Blue
Dior Holiday 2008 – Black Diamonds
On my recent trip to NYC one of the stops on our “beauty tour” of the city was the LVMH offices for a visit with Dior Beauty. We were treated to a viewing of the current and upcoming Dior collections and, of course, I was most intrigued by the Vernis nail lacquer. I don’t have pics to share of the spring and summer colors but I can say I spotted a few winners coming our way (think bold for summer).
One of the gifts of creating this blog has been discovering brands that are new to me, testing polishes I normally wouldn’t encounter. Dior is certainly one of those brands. It’s not that I live in a bubble in the middle of nowhere but I never really considered prestige or department store lines when shopping for polish. I figured they were an add-on item and assumed the quality would be no match for salon lines. Well, you know what they about ass-uming.
Similar to brands like Chanel, YSL and N.Y.C. the chrome cover pulls off Dior bottles to reveal a “CD” embossed, slightly rounded, ribbed cap. The brush is flat (think OPI or NYX) but extremely firm making application precise and accurate. It was the easiest application I’ve had with a new brand in a long time. No trial runs necessary. The lacquer just flows on the nail and dries relatively quick while still maintaining its glossiness. Though I did my five day wear test with one nail minus top coat and it was chip city! So no forgetting the Seche Vite when I wear Dior.
Black Sequins has been getting tons of celebrity buzz. In fact Jennifer Lopez, who is known for wearing a neutral nail, donned the black sparkler for Elle Magazine’s Women In Hollywood Tribute. Similar to Sephora by OPI Never Enough Shoes minus the gold flecks, Black Sequins’ jet black base is so pigmented that even the silver micro-glitter that’s peppered throughout doesn’t lighten its appearance. Plus, it dries smooth. Bonus!
Pure Diamonds looks just as the name implies, like crushed diamonds on your nails. It’s so glitzy, it’s almost iridescent. The only issue is opacity. I needed three coats to get there which would make this a good option for sheer lovers who want just a thin coat of icing on their nails. Or you could use it for layering to bling out your favorite creme.
Poison Blue stirred up all sorts of craziness when it debuted last year (and quickly sold out). You know how I feel about blues so I was disappointed that I never got my hands on it then but, when I heard that Dior was bringing it back for holiday, I jumped at the chance to test it out. Regardless of any semblance of shimmer you may see in the bottle, for all intents and purposes, Poison Blue is a dark blue creme. As I learned from the masterminds at CND, shimmer can be used for depth and reflectiveness yet still dry as a creme.
Of course I had to test this one against its rival, Chanel Blue Satin, and what I found is that Blue Satin is darker, more black based yet its shimmer actually does show up in bright light. Poison Blue has a much lighter base that is similar to Lippmann Rehab, resulting in a less blackened final result.
Unfortunately, finding all three polishes in the same place won’t happen. Each polish is carried by different retailers and sells for $19. Black Sequins is exclusive to Sephora and still available on Sephora.com (direct product link). I found Poison Blue on Dillards.com which means you should be able to buy it at your local department store Dior counter while Pure Diamonds is carried at specialty stores like Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
image credit: WireImage
ALU In NYC – A Visit To The Lancome Boutique
A couple weeks ago, I went on a trip to NYC with a few of my beauty blogging pals to meet with some of our favorite beauty brands. I also spent some time interviewing a few nail and beauty industry pros (more to come on that) and saw my first Broadway show (Avenue Q). It was a packed five days but a total blast. I’ll be sharing some of the highlights of the trip with you over the next couple weeks.
One of the stops on our mini beauty tour was the Lancome Boutique on Columbus Ave (at 69th). The boutique is the ultimate Lancome playground with huge testing stations filled with every product Lancome makes. There are skilled and helpful makeup artists on hand to recommend and apply products and a spa room in back where you can receive facials, waxing and body treatments (men too!).
The day of our visit was a day after the Oscillation launch and everyone was buzzing about it and the major waiting list (21,000 people) to snag a tube. Of course finding willing volunteers to test out the mascara wasn’t hard. Connie and Janice (Specktra) jumped at the chance and all I can say is WOW. I could literally see their lashes growing before my eyes. Read all about Connie’s Oscillation Obsession on The Daily Obsession.
Now given the chance to bend the ear of Lancome’s VP of Public Relations, Kerry Diamond, I had to tell her how the fascination over last summer’s Le Magnetique magnetic nail lacquer still rages on and how we all hope for a return with new colors. *fingers crossed that our plea will be heard*
I originally thought this year’s holiday collection, C’est Magnifique (above), included a magnetic polish but I was mistaken due to some international promo images I saw online. Though I have seen images of an international L’oreal (Lancome’s parent company) magnet polish so perhaps it will return stateside in another form.
Though even without the return of Le Magnetique, the holiday collection includes a few items that immediately drew my eye and managed to jump into my bag. The nail colors, natch, the Hollywood Seductive Color Design Quad (below) and the LE Icon of Stage Juicy Tube (a rich crimson).
During playtime, I mentioned how much I loved the LE Pout-A-Porter series lipstick shade P.S. Kiss and my regret over not pre-ordering a tube so I was delighted to hear of a close dupe, Brick House (left). The lovely Lancome Makeup Artist, Lena Lekaj, grabbed a tube along with a matching liner and gloss to give me the perfect berry stained lip. While applying, she complimented the fullness and overall shape of my lips which was way flattering. I’ve always hated the unevenness of my bow.
And since all of us were drooling over the gorgeous Hollywood Seductive shadow quad, that had to come home with me as well. The picture really doesn’t justify the luminescence of the colors or how amazing they look together.
My only disappointment was that our visit didn’t last longer. I could have played for hours swatching the holiday palettes, sniffing the fragrances and testing the various skincare lotions and potions but I’ll just have to wait for my next trip to the city. And when I do, I’m totally making time to run across the street and grab a cupcake from the famous Magnolia Bakery. After being introduced to Sprinkles and Yummy Cupcakes (thanks Connie!) in LA, I just HAVE to compare them to the ones made famous by Sex And The City.
The C’est Magnifique collection is at Lancome counters now and online at Lancome-USA.com. And if you have the chance, I highly recommend you stop by one of the five US Lancome Boutiques for a little playtime of your own.
Fall Nail Trend Alert – Smoky Tips
 OK so who else has attempted the smoky eye look and failed? Come on, it’s not that easy, I can’t be the only one. Well, here’s a beauty trend you can actually achieve. Forget the smoky eye, this season it’s all about the smoky nail. From the runway to the red carpet, the look for nails is dusty, muted and smoked out.
We all know by now that I jumped on the gray nail bandwagon months ago but this look is not just about the grays. Brands have taken gray’s hazy cast and brought it to other shades like purple, khaki and blue, making the trend more wearable and versatile. Those of you afraid of looking ghostly in gray, fear not. |
Light Grays to try: Carolyn New York Handball Courts, CND Heather Gray Creme, CND Nordic Gray Creme, Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle
Medium Grays to try: China Glaze Recycle, Carolyn New York Hangin On The Stoop, Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy, CND Spring ’09 Custom Blend.
Looking for more gray polish recomendations? Then check out StyleBakeryTeen for an article written by my pal Jamie from The Beauty of Life. Violet/Khaki shades to try: OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Sephora by OPI Metro Chic, Sparitual Solitude Blues to try: Finger Paints Bada Bing, Bada Blue, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Gunmetal, Sally Hansen Salon Stormy Blue, Butter London Big Smoke What do you think kids? Are you into the smoky nail look? Tell us your favorite shades from this genre. images: All Lacquered Up, Elle.com and Getty Images
For day, you can keep it simple with a subtle hue.
If you’re feeling a bit bold, try a mid-tone. I’ll admit, these shades aren’t for everyone. They’re a bit unusual but oh so fun.
And of course there’s the ever popular gunmetal shades. They’ve been featured in years past but have really come to the forefront this Fall. Just last week Petra from Glamour’s Girls In The Beauty Department blog contacted me in search of a dupe for the shade seen on Mena Suvari (right). My guess… Sparitual Mood (below right) because I know Mena is an eco-beauty fan and Sparitual is a Vegan line.
Graphite shades to try: Sparitual Mood, Yves Saint Laurent Tuxedo Gray, Dashing Diva Black Diamonds, Zoya Freja
To shy to jump into gray or just not feeling it? Then how about a purple or browned version of the look instead?
Finally, those jewel-toned and almost-black blues of the past have transitioned into something more steely. They’re grayed out with silver shimmer or charcoal bases that aren’t too dark.
Rescue Beauty Lounge for Fall/Winter 2008
Since previewing the Rescue Beauty Lounge Fall/Winter collection to you a little over a month ago it has already sold out once on the RBL site. Talk about a hit! Ji Baek’s vision of “luxe grunge” has come to life with these four creme polishes.
I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to test these beauties out and they all wowed me in different ways. I’ve been having this total nostalgia for the early 90s and my days of living in flannel, Birks and grunge gear after reconnecting with some of my college pals on Facebook (that site is totally addicting), and these colors fit right into that. They have this gritty, dusty, funky vibe that I’m so feeling. The creme finish makes them chic, not at all garish.
Plie is a re-promoted muted beige pink. It’s a great daytime neutral that is so out of my wheelhouse yet I’m oddly drawn to it. It was actually the first color I put on from this set and that’s so not me. I think because it doesn’t feel all super girly and frou-frou. Just elegant and classic. And for being such a light color, I was impressed with its opacity.
Bruised is a red based browned plum though I don’t really get the name. I bruise so easily and heal terribly that I could only wish my bruises had such a pretty color. I mean, when you have marks that last six months (and I’m not exaggerating) you’d much rather them be somewhat attractive. Anywho, Bruised applied like a dream and hardly needed two coats.
Teal is the hands down winner here though I’m sure you all knew I’d say that. It’s a blend of my two favorite colors, blue & green. How could this not be a knockout? It’s the color of the lake just before a storm. All murky and creepy yet stunningly gorgeous. I wore this last weekend and loved every second of it. Need I say more?
No More War – OK I know what you’re all thinking. Split pea soup. I’m not denying that. It’s totally fugly and crazy looking but you gotta give the girl props for going way outside the box on this one. I mean, who has this color in their nail arsenal? And that’s exactly the point. This is the polish version of Tyra’s “ugly pretty” on ANTM.
The Rescue Beauty Lounge Fall/Winter collection retails for $18/ea and is available now on RescueBeauty.com. Though as an added bonus, from now through 10/31/08, get FREE SHIPPING when you order the Treatment System. Considering how much we all bitch about shipping costs, that’s a sweet deal. I’ve heard good things about the Treatment System so now would be the time to jump on it.
Orly Gems Collection for Fall 2008
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Not for this gal. Oh no, it’s all about gemstones for me. Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, Amethysts, Tanzanites; I heart them all!
Being a May baby, emerald is obviously my favorite stone and do you think that has anything to do with my love of green? Nah! But it is a point of contention for me with the Orly Gems collection. No emerald green!! Orly is one of the few brands that has yet to put out jewel toned green these past few years. So what’s the holdup people? Lets make that happen.
So back to the Gems collection. I have to say that without the gumball machine plastic rings on each bottle, I wouldn’t have pegged this as a gemstone themed lineup. It’s pretty and rich and filled with vivid colors but doesn’t scream jewelry to me. On the plus side, the colors are well pigmented, Golden Jubilee being the only three coater.
Star of Bombay is a deep blue-black with shimmer that really pops in the sunlight and adds depth indoors. 
Golden Jubilee looks much more orange than golden (i.e. gold) to me. It’s as if Heat Wave from the High Voltage collection lost its tan.
Golden Maharaja is a luscious red based chocolate shimmer. I’m always looking for a great brown to wear in support of my Cleveland Browns and this one fits the bill.
Mandalay Ruby is the lone creme in the bunch. This crimson hue has a slightly dusty tone that keeps it from going the fire engine holiday red route.
Midnight Star is a metallic deep violet and while I love the color, the application is no bueno. The look of metallic polishes, when applied well, is amazing. I just don’t have the skill or patience.
Sea of the Light is a deep rosy pink shimmer. In the gem world, it reminds me of a pink tourmaline. A pretty pink but it’s not really a fall shade.
The Orly Gems collection is on sale now and can be purchased online at 8ty8Beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com and in stores at ULTA and Sally Beauty.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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