manicure on Kitten Lounge

February 07, 2013

Trendy Thursdays: Via Our Experts ~ Celebrity Manicurist Jade Morales

Today is officially NYFW FW2013, so you know a number of posts will be on here covering backstage, runway shows, presentations, parties and more. With it being NYFW and next week (on this very day) being Valentine's Day, we had to reach out to Celebrity Manicurist Jade Morales (at Oprah's HARPO Studios, you would find her doing celebs nails) to ask how we can have our hands ready for this week as well as the day of love! Here she provides some tips. Although she is Chicago based and can be found at George The Salon (which has signature manicure services) and the Four Seasons!

Valentine's Day Manicure Tips

Making the Cut: Cutting your own cuticles before your manicure is a big no no. It's so easy to cut so much more than you have to. Note to self, leave it to the nail technician.

Polish Away: Pre and post manicure, the guest should not have to do anything. A good nail technician should be able to do everything for the guest starting with removing any old polish to perks like customized scubs and massages. Just bring yourself and enjoy the manicure.

French Kiss: A french manicure is an elegant and classic way to wear your nails. For polish perfection, start with Essie's base coat followed by 1 coat of Adore-A-Ball by Essie then Blanc by Essie for the tip with another coat of Adore-A-Ball by Essie over that finished with a top coat of Seche Vite.

Smooth as Silk: Opt for a special scrub during your manicure to ensure oh so soft and touchable hands. Right now, I am loving the Organic Sugar Olive Oil Scrub I am doing for clients. The olive oil is super hydrating for the skin since its oleic acid helps to soften and the vitamin E improves elasticity. The sugar exfoliates to get rid of any dead skin cells which results in smooth glowing hands.

Make it Last: It's always good to apply a top coat 2 or 3 days after your manicure so it can last longer. A quick dry top coat always helps.

by: Kimmie Smith 1 Comment
Filed under: Beauty, Trendy Thursdays, nyfw, Via Our Experts
Tags: beauty, manicure, chicago, silk, Backstage, Oprah, valentine's day, essie, polish, blanc, scrubs, CUT, Top Coat, seche vite, celebrity manicurist, Hydrating, clients, cuticles, massages, base coat, french kiss, NYFW FW2013, Jade Morales, HARPO Studios, celeb nails, George the Salon, Four Sons, nail technician, perks, Adore-A-Ball, organic sugar olive scrub

April 14, 2012

Swoonfest Saturdays: Events ~ Duane Reade Look

Last night, I made my way down to Duane Reade's Look Boutique 40 Wall St location as Christine Tsang of Tineey.com was one of the bloggers hosting this event as she is apart of their VIP Blogger Program. This location is housed in what was a bank which is why it's such an expansive space with fabulous archways. In addition to being able to shop for many of your favorite brands, there are products that are exclusive to Duane Reade Look Boutique such as Gosh Cosmetics (Denmark based and very popular in Europe; however it is exclusive to Duane Reade in terms of being in the US). In addition, they have an eyebrow station, lash station, hair salon (blow outs, wash - this isn't for a color or other types of intensive treatments, nail salon (polish change and with OPI and Essie products). I love that the nail salon area is actually housed in what was Davd Rockefeller's office which still has the mantle that is original to the space. In addition, there are Swarovski Chandeliers throughout the Look Boutique and even in the fireplace of David Rockefeller's former office!

It was a great event to see what Duane Reade is doing within their stores regardless of whether it's a Look Boutique or a regular store. Definitely check out these special stores as they are sprinkled throughout the city and even your local Duane Reade may have unique options that will make your day to day a lot easier.

by: Kimmie Smith 0 Comments
Filed under: Events, Swoonfest Saturdays
Tags: Hair, nails, manicure, pedicure, salon, wash, OPI, lashes, essie, Eyebrow, bank, Duane Reade Look Boutique, Christine Tsang, Tineey.com, David Rockefeller, blow outs, VIP Blogger Program

April 12, 2011

Treasure Tuesdays ~ Spring Break Kick Off

Kimmie's Gimmies Spring Break Tweet Event ~ 04.14.11 @ Polished Beauty Bar 8pm

Above image provided by Seafolly, photographed by Max Doyle

Forget about the up and down weather that we have been having lately, we know that Summer will come to us or we will go to it! I can't lie that I am super excited to be heading to the DR later on this month for a few days to soak in some much needed sun! With that said, we may not be in college anymore but Spring Break reminds us of the times when we would pack up to fun locations where you only needed bikinis, maxis and more to be dressed for any and all occasions. Now this same theme reminds us to book our long weekends, take a week off and to also prep for consistently warm weather!

With that, we're super pumped to launch Spring Break on Kitten Lounge starting next week on April 18th - the 29th! You'll find out what bikinis we're loving, how to dress it up and you won't have to wonder what travel accessories and coverups are a must for your upcoming trips! We're loving the beach loving look of Seafolly and you'll be introduced to more brands coming up over the next two weeks so you're set for Spring and Summer! We'll have fun videos and more and I'll connect to you via Dominican Republic as I will be enjoying my own days away while designing my upcoming Spring 12 collection for Sebago! But a proper kick off would be nothing without a party! This Thursday night we're kicking off Kimmie's Gimmies Spring Break Tweet Party in the most essential way possible, 10 bloggers that I'm loving right now will join me for manis and some "getting Spring Break ready" advice by Celebrity Nail Stylist and Polished Beauty Bar owner, Susan Nam at her UWS salon. After getting our nails done, I'm sharing some of my must have's for the Spring/Summer of 2011. We'll include beauty, apparel and fashion brands (we have some fun brands that we can tell you about including Batiste and Skagen Denmark but will let you know day of who will be joining in on the fun) and we'll let you know what to keep an eye out for while also being able to give you opportunities to win giveaways. We'll stream as well as tweet away! Then come back on Mon as we start sharing our daily style spreads for Spring Break! We'll be tweeting and following the hashtag #KLSpringBreak.

by: Kimmie Smith 0 Comments
Filed under: Treasure Tuesdays, Kimmie's Gimmies, Spring Break 2011
Tags: spring, summer, manicure, mani, Bikinis, Spring Break, Dominican Republic, Seafolly, Skagen Denmark, Sebago, Polished Beauty Bar, Susan Nam, Batiste Hair, Celebrity Nail Stylist

April 02, 2009

Trendy Thursdays: ~ Chicago Edition Mojo Spa

Chicago was so much fun and although I enjoyed all the boutiques, restaurants and more - one place that definitely has me thinking that I should visit it again when I come back in June! As my friend and I headed out to check out all these interesting places, we came upon the Mojo Spa. Now there are so many reasons why I enjoyed this spa. I love that they had handmade soaps and that you could purchase them within their cute packaging - this is ready for gifting! I wish that I could show you the super cute cake that is cute into individual "slices" which becomes a gorgeous soap cake!

When we came in, we were embraced by an amazing series of scents and we basically received a feast for the eyes with all of the soaps, jewelry and did I forget to mention that they also do pedicures and manicures as well? We saw a bridal party (and much like Dashing Diva which now seems like a distant memory) which makes this an obvious place to go for a group event. But in addition to offering beverages, they have brunches (with full on menus), tastings by Amanda, they have DJ's and it just makes it a fun place to go! When you're in Chicago, this is a must and I hope to come back in June to get a treatment. If you can't make it, Mojo Spa has a full selection of products available online and if you happen to know of something that is available (the sliced cake for example) but isn't on the site, you can call in your order. I wouldn't gush about something that is so cute and I look forward to touching base and finding additional items to share with you and of course images from my visit in June when I go!

Trendy Thursdays: ~ Chicago Edition Mojo Spa

9 Photos: View as Gallery | View as Slideshow

by: Kimmie Smith 0 Comments
Filed under: Trendy Thursdays, Chicago Edition
Tags: cake, beauty, manicure, pedicure, june, chicago, Homemade, Mojo Spa, private parties

October 09, 2008

Trendy Thursdays: Dashing Divas

You guys know that I love Dashing Diva. I have been getting my nails done there since 2003 or so! I have always loved how relaxed I feel when I'm there. Going from a super happy patron to someone who has attended their events and gotten to know the team including Robert and Alisha, it's nice to get a better understanding of my favorite salon and also seeing them step into new areas! I was so pleased to see a few things that have popped up over the past few days and had to share it with you!

Jennifer Hudson stopped by at my favorite location on 3rd Ave and 15th street to get her nails done for the shoot of the online video "SpotLight" (I love this song and can't wait to see this). For those who want to sport her look, she selected Lolly Lilac. Of course, one of Dashing Diva's newest members of the team (who I took video of during Fashion Week, backstage at Erin Featherston), Alisha Rimando the Head Nail Tech extraordinaire, worked on Jennifer's nails to make sure they were perfect for her shoot! What a star studded day!

The good news doesn't stop there as Dashing Diva continues to walk the pink carpet in the celebrity zone. Between now and Oct 15th, Dashing Diva has partnered with ABC Daytime and SOAPnet for a nationwide sweepstakes. Whether you're in LA or in NYC, participating salons will allow you to fill out a card to enter. While enjoying the salon between noon and 3pm and/or 5pm and closing, you will be able to catch up on all the details of your favorite ABC soaps including: All My Children, General Hospital and One Life to Live! Winners will receive, 12 free Spoiled Diva Manicures (jealous as you will enjoy skin softening micro-dermabrasion treatment, of course the big finish is a luxurious white willow scented massage for velvety smooth hands) and a $1,000 Revolve.com gift card!

I am so excited and can't wait to let you know about new things that are coming up for Dashing Diva and maybe we'll get to preview some of those amazing colors that Robert was telling me about during Fashion Week!

2 Photos: View as Gallery | View as Slideshow

by: Kimmie Smith 0 Comments
Filed under: Beauty, Trendy Thursdays
Tags: ABC, LA, nyc, diva, dashing, manicure, nail, hudson, soaps, robert, cleary, tech, Jennifer, SpotLight, Alisha, Daytime, SOAPnet, All_My_Children, One_Life_To_Live, General Hospital, Revolve.com

June 30, 2008

Mingling Mondays ~ NYC Get Your Pedicure

When I get my weekly mani's and my bi-weekly pedi's, there is only one place that I run to (I simply refuse to go anywhere else)! Dashing Diva has multiple locations all over New York City and they are definitely my sanctuary when I need a little time out! I love their pink colors, plenty of colors, fun events and so much more. I do enjoy going on Fri's to get my pedicure and manicures with a nice cosmo (I was also a huge fan of their wine pedicure as well) Recently, Kitten Lounge attended Dashing Diva's event which had the cast of Legally Blond the Musical in attendance doing a Bend and Snap competition. The pictures included below are courtesy of Sarah Conley which you can see more of her coverage on Style It! This location which was off of Union Square is my favorite one to go to! It was really cute to see the cast members together and to see the winners of the Bend and Snap competition!

Dashing Diva definitely loves the Kitten Lounge and its readers and is providing 3 Elle of a Pedicures (fit for Ms Elle Woods herself) which we will be giving away on this site on Fri the Fourth of July at noon! Getting a complimentary pedicure at the 3rd Avenue location (149 3rd Ave btwn 15th/16th) is definitely an amazing treat and a great way to enjoy the summer as well. To be one of the three winners, simply tell me your favorite pedicure shade (regardless of brand) as many of us go a little daring on our toes when it's the summer! All entrants must have access to NYC as it is valid here and all entries must be included as comments within this post. With so many shades, you're bound to find a favorite - my favorite "Chelsea in the Buff" or Vanilla -Rama (when it comes to mani's) and anything deep and vixen like when it comes to my pedi's.

by: Kimmie Smith 0 Comments
Filed under: Events, Beauty, Mingling Mondays, Giveaway, Jetset, Win It
Tags: pink, new, colors, wine, Elle, Giveaway, style, city, cosmopolitan, sarah, conley, Events Kitten Lounge Covered, york, Giveaway Goodies, woods, nyc, july, fourth, diva, it, dashing, union, competition, manicure, chelsea, pedicure, blond, musical, cast, square, snap, mani, toes, bend, legally, buff, pedi