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Purple

Swatch Request Sunday – Blues and Greens and Berries, Oh My!

I was a busy beaver yesterday, running errands and the like before heading to a Cinco De Mayo party so this week it’s Swatch Request Sunday.

Blues and greens are still on your radar but some purples and berries were added to the mix. To those of you that didn’t get your swatch requests fulfilled, I didn’t forget about you. I still have them on my list and will try to address them next weekend.


When I reviewed the Misa Living On The Fast Lane collection, I mentioned that Push Upon It is a “long lost twin” of OPI Miami Beet. Reader Amanda wrote in asking for proof. Here you go Amanda, I hope this saves you some money. While Miami Beet is a tad brighter, I wouldn’t suggest spending money on both.
After posting about Milani Totally Cool, Lena asked to see it up against fan favorite Zoya Yasmeen. Yasmeen is a richer, warmer, deeper plum as compared to blue based glitter bomb Totally Cool.
Reader crotchfairy wants to see how Illamasqua’s Rampage compares to Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle. While the shades are close, Rampage is a bit brighter and less pigmented requiring three coats to Recycle’s two.

I assume in the hopes of saving some $$$, MoonChaii requested a comparison between China Glaze Bahamian Escape and Essie Shelter Island. Unfortunately, they are not twins. B.E. is lighter and more pigmented compared to S.I.’s jelly like consistency.
And to finish out the week we have your top request, dusty greens Essie Greenport and Misa Dirty Sexy Money. DSM’s deep, slightly muddy hue may have caused the boyfriend to say “eww” but I’m all over it. And as you can see, it has no close relatives.
That’s it for this week kids. If you have a request, leave a comment or email me at [editor] at [alllacqueredup] dot [com]. The more specific the request, the better. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.

NOTD – Milani Totally Cool

By on April 28, 2009
in Milani, Purple with 18 Comments
Purple lovers, you better strap yourself down for this one because it’s a BEAUT! Drugstore gem Milani released a new perm shade that the lovely Steph from Steph’s Closet sent my way and it’s beyond. Beyond gorgeous, beyond stunning, beyond beyond. I say “beyond” too much, don’t I?

It’s been a while since I’ve picked up any new Milani polishes. Not because I don’t like the brand but because I rarely run across their seasonal displays. I had all their “me” perm shades before I started ALU so they haven’t gotten much blog love but Totally Cool is changing that. Check it out after the jump!


I don’t blame you if you completely miss my review and just drool over the pictures. I’ll let it slide this time. The color is insane, no? It’s this burpley jelly-like confection with duo-chrome shimmer floating throughout. When I say duo-chrome shimmer, I mean that it looks bronze or magenta depending on the angles. And it dries totally flat, glossy and smooth. I seriously can’t stop staring at my nails. Now it did apply semi-sheer so I needed three coats but I don’t give a hoot. Do you?


Milani Nail Lacquer can be found at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Winn Dixie and Drugstore.com. I have the best luck at CVS because they usually have larger displays than my Walgreens. And be sure to check your Sunday sale ads because Milani tends to go on sale every other week or so. Usually BOGO 1/2 Off.

Thanks again Steph! I LURVE it!

Barielle Sugar Rush for Summer 2009

Sugar Rush is the alternative to last year’s neons -celebrity manicurist, Elle

Barielle spokesperson, Elle, created six hot candy colored lacquers for the Shades by Barielle summer collection and I’m loving every single one of them. We’ve seen candy inspired collections in the past but never with this kind of pigmentation, consistency in formula and hello, TWO GREENS!! To steal a line from Clueless, they give me a toothache just looking at them.


I had the chance to speak with Elle about her latest polish confections and get her take on the collection. “It’s high voltage color but t
hey’re more wearable. I wanted to keep it creamy, like taffy, with a lot more pigment rather than on the sugary edge.”

You know I’m a girl that loves her brights and Sugar Rush hits that spot dead on. Neons are fun and all but they can be too harsh if you don’t have the right coloring so these shades are definitely more my deal. I applied two coats of each polish and they flowed on perfect and even with pigmentation to spare.

Let’s start with my hands down winner, Sweet Addiction. I’m so loving these variations on dusty, minty greens. Sweet Addiciton, Misa Dirty Sexy Money, MAC Peppermint Patti and Essie Greenport are all on the same vibe yet surprisingly different enough to own them all.

Swizzle Stick‘s light azure hue makes me think of my college days. My sorority’s colors were white and azure blue and now I want to go dig out one of my old t-shirts to wear with this shade.

Can I just say that I’m so not over yellow? Lemondrops totally revived it for me. Yes, the pastels are safer and easier to pull off but give me a fab golden yellow and I’m in. Think of Lemondrops as a more pigmented, creme version of China Glaze Solar Power. Very similar base shade but with a different finish and pigmentation.

Cotton Candy really is the perfect descriptor for this hue. It takes me right to the fair. And the subtle sparkle reminds me of the iridescent quality of spun sugar threads. It adds playfulness and depth to the polish. I know my skin looks a bit ruddier than normal in this pic but that’s just to get the polish color right. It’s actually a bit more vibrant in person.

Grape Escape even more vivid in person that it appears in pics. It’s a pretty dead on purple. Not too dark, not too light. In comparison with the other summer purple, Lippmann Call Me Irresponsible, Grape Escape is definitely more pigmented and a couple shades lighter. All I can say is, LOVE!

Decadence is unlike any teal I own. It has amazing depth and fire, very much like a jewel. Being the only metallic-ish shade in the bunch, it definitely stands out. I like to think that if ChG Turned Up Turquoise and Passion In The Pacific hooked up, you’d get Decadence.

The Sugar Rush collection from Shades by Barielle retails for $8/ea and is available now on Barielle.com. And if you buy 2 colors, you get one FREE with free shipping on all orders over $50.

For My UK Fanatics – Illamasqua Nail Varnish

By on March 11, 2009
in Gray, Illamasqua, Metallic, Purple with 12 Comments
What is one of the major complaints of UK nail fanatics?? Lack of access to all the amazing colors we get here in the states. Yes, you can order from some US sellers and pay for overseas shipping but wouldn’t you prefer to find some more cool local brands. Well have I got one for you… Illamasqua.

Illamasqua is a new UK makeup brand, influenced by the risque club scene of the 1920s and the expressive makeup of alternative cultures. The line’s products come in a rainbow of colors including the 37 nail varnishes, some with naughty names like Poke, Milf and Phallic.

I tested a few varnishes in very “me” hues, see how they look after the jump!


Being that Illamasqua is a UK based brand all their nail varnishes are Big 3 Free, natch, though they do contain formaldehyde resin (for those of you who check ingredients). The formula is on the thicker side and extremely pigmented. I’m not gonna lie, the metallic and shimmer shades applied better than the creme. The creme was a bit streaky and needed evening out with Seche Vite to appear completely smooth. Also I noticed that, like wall paint, the creme and metallic dried a little darker with a semi-matte finish.

I gave each shade my five day trial run with a base of CND Sticky and Seche Vite top coat, to test its wearability and I was very pleased with the results. Minimal tip wear and no chipping.

DWS is a mid-tone gray creme. It’s got a bit of green to its base, similar to Rescue Beauty’s Stormy, only DWS is lighter. It falls somewhere between Stormy and RBL Concrete Jungle. I’d say it’s more along the lines of MAC On The Prowl from the Hello Kitty collection. Like I said above, the application was a bit tricky but not so much so that it ruined the overall result. You just have to play with it. I’ve shown it with top coat.

Snap is a gunmetal metallic. It’s not super dark so it definitely looks gray in all lighting. It’s a true metal in that respect. I’ve shown it without a top coat so you can see that it dries somewhat matte, not glossy.

And as a random factoid, while removing the polish I noticed that instead of coming off in one fell swoop, the first layer came off to reveal this lighter metallic shade, similar to Chanel Kaleidoscope without the chameleon effect. Kind of cool, no?

Baptiste is the out and out winner of the three. It’s a STUNNING purple shimmer. Similar to Essie Sexy Divide, Baptiste is much richer and vibrant in person. Don’t worry about “almost black” syndrome affecting this one. Even under the odd fluorescent lighting in my office, Baptiste looks purple. What you see is without top coat. Talk about glossy!
These are a few of the Illamasqua shades that I’m longing to try next. I say yay to any brand that carries mulitple greens in their core collection. Ding, ding, ding we “greenies” have a winner.


Fun fact: Nicole Scherzinger wore Fern, a bold robin’s egg shimmer, in an upcoming Pussycat Dolls video for the Oscar winning hit “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. The video isn’t out yet but I found a “making of” video on MTV.com

Illamasqua Nail Varnish retails for ร‚ยฃ12.50 and can be purchased directly from Illamasqua.com. I’m also really intrigued by the create your own eyeshadow palettes so if anyone tries or has tried them, let me know what you think.

Lippmann Collection Summer 2009

lippmann collection, summer 2009, it's raining men, call me irresponsible, purple, red, nail polish, nail lacquer, nail color, nail colour, nails, nail trends Kids, I’m in head over heels swoony love and it’s all Deborah Lippmann‘s fault! Just when I thought I had my fill of lovely purples she just HAD to put out a perfect summery graple. Seriously, you purple lovers are going to flip for this.

For Summer 2009, Lippmann Collection is releasing two new shades, It’s Raining Men (red creme) and Call Me Irresponsible (grape jelly). Check out my swatches after the jump!


frank sinatra, the weather girls, it's raining men, call me irresponsibleNaming polish shades must be so fun for Deborah. With her musical background, she always chooses such catchy song titles for her lacquers. I mean, can anyone sit still when they hear “It’s Raining Men?” I know I can’t. After all I do own Pure Disco 1 & 2 and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. For the record, I own Pure Funk as well. I’m all about a compilation. And you really can’t go wrong with a classic like Frank Sinatra’s “Call Me Irresponsible.” I had the pleasure of meeting Deborah backstage at NYFW (more on that come) where she described this collection as “strong and beautiful.”

It’s Raining Men is your classic red creme but punched up in brightness for summer. It’s super pigmented, beyond pigmented. It’s practically a one coat red, which I love. There is a slight hint of berry in the base. No tinges of orange. It’s pure, cherry perfection. In looking for dupes, Essie Live From The Red Carpet is a close twin though it’s not as dense and requires more coats.
Call Me Irresponsible reminds me of Rehab in that it has a jelly-ish feel only more pigmented, not as sheer. It’s not uber-pigmented so I needed three coats but come on, look at that color. Three coats is totally worth it! With its red tinged base, Call Me Irresponsible comes out more graple (grape purple) on the nail than the burple (bluish purple) hue in the bottle. And in spite of my mass purple collection, the only shade that comes close is CND Studio 54 though it’s not as vibrant.

Since Deborah is all about the music, I thought I’d leave you with a little Weather Girls and Frank to brighten your day.

The Lippmann Collection Summer polishes retail for $15/ea and will be available at LippmannCollection.com and in stores at Nordstrom.

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