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.

Rescue Beauty Lounge announces L’Oiseau de Feu, Ji Baek’s Pre-Fall collection inspired by the metamorphosis of colors brought on by Hurricane Earl.

“During my St. Barts vacation last August, I felt a frantic energy that I had never before witnessed in that familiar, peaceful paradise. There were scattered chaotic rhythms of energy as Hurricane Earl approached. As the storm unfolded, my inner dramatic stage director’s heart started to beat to the rhythms of Igor Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de Feu (The Fire Bird). The honking brass section mirrored the hysteria on the island and the wind started to howl irksomely, just like Stravinsky’s French horns and bassoons. I peeked out the door and was mesmerized by the colors of a romantic and moody sky.”

As a former band geek, I even marched for one horrifying football season, I totally get associating music with life’s major events. There are certain songs or pieces of music that throw me back into another time and place, even for just a split second. Having been caught in a water spout on my parents’ sail boat, I can’t imagine letting go of the fear to hear the music in a storm but reading Ji’s take on her experience with Hurricane Earl, you can almost see the notes as she describes her latest nail polish collection.

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.

While I am usually impressed with Rescue’s impeccable formula and pigmentation, only Fortissimo and Piu Mosso were two coat wonders. I had major streaking issues with Poco a Poco so I needed three coats to get it even. I thought it might be the base coat I used (Gelous) so I tried another (CND Sticky) and both ended up with some unevenness and the need for a third coat. Pizzicato is semi-sheer, and it’s probably intentional, but I like to wear my polishes opaque and used three coats with it as well.

“I envisioned my first color—Pizzicato—inspired by the gentle tiny taps of rain droplets as they hit the tin roof, reminiscent of plucked strings. A misty white with the faintest hint of lavender, Pizzicato has a shimmer that acts like prisms of light in a sun shower.”

Rescue Beauty Lounge Pizzicato is a semi-sheer, lavender tinted white with silvery flake glitter. In the bottle you see specks of pink and blue but they don’t really show up on the nail. While I normally shy away from anything resembling lavender, this is white enough that it doesn’t give me alien hands.

“When the wind picked up, I saw Poco a poco, “little by little.” This is a shade that changes from moment to moment. It’s the stunning, sparkling pink of a fanning cloud when the red and orange rays of the sun are trying to burst through.”

Rescue Beauty Lounge Poco a Poco is a muted carnation pink with rosy pink micro-shimmer. On the nail, the polish looks like it has a subtle cast or heathering that makes the shimmer more subtle and hazy. There’s just something about this shimmer that makes me think of OPI Windy City Pretty. I just hope I still have the color to show you a comparison.

“Later, the ominous dark clouds bled into the sky with a fast-moving wind. Piú Mosso is an inky, blue-black that shoots through a flash of orange, the last glow of sunlight.”

Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso is a blackened navy with reddish orange micro-shimmer. It’s pretty dark indoors but not so much that you can’t tell it’s blue. Also, the shimmer isn’t as pronounced as the RBL Tudors polishes, it’s more reserved, like Insouciant. What I love is that Piu Mosso gives you two totally different looks in one bottle. It turns from a playful, fiery shimmer in the sunlight to a chic, creamy blue indoors and at night.

“At last, when the light left the sky and the wind started to roar, the sky turned into a shade beyond description—a dark greenish, blackish, brown, leading to a powerful Fortissimo, the finale chord of The Fire Bird.”

Rescue Beauty Lounge Fortissimo is a blackened brown creme with green undertones that give it a greyed cast indoors. At first sight, I wondered what this muddy liquid would look like on my nails but it turned out much better than I expected. Think of it as a dirty espresso bean. It doesn’t have that rich, warm chocolate goodness. It’s grittier with edge.

Bottom Line: While I love the story behind these colors, overall the collection didn’t wow me. I wanted to be Tudors wowed and it just didn’t happen. Piu Mosso is my hands down favorite from the collection and “must have” in my book. It’s a challenge to add orange shimmer to blue and not have it take over the base color. Ji accomplished this with her usual finesse and style. Pizzicato surprised me with its stunning shimmer and unique take on white.

Fortissimo is interesting and well formulated but it doesn’t make my pulse race and I honestly wonder how flattering it will be on most people. Now I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, I’m not a pink girl. Despite Ji’s best efforts to make a pink I would fall in love with, Poco a Poco made me work too much. To make the effort worthwhile it would have to be one special pink  and unfortunately, this one just isn’t.

The Rescue Beauty Lounge L’Oiseau de Feu collection will go on pre-sale before the end of July.  Make sure you’re signed up for the RBL newsletter to be notified of the sale dates.  Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes retail for $18/eafor a .4oz bottle and can be purchased online at RescueBeauty.com.

What are we thinking about the colors? Which polishes do you plan to order? Where are my fellow band/orchestra geeks?

I will be doing comparisons of these so if you have a specific comparison request, leave it in the comments.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by Rescue Beauty Lounge. 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.

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. If you follow the Rescue Beauty Lounge Blog, Facebook page or Twitter account than you know that RBL founder Ji Baek is doing another round of Bring It Back voting where the fans get to decide which discontinued colors will come back to life.  After a successful vote last fall that resulted in the ressurection of fan faves Bikini Bottom, Bruised, Purple Haze and Black Russian. This time around the vote begins Friday April 15th and 21 discontinued polish colors are in the running to be brought back to life.  The top three vote getters will make a triumphant return. As I was looking at the list of contenders I realized that there are few colors I own but haven’t swatched.  Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter is one of those.  I bought Drifter over a year and a half ago and ended up filing it away before I even wore it.  What a shame that was.  See what I mean…

Formula & Application: Rescue Beauty Lounge is a 4-Free brand (including Formaldehyde Resin). 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 for me.
As is Rescue’s style, the pigment is strong with Drifter. It flowed on the nail in two perfect coats and leveled out to an even, glossy finish. It was photographed with top coat and completely dry.

RBL Drifter is a luscious red wine creme. The first coat goes on and it reminds me of a light, easy-drinking Pinot Noir but after the second coat is applied it dries down to a rich, full bodied Cab Sauv.  Can you tell I was on a wine adventure last weekend?  I have vino on the brain.  There’s something about the way this color looks on short nails that just feels so French and chic.  While wine reads are not my usual cup of tea, I’m completely tipsy over Drifter.

Bottom Line: Rescue polishes are top notch.  The formula and pigmentation is hard to beat.  If you’re looking for the ultimate wine hue, this one won’t disappoint.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: STASH, duh!  That wasn’t even a question.

Currently Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter is sold out but if you vote for it in the RBL Bring It Back, this beauty could be yours.

Where are my fellow Drifter fans?  Will you be voting for this gem come April 15th?  What is your “the one that got away” RBL shade?

Disclosure: I purchased RBL Drifter myself. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

I have no doubt that the 300+ Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish fans who submitted ideas for the fan collection have been stalking the RBL Facebook page and Blog for news of the finalists.  For everyone else, I thought I’d let you know that Ji will be posting her selections tomorrow and voting will begin.

The voting period will only last for 48 hours so don’t  miss out on your chance to have a say in which color concepts Ji will bring to life.  I don’t know about you but I’m dying to see what she chose and what the amazingly creative nail community came up with.

Good luck to those who entered!  I really hope some ALU fans make the short list.  If your color is chosen, I hope you’ll comment here and let us know.

If you are signed up for the Rescue Beauty Lounge VIP email list then you know that the Iconic/Ironic Collection 48 hour Pre-sale started today.  If you’re not on the list I don’t know what you’re waiting for. To help make your pre-order decisions a bit easier I sorted through all your helpful comparison suggestions to give you a better idea of how the colors really look.  I wasn’t able to address every request but I think I came up with some comps that will assist you.  One thing you won’t find here is the use of the word “dupe.”  As we’ve come to expect from RBL, these colors are un-dupeable.  Keep reading to see what I mean.

I’ve included my original swatch pictures as a reference. Due to daylight differences the colors may look a bit different in the comparisons but, if anything, it should give you more insight to the shades.

Iconoclast

In sorting through your Iconoclast requests quite a few of you mentioned OPI Baby It’s Coal Outside, Orly Goth and Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot.  All of those shades were either too glittery (Iconoclast is a shimmer) or too grayed.  The closest I could come in finding a true black shimmer was Zoya Raven though it lacks the mutli-colored shimmer in Iconoclast.  Lancome Piha Black has too much micro-glitter to be a shimmer but it definitely has the same inky black base as Iconoclast.

Decorous

Decorous drew the biggest response and the requests were so varied and diverse.  The majority were either too warm or too cool in comparison.  This is a unique flower indeed.  I started with the cremes to take a look at the base color.  Essie Hot Coco is more red toned while Orly Prince Charming is a cooler taupe shade.

For some reason quite a few of you thought butter LONDON All Hail The Queen (formerly All Hail McQueen) would be a match but as you can see the two couldn’t be more different.  China Glaze Ingrid on the other hand with its golden shimmer and dark brown base looks like a sunbathed version of Decorous.

Insouciant

If you read my initial review you know that my love for Insouciant is strong and growing every day.  As I expected I was hard pressed to find anything that has the same grayed out lavender base.  My best comparison options were OPI Parlez-Vous OPI? and Essie Merino Cool though neither one stands up to my new light purple BFF.  Parlez-Vous is more vibrant with reddish undertones while Merino Cool crosses over to the dark gray side of purple.

Recherche

Recherché is a tricky girl.  The Beastie Boys could have been rapping about her.  No matter what polish I put next to her, she stands out from the crowd.  I tried with some of the berry based vamps you suggested (RBL Film Noir, OPI We’ll Always Have Paris, Zoya Casey) and Recherché looked more smokey and purple based, a la Chanel Paradoxal.  Then I put her next to Paradoxal and your other request Essie Smokin Hot and she looked more plum/brown.  I told she is a chameleon!

The Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish 48 Hour Pre-Sale is going on now. You need to be on the VIP email list to receive the link to the sale. If you aren’t on the list but desperately need to be a part of the pre-order contact customer service and see if they can get you in.  Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes retail for $18/ea for a .4oz bottle.

I hope my comparisons were helpful.  If you made up your mind based on one of my shots, I’d love to hear about it.  Also, I told Ji that I’m betting on my girl Insouciant being the top seller of this collection though she’s betting on another.  Who thinks I’m right?  If you jumped on my Insouciant bandwagon during the sale, let me know!

Disclosure: Product samples were furnished by Rescue Beauty Lounge. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

RESCUE BEAUTYʼS Spring/11 POLISHES SUIT FASHION SCHIZOPHRENTICS The variety of moods and personas shown on this Spring//Summerʼs runways was a tribute to the fashion schizophrentic in all of us. This Spring, Rescue Beauty Lounge founder Ji Baek has created a collection that is a hodgepodge of her favorite trends from the Spring fashion collections.  It reflects the multiple fashion personalities seen on the runways and, for the first time, we’re seeing a RBL collection without a cohesive theme. Much like a typical woman’s wardrobe, Iconic/Ironic is a mix & match cornucopia of color reflecting different trends and lifestyle needs.  From the office friendly neutral, Decorous, to the out-all-night, punk rock black, Iconoclast, this collection has something for everyone.

Unlike previous seasons where one clear trend carried through collection after collection, this Spring, designers are all over the map. There was Betty Page starring in South Pacific at Dior, new wave meets neoclassical at Chanel, sexy Suzie Wongs at Louis Vuitton pared-down minimalism at Celine and Chloe, and a box of crayons at Prada and Jil Sander. Models appeared as 1920ʼs garden party ladies at Galliano, gauchos at Hermes and street-wise punks at the venerable houses of Balmain and Bottega Venetta.

“I love that our wardrobes can reflect our multi-faceted personalities. This season truly celebrates women—every woman—so Iʼve named my Spring polish collection Iconic/Ironic, hues to juxtaposition against every version of yourself.”

“The ʻironyʼ comes from mixing polishes in an unexpected way. Offset all those brights with a neutral cocoa or a grounding black hue. Make your punk looks more tongue-in-chic with lavender nails. Itʼs about adding that surprising detail that keeps you on your (well-pedicured) toes.”

Formula and Application: RBL is a 4-Free brand, including Formaldehyde Resin. 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 for me.

As is Rescue’s style, the pigment is strong with this collection.  Every polish applied perfectly in two coats and leveled out to a perfectly even, glossy finish.  All swatches were done with a top coat and photographed completely dry.

Insouciant is the toned-down gray lilac of a pressed corsage. Punked out rather than pastel, it is a counterpoint to Springʼs ladylike florals and Bardot-worthy uber-feminine dresses. Or wear it with Lanvinʼs muddied neutrals.

As the name implies Insouciant is a very carefree, greyed lavender with subtle blue shimmer that peeks out at you in the daylight.  Unlike a lot of pale purples I’ve tried (I’m looking at you China Glaze Tantalize Me) this one doesn’t give me a weird alien hands effect.  I’ve long said that lavender, lilac, etc just don’t work on me but obviously that’s not the case.  I just needed to find the right one and Insouciant is that color for me.  It’s dark enough to not trek into the world of pastels but light enough to have a “spring” feel.  I’m utterly and completely smitten with it.

Iconoclast. “Letʼs face it, black polish has been done to death. I had to reinvent it into something entirely new,” says Baek. This one is a richly pigmented ebony with layers of fine glitter, giving it depth and a metallic, mica-like finish.

Iconoclast is the richest black shimmer I’ve seen yet.  Until now it seems that black shimmers tend to go one of two ways.  Either the shimmer is barely noticeable leaving you with nothing but a black creme or it’s so packed with glitz that the color looks more charcoal than ebony.  Ji has found a way to blend the two into a formula that is dense and luscious.  The pink and green shimmer really stand out in the daylight, I just wish it was a little more apparent indoors.  The depth is still there but the uniqueness dies down a bit.

Decorous is a perfectly ladylike light cocoa, an unexpected neutral to offset bright tropical hues or to add a chic finish to an all-black ensemble.

The creamy cocoa base of Decorous has left the lyric “Mocha Choca Lata yaya” from “Lady Marmalade” running through my brain for the past few days now though the color looks more like the Chai Tea I love to drink more than it does Hot Cocoa.  The light brown base color is filled with the same pink micro-shimmer as Iconoclast and Insouciant cooling off the warm overall hue.

Recherché is a purplish dark brown prune, an exotic accent that grounds oversize prints better than an expected summer pink or coral. Stunning with the homage to classic YSL designs shown by Stephen Pilati or the Proenza Schouler boysʼ loose-fitting ladylike tweeds and sheer tank dresses.

Recherché is a chameleon in that you can’t tell if it’s brown, purple, dusty plum, etc.  It changes with the lighting ranging anywhere from a slighter paler sister of OPI LPAD to a bold raisin.  It’s a very unique creme in that unlike other colors in this family, it doesn’t show a red base in the first coat.  Ji has made this baby so pigmented that all you see is the pure, plummy brown goodness.

Bottom Line: As much as it surprised me (and Ji when I told her) Insouciant is my hands down favorite of this collection.  It’s my ideal version of lavender/lilac, just utterly amazing.  Recherché is my runner up with Iconoclast a close third.  I love Recherché for its uniqueness and density of color.  Iconoclast is a win because it perfectly balances true black color with shimmer, not an easy feat.  Unfortunately, Decorous gets a pass from me.  It just doesn’t work with my skin tone nor is it the type of color I see myself reaching for.  In the bottle it had such promise but on my nails it was a fail.

The Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconic/Ironic collection will go on pre-sale before the end of January.  Make sure you’re signed up for the RBL newsletter to be notified of the sale dates.  Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes retail for $18/ea for a .4oz bottle and can be purchased online at RescueBeauty.com.

Thoughts on the Spring RBL colors?  Which ones are calling out to you?  If you plan to pre-order, what are you getting?

I will be doing comparisons of these so if you have a specific comparison request, leave it in the comments.

Disclosure: Product samples were furnished by Rescue Beauty Lounge.  For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

Two years ago Rescue Beauty Lounge founder Ji Baek approached me with the opportunity of a lifetime. To create my own signature nail color in her famously flawless formula.  It was an honor and a joy to work with Ji to create my perfect purple creme, Mismas.  The color launched in September 2009 as part of the Blogger collection and it was an absolute thrill.

Now it’s your turn to create a unique Rescue shade for the RBL Fan’s Collection.  Ji announced on her blog that she will give three fans the chance to see their dream color come to life.  You can submit your idea and accompanying inspiration image beginning tomorrow at noon.  For full details visit Ji’s Blog.

A few weeks back I mentioned that Rescue Beauty Lounge founder Ji Baek would be launching a blog on the site. It’s LIVE!  Bookmark blog.rescuebeauty.com or add it to your feed readers.

Even better, the voting to bring back TWO discontinued colors is up and running. You have from now through December 10th to vote for your favorite DC’d polish from the following choices: Atame, Bikini Bottom, Black Russian, Bruised, Concrete Jungle, Diddy Mow, Glamourpuss, Killa Red, Locavore, Mismas, Opaque Nude, Orbis Non Sufficit and Purple Haze.

At the moment Purple Haze is in the lead with Bruised just behind it. The only colors from that list I don’t have are Killa Red and Atame but I can live without either one. Which two colors do  you want to win?

As you know, the Rescue Beauty Lounge 50% Off Sale took place a couple weeks ago and I just happened to be in NYC at the time. Of course I was on a boat when the sale started and my cell phone was failing me big time. Thank goodness for my pal Carla from Product Girl who was able to place my order for me. Talk about a lifesaver! Anyway, my order arrived on Wednesday and since I was in the midst of organizing my charity beauty sale, I haven’t had a chance to play with them until now.

Film Noir, Cherry Love, Starfish-Patrick and Ani

See what they look like on the nail and find out what Ji from RBL is up to next, after the jump!

Today is the last in a rare streak of gorgeous, sunny weather here in the CLE so I did a quick swatch of each polish so I could enjoy a bit of time outside before the gray gloom sets in.

I ended up using three coats of Ani (index) and Starfish-Patrick (middle) and two coats of Cherry Love (ring) and Film Noir (pinkie).  I know these aren’t typically my type of colors but I already own the majority of the RBL lineup so I’m just filling out my collection.

Ani isn’t quite what I was expecting. It looks a bit too old fashioned on me. I’m not really a beige-y gold girl to begin with but I wanted to give it a try because it looks so gorg in the bottle. I’m sure as soon ALU Mom sees this post she’ll offer to take it off my hands so at least it will have a good home.

I had asked my pal Steff from Short N Chic about Starfish-Patrick before the sale, as I was on the fence about it, and she was so right, I NEED it in my life. I already adore the other two polishes from the Marc Jacobs inspired Spongebob collection so I should have just known I would love this one too. It’s melon jelly perfection.

Cherry Love didn’t apply as well as I would expect from RBL.  It went on in two coats but the formula was a bit thicker than normal.  Has anyone else noticed that as well or is mine a fluke? Maybe it just needs a good shake and rest period. I have another bottle here, I did a group order with Steff, but since it’s not mine I’m not going to open it.  The color itself is really pretty.  A nice blue-based red creme.

Film Noir is a glossy, vampy purple that reminds me of OPI Lincoln Park After Dark.  It has that same feel on the base colors are very different.  I don’t normally opt for “almost-black” polishes but when I do, I’ll be sure to grab this.

News from RBL

RBL Blog – I spoke with Ji recently and she shared with me that she’s going to be launching a blog soon.  Look for it to go live near the end of November or beginning of December.  She wanted to wait until the sale craziness was over.

Now don’t go there expecting to see her pimping her product, this is not what her blog is about.  It’s going to be about the things Ji loves and what’s important in her life.  Cooking, restaurants, non-nail beauty products, politics, books, NYC etc.  It’s an inside look at the woman who creates the colors we all love and adore.  Knowing what a foodie she is, I’m looking forward to reading about her favorite spots to nosh in the city.

Bring It Back – Of course that doesn’t mean it will be all play and no work.  One of the first things Ji is going to do is give us a chance to bring back two discontinued colors.

Ji is the type of woman who likes to look forward, not back, thus her mention on Facebook of creating Version 2.0 of colors like Opaque Nude (Jane) and Black Russian (coming soon).  However, she realizes that we have a love for her discontinued creations so she will post a poll to vote for our fave colors bringing back the top two.  Last year she brought back Scrangie and No More War thanks to an overwhelming demand via Facebook and email so she’s going to continue that tradition on her new blog.

So which two colors would you want to see come back to the RBL lineup?  Have you discovered a new RBL fave in your sale order?  Are there any colors you regret not buying and plan to pick up sometime soon?

btw, please go over to Steff’s blog and send her some positive vibes and well wishes. She’s been dealing with a lot lately and could use the nail community’s support.

Disclosure: I purchased all the RBL polishes featured here.  For more info view my Disclosure Policy.