Silver
Zoya Ooh-La-La for Summer 2009
 As I’m sure you know by now, metallic polishes and I aren’t friends. Why? Because for the most part, metallic = brush stroke madness. So you can imagine my disappointment when I heard that one of Zoya‘s two collections for summer, Ohh-La-La, consisted entirely of metallics.
I decided to reserve judgment until I got my mitts on them and I’m so glad I did. With the exception on one or two problem children, brush strokes are nowhere to be found. Overall, the colors are fun and bright, I just wish they were more pigmented. The majority required three coats though I’ll take that over a thick gloppy polish. Check them out after the jump! |
Midori is the shade I was most excited to see. This green lover can never get enough. A lovely grassy hue packed with golden metallic shimmer, Midori reminds me of a perfect green apple. Though it’s not entirely unique. It’s actually a dead on dupe for last summer’s Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Glow. In person, you can’t tell the difference.
Katy is a stunning hot pink shade with just a subtle hint of shimmer. Unlike the rest of the shades in this collection, Katy looks like a creme away from the bright sun. What I love is that is has a touch of rosy-ness that keeps it from being neon. I think this will be a knockout pedi shade.
Goldie was one of my problem children due to brush strokes but it wasn’t horrifyingly bad. It has to be the most gold bar-like shade I’ve ever seen. It’s very vibrant. I predict that this one will be a shade you either LOVE or HATE. There’s no middle of the road here.
When I saw the promo pic of Ginessa I was hoping for a sparkly white instead of a foil-like light silver. I’m all over whites for summer. Though the lightness of Ginessa keeps it from being disco ball silver. I just wish it applied better. It went on streaky, pulling at my cuticles, requiring three coats. And when I removed it, it left little sparkles all over my cuticles that were such a bitch to get rid of.
Emme was my other problem child. Think of her as Bender from The Breakfast Club. Rebellious and a royal pain in the arse. Emme’s warm pink hue is very bubblegum, which I love however, the brush strokes were unbearable, which I DON’T love. I know some people can deal but my perfectionist side can’t. My mom, on the other hand, loves this type of finish and will give Emme a great home.
Tallulah is my “must have” of the collection. It has this gorgeous cornflower base that is electrified with bright blue shimmer. It’s yet another unqiue blue to add to my stash. What really pleased me was that it applies a bit darker than how it looks in the bottle because side by side, it looked like an identical twin to yet another Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine shade, Flash. But as you can see below, Flash doesn’t even come close.
The Zoya Ooh-La-La collection retails for $6/ea and is on sale now at Zoya.com and in salons across the country.
What do we think? Who’s already hauled from Ooh-La-La? What did you get?
Color Change Fun with Del Sol Rock Star & Ruby Slipper
 All of our vacations over the past few years have included two things… beauty products and wine. Don’t ask me why but somehow I end up sniffing out an outlet mall, a dusty nail shop or some unique brand I just have to have. And similarly we usually end up at a winery, bringing some bottles home with us.
This time we didn’t bring back any wine, though I did manage to down almost two bottles of champagne at the Captain’s Cocktail Party and Past Guest Reception, but I did pack away some new nail polishes in my luggage. I was beckoned by the Del Sol store on St. Lucia after our rum punch infused day trip and even though there’s a Del Sol at my favorite weekend getaway, Put-In-Bay, I was sucked in by their line of color change nail polish. I have a couple Del Sol polishes at home already, a light metallic blue that turns limey green (Electrick!) and a blue that turns purple (Super Hero) but I couldn’t resist the two glitter bombs sitting on the shelf, staring at me. Check out the color changing goodness after the jump! |
Ruby Slipper applies as a clear lacquer packed with silver shimmer. I used three coats to get decent coverage but it’s still semi-sheer. Though as you’ll see below, it turns an opaque pinkish red when exposed to UV. Quite a transformation, no? Rock Star reminds me of the much sought after China Glaze Dorothy Who?. It applies pretty translucent, like a glaze, requiring three pretty thick coats. Though what I love is that in spite of its abundant micro-glitter, it dries pretty darn smooth. There’s a hint of texture but any top coat will wipe that out. And of course I LURVE that it turns a gorgeous murky, sea water green. I even got Mr. ALU to try these beauties out. In a slightly drunken stupor I convinced the boyfriend to let me paint his nails with my new finds. I did a slop ass job, alternating shades on his tips, neglecting to use a base or top coat. I’m sure you can imagine the looks he got, not that he cared. What’s funny is that the following day on St Kitts, he had little schools of fish trying to nibble his hands underwater. I guess they thought the sparkles looked like food. Weird, right? Del Sol polishes retail for $10/ea and can be purchased online at DelSol.com or at a Del Sol store. The polishes are Toluene, Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Resin free but they do contain DBP and Camphor. With summer quickly approaching, don’t you want color changing tips & toes? Has anyone tried Del Sol polishes before? Which shades are your fave?
If you’ve never been to a Del Sol store before, they carry a line of clothes, accessories and nail polish that change color when exposed to UV rays (see right). They have UV lamps in all their locations so you can see the black and white t-shirts, hats and bags burst into technicolor. Even if this isn’t your thing, you should definitely stop in just to play if you have the chance. My purchase of choice was the Ruby Slipper and Rock Star nail polishes. Both are jelly based and blingtacular.
Note: The picture above was taken on a cloudy day which serves as an excellent reminder that UV rays can penetrate clouds so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember to wear sunscreen every day.
I couldn’t resist doing a mani with Rock Star since we had a glorious sunny day this past weekend. Isn’t it fun? The transformation isn’t as dramatic as with Ruby Slipper but I enjoy it.
Dior Holiday 2008 – Black Diamonds
On my recent trip to NYC one of the stops on our “beauty tour” of the city was the LVMH offices for a visit with Dior Beauty. We were treated to a viewing of the current and upcoming Dior collections and, of course, I was most intrigued by the Vernis nail lacquer. I don’t have pics to share of the spring and summer colors but I can say I spotted a few winners coming our way (think bold for summer).
One of the gifts of creating this blog has been discovering brands that are new to me, testing polishes I normally wouldn’t encounter. Dior is certainly one of those brands. It’s not that I live in a bubble in the middle of nowhere but I never really considered prestige or department store lines when shopping for polish. I figured they were an add-on item and assumed the quality would be no match for salon lines. Well, you know what they about ass-uming.
Similar to brands like Chanel, YSL and N.Y.C. the chrome cover pulls off Dior bottles to reveal a “CD” embossed, slightly rounded, ribbed cap. The brush is flat (think OPI or NYX) but extremely firm making application precise and accurate. It was the easiest application I’ve had with a new brand in a long time. No trial runs necessary. The lacquer just flows on the nail and dries relatively quick while still maintaining its glossiness. Though I did my five day wear test with one nail minus top coat and it was chip city! So no forgetting the Seche Vite when I wear Dior.
Black Sequins has been getting tons of celebrity buzz. In fact Jennifer Lopez, who is known for wearing a neutral nail, donned the black sparkler for Elle Magazine’s Women In Hollywood Tribute. Similar to Sephora by OPI Never Enough Shoes minus the gold flecks, Black Sequins’ jet black base is so pigmented that even the silver micro-glitter that’s peppered throughout doesn’t lighten its appearance. Plus, it dries smooth. Bonus!
Pure Diamonds looks just as the name implies, like crushed diamonds on your nails. It’s so glitzy, it’s almost iridescent. The only issue is opacity. I needed three coats to get there which would make this a good option for sheer lovers who want just a thin coat of icing on their nails. Or you could use it for layering to bling out your favorite creme.
Poison Blue stirred up all sorts of craziness when it debuted last year (and quickly sold out). You know how I feel about blues so I was disappointed that I never got my hands on it then but, when I heard that Dior was bringing it back for holiday, I jumped at the chance to test it out. Regardless of any semblance of shimmer you may see in the bottle, for all intents and purposes, Poison Blue is a dark blue creme. As I learned from the masterminds at CND, shimmer can be used for depth and reflectiveness yet still dry as a creme.
Of course I had to test this one against its rival, Chanel Blue Satin, and what I found is that Blue Satin is darker, more black based yet its shimmer actually does show up in bright light. Poison Blue has a much lighter base that is similar to Lippmann Rehab, resulting in a less blackened final result.
Unfortunately, finding all three polishes in the same place won’t happen. Each polish is carried by different retailers and sells for $19. Black Sequins is exclusive to Sephora and still available on Sephora.com (direct product link). I found Poison Blue on Dillards.com which means you should be able to buy it at your local department store Dior counter while Pure Diamonds is carried at specialty stores like Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
image credit: WireImage
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.
Fall Nail Trend Alert – Metallics
Ladies, get ready for gilded tips and toes! Glitzy, glammed out nails are all the rage for Fall 2008, are you on board? From the runway to the red carpet, metallics are “in” this season.
Of course our favorite nail fashionista, Rihanna, adopted the trend early when she rocked a tarnished gold at the Much Music Awards in June. Even Gwyneth Paltrow, who usually dons a more subdued nail look, hopped on the metallic bandwagon with a chrome shade for the launch of the PBS series Spain…On the Road Again. And well, you all saw Rachel Bilson rock Chanel Kaleidoscope on the cover of Page Six Magazine.
With so many nail polishes on the market, how do you choose? The trend is broken down into three shade families; Champagne & Bronze, Pewter and Silver (recommendations below). I know what the next question is… what happened to gold? While gold and fall seem to go together like pork chops and apple sauce (yes I’m a Brady Bunch fan), it’s played out. We’ve seen it. It’s time to switch up the game.
What is the best metallic for your skin type? Warm and darker skin tones are better suited to Champagne & Bronze shades while Cool girls should check out the Silvers. The beauty of Pewter being a mix of copper and tin means that anyone can wear them. Oh and you neutral gals, you get your pick. Lucky!
Champagne & Bronze shades to try: Wet N Wild Amazing In Amber, OPI Glamour Game (Holiday In Toyland collection), NYC Molten Metal, Sparitual Muse, Wet N Wild Beautiful In Bronze, Cover Girl Bronze Beauty, Nina Ulta Pro Champagne
Pewter shades to try: Essie Steeling The Scene, Sephora by OPI Queen of Everything, Chanel Kaleidoscope
Silver shades to try: CHI Sexy Stilettos, Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go!, CND Silver Anniversary, Sally Hansen Shooting Star, Sephora by OPI Social Climber
So who’s digging this whole metallic feel for fall? Any lacquers you have your eye on?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
