This year nails are worn a little longer and in a “squoval” shape. What is a “squoval”? It’s a square-ish nail with a rounded tip. It’s a more natural shape, it sort of mimics the tip of the finger. Go moderate in length to be most current – not too long, not too short.

Dashing Diva’s Manhattan Collection is a line of 3-Free nail enamels. That means that the enamel is free of Phthalate, Toluene, and Formaldehyde.

A new favorite of mine is the slate-colored, matte Astor Place. It’s a smooth gray color that looks great on short as well as long nails. Other colors of note include the matte green Grand Central Station, deepest crimson-colored Dark PR, another matte in a purple called City That Never Sleeps, or gold-flecked Golden Opportunity.

You can find Dashing Diva nail enamel online or at your local Dashing Diva nail salon.

Image credit: Dashing Diva

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No doubt you’ve noticed that many fashion magazines and celebrity weeklies are trumpeting a certain beauty trend for fall—green nails…it’s a pale green iteration of this look that’s taking celebrity hands by storm. We’ll go so far as to say that jade tips were the it accessory at New York Fashion Week, as everyone from the sunnily stylish (like Rachel Bilson) to the quirkily cool (Alexa Chung) sought out this particular shade.

Below, see Drew Barrymore wearing the trend .

If you’d like to wear the trend in a 3 Free polish – that would be free from Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP – here are a few choices:

The color that started the trend, Chanel Jade is shown here with the Jade Rose…

Jade
$25
butter London has a slightly darker shade called Thames. It’s a “blue-green stunner,” that’s dramatic, but also classy and current.

You can recreate Drew Barrymore’s look at the Toronto Film Festival with FACE Stolkholm’s Nail Polish  in color #69.

Drew Barrymore image credit: Zuma Press
Chanel polish image credit: Chanel.com

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Here are my impressions…

*The bottles are good-sized and have a built-in dropper.  Convenient.

*The Cuti-Peelis a gel with little granules in it. The purpose of the Cuti-Peel is to soften and prepare the nail. It has the scent of violets and contains glycerin, Allatoin, and sweet almond oil.

*The Cuticle Nectar contains vitamins, sweet almond oil, and orange essence. It smells so good and it absorbs right into your nails and skin.  I loved it. I keep feeling my cuticles and they are soft, my nails have a sheen to them, like they are buffed. 

*I love that these products are simple  to use and made of natural ingredients, not a bunch of chemicals. My kids are out of town right now, but when they come home, I’m going to give them manicures.  They are going to love it!

If you’d like a chance to win both of these wonderful Dashing Divas nail products, then click here.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

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Did you know that in addition to spa manicures, Dashing Diva also carries a wide array of lovely nail enamels and nail care products. 

I love the variety and I appreciate that they carry a couple of natural nail products that are great for natural beauty fans, like us.

Cuticle Nectar is an orange-scented oil that nourishes and conditions both cuticles and nails.

Cuti-Peel is a cuticle remover made with glycerin, almond oil, and Allantoin. It smells of violets and it preps both nails and cuticles for polish.

Guess what?  Dashing Diva is sponsoring a cuticle-loving giveaway for Pretty By Nature. If you’d like to win these two natural nail products, please leave a comment on this post.  I’ll announce a winner next week.

If you are in NYC, the Dashing Diva, at 201 E. 15th St, at 3rd Ave, will be holding a fundraiser for “Team In Training,” on Tuesday April 7th, 2009, 5-8pm. 

“Team In Training,” raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event features a manicure and pedicure for $35, with 20% of that going to “Team In Training.”  The event is open to the public. Visitors will receive a gift bag and a free Cosmo cocktail. 

Lastly, if you are interested, I’ve still got a couple of giveaways open. You can find them here and here.  I will be closing both out at the end of the week. 

*All giveaways are open to readers in the US only.

Image credit: Dashing Diva.com

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I’m happy to say that Jenna is our winning commenter.  Jenna says that she just changed to a vegan diet. This giveaway is a good fit for her. Jenna, watch your email box for a message from me soon.

Please take a look at the new giveaways up today. Click here for details and keep watching Pretty By Nature for more giveaways. I will be hosting a number of them this month.

Thank you to everyone who commented and thank you for reading Pretty By Nature.

Image credit: Soulstice Spa.com

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This week’s question comes from Mary who is a teacher and wants to know the very best way to soften and moisturize your feet. As a former gymnast and coffee house serf, I am keenly aware of how important it is to care for your feet. I am also vain. I mean just when it comes to certain things, like my feet. I ALWAYS take care of my feet because I can’t stand rough feet and it makes me feel good. Make taking care of your feet a priority, they will thank you.

The first thing to do is soak your feet in some warm, soapy water. Just sit there and luxuriate for as long as you want or until the water gets cold I guess. A nice vibrating, bubbly feet soaker thingy would be a good investment. After your feet are comfy and plump, take a pumice stone and smooth all the rough spots. You may have to do it a couple of times, each time putting your feet back in the water to continue to soak. As an extra smoothing finish I then will slough off any leftover dry skin with a nice exfoliating scrub. You can try my almond foot scrub or I found this recipe that looks really yummy. Now here’s the part that really makes the difference. Rinse your feet and  just pat them dry. They shoudl still be a slightly damp. Then slather them in a nice oil and just sit there until it is mostly absorbed. The oil locks in the moisture so really be generous with it and massage it in, don’t forget your cuticles. I like to use more sweet almond oil mixed with a few drops of vitamin E oil. From there it’s simply daily maintenance. I use a nice thick lotion or body butter before bed and then put on some socks. I rarely ever wake up with them still on but every little bit helps. A couple of my favorites are Lush’s Running To The Embassy ( keep it in the cute little tin) and Badger Foot Balm.

In gymnastics you develop rough calluses on your hands that you typically don’t want to get rid of. However once I was no longer competing, I wanted them to go away, like yesterday. The thing that worked the best was Corn Huskers Lotion. It came as a recommendation from a friend who was a ballet dancer and was dealing with the same issues with her feet. So if you do have calluses on your feet, this might be something to try. Honestly, it does have a moderate hazard rating, so I would only use it if your problem is severe and I wouldn’t use it for too long.

Stick to this regime weekly and I promise you will see dramatic results immediately. My final recommendation is to invest in good shoes that support your back and give your feet room in the toe box. I can’t say enough about Dansko clogs. They changed my life. Pricey but they will last forever. OK not forever but close.

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Creative Nail Design Solar Oil is a really nice cuticle conditioner and nail strengthener. I just LOVE the smell of sweet almond oil so this is perfect for me. Apply it about an hour before you paint your nails and let it soak in. Make sure to wipe off any excess before applying the base coat and you will have the perfect home manicure. The above mentioned Dr. Hauschka’s Neem Oil also comes in a pen form that is really great for throwing in your purse for quick use. Swipe it on while at your desk so you won’t have to stare at your rough cuticles while you type, angry with yourself for being too lazy to do them last night. Oh wait, that’s just me and my paranoia. As if anyone else cares about my nails.

Nailtiques Oil Therapy is also a great treatment. I used their Nail Protein Formula 2 for years and it changed the condition of my nails dramatically. Pretty high hazard rating but you know it worked really well for me, so I can’t poo poo it. I will say use at your own risk. I have never actually tried Barielle’s Intensive Nail Renewal Oil but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. I have used other Barielle products (Ultra Soft Hand Cream and Total Foot Care Cream) and I can’t stop raving about them, so I’m pretty sure the quality is consistent. Those are a few of my suggestions but I’m sure there are a lot more. Also make sure to apply sunscreen to your hands. Who wants to look like you’re wearing leather gloves in the summer? “Not I”, said Vanity.

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As promised here is my top ten list of my favorite green beauty websites. They offer great gift ideas and lots of goodies for you. Some of these I have talked about before but gosh darn it, they deserve to be mentioned again, so there.

1. Saffron Rouge- Pretty much the online go-to for Eco cosmetics and skincare. Join Kirsten’s Inner Circle and get free samples every month.

2. Sephora-An obvious choice, but I just love them. If you haven’t “been to” Sephora then make it your New Year’s Resolution to come out from under that rock. Organic, natural, botanical and everything in between. Lovely makeup tools as well.

3. Green by Nature- I am so infatuated with their products I may just put together a gift basket for myself.

4. Lavera- A German company that uses Certified Organic ingredients. They have a wide range of cosmetics and skincare.

5. Sanre Organic Skin Food- Great products with a very “I made this in my bathroom” feel to it. Provide you’re into that kind of thing.

6. Naturopathica- Great spa type products. Excellent gift options for the high strung friend in your life.

7. Korres- Natch. There really isn’t much to say, they are perfect. No seriously.

8. Lush- Amazing products made with top notch ingredients. Fresher than fresh. Start the new year out with a bath bomb.

9. Lovelula- Organic and natural beauty and skincare with style. It’s like the younger sorority sister version of Saffron Rouge.

10. Upurea- Another great mega site bringing together the best offerings in specialized beauty and skincare.

 I hope you were all paying attention because there will be a test later. Let me know about other sites that are on your favorites list this year. Happy shopping.

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At the exclusive Eco-conscious Pre-Emmy Sonya Dakar Lounge, celebs, stylists, makeup artists, and reporters from E! Entertainment and Extra could not get enough of the vegan and eco-friendly line. Some even had a chance to get a SpaRitual mani or pedi.

The beautiful Danneel Harris (from the popular tv series One Tree Hill) certainly looked beautiful with her fresh manicure courtesy of SpaRitual and one of their latest fall shades called Shrewd.

All attendees of the event also walked off with a Green Girl Guide Gift Bag packed with eco-conscious beauty products including:

Well-Connected Massage Crème infused with wildcrafted Indian Frankincense (a way of harvesting that leaves the natural habitat as is)

Never Say Never – creamy lavender lacquer
Hijinks – gold tipped coral lacquer
Precocious – vibrant magenta lacquer

SpaRitual nail lacquers are bottled in recycled glass that is fully re-recyclable, and imprinted with water-soluble soy-based ink. The formula and the entire packaging make SpaRitual lacquers the “greenest” nail collection on the market.

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