Purple
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?
NOTD – Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea
Since I’ve been on a major purple kick lately, I just had to share my NOTD with you all. I about jumped for joy when I got my hands on the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring collection and saw Night Hydrangea, a vibrant red grape shimmer. I know spring is a LONG ways off but I’m already over the snow and this shade is a perfect way to combat the winter blues.
Night Hydrangea is part of a seven color lineup filled with bold hues; three bright shimmers, three rich cremes and one warm gold metallic. I originally previewed the shades during New York Fashion Week where the gold, Tassel, was featured on the runways
The shades include – top row (l-r): Tassel, Nasturtium, Azalea; bottom row (l-r): Honeydew, Forsythia, Night Hydrangea, Beet Stain
As you can see, Night Hydrangea is extremely vivid. It’s bright but not neon and can be worn in any season. It’s definitely dark enough for winter but won’t look out of place come spring. The subtle silver shimmer gives the shade depth and a slight look of texture but no real sparkle. It dries smooth and glossy, even without a top coat and only required two coats.
I don’t have release info on these yet and a full review of the collection is in the works so stay tuned!
For my fellow purple lovers… what’s your favorite purple right now? What’s on your nails today?
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.
Shu Uemura for Holiday 2008
After my Givenchy post from last week, I’ve been on a major purple kick. Next to green, it’s my favorite nail color. I know I’ve been all about about grays this fall but it’s a passing fancy. Purple has a perm place in my heart.
So while shopping with a gal pal at my local Nordies a couple weeks ago, I was stopped in my purple lovin’ tracks at the sight of Shu Uemura’s Mika holiday collection. Famed Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa worked with Shu Uemura to create a vibrant, beautifully packaged collection with an AH-MAZING burple (blue purple) polish.
Tanzanite Aquarium was described as blue by a Shu rep but I think it falls somewhere in between blue and purple, thus the use of burple above. Not only is it a gorgeous shade but it’s packed with holographic micro-glitter as well. It doesn’t create a holographic effect on the nail, just multicolored sparkles in the light. In fact I’d call it a blued version of China Glaze Grape Crush, which is much more red based and warm toned.
The application was smooth and easy. The brush is long, dense and firm yet it splays out nicely to give even coverage. Two coats achieved bottle color but the micro-glitter gives a slightly bumpy finish so I recommend using a thick quick drying top coat like Seche Vite or Poshe. Oh and it wears like a dream. Seriously, this formula is like iron. I went chip free for six days with very little tip wear.
Fun fact: During a recent visit to the Shu Uemura offices, I learned that their polish bottle’s unique shape was designed to fit between your fingers while you polish. No need for a bottle holder here.
The Mika holiday collection is on counters now and available online at ShuUemura-USA.com. The collection’s nail lacquers, Tanzanite Aquarium and Sparkling Garnet Aquarium, retail for $16 US.
Givenchy Purple By Night for Holiday 2008
Kids, hold on to your wallets! I have discovered the most perfect sparkly deep purple polish. Ever since one of my favorite purples ever, China Glaze Grape Crush, was discontinued I have been hunting for something just as glitzy that is noticeably purple. Not just another “almost black.” Something beyond your basic shimmer. A shade filled with micro-glittery goodness. The new Vernis Please! Purple By Night nail lacquer from Givenchy fits the bill.
Part of the Nightlights holiday collection, Purple By Night is my first foray into Givenchy nail polish. I remember seeing pics of Dandy Moire, a gorgeous deep peacock blue, from fall but it was Purple By Night that got me to take the plunge.
Since this was my first time wearing Givenchy, I did my usual five day wear test to see how the formula holds up.
Application: The formula is Big 3 Free with a medium to thick consistency. It flows nicely on the nail with a long, flat brush that makes avoiding shaky hand errors easy. The lacquer is heavily pigmented, barely requiring two coats.
Wear: Using a base of Seche Ridgefilling Base with Seche Vite to finish, I’m happy to report that after five days there was only a slight bit of edge wear and one tiny chip on my index finger. Though what really impressed me is that while I was taking pics (prior to top coat) I bumped my index and middle fingers due to my own clumsiness. Yet the polish itself dries rock hard so quickly that it didn’t leave a single mark! Makes me wonder if a top coat was even necessary.
The only downer about this polish is its small size and price tag. $15 isn’t the worst thing in the world, I shell out that much or more for Lippmann, Chanel and Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes but, for a .18 oz bottle (typical size is .5 oz) that’s asking a lot. I love the color enough to justify the price but it’s definitely a splurge.
Purple By Night is available now on Sephora.com and with their Friends and Family 20% Off discount starting today (11/6) you can snag a bottle for just $12. Use code FF2008 at checkout!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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