The original Footloose is one of my all-time favorite movies. Even though coordination and grace are not attributes I possess, I love to dance and I’m a sucker for any flick involving dancing (Center Stage, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Step Up, etc). Footloose makes it to the top my list thanks to the combination of Kevin Bacon and an awesome 80s soundtrack.

So you can imagine my horror when I heard a Footloose remake was in the works. Does Hollywood have to remake EVERYTHING? Are there no original stories left that aren’t based on actual events? I mean really! And how bad would it have been if they stuck with the original idea of a musical version of Footloose with Chase Crawford? Hairspray was bad enough. It destroyed the perverse magic of John Waters but a singing Ren McCormack would have been too much for me.

Now I’ve heard that the Footloose update isn’t as horrible as I predicted but I still won’t be forking over cash in a theater to watch it. However one good thing did come from all this; Deborah Lippmann teamed up with HSN to be a part of their Footloose Collection. She created two exclusive nail polish duos named after the songs we all remember from the original film – Almost Paradise & Footloose and Dancing In The Sheets & Let’s Hear It For The Boy.

Formula & Application: Deborah Lippmann nail polish is 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and doesn’t contain camphor, which can be an irritant. Her signature glass bottle is so distinct you would know the brand even without the name on it. It’s one of the best bottle shapes in the industry. The curved cap was designed with professional manicurists in mind as it is shaped to rest comfortably between your fingers.

The Lippmann brush is short, round and average in width with flexible bristles that easily fan out over the nail plate. The three creme polishes all have the same creme/jelly hybrid formula that I’ve come to expect from Lippmann. They are packed with pigment but have a squishy, jelly type feel. The one shimmer is thin, easy to manipulate and pigmented. I was able to get great coverage in two coats with all but one (Almost Paradise) though the red (Footloose) probably could have used a third coat as there is a wee bit of VNL (visible nail line).

Deborah Lippmann Footloose causes immediate flashbacks to Ariel’s signature red cowboy boots. The ones her preacher daddy hated SO MUCH. Of course Ariel’s boots looked more dark cherry in the movie and Footloose is a ripe tomato creme. While I’m normally pretty immune to red polish, this one flowed on the nail so phenomenally that it turned me into a red lover for a hot second.

Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise is not the kind of green I normally fall for. Yellow-based hues just aren’t that flattering on me but there’s something about this cross between chartreuse and celery that I’m obsessed with. Even though it takes three coats, it’s totally worth it. Get involved people!  Side note, the Dior Spring 2012 runway featured a bold red lip paired with a light green nail that wasn’t nearly as pretty as this color. Hop on the trend early by wearing an Almost Paradise mani with a Footloose pedi.

Deborah Lippmann Let’s Hear It For The Boy is a pale periwinkle blue creme. It has a bit too much purple in its base to qualify as baby blue, as the name suggests, or sky blue and I dig it. It’s like a watered down version of China Glaze Secret Periwinkle.

Deborah Lippmann Dancing In The Sheets is a moody indigo shimmer. The deep aubergine base is sprinkled with ice blue shimmer that makes the polish look duochrome in the bottle. On the nail it has an inky, almost black look and in bright light, the shimmer comes to life.

Bottom Line: I love the Lippmann formula and its wear but have always found the core line lacking in blues. If you love blues like I do, the Let’s Hear It For The Boy/Dancing In The Sheets duo will definitely fill that need. They will happily join Across The Universe and Lady Sings The Blues in my collection. The duo containing Almost Paradise and Footloose is worth a look if you’ve been hunting for that perfect pale yellow-based green. Even if you’re not all that into reds, you’ll fall for how amaze Footloose applies.

The Deborah Lippmann for HSN Footloose Nail Polish Collection Duos are available exclusively on HSN.com. The duos retail for $32/set for two .5oz bottles.

Are you feeling the Footloose collection polishes? Which duo is your fave? If you could create your own duo from the four shades, which two would you put together. Who saw the remake? Which version is better?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Deborah Lippmann. 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. Untried Day #118: This past Tuesday I was invited to the Cleveland Indians game for a special women’s event. I had the opportunity to sit in the Social Suite on Wahoo Women night which benefits the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Even though I’ve always been more of a football fan, there’s nothing quite like spending a beautiful summer night at a baseball game, sipping on a beer and snacking on peanuts (Cleveland’s own Peterson’s naturally). It’s the picture of Americana. And I have to give it up to the Tribe’s marketing team. They have really created something special with their Social Suite. Anyone who is active in social media can apply to sit in the suite, like the fancy people, for a night. The view and the accommodations in the suite are pretty spectacular. So what’s a nail girl to do on a night that is dedicated to both women and the Indians? A red, Tribe-themed manicure of course!  I wanted the perfect Indians red so I looked to my untrieds and found Zoya Sooki and I paired it with CND Midnight Sapphire from the upcoming Fall 2011 “The Look” launch. It is a pretty good match to the team’s blue color. Keep reading to see how it turned out.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant.  Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing.  The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

Sooki has a smooth, creamy formula that glides on the nail. I had no trouble creating clean lines at the cuticle as the lacquer was so easy to control. The pigmentation is pretty good though I do notice a bit of VNL (visible nail line) with two coats but my free edge seems to stand out more than most.

Zoya Sooki is a cherry red creme though what I find interesting is that in natural light it’s pretty rich and cool toned but under a warm light, like the OttLite, or direct sunlight it leans more towards tomato. Obviously this shade was named after Sooki from True Blood, which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, so it’s just an added bonus that it also went with my theme for the night. Though how much does this season suck? No pun intended. I want the old Eric back and I’m over these witches, literally!!

To create my Tribe themed manicure I alternated Sooki with CND Midnight Sapphire, which I will review in full at a later date, skipping the middle fingers on each hand. On my middle nail I applied China Glaze White Out as a base for some fun polka dots. Using my dotting tool, I placed dots in a somewhat organized pattern.

Application Tip: Drop the polish on a piece of card stock or aluminum foil and let it to rest for a few seconds to thicken. It will make it easier to place the dots. Just don’t wait too long or it will get stringy. It’s akin to the “magic hour” for photographers. You have a brief moment of time when the polish is just the right consistency for dotting.

I reversed the pattern on my other hand and, of course, I forgot to take a pic of it before I left for the game so this cell phone shot will have to do.

The view from the Social Suite. Which was phenom until…..

The rains came! When I arrived, one of the other Wahoo Women said she received a tornado warning call from her city, west of Cleveland, so we knew we were in for a storm. We  just had no idea how insane it would be. At one point there was hail coming down and you couldn’t see across the stadium. But, we had lovely distractions during the downtime.

Ketchup paid us a visit in the suite. He wears a pair of bad-ass glasses a la Wild Thing in Major League and runs a nightly race in the stadium against his competitors Mustard and Onion. Even though I only like onions when they’re caramelized or battered and deep fat fried, I root for Onion since she’s the only lady in the race. And surprisingly, she won on Wahoo Women night. Who would have guessed?

Thanks to the generosity of Time Warner Cable of Northeast Ohio we had yummy snacks to feast on and a visit from the DESSERT CART! I had no idea such a thing existed so you can imagine how my eyes lit up. Actually, if you check out Alexa’s post on Cleveland’s a Plum, you’ll see a group shot with many a shock and awe reaction face. As hard as it was to choose, I couldn’t resist a chocolate and mint brownie-like concoction that I was very thankful to have extra Weight Watchers points to splurge on.

The game ended up going until past 2am, which none of us could stay for, but in the end the Tribe pulled out a win against Detroit. Clearly the rain didn’t dampen the players’ spirits. GO TRIBE!

Bottom Line: Sooki is a well formulated red and a great nail polish wardrobe staple. It doesn’t set my heart on fire but it certainly served my purpose. I’m sure the red lovers out there will hate me for saying it but a lot of times I feel like a red is a red is a red. I know that’s not at all true but it takes a lot for a red to wow me so I’m unintentionally hard on them.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Considering how little I actually opt for reds, I’m sure this will get more love with a friend. SHARE.

Zoya Sooki is available now as part of the Summertime collection at salons and spas nationwide including ULTA and online at Zoya.com. Zoya nail polishes retail for$8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

Thoughts on Zoya Sooki? Do you approve of my Indians themed manicure? Are you excited to hear more about Midnight Sapphire? Do you have any dotting tips to share with the group?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Zoya, CND and China Glaze. 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. “We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave” I don’t know what the weather is like in your part of the world but right now if feels like Cleveland is on fire! Maybe I’m overreacting just a touch, or a LOT, but I don’t work well with extreme temps. You know how most people either fall into two categories, “freeze baby” or “little heater”, I’m neither. I think I’m part reptile or something though heat effects me more drastically than the cold. I turn the color of a beet in high heat. I even have to ask for cool water to be added to the pedicure tub to avoid my feet turning the color of cooked lobsters. Since I’ll undoubtedly be a crimson, not golden, goddess while these extreme temps continue, I may as well join the fiery party with a scorching hot nail polish shade. Today’s selection is Zoya Kimmy from the Summer 2011 Sunshine collection.

Formula & Application: Zoya is a 4-Free brand (including formaldehyde resin) plus they leave out camphor, which can be an irritant.  Their signature Italian glass bottles have a tapered, shiny black plastic cap that rests comfortably between the thumb and index finger while polishing.  The brush is short, round and medium in girth with flexible bristles that allow for ease of control.

Zoya Kimmy is a foil glitter so the formula is thin, slightly jelly-ish and semi-sheer to keep the particles suspended. Though in spite of all that it gives great coverage. I used two coats and while I could see my smile line if I REALLY looked for it, no one else would ever notice.

Zoya Kimmy has a bright red-orange base with gold and red foil glitter. It has this intensity to it that’s like molten lava with the little gold sparkles representing the random bursts of flame that rise from the surface. What’s funny is that even though I’m enamored with this color I assumed that with all the reds living in my stash, there HAS to be a dupe.

We’ve seen foil glitters from everyone and their mother in the  past couple years. And you would think that OPI has produced just about every red imaginable between their core line and dozens of holiday collections. Alas, I came up empty handed. Like I couldn’t even come up with anything close. If a dupe exists, I either gave it away or never owned it.

Bottom Line: It takes a rare red to surprise me. Most of them are so been there, done that. Cherry, tomato, wine, crimson. Creme, shimmer, glitter, etc. One of the reasons I’m generally not a red fan is because I feel like I’ve seen them all. Then along comes a color like Kimmy and I promptly insert pedicured foot in mouth. What I love about Kimmy is that it’s a great summer bright that isn’t, you know, BRIGHT, and it’s a foil that doesn’t take 3-4 coats. You hit this one out of the ball park Zoya. Well done!

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: This one is so Unsolved Mysteries, isn’t it? STASH!

Zoya Kimmy is available as part of the Zoya Sunshine collection at salons and spas nationwide including ULTA and online at Zoya.com. Zoya nail polishes retail for $8/ea for a .5oz bottle. Don’t forget, you can try before you buy with the Zoya Color Spoon program.

Thoughts on our girl Kimmy here? What was the last nail polish outside your preferred color range that surprised you? Do you plan to add Kimmy to your own stash?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Zoya. 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. To celebrate Independence Day in the US, I decided to get my red, white & blue sparkle on. I even planned to get all crafty incorporating scotch tape and the result ended up being one giant mani-fail! Of course, instead of getting down on myself for it, I’m learning from my mistakes and sharing my missteps with you. To create today’s look I went straight for my Milani One Coat Glitters in Red Sparkle and Blue Flash. When you want full-on sparkle without multiple, thick layers of polish, look no further. It’s just a shame they didn’t come out with a white version to complete my manicure. In order to conserve my favorite white sparkler, China Glaze White Kwik Silvr, I pulled out another untried, China Glaze Cloud Nine from the Specialty Glitters collection.

Formula & Application: Milani nail polishes are 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin).  The bottles have a tapered, black shiny plastic cap with a long, thick, round brush.  The brushes on Milani polishes are bigger than most and combined with the flexible bristles they allow for optimal coverage of the nail plate.

The only downside here is that the One Coat Glitter formula is kind of thick so it kind of plops on the nail which doesn’t really allow for phenomenal control.  Thankfully glitters are pretty forgiving so any uneven brush strokes around the cuticle aren’t noticeable from an average distance.

Regarding the “one coat” coverage promise, Milani comes close but doesn’t quite hit the mark.  The first coat definitely covers better than most glitter polishes but it’s not completely opaque.  I would imagine to get it done in one coat you’d need to apply the polish pretty thick which is usually a formula for chiptastic nails.  Applying two thin-medium coats will give the best results.

China Glaze is a 3-Free brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold.

The Specialty Glitters all differ in their opacity and consistency. Cloud Nine is squishy and milky and tries hard to be opaque in spite of the plethora of glitter packed into its base but doesn’t really succeed. I ended up layering it over China Glaze Snow to avoid having to use 4+ coats.

Milani Red Sparkle and Milani Blue Flash are both pretty straight up glitters. They don’t have any noticeable pigment to their bases, just tons and tons of glitter. Blue Flash is a cross between cyan and royal and Red Sparkle reminds me a lot of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. As you can see, Blue Flash mellows and darkens when layered over Red Sparkle.

China Glaze Cloud Nine has a milky white base packed with opalescent flakie glitter that looks like burning embers when the light hits it. The flakes don’t really show up on camera but they made me think of the fiery showers the float down from the sky after a firework explodes. China Glaze Snow’s opacity made it the perfect base since I only needed one coat.

Now let’s discuss the disaster you see above. I attempted a diagonal stripe scotch tape manicure using the two Milani glitters but it just didn’t work out. After my third attempt at getting the middle finger perfect failed, I just gave up. It’s a holiday and I want to enjoy it, not spend it frustrated with my polish.

What went wrong? Well, I thought I would speed up the process by using a UV top coat. I have a few and opted for Seche Ultra-V because it’s somewhat thick and would cover up the texture of the glitter. Well, even though the polish seemed solid after three minutes of curing in a UV lamp and waiting like 5 minutes, it was still pliable and came up with the tape. I attempted to fill in the bald spots but that just made things worse. I also didn’t wait long enough after adding the stripes to put on my top coat and that caused some of the glitter to bleed. Not a good look.

While I like the concept, the execution definitely needs some work. Here’s what this experience taught me:

• The Milani glitters are too thick to try the UV top coat trick. They just don’t cure that fast
• If the tape pulls up the polish, start over. Trying to cheat and fill in spots just makes for more mess.
• Patience, patience, patience. Admittedly this is not my strong suit. Let’s just say, I could never be a teacher. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to this process, stick to solid color nails or do free hand art.
• Tapping the scotch tape on your palm keeps it from being too sticky but don’t remove too much of the tackiness. The tape I used on my pinkie nail wasn’t sticky enough and it lifted up, allowing polish to seep underneath. I tried to push the glitter with an orange wood stick and made things worse (see #2).

In the end, a basic red, white and blue look ended up being the winning combo. As I mentioned above, these glitters dry with TEXTURE. A thick coat of Seche Vite or mulitple layers of a regular top coat are needed and even then they aren’t completely smooth but that doesn’t take away from the sparkle.

Bottom Line: The Milani One Coat Glitters are a glitter fiend’s BFF. They give great coverage in just a couple coats and deliver a ton of bling at a wallet friendly price. If China Glaze Cloud Nine was more opaque it would be a winner but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s basically a milky version of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasures (or Nubar 2010) with smaller, less plentiful flakes. In hindsight, either of those would have been better over Snow than Cloud Nine.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Milani Red Sparkle & Blue Flash are staying in the STASH and I’m kicking China Glaze Cloud Nine to the SHARE bin.

Milani One Coat Glitters are available at drugstores nationwide and online at MilaniCosmetics.com and CherryCulture.com. Milani nail polishes retail for $4.99/ea for a .5oz bottle.

Did you create a special 4th of July manicure for the holiday? Tell us about it. Are you a fan of the Milani One Coat Glitters?

Disclosure: I purchased the Milani nail polishes. China Glaze Cloud Nine was provided by China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Formula & Application: OPI nail polishes are now 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin) and free of camphor, which can be an irritant. This is a new development as OPI’s pre-Texas were only 3-Free. I just wish OPI had changed the color of the print on the labels so buyers can identify 4-Free polishes like they did when they made the switch to 3-Free.

The OPI Pro Wide brush is flat, wide and medium in length. It’s of average stiffness and easily spreads out on the nail when pressed. The only downside to the Pro Wide brush is that it can be too wide for slim fingers or little toes.

Being that we’re talking about two very different kinds of polish in each duo, I will address the formulas individually. Spark de Triomphe is a clear based glitter. Because the glitter particles vary in size and are so densely packed into the base, it quickly builds to opaque with only three coats though I opted to use two coats as it doesn’t need to be opaque under the crackle.  I feel using three would just make the finished product too thick.  Rally Pretty Pink is a foil glitter that flows easily on the nail.  While the pigmentation is good, the two coats I used would probably require a third if I were wearing the color on its own..

OPI Rally Pretty Pink has a rosy pink base packed with pink and gold foil micro-glitter.  The gold is very predominant in this shade and it really pops under the shatter but the pink is definitely noticeable.  On the nail, the two colors combine to create a peachy duo-chrome effect.

Now when I saw this duo in the package, I thought OPI Red Shatter made absolutely no sense.  That it would look like a mistake.  Boy was I wrong.  Applied over Rally Pretty Pink, the gold foil glitter really stands out making for a gorgeous combination.  I’m showing Red Shatter without top coat on my middle finger because I loved the contrast between the matte shatter and gold. It gives the look an Old World feel.  I later added a layer of Essie Matte About You top coat and the effect is even more gorgeous.

OPI Spark de Triomphe is the bright shining star of this collection.  This clear based glitter is chock full of so many kinds of glitter; silver and gold micro-glitter, silver and gold foil pieces, gold hexagonal glitter.  It’s a cornucopia of glitzy goodness.  The overall effect comes off more gold than silver but the gold is more champagne than yellow. Adding the silver particles definitely keeps this one neutral.  One could use this as a topper but the glitter is SO jammed in the base that it really steals the show from whatever color you layer it over.

When the duos first arrived, I swatched them on a nail art wheel and all I could think was how OPI White Shatter was going to ruin the gorgeousness of Spark de Triomphe.  Covering it up seemed like a crime.

Inspired by an image I saw on Tumblr, that a reader told me came from a blog called Chloe’s Nails, I used a piece of scotch tape to block off the majority of the nail from the shatter hoping that would be a better option. Though as one follower commented it looked like dried sour cream. Not great.

So in an effort to find a better Shatter match for Spark de Triomphe I tested it with OPI Blue Shatter, OPI White Shatter and OPI Silver Shatter over top. While Blue Shatter pairs nicely with SdT, it makes the look feel heavy. White Shatter looks better than I thought but I should have used a lighter coat so more of the glitter would show through. Silver Shatter was a complete and utter fail. If SdT was more gold it would make for a better contrast but as is, it just looks a mess.

When using Shatters remember these tips:

• Use over COMPLETELY DRY nail polish.
• The thinner the layer, the more cracks you will get when dry
• Shatter polishes dry matte/satin and can flake off so use a top coat
• Shatters thicken faster than traditional polish and according to OPI you can thin them.  Just make sure you add the thinner slowly, rolling to mix well between each thinner addition

Bottom Line: Spark de Triomphe is my must-have polish of the four. It’s utterly gorgeous and back-up worthy (that’s saying a LOT). Rally Pretty Pink is so not my style yet I’m so attracted to it. I don’t see myself wearing it often but there’s no way it’s leaving my stash. Neither Shatter color is something I would opt for but Red Shatter does look good over Rally Pretty Pink. If you can find open stock of the polishes, definitely snap up the base colors even if you don’t like Shatter.

OPI Glam Slam! France is available now at professional salons and spas nationwide including national chains Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA. OPI nail polishes retail for $8.50/ea for a .5oz bottle.

Thoughts on the Glam Slam! duos? If you had to choose, which duo would you get? Which colors do you plan to buy? Would you put a Shatter over Spark de Triomphe or wear it on its own?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by OPI. 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. I decided to follow up yesterday’s post about RBL Drifter with another contender in the Bring It Back vote, Rescue Beauty Lounge Glamourpuss. You may remember that back in October, just before the big RBL sale, that I mentioned wanting a bottle of Glamourpuss in my sale order.  Well, you naughty little minxes beat me to the punch and the color was sold out before I could get my order in.  Fortunately, a friend was kind enough to gift me with a bottle and it’s taken me until now to use it.  Let’s take a gander, shall we?

Formula & Application: Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin).  The square glass bottles are thick enough to feel sturdy but thin enough to properly show off the color. The smooth brushed metal cap is easy to hold and polish with while the brush is round, of average length and on the thicker side. It’s a bit more flexible than most which makes application a breeze.

What surprised me about Glamourpuss is that it’s not a typical RBL opaque creme. It doesn’t have that creamy texture, in fact it’s syrup-esque and more sheer than I was expecting. The first coat went on like a Stila Lip Stain and it took me three good coats to get it completely opaque. Not something I would expect from RBL, unless it was meant to be worn semi-opaque. I photographed Glamourpuss with top coat when it was completely dry.

Glamourpuss has a 40s, Dita Von Teese, pin-up type feel to it.  It’s a shade that was made for the moon manicure.  It’s not quite blood red but not exactly cherry either.  It falls somewhere in between.  I don’t know if it’s due to how enamored I was with Drifter yesterday but this one doesn’t wow me or seem to do my skin tone any favors.  Also, it doesn’t seem to have the same depth and richness as the traditional RBL opaque cremes.

Bottom Line: While I normally gush over RBL’s cremes, this one doesn’t curl my toes.  It’s a pretty color but nothing special and when it comes to RBL the bar is set pretty high in terms of uniqueness.  Given that it took me three coats to get this one opaque and I’m not one for translucent polishes, Glamourpuss won’t be getting my vote for the Bring It Back.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Unfortunately, this one is a SHARE but I know exactly where it will end up.  My friend who adores RBL and red polish is going to be over the moon to get her hands on this baby.

Again, like Drifter, RBL Glamourpuss is a sold out, discontinued color.  If you are into it, throw your support its way in the Bring It Back vote and it could be yours.

Thoughts on Glamourpuss?  Those of you who own it, did you have the same opacity issue or is it just my bottle?  Did you end up loving/hating the color?  If you missed out on Glamourpuss the first time around will you be voting for its return?

Disclosure: RBL Glamourpuss was gifted to me by a friend.  For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

The recently launched MAC Wonder Woman collection brought out the little girl and “nail artist” in me.  That’s right Fanatics, you didn’t misread the title, I said “nail artist.”  You can check my forehead for a fever all you like but I’m perfectly healthy AND loving my Wonder Woman themed foray into the nail art. I’m sure my fellow Gen-Xers will happily stroll down memory lane with me to the days of Wonder Woman Underoos and raven haired beauty, Lynda Carter, flying into living rooms nationwide in her invisible airplane.  At just four years old my Wonder Woman doll was my most prized possession next to my Donny Osmond doll, purple socks and all, of course.  Way before my Barbie obsession took hold, I was imagining myself lassoing evildoers to confess their crimes. The MAC Wonder Woman collection includes two new Nail Lacquers in WW’s signature colors; red (Obey Me) and blue (Spirit of Truth).  As easy as it would be for me to just wear the colors as a mani/pedi combo or a multi-colored manicure I decided to take it one step further, inspired by one of my fave nail art lovers, Nail Art Junkie’s Keri B.

Keri B is a regular at Sakura Nail Spa in NYC and she’s a faithful CalGel wearer.  She continues to top herself with each design concept she conceives with the artists at Sakura.  She wore some killer plaid for MAC’s A Tartan Tale launch and when MAC Fabulous Felines came out she went all “cat lady” crazy, something the furball mother in me can appreciate.

Now as you know I am normally not big into the whole nail art thing but when I saw Keri’s Wonder Woman nails, I was transfixed.  The gilded red moons, the blue and silver stars that mimic WW’s costume, the iconic Wonder Woman logo.  It all wowed me.  To the point that I decided to test out my amateur (at best) nail art skills to represent this collection.

I’ve had Milani’s Nail Art polishes for a while now but never had a reason to pull them out.  This was the perfect occasion. I used Black Sketch and Art of Gold to create the designs.  The Milani Nail Art polishes come in an easy to grip bottle with a thin nail art brush instead of your stand round polish brush.  While Black Sketch, a black creme, was very easy to work with, Art of Gold was chunky which made it perfect for filling in designs but not for drawing straight lines.

Spirit of Truth reminds me a lot of China Glaze First Mate in that it’s a cross between royal blue and navy.  The two colors are very similar.  To the point that owning one is all you really need.  The application of SoT was perfection.  The pigmentation was spot on.  I barely needed a second coat.  It’s one of those “had me at hello” kind of polishes.  The fact that MAC branded the bottles makes me love it even more.

I chose to do a multi-colored manicure for my base apply Spirit of Truth to my left hand with my Obey Me polished ring finger serving as the accent nail.  I painted the more intricate Wonder Woman symbol on this hand since my polishing skills aren’t as strong with my non-dominant hand.

Using Keri B’s photo as a guide (and practicing on a nail art wheel prior) I first painted the black outline of the WW symbol using Black Sketch and then filled in the design with Art of Gold.  Now because of AoG’s chunky nature it bleed onto the black a bit so I went back and redefined the lines after.  I started with the middle “W” but I placed it too high on the nail so when I painted the top one, the lines got a bit blurred. It’s far from perfect but I’m kind of mesmerized by it and can’t stop staring at my nails with pride.

Obey Me is a candy apple red creme.  It’s pretty straightforward and like Spirit of Truth is flowed flawlessly on the nail.  The formula for both these polishes is exquisite.

On this hand I applied Obey Me on four nails with Spirit of Truth on the ring finger accent nail.  I knew I couldn’t pull off a ton of little stars so I went for one big star instead.  What a disaster that turned out to be.

I can barely draw a respectable star with a pencil and paper so I don’t know WHY I thought I could draw one on my nail with my non-dominant hand with a chunky polish.  I tried to outline the star with Black Sketch to try and make the star shape more balanced but it can only do so much.  Clearly I’m not proud of how it turned out but I’m giving myself an A for effort.

Bottom Line: MAC did us right in this collection. They branded the bottles, which they should in every collection of this type (Venomous Villains I’m looking at you), they gave us beautiful colors that would make Wonder Woman proud and they delivered a formula worthy of the price point. Color me smitten!

The MAC Wonder Woman Collection is currently available online at MACCosmetics.com and at MAC counters nationwide. MAC Wonder Woman Nail Lacquers retail for $15/ea for a .34oz bottle.

Thoughts on the Wonder Woman polishes?  What do you think of my attempt at nail art?  Any tips on how to paint a star or do detail work with your non-dominant hand?  Did you get anything else from Wonder Woman?  I’m loving the fuchsia & red glosses.

Product samples were provided by MAC and Milani. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

image credit: Nail Art Junkie courtesy of Keri B.

The Knotty Nauticals set from the China Glaze Anchors Away collection for Spring 2011 is filled with rich, bold cremes and glimmering glass flecks. It’s common knowledge in the boating community that there is a long standing rivalry between power & sail boaters.  As a kid I would watch Ohio’s version of Jimmy Buffet, Pat Dailey, rile up the power & sail boaters at the Beer Barrel on Put-In-Bay. This was long before it burned to the ground and rose from the ashes to become the world’s longest bar. And yes, I was a kid in a bar.  Let the Sweet Home Alabama analogies begin. Anyway, Pat would taunt each side with stereotypes.  That sailors are wine sipping fuddy-duddy’s who look at the water as a relaxing escape.  That power boaters are beer chugging, party people who look at the water as a mode of transport, something to rip through.  Granted these are heavy generalizations but in some cases they hold true. In my eye the Sand & Sea set is a smooth afternoon cruise on a sailboat and the Knotty Nauticals are a wind-whipping, wild ride on a speed boat.  They represent both sides of the boater in me who appreciates the zen of sailing but loves the thrill of zipping across the lake.

Formula & Application: China Glaze is a 3-Free brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold.

In this half of the collection, the majority of the polishes are cremes and they all flowed on the nail perfectly in two even coats.  They are more squishy/jelly-ish than creamy but I think that lends to their ability to even out on the nail which is great for novice at-home polishers who don’t have their application down pat.

The two glass fleck polishes both applied with a similar squishy consistency but with differing opacities. It is the nature of glass fleck polishes to apply semi-sheer but they are usually buildable to opaque but this wasn’t the case with the yellow (Lighthouse). Even after three coats, my smile line still shows through.

Starboard is much more vivid in person and I’m honestly REALLY unhappy with how it photographed.  This murky Cleveland weather is not my camera’s friend.  Starboard is a leaf green that isn’t quite as bright as Essie Pretty Edgy yet not as dark as OPI Don’t Mess With OPI though it’s more pigmented than both of them.  A comparison will be included in my OPI Texas review.  Maybe it’s just me but I find it odd to include Starboard (right side) in the collection and leave out Port (left side).

Ahoy! is a raspberry glass fleck a la Raspberry Festival from the Summer Days collection only this one isn’t as packed with clear glass particles.  The glass fleck effect is more subtle and mixed with gold micro-glitter.  The result is a rich, pigmented polish that looks more opaque than the Summer Days lacquers.

Hey Sailor is a “come hither” cherry red creme.  Seriously, what is it with men & red nails?  The boyfriend always takes notice when I use red polish. For some reason Hey Sailor looks tomato red in the bottle but reads more blue based on my nails.  Now my brief affair with red polish may be over but what would a nautical themed collection be without a classic red and this one fits the bill.

Lighthouse is the other glass fleck polish and it is more of a traditional glass fleck than Ahoy!  This yellow gold  applies pretty sheer so it can be used in one layer as a top coat or built up to semi-opaque.  Another option would be to wear it over a yellow creme so the true color of the base can pop.

I already know that First Mate will be my new BFF once sandal season rolls around.  A rich blue creme, it falls somewhere between royal and navy.  It’s one of those idyllic blues that effortlessly walks the line between bright and almost-black.  It’s so easy for a navy to cross over into that “too dark” territory and this one will never go there.  Better yet, it’s not so bright that your nails will be screaming “BLUE!”  I’d say it’s the perfect marriage of Bermuda Breakaway and Calypso from the Bahama Blues collection.

Life Preserver is a muted orange creme but thanks to its melon-y undertones it definitely feels more spring than fall.  There’s no way anyone would accuse you to hanging on to Halloween wearing this shade.  While it’s not necessarily a shade I would gravitate towards naturally, I saw it paired with First Mate in a mani/pedi combo last summer and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  The pairing looked classic and so boat-y.  There’s no doubt in my mind that it will be the first combo I wear once the weather warms up.

In fact, I was inspired by that mani/pedi combo and the signal flag for the letter “T” to create my own nautical themed manicure.

I polished all my nails in First Mate and turned my ring nails into little “T” flags with China Glaze Snow and Life Preserver.  I wish the white line was a bit thinner but I didn’t have easy access to my nail art brushes.  Either way, I’m happy with it.  What do you think?

Bottom Line: Individually the polishes in this half of the collection aren’t exactly ground-breaking but they make sense as a unit.  I love everything about First Mate and the opacity of Ahoy! makes it a winner in my book.  Since I’m a girl who can never have enough greens, Starboard gets the thumbs up from me but if you already have OPI Don’t Mess With OPI you might find it a bit redundant.

China Glaze Anchors Away is available now and can be found at stores like ULTA and online at TransDesign.com, 8ty8Beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com. China Glaze polishes retail from $3-6 depending on the retailer. Sally Beauty will not be carrying Anchors Away instead they have exclusive collections Treasures (in stores now) and Tronica (coming in March).

Which set from Anchors Away is your favorite?  Knotty Nauticals or Sand & Sea?  Do you agree that First Mate & Life Preserver make a killer color combo?  Which polishes made your shopping list?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by China Glaze.  For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

One of the things I always look forward to when the holiday collections come out are the gift sets. Whether it is sets of minis or a selection of colors paired with a fun gift item, I always get suckered in. If a set includes a bag, a cute stuffed animal, a holiday themed tool, etc. you can pretty much bet I’m all over it. The Orly ‘Tis The Season gift set is no exception. Of the six polishes in the ‘Tis The Season collection, Orly paired the traditional red creme, luscious green sparkler and white, icing-esque sheer with a metallic red clutch.

Formula & Application: Orly nail polishes are 4-Free (which includes Formaldehyde Resin) and comes with the fan fave rubberized cap. That signature easy-to-grip cap makes it easy to control the polish. The brush is long and thin with flexible bristles. I personally would like it if there were more bristles to get more coverage in each stroke.

Each polish in this set is a bit different so I will cover the application in the individual reviews.

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe has a blue tinged evergreen base packed with fish food flaky glitter that reflects as light green, emerald green and gold. The finish looks similar to the Orly Cosmic FX collection only without the duo-chrome effect. To keep all those glowing flaky glitter particles suspended, the formula is a bit on the sheer side so I needed three coats to get the color completely opaque.

Candy Cane Lane is your average holiday red creme. It’s a punchy, bold hue that has a touch of warmth in spite of its berry base. It’s got a kind of jelly finish look to it rather than being creamy so it applies a bit sheer. I ended up using three coats and I have to say this one applied a little odd. It was hard to apply it perfectly, as evidenced below, so the third coat was necessary partially due to opacity but also due to application issues.

On its own Winter Wonderland does not thrill me. Sheers and I are not friends. I hate seeing my nails naked due to how detached my tips are and wearing a sheer just emphasizes that. I applied two coats in the swatch below and because the base is clear, unless your nails are hit by light, you don’t see the silver flakes floating in the polish. This is definitely best used for layering.

Throw a layer of Winter Wonderland over Candy Cane Lane and bring that ho hum red to life. It’s like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Actually this is an odd reference but it makes me think of that movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days when Kate Hudson’s character calls a blinged out dog collar, “a little frosting.” With Winter Wonderland you can “frost yourself!”

I wanted to see how Winter Wonderland would look over a green so I used Essie Going Incognito from the newly released Winter collection as a base. Doesn’t it look like the first snowfall of the year, when the grass is still green? In this swatch I purposely applied WW thinner on the ring finger to show how heavy or light you can go with the effect.

Bottom Line: As a gift set, it’s a great stocking stuffer for the nail fanatic in your life. The clutch is adorable and would make a great makeup bag. It has a basic red that so many love at the holidays but includes a perfect way to kick that red up a notch. I love that of the six polishes in the Tis The Season collection Orly chose to include the green instead of playing it safe with another red or the gold.

The Orly ‘Tis The Season Gift Set is available now along with the rest of the ‘Tis The Season Collection. This set retails for $18 and individual Orly polishes retail for $6/ea for a .6oz bottle. Orly is carried at Sally Beauty Supply, ULTA, Regis and Trade Secret and can be found online at various e-tailers.

Who’s loving this set? Even if you don’t love every color in a gift set will the bonus items, like a clutch, get you to buy it anyway? Would you buy this set for a friend or loved one?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Orly. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

In case you haven’t heard, the Sephora Friends & Family Sale started yesterday.  You get 20% off your online order with the code FF2010.  If you’re still contemplating an order you might want to think about including one of my fave UK brands, the Sephora exclusive Illamasqua. The Fall 2010 Art of Darkness collection is out and it includes two new nail colors, Viridian and Scarab.

Application & Formula: Illamasqua is a 3-Free brand based out of the UK that sells their products exclusively at Sephora in the US.  The bottle has a removable outer cap that reveals a small ribbed inner cap that can be used for application though I prefer to just leave the outer cap on while polishing.  The brush is thin and round and reminds me of the OPI brush pre-Pro Wide.

Both of the polishes in this collection are well pigmented requiring only two coats.  The because there is a bit of metallic pearl to them the finish does show slight brush strokes but nothing as major as a traditional metallic.  It’s more like the pearl coat on a car.  The polish is of an average viscosity flowing on the nail with ease of control.  I had no trouble getting perfect coverage with three strokes.

Viridian is a mysterious hue in that it looks like a dark peacock blue-green one second and emerald green the next.  It’s quite unique and unlike anything I own.  I know that seems absolutely absurd given my green obsession but I really don’t have any colors like this.  Not that I’m complaining.  The finish looks velvety thanks to the tonal pearl shimmer.

The best comparison I could come up with is China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald which has that same blue undertone though EF is a bit deeper and more blue to my eye.  The finish is also different in that EF has micro-glitter that Viridian is missing.

Scarab is a rich burnt red shimmer with the same velvet finish as Viridian.  It has a blackened base but it dries light enough that you can tell it’s red and that makes it pretty unique in my book .  Now I don’t know if it’s Steff from Short N Chic’s influence but I’m having a red moment right now.  Steff is also from Cleveland and recently moved nearby so we went to dinner last week and her love of red seems to be rubbing off on me.  Someone take my temperature, this is so not me!

Even though I’m not typically a red nail girl I do own way too many reds and I couldn’t find anything comparable to Scarab due to the warm of its base color.  In the bottle I thought it might be a twin for OPI Changing of the Garnet but that one has more berry in it and I threw in China Glaze Foxy just to give you an idea of how it looks next to something more current.

FYI: This comparison pic was taken post nail trauma so the lighting is a bit different than when I took the first three.

Bottom Line: If you love Illamasqua polishes you’re going to adore these.  The formula and pigmentation are spot on and the finish is rich and luscious, perfect for Fall.  I’m digging both these colors so they both get the thumbs up from me.

Illamasqua’s Art of Darkness collection is on sale now at Illamasqua.com (£13) and Sephora.com ($14).  For additional store locations check the Store Locator.

What do we think of these?  Is anyone including Illamasqua in their Sephora F&F order?  What else are you getting during the sale?  What’s your favorite Illamasqua Nail Varnish?

Disclosure: Product samples were furnished to me by Illamasqua. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.