Blue
The ALU Archives – Pop Beauty Ocean and Mandarin
The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
First of all, thank you to everyone who messaged, commented, tweeted me about my overly obvious absence. You’re so sweet to worry about me. I’ve been out the past three days due to a pinched nerve. It’s a recurring issue I’ve been dealing with for the past twelve years or so and when it flares up I just have to rest the pain away. I’m not 100% but I’m well enough to sit up for short periods of time. So while I’m feeling up to it, I thought I’d share a couple polishes from the Archives.
A while back I told you that Beauty.com is now carrying Pop Beauty Nail Glams and I ordered a few but never posted them. Check out Ocean and Mandarin after the jump!
Pop Beauty Nail Glams are 3 Free (including Formaldehyde Resin) though it seems that at some point the formula and packaging changed a bit as one bottle lists Camphor as an ingredient and the other doesn’t. So if Camphor is an issue for you, make sure you check the bottle. The formula on these were spot on; well pigmented, smooth and fairly thin in spite of its 3 Free status. Normally I show polishes with no top coat but because Mandarin is a neon, which dries matte, I threw on a glossy top coat.
Ocean is a vibrant ultramarine hue. The metallic shimmer does leave minor brush strokes but they’re not overly distracting. I ended up applying three thin coats but you could get away with two medium coats.
Mandarin is like a greased pig, VERY hard to capture. Imagine a radioactive slightly underripe orange and you get close to what this neon orange-yellow creme looks like in person. There are a lot of neons on the market and I HATE most of them for two very good reasons. 1. They are eye searingly painful to look at. 2. They apply terribly; thick, streaky nonsense. Mandarin is in its own class. If you’ve yet to find the perfect neon, try this!
Pop Beauty Nail Glams retail for $14 on Beauty.com.
Which of you have Nail Glams in your stash? What are your favorite colors? Do your bottles list Camphor as an ingredient and when did you buy it? Did I inspire any of you to snag some bottles for yourself? Share!
The ALU Archives – Icing by Claire’s Money Talks & I Married Blue
The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
I can’t believe that in the two and a half years I’ve been writing ALU that I’ve NEVER mentioned Icing polishes! If you’re unfamiliar, Icing is a chain of accessory stores owned by Claire’s. I honestly never shopped there until some MUA nail board girls discovered their line of nail polish. They have a wide range of colors and come out with limited edition seasonal collections quite often. AND they’re pretty cheap. You can usually find them on some kind of sale.
Unfortunately, since we moved a couple years ago I haven’t had immediate access to an Icing so it’s been a while since I added to my stash. Obviously I’m not up on the latest colors but I have a couple of my faves to show you. Check them out!
According to my bottles Icing polishes are 3-Free (including Formaldehyde Resin) but I would check the labels before buying, just to be sure. The formula is on the thinner side so even dark colors usually take three coats for even coverage but it flows smoothly on the nail and dries glossy.
Money Talks is a blackened forest green shimmer with silver micro-glitter floating throughout. It was packaged in a set a couple holidays back so I’m not sure if it’s still able to be found.I Married Blue was an open stock color I picked up during one of their sales. It’s definitely in the burple family more than navy. It has a pearl/shimmer that looks a bit magenta in the bottle that I attribute to its slight purple leaning.
I realize the bottles look VERY similar to China Glaze and I know people have wondered if they’re by the same company but I think the similarities stop at the bottle shape. Icing polishes are produced in Illinois while China Glaze is based in California.
You can only find Icing polishes at their stores and this bottle size retails for $3.50 but there’s usually some kind of deal going on. You find an Icing near you using their store locator.
Where are my Icing lovers? What are your favorite shades? Seen anything new and fun that I should make the trip out east for?
CND Colour, Effects and Henna?
![]() While I was there I snuck out to meet up with one of my fave fellow bloggers, Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic, which meant an early morning mani was in order. I’ve been carrying around a couple of the new CND Colour & Effects polishes since becoming obsessed with a certain color combo so that’s what I went with. Check it out after the jump! |
As I mentioned in my Cosmoprof Recap, CND totally revamped their line with the introduction of Colour & Effects. They’re releasing 50 Colours in a range from the whitest white to the blackest black with primary, secondary and metallics thrown in to provide a well rounded palette of shades. In addition, the 15 Effects allow you to transform the Colours with sheer pearls, shimmers and glitters to layer over top. It’s similar in concept to the brand Nailtini only the polish quality is like 100 times better.
Let’s talk about the polish. The new CND formula is 3-free AND free of the dry time issue that plagued CND polishes in the past. I’ve tested it now using a few different top coats and those old denting problems are gone. They also have a new ergonomic bottle with a rubberized cap and a NEW BRUSH!!
The brush is flat but not too wide. It’s about a 1/3 the width of my pinkie nail which means I can fan it out without hitting skin but the actual bristles are what make it unique. They are very thin but triangular in shape. I’m not sure why that makes a difference but application is AH-MAZING!! Seriously you guys, I’m so in like with this polish I want to send it a note to ask if we can be BFFs.
So when we got the chance to play with the new Colours & Effects at the Cosmoprof launch, the combination I loved most was layering Sapphire Sparkle, a smooth, bright blue glittah, over Inkwell, a blue-black creme. There’s something about the glitter in this one that makes it look purple-ish depending on the light. I took way too many pictures but I’m sure you won’t complain over that.
I’ve never worn henna before so I was fascinated to hear her talk about how there are different types of henna paste and how you should avoid toxic “black henna.” How she mixes her own and scents it with lavender (it smelled so fab!).
As she started drawing the design on my hands, she did warn that copious amounts of German beer may effect the results. Considering that I have a hard time drawing a stick figure when playing Hangman, I think she did a pretty wicked job, no?
Here we are today, approximately 36 hours after she applied the design and I’m totally loving it. I’m told it can last anywhere up to nine days with proper care and moisturizing so unless you work in a relaxed environment, like I do, you may want to consider a less conspicuous placement should you delve into henna art. Since I’m way too much of a baby to ever get a tattoo, this is a perfect alternative.
What do you all think? Are you liking my CND combo? Are you a fan of henna?
The CND Colour & Effects line will launch in the Fall at salons and spas in the US. Colours will retail for $9, Effects for $11.
Fanatics in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area can contact Julie regarding henna body art at ArborHenna.com.