Green
Gift Guide – The 21 Hottest Holiday Polishes
So you have a nail fanatic in your life that you’d love to surprise with the gift of polish but have no idea where to begin. Whether you’re dropping a bottle in a stocking or creating a personalized gift set, I’m here to help you navigate the racks with the 21 trendiest shades of the season.
I hand picked the best of the best from this year’s fall and holiday collections to take the guesswork out of the polish shopping experience. Check your fanatic’s stash and if you find the collection lacking these shades, they’ll certainly be delighted to receive any of them from you.
Red and Green – What colors best represent the season than red and green? And this year I got my wish by seeing even more lovely greens come out on the market. So whether your fanatic is traditional (red) or a little more daring (green) these beauties will be the perfect party accessory.
Grey/Greige/Taupe – This oddball part of the color spectrum was a huge hit for fall. Funky shades are “it” my friends. And even though Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy technically came out last year, you can’t blame Ji Baek for being ahead of the curve. Leaving Stormy out would be a crime of nail fashion!
Metallic – Molten nails have been all the rage and whether you go subtle with a light shimmer or punch it up with glittering gold and silver, these babies are sure to get compliments. They’re the perfect addition to a New Year’s Eve ensemble. Chanel Kaleidoscope isn’t easy to find but you would be such a rock star for scoring a bottle. I’ve seen them on ebay and even though I don’t condone price gouging, sometimes we have to say “uncle” and give in.
Purple and Brown – This color story wasn’t as prominent but for vampy nail lovers, purple and brown are a fresh take on that tired black and navy of years past. If you’ve been searching, like I have, for the ideal brown creme, one that isn’t too red or black based, you MUST buy Zoya Nina. Perfection!
For purchase information and full reviews, click on the polish names. For those not linked, check RescueBeauty.com, SpaRitual.com, Zoya.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com and 8ty8beauty.com for more info.
So I’m dying to know… how many of you own all of these shades? Which ones are you missing? What makes your “must have” holiday list?
Celebrity Nail Watch – Julia Allison
Julia who? That’s the exact question I was asking just a few months back when my pal Amber from Beauty Blogging Junkie excitedly shared a link to her interview with Julia (a fab read btw). The former Editor-At-Large for Star Magazine, Julia Allison was a “talking head” on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. Currently she writes a weekly dating column for Time Out New York and lifecasts on NonSociety.com, the website she co-founded with her friends.
Thanks to Amber’s article, complete with a link to Julia’s lifecast, I’m now obsessed with following her daily happenings on my feed reader. She’s beyond stunning, wizard smart and dresses like Blair Waldorf. What’s not to love? Oh and I’m also convinced that I need a shih tzu puppy like her precious Lilly (pictured above).
Anywho, in the interview Julia discussed her beloved beauty products and application tricks. When the topic of nails came about, she mentioned her favorite brands (Essie, Sally Hansen, Rimmel) and that she wears fakes. Oh the horror! You girls know how I feel about that. I’m all natural baby! Now even though I’m opposed, I get it. When you’re on TV and being photographed regularly, having nice nails is essential and not everyone has the time for a mani each week. Though that is not in ANY way an endorsement for acrylics on my part.
I have to give the girl props though. Julia loves herself a bright, funky nail. I was scrolling back through her lifecast archives when I came across a couple of her past nail looks. Yay, I’ve found another green lover!! How can you not adore her?
Being my nosey self and a green fanatic, I tried get in touch with Ms. Julia to find out what she was wearing. FAIL!! Sad that I would never know the name of that lovely green shade, I was delighted and surprised to see a picture of her fridge (pictured below), filled with nothing but nail polish and water, show up on the NonSociety talk show, TMI Weekly. Lo and behold the mystery green revealed!
I spy Nars Schiap, Essie Shorty Pants, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Marine Scene and Sinful San Francisco. What do ya know? Sinful Colors are loved by people outside the nail fanatic world. Good times!
Well Ms. Julia, you may be too busy to email me back but your fabulous nail style is worthy of an All Lacquered Up Celebrity Nail Watch. No matter what Mary Rambin says, I love that you aren’t just a sheer/pink/nude wearing gal.
images: Nonsociety.com and TMIWeekly.com
Shades by Barielle – Fall Affair for Fall/Winter 2008
Did you know that Barielle makes nail polish? I certainly didn’t. Not until I met celebrity manicurist and Barielle spokesperson, Elle (kids, she’s worked on everyone, EVERYONE!). Known for their top notch nail treatments, Barielle has joined the color game with Shades by Barielle, a line of 3-Free, fashion forward lacquers. For Fall/Winter 2008, Elle created Fall Affair, a collection of six shades she pulled straight from the runways.
Can I just say that I’m beyond impressed with these polishes? They are superbly pigmented, 3 Free, yet not thick and goopy, and they last! Like even after five days of wear with my go-to top/base combo of Seche Base & Vite, the signs of wear were minimal. Not to mention, the formula just flows on the nail. It spreads out to create a perfect even finish. Oh and they dry so quick, that even without top coat, I could touch my nail beds after a few minutes.
Now I’m not gonna lie, the first time I applied Date Night (green), it went on kind of streaky and uneven but after talking with Elle, she helped me tweak my application technique. For the longest time, I’ve put quite a bit of polish on my brush, started in the middle of my nail and pushed the blob down towards my cuticle. WRONG-O! By putting a little less polish on my brush, starting at the cuticle, holding the brush almost parallel with my nail and pressing just enough to fan out the bristles, I was able to achieve the perfect 3-stroke application. Thanks Elle! MWAH!
Sneak-A-Peek is a silvery-gray shimmer that is so pigmented, I hardly needed two coats. For a color that light, that’s major. It’s a great icy shade for winter and an excellent call for those of you unable to take the plunge and try full-on gray.
Misbehaving Mistress is so unique, I don’t really know how to describe it but I know that I LOVE it. It’s kind of graphite but with taupe mixed in. To me, it’s the love child of OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and CND Black Platinum. And even though it’s dubbed a metallic by Barielle, it certainly doesn’t apply like one. There’s no brush stroke issues to be found.
Date Night – Seriously, just when I thought there wasn’t another swoon worthy green to be made… along comes Date Night. A beyond fabulous jeweled emerald green. If China Glaze Emerald Sparkle is my ultimate green glitter and Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle is my ultimate green creme, this is my ULTIMATE GREEN SHIMMER. This kicks OPI Rainforest ass and I don’t say that lightly. It’s so pigmented and vibrant yet not overly bright like Emerald City from Sally Hansen. It’s deeper but not blackened, like Zoya Suvi, so you know it’s green yet it’s still elegant and trendy. I went through two storage boxes of green polish and can’t find one that holds a candle to the pigmentation and depth of this shade. There is no dupe! Buy it, buy it now!!
Hidden Hideaway is a sultry, blackened plum. It doesn’t have a red base but the warm golden shimmer warms it up a bit. This is an “almost black” eggplant shade but as you can see in the pictures, you can still tell it’s a purple. 
Secret Encounter plays on that berry trend that is happening in makeup this fall. This deep magenta has the same warm shimmer as Hidden Hideaway which makes you think it’s a duo-chrome in the bottle but it’s not. 
Two Timing has this comforting, warm, autumnal feel, like metallic fall leaves. It’s burnt yet not blackened, very Turkey Day if you ask me. I’d call it a bronzey orange or worn copper. And again, it’s considered a metallic but because of its smooth application it’s more like a metallic-shimmer crossover. A shimallic? A metmer? What do you think?
The Fall Affair collection from Shades by Barielle retails for $8/ea and is available now on Barielle.com or at one of the 1,500+ CVS stores that now carry the brand. Call for availability.
Sally Hansen Sent Me To Green Heaven
It’s no big surprise to say that I FLIPPED when I heard that Sally Hansen released not one but TWO fabulous greens as part of their Fall/Winter collections. The Salon Nail Lacquer line introduced Emerald Ring, Take A Tourmaline and Heart Sapphire while Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear put out Mellow Yellow, Emerald City, In The Navy and Gunmetal. I have yet to see the Salon colors on sale near me but I was fortunate to have Emerald Ring gifted to me by the lovely Jamie from The Beauty of Life, a fellow green polish lover.
Emerald Ring is a stunning blue based forest green shimmer that is dark but still noticeably green. Of the two, I’d say this one is more user friendly only because it’s not as bright which makes it a bit more chic and elegant for a green. Of course I was so excited to show this baby off that I didn’t have a chance to look for dupes but it’s on my to do list. Check the comments for an update.
Emerald Ring is not overly pigmented so three thin coats were needed but you could probably get by with two thicker ones. The formula applies smoothly and easily and dries with a nice glossy sheen.
OMG you guys! Emerald City is so much fun! It matches my ring dead on. I added a pic of it below but the flash makes it appear lighter than reality. What I love is that the polish isn’t too bright or too dark. There’s no blue undertones or gold shimmer affecting its perfection. Though it’s not for the faint of heart. I’d say that for non-green lovers this shade is best kept to holiday wear. Me… I’ve got it on for Halloween. A day that should mean glow-in-the-dark, pumpkin orange or black nails. I just felt like being “green” today.
The formula is a little odd though. It has a jelly feel that doesn’t flow or even out so your application needs to be precise. The pigmentation is more sheer than Emerald Ring so three coats are necessary period. But considering the price and final color, who cares about an extra coat.
The Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer ($6.00) and Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear ($2.60)Fall/Winter polishes are in drugstores now but you know the drill, the Salon LE’s always call for a little stalking before they’re found.
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.
Lisa N.
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