Green
Big, Huge, Exciting, Incredible News!!!
Girlies, you don’t know how badly I’ve been wanting to tell you all about this. It’s the biggest challenge to my self-control yet. Are you ready for this?
I’M GOING TO BE A NAIL POLISH!
Can you believe it? The amazing people at Zoya are coming out with two new collections for summer and one, called Chit Chat, will include shades named after me and five of my fellow beauty bloggers.
When Erin from Zoya asked me a while back what shade I would call “Mismas”, I didn’t quite know what she was up to. You all know me so of course I said GREEN. So, coming to your local Zoya seller this summer will be Mismas, a vibrant lime green with gold shimmer base.
For My UK Gals – Nailed by Sleek
When the lovely people from UK brand Sleek Makeup read about my yearning for NARS Zulu (which has been fulfilled!) they were kind enough to share with me a gorgeous green polish from their NAILED lacquer line.
The shade, Poison Ivy, is a blackened forest green shimmer. It’s probably one of the truest deep forest greens I’ve seen. Unlike CND NFS it doesn’t lean towards teal. I’d say that it’s OPI Jasper Jade’s vampier older sister. The shimmer is pronounced enough to make my tips resemble little jewels but not so over the top that it looks like I’ve dipped my fingers in glitter.
The formula is Big 3 Free, highly pigmented and thick in consistency. Yet it applies like a dream. I only needed one coat to achieve bottle color and it was very easy to control. Since Nailed by Sleek is a new brand to me, I decided to give it a full trial run and my findings are puzzling.
I wore Poison Ivy for 5 days with just a base coat (Nubar) and no top coat. It lasted the full 5 days with just the slightest bit of tip wear. Next I decided to wear it again with Nubar’s top coat to help keep the lacquer’s luster. This time the polish was peeling and lifting after only 2 days. I really can’t explain it. There must be something in the combination of ingredients that didn’t mesh well the second time around. Regardless, this color and formula get two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Since I knew my fellow greenies would be asking, here are some comparisons.
Nailed by Sleek polishes retail for £2-£3 and can be found in independent beauty supply stores. The rest of the Sleek Makeup line can be found at SuperDrug.
NARS Zulu Madness
Perhaps by now you have seen the Sephora Holiday Catalog. Because of the move, I didn’t get mine. It wasn’t until I logged on to the Sephora site that I saw the image below. That green fairy is sporting NARS Zulu nail lacquer on her nails. And yet again a frenzy ensues over acquiring a polish. It’s gorgeous, right? Gorgeous but frustrating. Why? Let me share a little tale with you.
For many many months I have been playing a game with my shopping cart on the NARS site. I don’t know if you’ve been to their site before but there is a Vintage section with discontinued items at majorly reduced prices. One item being phased out is NARS nail lacquer in their old non-Big 3 Free formula. Among the shades in the DC’d bin, Zulu, a deep forest green creme. So since early last summer I have put that polish in and out of my shopping cart more times than I can count. I was trying to be good and resist online shopping.
So what happened when I finally decided to cave in to Zulu? You guessed it, it’s gone. After emailing NARS customer service I learn that it’s not just “temporarily out of stock”, it’s gone for good. And I quote, “Unfortunately, we are no longer producing the NARS Nail Polish in the color “Zuluâ€. There is not an anticipated re-launch date at this time.”
When I saw the Sephora holiday image I became overjoyed, thinking the wizards at Sephora had read my mind and found me a Zulu dupe. I frantically emailed Sephora to find out the name of that glorious green polish since I couldn’t seem to find it on the Sephora.com site. I waited in excited anticipation for a response. So imagine my disappointment upon learning that it’s NARS Zulu, available only to Beauty Insiders and in limited quantities.
My theory is, that Sephora bought out NARS old stock of Zulu and that once it’s gone, it’s gone. As of right now it’s listed at “temporarily out of stock,” but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it’s return.
Instead, let’s move on. Your favorite fanatic is here to save the day. Chelsea Psycho Green. One of my favorite nail boarders and dusty hunting pals sent me this gem and with a shiny top coat, it’s a Zulu twin. Here’s an old swatch pic of it, dug up from the archives. And check out DQ2′s comparison pic on Blogdorf Goodman.
Without a top coat, the finish is very dull when compared to Zulu’s jelly like finish but if you’re looking for a deep forest green, this is your best bet. Chelsea is a small salon brand and can be found at nail shops and professional beauty supply stores. I’d suggest calling around to find a salon near you.
See, I told you green would be popular this fall!
Customization: Frankenpolish & The Art Of Layering
Ask any beauty junkie and we’ll admit, no matter how many shades, fragrances or formulations are thrown our way we are still restless for more. Even if we find that perfect product, after a while we’ll wish it was a bit more “something”. Deeper in color, smoother in feel, slightly more floral, etc. Let’s face, it we’re just never satisfied.
As we’ve learned from magazines, makeup artists and our fellow product junkies, beauty is like Burger King; we can have it our way. All it takes is a little customizing. Whether it’s layering your favorite perfumes to create a signature scent, mixing your moisturizer in with your foundation to make it sheer and dewy or blending eight different shadows to achieve that perfect smokey eye we love to alter and combine our favorite products.
In the world of lacquer it’s no different. When we can’t find the color we want we become kids again, mixing lacquer like we used to mix our finger paints. It’s all about experimenting, letting your imagination go and relying on our childhood art lessons about the color wheel. Say it with me folks, yellow and blue make green. Now I’m having Ziploc commercial flashbacks.
There are two methods of customizing polish:
- Layering – Using multiple layers of different colors to create the desired shade
- Mixing – Combining two or more lacquers in a bottle (aka Frankenpolish)
First let’s discuss the easiest way to customize your color, layering. It’s very no muss, no fuss. The only real trick is making sure the edges of each layer line up. If you have a shade that is too light or dark, layer it over white or black. Is your polish to sheer? Layer it over a similar hued opaque formula or black. Everything looks more intense over black. Love the shade of your chrome or metallic finish polish but hate the brush strokes? Add a sheer on top to achieve a smoother finish. Here are some examples from my own experiments.
I was so excited when I got China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out and He’s Going In Circles because not only are they holographic but they’re blue and green holos. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the green and blue made enough of an impact.
So I layered them over opaque creme lacquers and pow! Instant intensity.
Here’s an example of how I combated brush strokes in a metallic finish. I love the color of China Glaze Open Sky but the finish left something to be desired. So I turned to a holo for help. Adding a layer of OPI Blue Moon Lagoon didn’t alter the beauty of Open Sky, it just added a little bling and a smoother look.
These two were just for fun. I love my greens but a girl can never have enough options.
Now on to the science project that is the Frankenpolish.
My first try at making my own polish was to mix MAC pigment with clear lacquer. Mixing pigments can be a lot of work but if you have a gorgeous shade that would look great on your nails, it’s worth it. I buy Milani clear polish but others like using Sally Hansen Insta Dri. I add 1/4 tsp. of pigment at a time and mix, mix, mix before I test it on the nail. Just keep adding pigment until you’ve reached the desired opacity. If you can, add a couple mixing balls because the pigment will settle out when not in use.
Here are the results of my first ever pigment mix. This is MAC Entremauve in Milani Crystal Clear lacquer. The pink sparkles in Entremauve really pop as a polish.
The other method for mixing your own polish is to combine different lacquers to create a new shade. The true Frankenpolish.
Disclaimer: Due to the volatile nature of nail lacquer ingredients I do not condone or promote mixing formulas from different manufacturers. There is no way to know if they will safely combine. So franken at your own risk.
For great tips on the supplies, process and recipes, check out the Frankenpolish Notepad on Makeup Alley. Bravo to Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic for creating it and to all the lovely MUA members that contribute to it.
These lovely frankens are the creation of MUA member jennyferr.
45% OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, 10% Black
Camouflage, 1/3 Zoya Tangy
Now it’s your turn. Share your favorite layering combos and recipes.
photos: All Lacquered Up and jennyferr on MUA
Zoya Holiday 2007 – Utopia
Releasing in November for the holiday season, the Utopia collection from Zoya is a group of fun, bold shimmering metallic shades that will add a splash of color and glitz to those dreary gray winter days. And All Lacquered Up is fortunate to be the very first to see it, outside of the Art of Beauty family.
This is going to sound silly but whenever I hear the word Utopia I think of that Drew Barrymore movie Ever After. It’s a feminist take on the tale of Cinderella and in it the heroine (played by Drew) loves the book Utopia by Thomas More. I still have my copy of Ever After on VHS and even though I haven’t had a VHS player hooked up in years, I refuse to get rid of it. I love that movie.
Ok, so either someone at Zoya loves me or green nails is a trend that I didn’t see coming. Of all the jewels tones green is the color I least expected to become mainstream. Outside of our small online nail community I’ve never seen anyone else wearing it. But you certainly won’t hear me complaining. Bring on the greens!
My one and only complaint with this collection is the pigmentation. The majority of the lacquers needed three coats to become completely opaque and achieve the bottle shade. Similar to Suvi and Kotori from the Downtown Collection. I wonder if it’s because the extra pigment would thicken the formula and Zoya’s polish is already thicker than the typical non-Big 3 Free brands.
Austine is a muted brushed gold. On the nail it has the appearance hammered metal and the silver shimmer keeps the color from becoming too peach. Austina is more metallic than shimmery which sets it apart from the other shades in Utopia but thankfully it doesn’t affect application.
Tama is the least “me” shade of the bunch. I’m not anti-pink or brights but I feel there’s something in this shade that doesn’t work with my skin tone. It’s a pretty color and definitely more rosy in the sun but it’s just not something I would intentionally buy for myself.
Kamilah is luscious crimson shade with a hint of gold shimmer that comes out in sunlight. As you can see in the individual swatch pics of this and some of the other shades, these polishes seem to have a slight duochrome effect. The color doesn’t completely change but it’s definitely more intense in direct light.
In the bottle Juno looks very much like a duochrome. The polish looks blue all along the edges of the bottle, similar to how Ki looks in the bottle. However on the nail, the blue isn’t that apparent which is a shame. A purple/blue duochrome would be amazing. Of all the purples I have, I feel that Juno will make my top 10 for sure, possibly even top 5. It has incredible depth, pigmentation and gloss. If you love purple, get Juno.
Akyra reminds me of a peacock feather. It’s not as bright but in the same vein. In the sun the green takes dominance and it’s the green that makes Akyra different than Kotori.
I saved the best for last. Irene is a stunning mossy sage green sprinkled with gold shimmer. This green is probably better suited to warm skin tones but a shade this gorgeous should not be limited by skin coloring. In case you haven’t guessed, this is my #1 pick from Utopia and a must have for anyone that loves or appreciates the beauty of green polish.
Which polishes will you be adding to your wish list?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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