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.

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. As I committed to do, I’m featuring at least one pink/red nail polish each week. This week we’re looking at NARS Schiap. Schiap is interesting in that both the lipstick and nail polish forms of the color seem to have mass appeal even though it’s a shockingly bright shade. I have a love/hate relationship with NARS nail polishes. I love a lot of the colors they’ve put out over the years but I hate the formula because it’s notoriously streaky. Will Schiap follow suit or stand out from the pack?

Formula & Application: NARS nail polishes are 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin). The squat square bottles are topped with a somewhat rubberized cap that houses a short, round brush. Unlike a lot of prestige brands that have a removable outer cap, the NARS cap is one solid piece. The bristles are pretty flexible though they are kind of sparse and don’t really fan out easily. I believe that, like the MAC brush, that may be where we should place the blame for streaky application.

The formula of this polish is a cross between a creme and a jelly. It has a bit of a watery texture but is well pigmented. So pigmented that the first coat covered really well. In fact, I found myself thinking, “Is this a NARS polish?” as the first coat flowed on the nail like a dream. Then the second coat went on and it was streak city with patchiness a plenty. The third coat evened everything out but then I discovered a couple bubbles after it dried. Drat! You can see them on my middle and pinkie nails.

NARS Schiap is bright, fuchsia pink creme with a definite cool blue undertone.  What I found interesting is that in sunlight it becomes almost eye searing as though the sun is an electric source for the color. However indoors it’s a bit more subtle and not as in-your-face. We’re not talking glow-in-the-dark neon by any means but it sure does make a statement. I attempted to find a suitable dupe and they were either too dark (Chanel Pulsion), too neon (Zoya Ali) or too light (OPI La Paz-itively Hot & Zoya Whitney).

Bottom Line: NARS Schiap is one of those nail wardrobe staples. A pedicure perfect bright pink. Even though I’m not a pink girl I can’t deny the attraction. I’m not head over heels but it’s a great color. While I haven’t come across an affordable dead-on dupe the application issues prevent me from giving it the thumbs up. Considering its price tag, I can’t, in good conscience, tell you to run out and get it without proper warning.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: If I owned a dupe I would ditch it so until then I’m reluctantly STASHing it.

NARS Schiap is available at NARS counters worldwide and online at NARSCosmetics.com, Beauty.com and most department store websites. NARS nail polishes retail for $17/ea for a .5oz bottle.

How many of you are smitten with Schiap? Have you come across a dupe for it? Which NARS nail polishes do you feel are worth the splurge?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by NARS. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Last year when NARS released its Vintage Nail Polish Collection you could probably hear my heart breaking for nail fanatics around the world.  Where was Zulu?  What about Mash and Midnight Express?  Was I the only one with a fondness for Ziggy and Platoon? Well I’m happy to see that in the NARS Vintage Nail Polish Collection 2010 they brought back three beloved shades and two I was previously unfamiliar with, King Kong and Full Metal Jacket. The question is, how do the re-releases stack up against their former incarnations?

Application & Formula: The NARS Nail Lacquer formula is 4-Free (including Formaldehyde Resin).  The brush is thin, round and very flexible.  I was able to do a three-stroke application with each polish.  The collection consists of two jelly finish polishes and three metallic shimmers.

This isn’t a collection for the casual polisher.  There’s no slap and go application here.  In all seriousness, if you aren’t willing to put in the time to work with them, you’re going to be bitching.  The application is a bit tricky with all of these colors.

The major downside is the opacity.  Every polish requires a minimum of three coats and if you apply the jellies too thin you’ll need four.  All of my swatches are with three coats. You also need to be careful with the metallics to avoid brush strokes.

Application Tips: Normally I apply thin coats but with the jellies it’s best to load up your brush a little more than usual to get it done in three coats.  With the metallics, I suggest waiting a few minutes between layers to avoid major streaking.  Also, use a light touch.  Too much pressure will cause dragging and patchiness.  Finally, when doing your three strokes, alternate which side gets the second stroke to make sure you get even coverage.

Mash is an army green punched up with gold metallic shimmer.  It can get a bit brush stroke-y if you aren’t careful but for the most part it flows well.  Of all my mossy polishes Mash is definitely a fave which is why I’ve kept it all these years.

At first glance I thought the 2010 version of Mash was a little more gold than the Original but once they were both dry you couldn’t tell the two apart.

I’ve talked about the craze Zulu caused when Sephora released it as a limited edition Holiday item which is why I was so surprised to see it left out of last year’s Vintage lineup.  Well all of you who missed out on this dark green jelly the first time around can finally have your craving satiated.

Unlike Mash, the base color of the new Zulu is a bit different than the Original.  Zulu 2010 is a bit deeper with a hint more blue in its base.  I’m showing a swatch with one coat of each so you can see the slight difference.

Despite the slight variance in the base color, the finished product is still the same.  Because Zulu is so dark it would take a major difference to be noticeable.  Case in point, Nfu Oh 569.  I’ve been told this Nfu Oh is a Zulu dupe but it’s lighter and brighter.  The distinction is more apparent in person.

Midnight Express is the NARS that got away so I’m REALLY happy to finally own it.  Back when it was on clearance on the NARS website I had it in my cart over and over again yet I never pulled the trigger.  This the blue counterpart to Zulu with its bright blue jelly base that darkens to a blackened blue as it becomes opaque.  In daylight you can tell it’s blue but at night, only you will know.

Full Metal Jacket had me cursing when I first swatched it.  What you see below is actually my third attempt with this polish.  It went on so uneven with so many brush strokes, I was ready to label it a POS and toss it.  Then I stopped, took a breath and WAITED between coats.  What a world of difference that made even though brush strokes are still visible.  This is the number one reason that you shouldn’t give up on a polish on the first try.  Play with it and eventually you can make most polishes work.  FMJ is blue-based grey metallic shimmer.

I’m not really sure how King Kong got its name as I’ve always thought of gorillas as being black or chocolate brown.  Regardless King Kong is a warm bronze metallic.  I may be totally off but it reminds me of MAC Naturally Rich from the N Collection with a different finish.  This one actually applied really well.  It almost didn’t need the third coat.

Bottom Line: No matter what I say about Zulu, collectors will be lined up to scoop up a bottle.  I honestly prefer Nfu Oh 568 because it’s lighter and you can tell it’s green.

As far as the rest of the collection goes, I’d say that Mash is the only must-have.  King Kong gets the runner-up prize though there’s a BIG difference between 1st and 2nd place.  The application issues are just too much.  If you’re really willing to work with these colors, go for it.  Otherwise, you’ll just end up irritated.

NARS Vintage Nail Polish Collection 2010 arrives on October 1st 2010 and will be available online at NARSCosmetics.com and at NARS counters nationwide.  NARS Nail Polish retails for $16/ea for a .5oz bottle.

Okay so how many of you are still planning to snag Zulu?  Will any of the other Vintage colors find a home in your collection?  Do you think Zulu is worth the hype?

Disclosure: I received these polishes as a gift from a friend.  For more info, view my Disclosure Policy.

***Edited to add: The launch has been pushed back to October 2010.

July 15th is coming fast Fanatics. Will you be greeting NARS Zulu with open arms when it makes its triumphant return with the NARS Fall 2010 collection? That’s right, in case you haven’t heard the rumors, NARS is bringing back that famous dark green jelly.  The one that Sephora put on the cover of their holiday catalog a few years ago, causing a frenzy.

I was fortunate to have a good MUA Nail Board pal gift me a bottle of Zulu for Christmas that year which makes me very curious about Zulu 2.0.  You see, after getting this lusted after color I discovered that the pigmentation is crap and the application is decent at best.  I still covet my bottle none-the-less and plan to get Zulu 2010 for comparison purposes but this re-release raises a few questions…

Will the color be a match?  Will it still be a jelly?  Will NARS fix the pigmentation issues?  Will their updated 3-Free formula apply better?  Will Zulu still cause a stir now that we have so many OTHER amazing greens at our disposal? Are we so over the whole “almost black” thing that even the return of a mythical unicorn like Zulu won’t get us, as a nail community, back on board?

Just to get you excited on what we POSSIBLY have to come, here is a swatch of the ORIGINAL Zulu.

What you see below is three medium coats. Can you see my issue? Streaky, uneven coverage.  Patchiness. The color at this point is what I’d want Zulu to be but the holes are begging me to add another layer.

Finally with four coats we get a flawless, jelly finish but I’m like the only person who can tell it’s green. It’s similar to Zoya Envy in that respect. Envy is more mossy but it’s definitely tip-toeing on that “almost black” territory.

Of course I adore my darling Nikki (Prince reference not intended) for my lovely bottle of Zulu and I will always cherish it but I sincerely hope that the updated Zulu performs better.

The NARS Fall 2010 collection launches online July 15th at NARScosmetics.com and at counters nationwide in August.  Nail polishes retail for $16/ea for a .5oz bottle.

***EDITED TO ADD:  The launch date has been pushed back until October 2010.  No need to stalk the NARS website on July 15th***

Who’s adding Zulu to their shopping lists?  If you already own Zulu will you be buying a backup?  What are your thoughts about the questions I posed above?  Is there anything I missed?

Disclosure: NARS Zulu (original version) was gifted to me by a friend. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Day 2 of my NYFW experience started relatively late (noon). Knowing my usual travel patterns, I purposely left Saturday morning free so I could sleep in and catch up on the rest I missed while packing for NYC.

Since I had time for a full manicure (no matte polish needed today), I opted for NARS Purple Rain from the Spring collection that is inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s role as Lucille in La Chamade.  You know how I love a purple and I have to say this is one of the best colors NARS has put out in a while.

When I first saw the promo pic I thought there was no way this polish could live up to it.  We all know the story, vibrant under flash, almost black everywhere else.  I’m happy to say that Purple Rain surpassed my expectations.  Is it the blue-based purple we were teased with on their site?  No, it’s more of a red-grape but the metallic shimmer really gives it something special.  Literally everyone who looked at my nails that day asked about the polish and when I say everyone I mean other brands too.

FYI, being in NYC is so outside my normal swatching element that it’s throwing me off my game in terms of photography so know that this pic was taken in my hotel bathroom meaning it’s not 100% accurate.

NARS Purple Rain retails for $16/ea and is currently out of stock on the NARS website but I found it online at Bloomingdales.com and Sephora.com.  You can also check with your local NARS counters and Sephora stores.

What’s on your nails today?  Have you checked out Purple Rain yet?  Is purple still in fashion or totally out?

Disclosure: A product sample was furnished to me by NARS.  For more information view my Disclosure Policy.

Last fall during a trip to NYC with a few of my beauty blogging buddies, I had the pleasure of meeting Jin Soon Choi at her eponymous Upper East Side salon for a mani/pedi and a little nail chat. We connected through our mutual friend, the MAC goddess and SeoulDiva herself, Heather Park. Little did I know, Jin was already at work collaborating on the Fall Nail Trend collection for MAC. She hinted at a future collection but couldn’t reveal details.

It wasn’t until last February when I saw Jin and Heather backstage at the Doo.Ri show that I got my first glimpse of Beyond Jealous and info on the rest of the collection. Needless to say, I was DYING over the blackened teal creme and thrilled for Jin’s success.

Learn more about Jin, which of her favorite NARS polishes I tried and hear how she earned the nickname “Bicycle Jin” after the jump!

In The Beginning
Jin came to the US from Seoul, Korea after working in fashion design. To hear Jin tell it, becoming a manicurist is just what you do when you come to the city but the passion in her voice as she talks about nails makes me believe it was her destiny. She started out in a small salon to gain experience but when she learned it was closing she took to her bicycle, riding to clients’ homes to tend to their nails. It was during this “Bicycle Jin” phase of her career that she met Andrea from Glamour who admired Jin’s work enough to help her get an agent and enter the editorial world.

The First Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spa
After gaining success working on photo shoots and with celebrities, Jin decided to open her first salon in the East Village. It was when she hired architect John Coughlan to design the space that she met her future husband. They found and refurbished old school desks and incorporated Jin’s style based on the scrapbook full of magazine clippings she collected. While the following West Village and Upper East Side locations each have their own distinct look, they both represent Jin’s simplistic, refined aesthetic.

Fast Forward To Today
With a chain of successful salons, Jin continues her editorial work alongside some of the greats in the fashion and beauty world. Famed photographer Steven Meisel books her for weeks at a time to work on all his shoots while he’s in NYC. She describes him as sweet and soft spoken and together they’ve made many a memorable Vogue cover. Highly skilled in nail art Jin creates some incredibly intricate designs including a fun spread for Teen Vogue last March.

Jin’s passion for education and proper manicuring techniques has led to a desire to impart her vast knowledge on the nail community. The number of poorly trained techs out there giving improper manicures is staggering and she hopes to find a way to teach them the basics you can’t learn in school. She personally trains her staff so that every guest at her salon receives the same high standard of service.

Jin Fun Facts and Favorites
Loves the PedEgg – That’s no joke. Even though regulations prevent her from using the popular infomercial tool in her salon, she’s a fan of it for home use. In the salon they use a scrub and pumice stone.

Is a film and architecture fan – When she’s not at work in her salons or on set, Jin likes to enjoy simple Korean food, see a movie and walk hand-in-hand with her hubby exploring the unique and diverse architecture of the city.

Has GORGEOUS nails – I experienced some serious nail bed envy with Jin. Despite the amount of work her hands go through, she has flawless, strong nails. She attributes them to genetics and Omega 3s. If only we could all be so lucky.

Reads to improve her English – Jin loves the challenge of deciphering new words to expand her grasp of the language.

The most flattering nail shape is The Jin Soon Shape – Jin warns against following the cuticle line or free edge when shaping nails. Her employees dubbed her signature filing style “The Jin Soon Shape” which is straight and a little rounded at the edge. Somewhere between squoval and flat. I’m modeling it wearing NARS Jungle Red. This was after 5 days. Just LOOK at that amazing wear.

Jin’s first TV appearance was on Tyra – She was brought on to talk about the “fish pedicure” but wasn’t familiar with the technique. After an early morning working with Reese Witherspoon she was rushed to the studio at the last minute and extremely nervous. Jin’s take on the treatment, it’s odd especially since “fish poop a lot!”

The 3 cornerstones of her business - Great music, great tea, great technique. It’s all about customer service and the experience with Jin. Her warm demeanor lends to an atmosphere that feels like you’re sitting amongst friends. During my time at the salon, her clients would just join in the convo, adding their two cents on nail color, the fish pedicure and the need for an Upper West Side locale.

Dark polishes belong on short nails, period – While long, dark talons may be OK in the editorial world, for the everyday wearer, dark polishes look best on short tips.

Loves the edgy, more editorial shades – I just call those “me” colors. Jin digs the greens, grays and funky taupes, like You Don’t Know Jacques, for their edge and sophistication. In fact she recently picked Barielle U-Concrete-Me as one of the “It” colors of the season in US Weekly alongside her creation, MAC Beyond Jealous.

Names Essie & NARS among her fave polish brands - While there are many brands on Jin’s shelves (Chanel, OPI, Zoya, etc) Essie Allure, for a natural look, and NARS Chinatown and Jungle Red are her go-to polishes.

Jin is one of Seche Vite’s legion of fans – The Fanatic Favorite is also Jin’s though when it comes to base coats it depends on condition of the client’s nails. She lists Duri Rejuvacoat and Essie base coats as staples.

The staff are her guinea pigs – Before any product is used on a client, Jin and her employees rigorously test it themselves.

I want to thank Jin for her time and congratulate her on the stunning MAC Nail Trend F/W09 collection. I wish her much happiness and success.

Peace, Love & Polish, Michelle

The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash. When I posted info about the new “vintage” shades (those two words so don’t belong together) from NARS, a reader commented that she is planning to order some polishes from the Vintage section. Not to be confused with the new “vintage” polish, of course. Anywhoodle, she mentioned Mash and Platoon which got me digging through my NARS collection for this week’s Archives post. After locating both Mash and Platoon, I couldn’t decide which one to wear so I’m making this week a twofer.

For those not in the know, NARS has a Vintage page where they sell limited quantities of discontinued shades. Circa 2006/early 2007 the nail polish section carried treasures like Zulu and Midnight Express at half price! Then when the Sephora Holiday 2007 launch of Zulu happened, those shades disappeared and the price went back up to full retail (boo!!). Even though Zulu is gone there are still a couple of fun and funky greens to be had.

Platoon is currently out of stock but I’m hoping, for crotchfairy’s sake, it makes a quick return. This groovy, metallic yellow-green isn’t really my kind of shade but being the type that likes a well rounded collection, it fills a void.

Now I’m not sure if Mash was named for the 70s era war comedy (which makes the most sense) or the song “Monster Mash” (cuz monsters are green) but each time I see it, I can’t stop humming that tune. Either way it’s a keeper. What could have been just a drab army green has been warmed up by the golden metallic shimmer.
Looking at it vs. China Glaze Wagon Trail, you can see how utterly unique Mash is. While Wagon Trail has a cousin in Revlon Dark Pleasures Talk Dirty, I see nothing that quite compares to Mash.


Mash and Platoon retail for $16 and can be found on NARSCosmetics.com. Make sure you go to the Vintage section under Makeup, not Nails. That’s where the current offerings are sold.

I had heard rumors a few months back that NARS planned to re-release some of their discontinued but not forgotten shades. Could this be the grand triumphant return of Zulu? Could all those that missed out on the great Zulu Sephora collaboration of 2007 have a reason to rejoice? Unfortunately not.

I just learned via Twitter that the NARS Vintage 2009 Nail Polish collection is now available online and while I’m totally digging a couple of the shades, I’m sad to report that there’s no Zulu to be found.

The collection includes:
Blue Lagoon – Iridescent powder blue
Hunger – Hot orange red
Zizi – Clear with peach and gold glitter
ChaChaCha – Semi-sheer tangerine with gold reflections
Tallulah – Rich grape
Adelita – Shimmering pearlescent pink (not pictured)

NARS polishes retail for $16/ea and can be purchase online at NARSCosmetics.com

Did any of you own these colors back in the day? Thoughts?

I’m not a girly pink loving kind of girl. I give that title to my girl Nikki who is pink personified. However, this summer in addition to my major orange fetish, I’m all about a glossy pink nail. But I’m not talking about baby pinks or sheers here. No it’s all about bright, bold, hot pink cremes. Creme finishes give these vibrant hues a chic spin that keeps them from being too garish.

And I’m not the only one feeling this trend. Celebs like Lindsay Lohan, Vanessa Mannillo and Miley Cyrus have all been caught rocking the pink. And even though the hamsters on Big Brother 10 have only been streaming live for a couple days now, one of the contestants, Keesha, has already delved into the nail polish stash to pinkify her nails.

If you want to join the Pretty In Pink-ness here are the shades I recommend. For a slightly softer pink that still makes a splash try: Wet N Wild Dreamy Poppy, Essie Movers & Shakers, OPI Elephantastic Pink, Essie Guilty Pleasures, Orly Butterflies, Nubar Camelot Blossom

And if you want to go for full-on bright, in-your-face fuchsia look for CND Hot Pop Pink, Zoya Jewell, OPI That’s Hot Pink, NARS Schiap, Lippmann Angel Eyes and Nubar Geisha Blaze. (Note: Geisha Blaze & Angel Eyes have extremely subtle shimmer but it doesn’t show on the nail)

Now the trick in pulling this look off is perfect application. Any bubbles, dents or ridges will only be magnified with a creme so prep is the most important step. If you aren’t going to a salon (I don’t) make sure you buff out any flaws and use a great ridge filling base coat, like Seche, to give the lacquer a smooth application surface.

Perhaps by now you have seen the Sephora Holiday Catalog. Because of the move, I didn’t get mine. It wasn’t until I logged on to the Sephora site that I saw the image below. That green fairy is sporting NARS Zulu nail lacquer on her nails. And yet again a frenzy ensues over acquiring a polish. It’s gorgeous, right? Gorgeous but frustrating. Why? Let me share a little tale with you.

For many many months I have been playing a game with my shopping cart on the NARS site. I don’t know if you’ve been to their site before but there is a Vintage section with discontinued items at majorly reduced prices. One item being phased out is NARS nail lacquer in their old non-Big 3 Free formula. Among the shades in the DC’d bin, Zulu, a deep forest green creme. So since early last summer I have put that polish in and out of my shopping cart more times than I can count. I was trying to be good and resist online shopping.

So what happened when I finally decided to cave in to Zulu? You guessed it, it’s gone. After emailing NARS customer service I learn that it’s not just “temporarily out of stock”, it’s gone for good. And I quote, “Unfortunately, we are no longer producing the NARS Nail Polish in the color “Zulu”. There is not an anticipated re-launch date at this time.”

When I saw the Sephora holiday image I became overjoyed, thinking the wizards at Sephora had read my mind and found me a Zulu dupe. I frantically emailed Sephora to find out the name of that glorious green polish since I couldn’t seem to find it on the Sephora.com site. I waited in excited anticipation for a response. So imagine my disappointment upon learning that it’s NARS Zulu, available only to Beauty Insiders and in limited quantities.

My theory is, that Sephora bought out NARS old stock of Zulu and that once it’s gone, it’s gone. As of right now it’s listed at “temporarily out of stock,” but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it’s return.

Instead, let’s move on. Your favorite fanatic is here to save the day. Chelsea Psycho Green. One of my favorite nail boarders and dusty hunting pals sent me this gem and with a shiny top coat, it’s a Zulu twin. Here’s an old swatch pic of it, dug up from the archives. And check out DQ2′s comparison pic on Blogdorf Goodman.Without a top coat, the finish is very dull when compared to Zulu’s jelly like finish but if you’re looking for a deep forest green, this is your best bet. Chelsea is a small salon brand and can be found at nail shops and professional beauty supply stores. I’d suggest calling around to find a salon near you.

See, I told you green would be popular this fall!