Black
Orly Matte Couture Collection Swatches & Review
 Because Matte is the New Black! Orly’s tagline for the new Matte Couture collection totally nails the trend, no pun intended. Everywhere I look in the polish world, there is a new matte collection or top coat to check out. If there’s a brand that hasn’t embraced matte yet, I’ll bet they will soon.
I can hear many of you, channeling Elle Woods, saying, “whoever said matte is the new black is SERIOUSLY disturbed, ” but I’m starting to believe in matte’s staying power. As much as we hear that it’s a fad, a blip, a small moment in nail culture I can’t help but wonder if that’s just a wish rather than a prediction. Check out what Orly is bringing to the matte table after the jump! |
Unlike other matte polish collections, Orly is the first brand to suggest using a base coat under the lacquers. I tried these on bare and base coated nails and the application over both was relatively smooth. Granted mattes are still unforgiving if your technique is uneven but I found this formula to be thinner and easier to work with than the OPI or Zoya mattes. Also, these shades are extremely pigmented so you barely need two coats.
FYI – A reader asked on Twitter if applying a matte top coat over matte polishes would extend their wear. I tested Nubar’s matte top coat over their Modern Matte polish and had major chipping after one day. A great suggestion but unfortunately not a solution.
Blue Suede isn’t a true matte and I LOVE that. I was expecting flat, lifeless wall paint a la OPI Russian Navy Matte but instead I was treated to a lovely dusty hue with a suede-like finish as the name suggests.
As I applied Purple Velvet I started to pick up on the theme. This shade has a slight hint of shimmer giving it a (say it with me kids) VELVET finish. This one lies on the red-grape side of the purple spectrum but I’m digging it anyway.
Matte Vinyl is definitely the most matte shade in the bunch. Looking at it, I can’t help but think of that chalkboard spray paint I’ve seen used on old episodes of Trading Spaces. It’s a bit too much for me but I think with a glossy tip I’d be all over it. Want to see what I mean? Check out a modified matte manicure on my friend Sara from Bit By the Beauty Bug.
The Orly Matte Couture collection launches in September. The polishes retail for $7.50/ea and can be purchased online at OrlyBeauty.com and our fave etailers (see sidebar) and in stores like Sally Beauty and ULTA.
What do we think? Are you liking the different finishes on these? Which colors struck your fancy? Am I slowly breaking down the matte haters? Let’s here it!
Lippmann “Celebrate” 10th Anniversary Collection
 This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Deborah Lippmann‘s eponymous brand and to celebrate, she’s releasing a limited edition set of nail polishes to be sold during Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale. The set, appropriately named Celebrate, includes two brand new colors, Ruby Red Slippers and Funky Chunky, and brings back the sparkly hit from last year’s Holiday Collection, Superstar.I had the pleasure of meeting Deb backstage at New York Fashion Week last February where we discussed her uniquely gorgeous bottle design and excitement over her upcoming shades. Check out what she had to say and get a look at the colors, after the jump! |
One of the standout features of a Lippmann polish, besides the actual lacquer, is the elegant bottle design. It’s a distinctive showpiece. Given the chance to pick Deb’s brain, I of course had to ask her about the bottle’s background.
“We aren’t going to do nail care if it’s not sitting out. It’s something I learned working in fashion. I realized that even in the fashion world where every detail is so important, it was the last thing anybody thought of. It was the first detail to go.”
“I thought women aren’t taking care of their nails because we throw our bottles in a drawer, in a closet. I really wanted, particularly for the treatment bottles that are used more often, I wanted something you would be proud to put next to your fragrance bottles.”
She wanted it to look like a jewel. Something you want to touch and stare at with a very stable base and an easy to hold handle. It was a concept she had in her head that she searched and searched and searched for. With mentors and friends like Martha Stewart and Cher, their product and branding knowledge were invaluable in helping her choose the final bottle design.
For the Celebrate set, Deb wanted to go for all out glam as seen on the spring runways, creating two new sparkling shades to pair with the over-the-top glitz of Superstar. Each shade consists of a dark sheer base packed with glitter, sequins or a combo of both.
Due to the sheerness of the base, three coats were necessary to get them truly opaque and because we’re talking about particles suspended in polish, the dried surface does have texture until you apply a top coat.
Ruby Red Slippers has become popular amongst Deb’s celeb clientele. She applied it to Lady Gaga for a photo shoot last month and Oscar winner Marion Cottilard went crazy for it as well. Metallic red glitter and hexagonal sequins are floating in a sheer black creme giving the look of crushed jewels on the nail.
Funky Chunky is a black, jelly-like creme filled with black sequins. Three coats build up to an opaque, glossy finish and as the polish dries, the layers of sequins start to rise to the surface.
Making a return from last holiday, Superstar is a semi-sheer brown creme loaded with bronze glitter.
As with any glitter polish, removal is a chore. You end up finding random sequins on your hands. And due to the size of the sequins, they don’t apply evenly to the nail so don’t expect a uniform look.
The Lippmann Celebrate 10th Anniversary Set is available for pre-order now on Nordstrom.com for $35 and will launch online at LippmannCollection.com in August.
Zoya Matte Velvet 5 Day Wear Test Results
Good afternoon fanatics! I’m here to update you on how the Zoya Matte Velvet polish held up during my 5 day wear test. I gave Dovima a whirl using CND Stickey base coat on my index and ring fingers and nothing on the rest.
Much like the OPI Mattes, Dovima started chipping on my ring finger and thumb post shower on day two and it just got worse frm there. The chipping on my middle finger didn’t really start until day three and as you can tell, it held up much better than the other two.
Also like the OPI Mattes, the fingers with base coat just experience minor tip wear but the application wasn’t as good. There was streaking, pulling and holes on the first coat that were hard to even out on the second but I made it happen.
As the week went on, just coming in brief contact with water, my face creams and body lotions affected the finish. It becomes more satiny and lighter in color. What you see below is after a full five days.
Normally doing a five day wear test on a new polish is no big thing. I do it because I want to give you all an accurate report on how a brand’s formula wears. But I gotta say, testing matte polish absolutely sucks! Because while I don’t care what people think when they see me wearing four different polish colors, I abhor staring at chipped tips. It brings out my urge to pick so the last couple days were pretty tourturous.
Bottom line, when it comes to matte polishes… WEAR A BASE COAT. I don’t care what the instructions say, if you want to avoid staining and immediate chipping, wear a base coat. Nuff said! Enjoy your Saturday. I hope you have something fun planned.
Zoya Matte Velvet Review and Swatches
 I doubt you can take any more buildup over the new Matte Velvet collection from Zoya so I’m happy to be able to FINALLY share the goods with you. As I’ve previously stated, Matte Velvet is Zoya’s entry in the emerging matte nail polish trend. The lineup includes three shimmering shades in a unique matte finish formula. Check them out after the jump! |
Right off the bat, I was already loving these polishes WAY more than the OPI Mattes (La Paz being the lone exception) due to the shimmer. It keeps the polish from looking like flat wall paint which for me is a good thing. And unlike slapping a layer of matte top coat on a shimmery polish (see below) this polish is truly matte and non-reflective.
We need to discuss for the formula for a sec before jumping into the swatches. Like the OPI Mattes these polish dry SUPER FAST so make haste when applying. They’re also pretty thick and can EASILY go on uneven. In fact, I had to redo a couple nails because I wasn’t quick or accurate enough. Though the bonus of them drying so fast is the lack of wait time. You can be out the door in 5 minutes with these polishes.
Again, we’re faced with the no base coat rule which I really don’t understand. As you remember from my experiment with the OPI Mattes the only decent wear was while using a base coat. If anyone with chemistry knowledge can riddle me why this is the recommendation, I know we’d ALL appreciate it. (CHECK UPDATE BELOW)
Posh is a deep burgundy shimmer. It looks very berry-ish when wet but dries more red wine.
Loredana is a chalky charcoal shimmer matte (sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it?) that reminds me of cement. It was the thickest and most difficult to apply of the three and also my least fave. Not like a thumbs down least favorite but more like non-essential to my life.
When I first slapped it on last Friday I was all, “Rut-roh! Me thinks I see a Man Glaze dupe. Drama!!” but it’s clearly not. Fuggen Ugly is more gray with a subtle satin sheen while Loredana has a cooler, blue undertone that is completely flat. If I’m being honest, even though I hate the brand name (Man Glaze, really? Double entendre much?), I prefer the formula.
Dovima is a black shimmer that reminds me of honed black granite. It’s another shade that leans a little cool instead of being a true black. I imagine due to the silver shimmer.
To give you an idea of how these compare to a traditional polish with a matte top coat, I paired Dovima with CND Hyde In The Dark topped with Nubar V for Men Matte Finish Nail Protector (that’s a mouthful!). The matte top coat not only lightened the look of Hyde but it also left a satin finish instead of a true matte.
In regards to the wear, I threw on Loredana last Friday and after taking a shower on Saturday it was so badly chipped I had to take it off before being seen in public. It wasn’t like cool chipping (not that I really think that exists). It was more like you’re-too-lazy-go-home-and-make-love-to-your-polish-remover chipping! Since I could give two figs about going to work with a broke down mani, I’ll be testing the formula with & without base coat this week and reporting the results on Saturday.
EDITED TO UPDATE – Answer regarding base coat usage courtesy of Zoya’s Leo Reyzis:
The film properties of matte formulas are not consistent with the properties of regular polish therefore when one gets applied over the other there is a different rate of drying which causes distortions in the surface tensions of both films, best seen as ridges and valleys that will form on the polish surface (as well infinitely endless drying time). If a basecoat is still desired you must wait for base to dry completely for matte formulas to be applied on top. This may help extend wear however the surface must be completely dry and residue free prior to applying matte formula.
That totally makes sense since I did report poor OPI Matte application when using a basecoat. Thanks for the answer Leo!
The Matte Velvet nail polishes retail for $6/ea and can be pre-ordered now on Zoya.com with a July 1st ship date.
So all you matte haters? What do you say now? Matte lovers… are you like totally dying or what?
Rescue Beauty Lounge – Gritty & Vampy
 I finally had a chance to play with the rest of my Rescue Beauty Lounge sale order. The first half that I showed you had fun, summery colors but I also picked up some of Ji’s more edgy hues.
Coincidentally, a reader commented this morning on my swatch request post from Sunday asking to see a swatch of Black Russian. Is she psychic? Well, darling reader I’ll do you one better. Check out Black Russian next to its kissing cousins China Glaze Lubu Heels and Piggy Polish Midnight Fireflies after the jump! |
Grunge represents its name well. It has a chic, hipster edge. In spite of the hint of shimmer I see in the bottle, this light mushroom taupe dries creamy. I don’t know that I’m loving it on me though. It needed three coats which is no bueno for a RBL. Plus my skin tone doesn’t seem to agree with it. I think the pale, olive or dark complected would do better with Grunge. What do you think? 
Au Chocolat is pretty close to perfection. Rich and delicious there’s no overbearing undercurrent of redness screwing up the chocolatey vibe. It has warmth without becoming a browned red and it’s light enough to avoid the “almost black” syndrome, like I dipped my fingers in melted Special Dark. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Black Russian, formerly known as Revamp, has been on my wish list for quite some time. I remember back when the MUA nail board was hoping for blacks with colored glitter (red, pink, green, etc.) and Black Russian was discovered. A semi-sheer black creme packed with fine red micro-glitter this shade is pure decadence. It screams mystery. The glitter is fine enough to not be obtrusive or cause major texture when dry. It just peeks out when the light hits it like a surprise. Very sexy.
Of course Black Russian isn’t the only black with red glitter on the block. Here it is next to China Glaze Lubu Heels and Piggy Polish Midnight Fireflies which has unfortunately been discontinued. The glitter in Lubu Heels and Midnight Fireflies is more apparent but the cost is a rougher finish. Plus the base of those two is more sheer than the RBL, requiring three coats to Black Russian’s two. 
Unfortunately the RBL sale was a brief afternoon affair but if there’s a shade you’re just dying to have, you can pick them up at RescueBeauty.com. Grunge is currently out of stock but you can pre-order it to ship when the next batch comes in.
Thoughts on my new RBL treasures? Any you think are must haves? What color glitter would you like to see in a black polish?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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