Rescue Beauty Lounge
Rescue Beauty Lounge Blogger Collection News
I’ve received some emails and comments regarding the disappearance of the Blogger collection on the Rescue Beauty Lounge site.
This collection was Limited Edition BUT a very limited inventory of Mismas, Orbis Non Sufficit and Scrangie will return tonight or tomorrow. So if you don’t want to miss out on owning these shades, you better act fast. Visit RescueBeauty.com to purchase.
If you need convincing, let me twist your arm with some SWATCHES.
Happy Holidays from Rescue Beauty Lounge
It’s beginning to look a lot like…. Well you know how the song goes. I’m honestly not in the holiday spirit this year. 2009 kinda sucked but the email I just received from Rescue Beauty Lounge perked me up. I wanted to make sure I had Ji’s permission before sharing this with you so here it goes…
RESCUE BEAUTY LOUNGE IS HAVING A 50% OFF SALE!!!!
No, I didn’t stutter. For 5 hours only on December 15th, every RBL polish is on sale. Woo MFing Hoo! Get your trigger fingers ready Fanatics and start plotting your cart. Use code VIP 5 HOUR at checkout! The sale lasts from Noon to 5PM EST.
You’re welcome!! So what do you think you’ll get? Not to brag but Mismas makes a great stocking stuffer and according to my friend Steph, it’s a fab color for an appendectomy. She had it on when she went for emergency surgery over the weekend. Feel better Steph! Check out all my RBL Swatches for more ideas.
A Twist on the Ombre or Gradation Manicure
 Have you seen the ombre manicure that was featured in InStyle Magazine? In my post on multi-colored nails we saw CND’s version for the Kai Kuhne runway last February that they called a gradation. Either way I think it’s a fun play on the concept of a gradated manicure and much easier to replicate at home.
You may remember that I wore a gradated CalGel manicure at NY Fashion Week last season and while I loved the style, it’s not exactly DIY friendly. So I put my twist on ombre multi-colored nails with, what else, a green version. Check it out! |
Products and Tools: Tips: Note: Because this is a demo I only mixed colors for my middle and ring fingers and left my thumb out. You will want to mix three shades for a full manicure. Ring finger mix: Start with 7 drops of Milf and add 1 drop of Orbis Non Suficit. For me, the color was darker than I wanted so I added one more drop of Milf.
The idea here is to custom blend varying shades of the same color, working across your hand from lightest to darkest. However I went a different route than the method suggested by InStyle. Rather than combine pure white polish into a dark lacquer, having to create 4 separate mixes, I chose a light green and a dark green with similar color traits and blended them to create the mid-tone hues. I selected Illamasqua Milf and RBL Orbis Non Suficit because they both have a slightly grayed, dusty quality to them and I wanted a muted look.
Illamasqua Milf Nail Lacquer
Rescue Beauty Lounge Orbis Non Suficit
Acrylic pigment jars (easily found on eBay or at craft stores)
Toothpicks (for mixing)
Clean nail polish brush. I used one from an empty polish bottle I bought for frankening.
*Have your nails prepped with base coat applied before beginning.
*Apply the polish as soon as it is mixed. Exposure to air will cause it to thicken quickly and dry shortly after.
*Mix the lightest color first and apply immediately before moving on.
*Clean your brush with remover between colors to avoid streaks from previously mixed polishes.
*Regarding my formulas below, I remove the brush from the bottle without wiping it against the sides and the amount that drips off equals one drop.
Middle finger mix: Use an equal amount of both lacquers. 4 drops each of Milf and Orbis Non Suficit.
What I love about this look is that it’s much softer than the “Skittles Nails” I’ve worn in the past. It’s not as bright and in your face. In fact you could make the variations much more subtle by choosing polishes that are even closer in tone. Or if you follow the InStyle method, adding white polish, your nails could vary by a single drop.
So what do you think of this look? Is this something you’d be willing to try at home? If you’ve done a similar manicure, what shades did you use? I actually received a message from a reader, Sarah, who blended a gorgeous grayed purple version using OPI Siberian Nights and China Glaze Agent Lavendar. Share your creations in the comments!
Rescue Beauty Lounge Mismas Is An Allure Fall Pick
 Fanatics, how excited am I to see the color I created with RBL’s Ji Baek in the pages of Allure? As if having my own signature color wasn’t enough, the editors at Allure chose it as one of their favorites for the season. Color me on cloud nine!
Of course it took me forever and a day to get my hands on the issue. I just happened to change my delivery address this month and all my local drugstores and grocery stores were late in putting it up. Doesn’t that just figure? So a huge thanks goes out to Diane from The Beauty Alchemist for alerting me to the feature and all the other bloggers and readers for their emails and tweets of congratulations. Love you all! |
Allure’s Polish Picks (click links to see my swatches) CND Desert Suede, OPI Barefoot in Barcelona, MAC For Fun, RBL Mismas, RGB Steel, YSL Stormy Grey.
The funny thing is, I own all these polishes so I guess I’m all set for Fall. How many do you have?
Matte Top Coats – Let’s Compare
 Love it or hate it, Matte Nails are the big trend for Fall. With all the matte nail polish collections coming out, it will be a hard style to ignore. If you’re not ready to jump in feet first, why not try a matte top coat instead? Using them to mattify any polish in your arsenal makes it a more versatile and budget friendly way to embrace the look. Give your tried and true shades an update with a new finish.
From flat to satin there are a plethora of choices in the non-glossy top coat realm and I’ve tried them all so you don’t have to. Check out the results after the jump! |
First things first. There are certain things you give up in using a matte top coat.
Essie Matte About You ($10, essie.com) and Rescue Beauty Lounge Matte Top Coat ($18, RescueBeauty.com) are the most mattifying top coats I’ve come across. If you desire that truly flat finish this is your best option. The cloudiness does lighten the shade a touch but not significantly. Here’s my problem with that. They showed butter London’s Nail Foundation ($18, butterLondon.com) as an example yet they neglected to explain that only ridge filling base coats dry matte. Using your clear or tacky base coats won’t achieve that look. Overly opaque or shimmery ridge fillers won’t get it done either. Nonie Creme of butter London used her Nail Foundation over Yummy Mummy backstage at Alexander Wang to matte down the shine and in this instance using a base coat totally worked. She even sent me a pic from her iPhone to share with you (above). However when I used it over my test shade, OPI No Room For The Blues, it didn’t turn out as well. The nude pigmentation in the base changed the color drastically. If you don’t mind that, it’s a simple mattifying solution but I still prefer a matte top coat.
Nubar V For Men Matte Finish Nail Protector ($8.99, ByNubar.com) comes in a close 2nd to Essie and RBL in terms matte-ness and I love that it’s more forgiving in terms of application. It applies smooth and even every time.
Now for those wanting a satin style nail, the next three options are ideal. They take down the gloss giving a more buffed look. Orly Matte Top Coat is actually discontinued but still available on Head2ToeBeauty.com for $4.95 so get it while supplies last.
Orly Nails for Males ($6.99, SallyBeauty.com) performs similarly to the Matte Top Coat in spite of its dark appearance.
Finally, Barielle’s Matte-inee Top Coat will be launching soon on Barielle.com.
I received quite a few questions regarding InStyle’s June issue. One of the tips in the Summer beauty section was about matte nails. They suggested using “your base coat as a top coat to remove the shine from your lacquer.” 
So did this clear up a lot of your questions reagarding matte top coats? Which do you prefer… matte top coats or matte polish? Or do you wish this whole matte thing would just go away already? Sound off Fanatics!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
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