Green
Orly Once Upon A Time Collection
 As a child I was very much enamored with the world of fairy tales. I used to collect Madame Alexander dolls in my favorite characters like Cinderella and Snow White.
And even though our beyond ancient Encyclopedia Britannica set didn’t know man had landed on the moon yet it did come with an amazing set of children’s books that included the works of the Brothers Grimm. Now I don’t know if any of you remember the Fractured Fairy Tales from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show but I was SUCH a fan! Knowing all this you can only imagine my delight in hearing that Orly was taking the fairy tale theme and running with it for Fall. Their chic, grown up version not only includes a gorgeous GREEN but a fantabulous grey. Take a look at Once Upon A Time after the jump! |
For some reason the polishes in this collection all apply a little differently so I’m going to address them individually rather than as a group.
Enchanted Forest – Hello LUVAH! Words don’t even begin to describe this gem. This rich forest green creme is deep, dreamy and utterly perfect. I applied it in two flawless coats and fell head over hells in love. Need I say more?
Now I wish could proclaim that Prince Charming swept me off my feet but alas he left me feeling a little flat. This muddy brown is too yellow for my skin tone and just isn’t working for me. The pigmentation and application were decent, nothing newsworthy. It’s a bit jellyish in texture but with two coats you’re done!
Can you have a fairy tale themed collection without a luscious red? I think not. Poison Apple not only represents that evil fruit but it makes me think of the cherry red lips our fair maidens are described as having. I will say I was impressed with the pigmentation on this. It looks true to bottle in two even coats.
Pixie Dust is my other stand out, must have, don’t think about not buying shade. This blue tinged dove grey sparkler is the work of magic. Once it’s on your fingers you won’t be able to stop staring. It’s an uber pigmented two coater though a little tricky to apply. I actually used top coat here to even it out.
You know how I love a grey and Mirror Mirror’s light cement hue is right up my alley. Unfortunately the formula didn’t wow. It was streaky and lumpy and even after three coats it looked imperfect. I want to love you Mirror Mirror but your competitors did it better.
Finally Happily Ever After is quite a unique berry. It looks all simple and creamy but there’s this hidden undercurrent of sparkle peeking out. It’s not easy to detect but in sunlight it pops out to surprise you. 
A little Fractured Fairy Tale for your enjoyment!
The Orly Once Upon A Time colleciton launches in September and will retail for $7.50/ea. You can buy Orly at OrlyBeauty.com in stores at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA and online at our fave e-tailers (see sidebar).
What do you think Fanatics? Who’s feeling the mystical, magical love?
CND Green Scene Colour and Gold Sparkle Effect
 Today I bring you two more colors from the upcoming CND Colour & Effects line. To recap, CND is revamping their brand by introducing 50 Colours and 15 Effects that can be layered to create over 800 different nail shades.
The Colours include a range of cremes from white to black, vivid primary and secondary hues and three chrome metallics. The Effects include pearls, shimmers and sparkles in various shades like violet, copper and emerald. I’ve been playing with some of the Colours and Effects I brought home with me from Cosmoprof and today I’m sharing my latest combo Green Scene and Gold Sparkle. Take a peek after the jump! |
A green lover like me couldn’t resist the lure of Green Scene. I swear it was calling me from across the room at the CND launch party. It’s like I could hear it saying, “You know you want me. Get over here and play!” And play I did. When it came time to swatch the new colors, I had a ball testing different Effects over Green Scene and my fave of them all is Gold Sparkle.
Green Scene is very vibrant with a slight bluish undertone. The formula is smooth and well pigmented only requiring two coats. As I mentioned in my last CND post, the brush is flat but not too wide with triangular bristles that make application a breeze.
Adding a layer of Gold Sparkle totally blinged out the look. Gold Sparkle is a clear base filled with multiple sizes of gold glitter. There are some large flecks dispersed among the micro-glitter giving a gilded finish.
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. CND is carried in over 90 countries and you can find a salon or spa near you using the Salon Locator on the CND website.
Also, I wanted to address your comments and tweets regarding the pricing. We all have our own points of view regarding price and what is expensive to one person may be justifiably affordable to another. With that in mind, I try to review polishes without regard to cost but so many of you have been vocal about the price jump with CND. While the Colour price is not that much higher, the bottle is smaller. And if you want to recreate the look I’ve shown you, it will cost $20. Then again a bottle of Chanel is $23 and it’s just one look. It’s all in the eye of the shopper.
Now I’m not going to comment personally on the pricing but I will throw out my theory regarding the increase. The concept behind this line is that you’re compiling a nail wardrobe. That these are the only colors you need to create 800+ nail colors. In essence, once you buy their entire line, you’re done. So perhaps they feel this price is appropriate for the amount of color combinations you’re getting. That’s up to you to decide. Again, this is just my explanation and not coming from CND.
So with all that out of the way… what do you think of Green Scene? Don’t you just love how well Gold Sparkle compliments it?
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?
Illamasqua Hectic and Strike Nail Varnish
 In honor of the upcoming Illamasqua launch at Sephora, I thought I’d share a couple more fab shades from their Nail Varnish line. In case you missed my post last week, Illamasqua is coming to the US and will be sold on Sephora.com starting July 21st. That’s only SIX days from now!! Yippee!! Now I can make all the REST of their polishes mine.
I’m also looking forward to snagging a few eyeshadows and lip glosses to try. The packaging is just so amazing I want it all. The eye quads are especially tempting. I could just go on and on but you’re here for the polish, right? Let’s take a look! |
As with all the other Illamasqua’s I’ve tried, the formula is phenom. On the thick side but spreadable and smooth. Strike was pigmented enough to only need two coats but Hectic’s semi-sheer jelly-ish consistency required three coats to go opaque.
Strike – Is a bright, metallic turquoise. In the bottle it looks like it has a bit of gold flash but that’s just a reflection off the metallic particles. On the nail that pearly effect creates dimension and unfortunately, a bit of brush stroke madness. It’s not so overly stroke-y that I can’t deal though.
Hectic is an army green/pea soup creme. It’s like so fugly it’s cool, if that makes sense. I love its funky look as it reminds me of RBL’s No More War but on the lighter side of that. Color me smitten!
These along with all the other Illamasqua Nail Varnishes will officially go on sale at Sephora.com on July 21st and in their Times Square location on July 30th. The polishes will retail for $14/ea and should be in stores across the country come fall.
If you need some more Illamasqua enabling check out my previous swatches HERE!
So who else is counting down the days, plotting their first Illamasqua order? Which colors are you dying to try?
The All Lacquered Up Collection from Barielle – Part 2
 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!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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