As I’m sure you’ve figured out, I’m a sucker for greens, blues and purples. Even before I became the full fledged polish fanatic that I am today, those were always the shades I gavitated to. I grew up in a purple bedroom with purple shag carpet that remained until my parents moved 12 years ago. For the majority of my life the only jewelry I wore contained my birthstone, emerald. And my first car was a white convertible with slate blue leather. I’ve had two electric blue cars since.

So you can imagine my joy when I laid eyes on the Zoya True nail polish collection for Spring 2012. They couldn’t make it any more “me” if they tried. Not unless they can make an emerald green holo happen, ha!

A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear, full-coverage creams and metallics.

I’m sure like a lot of you, I feel programmed to expect Spring to be all a flutter with sheers, pastels and brights. So much so that anytime a brand releases anything outside that color box, I get excited. The True collection certainly gives me butterflies.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant. Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing. The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

The Zoya formula tends to feel a bit watery and that can lead to coverage issues. For the most part I was able to get away with two thin coats but on some nails I had to throw on an extra layer to make up for dragging near my cuticle. As I shared in my Zoya Ivanka Wear Test, Zoya nail polishes wear best with the full Zoya Color Lock System or top coats that exclude Cellulose Acetate Butyrate.

Zoya Bevin is a sage green creme. There was a point in my life where I was obsessed with the color sage. I battled with the boyfriend to paint a room in our old condo sage (I lost) and ended up buying every sage colored accessory I could find instead. This version of sage is a bit more energized. Not quite as diffused as what I typically think of as sage.

Zoya Cho is the D’Artagnan to the Three Musketeers that are the Zoya Touch collection. A full coverage French vanilla with a subtle silver shimmer. If any of the neutrals in the Touch collection were too peach, pink or yellow, your inner Goldilocks will be satiated with Cho.

Zoya Farah is one of those, would you like some coffee with all that cream, kind of shades. It’s a great, work-friendly neutral that doesn’t lean so far towards yellow to make it unwearable for cooler skin tones.

Zoya Lotus is a smoked-out, deep violet sprinkled with magenta metallic flecks. It’s an edgier twsit on those smokey purples that were so popular a few years back (eg OPI Parlez Vous OPI?).

Looking at slate blue shimmer, Zoya Skylar, for the first time I couldn’t help but think, “RBL Catherine H?” They are definitely cut from the same cloth but Skylar is lighter and doesn’t have as much royal in its base. It’s more like if you mixed some butter LONDON Victoriana and a drop of white in Catherine H. The gold, blue and light pink flecks really set this one apart from its competitors.

Zoya Tru is a grape-y shimmer packed with reddish bronze micro-shimmer. Zoya is calling this an “orchid” shade but I always think of orchids as having more pink to their base color than this. It actually matches a sweater I bought recently in a color named “The Grape Cape” so there you have it.

Bottom Line: Even though I don’t pull out the neutrals that often, there isn’t a color in this collection I would label as a “pass” or one I plan to pass on to friends. If I just HAD to pick a top three, they would be Skylar, Bevin and Lotus.

Zoya True for Spring 2012 is on sale now. Zoya nail polishes are available online at Zoya.com and at salons nationwide including ULTA. Visit the Zoya Salon Locator for a retailer near you. Zoya nail polishes retail for$8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

Are these colors ringing TRUE to you? Which ones will make it into your spring nail wardrobe? What if you had to pick just ONE?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Zoya. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

The original Footloose is one of my all-time favorite movies. Even though coordination and grace are not attributes I possess, I love to dance and I’m a sucker for any flick involving dancing (Center Stage, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Step Up, etc). Footloose makes it to the top my list thanks to the combination of Kevin Bacon and an awesome 80s soundtrack.

So you can imagine my horror when I heard a Footloose remake was in the works. Does Hollywood have to remake EVERYTHING? Are there no original stories left that aren’t based on actual events? I mean really! And how bad would it have been if they stuck with the original idea of a musical version of Footloose with Chase Crawford? Hairspray was bad enough. It destroyed the perverse magic of John Waters but a singing Ren McCormack would have been too much for me.

Now I’ve heard that the Footloose update isn’t as horrible as I predicted but I still won’t be forking over cash in a theater to watch it. However one good thing did come from all this; Deborah Lippmann teamed up with HSN to be a part of their Footloose Collection. She created two exclusive nail polish duos named after the songs we all remember from the original film – Almost Paradise & Footloose and Dancing In The Sheets & Let’s Hear It For The Boy.

Formula & Application: Deborah Lippmann nail polish is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and doesn’t contain camphor, which can be an irritant. Her signature glass bottle is so distinct you would know the brand even without the name on it. It’s one of the best bottle shapes in the industry. The curved cap was designed with professional manicurists in mind as it is shaped to rest comfortably between your fingers.

The Lippmann brush is short, round and average in width with flexible bristles that easily fan out over the nail plate. The three creme polishes all have the same creme/jelly hybrid formula that I’ve come to expect from Lippmann. They are packed with pigment but have a squishy, jelly type feel. The one shimmer is thin, easy to manipulate and pigmented. I was able to get great coverage in two coats with all but one (Almost Paradise) though the red (Footloose) probably could have used a third coat as there is a wee bit of VNL (visible nail line).

Deborah Lippmann Footloose causes immediate flashbacks to Ariel’s signature red cowboy boots. The ones her preacher daddy hated SO MUCH. Of course Ariel’s boots looked more dark cherry in the movie and Footloose is a ripe tomato creme. While I’m normally pretty immune to red polish, this one flowed on the nail so phenomenally that it turned me into a red lover for a hot second.

Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise is not the kind of green I normally fall for. Yellow-based hues just aren’t that flattering on me but there’s something about this cross between chartreuse and celery that I’m obsessed with. Even though it takes three coats, it’s totally worth it. Get involved people!  Side note, the Dior Spring 2012 runway featured a bold red lip paired with a light green nail that wasn’t nearly as pretty as this color. Hop on the trend early by wearing an Almost Paradise mani with a Footloose pedi.

Deborah Lippmann Let’s Hear It For The Boy is a pale periwinkle blue creme. It has a bit too much purple in its base to qualify as baby blue, as the name suggests, or sky blue and I dig it. It’s like a watered down version of China Glaze Secret Periwinkle.

Deborah Lippmann Dancing In The Sheets is a moody indigo shimmer. The deep aubergine base is sprinkled with ice blue shimmer that makes the polish look duochrome in the bottle. On the nail it has an inky, almost black look and in bright light, the shimmer comes to life.

Bottom Line: I love the Lippmann formula and its wear but have always found the core line lacking in blues. If you love blues like I do, the Let’s Hear It For The Boy/Dancing In The Sheets duo will definitely fill that need. They will happily join Across The Universe and Lady Sings The Blues in my collection. The duo containing Almost Paradise and Footloose is worth a look if you’ve been hunting for that perfect pale yellow-based green. Even if you’re not all that into reds, you’ll fall for how amaze Footloose applies.

The Deborah Lippmann for HSN Footloose Nail Polish Collection Duos are available exclusively on HSN.com. The duos retail for $32/set for two .5oz bottles.

Are you feeling the Footloose collection polishes? Which duo is your fave? If you could create your own duo from the four shades, which two would you put together. Who saw the remake? Which version is better?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Deborah Lippmann. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Are we stuck in some kind of 2007 nail polish flashback? Did Chanel Blue Satin just launch? First we talked about grey nail polish, now we’re moving onto blue. Those of you who have been reading ALU since way back in its infancy will remember that blue and grey were big nail trends for Fall 2007 and as I approach my fifth year of blogging, it’s like it’s all coming full circle.

The past couple years there has been a greater focus on greyed slate blues and teal but this time around we’re looking at a more true blue range that varies from denim to sapphire to indigo. And as brands have continued to evolve their mixing techniques we are being treated to more unique finishes and sparkle combinations than we’ve seen in the past.

The Bold & The Beautiful of Blues (Fall 2011 Release) – all polishes (except two noted below) are shown using two coats

From left to right - NARS Night Flight (bottom), OPI Road House Blues (top), Dior Denim (laying down), CND Midnight Sapphire, Color Club Blue-topia, Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso (laying down), Sparitual Blue Moon, Nubar Elegant Indigo, China Glaze Skyscraper

China Glaze Skyscraper ($3, Head2ToeBeauty, TransDesign. $6, Sally Beauty) is a blue ball of fun. It’s a semi-sheer glitter jelly polish with a softened midnight blue base. It reminds me of a twilight sky, before it darkens to an inky navy. It’s one of the two polishes that required three coats and that’s so that the glitter can be properly suspended. What intrigues me about this color is how the finish can look similar to a glass fleck at one angle and like a foil-ish metallic from another.

I used my cell phone to take this shot so the color isn’t as accurate but I thought the slight bluriness showed the finish off well.

CND Midnight Sapphire ($9, CND.com for locations or GoIndulge.com) is part of CND’s “Look” for Fall 2011 and it’s a densely pigmented creme that I showed you as part of my Cleveland Indians themed manicure. It applies beautifully and barely needs two coats. In fact I only used one coat in this shot and I like that it looks a bit lighter than the two coats I used in my Indians mani.

Color Club Blue-topia ($8, ShopColorClub.com) is a deep navy jelly polish. As much I love the idea of jellies, they are hard to do with darker colors. They tend to be pretty streaky as was the case with Blue-topia. I used three coats with this one and it’s still pretty uneven.

Dior Blue Denim ($22, Dior.com & Nordstrom stores) is part of the emerging sub-trend of denim inspired blues. This faded sapphire creme effortlessly blends comfort and chic. I love that even though it’s really pigmented, it has a jelly-like finish.

NARS Night Flight ($17, NARSCosmetics.com & NARS counters nationwide) is part of the Night series of sparkle polishes and in spite of its inky blue base, the tiny light blue and purple glitter particles lighten it up to a glorious mid-tone navy. You really have to see this one on the nail to appreciate the depth of its glitz.

OPI Road House Blues ($8.50,OPI.com for locations) is a lush navy creme that leans towards indigo. Makes me think of blueberry juice. I have a LOT of navy cremes but none are quite like this one. OPI Sapphire in the Snow from Holiday ’09 looks downright purple next to it.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso ($18, RescueBeauty.com) is an unusual flower combining fiery orange shimmer with a blackened blue base. As I mentioned in my initial review, it’s a challenge to bring a complimentary shimmer to the party without it affecting the base color but RBL’s Ji Baek achieved that with ease. It’s definitely one of my favorite fall colors this season.

Sparitual Blue Moon ($10, Sparitual.com & AveYou.com) is hands down my favorite of all the blues that have come out for fall. I wasn’t sure what to expect based on the bottle color. It looked pretty murky, more purple than blue, with this odd rose gold-ish flake glitter. On the nail it’s electric. Imagine Essie Aruba Blue being jolted to life with a defibrillator then injected with flakie goodness. The picture really does it no justice. I had this one for a full week and it looked smashing the full seven days. It pained me to take it off. In short… BUY THIS!!!

The Old School Blues

You don’t have to buy new colors to be on trend, just shop your nail polish wardrobe for these classic sapphire blues.

Click the names to view swatches: ULTA Moody Blues, China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway, Barielle Berry Blue (laying down), Essence Just Rock It.

Entity Blue (bottom), China Glaze Up All Night (top), Nubar Sapphire (bottom), NYC Skin Tight Denim Creme (top), OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It, Zoya Indigo (laying across), Essie Aruba Blue (laying down), Sparitual Surreal

Best colors to pair with Blue – Grey, camel, pumpkin, ruby, silver, gold

Thoughts on the resurgence of the blue nail color trend? Do you prefer straight-up blues to the greyed and green tinged tones? Which new colors do you plan to pick up? What are your favorite blue nail polishes?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for China Glaze, CND, Color Club, Dior, NARS, OPI, Rescue Beauty Lounge and Spatirual. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

The Nubar Jeans collection is finally on sale and I’m sure, like me, you are curious about how this collection compares to the now sold out Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel collection so I put together a quick video for you while I work on proper comparison swatches. Enjoy!

The Nubar Jeans collection is available now online at ByNubar.com. The set of three nail polishes retail for $19.99.

What are your initial thoughts on the two collections? If you splurged on the Chanel Les Jeans polishes do you feel they are worth it? If you held out, do you plan to pick up the Nubar set?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Nubar and Chanel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

We all knew it would happen. That shortly after the Chanel Les Jeans de Chanel collection launched, other brands would follow suit with their own inspired send-ups. Nubar is one of the first out of the gate with their upcoming Nubar Jeans collection.

Keep reading to take a closer look at the polishes.

Faded Jeans - a light blue shimmer

Boyfriend Jeans – a medium blue creme

Dark Wash Jeans - a dark blue creme

The Nubar Jeans collection will retail for $19.99/set for all three polishes. The collection will be available either late next week (9/28) or early the following week (10/5) on ByNubar.com.

Considering that the set will retail for less than one Chanel nail polish I’m definitely curious to see how similar the Nubar shades are to the originals.

So are you excited about this collection? How do you feel about a brand so blatantly imitating another? Granted this isn’t the first time a brand has created makeup based on denim (ie MAC) but this is pretty dead-on dupe-ish.

*** UPDATE – The Bergorf event has been canceled at the last minute. Sorry NYCers. But you can still see CND at Malandrino and near 3.1 Phillip Lim.*** As I mentioned in my Fashion’s Night Out post, CND will be offering “Mood Ring” manicures today at Bergdorf Goodman to customers who purchase the four CND Effect shades used to create the look ($40). You will be able to choose your Shellac base color (Romantique, Hot Pop Pink, Wildfire, Rock Royalty, Asphalt, Black Pool) and the Effects will be layered on top to create the look. Unfortunately we don’t all live in NYC but that doesn’t mean you can’t create the look yourself. Using any nail polish base color you desire, you can have your own custom “Mood Ring” nails.

The “Mood Ring” nail is created by layering four CND Effects over a base color. The original look used Black Pool so I’m showing you the look with CND Blackjack nail polish.

Start with your Blackjack base and add a stripe of CND Emerald Shimmer Effect down the middle of the nail.

Add a stripe of CND Ice Blue Shimmer Effect on one side.

Then a stripe of CND Violet Shimmer Effect on the remaining third of the nail. I find that slightly overlapping the three Effects helps blur the lines between the colors.

Finally, add a coat of CND Copper Shimmer Effect over the whole nail.

When I was originally practicing this layering effect, I was wearing Sally Hansen Gray by Gray and I loved the final product even more than over black. I can only imagine how gorgeous it will look over Asphalt and Rock Royalty.

Head to Bergdorf Goodman today between 9am and 10pm to get your own “Mood Ring” manicure with a Shellac base from one of CND’s talented nail artists. Or purchase the Effects for use at home and create your own custom version. Locate a CND retailer near you at CND.com or purchase online from GoIndulge.com.

Are you liking the “mood ring” look? What base color would you use under the Effects? NYC gals, will you be hitting up Bergdorf’s to get your own set of “mood ring” nails?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by CND. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Zoya Holiday/Winter 2011 Gems & Jewels Collection – Jewelry for Nails! Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new jewel toned metallic shimmer polishes and 3 glitzy, glitter glazes (featuring unique bar glitter) for an extra special holiday and winter 2011 season! I know it’s barely September and it seems too early to be talking Holiday but when I saw these beauties at Cosmoprof North America I just KNEW you would adore them as much as I do. Zoya is upping the ante in terms of glitter and glam this season by introducing three bold jewel tone polishes with three coordinating glitters that contain fun, fringe-like particles. Thanks to my friends at Zoya we have an early look at the collection and later today you will have a chance to win a full set Gems & Jewels.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant. Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing. The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

The three metallic shimmers are all nice and thin but filled with pigment. They are such a dream to apply. I barely needed two coats of each color to get them opaque. The metallic pigment does mean the polish can show some brush marks but if you have a steady hand and use thin coats, that shouldn’t be an issue.

The three glitter glazes are all clear based glitters that need multiple (3-4 coats) to become opaque which makes them perfect for layering. The glitters do dry with a LOT of texture so be prepared to apply multiple coats of top coat or deal with some bumpiness. Application Tip: The bar glitter applies randomly and can hang over the edge of the nail. Run the pad of your finger at an angle under the nail to push back the particles and prevent rough edges. Removal Tip: All glitters are a bother no matter which method you use (foil, felt, etc) but I find that applying a coat of clear polish or top coat helps liquefy the layers.

Zoya Holly is an electric evergreen shimmer. This is a green for the girl who wants to stand out because this color will certainly get you noticed. You know how I feel about greens and anything in the emerald family captures my heart. Holly has shade siblings in Sally Hansen Emerald City and Sinful San Francisco though Holly has more richness and depth of color. Plus neither one has half the opacity.

Glitter Glazes over Zoya Holly (top to bottom): Zoya Kissy, Zoya Rina and Zoya Twila. Zoya Rina has a clear base that is packed with bright green micro-glitter that looks like dust mixed with straight, tinsel-esque glitter that flashes both blue and green.

Rina is the obvious choice to layer over Holly but Twila makes for a really unique combination. My mom actually has this Christmas tree that she decorates with blue lights and ornaments and that combo reminds me of it. Rina over Holly doesn’t really jazz me. It feels like Christmas threw up on my nail.

Zoya Izzy is a hot raspberry pink shimmer. Think of it as a darker version of OPI Kinky in Helsinki. On its own the color didn’t do much for me. I appreciate the vibrancy but don’t really gravitate towards these types of shades. However, once I added the Kissy glitter top coat, I was into it.

Glitter Glazes over Zoya Izzy (top to bottom): Zoya Twila, Zoya Kissy and Zoya Rina. Zoya Kissy has a clear base that is packed with bright pink micro-glitter that looks like dust mixed with straight, tinsel-esque pink & holographic glitter.

Kissy and Izzy were made for each other and using them together is the best combo either color could be a part of. The holo glitter really stands out in this layering combination and Izzy comes alive thanks to the pink micro-glitter. It makes it look as though Izzy is a glitter polish with holo tinsel glitter layered on top. It’s a seamless partnership.

I’m convinced that Twila looks good over everything being that I really dig it over Izzy. Rina looks better over Izzy than Kissy looked over Holly so if you’re going for a pink/green combo, I would opt for this combo.

Zoya Noel is a moody blue that made me immediately think of Zoya Crystal from the Holiday/Winter 2010 Flame collection. Outside of the finish differences and the gold flakes, Crystal’s base is a little more icy than Noel but they are definitely in the same denim blue color family.

Glitter Glazes over Zoya Noel (top to bottom): Zoya Rina, Zoya Twila and Zoya Kissy. Zoya Twila has a clear base that is packed with bright blue micro-glitter that looks like dust mixed with straight, tinsel-esque glitter that flashes both green and blue.

Twila over Noel amps up the smoky base color while Rina creates a mermaid-esque effect. Kissy looks out of place which leads me to think that Kissy is really best over its partner shade Izzy or something not part of this collection, like silver, black, etc.

I also layered all three glitters over a silver foil so you can see the composition of the glitter glazes better. Apparently my Zoya Trixie, a silver foil, has gone missing so I used Orly Shine.

Glitter Glazes over Orly Shine (top to bottom): Zoya Twila, Zoya Rina and Zoya Kissy. Twila over silver has a very wintry look that would be perfect for New Year’s Eve or Chanukkah. Rina doesn’t stand out as much with a silver background and Kissy reminds me of peppermint candy.

Bottom Line: Loving Holly is a no-brainer for me and Noel definitely get two thumbs up. I raved over Crystal last season because of the gold flakes but just as much because of its cool base color. Noel is like the non-glittery version of that. Izzy doesn’t make me jump up in down except when paried with Kissy. The top coats are all very fun and a departure from what other salon and prestige brands have been doing and I like that Zoya took the guesswork out of layering by putting together a collection of shades that work well together. The texture of the glitters can feel a little odd, especially if you love high gloss shine, but that’s the nature of the beast.

Zoya Gems & Jewels for Holiday/Winter 2011 launches on September 15th, 2011 but you can secure your shades during the pre-order that starts today. Zoya nail polishes are available online at Zoya.com and at salons nationwide including ULTA. Visit the Zoya Salon Locator for a retailer near you. Zoya nail polishes retail for$8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

What do we think of the Gems & Jewels polishes? Which base color is your favorite? Are you loving the bar glitter in the glitter glazes? What is your favorite layering combo? Do you plan to get the whole set or just pieces?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Zoya. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

On September 8th, CHANEL will debut its preview of Les Jeans De CHANEL, the highly-anticipated nail collection created exclusively by Peter Philips, Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, at Fashion’s Night Out events across the country and on chanel.com.

Fashion’s Night Out is less than three weeks away and as news of the various FNO events start to trickle out, I’ve been waiting with anticipation to see how Chanel would top their last two FNO collections: Chanel Jade Nail & Les Khakis de Chanel. Les Jeans de Chanel certainly has me excited and I’ll definitely be stopping by one of the NYC boutiques on September 8th.

I’ve mentioned a few times recently how I’m all about blues for fall and clearly Peter Philips is on the same wavelength. When I spoke with Chanel Celebrity MAN-icurist Tom Bachik a few weeks ago he alluded to some cool nail colors coming our way and he was right. I can’t WAIT to get my paws on these.

Always creating trends that others follow, Peter has developed a trio of blue lacquers, inspired by quintessence of casual chic: denim. A gradation of three shades, the colours range from deep to medium to very pale blue, evocative of the different styles and shades of one of the world’s largest wardrobe staples.

LE VERNIS: Blue Rebel, Blue Boy and Coco Blue.

LES JEANS DE CHANEL will be sold exclusively in CHANEL boutiques and on chanel.com September 8th, 2011 through the end of the month.

So are you into Chanel’s take on denim blues? Are you planning to attend any FNO events?

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 Hump Day Fanatics!  My nails were dying for a break and in need of some major TLC so while I am apologizing for the delay in posts my nails aren’t. I made the switch to non-acetone remover a few months ago to help prevent drying and I obsessively apply cuticle oil but sometimes my little buddies just need a rest. btw, Nubar’s Cucumber remover is the business. So getting back to my untrieds, we’re on Day #119 and I’m digging into my Nails Inc stash. I wanted something bright and fun but I was also curious about the 3D Glitters so I paired the creamy Warwick Way with Special Effects Sloane Square. Let’s see how it turned out.

Formula & Application: The Nails Inc formula varies in terms of ingredients.Warwick Way is 3-Free and Sloane Square is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and free of camphor, which can be an irritant. The round glass bottles are topped with a thick, round, smooth cap of the same width.  The brush is round and pretty thick with bristles that give some resistance when you try to fan it out.

Warwick Way was a dream to apply. The formula is thin and easy to control yet rich with pigment. It flows on the nail effortlessly and levels out nice and even, drying with a high gloss shine. Two coats delivered perfect coverage. Since Sloane Square is a semi-sheer glitter and I used one coat of it to add some glitz to my manicure.

Nails Inc Warwick Way is a BRIGHT, almost neon, teal creme. It’s one baby step away from neon, that’s how bright it is. What’s interesting is that indoors, it looks really green but in sunlight it looks more aqua, though not as blue as China Glaze Aqua Baby. I photographed it in the sun because capturing this color in anything but direct sunlight is a CHALLENGE. That’s why I’m not showing a comparison, it’s too hard to translate this color’s vibrancy to a screen. Though if you’re looking for a color reference, Hard Candy Frenzy has the same base color. It’s just a lighter version.

I thought adding a coat of Nails Inc Sloane Square would make for a fun combo but I’m not sold on it as a pair. Sloane Square has a smoky grey semi-sheer base that is filled with graphite micro-glitter and holographic sequins. The base color darkens Warwick Way, making it a murkier and the sequins look out of place. Indoors it looks really sea-green.

Bottom Line: This is one manicure where the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. I love how bold and vivid Warwick Way is and that I don’t have any almost-neons quite like it. I really dig the gunmetal glitter party that is Sloane Square but together, I’m not feeling it. I think Warwick Way would look much better under a Nfu Oh flakie and Sloane Square would be phenom over one of the sapphire blues or concrete greys that will be making waves this fall.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: I’m STASHing them both but making a mental note not to wear them together again.

Nails Inc Warwick Way and Special Effects Sloan Square 3D Glitter are available exclusively in the US at select Sephora stores (see full list) and online at Sephora.com. Nails Inc nail polishes retail for $9.50/ea for a .33oz bottle.

Thoughts on these colors? What do you think of them layered together? What would you put Sloane Square over? Have you discovered a new Nails Inc fave since the line launched at Sephora?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Nails Inc. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

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. Untried Day #118: This past Tuesday I was invited to the Cleveland Indians game for a special women’s event. I had the opportunity to sit in the Social Suite on Wahoo Women night which benefits the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Even though I’ve always been more of a football fan, there’s nothing quite like spending a beautiful summer night at a baseball game, sipping on a beer and snacking on peanuts (Cleveland’s own Peterson’s naturally). It’s the picture of Americana. And I have to give it up to the Tribe’s marketing team. They have really created something special with their Social Suite. Anyone who is active in social media can apply to sit in the suite, like the fancy people, for a night. The view and the accommodations in the suite are pretty spectacular. So what’s a nail girl to do on a night that is dedicated to both women and the Indians? A red, Tribe-themed manicure of course!  I wanted the perfect Indians red so I looked to my untrieds and found Zoya Sooki and I paired it with CND Midnight Sapphire from the upcoming Fall 2011 “The Look” launch. It is a pretty good match to the team’s blue color. Keep reading to see how it turned out.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant.  Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing.  The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

Sooki has a smooth, creamy formula that glides on the nail. I had no trouble creating clean lines at the cuticle as the lacquer was so easy to control. The pigmentation is pretty good though I do notice a bit of VNL (visible nail line) with two coats but my free edge seems to stand out more than most.

Zoya Sooki is a cherry red creme though what I find interesting is that in natural light it’s pretty rich and cool toned but under a warm light, like the OttLite, or direct sunlight it leans more towards tomato. Obviously this shade was named after Sooki from True Blood, which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, so it’s just an added bonus that it also went with my theme for the night. Though how much does this season suck? No pun intended. I want the old Eric back and I’m over these witches, literally!!

To create my Tribe themed manicure I alternated Sooki with CND Midnight Sapphire, which I will review in full at a later date, skipping the middle fingers on each hand. On my middle nail I applied China Glaze White Out as a base for some fun polka dots. Using my dotting tool, I placed dots in a somewhat organized pattern.

Application Tip: Drop the polish on a piece of card stock or aluminum foil and let it to rest for a few seconds to thicken. It will make it easier to place the dots. Just don’t wait too long or it will get stringy. It’s akin to the “magic hour” for photographers. You have a brief moment of time when the polish is just the right consistency for dotting.

I reversed the pattern on my other hand and, of course, I forgot to take a pic of it before I left for the game so this cell phone shot will have to do.

The view from the Social Suite. Which was phenom until…..

The rains came! When I arrived, one of the other Wahoo Women said she received a tornado warning call from her city, west of Cleveland, so we knew we were in for a storm. We  just had no idea how insane it would be. At one point there was hail coming down and you couldn’t see across the stadium. But, we had lovely distractions during the downtime.

Ketchup paid us a visit in the suite. He wears a pair of bad-ass glasses a la Wild Thing in Major League and runs a nightly race in the stadium against his competitors Mustard and Onion. Even though I only like onions when they’re caramelized or battered and deep fat fried, I root for Onion since she’s the only lady in the race. And surprisingly, she won on Wahoo Women night. Who would have guessed?

Thanks to the generosity of Time Warner Cable of Northeast Ohio we had yummy snacks to feast on and a visit from the DESSERT CART! I had no idea such a thing existed so you can imagine how my eyes lit up. Actually, if you check out Alexa’s post on Cleveland’s a Plum, you’ll see a group shot with many a shock and awe reaction face. As hard as it was to choose, I couldn’t resist a chocolate and mint brownie-like concoction that I was very thankful to have extra Weight Watchers points to splurge on.

The game ended up going until past 2am, which none of us could stay for, but in the end the Tribe pulled out a win against Detroit. Clearly the rain didn’t dampen the players’ spirits. GO TRIBE!

Bottom Line: Sooki is a well formulated red and a great nail polish wardrobe staple. It doesn’t set my heart on fire but it certainly served my purpose. I’m sure the red lovers out there will hate me for saying it but a lot of times I feel like a red is a red is a red. I know that’s not at all true but it takes a lot for a red to wow me so I’m unintentionally hard on them.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Considering how little I actually opt for reds, I’m sure this will get more love with a friend. SHARE.

Zoya Sooki is available now as part of the Summertime collection at salons and spas nationwide including ULTA and online at Zoya.com. Zoya nail polishes retail for$8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

Thoughts on Zoya Sooki? Do you approve of my Indians themed manicure? Are you excited to hear more about Midnight Sapphire? Do you have any dotting tips to share with the group?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Zoya, CND and China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.