Chanel Summer – Orange Fizz and Golden Sand

The look for Chanel’s summer collection, Cote D’Azur, is an upscale take on beachy and bronzed. As I mentioned in the preview, the collection was inspired by Coco Chanel’s favorite resort locales. So while you’ll find traditional summery hues; coral, bronze, beige, peach, they’re done in an elegant, understated (i.e. anti-glitter bomb) way. Of course we get two new lacquer shades for summer… Orange Fizz and Golden Sand. Check out my review and swatches after the jump!

Orange Fizz is a creamy coral that leans towards pink. It’s not uber-vivid yet not muted. It falls somewhere in between. Now, when I heard the name Orange Fizz, I imagined a sparkly tangerine heading our way as I’m sure most of you would. While this shade is unlike any corals I own, you kids know I would have died for some orange-y glitz.
In my stash’s color range Orange Fizz falls between the very pink coral, Essie Carousel Coral and last summer’s Robertson Boulevard exclusive, L.A. Sunset.

Golden Sand‘s coppery metallic hue is an ideal accent color to faux-glowed skin. It’s got that burnished, sun-soaked look. I just wish metallics were easier to work with. Granted this one isn’t the worst I’ve dealt with but avoiding brush strokes isn’t happening, making it more suitable for pedicures since imperfections aren’t as visible from far away.
In the bottle, I thought Golden Sand would be a MAC Metalist dupe but it’s clearly more pigmented and deeper. Next to China Glaze Poetic, you can see that Poetic has a lot more brown in its base.
The Chanel Summer Cote D’Azur collection Le Vernis lacquers ($23) are on counters now and available online at Chanel.com

How are we feeling about these? Who already purchased? Thoughts?

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009

Are you kids ready to dive into Spring? I know I am. I’ve been sitting on the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring collection for way too long and I’ve been dying to gush. With a heavy floral inspiration these shades came straight from the runway to the bottle. I couldn’t be more excited about these polishes if I tried. Every one is a winner. Even the yellow! You know, I’m not sure why but every time I use a creme from the SH Salon line, I am so impressed with the formula and how it applies. As if I didn’t already know how fantastic it is. It’s so weird. I’m sitting there, painting my nails thinking, “My word, this is outstanding! Why am I not wearing these more often?” Riddle me that and you win a prize (not really but you know what I mean). Seriously, these polishes are all hyper pigmented, smooth and glossy. The hues are vibrant. The tones are true to bottle color. Shall I go on? I could just keep yammering away but seeing will make you a believer.

Tassel was the shade selected for the Tracy Reese runway show. This rich, warm gold was the perfect neutral complement to Tracy’s designs. You have no idea how happy I am to find a metallic that applies smoothly. No brushstroke city. No streaking or unevenness. I did need three coats to get it opaque and perfect but it was worth it.

I showed you Night Hydrangea in a NOTD post a few weeks back. For me, this is pretty much the perfect purple shimmer. It’s that elusive “purple in every light” we’re all looking for and it does so without hitting neon territory. I KNOW tons of you will be hunting this one down.

Nasturtium brings out my love of coral that has been hiding the past few years. You don’t even know I was such a coral fiend. One of my first bottles was Essie Carousel Coral and it set me off on a streak for pretty much an entire summer. Nasturtium is just so effortlessly spring and casual that I can’t help but love it.

Honeydew – THANK YOU Tracy Reese for throwing in something for us green lovers. It has this light, watery feel that isn’t full on green yet not blue either. Does that make it teal? Aqua? Blue-green? Green-blue? Does it matter? It’s stunning! Naturally, Honeydew is the shade I popped open first and all I could say was, “come to momma you gorgeous thing!” This is the only one whose shimmer does more than add depth. It’s clearly visible.

When I saw Forsythia, all I could think was, “Oh no! Pantone’s color of the year, Mimosa, has leaked into the polish world!” My polish fears had come true. But you know what? Forsythia is a lot less golden than Mimosa and much more flattering than I expected. Its muted tone differs from the day-glo yellows we’ve seen in years past. Is it the easiest shade to pull off? No but I’m oddly drawn to it.

Beet Stain is a kissing cousin to Fall’s Night Lily, only a tinge more red so, if you missed out on it last season, now is your chance. It seems the berry trend that was so prominent in makeup last season is carrying over to spring for nails. Zoya put one in their spring collection as did OPI.

Azalea is a bold red-pink creme. It’s a bit softer than what you’d think of as a “hot pink.” A perfect pedicure shade for when we finally get to break out our sandals.
The Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring color collection is set to hit shelves in March but you know the drill. These babies aren’t easy to find and when they finally go on sale, they’re gone in a flash. So keep your peepers on your local drugstore displays and let us know when you find them. We all want to know!

images: Vogue UK, Janice from Specktra.net and All Lacquered Up

OPI Summer 2008 – Mod About Brights

When I first caught wind of a new Brights collection from OPI, I honestly wasn’t that jazzed. I figured, what could Suzi and her crew possibly come up with that would be fresh and new? But after three summers of Brights that were hit or miss, I will admit that I’m pleasantly surprised by the Mod About Brights collection. Instead of fooling us with beautiful in the bottle blues & greens that end up being sheer (I’m looking at you, Call My Cell-ery and Can’t You Sea?) these shades deliver a bold, funky punch of color that really stand out.

An entire collection of cremes, this rainbow lineup of nail polishes has a retro feel that reminded me of this drawing from the book 100 Years of Fashion Illustration by Cally Blackman (see above left). Don’t you just expect her to pop off the page and into a dance sequence from Austin Powers?

When these beauties arrived on my doorstep, I was jumping out of my skin to start swatching. I’ve been dying to show them to you all but time is not on my side. So what you see below is two coats of color with no top coat, exceptions are noted. As with the India collection, OPI is really hitting their stride with creme finishes in their Big 3 Free formula. They all applied smooth and even with a glossy finish.

Mod-ern Girl is a reddish coral shade that actually matches one of my favorite summer gauzy tunics. I can’t wait to pair them together.

That’s Hot! Pink is your typical bright summer pink. It’s La Paz-itively Hot without the blue undertone or shimmer.

Brights Power fits right in with the hot orange trend that is happening in nails but instead of being neon it’s just bright and fun. Definitely a better choice for people that are shying from the day-glo construction barrel shades I’m loving.

The “It” Color is a bit too French’s Mustard for me personally but I can see a darker skin tone rocking it on their tips. You know this is a total Rihanna shade, right? Unfortunately, it makes my skin tone look a bit dirty. I so wish I could pull it off though because I love seeing the reactions I get to wearing totally odd colors.

Green-wich Village. What do I even need to say? It’s perfect! Perfect I say. Can there ever be too many greens? Um, NO! And a green creme? You know I’ve been wanting a creme in every shade of green I can find. And even though Green-wich Village took three coats to achieve perfection, it’s worth it. Look at that color, look at it! You know you want to buy a bottle just to have, even if you’re too scared to wear it.

And before you even get a chance to ask I went ahead and swatched it next to Carolyn New York Greenwich Ave. You know someone was going to request it. The CNY shade is more pigmented and a bit deeper in color. It only required two coats to the OPI’s three. As you can see, they’re pretty close though not dupes. Do you need both? Only if you’re a fellow green freak.
I swear, either I’ve become clairvoyant or the brands have been reading my 2008 Wish List. Because Dating A Royal not only fulfills my need for blues that aren’t “almost black” (e.g. Yoga-ta) but also for blue and green cremes. Where did this undying love for cremes come from? I have no idea. Maybe because I feel like my nails are imperfect and achieving a smooth creme finish makes them look flawless. Anywho, this deep cornflower confection is unlike any other lacquer I own.

Of course, looking at all the bottles lined up like a little rainbow, I thought they’d make the perfect Skittles Manicure. Instead I ended up looking like the disembodied fingers that were put on ice during an episode of Dexter. Creepy, huh? I think I’ll stick to more candy/pastel shades from now on.

image: Frozen Barbie

The OPI Mod About Brights collection is on sale now at all professional salons and retailers including Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, Ulta, Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Dillard’s, and JCPenney.

OPI Summer 2008 Preview – Retro Fun in the Sun

Like a frothy beach party flick (think Gidget, Beach Blanket Bingo), the OPI Retro Fun In The Sun collection will be surfing onto shelves this summer. Filled with kitschy, fun shades the lacquers are perfect for those long sunny days of lazing in the sand. To add to the fun, each bottle comes with a retro ponytail holder. Takes me right back to elementary school when I had a ballerina jewelry box filled with hair ties in every color imaginable.

“In summer, glamour really moves from the city out to the sand, and these shades combine a retro pin-up-girl look with a beach party attitude – think ponytails, Frankie and Annette, and romance under the stars,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The colors are rich, playful, and sexy – a great way to accessorize one of fashion’s most colorful summers ever!”

Peach-a-Boo! – Take a peek at this apricot sparkle!

Sit Under the Apple Tree – A tempting, light apple green.

Lemonade Stand by Your Man – You’ll stay loyal to this refreshing yellow.

Give Me a Coral Sometime – I’ll answer in this inviting pink-orange.

Sea Ya Later, Sailor! – A fun, flirtatious turquoise shimmer.

Calendar Girl – A pin-up, perfect pink-red.

Like previous beach themed OPI collections (It’s Summer for Shore, Surf Party) I’m expecting the Retro nail polishes to have a unique shimmer that will make the nail girlies go gaga. I can’t wait to see them in person and find out! Will this line become just as collectible? We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Retro Fun in The Sun collection drops (I’m so street) in June and will be available at salons including Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, Ulta, Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Dillard’s, and JCPenney. MSRP $8.50 ($9.95 CAN)

OPI Summer 2008 Preview – Mod About Brights

The Brights are back everyone! OPI is adding to their ever so popular Brights series with a set of 6 vivid creme polishes dubbed the Mod About Brights collection.

“The mod look is back in a fresh, new way, both in fashion and beauty,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The six shades in Mod About Brights capture the fun and edginess of the mod ‘invasion’ of the Sixties, but with a bright twist that makes them exciting and current for 2008. And with fashion right now being all about color and vivid, graphic prints, these are the shades that are perfect for fingertips and toes.”

Yet again I’m getting giddy with delight over a fab looking green hitting the mass market. You know the frankeners on MUA will be adding black to Green-wich Village to try and duplicate RBL Recycle. And a royal blue creme… catch me as I swoon. If these cremes are as fantabulous as the ones from India, I’ll be in heaven. I’ve been on such a creme kick lately. Between that and my recent pink love you would think I had a polish lobotomy.

So here’s the line up and descriptions courtesy of OPI.
Mod-ern Girl – A pop of coral with more than 15 minutes of fame.
Brights Power – A brilliant orange that fashionistas find fab!
The “It” Color – This must-have yellow is the color to be seen in.
That’s Hot! Pink – Bright pink that sizzles with style.
Green-wich Village – A vivid green that’s downtown mod.
Dating a Royal – A royal blue that sets crowns spinning!

The Mod About Brights collection retail for $8.50 ($9.50 CAN) and will be avaiable in May at salons including the major chains; Beauty First, Beauty Brands, JCPenney, Dillard’s, Regis, Pure Beauty, Ulta, and Trade Secret.