We are obsessed with these pale blues in Essie’s new North Fork Limited Edition Collection. We can’t wait for spring weather to polish our little fingers with these bad boys! They just make us wanna go swimming! And be tan!

Available beginning April 2009 at http://essie.com/ and fine salons, spas worldwide. $9 each.

Lucky for you girls I’m gonna KISS and tell. I have no secrets from my readers (which may end up being a curse since now my friends know the true cheapskate I have become–lucky for me it’s the recession so all cheapness is considered responsible spending. Phew)

So as my loyal readers know, I have been trying to do home manicures whenever possible and I’ve become pretty talented too, rarely making any mistakes these days! The only downside to home manis is that I’m not quite at the point yet where I can give myself French manicure, just not there yet. But don’t fret, recessionistas, I found an even better solution to this quandary, KISS Press On Nails.

How many of you just fainted and vowed not to listen to a word I ever type again? Well you wouldn’t be alone. When I was asked to try this product out I had my doubts–big ones. I was like OMG Lee Press on nails are making a comeback? Seriously? I instantaneously pictured me trying them on and having one pop off during a work meeting or something uber embarrassing, which would leave me to be remembered as the ghetto, fake-nail wearing cheeseball.

Well, you know what I tried them on and they are the most amazing gift from heaven! They are nothing like Lee press on nails. Here’s why:

First of all, each package comes with 24 nails to ensure you get the perfect fit. You just go through and pick the 10 that match your nails and set them out and get your little glue applicator ready. You then put a dab of glue on the back of the press-on-nail and cover each of your nails in a thin layer of the (provided) glue. Each nail has a little tab on the end (patented technology) for easy application so you don’t have a hard time holding on. You let the glue dry for about 60 seconds and then you break off each tab and voila, you have a perfect smile-line French-manicure (I mean perfect!) And you can file the nails down just as if they were your own. They are available in different lengths too very short, short and medium.

The best part is that the white tip is fused into the “nail” when it’s created so it won’t peel off or chip! I wore mine for 10 days and they didn’t even sustain so much as a scratch. They recommend taking the nails off after about 7 but in true Recessionista style I left the remover (acetone) at my apt when I was camped out at my BF’s and was too cheap to spend $6 to buy the remover (available at any drugstore) so I didn’t take them off until the 10th day. Mine didn’t chip the slightest bit or even move a milimeter. I got a billion compliments on them too! They looked so feminine and natural. No one guessed for even one second that they were press on nails–which is really the best part. They just all thought I had gorgeous, long, manicured nails.

They are only $6. Here’s the hitch though, you have to buy the remover and that’s the pain. I’m a pretty impatient person and you have to soak your nails to take the nails off for about 10 minutes. It sounds simple enough but you have to rub them off on the brush inside. It’s not the quickest process but I think it was absolutely worth having a perfect chip-free French manicure (even better than any nail salon) for 10 days.

And just FYI–I was so rough on these nails I cooked dinner and cleaned the dishes (by hand) 4 nights during my test-run and they didn’t so much as fade in color or break.

I absolutely loved these! I’m definitely doing these for my spring break trip. Then I won’t have to worry about my manicure chipping and me not having nail polish to fill in the chips. It’ll be worry free bliss!

These nails are available online at www.walgreens.com.and will be available in all major drug stores nationwide starting in May 2009 including Target!

So ladies, earlier this month I wrote about my new love of Dashing Diva polishes and we got a question asking us about the Manhattan collection and Dashing Diva’s other polishes.

We just wanted to clarify some things–the new Manhattan collection is formulated without hte controversial ingredients: DBP, Formaldehyde and Toulene–ingredients which have been linked to negative health related conditions.  This new collection is the first of DD’s polishes to have this breakthrough feature along iwth long-lasting, chip-resistant polishes (that means though earlier collections aren’t free from these ingredients).

Don’t worry though–the Manhattan collection has over 100 nail polish shades for you to choose from. Named after adorable NY-moments (Central park after dark, Cosmopolitan, East Village, Red Carpet).

We’re obsessed with this health-friendly collection. Think about how many times you put your fingers in your mouth–I do NOT want formaldehyde in mine!

Dashing Diva polishes are available at all Dashing Diva locations as well as DashingDiva.com

They have such fun, interesting and trendy colors. Many designers featured the polishes in their Fashion Week runway shows (and hired the salon to prepare the models) Here are some of our faves we’ve tried out:

Cosmopolitan (sheer pink looks exactly like the cocktail)

Mulberry Street

NYPD Blue

West Village

We caught up with Dashing Diva, one of our fave NYC salons, backstage during fashion week to learn what hte new nail trends would be. (This is probably the only luxury at Fashion Week we’ll be able to afford this year!)

Dashing Diva did the nails at some of the hottest shows this year: Diane von Furstenburg, Catherine Holstein, Charlotte Ronson, and more! They have a fabulous line of colors they just released: The Manhattan Collection. Each shade is cleverly named after a New York State of Mind: Socialite, Mad About Madison, I’ll Pink to That, and many more.

Click here to check out the collection of charming colors.

Check out the Dashing Diva crew backstage…

Catherine Holstein chose Mulberry Street

Diane Von Furstenburg chose Cosmopolitan!

We’ve tested these polishes out ourselves and just love them. The colors stay on for longer than a week even with my picky fingers. We love manicured nails but can’t stop living life so generally our manicures don’t last too long. I was happily surprised to find that the Dashing Diva polishes really held up (I think even better than Essie, definitely better than OPI). Not to mention their exclusive formula is free from harmful elements like Toulene, Formaldehyde and DBP! We also love the brush (unlike OPI’s which we hate!) Polish goes on seamlessly.

Plus, we just adore the new colors! Hit Dashing Diva Salon to pamper yourself or swing by to pick up a fun new polish and do it yourself!!

Essie’s Spring 2009 Color Collection:

Eternal Optimist – Spiced Tea Rose

Flawless – Cherry Blossom Pink

Status Symbol – Feisty Hot Pink

One of a Kind – Poppy Red Kiss

Lacquered Up – Red Hot Crimson

Mesmerize – Royal va-va Blue

What do you think? We’re liking the Hot purple Mesmerize! We love funky nails!