Teal
ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Essie Dive Bar
365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to.
In December we talked about Essie entering the mass retail market with an edited selection of their core collection colors and new retail exclusives. “Retail exclusives” made my ears perk up so I was curious to see what kind of colors the mass consumer would get versus what Essie offers to salons. To be honest when the L’oreal buyout of Essie became public I was skeptical of how this type of change would be received. Unlike a lot of salon brands that have ended up filtering into mass retailers via the gray market, Essie was one that I rarely came across. At least in my tiny piece of the universe. But I have yet to hear a big uproar from the salon community about L’oreal bringing Essie to the mass crowd. Anywho, as soon as I spotted my first Essie retail display I zeroed in on the blues and greens and came home with Dive Bar and Trophy Wife. Of course I rush to buy these colors and where do they end up? Good question. This past weekend I was cleaning out a drawer looking for receipts (oh joyous tax season) when I found the polishes still in the drugstore bag. I must have hid them in a fit of de-cluttering before they made their way to the polish room. I decided to give Essie Dive Bar a whirl first. |
A Quick & Easy Gradation Manicure with Butter London Stroppy
Remember way back in February 2009 when I had a CalGel Gradation Manicure done at Sakura in NYC? If you’re not familiar, a gradation manicure creates an ombre effect where the polish fades down the nail. I wore a version with a purple tip that faded into clear but you can also fade two colors together.
As much as I loved the look of my CalGel mani, the thought of spending two hours at the salon to get it done and another half hour or longer to remove it does not sound appealing. There has to be an easier way. An at-home method to get the look for less. Enter butter LONDON Stroppy. |
CND Night Factory Duo – Urban Oasis & Teal Sparkle Swatches & Review
Like your favorite pair of jeans, the CND Night Factory Duo of Urban Oasis and Teal Sparkle can take you from day to night based on how you wear it. The blue-green denim creme can be worn alone with a high gloss finish for a chic day look, electrified with Teal Sparkle for a night on the town, or sandblasted with a satin finish matte for a casual weekend look.
As I shared with you in previewing “The Look” for Fall/Winter 2010, CND was heavily influenced by the heathery blues, hunter greens and taupe greys as seen on the Marc Jacobs and Rag & Bone Spring 2010 runways. Those colors came together to form Urban Oasis. To pair with it, CND chose the largest of their Effects micas to create the illuminating Teal Sparkle. |
MAC Alice + Olivia Collection Nail Lacquer Swatches & Review
If Alice fell down the rabbit hole and met a Makeup Artist instead of the Mad Hatter, M·A·C alice + olivia is the curiously gorgeous collection she’d be rocking!
Hip, playful, unpretentious and unabashedly fun, M·A·C is thrilled to announce the latest collaboration with the most adorably fabulous fashionista we know, designer Stacey Bendet of cult-fave line, alice + olivia. Celebrities, socials and all-around cool girls from coast to coast are obsessed with a + o’s uptown-meets-downtown aesthetic and colourful, playful vibe, so the inspiration for the makeup collection was a cinch!
Fun, playful and hip all come to mind when I think of MAC and their consistently inventive collections so teaming up with Stacey Bendet of alice + olivia seems like a perfect fit. When asked why she became involved in a makeup collection Bendet said, “Well, to me it’s all about colour, whether it’s a crazy pair of striped bell-bottoms or the perfect purple nail polish. It’s about a girl having a great time when she dresses up; and who dresses up without makeup?”Ah, a girl after my own heart. The fact that she appreciates a good purple polish instantly endears her to me. Including a teal in her collection is icing on the cake.
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Orly Plastix Satin Finish Nail Polish Swatches & Review
“Gretchen, stop trying to make FETCH happen! It’s not going to happen!” – Regina George leader of “The Plastics” in Mean Girls.
For the past year now nail polish brands have been trying to “make fetch happen” with a seemingly never ending barrage of matte nail polishes. My lazy, always-running-late self loves mattes for their quick dry time and I know I’m not alone but the detractors seem to be in the majority. I get it. The wear issues and flat wall paint finish aren’t exactly selling points and most certainly deal breakers for a lot of you.
Enter Orly’s twist on the game, the Plastix Collection, a set of four satin lacquers. Like their Nails For Males and now discontinued Matte Top Coat these polishes dry with a semi-gloss “plastic” finish. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this type of finish but it hasn’t come in fun colors until now. The Fall runways featured lots of satin nails as well which is why I’m declaring Satin is the new Matte.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
