As we mentioned before, from album inspired to metal, this season is all about avant garde nail art (i.e. manicures on steroids.)  This “bold n beady” trend is no exception.  Plus, let’s face it, there’s no better beauty technique than plaiting your nails with the most upscale culinary treat.

Unlike normal manicures, Caviar nails is a two-step process.  The first step is indicative of the average manicure process, (two coats of your favorite polish) but the second step is where things get a little bit fishy.  Before your polish dries, sprinkle a dash of the micro-beads onto your nails (as if you’re putting sprinkles on a cookie!) and wait 20 minutes until everything has glued into place.  Viola.

For more information on the application and pricing of Caviar Nails, click here.

Along with beautiful wines and mouthwatering tapas, attendees were entertained by a traditional Spanish band with lively dancers and a simulated bull run powered by a treadmill and virtual reality. Our own Jessica Lapidos tried her hand at both, joining in merriment with the band and testing her skills running with the bulls. Click the links to see amazing videos from the event.

Navarra is located in the Ebro River Valley in northern Spain, surrounding Pamplona, the capital city. While rosado wines have long been a specialty of Navarra, the region produces a range of excellent red and white wines. For more information, visit their website at NavarraGastronomy.com.

Baby Foreskin

They’re after your wee foreskin, baby — crawl away while you still can! Seriously, though, several injectable cosmetic fillers, including Cosmoplast, Vavelta, and Cosmoderm, are made with cells sourced from infant foreskins because it’s an easy way to obtain usable human collagen and fibroblasts. I’m not asking how, exactly, the cosmetic companies get these, but I do hope they at least sent a present to the bris.

Caviar

They’re after your wee foreskin, baby — crawl away while you still can! Seriously, though, several injectable cosmetic fillers, including Cosmoplast, Vavelta, and Cosmoderm, are made with cells sourced from infant foreskins because it’s an easy way to obtain usable human collagen and fibroblasts. I’m not asking how, exactly, the cosmetic companies get these, but I do hope they at least sent a present to the bris.

Civet Cat Musk

Want to smell like cat butt? Then civet cat musk is theanimalic for you. Derived from the cat’s perineal (read: booty) glands, civetone is a popular ingredient in many high-end perfumes and colognes. Synthetic civetone is available, but many perfumers use musk sourced from civet farmers, who routinely “scrape” their cats’ glands for the substance. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea that your scent may be sourced from a caged animal, then check to make sure your fragrance doesn’t use natural civetone.

Snail Trail

Here’s a new use for all those slugs in your yard. Chilean brand Arenscaracol claims that smearing their snail slime-filled products on will improve skin strength, repair damaged tissue, and create a smoother complexion. Poor snails, first escargot and now this indignity. Won’t somebody think of the invertebrates?

Sheep Placenta

There’s a chance that at some point, you’ve had sheep afterbirth in your hair. Brands like Hask, which has its own Placenta line, proudly advertise the ingredient, but plenty of other strengthening conditioners and hair treatment masques use it under the radar.

Botulism

BotulismWe’re always warned not to buy dented canned goods because of the botulism risk. But when this nasty bacteria is controlled, you get useful botulinum toxins A and B, or Botox and Dysport as they’re known in popular discourse. So to recap: bad to eat; good for relaxing wrinkles.

Snake Venom

Want to freeze your wrinkles without using botulism? Syn-ake, a lab-synthesized version of paralytic temple viper venom, claims to provide a muscle-relaxing alternative. The jury’s still out on just how well it works, but brands like Sonya Dakar and Peter Thomas Roth use Syn-ake in their antiaging lines, and Gwyneth Paltrow is said to be a fan of this unusual ingredient.

Carmine/Cochineal

Are you wearing red lipstick or gloss? Don’t freak out like this lady, but there could be squished bugs on your lips right now. Macerated cochineal bugs are a very common source of red coloring, but until recently, cosmetic companies weren’t required to identify the colors as such, using deceptive terms like “artificial colors,” “natural red,” and “crimson lake.” Last year, though, the FDA ruled that companies have to start listing the dye as cochineal or carmine by 2011. If you don’t like insect juice in your makeup and food, this is the perfect time to start reading your labels.

Bull Semen

Semen apparently has plenty of protein, which makes it a good strengthening and deep conditioning hair treatment. At Hari’s Salon in London, if you have 45 minutes and $100, you can get a bull sperm hair treatment. Given the fact that wheat protein or keratin are probably just as beneficial, though, this is one ingredient that truly is total bull.

Whale Vomit

Fancy perfume fixative ambergris gets hocked up like a cat hairball by sperm whales (fortunately not Shamu here; orcas are technically dolphins anyway). It can also be obtained by cutting open the whale’s intestines, and there’s a long history of sperm whale slaughter in pursuit of the stuff. Nowadays, most fragrances are formulated with a synthetic, animal-friendly alternative called ambrox, but perfume houses like Creed and Serge Luytens are rumored to continue use of real ambergris.

Thanks Allure Magazine for the nasty update.

This piece of unnecessary luggage incorporates two of my fave things: Louis Vuitton and caviar. What a perfect way to serve Beluga in style during those unbearable holiday parties. Guess recession is not a word in the LV dictionary…

Thanks Fashion Heaven