Summer 2009
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?
Chanel Celestial Lights Starring Cosmic Violine
 Recalling Mademoiselle Chanel’s fascination with the constellations, LUMIÈRES CÉLESTES — eight exquisite new shades of LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES Glossimer — brings a brilliant reflection of light to the lips. Ranging from a shimmering ruby glow to the sparkle of pink diamonds, the effects are as mesmerizing as a star-filled sky.
Ever since I caught wind of Chanel’s Celestial Lights collection, I’ve been waiting with bated breath to cover my tips in Cosmic Violine. As far as I’m concerned, there aren’t enough fun brown family shades on the market so hearing that they were coming out with a “brown copper” lacquer to accompany their eight new Glossimer shades, all I could think was “SIGN ME UP!” Of course, it did not disappoint. Check out my swatches along with the rest of the Celestial Lights Le Vernis lacquers after the jump! |
In addition to Cosmic Violine, Chanel is introducing a new pink for summer, Mica Rose, repromoting permanent shade Allegoria and bringing back Dazzling (originally intro’d with Holiday 2007). With one minor exception (noted below) all the shades applied like a dream, smooth and even. They are all shown without top coat, over a ridgefilling base.
Cosmic Violine is a micro-glitter packed, red-based brown. It’s very rich, even more so in person, and the glitter reminds me of the Moscow collection. Cosmic Violine could be the lighter, browner sister of Feu De Russie. What I love is that even though this type of shade seems more suited to fall or winter, I totally want to rock it on my toes for summer. It truly is the standout shade of this collection. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Mica Rose is the cool toned alternative to last summer’s Flamingo, one of my all time fave pinks. Flamingo is a warm sparkly pink while Mica Rose is more of a true pink with a slight leaning towards lilac. It’s on the semi-sheer side so I needed three coats to make it opaque. Though with the majority of my pink collection consisting of warmer hues, I’ll happily add Mica Rose to my perm stash.
Allegoria is milky beige creme that is part of the permanent Chanel Le Vernis lineup. It’s a staple type shade but not really “me” and since my bottle was pretty streaky, requiring three coats (four on my pinky), for me, it’s not a keeper.
Dazzling is a true red creme and with all the celebrity red tip sightings these past few months, it only makes sense to bring this baby back for summer. You have no idea how many red creme pedicures I saw on the cruise so if you want to jump on that bandwagon, Dazzling is a good place to start.
The Celestial Lights collection officially launches in May though I believe people have already started finding the polishes at their local Chanel counters. Le Vernis lacquers retail for $23/ea and can be purchased online from Chanel.com in addition to department and specialty store Chanel counters.
So who’s planning to run out and grab a bottle of Cosmic Violine? Are the other shades striking your fancy?
Finger Paints Sunburst Summer
 Coming soon to a Sally Beauty Supply near you is the Finger Paints Sunburst Summer collection. One look and I immediately think of ice cream. Do you remember as a kid, going to the Baskin Robbins and staring at all the fun colored ice creams like Superman, Pink Bubblegum, Orange Sherbet, etc.? Well, they’re all right here in Sunburst summer. And for those of you that dig Icees, there’s a red that looks just like a cherry slushie.
It’s total nostalgia. I’m ready for the ice cream man to come round so I can get a push-up. They were always my fave. Now I’ve mentioned Finger Paints in the past but I really haven’t given them the love they deserve. This brand is the hidden gem in the retail sector. They’re totally accessible, affordable and come in a great range of shades. Check out my swatches, after the jump! |
For you ingredient readers, Finger Paints are Big 3 Free though they do contain Formaldehyde Resin. In this collection the formula was very jelly-ish, like Sinful Colors, and thinner than most 3 Free polishes which means more layers. All the shades required three coats over a ridgefilling base (Seche Base).
Yellow Bikini looks soft and creamy, like lemon sorbet, in the bottle but on the nail it’s more vibrant and buttery with a hint of shimmer. My only issue was a bit of streakiness but I find that happens with most yellow polishes. I don’t know if its the nature of that type of pigment or what but it’s frustrating. Though with three coats, I was good to go!
The only polish I have that comes close is Chanel L.A. Sunrise from last summer’s Robertson Boulevard collection. So if you avoided shelling out the $$$ for L.A. Sunrise, here’s a great alternative. I showed it next to Sephora by OPI IM Beauty but they are nothing alike.
Lilac Lagoon looked promising in the bottle because of the flecks of gold micro-glitter floating throughout but I obviously just need to give up hope of any pale purple looking good on me. It’s a gorgeous color, just not with my skintone. This one is the sheerest of the bunch and you may need four coats to achieve opacity.
Turquoise Tile is unlike any polish I own in this color range. Compared to my more blue turquoise shades, it looks green. Next to my green leaning shades, it’s more blue. Based solely on bottle color, it falls between China Glaze Beauty & The Beach and Martini Pedicure in my collection.
Ripe Peach definitely has that sherbet feel and even though it looks slightly shimmer in the bottle, it dries creamy on the nail. 
Strawberry Shake really lives up to its name. This shimmery pink looks very drinkable, though I wouldn’t recommend that.
Cherry Ices has subtle gold shimmer that warms up the vibrant maraschino hue. If you’re looking for a summer pedicure red, this could be your winner.
The Sunburst Summer collection will debut in May but as any Finger Paints fanatic knows, it’s best to call your local Sally’s in advance to see when they’ll arrive. You can also purchase Finger Paints online at SallyBeauty.com. Polishes retail for $4.99 ($4.49 with a Sally Card) but be on the lookout for specials like B2GO Free in the monthly flyer.
China Glaze Kicks Collection – Part 2
 Does anyone else remember when Tretorn tennis shoes were all the rage? Better yet, do you remember Tretorns period or did I totally just date myself? Maybe it was just my school but for a second, it was all about what color Tretorns you had. I distinctly remember a green plaid pair I owned.
Anywho, the reason I bring this up is that the more I look at the China Glaze Kicks collection, the more it reminds me of Tretorns. Every single shade would make a perfect accent color on a pair of their white sneaks. BT-Dub, Zappos.com sells Tretorns and now I’m all nostalgic, wanting a white/green pair (pictured). Getting back to the polish, the 2nd half of the collection introduces four cremes and two shimmers to the Kicks party. See them all, after the jump. |
B-Girlz is a hot, Barbie (could that be the “B” in B-Girlz?) pink shimmer. It’s totally Barbie’s pink convertible bottled.
Laced Up is Hubba Bubba hued creme that applies extremely even for such a light color. Normally I get drag at the cuticles with lighter cremes but Laced Up applied beautifully.
Sneaker Head has this sunwashed look to it. It’s a deep, baked berry red. Rich and luscious.
Oh How Street It Is can best be described as a burnt red-orange creme. Like that dark hue of orange flavored jelly candy.
Style Wars is a deep mango creme. I know when I previewed these shades on nail art wheels, that Styel Wars and Oh How Street It Is looked very similar. As you can see, on the nail, Style Wars is less red based and lighter.
I hear Breakin‘ and I’m compelled to say “Electric Boogaloo” before I look to see if Turbo is breakdancing on my ceiling. Anyone? Bueller? Well this Breakin’ may not spawn a sequel but it certainly has a fan base, me! This shimmery baby is pure concentrated OJ. LOVE!
The Kicks collection hits shelves at the end of April. You can order them online at Head2ToeBeauty.com, 8ty8Beauty.com or TransDesign.com or look for them in stores at Sally Beauty or ULTA.
China Glaze Kicks Collection – Part 1
 China Glaze is killing it! Absolutely f’n killing it this summer. I could barely contain myself over the gorgeousness of Summer Days and then out of nowhere comes Kicks, a collection of twelve vivid shades inspired by the colorful footwear worn by Sneakerheads. Sneakerheads aquire colorful “kicks” the way us fanatics accumulate polish. Amassing an array of fashion foward, unique sneakers, the more rare and LE, the better. Sound familiar polish collectors?
All I can say is that Kicks is definitely a collector’s collection. One that you won’t want to swap or give away. I sound like a crushed out schoolgirl, don’t I? Just take a peek after the jump and you’ll be all swoony too! |
The first six shades in the Kicks collection all have some form of shimmer and, with one notable exception (Paper Chasing), it’s very subtle. Think TreeHugger; a creme feeling base with micro-shimmer finely dispersed throughout the pigment. It’s this style of shimmer that makes Kicks a great companion for Summer Days. While I go ga-ga for that glass fleck look, I know that kind of intense look isn’t for everyone. So for the girls that want color minus the uber-glitz factor, Kicks is your new BFF.
Application was a total breeze. Each shade flowed and spread out to give a perfect, even finish. Excluding Paper Chasing, each lacquer is monstrously pigmented and only required two coats. Paper Chasing is more of a semi-sheer, jelly-ish metallic so it required three coats.
Entourage looks like it was pigmented with under-ripened lime zest. It has that bold lime-y quality but it’s not as dark as a fully ripe lime rind. The glint of micro-shimmer is more apparent in Entourage than its sister shades below.
Paper Chasing is my kind of girl and she’s totally different than all the other Kicks polishes. This kelly green beauty has a Sinful San Francisco feel and a slightly metallic look making it a standout shade for me.
What makes Custom Kicks a total winner is the gold shimmer. You can see flecks of it in the bottle and OMG does it draw me in. I have a whole drawer filled with teal polishes but none that look quite like this. A little blackened but not dark or dingy with this frisky hint of sparkle.
Sky High-Top is a vibrant royal blue with tonal shimmer. It reminds me of those rainy spring days when the sun still shines even though it’s pouring. You know how the sky darkens ever so slightly? Bottle that and you have Sky High-Top.
Fly is a purpley raspberry peppered with pink flecks of micro-shimmer. It’s a shame that doesn’t truly show up in pictures because it really does add depth and personality to the polish.
It’s Poppin actually reminds me of a pink poppy flower. It’s a rosey take on fuchsia and makes me long for berry season for some odd reason. Riddle me that.
The Kicks collection will launch at the end of April and can be purchased online at Head2ToeBeauty.com, 8ty8Beauty.com or TransDesign.com or in stores at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the collection! What do we think so far?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
