Fierce February

This is the very first edition of our Fashion Events Calendar for 2012 and we have tons of great events to tell our readers about for the month. Many of them are streamed live on the web and the events that aren’t can always be found on Youtube after the fact. Plus you can always check out your fave designers websites for exclusives about their line.

Each listing provides basic info and a link to their official site where you can find more information about the event.

Never Ending Cycle

Like the days, weeks and months fashion marches on. Luckily we are pretty fast walkers and we think we can keep up… for a while anyway. Stay tuned for the March fashion events calendar.

The Big Winners

Congrats to our 7 big winners for snagging these amazing new polishes. We hope they will adore these lovely shades as much as we do (and that they’ll send us some pictures).

Another Chance

Don’t worry if you weren’t the big winner this time, right now we are giving away some amazing Erica-Renée shea products – there are two more prizes to be win!

Congrats to our 7 big winners and many thanks for everyone’s participation!

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I am Canadian. I am a licenced hairstylist, makeup artist and fashion manicurist.

Where are you located?
I am currently based in Singapore.

How long have you been in the industry and what inspired you to do nails?
I’ve been in the industry for 20+ years now. I’m… young at heart. When I did my hairstyling licence part of our licencing was in nails. So to be clear: I don’t do ‘nail art’ or acrylics/gels or any permanent type of extensions. I started off doing nails on my sets as many models really neglect their hands and you can’t have a beautiful shoot without all aspects coming together and then leave the hands out. What are you going to do? Gloves don’t work in every shot!

I guess what inspired me to do nails was my attention to detail.

Truly an international nail artist, you are a native of Ontario who relocated to Singapore in 2007. Is there a story behind that extreme move?
When I was dating my now husband he proposed to me and then 2 days later his company asked if he would relocate to Singapore. I was a single mother of 2 pre-teen girls at the time in Toronto. My career was booming; on my second makeover show, shooting every day, supportive agent and circle of friends and along came Mr Perfect…

My husband is lawyer. We moved to Singapore for his work. I’m lucky that my ‘office’ fits into a ‘box’; I have a ZUCA, best for whizzing your kit around the world as it fits in the overhead. [I bought my ZUCA after AA lost my kit on my way to do hair & makeup for Lady Antebellum. BTW: I MINXed Hillary which was still on for her InStyle shoot!]

You are back in North America now, how does Austin compare to Singapore?
And… I was in North America and now I am back in Singapore. LOL. Yes. Our entire household contents were shipped overseas three times.

The comparison… it’s all the same. I get asked this a lot. I feel anticlimactic when I say that but being on set here is no different, except they don’t cater for meals.

I’m used to the food spreads that we would have in Canada. Here you come to set and there’s pretty much no food. Some sets don’t even take a lunch. Relocating to Singapore was a challenge. You leave a market where you are well-known and requested on set weekly to entering a market where the culture is different and no one knows you. I wish I could say it was humbling but I would say it has been more frustrating than humbling. Thankfully the beauty PR people in NYC/LA and Canada know me so I’ve asked them to connect me with an intro to their brands here. MAC Cosmetics has been a huge supporter.

Although there were some difficult moments to start I’m pretty established in Singapore now. Since moving here in 2007 I have shot with Bazaar, Designare, ELLE, Seventeen, Alexis, Amica, Women’s Weekly, Her World etc. [Singapore editions]… I did a great spread for Bazaar December 2010 using the Silver and Gold Lightning Minx and due out next week a 4-page makeup/nail story for Alexis magazine and I just appeared on a celebrity charity episode of Cash Cab, Asia!

And it’s hard to beat all the exotic travel for work and pleasure! [I was just in Hong Kong for a weekend and by fluke, ran into Dawn and Janice from Minx Nails who were also in HK!]

You’ve worked in the celebrity world in a variety of areas including film, music videos and magazine shoots. Where is the most bizarre place you’ve given a manicure?
Hm… I’ve been given closets to work in on set. Not kidding. And always funny to hear the PM/client/A&R… whoever say “This is ok for you right?” Um… for what? Way to make someone feel validated on set… but sometimes the locations really don’t have space so you need to make do with what you have. [The ability to be adaptable is to carry your own lights too – I bought the Glamcor lights – amazing whether you need light for hair, makeup or nails!]

I’ve done beauty on the side of the road, in a proper film vehicle for makeup, in a closet, in a restaurant, on the fly in a moving vehicle… really the world of being on set is also being adaptable to various situations and just going with it. You have to be a ‘Yes! Can do!’ person.

Obviously you love Minx, do you have a favourite design?
For my personal wear I’m partial to the Gold Stud and the python… but I do become a kid in the candy store when I look at the styles available.

What makes Minx such a desirable product?
The versatility and how fast you can do it for sets and celebrities; and of course the zero drying time! Huge plus! When I did Hillary Scott’s Minx it was 30 minutes before she was jumping on a plane. When the last Minx was on, she was out the door in 2 seconds.

What other nail products do you endorse professionally?
I use OPI, Zoya, Sally Hansen, RMK, Chanel… Minx has been very supportive and with me being in Singapore they have still managed to get Minx to me with short timelines for shoots.

Your career has taken you in front of the camera as well. Do you prefer to be in the spotlight or behind the scenes?
I love both. I’ve always loved to entertain [I think I’m entertaining…]; when I was a teen I was heavily involved with the drama club at my High School and often said I would be an actress. I also did hair and makeup for productions in school as early as Grade 6! I guess becoming a hair & makeup artist / fashion manicurist and with my drama club years, it’s allowed me to do both.

I can walk and chew gum at the same time! [Just not in Singapore. Gum’s illegal]

But, I know when it’s not about me. I show up with my ‘set style’ – barefaced, ponytail and gear ready to beautify whoever is in my hot seat. I never jump in for celeb photos because I think their time is with me, not another photo-op… although I am curious what my peers think? Agree or not? I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts.

Which nail products do you use on your own nails at home?
EVERYTHING. Anything I use in my kit I try first on myself and my teen daughters; friends too if they are lucky.

How do you feel about nail products that are tested on animals?
I do my best to have a clean, ethical and morally friendly kit – how I feel is like asking someone about their religion or their political stance, it’s a can of worms that is not a win-win.

Be a good person, do your best and then some, be sweet to everyone without ulterior motives … I truly believe and live this way and I am totally ok with sounding cliché.

What are the benefits of salon care versus caring for your nails at home?
Details. Sure, it’s always good to upkeep and DIY at home but with all the facial anti-aging tricks women forget their hands and your hands, my friends, will reveal your true age if you aren’t careful, so both at-home care and salon care is important.

Any superstar tips for those who like to do their own nails at home?
Don’t soak them. Madge was so 80s, [for those who know the old Palmolive ads].

Use cream and cuticle oils every time you wash your hands and sunscreen whenever you go outside.

Out of everyone in the world (regardless of era) whose nails would you like to do and why?
Bradley Cooper because then I have an excuse to hold his hand; although, I’d probably fumble and drop all my tools and look like an idiot. [Husband read: Megan Fox so I can tell you that I worked on Megan Fox.]

All nails aside, what else gets you out of bed in the morning?
Responsibility and a Triple Tall Dry Cappuccino from Starbucks…

If you could have a superpower what would it be?
The power to read minds. It would help on a daily basis. But then I would need to be able to shut it down…

Many Thanks

Thanks to Andrea for answering our questions and sharing a little more about her amazing career. To learn more about her and her work be sure to visit their website www.aclairebeauty.com.

Stay tuned for more interesting interviews with other fun & fearless members of the nail industry.

Leave it to Us

We are always offering ideas for colouring your nails (and the rest of you for that matter) and thought if we broke them down by season it might be more useful to our readers. Summer is not too far off, so while this page is slim now, it will continue to grow as we add ideas and posts. We only have a few seasons warm enough to bare our toes, so we’ve always got catching up to do!

Finding nail colour has never been made easier, unless of course, you have a hard time with decisions…

Summer Nails

Summertime is the toes time to shine and that means paying attention to more than just fingernail colours. It’s also a good time to let your freak flag fly and enjoy being you. Here are some sinfully summery tutorial collections to help you get thing started.

Choosing Varnish Shades for Summer

We’ve been offering tips for choosing nail colours since last summer and are quickly coming back around to another summer of shades. We’ve provided a great selection of ideas to help you choose summer nail shades for a variety of summer situations with links to the perfect colours in our store.

Planning for Spring/ Summer 2012 Nail Trends

Speaking of fashion, we love to cover as many fashion events as we can and in doing that we’ve learned a thing or two about colour trends for the coming year. Our summer planning guide combines elements from each designer at the recent fashion weeks around the globe for some serious fashion colour sense.

Varnish Colours for Summer Skin Tones

Summer tones tend to be a combination of cool and muted and they generally have pink undertones to their skin. Hair ranges from ash blonde to deep ginger and eyes are usually blue or green. If you are a summer tone, we’ve got a fab list of colours for summers to choose from, whatever the time of year you are looking.

Choosing Varnish Shades for Life

Things just come back to life in the summertime and as winter falls into distant memory things start to move again. Life gets moving and you find yourself showing more and more bare skin – but we expect no bare nails! We’ve got some timeless ideas to help you choose nail shades to get you through daily life.

Sweetly Summer Nail Art Tutorials

We’ve collected a huge selection of tutorials with ideas for fun summer nail art. From colours to patterns, we love to give you as many ideas as possible. Here is a fabulous list of summer nail art tutorials that cover everything from bold fashion inspired ideas to fruity FIMO to tropical themes and motifs.

If Only

It’s not warm yet, but we’re tropical dreaming. Be sure to take a look at some advice for selecting spring shades and stay tuned for plenty more ideas to come.

How to Enter

Simply leave a comment below what you use shea butter for. We understand you are busy so we want to make winning (and softer skin) as simple as possible. Do you use it for cracked heels, chapped lips or healing scars? We want to know your shea secret!

All you have to do is leave us a comment below telling us your favourite use for shea butter. If you don’t have a shea beauty secret in the family, come up with your own to pass on!

The Prizes

Two lucky readers will have softer skin after this week with a selection of shea butter options to enjoy. The Rosie & Geranium prize winner will receive one of each Organic Shea Butter, and Rosie & Geranium Whipped Shea Butter. The Lavender Fields prize winner will receive one of each Organic Shea Butter & Lavender Fields Whipped Shea Butter.

The Rules

As always feel free to comment as often as you like (we enjoy hearing what you have to say) but you will only be entered in the contest once. To read the full terms of our Erica-Renée giveaway, visit the terms and conditions. The winner will be randomly chosen, so everyone has an equal chance to win the prizes.

You have until 11:59pm on Friday night 10th February to enter, so get writing and good luck!

*Update: The prize giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered, these prize giveaway couldn’t have happened without your participation . Winners will be announce on Wednesday but stick around as we have another prize giveaway competition this week too.

Thanks to everyone who has entered our a-england giveaway over the past week and left us a comment letting us know which a-england colour they like best. We love them all so we know what a hard decision it was for you all.

The Reward

For letting us know which colour you love yesterday, you may have won a bottle of Saint George for your very own. We’ll be selecting the winner randomly so everyone has an equal chance at the polish. This has been an exciting week of giveaways and we’ve got more in store. Next week starts our Erica-Renee Sinfully Shea giveaway among other goodies on our calendar.

Today is the final day of our giveaway and we’d like to thank everyone who visited and participated again for their support. We’ll let you know who won the colours next week and be sure to check out our Erica-Renee Sinfully Shea giveaway starting tomorrow.

*Update: Thank you to all who entered, the prize giveaway is now closed. Check out the winners & if you weren’t lucky enough to win this time don’t worry, you can enter our latest prize giveaway competition now.

Today is the last day of our a-england Legend Giveaway week and we have just one more of the amazing colours from the new a-england collection to give away as we close the week.

Sundays Prize

Today’s prize is a bottle of Saint George, deep, intense deal blue with a deep gleaming finish. This is a fab colour to celebrate grand Saint George and we will wear ours with pride. Something about it is slightly masculine, but for such a unique shade it will be easy to wear and look great with many of the latest fashion trends.

Tell us what you think! Leave us a comment below telling us what’s your favourite a-england colour and why (it doesn’t have to be from the new collection) for a chance to win. You have until 11:59pm tonight for a shot at the last colour.

The Rules

Leave as many comments as you like on today’s post, but you’ll only be entered once to win the bottle of Saint George. All winners will be randomly selected, so everyone has an equal shot at the final prize. For full giveaway rules, visit the official terms & conditions. Good luck everyone and be sure to check out the whole collection in our store.

The Reward

For letting us know which colour you love, you may have won a bottle of Princess Tears for your very own. We’ll be selecting the winner randomly so everyone has an equal chance at the polish and there is only one more chance to win one of the amazing new a-england collection shades.

Be sure to come back at 8am tomorrow (5th Feb) for a chance to win a bottle of Saint George, the last shade in the new collection we have to give away.

*Update: Thank you to all who entered, the prize giveaway is now closed. Check out the winners & if you weren’t lucky enough to win this time don’t worry, you can enter our latest prize giveaway competition now.

Today is the sixth day of our a-england Legend Giveaway week and we are glad to announce we have two more of the amazing colours from the new a-england collection to give away.

Saturdays Prize

Today’s prize is a bottle of the lively Princess Tears, a soft shimmering lilac with a slightly glowing grey/ green opalescent finish. Perhaps the girliest of the Legend collection, we love this shimmering shade – it’s on our top three list of the collection. While we don’t like the idea of princess tears anymore than the next girl, if the colour is amazing, well…

Tell us what you think! Leave us a comment below telling us what’s your favourite a-england colour and why (it doesn’t have to be from the new collection) for a chance to win. You have until 11:59pm tonight for today’s colour.

The Rules

Leave as many comments as you like on today’s post, but you’ll only be entered once to win the bottle of Princess Tears. The other great news is if you win today you can still come back and try for tomorrow’s colour. All winners will be randomly selected, so everyone has an equal shot at the prizes. For full giveaway rules, visit the official terms & conditions. Good luck everyone and be sure to check out the whole collection in our store.

The Reward

For letting us know which colour you love, you may have won a bottle of Princess Sabra for your very own. We’ll be selecting the winner randomly so everyone has an equal chance at the polish and there are 2 more chances to win one of the amazing new a-england collection shades.

Be sure to come back at 8am tomorrow (4th Feb) for a chance to win a bottle of Princess Tears, the next shade in the new collection.