OPI Pink of Hearts 2009

By now, everyone has probably seen an onslaught of pink products this month – you can buy practically everything in pink this month and with a portion of sales going to various breast cancer charities.

OPI goes about donating to the cause in an interesting way. OPI is transparent about the amount of money they are donating and where it goes:
• $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada; and,
• $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the United States.

In return, OPI hopes customers will support their efforts by purchasing OPI Pink of Hearts – an exclusive shade of light pink polish produced specifically in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Although it’s only supposed to be available in October at a professional salon near you and it sells out quickly, I’ve also seen it hanging around a bit longer so, it may not be too late.

Editor’s note:
I made a promise to you I didn’t keep. I said I’d publish one pink blog post every week during this month but I ended up skipping last week. Family first as they say but that’s not to say I’ll cut my weekly pink posts short. Instead, I’ll keep them running into October because like other diseases, breast cancer isn’t something limited to one month a year.

I mentioned I’d be sharing details about a contest at divine.ca, online destination for Canadian women. Unfortunately, it’s over now and my contact left the company during the program – sorry folks.

My long-lasting Blobar manicure secret revealed

By now you probably know that I <3 manicures and enjoy getting together with some of my girlfriends for mani-pedis. I often feel naked if I’m not wearing earrings or have my fingernails well groomed when I leave the house.

Keeping my nails neat and tidy takes a lot of effort. It’s tough going for weekly manicures – spending an hour getting my nails done and another half hour waiting for my nails to dry. Then praying they don’t chip or show wear and tear for several days between appointments.

So, you can imagine my delight when I saw the sign outside Blobar last August announcing a gel manicure service that lasts 3-4 weeks. Of course I walked inside to see if this was for real – it is. It’s a Axxium Gel System by OPI (I understand other companies offer a similar product). Maybe you’re thinking this isn’t anything new because you’ve been wearing gel nails for years. Well, actually it is because I am wearing my own nails. Both processes require the use of UV lamp. I did find evidence of Axxium dating back to 2008 but I hadn’t heard of it before and neither had all the women who complimented me on my lovely manicured nails from Toronto to Chicago and back.

A few weeks later, I had my first appointment with Jessica-Marie Ellison, “Canadian Nail Artist of the Year” champion several years running. I was getting ready to take a vacation and I needed to have pretty party nails one week later. I wanted bright red nails to match my party dress. I was skeptical but I took the plunge. I was’t disappointed. Beautiful shape, finish colour and... no drying time! Once the process was complete, my nails were done. No sitting around watching the clock waiting for my nails to dry.

My nails looked picture-perfect the night of the party. In fact, my nails looked pretty darn good for the next two weeks. I’ve had many manicures by many nail techs and I love Pema who has been doing my nails frequently at Cozy but I’ve never met anyone as gifted at shaping and finishing them as Jessica.

I went four weeks between manicures. By the time I saw Jessica for my touch-up, I had two chips in the polish. My nails still were beautifully shaped. The main reason I needed the appointment was because my nails had grown so much and my unpolished nail beds were becoming quite prominent.



My second visit was a bit confusing. I knew the polish had to be soaked off and the process takes longer than regular polish. What I didn’t realize was that it required a longer appointment and unless I specified I wanted to change colours when booking, a follow-up manicure meant full service as far as filing, shaping, cuticles and hand massage goes but as for the polish, I settled for a touch up. (Lesson learned: brush up on industry lingo and a bit of drying time is needed for a touch up appointment.) So now, five weeks later, I’m still wearing bright Big Apple Red (but I did break a tiny bit of corner or my thumb nail trying to change a battery.)

For my third visit, I’ve booked an extra 15 minutes so I can change colours. I’m going to try a gel French manicure the next time around. I’ll let you know how it goes.

As for the cost, a regular manicure sets me back $15-$20 plus tip and at least an hour and a half. It lasts me up to a week but with chips, nicks and splits. Gel manicures are about $45 for an initial application and a bit less for a touch up. Cozy Nails will be bringing them in too – I still love them when it comes to service but I think Jessica wins hands-down (pardon the pun) when it comes to the end result. She’ll also share some of her wealth of knowledge regarding industry news and products.

Keep an eye out on Blobar. Other services include blow dries, hair extensions, spray-on tans, false eyelashes and make-up applications and several other esthetic services. It’s run by instructors from George Brown who are planning some interesting events like “How to know your salon has proper hygiene practices” and “How to get the most out of the products in your cosmetic bag”.

:10 Minute Manicures

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you’ll know I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to my beauty regimen except when it comes to my nails. I love mani-pedis. So when I found myself with a long wait at the airport en route to Vancouver last Friday and spotted the :10 Minute Manicure kiosk, I had to check it out.

The service was fast and friendly. The polish selection is adequate and it’s private label so don’t expect to find your favourite shade of Essie or OPI. I missed the hand massage I’m used to at my regular salon – I could have splurged for one for an extra $7 but didn’t bother.

As for the final results, my nails looked great for the first day but that didn’t last long. Two days later, I had chips on 6 nails! I was on vacation, so it wasn’t like I was doing housework or working away at my keyboard. I usually can stretch a manicure for a week with fewer chips when I’m at home.

:10 Minute Manicure is a chain from Florida with five Canadian locations, three of which are at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, one at Ottawa International Airport and another at West Edmonton Mall. Manicures $20, various nail care, massage and teeth whitening services are also available. Their website says you can walk-in or call in for an appointment. However, in Toronto, they just seem to take walk-ins on a first-come-first served basis (i.e. customers were unable to make appointments even while at the airport).

Have you seen any interesting services or shops at the airport lately?

OPI e-romance collection: even too geeky for me

Okay, two of my favourite things are manicures and hanging out online with my friends. But a mash-up of the two, that just seems silly to me. Have you seen OPI’s e-romance collection? Did you know it’s wired for love? There’s even OPI e-romance e-cards. Why?

Maybe OPI’s marketing team thought they’d get more coverage from the bloggers. Maybe they were right. Doesn’t mean I’m buying. What about you?