Vanity Projects Brings Artisan Nails to Design District

Miami is an overdressed city. Haters (and sexists) might see this quality as part of the city's stereotyped superficiality. But Vanity Projects founder Rita Pinto sees it differently: Miamians simply like to treat themselves like art. Their nails are no exception.

Vanity Projects isn't your average nail salon. Though it specializes in luxury gel manicures with carefully curated custom nail art from celebrated nail artists, the shop offers a wide range of services at varying price points, such as traditional one-color lacquer manicures and pedicures and a weekly discounted gel art special.

Now the high-art nail salon can be found at its new location, in Paradise Plaza in the Design District. Since it first opened in Little River in 2015, the salon has garnered reliable and eclectic clients. They'll likely follow the salon to its new location, which Pinto says will put her business closer to designer shoppers wanting high-end manicures to match their luxury purchases. Pinto took the risk to relocate to better align her vision for the salon with Miami's booming art and design industries.

“I was very excited to be positioned so close not only to luxury brand businesses but, more important, to the ICA,” says Pinto, recalling Design District developer Craig Robins' proposition to move. Pinto hopes to collaborate with the newly opened Institute of Contemporary Art through talks, classes, and visits.

Pinto founded Vanity Projects in New York City in 2013, after a post-recession career shift from the world of high art. She had been an independent curator of exhibitions in New York, London, Greece, Italy, and other locales until the fall of Lehman Brothers and the stock market crash made that career path untenable, she says. She set her sights on a niche business venture with an artistic and curatorial angle. Since then, Vanity Projects has quickly become a forerunner in the booming nail art industry.

Although the Miami franchise is Vanity Projects' second location, Pinto says it's "almost our hub now" since she chose to relocate to Miami with it in 2015. That decision stemmed from five years of participating in Art Basel nail art pop-ups, where she became acquainted with megatalented nail artists that now compose her core team here.

"I only knew Miami in this sort of Art Basel stratosphere," Pinto confesses. “It’s a beautiful place... the artists, the talent, were what drew me, and the space and place was what kept me here."

In addition to boasting a crew of professional nail artists, Pinto also hosts a residency program for celebrated nail artists from around the world. "We're very committed to creating a dialogue within the cultural community here, so I took the art-world concept of an artist-in-residency program and turned it into a nail-artist-in-residency program," she says.

Top 7 Indian fashion designers

1. Sabyasachi Mukherjee

He is one of the Associate Designer Members of Fashion Design Council of India and the youngest board member of the National Museum of Indian Cinema. He has designed costumes for Bollywood films such as Guzaarish, Baabul, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Raavan, and English Vinglish. Sabyasachi’s celebrity clientele also includes Rani Mukerji, Sridevi, Tabu, Shabana Azmi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sushmita Sen and Kareena Kapoor Khan to name a few.

2. Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra started his career as a model while studying at the Elphinstone College in Mumbai. Though he did not have formal fashion design training, he was attracted towards costume design due to interest in clothes, costumes and art. His first film as a designer was Swarg for Juhi Chawla. He later won a Filmfare Costume Award for the film Rangeela. Since then, he has worked in costume design and styling for many actors and style icons. Malhotra has dressed some of the leading actresses in Hindi cinema such as Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut, Alia Bhatt and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

3. Ritu Kumar

Ritu Kumar began her fashion business in Kolkata, using two small tables and hand-block printing techniques. Beginning with bridal wear and evening clothes in the 1960s and 70s, she eventually moved into the international market in the subsequent two decades. In 2013 she was given the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. Her clothes have been worn by celebrities such as Princess Diana, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Madhur Jaffrey, Kalki Koechlin, Dia Mirza, Soha Ali Khan and Jemima Goldsmith.

4. Masaba Gupta

At age 19, she applied for Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai with support from renowned fashion designer Wendell Rodricks. She specialises in ethnic wear for women and her choice of fabric material, colours and prints are very inspiring. She is known for her beautiful prints and motifs that are eye-catching and this makes her fashion taste different from other designers who specialize in diverse areas.

5. Neeta Lulla

Neeta Lulla is an Indian costume designer and fashion stylist who has worked on over 300 films. She has been designing wedding dresses since 1985. Her name became inseparably associated with Bollywood after actresses Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit wore her costumes in the film Devdas. Neeta Lulla has designed for Shilpa Shetty, Aishwarya Rai, Sridevi, Sapna, Salma Azad, Isha Koppikar and Juhi Chawla.

6. Anamika Khanna

She is the first female Indian fashion designer to display her collections at the Paris Fashion Week held in 2007. Anamika was offered an exclusive contract by British Retail Giant Harrod’s after her participation in the London Fashion Week in 2010. Dhoti saree that everyone is raving about right now is her brainchild. Anamika Khanna has been recently nominated for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. She was also invited by the Royals at the official start of UK-India Year of Culture, the couturier was invited by the Queen of England and Duke of Edinburgh at the Buckingham Palace to grace the occasion.

7. Sandeep Khosla

He is best known for his ability to infuse Indian craftsmanship and textile heritage with European tailored silhouette. His signature is to combine traditional aesthetics with modern design. In 2012, Judi Dench wore Khosla’s design for BAFTA.

The Once-Polarizing Scrunchie Makes Its Way Back to Fashion

What comes around goes around, even for the objects that adorn the tops of our heads. With that, fashion followers have extended a warm “welcome back” to one of the Eighties’ most polarizing accessories: The Scrunchie.

For the last decade, scrunchies have led a dual life: Decried as a faux pas by the fashion mainstream while also playing the role of hipster tiara for American Apparel employees and Silver Lake, Los Angeles’ larger population.

Recently, however, scrunchies have begun attracting wider appreciation — perhaps a runoff effect of the Eighties’ renaissance trend. By some indications, scrunchies are on the cusp of a full revival — popping up at each echelon of the pricing spectrum.

Urban Outfitters has display racks dedicated to the scrunchie — offered in materials spanning from velvet to satin. The hair ties are a cute marketing gimmick for the Instagram-famous label Maison Cléo; the brand — based in Lille, France and known for its diaphanous, trendy blouses — sends shoppers a free scrunchie with each order.

To accompany its resort 2018 collection, Balenciaga cinched models’ hair with scrunchies — or chouchou, as they are known in French — theirs made of lambskin and priced at nearly $200.

Rare Market — the buzzy Gangnam, Seoul boutique owned by Dami Kwon, sister of G Dragon and Jessica Jung, the former lead singer of Girls’ Generation — used scrunchies as a glam-rock styling foil in the latest look book for its rising in-house brand, We11Done.

The scrunchie trend ironically rolled back into fashion circa 2010, when Dov Charney blanketed American Apparel’s cash wrap shelves with the fluffy hair tie, a maneuver to recycle and profit from fabric scraps.

This season, it would appear these efforts have finally materialized. From Seoul to Los Angeles, early adoptors of this scrunchie revival praise the accessory’s blend of style and comfort.

New York-based art director Raine Trainor, an avid scrunchie fan, said of the trend: “I like them because they can coordinate with an outfit or completely throw it off with a totally different pattern. They’re gentle on most hair types, which is why I wear them working, traveling, at the beach — they don’t damage my follicles like a normal rubber band.”

Amid this Eighties redux-induced haze, a luxury scrunchie brand has emerged. Comfort Objects, an accessories label based in Denmark, repurposes vintage Hermès scarves and converts them into silken scrunchies, priced at $112.

Festive Nail Art By Expert Nail Charmer Sarah Nguyen

You may have noticed the epic nails in the Pat McGrath “Beauty Is Everything” shoot for the December issue of Vogue, the handy work of nail tech, Chrmd By Sarah, Sarah Nguyen. Originally from California but now based in New York, Sarah has only been doing nails professionally for a year and a half and is already being requested by legendary make-up artist Pat McGrath. Prior to going pro, Sarah worked in fashion retail.

“Nails were kind of a hobby that I picked up. I was going through a break-up so I wanted to clear my mind and I thought: ok, I’ll just go to school and get the license. That was four years ago," she told us. "I then moved to New York and nails were still on the back-burner, and then last year I quit retail altogether and just dove right in.”

On set, Sarah’s nail kit is extensive. Boxes and boxes of crystals and glitter and nail jewellery, most of which I’ve never seen before. She also introduces me to the KiraKira+ app, the sparkle-amplifying filter which lends itself very well to Sarah’s nail aesthetic. Her signature nails which are always long and almond shaped are so ornate and decadent that it seems fitting to show them off during the festive season. They might even spark the nail artist in you.

The nails for the December issue demonstrated Sarah’s style and penchant for decadent nail creations. Model Leomie’s nails were a classic red, Sarah’s favourite nail shade. “Red is just so classic, it’s such a signature look and it always speaks power and volume. You could be dressed all in black and you could have a bright red nail and even if it’s embellished or not, it speaks volumes.”

Leomie’s nails were "almost Art Deco-like" with a long rim of Swarovski bar crystals with metal rods and a half moon at the base. "They're like a pendant for a necklace. My nail designs are decadent, ornate, sculptures. Always with gold with some form of embellishments with Swarovski. I get inspired by so many different things. Gates and doorways that have decadent style. And jewellery, I love vintage jewellery and Faberge which is a really big inspiration and I’ve even been inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s jewels.”

Although Sarah won’t divulge where she gathers all her incredible nail gems, crystals and jewels from - “you can’t tell everyone, everything!” - she does offer a bit of supply advice for budding nail artists. “A good starting point is Ocean Nail Supply online, they have so many different little studs and jewels and adornments for nails and you can also try Nail Labo, which is a Japanese company. These are the two main nail companies to start with as they have a wide range of nail accessories”.

How to find the perfect lipstick shades for Indian skin tones

India is a mix of cultures, each more different than the other. Equally diverse are the skin colours of the people in our country, ranging the entire spectrum of fair to lusciously dark. With this comes an obvious observation: there's no such thing as the perfect lipstick for an Indian woman, because you never know what her skin colour may be and which undertones suit her. However, most Indian complexions are warmer as opposed to cooler with gold undertones, so that's a definite starting point when shopping for lipsticks.

As with everything else, the final rules of what you use on your face are the ones you make for yourself, but a little help to guide you along doesn't hurt. Read this before you head out to find the perfect lipstick shades for your skin tone.

Light
If you fall under the ‘light' bracket that covers everything from almost white to a warm beige, lipsticks with bluer, cooler undertones are perfect for you. Think a fuchsia pink, a scarlet red, bright corals and salmon nudes.

Medium
If you're anywhere between a wheatish colour to a copper, you fall within the medium category. For your skin tone, its best to play around with lipstick shades in warmer undertones. We're talking a cherry red, strawberry pink, rosewood nudes and fire corals.

Dark
If your skin tone ranges from a caramel to a chocolate brown, you're part of the dark skin category. Definitely look for shades with yellow undertones. Try a punch-like pink, crimson red, tiger lily coral and gingerbread nudes.

What's the ideal number of lipsticks you should own? We've given you the 5×5 grid before—five shades (pink, red, coral, nude and oxblood) in five different textures (lip tint, liquid matte, satin finish, matte and gloss). Flip through the gallery below for a look at each of these shades—bookmark this link for when you're beauty shopping next.

Time for deeper, darker eye makeup

As hints start dropping that the seasons are due to shift again (I'm sorry to even bring it up, truly), I'll stop buying skin-based products like moisturisers and foundations for the most part. This is because I'm conscious that my skin's needs are about to change with central heating, dropping temperatures, and the general chagrin which comes with darker days. At this time of year, there is true joy to be had in focusing on eye makeup to last from now all the way to October. Prepare to go deeper, darker, and a little “more”.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

I am not a big fan of eye cream generally, but have developed a deep devotion to this unique cream. Super rich yet with a deliciously light texture, this is perfect for anyone over 30 or those with dryness around the eyes.

Signature de Chanel Eyeliner Pen

I have been wearing gel or liquid eyeliner almost every day for 12 years, and am extremely fussy about finish, pigment and lasting power. Though this is expensive, it is the single best eyeliner I have ever used, and I will never be without it.

MAC Girls Mischief Minx Palette

Ideal for olive or deep skins, this palette is warm, earthy, sublimely pigmented and soft as butter. It is also extremely good value for money given the quantity of shadows inside. It is one of a family of palettes in various colour ways – all covetable.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Sandy Gold

This long-lasting cream shadow provides a base for anything you apply over the top, and looks beautiful alone. An ideal choice for anyone whose eye makeup tends to move, or those who prefer minimal effort.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eye Shadow Pencil in Bronzed Garnet

Another easy-to-use shadow which looks expensive on and gives an impression of expertise. Apply straight from the pencil and buff with a clean, fluffy brush for an impactful finish.

Clinique + Jonathan Adler Chic Colour Kit

Clinique has teamed with potter and designer Jonathan Adler to create a collection featuring his signature patterns and bright hues. This palette is the hero of the collection, offering choices to suit every mood.

Ardell Demi-Wispies False Lashes

Demi-wispies are beloved by makeup artists the world over. To get more out of them, cut each lash in half and apply the halves to the outer edge of your own lashes to wing out eyes and give volume.

Bobbi Brown Dual-Ended Brow Definer/Groomer Brush

I have used one of these to apply brow products every morning for years. Search as I might, I haven't yet encountered anything better. The bristles are just stiff enough for drawing clean lines and individual hairs.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Curl Addict Volume and Curl Mascara

This is the only budget mascara which rivals my all-time favourite mascara, YSL Faux Cils. It gives powerful black pigment and boosts lashes enormously without clumping. You can comfortably layer two to three coats and this doesn't crumble or bleed through the day.

Find Your Ideal Nude Lipstick

The ideal nude lipstick is different for everyone and depends on skin tone, mood, and desired effect.

For a safe (but not at all unexciting) bet, opt for something as close as possible to the natural shade of your lips in a soft, creamy texture. This will make lips appear plumper, give makeup a finished, polished appearance and look good with any other products you choose to wear. It will also have the added benefit of never looking scruffy or worn off if you eat or forget to reapply during the day.

MAC is widely known as a brand which caters to all ethnicities, ages and genders, and is one of the best brands to go to when looking for a nude lipstick to suit any skin or lip tone. To make it even easier, MAC have just released a dedicated collection of nude shades in a variety of textures, as well as accompanying glosses and lip pencils. The collection, MAC x Nicki Minaj, includes two shades designed by Minaj herself – Nicki’s Nude and The Pinkprint (each is €20) – with 20 shades featuring overall from pale pinks all the way to rich mochas.

The collection is available now, and includes glosses and lip liners also but will likely sell out quickly. If you have been searching for your ideal nude lipstick, you may find it on MAC counters now.