Archive for August, 2010
Chanel Jade & Paradoxal Dupe Smackdown
With every new Chanel nail polish launch the inevitable question is, are there any affordable alternatives? More often than not the answer is no. Chanel seems to find a way to add a little something special to their nail colors that make dead-on dupes an impossibility. Of course there are plenty of nail polishes that come close but Chanel twins are usually hard to come by.
After the Chanel Jade craze last fall a number of brands came out with their own less expensive version of the pale green shimmer, most notably Charlotte Russe Jade and Claire’s Dream Catcher. And now Milani has entered the ring with their interpretation, Dress Maker. Back when I reviewed Chanel Paradoxal I was hard pressed to find any decent comparisons and then a reader email led me to Models Own Purple Grey. Read on to see how these budget conscious versions stand up to two of Chanel’s most buzzed about nail creations. Let the smackdown begin! |
CND Monday – CND Shellac Wear & Removal Review
In this special edition of CND Monday, ALU contributor Christine shares her CND Shellac experience with us.
Last Monday Christine talked about the Shellac application process and now after a full four weeks of wear she’s back to give us her verdict on how it held up on her nails and what the removal process was like. I saw Christine about three weeks into her wear test and outside of the growth issue, her polish still looked flawless. No nicks, dents or chips. What makes that even more impressive is this is a girl who plays roller derby with Cleveland’s own Burning River Roller Girls. She takes a beating on the regular and still her Shellac held up. ps remember when I wrote about seeing Whip It? Christine was the friend I mentioned. Let’s see the final results, shall we? |
ALU Link Love 8-22-10
It just figures that the one weekend I have no plans, it’s all gloomy outside. Makes me want to do nothing but cuddle up on the couch. Good thing IFC is running a marathon of Freaks & Geeks today. We did brave the rain long enough to catch The Other Guys last night and it was a lot funnier than I expected though I think Marky Mark’s angry cop made me laugh more than Will Ferrell as the odd man out.
On Friday I attended a tweetup at a neighborhood bar and met some cool new peeps. Turns out one of the girls became obsessed with butter LONDON Fash Pack after seeing Nonie Creme talk about it in a backstage video at the Fall Betsey Johnson show. And another went and bought a green nail polish at Sally’s after hearing me and another nail lover tweeting about it. Nail fanatics unite!
Looking for a some lazy Sunday reading? These are my faves of the week…
How has a pair of bright green Chucks like the ones DWJ posted on The Art of Accessories not made their way into my life before now? I see a Zappos order in my future.
I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see Kristen from Beauty Addict blogging again and it’s posts like this one that are the reason why.
After seeing this glam ruffled laundry bag on Amber’s blog ,Beauty Blogging Junkie, my sad, ripped, red bag from college may finally meet its maker.
BellaSugar completely demystified the fishtail braid which I always thought would be really complicated to create. So much easier than I expected.
I died a little bit inside when I spotted these glitter covered Miu Miu oxfords on Dina from eye4style. I doubt I could ever pull them off as well as Dina so I will just continue to covet hers.
Beth from Glamour’s Girls In The Beauty Department blog thinks the big nail color battle for fall will be purple vs blue. What say you?
Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog is probably one of the most creative beauty bloggers on the scene. Her take on MAC’s Venomous Villains collection includes her usual quirky twist on beauty.
Local Cleveland blogger Ashley from Our Little Apartment hasn’t shampooed her hair in almost a month and even though I’m a hair product junkie I’m thinking of doing the same thing.
MAC Nail Trend F/W 2010 Swatches & Review
Jin Soon does it again! Following up her slam dunk sell-out collaboration with MAC last fall, they have teamed up again on Nail Trend F/W 10.
If you aren’t familiar with the genius that is Jin Soon check out The Nail Files interview I posted last year. She’s major in the editorial world and really on her game with color as evidenced by the nail polishes she created with MAC. Mistress of the art of the sophisticated nail, Jin Soon was inspired this season by the sensual pleasures of the Forbidden City for Nail Trend F/W ’10 – colours taken from the sculptures, tiles, architecture, fabrics, and decorative papers of Imperial China. Jin synthesized this vision to arrive at a collection in exotic and ravishing combinations of orange, blue, taupe, green, purple and, of course, lacquer red. |
Chanel Les Khakis De Chanel Preview
Ever since UK nail queen Sophy Robson posted a sneak peek at the CHANEL Les Khakis De Chanel collection colors, I’ve been DYING to get some sort of official word regarding their launch. What Sophy originally dubbed the “camouflage collection” is a set of three military shades debuting as a limited edition launch for Fashion’s Night Out on September 10th!
Visit the Chanel Boutique on Spring Street to get a complimentary manicure with one of the Les Khakis De Chanel shades or stop by the Madison Avenue boutique which will be selling the collection as well.
In celebration of Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out, Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, has created LES KHAKIS DE CHANEL, a collection of three Le Vernis Nail Colours. Ultra sophisticated shades Khaki Rose, Khaki Brun and Khaki Vert can be worn alone or combined for an urban chic camouflage effect.
The Les Khakis De Chanel collection launches on September 10th, 2010. It will be available at CHANEL boutiques, CHANEL.com and select department stores for $25.00/bottle.
You KNOW I’m all over Khaki Vert but I’m excited to see how they’ll look paired together. I’m already thinking up some fun way to wear all three while I’m in NYC for FNO. Which colors are you excited to see? Will any of my NYC Fanatics be out and about for FNO? Do you think these colors will get the same attention as last year’s FNO color Jade?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
