Blue
Essie North Fork Collection – I’m Smitten!
 It’s been a long time since I’ve been so over the moon about an Essie polish let alone a whole collection but when my eyes landed on the North Fork collection I actually shrieked. You can ask the boyfriend, he had to hear it and suffer through me holding bottles in his face saying, “Can you believe these are Essies? Can you? LOVE THEM!” Of course, as much as he tries to care and be involved in what I do, he doesn’t get it like you all do.
It’s not like Essie hasn’t stepped out of her conservative niche and given us some amazing colors, she has. Hello Starry Starry Night, Dominica Green and Summer 08 Neons. It’s just been a while. Well Ms. Essie, color me wowed. I seriously can’t compliment you enough on these gorgeous, sandwashed shades. |
The North Fork shades are the perfect beachy accompaniment to lazy days at the shore. Every single one makes me long for boating season even though I detest sailing. I like to think of the ‘rents sailboat as a floating condo. A great retreat until we get a powerboat of our own.
Anywho, back to the polishes. Each of these tranquil variations of blue is a winner in its own right. They are all shown with two coats and applied like a dream with the exception of Shelter Island which gave me a bit of trouble and required thee coats.
Greenport is a muted, creamy aquamarine. It’s not a traditional creme in that the finish is uber-glossy like a jelly even though the lacquer is way pigmented. Very unique indeed.
Sag Harbor is LOVE. OK not really but it’s a swoon-worthy color. It’s like dove gray and powder blue had a baby. This is totally random but it reminds me of a t-shirt I have from a bar at my fave summer destination, Put-In-Bay. It’s a purposely weathered blue and Sag Harbor is a perfect match. The shimmer in this one is subtle, adding just a hint of sparkly sheen.
Shelter Island is as blue as the sky on a hot, cloudless June day. It’s a bit more vibrant on the nail than in the bottle but not neon. Like I mentioned above, this was my problem child in terms of application. It has the same texture and feel as Greenport but for some reason it kept dragging at my cuticles even though I waited a few minutes between coats. Odd.
The Essie North Fork collection will be available beginning in April 2009 at Essie.com and fine spas, salons and beauty destinations worldwide. Polishes retail for $9/ea US, $11/ea CDN.
What do you think kids? Are you feeling these blues?
Moon Manicures at Dior
 The moon manicure is really hitting its stride. Worn for years by MAC Viva Glam Spokesperson Dita Von Teese, the moon mani has been popping up on runways for fall. First at NYFW shows like Thakoon and Ruffian and now in Paris for the Christian Dior R-T-W collection. Get ready to hone your detail skills kids because moon manicures are back in a big way!
Learn how to recreate the look, after the jump! |
The technique: Using a thin art brush paint two straight lines from the bottom corners of your nail towards the center. You’re painting the top half of a triangle with your cuticle as the base. In one smooth stroke, round the top of the triangle to create the moon shape. Fill in the upper half of the nail with color and voila! Tip: adjust the size of the moon on smaller nails for a more natural look.
Get the look: Dior Poison Blue
Dior Poison Blue ($20) is currently available only at the Las Vegas Dior Beauty freestanding boutiques. However, if you call (702) 734-1102 they will ship it to you. Normally the boutique offers free shipping with purchases over $100 but as a special treat, if you mention All Lacquered Up when you call, you can enjoy free shipping on any size order.
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?
Chanel Paris-Moscou Collection
From Russia with love I fly to you
Much wiser since my goodbye to you
I’ve travelled the world to learn
I must return from Russia with love
“From Russia With Love” lyrics by Lionel Bart
I don’t know about you gals but when I laid my glitter loving eyes on the Chanel Paris-Moscou collection, my heart skipped a beat. Talk about polishes sent “from Russia with love.” Feel free to groan at my cheesiness all you want but a collection of black based glitter bombs from Chanel is pretty unique.
Though in traditional Chanel style, Global Creative Director Peter Philips made the look upscale with super fine micro-glitter that lays down to leave a smooth glossy finish. By encapsulating the glitter in a black base, the shade isn’t as in your face as say a Ruby Pumps. Now I’m not knocking my fave red by saying that but when you consider the stereotypical “Chanel Woman”, Ruby Pumps probably isn’t her thing.
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Lippmann Holiday Sets Starring "Party Like A Rockstar"
So you’re looking for that perfect gift or stocking stuffer for your BFF or fellow fanatic. Maybe you’re doing an online secret santa through MUA or another forum. Well if your giftee is a nail girl like me, you really can’t go wrong with a present from Lippmann. Deborah Lippmann always comes up with the cutest sets and this year is no different.
When I saw the Party Like A Rockstar ($24) set online, I just had to get my paws on it. Mini LE Lippmann’s in a fun, sparkly bag, I’m sold! Plus it comes with Addicted To Speed top coat which I’ve been dying to try after reading raves on the MUA nail board.
Good Girl Gone Bad should definitely become a permanent shade in the Lippmann lineup. It’s a gorgeous berry sparkler. A heavily pigmented jelly type formula, this baby is packed with gold and red micro-glitter that dries smooth and shiny. I actually wore this for five days with NO top coat and it looked fresh the entire time with minimal tip wear. I honestly can’t praise this one enough. Please Deborah Please! Make This Perm!!
Devil In A Blue Dress is a dark blue-black creme. It’s ultra vampy but unless you’re in direct light, you’d never know it’s a blue. As you’ll notice in the pic, I had some pulling at the cuticle on my ring finger. I did this mani relatively fast and didn’t have time for a retry so it’s probably due to my own impatience. The other nails came out perfect. Does this color thrill me? No but, I have more blues than I could ever need. If your collection needs rounding out, this would be a great fit.
For me, Good Girl Gone Bad, Addicted To Speed and the cute bag (it’s now living in my purse filled with makeup) are reason enough to pick this set up. Addicted to Speed is a great quick drying top coat that, unlike others in its class, isn’t thick. So there’s no application tricks necessary and it wears like a dream. It really is a winning top coat even though the full size price tag is a bit hefty ($20). For now, I’ll just hoard the mini for times I really need to be dry in a flash and have my mani last.
So instead of an everyday pair of slippers, why not give something a little more pampering and luxurious like the Footloose ($29.50) loofah pedi slippers. They have natural loofah insoles that gently exfoliate your feet to ward off dead skin and stimulate soft, healthy skin. Or a pair of Bootylicious ($48) warming spa booties. You just warm the removable lavender sachet in a microwave oven for one minute and place in the booty for a hot aromatherapy treatment. They’re definitely going on my wish list.
If the Party Like a Rockstar colors aren’t quite what you were looking for, Lippmann has a bunch of different gift sets to fit any nail style.
The Pump Up The Jam Trio ($40) comes with Sarah Smile and Hard Rock hydrating nail hardener so you can go pretty and pink for day and dark and vampy at night.
The Superstar Trio ($40) and Holiday Trio ($40) both come with Rehydrating base coat and On A Clear Day top coat. Superstar and Holiday, from the limited edition Holiday color collection, are great choices for that blinged out party look.
Then there’s the Material Girl Essentials Set ($49) which includes Rich Girl hand and cuticle cream, 3 Stripper To Go pads and bottles of Cuticle Oil, Sarah Smile, My Old Flame and Hard Rock all in the plush Material Girl bag. It’s a great way to introduce your friends and family to Lippmann products with great classic nail shades.
For the more subtle nail look lover, pick up the An American In Paris ($21) french manicure set with bottles of Prelude To A Kiss, Amazing Grace and a Top/Base coat combo.
Right now LippmannCollection.com is offering FREE SHIPPING on ALL orders, for a limited time, and any order over $99 receives a set of Heaven In My Hand hand warmers (a $39.50 value). You can buy Lippmann products in person at Bath and Body Works flagship stores and Nordstrom.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
