Archive for January, 2009
The ALU Archives – Lippmann Nefertiti
The ALU Archives is a new series focusing on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
After my experiment with Minx during the holidays, I’ve been really feeling the whole gold nails thing. Of course, the shiny chrome look of Minx is a bit much for everyday so I pulled out my fave from the stash, Lippmann Nefertiti.
It’s funny, I was talking with a couple of my fellow beauty bloggers about the emerging gold trend for Spring and both times I had to recommend Nefertiti as my go-to gold. Why, you ask? Because it’s one of the few metallics I’ve found that doesn’t show brush strokes. There’s something about its frosty shimmer that creates this matte, gold-leafing effect on the nail, instead of streaky stroke marks. And because the shimmer is gold and silver, the hue isn’t too warm or too yellow. It’s pretty perfect if you ask me.
What you see here is two layers with no top coat. Actually Nefertiti is so densely pigmented that you barely need the second coat but it’s just habit that I apply two.
Nefertiti retails for $15 and can be purchased online at LippmannCollection.com or on counters at Nordstrom.
What’s your favorite gold?
China Glaze Summer Days
OK kids, I know I’m totally jumping the gun here but I couldn’t help myself. Summer is a million miles away but when I saw the China Glaze Summer Days collection, I hollered (that’s right hollered), “SHUT IT DOWN!” There was shrieking, giddiness and all sorts of crazy celebration involved. In all seriousness, I’m calling it now… Summer Days is THE collection of 2009. I challenge any brand to top it.
Girls, you don’t even know how I pestered China Glaze to bring back the glass-flecked formula. When I heard that the tradition of Babes In Toeland glass-flecked collections had come to an end and that Summer 2008 wouldn’t include that formula, I straight up begged for a return. And even though I’ve known for over a year of its comeback, seeing is believing friends.
If you haven’t experienced the glass flecked phenomenon, you are truly missing out. We’re talking jelly-like polish filled with shimmer and micro-glitter that are suspended like an insect encased in amber. It all adds up to an amazing foil-like glassy effect that is truly astounding. Can you tell I’m just a wee bit enamored?
Summer Days certainly lives up to my expectations and does not disappoint. I’m beyond smitten with these fruity concoctions. Of course, the formula is perfect and the pigmentation is top notch. I really don’t have a single complaint. All swatches are shown with NO top coat and two layers of lacquer.
Grape Juice has got to be the most unique of the bunch. It falls somewhere between violet and amethyst depending on the light. It looks totally drinkable in the bottle. Yet again, I’m faced with a purple that has no ALU Stash twins. Always a good thing in my book!
Watermelon Rind is a blue-green/teal. More blue than Outta Bounds, more vibrant that CND Jaded, its hue is very similar to Zoya Akyra. The finish gives it a juiciness that keeps it from having a cool wintery feel.
Orange Marmalade has officially usurped Orange-Pacific’s reign as my favorite orange. Talk about peeling an orange and turning it into polish. So fab!
Here’s a little side by side with its predecessor, Orange-Pacific. Still beautiful but not as true an orange as Orange Marmalade.
Strawberry Fields is hard color to peg down. The gold shimmer and base color that falls somewhere between magenta and rose makes this one stand out in a sea of summer-friendly pinks.
None of my other glass flecked shades are anything like SF, the only polish I own that comes close is NYX Jillian but the shimmer is much finer and more dispersed.
Cherry Pie has this orange cast that causes me to consider it slightly coral, yet the hot pink shimmer draws it back to the cool toned side. It’s as if you dipped your fingers in maraschino cherry juice.
Next to Tequila Toes and Tarnished & Varnished, you can see that Cherry Pie is much more red and glassy, less foil-like.
Raspberry Festival is a vibrant berry toned red that really does resemble just picked raspberries. China Glaze was right on the money in naming this one.
Amongst all my glass-flecked babies, Raspberry Festival falls somewhere between Sass In A Glass and Wicked Step Sisters yet nothing truly compares.
The China Glaze Summer Days collection is scheduled to launch in March but as we’ve seen in the past, our fave e-tailers 8ty8beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com tend to put them on sale a little early. You can also find China Glaze on shelves at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA but the seasonal collections tend to sell-out fast so check back often.
Lancome Pink Irreverence – Sassiness & Piha Black
 For Spring 2009, Lancome’s Artistic Director for Makeup, Aaron De Mey, played with the idea of mixing safe and edgy by pairing girly pinks with gothic blacks. Bringing back the sellout black sparkly lipgloss from Fall, Piha Black, he added a matching nail lacquer for the Pink Irreverence collection; both shades inspired by his New Zealand homeland’s black Piha beach. I waited month’s on a list at Bloomie’s for my tube of Piha Black gloss and it’s definitely a beauty junkie collector’s items, very fun for layering. |
 Twisting the traditional codes of elegance, Aaron has created an impertinent color statement that pairs Spring pinks against rebellious blacks and potent shine against pure matte textures. The pinks are reminiscent of Lancôme’s iconic rose, while the deep black shades are evocative of the Piha volcanic black beaches of Aaron’s native homeland of New Zealand. Products are meant to be layered to create an array of stunning looks. |
Of course in my world where all things revert back to Grease, I see pink and black and instantly think Pink Ladies. I mean, can you think of anyone who rocked the pink and black better than Rizzo? Don’t you DARE say Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2 or we just can’t be friends anymore. CAN’T. I love me some Grease 2 but it’s so NOT the same thing.
So getting back to the polish. The new Le Vernis lacquers in this collection play up on Aaron’s whole contradictory theme with a delicate sheer pink and inky black sparkler. When I say inky, I’m not kidding. When Piha Black was created, Lancome was not playing. Holy pigmentation, batman! That color is no joke. The formula is aces as well. For a milky sheer, Sassiness has the no streaks thing down. Oh and the flat brush is a winner as well.
Sassiness is meant to be worn sheer but you know me, I have to try and make anything as opaque as possible. With detached nail beds like mine, can you blame me? Unfortunately, even after three coats, we’re still at level sheerness. Perfect for you sheer lovers, not so much for moi.
Piha Black totally has that black sand glittering in the sun thing going on without all the grittiness. It’s glassy smooth with evenly dispersed silver speckles. 
I put this one head to head against my fave black of 2008, Dior Black Sequins. As you can see, the micro-glitter in Black Sequins is more random and prominent while Piha Black’s shimmer is more even and subtle. Though the color intensity is pretty dead on even.
Lancome’s Pink Irreverence collection is available now at Lancome.com and your local Lancome counter. Le Vernis nail lacquers retail for $18/ea.
images: flickr.com, leavemethewhite.com, Lancome and All Lacquered Up
I’m A Glamour.com Blogging Babe
It’s a happy day fanatics! Beth from Glamour’s The Girls In The Beauty Department blog interviewed yours truly as part of their Blogging Babes series. Thanks Beth!!
As you know, I’m a big fan of the Glamour beauty blog so being included as a Blogging Babe totally makes my day, week, month (you get the picture). Click here to read the full article and enjoy!
Fanatic Feedback – Too Many Collections?
While I love my giant nail polish stash and having so many color options, I sometimes wonder… is there a saturation point where it becomes too much? So I pose this question to you.
How do you feel about the constant barrage of new collections? Is there a point where you feel overwhelmed by all the choices? Is it all just a big competition between brands? Are they recycling colors to keep up?
Or do you love the endless amounts of new shades to choose from? Do you believe there can never be enough? Tell us what you think! I’m dying to know.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
