Barielle

My Fashion Week NOTD Challenge Wrap-Up

By Michelle Mismas on September 22, 2009
in Barielle, Chanel, NY Fashion Week S/S 10, Sally Hansen with 2 Comments

After 7 long, tiring, fun-filled days in NYC, I returned home with one desire… to recoup!! Fashion Week takes a lot out of a girl. I have so many exciting things I want to share with you from my trip but let’s start off with the results of my NOTD Challenge (click to read part 1). In case you missed it, I challenged myself to wear a different nail color every day of NYFW. While I failed to change my color EVERY day, I did make a valiant effort.

Hear tales from my trip and see what colors I picked after the jump!

When we left off I was wearing Zoya Savita on the day of the Total Beauty Blogging Summit and Fashion’s Night Out. Wouldn’t you know it, I ended up being invited backstage to a show and seeing Deborah Lippmann while wearing another brand. The horror!!

The next day, Friday, I had a visit to the Chanel offices planned so naturally I wore Jade. It launched the night before at the Chanel SoHo Boutique for Fashion’s Night Out and I spotted it on many ladies backstage that day. Considering the torrential downpour outside, Jade brought a bit of sunshine and light to a very gloomy day. Can we say rain-soaked shoes and a ruined blowout? Good times!

I was running late on Saturday, no time for a change. Luckily Roxanne Valinoti from CND was there to freshen up my look. She added a coat of Jade Sparkle from the new Effects line to totally bling me out! And once Jan Arnold set her sights on the shade, they started layering different Colours trying to duplicate the hue. Using Green Scene as a base, they came very close but not dead on. I hope they’ll keep working to find a twin.

Saturday night I went to a fab blogger party hosted by Lianne from The Makeup Girl and Paul from Beyond Beauty Basics. I was running so late that I didn’t even realize it was THE Ted Gibson holding the door for me at the W Hotel until the next morning when he asked if I enjoyed the party. What a memory he has. But seriously, how oblivious can I be? The man is a tall drink of gorgeous! Though I did get to meet his brilliant partner and hair color genius, Jason Backe, who said to me, “YOU’RE All Lacquered Up?” as though I’m someone to know. I was beyond flattered, to say the least.

Anywhoodle, post party and late night diner run I did this slightly drunken mani with Barielle Slate of Affairs in preparation of seeing my pal and ALU collection collaborator, Elle, at the Reem Acra presentation. Reem contacted Elle after reading that Slate of Affairs was based on one of her Fall collection gowns and asked her to do the nails for her show.
Monday was my uber-crazy seven show day and it started at 8am so as I’m sure you can guess, there was no color change. It wasn’t until I stopped by the CVS Beauty Lounge at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Lab on Tuesday that my nails got a much needed switch.

Not only did I get to do a little people watching, like Top Chef guest judge and former Queer Eye food guy Ted Allen and Miss J from ANTM but I got a little pampering too. Jake Bailey from CoverGirl, who is so adorable, was doing touch-ups and helped me find a foundation that doesn’t just sit on my skin (Simply Ageless) while Sally Hansen was giving manicures. I decided that for my last day in the city I wanted a little party on my nails so I went with a layering combo of Xtreme Wear Disco Ball over In The Navy.
So that pretty much wraps up my own personal nail story at NYFW but not to fret there are many more updates to come. I spent the weekend processing everything I saw so I can bring you the best of the best in Fashion Week nails. Stay tuned!!

Celebrity Nail Watch – Who Embraced the Green Nail Trend?

By Michelle Mismas on September 6, 2009
in Barielle, Celebrity Nail Watch, Green with 7 Comments

As a girl who loves her some green polish, I’m uber excited that the color is becoming so prominent this season. Yes, we’ve seen some great greens in the past few years but at long last it feels like the rest of the non-nail fanatic world is ready to embrace it.

I know it’s not right but it’s as though no nail trend is really a “trend” until we see at least one celeb rocking it. That’s why I’ve been furiously scanning red carpet events looking for a fun green nail and I FINALLY found it. Can you guess who dared to be different wearing not only a bright mossy hue but also a nail ring? Find out after the jump!

Did any of you say 90210 starlet Annalynne McCord? Who the Fug Girls lovingly refer to as Drunkface. Girl went over the top and THEN some. Between the fingerless lace glove, the banana yellow clutch and wifebeater/corset contraption on her midsection, the nails seem pretty tame. Is this hipster dominatrix chic?

I can’t give her props for the wardrobe choice but the nails get an A+ from me. Why she had to spoil it with that ring, I haven’t the faintest.

Get Annalynne’s nail look at home with Barielle Polished Princess from the All Lacquered Up collection.

I hope you’re all enjoying your holiday weekend. Today is our annual block party. What’s on your schedule for the day?

Peace, Love & Polish, Michelle

Matte Top Coats – Let’s Compare

By Michelle Mismas on August 19, 2009
in Barielle, butter LONDON, Essie, Matte, Nubar, Orly, Rescue Beauty Lounge with 60 Comments

Love it or hate it, Matte Nails are the big trend for Fall. With all the matte nail polish collections coming out, it will be a hard style to ignore. If you’re not ready to jump in feet first, why not try a matte top coat instead? Using them to mattify any polish in your arsenal makes it a more versatile and budget friendly way to embrace the look. Give your tried and true shades an update with a new finish.

From flat to satin there are a plethora of choices in the non-glossy top coat realm and I’ve tried them all so you don’t have to. Check out the results after the jump!

First things first. There are certain things you give up in using a matte top coat.

These are not fast drying products so you have to be willing to put in the time to get the look.
The more matte the top coat, the more unforgiving it is. Brush strokes or unevenness can plague you if your application isn’t perfect. As with all new things, practice, practice, practice.
Matte top coats absorb oil and water as you go about your daily routine so the finish will become more satin over time.

Essie Matte About You ($10, essie.com) and Rescue Beauty Lounge Matte Top Coat ($18, RescueBeauty.com) are the most mattifying top coats I’ve come across. If you desire that truly flat finish this is your best option. The cloudiness does lighten the shade a touch but not significantly.

Nubar V For Men Matte Finish Nail Protector ($8.99, ByNubar.com) comes in a close 2nd to Essie and RBL in terms matte-ness and I love that it’s more forgiving in terms of application. It applies smooth and even every time.

Now for those wanting a satin style nail, the next three options are ideal. They take down the gloss giving a more buffed look. Orly Matte Top Coat is actually discontinued but still available on Head2ToeBeauty.com for $4.95 so get it while supplies last.
Orly Nails for Males ($6.99, SallyBeauty.com) performs similarly to the Matte Top Coat in spite of its dark appearance.

Finally, Barielle’s Matte-inee Top Coat will be launching soon on Barielle.com.

I received quite a few questions regarding InStyle’s June issue. One of the tips in the Summer beauty section was about matte nails. They suggested using “your base coat as a top coat to remove the shine from your lacquer.”

Here’s my problem with that. They showed butter London’s Nail Foundation ($18, butterLondon.com) as an example yet they neglected to explain that only ridge filling base coats dry matte. Using your clear or tacky base coats won’t achieve that look. Overly opaque or shimmery ridge fillers won’t get it done either.

Nonie Creme of butter London used her Nail Foundation over Yummy Mummy backstage at Alexander Wang to matte down the shine and in this instance using a base coat totally worked. She even sent me a pic from her iPhone to share with you (above).

However when I used it over my test shade, OPI No Room For The Blues, it didn’t turn out as well. The nude pigmentation in the base changed the color drastically. If you don’t mind that, it’s a simple mattifying solution but I still prefer a matte top coat.

So did this clear up a lot of your questions reagarding matte top coats? Which do you prefer… matte top coats or matte polish? Or do you wish this whole matte thing would just go away already? Sound off Fanatics!

The Barielle All Lacquered Up Collection is On Sale NOW!

By Michelle Mismas on August 17, 2009
in Barielle, Fall 2009 with 11 Comments

That’s right Fanatics, the wait is over. The All Lacquered Up collection from Barielle is now on sale!

I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate your support of this collaboration between myself, Elle and Barielle and I really hope you’ll love the colors as much as I do. If you missed my initial posting of the colors get your recap here:

Part 1 and Part 2

So head on over to Barielle.com and place your order. And remember, Shades by Barielle are Buy Two Get One Free! Happy Shopping!

The All Lacquered Up Collection from Barielle – Part 2

By Michelle Mismas on July 14, 2009
in Barielle, Big 3 Free, Blue, Brown, Fall 2009, Green, Red, Vampy with 33 Comments

Who’s ready to see the second half of the Shades by Barielle All Lacquered Up Collection? If you’re looking for more color than the neutral palette I showed in Part 1 (Falling Star being the exception) then these colors are for you!

With these polishes we’re getting into richer, more opulent tones filled with glitters, shimmers and pearls (oh my!). Check out what Elle and I came up with, after the jump!

I commented briefly on the formula in the shade descriptions yesterday as each polish applies a bit differently. With these darker hues, all the polishes are perfectly pigmented two-coaters. There is no unevenness in the consistency, they are all smooth like buttah!

Pin Up was inspired by the gorgeous tomato red lip MAC’s Gregory Arlt created for the Twinkle presentation using Lady Danger lipstick. He gave the models an updated retro look, reminiscent of the classic Pin Up girl (hence the name) or modern day Dita Von Teese. It’s a lip shade that’s just CRYING for a matching nail. We added a hint of gold fleck to add warmth and character.

Lava Rock is a semi-sheer black with red pearl that looks like a blackened plum in natural light and burns deep dark ember-y red in the sun.

You know I’m a girl that loves a good brown. One that isn’t too red or too “special dark” and Make It A Latte is just that. It’s a mid-tone cocoa with a glint of golden reflect.

What do you get when you combine the best parts of Chanel Nuit de Russie and China Glaze Blk-Bila-Bong? Blackened Bleu! It’s got all the bling of BBB with the uber-pigmentation of NdR. Packed within its semi-sheer black base is a massive amount sapphire glitter to create a polish that’s smooth, glossy and high on glam.

Since the collection spans the Fall and Winter months, it wouldn’t be complete without a fab holiday red. Enter Glammed Out Garnet, a deep wine sparkler that packs the same glitzy punch as Blackened Bleu.

I told you there would be a green and this one is a gem. Polished Princess is vivid mossy green shimmer. We wanted to go to the golden side of green with a vibrant, bold hue and I’m just so in love, love, love with it. Now I can see you reaching for your keyboard, ready to ask and no, this is NOT a Zoya Irene dupe. This is much brighter and more yellow based.
The Shades by Barielle All Lacquered Up collection goes on sale in August on Barielle.com. For those of you that have asked, I don’t have international release info yet but I will post anything I hear.

The polishes retail for $8/ea but take advantage of their Buy Two Get One Free deal to stock up on your favorite Shades. Oh and if you sign up for email updates, you’ll get a discount code for your order.

So now that you’ll seen the entire ALU collection, what do you think? Which ones are must haves? If you missed the first half view it HERE!