butter London Fall/Winter 2009 Fashionista's Favourites Sneak Peek

OK so you remember that ah-mazing green from butter London that I spotted backstage at the Vena Cava show during New York Fashion Week? At the time, it seemed like forever until we'd get the chance to wear it. Well, the launch date is getting closer and closer and I have a preview of British Racing Green and the rest of the Fall 2009 butter London collection. Nonie Creme, butter London Creative Director: Designers were firmly focused on retail-friendly clothes this season. The collections were monochromatic, with shape, drape, and structure being the main story and lace used across the board for lingerie style details. Nails will be a huge part of your F/W wardrobe this year. Interesting nail colours with specific “personalities” will give you an opportunity to reinvent the many black, grey, and neutral outfits on offer. I designed a broad spectrum of colours for the Fall/Winter 2009 Fashionista’s Favourites.

British Racing Green - The international motor racing colour of Great Britain. This green used to be the standard paint colour on all Formula One racecars in the days before sponsorship.

Dark, “hunter green” that was the backstage darling when used at the F/W 2009 shows.

Minger - British street slang for an ugly person. “Did you see that face? What a minger!”

An edgy burnt orange like the one featured on the Philip Lim and Prada catwalks. This shade “ups” the fashion factor of any outfit.

Scoundrel - An unprincipled, dishonorable person, villain, or scamp. Your ex-boyfriend, your builder, and your boss rolled into one.

A medium tone purplish-mauve that can appear darker or lighter depending on what clothing you are wearing.
Pearly Queen - A Pearly Queen is a woman dressed in a traditional Cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons.

A winter white with an added pearl sheen for softness and depth, making it beautifully wearable.

Rosie Lee - Cockney Rhyming slang for a cup of tea. “Put the kettle on Love, I fancy a Rosie Lee.”

A parade of pale pink glitter that will lift your spirits AND your outfit.

I won't have actual samples to show you for a bit but according to Nonie, we should expect new packaging with this collection. Hmm, I wonder what it will look like. The bottle of Thames I have from over two years ago was square with a thin rounded cap, then came the flat wide bottles & caps.

Any predictions on how the shape will change? Which colors tickle your fancy? Share!

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Sula Paint and Peel Polish Swatches and Review

A number of you have inquired about Sula Beauty's Paint & Peel Nail Polish. I must admit I was hesitant because the idea of peeling anything off my nail beds seemed unhealthy but in the name of research I was willing to give it a go. If you haven't seen this brand at your local ULTA yet, Sula is a water-based nail polish that you can remove by peeling. Being water based, it is safe for pregnant women and ideal for those fanatics who are looking for non-toxic nail color. Check out my swatches and full review after the jump!

I had the opportunity to test Sula's Modern Mauve nail color and Metallic Base/Top coat. Both are water based and non-toxic so it is recommended that if you do not use Sula's base/top coat, you wear the polish on naked nails. I wore Modern Mauve for a week to give it a thorough trial run and when my friend Jewels spotted it on me, she of course asked about the brand. I told her it was a peel off polish and her response was, "like that old school Bonne Bell peel off polish?" Let's just call this is the grown up version of that.

Application: To say the polish applies streaky is an understatement. Without the chemicals that make traditional polish flow, you have to be very careful to keep the finish from being lumpy. Even after three coats, Modern Mauve was a bit uneven regardless of using their base coat. The bottle instructs you to avoid hot water for 3 hours after applying.

Tip: Wait time between coats is essential to avoid severe streaking. The polish dries with a rubberized finish and is completely dry and touchable in minutes.

Modern Mauve looks like a pale lilac in the bottle but on the nail it dries darker and more vivid. It's very eye catching. For me, it's dark enough to avoid my light purple "alien hand" syndrome.
The Metallic Base/Top Coat applies milky but dries perfectly clear and doesn't alter the polish hue in the slightest. It's not so much a metallic as a micro-glitter top coat. The particles are very small pieces of silver glitter that dry smooth. There's no gritty texture here.

I did a 5 day wear test with Metallic Base/Top on my index and ring fingers and just the polish on the middle and pinkie fingers. As you can see, my middle finger suffered the worst wear. The rubberized finish is mostly to blame. Similar to how Minx start to lift after a couple days, this polish's slightly tacky surface snags on things and will start lifting. Otherwise the wear was impressive. I expected it to look much worse after five days.
Removal: According to Sula, you can safely peel the polish off your nails. It takes a bit of picking to get the polish started but tears off in decent sized chunks. I'm sure my fidgety fanatics out there will revel in the removal process.

My experience: I had WAY too many people tell me how easy it was to remove Sula and how it wasn't AT ALL damaging to their nails. Though after testing Sula myself I wonder if those people wore the polish for any length of time or were just swatching it for fun. Because when I went to remove the polish after 5 days, I saw actual pieces of my nail bed rip off and I was left with severely dehydrated tissue. Halfway through removal I used acetone remover and saw no damage to my remaining nails.
Modern Mauve was one of Sula's original Paint & Peel shades but now they have 13 additional Trend Collection polishes to choose from.

Final Verdict: Sula is a unique product. It's not the first paint & peel polish on the market but it's more accessible than other brands I've heard of. It's great for fanatics who want fun nails but need a non-toxic polish. It's an ideal diversion for people that tend to pick at their cuticles as long as they don't leave it on too long. In terms of extended wear, I just HIGHLY recommend removing with a polish remover. I don't want to see any of you taking off layers of your nail.

Sula Paint and Peel Nail Polish retails for $9/ea and is available online at SulaBeauty.com and Anthropologie.com and in stores at ULTA.

Have any of you tried these polishes yet? What has your experience been? Have you tried other peel off polishes?

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The Arsenal - Zoya Remove+ Polish Remover

I get a lot of questions and comments regarding the tools and treatment products I use to keep my nails healthy and in tip top shape. Since my routine changes as I test new products, I've launched, The Arsenal, to share with you the items that are "must haves" in my nail kit.

If you were to take a peek at my polish room, one thing you'd notice is the numerous amount of polish remover bottles hanging out on just about every surface. I couldn't swatch colors without them. And even though I try a bunch of different brands, my staple and nail life line is Zoya Remove+. I'm never without a bulk 32oz bottle on hand to refill my Big Flipper. If, like me, you go through a lot of remover due to constant polish changes you should seriously consider switching to Remove+.

What so fab about it, you ask. Well, the fact that it's one of the only acetone based removers I've used that doesn't dry out my nail beds like they've been living in the Sahara. That's huge!! As you know, most fanatics prefer acetone because it quickly removes anything you throw at it. But acetone can be so drying and damaging. Thanks to the added Glycerine, my nails stay healthy through numerous swatching sessions.

When you're testing polish as often as I am, you need the gentlest yet most effective remover you can find and for me, it's Remove+. It has a pleasant lavender scent and a very simple ingredient list: 2-Propanone, Water, Glycerine, Fragrance, D&C Violet #2 (for color).

You can pick up Remove+ on the Zoya.com site. The Big Flipper retails for $9.99 and the 32oz refill bottle sells for $25.

Which nail polish remover is your favorite? Where are my fellow Remove+ fans?
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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!

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. 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.

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.

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.

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Exciting Illamasqua News

Guess what fanatics?? Illamasqua is coming to the USA!! That's right, the edgy UK brand that has been wowing bloggers with their insanely cool color palette and high quality products will now be available in the States.

As I read on the Sephora Blog, Illamasqua is launching on Sephora.com on July 21st and at their Times Square location on July 30th. By fall they'll roll out to Sephora stores across the country. How freakin amazing is that??
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