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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Illamasqua Purity

illamasqua-purity-nail-varnish-nail-polish-365-untrieds 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.

When I meet someone who is unfamiliar with Illamasqua I often find myself describing the brand as the UK version of MAC but that’s not really a fair portrayal. While both brands have playful, diverse color ranges and are very open to all walks of life, I dare say MAC has become a bit more tame under the Estee Lauder umbrella while Illamasqua keeps their underground edge a bit more prominent.

This spring the Illamasqua Toxic Nature Collection delves into a a realm where nature is fighting back with conceptual and slightly off nail colors that include a funky ochre, Bacterium, and an acid lime, Radium. I opted to wear the grounded, more traditional, Purity for today’s 365 of Untrieds.

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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Essie Smokin’ Hot

By on May 8, 2011
in 365 of Untrieds, Essie with 31 Comments
essie-smokin-hot-nail-polish-winter-2010-365-untrieds 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.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I hope your loved ones were good to you today.

So I think all the pinkness of Chanel Morning Rose sent me screaming back to the dark side. You see, after swatching Mattese Attitude yesterday I put Morning Rose BACK ON to wear to a Cinco de Mayo party last night. That’s how into it I am. Then this morning I woke up, a wee bit hungover, and all that sweet carnation pink staring back at me was too much. I needed to put on something the complete opposite which led me to Essie Smokin’ Hot.

Smokin’ Hot was released with the Essie Winter 2010 Collection and I think at the time I was feeling so inundated by the amount of funky greys and taupes on the market that this one kind of flew under the radar. Well today it was exactly what the nail doctor ordered.

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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Mattese Elite Attitude

mattese-elite-attitude-nail-polish-365-untrieds 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.

Life is imitating art as Black Swan has continued to inspire beauty and fashion with ballet themed trends. I’ve seen more women rocking ballerina buns lately than I can remember in past years and the onslaught of adorable ballet flats makes my feet very happy (heels are not my friend).

Mattese Elite is another brand bringing the trend to our finger tips with their spring collection; The Ballet Colors of ME.  The majority of the collection is pretty soft and sweet with pinks and neutrals but it’s Attitude that really caught my eye.

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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Chanel Morning Rose

chanel-morning-rose-nail-polish-le-vernis-365-untrieds 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.

“I wore a pink and I liked i-it! I hope my polish friends don’t mind it.” I’ve been blasting Katy Perry in my polish room all day so while I was applying today’s 365 of Untrieds color, my altered version of that lyric created an earworm that I can’t seem to get rid of.

The point is, I am wearing pink nail polish today and I don’t hate it. SPOILER ALERT - I’m actually kind of in love with it.  I suppose that ruins the whole stash/share verdict for today but I hope you’ll keep reading to see why I’m so smitten with Chanel Morning Rose.

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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – OPI Big Hair… Big Nails

opi-big-hair-big-nails-swatch-texas-sorbet-nail-polish-365-untrieds 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.

I’ve received a few questions lately regarding “jelly” polishes. About what makes a polish a jelly and more specifically about the OPI “sorbet-like” finish nail polishes from the Texas collection and if/how they are different from a jelly. I found a great reference picture on Tumblr that helps explain jellies better.

Today a follower on Twitter asked for a spring nail polish recommendation and stated that she is a loyal OPI Bubble Bath user but is looking to branch out into brighter colors.  My suggestion was to try one of the sorbet-like polishes, like OPI Big Hair… Big Nails, since they are less in-your-face than a traditional bright. It makes for an easier transition from pale neutrals.

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