Archive for the 'Holiday 2007' Category
The first of the highly anticipated MAC Holiday collections is now available on the MACCosmetics.com website. The Antiquitease Colour collection not only includes some gorgeous mineral eyeshadow duos that I’ll have to snag but, also two new nail lacquers.
The line will be in stores tomorrow (October 18th). I’ll be reviewing the lacquers soon but for now, here are some teaser pics courtesy of MAC.
Vestral White – Creamy White (cream)
Gold Veneer – Tarnished Yellow Gold (frost)
The Chanel holiday collection is soft and pretty filled with pink, rose, silver, bronze, gold and one traffic stopping red lip color and nail lacquer combo. Both named Dazzling, they certainly stand out. The other polish is Delice, a soft sparkling pink.
I had the pleasure of testing out the Le Vernis Nail Colour in Dazzling which Chanel describes as a true red. To me it leans more towards being an orange based tomato red even though it looks very brick red in the bottle. I found it to be glossy, easy to apply and flattering to my skin tone.
I have to admit, even though I’m not a pink polish girl, I’m still interested in checking out Delice. Anything described as “sparkling” is worth a look see.
Chanel’s Holiday collection hits stores in October.
I’m going to say something that probably won’t make any of you happy. The holidays are just around the corner. Depressing to think about, isn’t it?
Well, at least you have the holiday lacquer collections to look forward to. This year instead of releasing just one set, like last year’s glittery Holiday Bling, CND is introducing three seasonal nail style kits. Each one is tailored to meet all your holiday nail needs and comes with a free gift and nail style guide. To see the actual packaging, check out my Holiday Preview post.
The Glamour kit includes Ruby Red and Deep Velvet polishes and a set of clear rhinestones.
Ruby Red
Deep Velvet
CND suggests using this kit to create a modified french with Deep Velvet at the base and Ruby Red on the tip. Add a rhinestone along the smile line and cuticle and you’ve got one daring and bold style that is sure to be noticed. The look is more than I could pull off but for a day, who cares. It’s only polish, it’s not a tattoo.
The Festive kit includes Hollywood, Black Platinum lacquers and a bonus gift of glitterosity, Mother of Pearl.
Hollywood
Mother Of Pearl
Black Platinum
The look for this set is a nail art design of red and silver poinsettias on a glittering backdrop. Way too crafty for my meager nail painting skills. If anyone recreates this or something similar, I’d love to see it.
The Count Down kit includes Smooch and Pucker Up lacquers with a gift of Air Dry top coat.
Smooch
Pucker Up
The look for the Count Down kit is more subdued than the others. This is a more festive take on a traditional french manicure with Pucker Up’s jelly finish as a base color and Smooch adding glitz to the tips.
Releasing in November for the holiday season, the Utopia collection from Zoya is a group of fun, bold shimmering metallic shades that will add a splash of color and glitz to those dreary gray winter days. And All Lacquered Up is fortunate to be the very first to see it, outside of the Art of Beauty family.
This is going to sound silly but whenever I hear the word Utopia I think of that Drew Barrymore movie Ever After. It’s a feminist take on the tale of Cinderella and in it the heroine (played by Drew) loves the book Utopia by Thomas More. I still have my copy of Ever After on VHS and even though I haven’t had a VHS player hooked up in years, I refuse to get rid of it. I love that movie.
Ok, so either someone at Zoya loves me or green nails is a trend that I didn’t see coming. Of all the jewels tones green is the color I least expected to become mainstream. Outside of our small online nail community I’ve never seen anyone else wearing it. But you certainly won’t hear me complaining. Bring on the greens!
My one and only complaint with this collection is the pigmentation. The majority of the lacquers needed three coats to become completely opaque and achieve the bottle shade. Similar to Suvi and Kotori from the Downtown Collection. I wonder if it’s because the extra pigment would thicken the formula and Zoya’s polish is already thicker than the typical non-Big 3 Free brands.
Austine is a muted brushed gold. On the nail it has the appearance hammered metal and the silver shimmer keeps the color from becoming too peach. Austina is more metallic than shimmery which sets it apart from the other shades in Utopia but thankfully it doesn’t affect application.
Tama is the least “me” shade of the bunch. I’m not anti-pink or brights but I feel there’s something in this shade that doesn’t work with my skin tone. It’s a pretty color and definitely more rosy in the sun but it’s just not something I would intentionally buy for myself.
Kamilah is luscious crimson shade with a hint of gold shimmer that comes out in sunlight. As you can see in the individual swatch pics of this and some of the other shades, these polishes seem to have a slight duochrome effect. The color doesn’t completely change but it’s definitely more intense in direct light.
In the bottle Juno looks very much like a duochrome. The polish looks blue all along the edges of the bottle, similar to how Ki looks in the bottle. However on the nail, the blue isn’t that apparent which is a shame. A purple/blue duochrome would be amazing. Of all the purples I have, I feel that Juno will make my top 10 for sure, possibly even top 5. It has incredible depth, pigmentation and gloss. If you love purple, get Juno.
Akyra reminds me of a peacock feather. It’s not as bright but in the same vein. In the sun the green takes dominance and it’s the green that makes Akyra different than Kotori.
I saved the best for last. Irene is a stunning mossy sage green sprinkled with gold shimmer. This green is probably better suited to warm skin tones but a shade this gorgeous should not be limited by skin coloring. In case you haven’t guessed, this is my #1 pick from Utopia and a must have for anyone that loves or appreciates the beauty of green polish.
Which polishes will you be adding to your wish list?
I’m not a skier by any means but the Ski Collection from China Glaze makes me wish I was. Following up this summer’s Surf line with it’s hot vibrant beachwear inspired colors the Ski collection is filled with frosty bold shades reflecting not only the icy slopes and green forests associated with the sport but the colorful ski wear as well.
I have to say I am loving all the greens and blues the brands are throwing our way. Even though I predicted purple to be the prominent jewel tone this fall, blue is going to usurp it and I couldn’t be happier. As much as I love my greens, blue comes in a close second.
At first when I read that these shades were “high lustre pearl” I was expecting frosts. But the finishes are much more wearable than the icy pearl I had imagined. It’s more of a metallic shimmer with the exception of Avalanche (metallic chrome). As the pictures show, the majority of the shades have a nice and glossy finish even without a top coat.
Cross Iron 360 is obviously a shade for the warm tones. With it’s soft gold shimmer and bold copper shade, it reminds me of Halloween and Jack O’ Lanterns.
Frostbite is a stunner. It’s vivid and eye catching. This is a blue for a true blue lover. I know it’s more chic to sport navy or almost black blues but sometimes you just have to kick it up a notch. Well, Frostbite certainly fits the bill.
Vertical Rush isn’t the most unique berry/wine shade I’ve seen but it’s pretty and makes my tips look like little shimmery cranberries. I think this will look great on my toes during the holiday season. I see it peeking out of a pair of black peep toes paired with a little black dress.
Outta Bounds is a no brainer. Hello, it’s green. There’s no way I wouldn’t love it. The slight tinge of blue in shade reminds me of a magnificent blue spruce.
Xtreme Thrash is described as bronze but it doesn’t have enough brown in it for me to see it that way. In my opinion it’s just a deeper shade of copper than Cross Iron 360. Again, this is suited for warmer tones but the depth of color and less prominent gold shimmer may help this work on the neutral and cool tones as well.
OK so lets talk application for a second. For the most part these shades flowed smoothly on the nail but there were some brush inconsistencies that caused me to work a little harder than usual. Some brushes were thinner than others and they weren’t all the same length. I honestly can’t say if these were isolated incidents but I hope so since I haven’t had this issue with my other China Glaze brushes. Also this collection uses the new toluene, formaldehyde and DBP free formula so like the shimmer polishes in the X collection it applies evenly, unlike the cremes from X.
Avalanche was my only disappointment from the collection. It applies like those old China Glaze Chrome polishes, leaving tons of stroke marks. For that reason alone I have to give it a thumbs down. Metallic finishes and I are just not friends.
In addition to the traditional 6 pack pictured above, China Glaze has also put together a special 3 piece set that includes Frostbite, Outta Bounds and Black Diamond. Black Diamond can only be found as open stock or in this exclusive set.
I know I know, black is over. I keep hearing it yet amazingly enough I keep seeing it show up on peoples’ tips. There are no real rules when it comes to color anymore. And it’s obvious that China Glaze is choosing to buck the trend by including it in this collection.
Black Diamond is not a typical black shimmer. The pearl lightens the base color much more than any of the Ski shades. One might call it a deep gunmetal gray, similar to Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot. When I do my fall/winter color comparisons you’ll see for yourself.
And just because I think the graphics on the packaging are so fun and original. Kudos to the art and marketing departments at AII Beauty.
Alright everyone, time for your thoughts. Share with the group.
The first of the highly anticipated MAC Holiday collections is now available on the MACCosmetics.com website. The Antiquitease Colour collection not only includes some gorgeous mineral eyeshadow duos that I’ll have to snag but, also two new nail lacquers.
