Blue
The ALU Archives – Carolyn New York Dark Side of the City
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
It’s driving me batty but each week as I work on a new Rainy Day Blue for the Archives, I have that song from Eiffel 65, Blue (Da Ba Dee), running through my head…
I’m blue da ba dee da ba die… I have a blue house with a blue window. So now it’ll be running through YOUR head as you check out my Archives pick of the week, Carolyn New York Dark Side of the City. Check it out after the jump! |
Carolyn New York polishes retail for $5.99 and can be purchased directly from the CarolynNewYork.com website. Right now they’re running a Spring Cleaning Special charging ONLY $1/BOTTLE for their 20 Original shades. So head on over and pick up a few colors before the deal goes away.
Dark Side of the City is an intense electric blue shimmer. It’s slightly metallic but not to the point of giving visible brush strokes. And in spite of its thin, flowing texture, it’s well pigmented. Normally I’d expect a formula so smooth and thin to be semi-sheer but not this beauty. It gives great coverage with two coats.
And if the Blue song isn’t stuck in your head yet, PRESS PLAY. Mwah-ha-ha-ha!
Color Change Fun with Del Sol Rock Star & Ruby Slipper
 All of our vacations over the past few years have included two things… beauty products and wine. Don’t ask me why but somehow I end up sniffing out an outlet mall, a dusty nail shop or some unique brand I just have to have. And similarly we usually end up at a winery, bringing some bottles home with us.
This time we didn’t bring back any wine, though I did manage to down almost two bottles of champagne at the Captain’s Cocktail Party and Past Guest Reception, but I did pack away some new nail polishes in my luggage. I was beckoned by the Del Sol store on St. Lucia after our rum punch infused day trip and even though there’s a Del Sol at my favorite weekend getaway, Put-In-Bay, I was sucked in by their line of color change nail polish. I have a couple Del Sol polishes at home already, a light metallic blue that turns limey green (Electrick!) and a blue that turns purple (Super Hero) but I couldn’t resist the two glitter bombs sitting on the shelf, staring at me. Check out the color changing goodness after the jump! |
Ruby Slipper applies as a clear lacquer packed with silver shimmer. I used three coats to get decent coverage but it’s still semi-sheer. Though as you’ll see below, it turns an opaque pinkish red when exposed to UV. Quite a transformation, no? Rock Star reminds me of the much sought after China Glaze Dorothy Who?. It applies pretty translucent, like a glaze, requiring three pretty thick coats. Though what I love is that in spite of its abundant micro-glitter, it dries pretty darn smooth. There’s a hint of texture but any top coat will wipe that out. And of course I LURVE that it turns a gorgeous murky, sea water green. I even got Mr. ALU to try these beauties out. In a slightly drunken stupor I convinced the boyfriend to let me paint his nails with my new finds. I did a slop ass job, alternating shades on his tips, neglecting to use a base or top coat. I’m sure you can imagine the looks he got, not that he cared. What’s funny is that the following day on St Kitts, he had little schools of fish trying to nibble his hands underwater. I guess they thought the sparkles looked like food. Weird, right? Del Sol polishes retail for $10/ea and can be purchased online at DelSol.com or at a Del Sol store. The polishes are Toluene, Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Resin free but they do contain DBP and Camphor. With summer quickly approaching, don’t you want color changing tips & toes? Has anyone tried Del Sol polishes before? Which shades are your fave?
If you’ve never been to a Del Sol store before, they carry a line of clothes, accessories and nail polish that change color when exposed to UV rays (see right). They have UV lamps in all their locations so you can see the black and white t-shirts, hats and bags burst into technicolor. Even if this isn’t your thing, you should definitely stop in just to play if you have the chance. My purchase of choice was the Ruby Slipper and Rock Star nail polishes. Both are jelly based and blingtacular.
Note: The picture above was taken on a cloudy day which serves as an excellent reminder that UV rays can penetrate clouds so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember to wear sunscreen every day.
I couldn’t resist doing a mani with Rock Star since we had a glorious sunny day this past weekend. Isn’t it fun? The transformation isn’t as dramatic as with Ruby Slipper but I enjoy it.
The ALU Archives – China Glaze Drinkin’ My Blues Away
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
Hey kids! I’m baaaack! And I’m continuing my “Rainy Day Blues” theme for April with one of my all time favorites. Even though my April started with some Cleveland snow (double boo to that!), when I think of rainy days, my mind immediately wanders towards royal hues. Something fluid and vibrant. Nothing fits the bill better than China Glaze Drinkin’ My Blues Away. It’s winner not only because it’s blue but because it’s a China Glaze glass flecked blue. Can it get much better than that?? For those of you that wished for a blue in the Summer Days collection, this one will hit the spot. |
Drinkin My Blues Away was released as part of the Tequila Toes collection in 2006, back when the Babes in Toeland series of glass flecked polishes were still being produced. What I love so much about this shade is that the finish makes it appear watery. The micro glitter trapped in the base look like flecks of sunlight bouncing off the sea. It’s truly stunning and unique. Like all ChG glass flecked polishes, this one has a thinner, jelly-ish feel and looks best with three coats.
Now this one is a discontinued shade but it can still be found. I know you’re probably dying to get your hands on it so I did a little hunting and tracked down these sellers. I can’t testify to their reputation or reliability so purchase at your own risk. Check out Hello Gorgeous and eBay to snag a bottle of your own.
What do you think kids? Who already owns DMBA? What’s your fave Rainy Day Blue?
China Glaze Kicks Collection – Part 1
 China Glaze is killing it! Absolutely f’n killing it this summer. I could barely contain myself over the gorgeousness of Summer Days and then out of nowhere comes Kicks, a collection of twelve vivid shades inspired by the colorful footwear worn by Sneakerheads. Sneakerheads aquire colorful “kicks” the way us fanatics accumulate polish. Amassing an array of fashion foward, unique sneakers, the more rare and LE, the better. Sound familiar polish collectors?
All I can say is that Kicks is definitely a collector’s collection. One that you won’t want to swap or give away. I sound like a crushed out schoolgirl, don’t I? Just take a peek after the jump and you’ll be all swoony too! |
The first six shades in the Kicks collection all have some form of shimmer and, with one notable exception (Paper Chasing), it’s very subtle. Think TreeHugger; a creme feeling base with micro-shimmer finely dispersed throughout the pigment. It’s this style of shimmer that makes Kicks a great companion for Summer Days. While I go ga-ga for that glass fleck look, I know that kind of intense look isn’t for everyone. So for the girls that want color minus the uber-glitz factor, Kicks is your new BFF.
Application was a total breeze. Each shade flowed and spread out to give a perfect, even finish. Excluding Paper Chasing, each lacquer is monstrously pigmented and only required two coats. Paper Chasing is more of a semi-sheer, jelly-ish metallic so it required three coats.
Entourage looks like it was pigmented with under-ripened lime zest. It has that bold lime-y quality but it’s not as dark as a fully ripe lime rind. The glint of micro-shimmer is more apparent in Entourage than its sister shades below.
Paper Chasing is my kind of girl and she’s totally different than all the other Kicks polishes. This kelly green beauty has a Sinful San Francisco feel and a slightly metallic look making it a standout shade for me.
What makes Custom Kicks a total winner is the gold shimmer. You can see flecks of it in the bottle and OMG does it draw me in. I have a whole drawer filled with teal polishes but none that look quite like this. A little blackened but not dark or dingy with this frisky hint of sparkle.
Sky High-Top is a vibrant royal blue with tonal shimmer. It reminds me of those rainy spring days when the sun still shines even though it’s pouring. You know how the sky darkens ever so slightly? Bottle that and you have Sky High-Top.
Fly is a purpley raspberry peppered with pink flecks of micro-shimmer. It’s a shame that doesn’t truly show up in pictures because it really does add depth and personality to the polish.
It’s Poppin actually reminds me of a pink poppy flower. It’s a rosey take on fuchsia and makes me long for berry season for some odd reason. Riddle me that.
The Kicks collection will launch at the end of April and can be purchased online at Head2ToeBeauty.com, 8ty8Beauty.com or TransDesign.com or in stores at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the collection! What do we think so far?
Barielle Sugar Rush for Summer 2009
 Sugar Rush is the alternative to last year’s neons -celebrity manicurist, Elle
Barielle spokesperson, Elle, created six hot candy colored lacquers for the Shades by Barielle summer collection and I’m loving every single one of them. We’ve seen candy inspired collections in the past but never with this kind of pigmentation, consistency in formula and hello, TWO GREENS!! To steal a line from Clueless, they give me a toothache just looking at them. |
I had the chance to speak with Elle about her latest polish confections and get her take on the collection. “It’s high voltage color but they’re more wearable. I wanted to keep it creamy, like taffy, with a lot more pigment rather than on the sugary edge.”
You know I’m a girl that loves her brights and Sugar Rush hits that spot dead on. Neons are fun and all but they can be too harsh if you don’t have the right coloring so these shades are definitely more my deal. I applied two coats of each polish and they flowed on perfect and even with pigmentation to spare.
Let’s start with my hands down winner, Sweet Addiction. I’m so loving these variations on dusty, minty greens. Sweet Addiciton, Misa Dirty Sexy Money, MAC Peppermint Patti and Essie Greenport are all on the same vibe yet surprisingly different enough to own them all.
Swizzle Stick‘s light azure hue makes me think of my college days. My sorority’s colors were white and azure blue and now I want to go dig out one of my old t-shirts to wear with this shade.
Can I just say that I’m so not over yellow? Lemondrops totally revived it for me. Yes, the pastels are safer and easier to pull off but give me a fab golden yellow and I’m in. Think of Lemondrops as a more pigmented, creme version of China Glaze Solar Power. Very similar base shade but with a different finish and pigmentation.
Cotton Candy really is the perfect descriptor for this hue. It takes me right to the fair. And the subtle sparkle reminds me of the iridescent quality of spun sugar threads. It adds playfulness and depth to the polish. I know my skin looks a bit ruddier than normal in this pic but that’s just to get the polish color right. It’s actually a bit more vibrant in person.
Grape Escape even more vivid in person that it appears in pics. It’s a pretty dead on purple. Not too dark, not too light. In comparison with the other summer purple, Lippmann Call Me Irresponsible, Grape Escape is definitely more pigmented and a couple shades lighter. All I can say is, LOVE!
Decadence is unlike any teal I own. It has amazing depth and fire, very much like a jewel. Being the only metallic-ish shade in the bunch, it definitely stands out. I like to think that if ChG Turned Up Turquoise and Passion In The Pacific hooked up, you’d get Decadence.
The Sugar Rush collection from Shades by Barielle retails for $8/ea and is available now on Barielle.com. And if you buy 2 colors, you get one FREE with free shipping on all orders over $50.
Lisa N.
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