Early last week, I headed to Haven Spa in Soho (obviously) for my first post-hospital mani/pedi. I was beginning to look like I powered the Flinstone car, if you know what I mean. Since its mid-August, I decided that it's time to start to think about Fall colors. I've put away the neons and turned my focus to smokey shades and jewel toes. Butter London's HRH perfectly fits the bill. A true royal purple with a metallic sheen, it's a nice way to usher in the coming season without going directly to the deep, vampy shades.

The polish wore well with minimal tip wear (mostly due to my own peeling nails, no fault of the formula) and looked vibrant for a solid six days. There are so many great colors in Butter Londo's fall collection that I had to pick a couple up during my first trip to Ulta earlier this summer.

Have you switched to more fall-friendly nail polish shades? Are you still in summer mode? I hope you'll share what's currently on your nails!

Every beauty girl has at least one color that she's particular about. For me, I'm always in pursuit of the perfect blue eyeliner (it's much harder than you think) and anything red (well, except eye products. That's just creepy). I've just about completed the perfect red lip collection and now that I've found CND's Rouge Red nail polish, I can stop questing for the perfect red lacquer. No, really.

A red cream sounds like an easy color to find, especially when there's a bottle in every color collection from high end to drugstore. There's something about the right red - a shade that easily slides somewhere between warm & cool - that seemingly sets your fingers (or toes) ablaze. Have you ever noticed how hypnotizing and impossibly chic red nails can be? So classic and daring, simultaneously.

Rouge Red has become the multi-season red for me. What's yours?

When I received Urban Decay's Rollergirl Nail Kit, I was mesmerized by Woodstock, a neon pink that could almost glow in the dark. As I studied the colors more, Miss T stood out to me, mostly because it reminds me of MAC's Pink Pearl pigment but in nail polish form (and don't think i hadn't tried to DIY this color myself. I did and failed).

I applied Miss T on Sunday with two thick coats, since I'm completely incapable of applying anything else. Generally, I polish my nails with the skills of an uncoordinated four year old - aka slather the polish all over my skin and then use a nail brush it the shower the next morning to scrub it off. Since I applied the healthy top coat of Seche Vite that same day, I haven't touched my nails. In fact, polish is almost as perfect today as it was on the day it was applied. Color me mystified.

Miss T is a special pearlized pink. The kind of shade that shows hints of purple mixed with a strong, feminine pink sizzling with pearl but not in an obnoxious way. This color was clearly created by an expert and is exactly the kind of polish that will distract you as pound away on your keyboard in the midst of spreadsheet Candyland.

Miss T and Woodstock are exclusively available in Urban Decay's Rollergirl Nail Kit, a set of six mini nail polishes for $28. Hey, isn't that less than the bottle of one Chanel polish?

As promised, I finally decided which of Zoya's gorgeous lacquers from the Touch collection I'd wear this week. I have to admit that it took me two days to decide. I spent two days (at home, thankfully) with three nails on my left hand painted with each of the polishes. While all three are gorgeous, I finally decided on Shay. All three colors are full coverage neutrals, with the slightest pearl. Shay is warmer (and a smidge darker) than Minka, it's sister color. Then there's Pandora, a pink hued neutral, making the most unique in the collection. I can see myself reaching for Pandora later in the summer as my tan deepens.

It's been three days since application and so far, no chips. Not even the slightest hint of tip wear. I'm the first to admit that I'm horrible at applying polish and I feel like lighter colors, like Shay, make imperfections more noticeable. However, even with all my perceived application flaws, I absolutely love looking down at my nails as I type. For me, that's the sign of a great color.

Have you tried a nude shade for the summer or are you sticking to brights? What's your favorite color that you've worn so far this summer?

(Editor's Note: Apologies for the recent radio silence - post-birthday, I had crazy apartment drama that left me without electric for 48 hours and my service was spotty for 48 hours before that. Anyhow, I missed you all and I'm back!)

When I received an email a couple of weeks ago that Zoya was launching a nude polish collection, I have to admit that my head spun around (and around). There is nothing more that I love than a truly nude nail color. I've tried so many and I haven't yet found the perfect one for me - but like finding the red lipstick, this doesn't mean that I ever intend on giving up. I know that my perfect nude is out there and I'm definitely going to find it.

This morning, the gorgeous trio of lacquers from the Touch collection arrived at my apartment. When I opened the box, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. In my experience, a nude (as well as lavendar and white) is incredibly difficult to pull off if there isn't an element of dimension to keep the color from falling flat. Each shade (Pandora, Minka and Shay) have the slightest hint of pearl that Zoya describes as a metallic kiss.

I can't wait to see what these look like on. I'm planning to take off Zoya's Charisma (my chosen birthday shade) soon, but I haven't decided which of the three shades I'll test out first.

Are you a fan of nudes? What's your favorite nude? I'm so curious!

Forgive the half styled photo. I am currently on my way to New Jersey to visit Unilever's headquarters with a few of my favorite ladies. We will be chatting with the executives about the business of blogging and a few of our favorite products. I'm excited to learn more about the Unilever brands and spend some time with my blogging gal pals.

Needless to say, I whipped a few coats of MAC's latest polish, Ocean Dip, across my nails this morning before running out of the house. Hope you don't mind the DKNY makeup bag backdrop, but I just had to share a snap of this stunning color. Released as part of MAC's Surf, Baby! collection. Given the weather in NYC recently, I must say that it was optimistic of me to select a color from a beach-inspired collection, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

Ocean Dip is a bright, clean teal. Similar to other shades (thinking Alice & Olivia, for example), but somehow sweeter. Don't get me wrong, it's not meant for a conservative office environment, but it's a notch below neon. The formula is a perfectly opaque cream. Truth be told, I can't wear to get this shade on my toes during my next appointment at Haven Spa Soho.

MAC's Surf, Baby! collection is on counters and online now. Ocean Dip retails for $15. What's on your nails this week?

My love of nail polish was instilled in me at an early age, thanks in large part to my mother and her product whoring ways. Of course, my love is only fueled by my fortunate access to the latest and greatest products from the beauty industry, which is why I'm thrilled for this Nail of the Week. People - Becca has launched nail polish.  Can you believe it?t

I was fortunate to get a peek at a few of the new shades at dinner earlier this week, so naturally when I had a chance to use one at a recent manicure, of course I jumped. For this week, I selected Tangerine Dream (not only because the color name reminds me of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream), but because it's a softer, creamsicle orange. Not a super-vivid orange, but definitely a shade that makes you want a tropical cocktail and perhaps a cabana.

Tangerine Dream is one of a trio of nail lacquers available as a part of Becca's Halcyon Days collection. The other colors, along with Dancing Barefoot and Summerdaze, are $15 and available at BeccaCosmetics.com and select boutiques nationwide. Halcyon Days launches on the newly redesigned BeccaCosmetics.com (don't forget to check out the fab new blog, Becca Spotlight), where you can find the perfect foundation for you with Becca Skin.

How do you feel about orange hued nail lacquers? Are they for you?

I'll never forget it - the sensation I felt when I carried my first shopping bag from Bergdorf Goodman. Something about the store's signature dusky lavender colored bags signifies that you are a woman to be reckoned with - you're in a league of your own. Naturally, when I was offered the opportunity to take a sneak peek at one of Bergdorf's Fashion's Night Out exclusives, how could I resist?

Especially for Bergdorf Goodman customers, Lé Métier de Beauté has developed BG Lavande. On September 10th, from 3-7pm Lé Métier de Beauté will be celebrating the debut of BG Lavande with celebrity manicurists giving the special BG Lavande touch at the Lé Métier de Beauté counter.

To create my own special BG Lavande look, I added Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics' Flatline, a matte topcoat. It gave the polish an interesting, almost satin-like finish. Whether matte or super shiny, this polish is a thing of beauty and a worthy tribute to a New York institution.

Does BG Lavande strike your fancy? Will you be making the trip uptown to get your own bottle?

Photo by Lesley Forrester

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of venturing to Harlem to visit the Carol's Daughter flagship. In celebration of Ginger + Liz's fall color collection, we were treated to luxurious manicures in the beautiful Backroom Hand & Foot Spa. You might remember me rocking Not On The First Date a couple of weeks ago, so I couldn't resist wearing another color. I chose Blowin' Money Fast, a beautiful metallic forest green that doesn't turn near-black in the way that so many other nail colors can.

Blowin' Money Fast is my first official step into fall nail colors. Green is such a nice transition into fall - I wore green eyeshadow last night and you might remember a green outfit from a couple of days ago. For next week's nail of the week (aka Wednesday), I have a very special surprise - I can't wait to share!

Whenever I go back to basics, I go back to a metallic navy nail polish. For me, the shade transcends all seasons into a happy, metallic place where blue is queen and I never, ever want to leave.

This is my first time wearing Essie's Aruba Blue, and while I like it, I have to admit that it's not my favorite (I generally don't enjoy Essie polishes because they're not as opaque as I'd like). To get my blue fix, I turn to Dashing Diva's Box Seats (my all time favorite), MAC's Naughty Nautical (limited edition, from the Naughty Nautical collection) and NYC New York Color's Skin Tight Denim Creme.

What nail polish shade do you wear when you want to return to your comfort zone?