Mad About Mad Men

I know that I'm a little late in jumping on the bandwagon, but I was recently introduced to the wonder that is AMC's Mad Men by my glorious sister (who knows my taste in television so well!). For those that may not know, the show is set in Manhattan during the 1960's at a Madison Avenue advertising agency. Besides the intriguing storyline, fantastic period clothing and vintage props, the first item to really capture my attention was of course, the nails!

How fabulous are housewife Betty Draper's perfect pink oval-shaped nails? They are always flawlessly manicured and complement her clothing and accessories with panache. Even prim and proper Peggy Olsen's nails are obviously well maintained, though she has yet to sport nail polish even once throughout all four seasons of the show! Then there's sultry Joan Holloway with her lovely red talons that just ooze sex appeal.

Betty Draper (January Jones), Peggy Olsen (Elizabeth Moss) & Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks)

Not only do the main characters get to wear stunning 1960's style manis -- the supporting female characters get in on the action too. Next door neighbor and fellow housewife, Francine Hanson is always elaborately coiffed and manicured with full face makeup. Young wife Trudy Campbell is fresh-faced and smartly dressed with a mani to match her proper Manhattanite outfits. By far, the glitziest nails on the show so far belonged to Bobbie Barrett -- one of Don Draper's short-lived trysts. She rocked a solid gold metallic manicure to match her cocktail dress in true classic Hollywood style.

Francine Hanson (Anne Dudek), Trudy Campbell (Alison Brie) & Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw)

Of course, there is an amazing woman behind the fabulous nails of Mad Men! Series costume designer Janie Bryant is the creative mastermind behind all that goes into creating the phenomenal period costumes, hairstyles and nails for the show. Her eye for detail is nothing short of genius! In the fall of 2010, Bryant paired with Nailtini of the 'Tini Beauty Lounge cosmetic brand to create a limited edition set of Mad Men nail lacquers inspired by the lush and luxurious fabrics popular in the 1960's. Since liquor is practically a supporting character on the show, a cocktail-themed nail polish line makes perfect sense!

The limited edition collection features four luxuriously opulent hues. Bourbon Satin (chocolate mousse brown), French 75 (micro glitter gold lamé), Deauxville (metallic platinum silver), and Stinger (iridescent green/black chrome). It's been sold out in stores for quite a while now, but I did a little research and found it can still be purchased online at Amazon.com, among others.

Limited Edition Fall 2010 Collection

Due to the success of their first collaboration, Nailtini released a second nail lacquer collection created by Janie Bryant for the Spring of 2011 called Garden Party. This second vintage-inspired spread includes four shades fit for a Sterling Cooper company picnic! The collection is comprised of Garden Jubilee (gold shimmer), Blue Carnation (milky blue/gray), Blushing Lady (baby pink), and Admiral Perry (patent leather royal blue).

Garden Party - Spring 2011 Collection

Word is that due to contract disputes between AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, the highly anticipated 5th season of the show isn't going to premiere until some time in 2012. Until then, all we can do is indulge our obsession by watching re-runs on Netflix while wearing our Mad Men Nailtini nail colors!

The Miracle of Melt Away

One of the most common nail-related issues that plague the general public is dry, rough and raggedy cuticles. They are everywhere! Another common occurrence is an overgrowth of the cuticle onto the nail plate that prevents the even application of nail lacquer and actually causes lifting and chipping of the product. Proper cuticle care is incredibly important, which is why it is a particular focus of the Nail Tech when performing a manicure or pedicure. Making sure that the nail plate is clean and free of dead tissue not only improves the appearance of the nails, but allows for optimum results to be achieved with nail enhancement products that range from nail polish to acrylics and UV gel.

The Founding Creative Director of butter London, Nonie Creme, works with top designers at Fashion Week in New York and London each season, including Betsey Johnson, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Pringle and Victoria Beckham. Their high-fashion nail line is proud to be 3-Free, which means they do not contain harmful formaldehyde, toluene, DBP or parabens. Their line of nail products includes a vast array of ultra chic shades of nail color with cheeky British names, as well as high quality nail treatments and luxurious lotions.

I was first introduced to the miracle that is Melt Away Cuticle Eliminator when I was originally drafted as a student member of the butter London Nail Tech team for NY Fashion Week Spring 2011. The atmosphere backstage at a runway show is controlled chaos, as hair, makeup and nail artists simultaneously work their magic upon the models. The idea is to be like a hummingbird and hover near the model as you work while trying not to impede the progress of the hair and makeup artists. There isn't any spare time to use nippers or soak nails before pushing back the cuticles, but they must be tended to before nail lacquer is applied. Anything that streamlines the process and allows the Nail Techs to do their job more swiftly while still getting salon results is a must-have! 

The process is extremely simple: brush a thin layer of Melt Away right onto the cuticles and wait approximately two minutes. Then use a cuticle pusher to gently slough off the dead tissue and a lint-free wipe to remove any excess product. For home users, a small manicure brush can also be used to scrub away dead tissue in lieu of a pusher. It is very important to thoroughly remove any excess product to avoid irritation to the skin from prolonged contact. According to butter London, weekly use of Melt Away for gentle cuticle exfoliation will gradually decrease cuticle size and hardness until they are constantly thin, soft and easy to deal with. After using this product for a solid year on myself and my clients, I can attest to the fact that it really lives up to those claims. A tried-and-true staple in my mobile Nail Tech kit, I can honestly say I never go anywhere without my Melt Away!