Glitter
The ALU Archives – China Glaze C-C-Courage
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
You asked for HTF’s well you’re gonna get them. Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll last week. An overwhelming majority of you want to see some of my favorite discontinued polishes pop up in the Archives. For those of you that weren’t a fan of the idea, not to worry, you’ll still get plenty of available shades to ogle.
I decided to kick off the DC’d Archives with China Glaze C-C-Courage. Check it out after the jump! |
My WOOA shades (pictured above): C-c-courage, Cowardly Lyin’ and Dorothy Who? It’s the multi-sized glitter in these polishes that make them special. C-C-Courage has tonal shimmer and silvery light purple glitter trapped in a semi-sheer grape hued base. Though don’t let semi-sheer scare you off. This one is totally opaque in 2-3 coats. It does dry a bit flat and satiny so I am showing it with a glossy top coat. Have any of you run across the Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection? Do you own any of the shades? What do you think of C-C-Courage.
C-C-Courage was released as part of the Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection. With Wizard of Oz themed names and colors the collection also included Cowardly Lyin’, Dorothy Who?, Good Witch?, The Ten Man and the lone core collection survivor Ruby Pumps. I owned Good Witch? at one point thanks to a special MUA friend but I decided she belonged with the queen of all things pink, NikkNack.
Now because this collection was released prior to AII Beauty acquiring the brand, the formulas were lost. But I have it on good authority that China Glaze has been working on re-creating the colors so if you would like to see these beauties make a triumphant return, let them know. Leave a comment here or email them directly through the contact form on the China Glaze site.
Lippmann Collection Fall 2009 Swatches and Review
 Let’s keep this Lippmann party going, shall we? Last March, I gave you an exclusive sneak preview of Deb’s 2nd designer collaboration, Marquee Moon. It’s the shade she created with CFDA Womenswear Designers of the Year, Kate and Laura Mulleavy; the sisters behind fashion label Rodarte.
Deb paired this unique sequined shade with a vampy teal for her Fall collection and I have your first look. Check it out, after the jump! |
As I mentioned in my review of the Celebrate set, the sequins in Marquee Moon apply sporadically so one nail might end up with ten sequins while another only has a few. This is what Deb intended; for each nail to have its own unique look. On the polar opposite of that we have Don’t Tell Mama, a shimmer that applies smooth, even and buttery. Each polish is shown with only two coats and no top coat. Don’t Tell Mama is a luscious deep blue-green shimmer that sent my little green loving heart a racin’. The depth on this jewel toned beauty is incredible.
Greens are having a quite a year, aren’t they? From the amazing MAC Peppermint Patti to the Nubar Going Green collection to the upcoming Chanel Jade, green polish lovers are being overloaded with options and I’m NOT going to complain. Well, now Lippmann is jumping on the green bandwagon with Don’t Tell Mama, named after the Cabaret tune.
Of course I was hoping maybe I’d discovered a dupe of beloved but long gone treasures, CND NFS or OPI Jasper Jade. Alas, the best I could do was Sleek UK’s Poison Ivy which is close but a little lighter in hue.
Marquee Moon‘s silver sequins are much larger and a bit more difficult to control than the Celebrate sequined polishes. However because they’re set in an opaque metallic silver base, you only need two coats to achieve bottle color. What I love is that after a glossy top coat, the particles sitting on the surface become tiny glittering mirrors, like pieces of a disco ball. When Deb said the look was futuristic, she wasn’t kidding!
These Lippmann Fall 2009 shades retail for $15/ea and launch in July. They will be available online at LippmannCollection.com and Beauty.com and on counters at Nordstrom.
Lippmann “Celebrate” 10th Anniversary Collection
 This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Deborah Lippmann‘s eponymous brand and to celebrate, she’s releasing a limited edition set of nail polishes to be sold during Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale. The set, appropriately named Celebrate, includes two brand new colors, Ruby Red Slippers and Funky Chunky, and brings back the sparkly hit from last year’s Holiday Collection, Superstar.I had the pleasure of meeting Deb backstage at New York Fashion Week last February where we discussed her uniquely gorgeous bottle design and excitement over her upcoming shades. Check out what she had to say and get a look at the colors, after the jump! |
One of the standout features of a Lippmann polish, besides the actual lacquer, is the elegant bottle design. It’s a distinctive showpiece. Given the chance to pick Deb’s brain, I of course had to ask her about the bottle’s background.
“We aren’t going to do nail care if it’s not sitting out. It’s something I learned working in fashion. I realized that even in the fashion world where every detail is so important, it was the last thing anybody thought of. It was the first detail to go.”
“I thought women aren’t taking care of their nails because we throw our bottles in a drawer, in a closet. I really wanted, particularly for the treatment bottles that are used more often, I wanted something you would be proud to put next to your fragrance bottles.”
She wanted it to look like a jewel. Something you want to touch and stare at with a very stable base and an easy to hold handle. It was a concept she had in her head that she searched and searched and searched for. With mentors and friends like Martha Stewart and Cher, their product and branding knowledge were invaluable in helping her choose the final bottle design.
For the Celebrate set, Deb wanted to go for all out glam as seen on the spring runways, creating two new sparkling shades to pair with the over-the-top glitz of Superstar. Each shade consists of a dark sheer base packed with glitter, sequins or a combo of both.
Due to the sheerness of the base, three coats were necessary to get them truly opaque and because we’re talking about particles suspended in polish, the dried surface does have texture until you apply a top coat.
Ruby Red Slippers has become popular amongst Deb’s celeb clientele. She applied it to Lady Gaga for a photo shoot last month and Oscar winner Marion Cottilard went crazy for it as well. Metallic red glitter and hexagonal sequins are floating in a sheer black creme giving the look of crushed jewels on the nail.
Funky Chunky is a black, jelly-like creme filled with black sequins. Three coats build up to an opaque, glossy finish and as the polish dries, the layers of sequins start to rise to the surface.
Making a return from last holiday, Superstar is a semi-sheer brown creme loaded with bronze glitter.
As with any glitter polish, removal is a chore. You end up finding random sequins on your hands. And due to the size of the sequins, they don’t apply evenly to the nail so don’t expect a uniform look.
The Lippmann Celebrate 10th Anniversary Set is available for pre-order now on Nordstrom.com for $35 and will launch online at LippmannCollection.com in August.
The ALU Archives – Zoya Roxy (Two Ways)
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
I’m not gonna lie kids, this week has not been the best ev so I needed a little sparkle in my day. I’m not fishing for pity or anything, it’s just been a general mess of craptastic for me lately. This put me in the mood to play and distract myself which is why this week’s Archives features Zoya Roxy. You know how all those cooking shows like Top Chef and the new Masters version (all the foody fun minus the delicious drama) talk about meat (I’m sorry protein) prepared three ways and such, well this is Roxy two ways; glossy and matte. Check it out! |
Roxy is a fitting name for such a glitzy shade. I can totally picture this on a rocker chick seeing a show at The Roxy. Can’t you? I bet Roxy from Chicago would totally approve of this polish bearing her name. Though as a side note, when my parents named their Cavalier Roxy I gave them hell about it saying that Roxy from Chicago is a tramp who kills people and Roxanne from The Police tune is a whore so they’re not really giving the little furball much of a chance. And fanatics out there who happened to be named Roxy/Roxanne please don’t take offense, it was all in jest!
So if I had to name my Top 10 Zoya polishes, Roxy would definitely make the list. It’s a semi-sheer deep berry base with suspended magenta glitter. Like most glitter polishes it does dry with some texture but it’s not something a layer of top coat can’t cure. Though due to its semi-sheer status, you do need at least three coats to get it opaque. 
Since I recently got a bottle of Nubar’s matte top coat in, I’ve been mattifying all my polishes just for fun. When applied to Roxy, I feel like I’m looking at it through frosted glass. Even you matte haters have to admit it’s a very cool effect even if you wouldn’t wear it, right? Come on you know you want to give in to the matte!
Zoya Roxy retails for $6 and can be purchased online at Zoya.com
Where are the Roxy lovers? What old polish have you recently rediscovered in your stash? Share!
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.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
