Red
Chanel Intermezzo and Gondola Le Vernis for Fall 2009
As a city built on water, Venice was a source of great intrigue for Gabrielle Chanel. She saw it as simultaneously dramatic and fragile – qualities she herself possessed. With the imagination of the CHANEL Makeup Studio, Venice comes to life in a palette reflective of the city’s shimmering facades and mosaics, and the sparkling aquatic colours of its lagoons.
As seen in the runway looks created by Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, at the 2009/10 Cruise Collection show, held on the beaches of Venice, Italy, rich sienna and deep rose tones, and dusky greys and greens combine for a modern look that can be softened for day or emboldened come evening.
Ahh Venice. How I long to go back. I spent three amazing days there with the Boyfriend back in 2002. We stayed in a gorgeous guest house, Palazzo Bembo, right on the canal near the Rialto Bridge. We spent our days wandering the maze of streets shopping, sightseeing and discovering the amazing food and wine of the region. This season Chanel aims to transport us to Venice with their fall colleciton inspired by the colors of this magical city. For nails they introduce Intermezzo, a white pearl, and Gondola, a stunning maroon shimmer. Let’s take a look.
Gondola is a rich burgundy sparkler. It is packed with gold and red micro-shimmer that catch the light adding a bit of jazz to what could be just another berry red. In typical Chanel fashion it’s a chic shimmer not a blingy glitter polish. It applied in two even coats and dried to a glossy, smooth finish.
Intermezzo is an icy white with an opalescent shimmer that gives off a pinkish sheen in the light. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not really a fan of the formula. It applies pretty streaky, requiring three coats and even then my smile line shows through.
The Chanel Fall collection Le Vernis lacquers retail for $23/ea and are available now on Chanel.com and at Chanel counters nationwide.
What do we think Fanatics? Are we loving these or what? Anyone planning to indulge?
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!
“What’s On Your Nails?” with Carla from Product Girl
 What’s On Your Nails? is a series focusing on my fellow beauty bloggers and industry insiders, their favorite nail polish and other hot nail topics.Another week, another WOYN? and this week we’ve got Carla from Product Girl who is FINALLY sharing her NOTD with us (j/k Carla). Kids, this girl is a true “product girl” as her knowledge astounds me. Her love of makeup is deep and real and she can recall color names, collections, etc. like no one I’ve met. This girl has it down!
Since we chat regularly on IM I get to hear about her beauty hauls which makes me want to run to the mall and spend, spend, spend. That’s the last thing the boyfriend wants to hear. I can’t justify $45 for La Mer lip balm but hearing her rave about it is extremely enabling. For that reason alone I’m avoiding the La Mer counter. Read on to learn more about “Product Girl”, see her favorite red and learn which Sally Beauty find is her go-to top coat. |
My 4th of July Manicure – A Nail Art Extravaganza
 Happy 4th of July Fanatics!! I hope all my US based readers are enjoying their holiday weekend. We’ve been having a lazy day around the house; cooking out, relaxing, enjoying a few beers. We’ll be heading out to see fireworks later as long as the weather holds up. The clouds are rolling in but I have hope that we’ll get a reprieve from the rain.
In the meantime, I decided to give myself a little Independence Day manicure that evolved into a nail art experiment. See its evolution from simple to all out crazy after the jump! |
What I used: So I started off very simple with a multi-colored manicure. It’s got patriotic spirit and is very user friendly. You don’t need nail art skills to make this happen yet it’s festive. Have a FANTABULOUS 4th everyone!
Let me clarify that this is not necessarily a recommendation of how you should wear your nails but rather ideas you could try on their own.
*Nubar Sexy Red
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
*OPI Dating A Royal
*Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Blue
*Dotting Tool
Because Steph has been encouraging me to attempt polka dots, I finally took the plunge, adding some white ones using the dotting tool. Steph’s application tip: Pour a bit of polish onto aluminum foil to let it thicken. Dip the dotting tool in the polish and gently tap onto the nail, holding the tool perpendicular. 
Since I was so proud of my dots (this is truly my first effort), I added some to the red as well. Though I think that nail looks more like Toad from Super Mario Brothers than 4th of July.
Now what would a 4th of July mani be without stars? So I broke out the nail art pen and drew a hasty star at the base of my nail. Application tip: Make sure your polish is completely dry or use a quick dry top coat, like I did, before you start to draw or else you’ll damage the color underneath.
That star looked lonely so I gave it a friend. Note: The bonus of using these nail art pens is that you can wipe off any mistakes with water and not ruin the polish below. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Just be careful when you wipe to avoid skin contact because the color can stain. 
Finally, I added stripes to go with my stars. Because the special paint in the nail art pen dries matte, I applied top coat to protect the design and add shine.
Now I realize this look is WAY over the top but we’re talking about a holiday where people paint stars & stripes on their faces so who really cares. If you want something a little more tame, try adding just one of these elements to your manicure for a little 4th of July pizazz.
Butter London Fashionista’s Favourites
 Happy Friday Fanatics! I hope you’re gearing up for a fun weekend and 4th of July celebration (for US readers). Today I have the butter London Spring/Summer Fashionista’s Favourites to show you. It’s a lineup of five new colors, four cremes and one metallic, created by high fashion manicurist and Creative Director Nonie Creme. Take a peek after the jump! |
As I’ve come to expect from bL’s 3 Free formula, the consistency is on the medium-to-thick side yet the polishes apply very smooth and even, with one noted exception (Muggins). The lacquer dries fast and glossy and even though pulling off the outer square cap can be a struggle, it does make application much easier using just the round inner cap.
You saw Artful Dodger on me when I discussed Miley Cyrus’ nails. It’s my favorite shade in the collection and it’s been sitting on my desk for a few weeks now so I can stare at it while I work. It’s just such a happy color, a shade I’d LOVE to see in the sky if these darn rainclouds would ever vacate the CLE. So I’ll continue to stare at Artful Dodger and wait for some much needed sun.
The Old Bill is a warm old gold metallic. You know how I feel about the issues metallics bring to the party but guess what?? The Old Bill isn’t plagued by them. There’s no streaking, no monster brush strokes, no weird pooling or anything. It applies like a freakin’ dream in two thin coats. LOVE IT!!
Muggins is my problem child of the bunch. I’m already leery of pale purples but this one applied terribly. After three streaky coats I gave up. I tried with this one but for a color I know won’t work with my skin tone, it wasn’t worth it. I even added top coat to try and even it out and it STILL looked lumpy. PASS!
Cheeky Chops is perfect for the whole yellow trend that’s happening. It’s a vibrant banana pudding type shade. Bright but not neon, buttery but not pastel. Pretty dead on perfect if you ask me.
Blowing Raspberries doesn’t really blow my hair back, no pun intended. It’s a rich berry red creme not overly unusual. Though what did impress me was the application and pigmentation. It’s almost a one coater and so damn smooth. I’d call it a goof-proof red.
The butter London Fashionista’s Favourites are currently on sale through butterLondon.com or Beauty.com. Individual polishes retail for $14 or you can buy the entire set for $45 (bl) or $50 (Beauty.com).
So what do we think fanatics? Who’s got big plans for the 4th? Or just fun plans in general?
AND DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MY CHANEL GIVEAWAY THAT ENDS TONIGHT!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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