Coming Soon – Misa I’m Only Human Collection

If you’ve been wondering, like I have, what’s next from Misa I’ve got the deets. Knock me down, I’ll pick myself up. Ask me about my alluring, bedroom eyes, I’ll coyly wink but won’t give away my secret. Spoil me, today is my birthday—I deserve it! I am fabulous, flawed but most of all, intoxicatingly feminine—forgive me for I’m Only Human. Introducing “I’m Only Human,” the new sexy and vibrant nail collection for Fall/Winter by Misa Cosmetics. This collection celebrates the power and ambition of women who recognize and embrace their own humanity. It offers a rich palette of colors that signify key elements of being human. Check out the bottle pics and color descriptions after the jump!

Can’t Nobody Take Me Down: For centuries women have been praised for their mighty resolve in the face of adversity. Today’s modern woman can exude this same level of confidence and power by wearing this inspiring, brick brown colored hue designed to spice up any look year round.

Forgive, Forget, For Me I Will: Versatility, honesty and authenticity, describe the meaning behind this vibrant red-orange shade. Women possess the ability to relate to others in an honest, real way. This color celebrates the humanity and femininity of women.

That’s My Little Secret: A crush no one knows about, the black dress that accentuates just the right curves, a beauty product that seemingly produces magic results. Women love the thought of keeping those little treasures to themselves—however that last little secret? Apply this salacious cherry shade to accent your favorite little dress and your secret just might escape you!

Sorry, Just Can’t Help It: Okay, we admit it. There are certain things in life we just can’t help. Our chocolate addiction, our love of gossip, our fascination with window shopping. This rich violet purple color signifies those things which women love to apologize for.

Today is my Birthday!: Presents, party time and pizzazz! We may not like turning another year older but we love the attention…even when we say we don’t. Today is my Birthday. Cue the gorgeous pink hue and the celebration!

I’m Going to Love Myself: Brilliantly magenta, this color creates a luster that puts the world on notice, that as women we may devote much of our time to work, family and friends, but above all we are committed to loving ourselves for the fabulous, flawed, and ferociously feminine beings that we are—for after all, We Are Only Human.

The I’m Only Human collection will launch on August 1st. You can buy Misa polishes online at MisaCosmetics.com and our favorite polish e-tailers.

Swatch Request Sunday – Orange You Glad You Asked?

I know it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve done swatch requests. Not to worry, I have logged all your requests and will try to get to as many as I can. Since there was in influx of emails and comments looking for comparisons in the orange/coral family I knocked out your most requested in one fell swoop. Of course the OPI Bright Pair collection and Sally Hansen HDs brought out some dupe requests as well so you’ll find all that and more after the jump!

Let’s start out with my fave color, green. Sally Hansen HD Hi-Def may look like last summer’s Lacquer Shine Glow but looks can be deceiving. Glow has gorgeous gold shimmer and it’s much more pigmented. I prefer Glow so if you can still find it, GET IT! I saw some dual packs at my local Rite-Aid so I believe it hasn’t reached hard-to-find status yet.
Before I got my hands on Bright Pair a reader requested a comparison of No Room For The Blues, OPI Just Groovy and Misa Right Here Now, No More Later. Now that I have it I can say that RHNNML and Just Groovy are pretty much dead on dupes. NRFTB is a hair deeper in hue but brighter. If you have to choose, get No Room For The Blues. It applies better and is more pigmented.
OPI SUNBelievable‘s I’m His Coral-friend may look like a twin to last summer’s Mod Bright Mod-ern Girl but it’s not. Coral-friend leans towards pink and is more pigmented while Mod-ern Girl leans orange.
A reader wanted to see China Glaze Breakin next to Misa Speed of Life. And while they aren’t dupes due to Breakin’s shimmer the base shades are similar. Breakin is just a touch darker. Though what I did discover is a cousin of Speed of Life(below).
OPI In My Back Pocket from the Bright Pair collection isn’t a twin but it’s definitely in the same family as Speed of Life. For me, they’re close enough to not need both.
A while back I received a request to see China Glaze Kicks shades Style Wars and Oh How Street It Is next to Mod Bright Brights Power. Both the ChG polishes are darker, more pigmented and more red orange than Brights Power.
Finally, after Finger Paints Week a few of you wanted to see how Artist’s Inspiration stacks up against China Glaze Unplugged from the e-collection. I haven’t worn Unplugged in a WHILE so doing this comparison reignited my love for the shade. As you can see, it’s richer than AI and has a different finish. AI has a metallic looking shimmer while Unplugged’s is more of a micro-glitter.
That’s it for today kids. If you have a request, leave a comment or email me at [editor] at [alllacqueredup] dot [com]. The more specific the request, the better. Enjoy what’s left of your holiday weekend.

“What’s On Your Nails?” with MissChievous

What’s On Your Nails? is a series focusing on my fellow beauty bloggers and industry insiders, their favorite nail polish and other hot nail topics. Fanatics, I am thrilled to bring you this installment of WOYN? with YouTube makeup queen and beauty blogger, Julia (aka MissChievous). I’ve been a fan of Julia’s makeup tutorials for quite some time now. I became hooked when I first discovered her “Keeing it soft & glowy” tut on Specktra. To this day, it’s still my all time fave m.u. tut and the look I most aspire to recreate. Of course I wasn’t blessed with her flawless, porcelain complexion but a girl can dream. In addition to her varied range of tutorials and looks, like this one for an Illamasqua contest, Julia’s a lover of polish and her readers took notice. After many viewer requests, she now includes a note about what shade she’s wearing in each video. Read on to learn more about Julia and see what green (yes I said GREEN!) she’s loving at the moment.

Introduce yourself to the ALU readers. Tell us a little about you and your blog.
My name is Julia and I am a makeup artist and beauty blogger. I create makeup and beauty related videos on Youtube and also write a beauty blog. My main passion is makeup but my nail polish collection is rapidly growing.

Why is Misa Green with Envy one of your favorites?
I don’t have one favorite nail polish but right now I love this color for spring, it’s so unusual but bright, it reminds me of Shrek! I wore this in one of my Youtube videos and had so many comments on it. Some of my other favorites include China Glaze Ruby Pumps, China Glaze For Audrey, OPI Done Out in Deco, Color Club Revvvolution, and China Glaze Japanese Koi. I like nail polishes that are conversation starters! [editor's note: a polish lover after my own heart]

What is on your tips and toes right now?
Toes is China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Tips is China Glaze Mom’s Chiffon.

Do you consider nail polish a beauty necessity or accessory? Why?
It’s an accessory but a very fun one! I think nail polish is a great way to incorporate color into an outfit since I like to wear a lot of neutral colors like black and white. It’s also a way to express my personality since most people tend to stick with nude/natural shades and red/pinks. That’s why I like to wear bold colors to make a statement. I also keep my nails polished at all times to keep them strong; the result is that people always ask me if my nails are fake! I’ve never had fake nails in my life.

How many bottles of nail polish do you own?
I have never counted but I would estimate between 40-50, but it keeps growing!

How often do you change your nail polish?
Sometimes every second or third day. If I know I won’t have time to change my nail polish within a week or more, I wear a sheer nude color so that chips won’t be so obvious.

Do you have a favorite nail treatment you think my readers should know about? Why is it so fab?
The basecoat that I have been using for the past month or so and that I like is Nail Tek Foundation II, and for topcoat I swear by Seche Vite. I don’t know how I ever managed to do my nails without the latter! It just dries the polish so fast and makes it super glossy. For my cuticles I always carry a tin of Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream in my purse, I love the lemon scent and how it moisturizes my tips.

What do you think will be the big nail trend for summer?
Bright colors like orange, hot pinks and turquoise, and pastel shades like baby blue, lavender and pastel cream shades.

What nail trend do you wish would go away?
Tacky nail art with glitter and rhinestones galore, long artificial nails with the very thick white band at the top – it just looks so cheap and fake in my opinion.

What is the biggest nail faux pas that women make?
Wearing nail polish with big chips in it for days without removing, or applying polish all over the cuticle area and not cleaning up the mess. It looks sloppy, I’d rather see bare nails or clear polish. Also wearing inappropriate colors or nail art at a job interview or for business meetings can be a big no-no.

Thanks for taking the time to share your love of polish with us Julia. Fanatics, be sure to check out Julia’s YouTube channel and blog for more amazing makeup looks.

Misa Living On The Fast Lane

I’m falling in love again Aint nothing I can do Falling in love again Girl this time its with you - Eagle Eye Cherry Dear Misa, I’ve officially fallen head over heels back in love with you! I was all “in like” after the Poisoned Passion collection but now we’re talking full on love. You see, when Misa intro’d their new formula with the Love Connections collection back in Spring ’07, I was less than thrilled. A brand that I was such a fan of, broke my heart with thick, hard to apply polish. Gone were the amazing colors and lovely chemical filled formula. Seriously, the formula was such a PITA it hurt my feelings! But now it’s all changed for the better. The Living On The Fast Lane collection has gone and flipped the script on me. Misa has given me (yes, I’m pretending that they made it just for me even though I know that’s not true) two fabulous blues, an on-trend muted blue-green and one sassy orange. Oh and there’s a berry and red to boot. Check out the loveliness after the jump!

At some point in the past year, Misa has changed their formula yet again. It’s still massively pigmented but the toluene has been removed. And even though the polish is still thick I’ve found a way to work with it and make each shade look perfect.

Application tip: To avoid a lumpy, bumpy surface I’ve found it’s best to apply the 2nd coat right on top of the first, before it has a chance to dry. I’m telling you, it’s genius. There’s no evening out issues, no pulling at the cuticles and the color is completely opaque. Works like a charm, every time.

Dirty Sexy Money is a stunning dusty blue-green. The name really couldn’t be any more fitting. It’s a gorg, gritty, grayed out green. Though the name makes me a wee bit sad as I’m reminded of the frothy ABC series by the same name that was canceled this year. I love me some Peter Krause and I was beyond PO’d when ABC brought down the axe.

On The Edge oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways… 1. you’re blue (already makes it a winner in my book). 2. you look blue in sunlight, shade, natural light (you get the picture). 3. your application is flawless (trick or no trick). 4. you’re glossy and creamy and PERFECT. I could go on and on. Seriously, will I ever get sick of blues? I hope not.

Stop Rewinding, Just Fast Forward is a slightly muted cherry red. Like a car that’s been sitting in the sun too long, in need of a good wash and wax.

Push Upon It joins the other berry lacquers that are hitting the scene this season. Much like its long lost twin, OPI Miami Beet, Push Upon It is a deep, rich creme.

If it were up to me, Speed of Life would be renamed “Speed of ALU” because this is SO the type of orange I’m feeling for this summer. In contrast to last year’s more popular neon look, this version has a creamsicle softness with a hint of melon peachiness. Such a wearable hue.

Right Here Now, No More Later is like sky blue on crack. It’s so so vivid. If I could look up and see this shade every day, I’d cut a skylight in my office. This one’s definitely a keeper.
The Misa Living In The Fast Lane collection is avaialable NOW online at MisaCosmetics.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com and TransDesign.com.

What do we think kids? How do you feel about Misa’s formula? Share with the group!

Get Your Green On for St. Paddy’s Day

One day and counting kids, do you have your polish picked out for tomorrow? If you’re still scrambling for ideas, I’ve got more than a few for you. Last year, I showed you some of my fave accessible greens including RBL Recycle and Sinful Colors San Francisco and since then, even more fab shades have come on the market. Take a peek at my St Patrick’s Day recommendations, after the jump!

Aside from the shades I rec’d last year, there are four more previously reviewed polishes that are a perfect St. Paddy’s Day fit. Of course I had to include my fave emerald shimmer, Barielle Date Night, one of the few mass market perm greens Sally Hansen Emerald City, springy kelly green OPI Green-wich Village and my dream green glitter China Glaze Emerald Sparkle.

Also, there are some great hues that I haven’t posted yet but definitely deserve some Irish love. Sally Hansen released a new line, Insta-Dri, that includes a rich forest called Jumpin’ Jade. China Glaze Cherish is a soft, pastel-ish option for those of you that shy from full-on green. On the opposite end of that spectrum we have Misa Let’s Go Green for a shock of lime. Finally, Rimmel’s 60 Seconds formula has adopted the now defunct Underground Play Fast shade Camouflage a gold tinged verdant.
All shades are available in your local drugstores or online at Barielle.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com, 8ty8Beauty.com and TransDesign.com.

Check back tomorrow to see what I picked for my St Paddy’s NOTD. Hint: You haven’t seen it yet!