "juicy colors" for summer so much, that its beauty pages suggest doubling up on the brightness.  The mag recommends shades of pink and orange right now, and suggests painting nails with one of those colors and then, once dry, painting just the moons in the second color.  Top picks are OPI Nail Lacquer in Shorts Story (Hot pink. The end.) and Clubbing Til Sunrise (a golden tangerine that goes from dusk to dawn) as the tempting twosome.