Mariah Carey for OPI Spring 2013 Nail Polish Collection Swatches & Review

I’m a girl of the Mariah Carey generation. I remember wearing OUT a tape (yes, I said tape) of “Vision of Love” as a teen. I was deeply in my grunge phase when Daydream released yet I was the first one on the dance floor when “Fantasy” came on. One of my best friends in high school had Mariah Carey hair and I was beyond jealous. Even more-so when she straightened it. I mean, WHY? Hell, I still envy Mariah’s curls decades later. So when OPI announced a collaboration with the iconic diva, my curiosity was piqued.

What I wasn’t expecting was to see the emerging trend of texture polishes in Mariah Carey for OPI. I think of Mariah as a pretty classic nail girl which is why this collection is divided into two sections; The Studio Shades (ie traditional) and The Stage Shades (aka Liquid Sand). Let’s take a look…
Click here to view more pictures and read the rest of this story.

Fall 2011 Nail Polish Trend – Bold Beautiful Blues

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.
Click here to view more pictures and read the rest of this story.

Fall 2011 Nail Polish Trend – Military Greens

From olive to hunter, military inspired designs and colors dominated the Fall 2011 runway shows. Those shades came straight off the models and into nail polish bottles in a number of the fall collections.

Over the next couple weeks I’ll be walking you through the big nail polish trends for the season, showing you the newest shades to hit the market and the old school colors you may already own that will get your nail style ready for fall.

Click here to view more pictures and read the rest of this story.

ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – OPI Sparrow Me The Drama with Silver Shatter

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. What day is it? What time is it? I seriously have no clue at this point. The time change from Cleveland to Vegas has me in such a tailspin that I honestly have no idea if it’s Monday, Tuesday or Sunday. I rarely have this type of reaction to flying outside my own time zone but this trip is really throwing me off. Maybe there’s something in the air because Deborah Lippmann mentioned this morning that she’s all out of sorts. That her typical spot-on sense of direction is so off that she keeps getting lost in the Mandalay Bay, a hotel she has stayed in many times. At least I fly home tomorrow night (gotta love the red eye) and will hopefully be back on track asap. So far I have met some amazing people and seen lots of fun products and colors at Cosmoprof (more on that to come) but I had a major fangirl moment when I met Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, EVP & Executive Artistic Director of OPI. I’ve had the privilege to speak with some incredible people in this industry but Suzi has always been at the top of my nail bucket list and today I can finally cross her off. It seems only fitting that I meet her the day I delve into OPI Sparrow Me The Drama from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection as part of my commitment to inject more pink/red into the 365.

Click here to view more pictures and read the rest of this story.

ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Essie Da Bush from the Resort 2011 Collection

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. Essie Da Bush was released in late spring/early summer as part of the Essie Resort 2011 collection. Shortly after its launch I kept hearing raves for the color that left me staring at my bottle, thinking, “What the eff??” What’s with all the hype over this bland looking, neutral grey/green/cream concoction. I’m all for odd colors but in the bottle, Da Bush, did nothing fore me. Even the name turned me off. So all this time it’s sat in one of my untrieds bin, taunting me. I could almost hear it saying, “Just give in. You know you’re going to love me.” Well, we’ll just see about that!

Click here to view more pictures and read the rest of this story.