I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...

For the past few weeks I've had Heems' latest album Eat, Pray, Thug on repeat – an album he has described as 'post-911 dystopian brown man rap'. The theme and horror of 911 is heavy in the album with songs such as 'Patriotic Act', 'Al Q8a' and 'Flag-Shopping' depicting what life was like for a Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and basically any brown person post-911. The line "And we yelled 'I'm just like you' as quietly and calmly as we could / So as not to raise too much attention and be labelled as a trouble maker" reminds one of the racial and religious struggles of that time. Heems also paints a picture of going flag shopping to show patriotism and to be displayed as a symbol showing his fellow Americans: 'I am not Osama'. In commemoration of Heems' struggle, and to celebrate the brilliant complex nature of this album I present you with the American Flag accent nail. 

To recreate this design simply paint all nails with two thin coats of a red polish. Once this base has dried create a small rectangular box in the left corner of your ring finger with blue polish, allow this section to dry completely. To complete the flag you'll need a striping tool, dotting tool and a white polish. Create thin vertical striples along the ring finger with the stripping tool, the switch to the dotting tool to create dots within the blue rectangle to mimic stars. Finally seal in the design with a fast-drying topcoat such as the Seche Vite Fast-Drying Top Coat. 

Would you wear patriotic nail art?

AM¥     XO

SALL¥ HANSEN X MADELINE POOLE . ECKHAUS LATTA A/W '15

One of my favourite aspects of New York Fashion Week is viewing the makeup, hair and nail styles that are paired with each collection – especially when the nail artist is Madeline Poole, Global Colour Ambassador for Sally Hansen. 

This season Madeline Poole has created a trending layered nail look for Eckhaus Latta's Fall/Winter '15 Runway Collection that is actually quite simple to recreate. Using a wide spectrum of fashionable colours from Sally Hansen's line, Madeline was able to create three distinct looks that require zero tools! Each look pairs well with an upcoming or current season, starting with our absolute favourite, Winter... note the sarcasm. "We've chosen three different colour ways based on the palette," says Madeline of her nail look, "We're using a mint green, metallic burgundy, camel, deep mauve and rose gold. The nail is a layered, distressed texture. By wiping the majority of polish off of the brush we are able to make organic brush strokes that when layered, look similar to cells under a microscope, creating a unique pattern on each fingernail." The shades used include the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure ($8.95) in Camelflage[*], Gilty Party, Commander in Chic, Jaded and Wine Not[*]. 

To re-create the dark burgundy nail, which is perfect for the current season, I've used a base of Wine Not topped with random, dry strokes of Commander in Chic, Jaded and Gilty Party. The next look, better suited for early Spring thanks to it's mix of mint green and deep mauve, uses Jaded as a base and is accented with random, dry strokes of the shades Commander in Chic and Camelflage. Finally, the easiest look of them all, which also features Jaded as the base, is simply accented with Camelflage and a hint of Commander in Chic to create a nail design that has me longing for the summer. 

Will you re-create these nail looks? What nail artist inspires you?

AM¥     XO

[*]Some of the items featured in this post have been sent to THE PRETT¥ VAIN for purpose of review. All views expressed reflect my own opinion on the product. For additional information please see the Disclaimer.

NAILS . LITTLE LITTLE BAM-BAMBI

Dear higher power, please bless my roommate and the new Essie Cashmere Matte collection. Why? Well, bless my roommate for finding an entirely new season of Project Runway All Stars to keep us occupied as I embarked on a two hour struggle to remove my shellac manicure. And bless the Essie Cashmere Matte collection for being so damn stunning – that's reason enough, right? The end result of my nail-athon, a matte manicure that is reminiscent of Bambi's cute little derrière.

Being an impatient beginner with a shaky hand doesn't bode well when you're a nail art lover, but thankfully there is the dotticure manicure, which looks stunning, yet requires minimal effort or talent. To re-create this look you'll simply need to apply three thin coats of Essie's All Eyes On Nudes over your favourite base coat – I've been a slave to OPI Nail Envy for years. Once dry, simply use a dotting tool and the Essie polish in Wrap Me Up to create various sized dots at the tip of the nail. I achieved the variation in size by using a heavy or lighter hand while dotting. Being that the polishes have a matte finish I chose to forgo a top coat, although you could apply a matte top coat, like the Nicole by OPI Matte Top Coat, to seal in your design.

I'm certain that this won't be the last nail art design I create with this collection.

Have you got your hands on these polishes yet?

AM¥     XO