For August's box, I went with American Beauty. Mainly this is because I was really curious about the "Rose Gold Metallic Chrome." I already have tried and loved a few other coppery/rose gold metallics like Essie Penny Talk, CND Copper Chrome and even (more on the copper side) SH Haute Chocolate, but why not try them all! *evil laugh* The truth is that there aren't many of that type of shade, so it was worth a try. Also, in this month's box was a really pretty gunmetal with some golden shards, and an acetone-free remover pump which actually turned out to be pretty awesome, and a reusable tote. If you're interested in trying Julep Maven, you can read about it here. If you want to join, you can do so on the Julep website. You can also use my referral link which will give me credit toward future purchases, and it would  make my day as I love these boxes. If you order, please don't forget to use the code COLOR2012 and you can get your first box for a PENNY, $.01, with free shipping.

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Minx #1 in Technical Tribal - Available at Ulta stores (not available online) - $18 for a full mani/pedi set - 

A few weeks ago Minx announced a new at-home applique called Minx #1. Unlike traditional Minx, there is no need for a heat lamp, nor a licensed manicurist to do it for you. As a manicurist, this should probably irk me, but honestly I am not the world's biggest fan of appliques in general and would prefer to do the art myself. Alas, there are just some nail looks that can't be achieved by traditional methods alone, like the quintessential Minx look: chrome. There are chrome polishes galore, but none come close to the mirror-shine of Minx. That said, I really only like these for a short-wear look; a Friday night out and the lazy weekend to follow. The original Minx is no more a long-wear product than their new at-home invention. 

Traditional salon Minx needs intense heat to "shrink-wrap" the nails. This product just needs to be stuck on, smoothed out and the excess filed of. The price is a steal considering that salon Minx will cost you north of $45 to be applied, and in this package you get enough for both a manicure and pedicure. 

The designs are just as cool as salon Minx, but they're all new, and there will be new designs launched quarterly, according to the company. 

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Essie Penny Talk - $8 Walmart and other retailers

Owing largely to the fact that I've been utterly distracted from my nails for the last month, I completely missed that Essie had a new collection of chrome-finish polishes out and only when I saw them hiding on a back shelf near the lotions did I finally realize! There are five colors, I believe. Or at least there were five colors available when I found these. In this collection you'll find a silver, a gold, a steely blue, a rose, and this bright brushed-copper shade. I passed on all but Penny Talk mainly because I already have China Glaze Millenium and 2030 which are spectacular silver and gold chromes respectively. I also passed on the blue and the rose because I have other similar China Glaze polishes from the Romantique collection. That left this copper, and while I've already got a copper chrome, CND Copper Chrome, this is very different and even more beautiful in my opinion. 

While CND Copper Chrome is very metallic as well, it's a lot more warm and orangey whereas the more rosy Penny Talk is like a bright, newly-minted penny, or the glowing brushed copper of a new copper-bottom pot. You need to be careful to avoid brushstrokes in the finish, but as long as it's applied evenly and vertically, and as long as you give the first coat a couple minutes to fully dry before applying the second, you'll notice that most of the strokes disappear as the polish dried. Topcoat will make them reappear for a bit until it dries, but then the finish will be extremely metallic. I really recommend this polish. You may take or leave the other four, but this one is a must-see. 

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The nail stylists at CND who do fashion week, yeah they're awesome. They are undoubtedly the masters of interesting nail looks engineered for the runway. And with the big leap forward that nails are taking as concerns being viewed as almost an accessory, the runway looks are becoming much more acceptable on main street in a way that wacky runway makeup never could. Luxury nails, be it luxury art like this or luxury polish such as Chanel or Dior, are a very accessible way to add a designer label to your wardrobe in the form of an almost-accessory. Whether the country in the midst of a recession or not, you may not be able to afford that Chanel bag, but you sure as hell can afford to buy a Chanel polish, or to go out and get a fancy manicure that was worn down a fashion week runway.

Anyway, enough preaching about the godliness of nail art, let's get on with the manicure... I came across this manicure on BellaSugar, and immediately wanted to recreate it. CND stylists used CND Gold Chrome and BlackJack and some gold leaf to create a look that they call ‘Treasured Antiquities’…meets ‘New Rock N’ Roll.’ . I don't have those polishes... yet, but I used what I had and it looks just about the same.

Products used:

• China Glaze 2030
• Wet n Wild Black Creme
• Gold nuggeting foil

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CND Copper Chrome $4.50 at transdesign.com

After my great experiences with CND's new formula with the Night Factory set and Anchor Blue, I bought a chrome finish just to check it out. It's hard to find a good chrome, and since most of China Glaze's are discontinued, I thought it was worth it to give it a whirl. Copper Chrome is a really warm gold, not quite a copper. Turns out it was a great buy because it's super metallic and great for Konading. One coat is enough, but I used two. It wears well and applies easily. The brushstrokes you see while applying really dry down well into a smooth finish. It's not the most flattering color alone but I think it'll come in handy for nail art. There's not much else to say about this polish, so I'll show you a couple more pics...

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I bought my first actual Konad Special Stamping Polish last week and I was dying to use it. I already had on China Glaze Jitterbug, so I just grabbed a random plate and got down to business. I used Konad plate m57 with the leopard print on it, and with Konad Special Black stamped it up. Then I used Essence Nail Freestyle Tip Painter in Silver Surfer to dot little bits of chromey silver inside some of the dots. I really liked the way it turned out! I'm all about the monochromatic Konad manicures lately.

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Here's a really simple and pretty Konad manicure I did this week. It's basically just a  base of plain ol' glossy black creme, topped with steel-colored roses and a little bit of sparkly silver embellishment. For the black I used LA Colors Black Velvet which I got at the Dollar Tree, and it's super pigmented, and is really glossy. I used two coats of this and let it dry before doing the design. Over the black, I used China Glaze Awaken ($3) and Konad plate m65 ($7) to stamp the gunmetal roses over it. Then using Essence Freestyle Tip Painter in Silver ($2) I just randomly added a bit of silver to some of the curlicue things around the design. The final product is really pretty, I think. It's sort of gothic and romantic at the same time. The name I gave it for this post, if you're wondering, is the name of a Ryan Adams album (and song) that I adore. I just thought it fit.

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For vacation, I had originally recreated the French mani with pink and white hibiscus flowers that I did earlier this month , but in the cleaning frenzy that usually leads up to a vacation for me, I totally ruined them :( So I decided to do something more travel-friendly, and more, well... me! So I took China Glaze 2NITE from the OMG collection and used Konad plate m79 to stamp metallic silver China Glaze Millennium clouds over it. The result of the chrome on holo is amazing in person. The silver clouds seem to be 3D. The almost float on the blue holographic background and as I move my hands the clouds seem sort of like they're moving against the background.

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Index to pinkie: (all China Glaze) Cherish, Metallic Muse, Adore, Cherish

Cherish: The yellowest of these greens, Cherish is from the Romantiques collection of frosty metallics. Careful application can negate most of the brush strokes when using this alone as a nail color, but it definitely has that tendency. When used as a Konad stamp, it is sublime; wonderful crisp images and gorgeous reflectivity.

Metallic Muse: This one is from the Khromes collection and these were a bit more smooth in application and a bit more reflective. It's the most minty of the three and is slightly lighter as well. It's sort of delicate. This one also makes an incredible Konad polish. I ran out  to Sally to look for it when the Nail Art Contest prizes came in and I saw in the prizes how amazing it looked. I had to have it, too. And luckily now i do!

Adore: I love this blue-green polish so much it's not even right. It does show brush strokes if you're not incredibly careful, but the vibrant ocean-like hue is so worth it. It makes an amazing stamp, just like the others.