Archive for March, 2009
Having A Bling-asm Over Rescue Beauty Lounge Spring
 There’s a party on my nails and you’re all invited. I’m talking about the Spring collection of polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge. RBL founder Ji Baek went for all that is glam with a set of three sparkletastic shades. In the rough economic situation we’re all facing, it’s Ji’s thought that these glitzy creations will add a little luxe to your life at a time when high end spending is being drastically cut.
Check out my swatches and review after the jump! |
I’m not normally a glitter-bomb loving kind of girl. Mainly due to the rough finish and irritating removal process. Though I have to say that compared to some I’ve tested, Ji used a relatively fine glitter and trapped it in a thicker jelly-like clear base to aid the texture issue but removal still isn’t a joy. And I’m pleased to say that I only needed one coat of Seche Vite to get a glass like finish (other brands have required two).
Removal Tip: Add a coat of polish/base/top before removing. Adding a new layer of wet lacquer softens the polish underneath, making it easier to swipe off.
What you see below is two medium-thick coats of polish with no top coat. I love that it stays sparkly instead of getting all bumpy and matte.
Locavore looks very green in the bottle but it’s deceiving. On the nail it reminds me of Mardi Gras. A mixture of metallic glitter hues, much like a shiny masquerade mask.
Frugalista is an aluminum foil, silver metallic peppered with purple flecks. Purple is an underlying theme between the three shades but it stands out most in Frugalista. I have to say, this is the hands down winner for me. I love a purple and mixing it with silver is like perfection. 
Look Rich Be Cheap‘s gold glitter is much softer, not as yellow, in person yet it has a lot of fire and brilliance. Gold accents, more than silver, have been popping up on the runways and that makes Look Rich Be Cheap very fashion forward.
So you’re not sure about glitter, can these still be for you? If you love the look of polish but are shy about full on sparkle nails try icing your tips for a funky french manicure or add a thin layer over another color for subtle sparkle or wear them on your toes. At that distance, the bling appears less powerful and, for a lack of better words, in your face.
The Spring bling polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge retail for $18/ea are available now at RescueBeauty.com.
ALU Introduces The Web Snob Wrap Up
Happy Friday Kids! I have some fun news to share. I’ve been invited to join Web Snob, a weekly link roundup from some of the best fashion, beauty and entertainment bloggers on the web. Each week I’ll be sharing their fave posts of the week. Check ‘em out and spread the fanatic love.
55 Secret Street urges you to snap up these Kérastase hair products before they’re gone.
Stiletto Jungle is hunting down standout cocktail rings.
Allie is Wired shares pics of Rihanna’s sassy new tattoo.
Bag Snob rediscovers its love for Chloe.
Beauty Snob found a daily face peel for flawless skin!
Coquette wants to spend all of Spring in these stylish jersey dresses.
Debutante Clothing reviews the vintage inspired Louis Verdad collection – Louver.
Fashion Pulse Daily names the top three must-haves from the Felix Rey for Target Handbag Collection.
KRISTOPHER DUKES is wanting, wearing, and hating Lauren Moffatt Spring Jackets.
Second City Style is just Gaga for the Go-Go 80s!
Shopping and Info loves Spring’s nude sandals and tops as seen on Julienne Hough from DWTS.
StyleBakery.com found over 100 of this season’s most-wanted shoes for every budget
Stylehive gives you the steps to achieving salon-worthy straight hair- without even leaving the house!
The Beauty Stop shows how to mend that broken eyeshadow.
The Shoe Goddess is a Manolo Blahnik fan again after spotting these chic black and white sandals!
V-Style is giving away Sothys skincare to two lucky winners!
The ALU Archives – OPI Hey! Get In Lime!
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
This week’s Archives pick is the result of your comments and emails regarding MAC Peppermint Patti dupes. A number of you suggested or asked whether OPI Hey! Get In Lime! is a match. Since it fits with the green for March theme I have going I decided to end the month with your request. Check out my comparison after the jump! |
Hey! Get In Lime! is a pastel mint creme that released with the second set of OPI Brights in 2006. It’s in the old OPI formula so it’s thinner and needed three coats. It’s definitely a perfect fit with the minty trend we’ve been seeing of late. Too bad it’s discontinued. I try to only include attainable shades in the Archives but since so many of you wanted this comparison, I hope you don’t mine me sharing this one.
As you can see, next to MAC Peppermint Patti, Hey! Get In Lime! is a little softer, a little lighter but not dramatically so. I’d say that if you own the OPI and missed out on the MAC, don’t stay up at night crying about it cuz you have a pretty close dupe. If you don’t own either, get to frankening you own or try Essie Greenport.
That’s it for the month of green kids. I hope you enjoyed it. Next month I’ll have a new ALU Archives theme so check back next Thursday!
If You’re Planning To Rob A Bank…
REMOVE YOUR NAIL POLISH!!! That seems to be the lesson learned in this story from Boston.com.
Nail polish helps nab robbery suspect
A woman suspected of robbing a bank in Chelsea yesterday eluded police for a half-hour before being identified by her flashy orange fingernails, police said. The woman entered Sovereign Bank on Everett Avenue at 9:45 a.m. and handed a note to the teller demanding money, according to police. The teller complied and the suspect fled with a reported $450, police said. A construction worker working nearby saw the suspect, wrote down her license plate number, and gave it to Chelsea police. Witnesses inside the bank told police that the suspect was wearing bright burnt orange fingernail polish. Within minutes of talking to witnesses, police located the vehicle and arrested Margaret Christie, 53.
Yeah, it wasn’t because they had her license plate number or even footage from the bank’s security cameras. No no no, it’s all thanks to her orange nails that this criminal was finally brought to justice. What a kooky spin to put on the story. Just had to share!
polish pictured: OPI Brights Power
Pop Beauty Nail Glam – Grass & Berry
 I’m sure most of you are familiar with the Pop Beauty brand from seeing it at Sephora, right? Sadly the makeup isn’t carried at Sephora anymore but did you know the brand makes polish? I know I didn’t. It wasn’t until the beyond fabulous Tamar from Fashion Binge recommended I check them out that I discovered this amazing line.
Nail Glam from Pop Beauty is a range of Big 3 Free (including formaldehyde resin) lacquers that come in a rainbow of vibrant shades including an AH-MAZING fluorescent GREEN! |
To quote the Pop Beauty site, “Each Nail Glam shade is non-occlusive so it won’t stain nails and contains nylon creating a strengthening non chip barrier.” Can I just say that with the two shades I tested, the formula WOWED me. It’s smooth, flows easily with a jelly-ish texture yet it’s so so pigmented. After five days on my nails, only a bit of tip wear was showing.
Application tip: Extend your dry time even if using Seche Vite. I found that though the top coat was completely dry, the lacquer underneath was still moving like cellophane wrap on pudding. So tack on a couple minutes and test a nail for movement.
Berry is a vivid rosy hue, it’s a bit darker in person. Kids, this one is so pigmented that I only used one coat. That’s right, one coat!
Grass is… well you know about me and greens so I instantly swooned over this kicky neon green. Though unlike most neons, it didn’t dry uber-matte. I’m showing it without top coat. Crazy, no? Neons are incredibly hard to capture on camera so you can just imagine how much brighter this beauty is to the naked eye.
Pop Beauty makes so many lustworthy shades that I’m already plotting which ones I’ll try next. A few of the polishes on my list include Lilac, Ocean, Mandarin, Orange, Turquoise and Violetta.
Oh and they have new colors coming out for Summer. Check it! Another purple? I’m so on it!
Pop Beauty Nail Glam nail colour ($14) is available on the Pop Beauty website and in stores at the new CVS Beauty 360 locations. Unfortunately there are only two Beauty 360s at the moment but hopefully they’ll be popping up in more states soon.
Has anyone tried Nail Glam before? What did you think?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
