Big 3 Free
Get The Look – Ginnifer Goodwin in He’s Just Not That Into You
I’ve received quite a few emails and comments regarding Ginnifer Goodwin‘s nail look in the flick He’s Just Not That Into You. I haven’t seen a movie character’s polish receive this much attention since Emily Blunt sported Essie Aruba Blue in The Devil Wears Prada.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I went to NYC for fashion week that I finally caught the film. Now I get it. Ginnifer’s character Gigi sports a stunning purple throughout the film. To my eye it looks like she’s wearing two different shades, a lighter lilac similar to Lippmann Purple Rain and a darker red-grape that remained a mystery until recently.
Thanks to reader Marie for linking me to an EW.com Style Hunter article that reveals the big answer. HJNTIY‘s makeup artist Tina Roesler Kerwin selected Nubar Pasadena Purple for Ginnifer.
About a year and a half ago, I heard that Lead Man Brent Rice chose Nubar polishes as set decoration for a nail salon scene so I suspected that a Nubar shade was used but I’m happy to have confirmation.
Now you too can have fun purple nails like Gigi by slapping on a couple coats of Pasadena Purple. Just don’t act a fool like she did while wearing it. I mean seriously girls, I know she’s playing an over-dramatized version of a stereotype but do any of us really know any girls that ridiculous? I’m glad she got a happy ending but what a train wreck of a way to get there, no?
You can pick up your very own bottle of Nubar Pasadena Purple for $6.99 at ByNubar.com.
The ALU Archives – Zoya Yasmeen
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
Whenever I’m asked for a purple recommendation, Zoya Yasmeen is always at the top of my list. In a lot of ways, it’s the perfect purple shimmer. Usually when you add gold or reddish sparkle to a cool toned shade, the result is overly warm. Yasmeen avoids that pitfall. The base shade is a deep blackened plum that falls so far on the cool side of purple that the overall shade doesn’t end up too red-grape. If you love purple, this is not one to miss. It’s extremely unique, beyond gorgeous and definitely a “must have.” |
What do you think of Yasmeen? Do you own it? Will you be adding it to your stash soon?
Rescue Beauty Lounge Spring/Summer 09 Preview
Prepare for glitter bombing. That’s right, Ji Baek has put her spin on glitter polishes for her Spring/Summer 09 collection. Inspired by the sparkling, heavily embellished looks from the Spring 2009 runway shows, Ji wanted to make that luxe look affordable. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a metallic cocktail dress, you can bling your tips for a fraction of the price.
According to Ji, “I was the one who’d actually call up for those ‘price upon request’ items.” “Now I’m taking the subway, cooking at home, taking more yoga classes – with this economy, we’re all sifting our priorities.”
While the September shows of the Spring/Summer 09 lines preceded the economic meltdown in October 2008, Baek nonetheless was surprised at the excess of embellishment seen in the many collections.
“I’ve never seen so many sequins, embroideries, shimmering metallics and jewels sewn into fabrics. And price points seemed to reach all time highs, with a spangled Balenciaga dress going for $42,000 and jeweled Lanvin sandals for $2,200.”
This need for an affordable way to sparkle led Baek to create three “super-shiny glitter” nail polishes for Spring. “We have brights, bold prints and florals from past seasons. All we need to update our look is a bit of opulence on our fingers and toes.”
The polishes have much more glitter than polishes you’ve seen in the past – they sparkle like diamonds,” adds Baek, “It makes me giddy.”
These beauties make me giddy as well. You know my issue with glitter, the rough, bumpy finish. I did a quick swatch of each polish and while they are not what you’d call smooth, the glitter lays flat so all you feel is a bit of texture. I added a coat of Seche Vite and voila, texture gone.
Frugalista is gunmetal shot through with purple glitter.
In the spirit of our J.Crew to Jimmy Choo-loving First Lady, there’s Look Rich, Be Cheap – a mix of gold and purple glitter.
And for sifting through locally grown produce at the Farmer’s Market, there’s Locavore, a dazzling combination of gold, green, blue and silver glitter.
The RBL Spring/Summer 09 colors go on sale in early March. RBL mailing list subscribers will get first dibs so sign up now at RescueBeauty.com. Of course, full swatches and reviews will be posted after my trip.
Zoya Twist Collection for Spring 2009
 You kids know how into the whole gray trend I’ve been. Since last spring, I’ve told anyone who will listen about how amazingly cool gray looks on nails. Of course it didn’t really hit until last fall (look at me being ahead of the game!) and I’m pleased to see it carrying over to spring in Zoya’s newest collection, Twist.
Like I mentioned in the preview, when I look at Twist, I see a light and airy version of fall’s big trends with a cranberry splash and two traditional pinks thrown in for good measure. Berry lips were big last fall and now we’re seeing that translated to tips for spring. Both OPI and Sally Hansen included a berry creme in their collections. An interesting “twist” for sure. |
Let’s start with my obvious fave – Harley. Harley is a warm mid-tone gray shimmer. The light bronze ribbons of shimmer keep this one from being too cool for the olive skinned girls to pull off. If you haven’t tried gray yet, this is one you’ll definitely fall for.
Harley’s closest living relative is OPI “Sheer” Your Toys though SYT is a bit more blue-gray. I showed it next to Sephora by OPI Run With It! just for comparison’s sake but as you can see, they’re very different animals.
Malia is about as light as I can delve into purples with my skin tone. It’s not love at first sight but it’s a far cry better than what lavender does to me. Malia’s violet hue looks warm next to my skin even though it’s much cooler toned in the bottle. This one gave me some streakiness during application though I was able to smooth it out with very steady strokes.
Moxie is a dream to apply. Zoya’s creme formula tends to give me issues due to its thicker viscosity but Moxie flowed on perfectly. This bold berry really stands out against the other shades in this collection, making it the odd man out yet refreshingly unexpected at the same time.
Moxie isn’t the most unique girl at the party with Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Beet Stain and OPI Miami Beet (from the upcoming South Beach collection) as convincing dupes but I can say that she applies better than the Sally Hansen and is more pigmented than the OPI.
Cassi is a salmon pink shimmer. A nice warm pink for conservative girls and pink fans alike. Two coats gave nice, even coverage.
Barbie looks exactly as the name implies, Malibu Barbie pink. It totally reminds me of the pink Barbie convertible I had as a child. Vibrant and cool-toned, there is a subtle hint of shimmer in the bottle but on the nail it’s barely apparent.
Jo is the other big winner in Twist. A total jackpot of a blue. I’d dare to call it cornflower but the subtle way it leans towards purple keeps me from doing so. Whatever you call it, it’s unique, stunning and totally unlike any polish I own. Like Gabriel Byrne said to Winona Ryder (as Jo) at the end of Little Women, “such a little name for such a person,” Zoya’s Jo is such a color.
The Zoya Twist collection is available online at Zoya.com and at salons and spas across the country. Check the salon locator on Zoya’s website to track one down.
So what do we think? What are you loving? Hating? Indifferent about?
The ALU Archives – Lippmann Nefertiti
The ALU Archives is a new series focusing on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
After my experiment with Minx during the holidays, I’ve been really feeling the whole gold nails thing. Of course, the shiny chrome look of Minx is a bit much for everyday so I pulled out my fave from the stash, Lippmann Nefertiti.
It’s funny, I was talking with a couple of my fellow beauty bloggers about the emerging gold trend for Spring and both times I had to recommend Nefertiti as my go-to gold. Why, you ask? Because it’s one of the few metallics I’ve found that doesn’t show brush strokes. There’s something about its frosty shimmer that creates this matte, gold-leafing effect on the nail, instead of streaky stroke marks. And because the shimmer is gold and silver, the hue isn’t too warm or too yellow. It’s pretty perfect if you ask me.
What you see here is two layers with no top coat. Actually Nefertiti is so densely pigmented that you barely need the second coat but it’s just habit that I apply two.
Nefertiti retails for $15 and can be purchased online at LippmannCollection.com or on counters at Nordstrom.
What’s your favorite gold?
Lisa N.
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