The first nail-focused beauty blog

Fall 2009

Jin Soon for MAC Nail Trend FW09

By on August 21, 2009
in Brown, Fall 2009, Gray, Green, MAC, Purple, Red with 35 Comments

The launch date is upon us Fanatics. The MAC Nail Trend collection created by Jin Soon is launching next week! When I first wrote about the polishes in July, August 27th seemed like forever and a day away. Seriously, where did the summer go? Well, if you’re mourning the end of the season you can rejoice in the coming of Nail Trend. I’ve got the entire collection swatched for you after the jump and in case you missed it, click here for more details on the collection.

We’ve discussed MAC’s formula in the past but here’s a quick recap. MAC polishes are 3 Free and tend to be somewhat thick. Their cremes are generally streaky but the darker shades are workable and the glitters are phenom (Hello Vin Goth I’m talking to you!). I tend to use three coats with the majority of their polishes to avoid streaks and my preferred method is two very thin coats followed by a third thicker coat.

What I noted this time that I’ve meant to mention in the past is my love for the MAC polish brush. There’s something about the density and size of their brush that makes controlling the polish practically goof proof. I rarely can create that perfect rounded line of color at my cuticle but it’s always pretty darn close with MAC’s brush. Now onto the colors.

In my previous Nail Trend post I mentioned our (Jin & I) mutual love of green so seeing Beyond Jealous backstage at Doo.Ri wasn’t a huge surprise, more an utter joy! There are not enough greens for this fanatic and while there may be some close dupes to this blackened teal, I still got giddy applying it. As I told my pal Heather from MAC, Beyond Jealous is Beyond Stunning!
Cool Reserve is a shade the piqued my interest based on description alone. Dirty, grey lavender… you’re talking my language. It’s a lighter more greyed version of my fave from last fall, OPI Parlez Vous OPI?
Rich, Dark, Delicious reminds me of an old Special Dark bar. Random I know but you get what I mean, right? When you find an old candy bar and there’s a layer of dusty whiteness on top. This rich brown has an undertone of charcoal to give a hint of that effect. And even though you can see a bit of silvery shimmer in the bottle, it dries creamy on the nail. You’d have to be looking in some pretty bright light to see it.
I reviewed the next three colors previously but I’m re-posting my thoughts for you here.

Dry Martini is a deep olive that leans towards brown, like a dark army camouflage green. It’s edgy and funky and a nice change from the more emerald/forest shades we’ve seen in seasons past. In case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you are, it’s much darker and more browned than last fall’s RBL No More War.

For Fun is just that, a spunky, bright red-grape. It’s a bit more red based looking in person but I just couldn’t capture it dead on.

Dance All Night’s brick red hue reminds me of one of my all time fave OPI reds, That’s An “EL” Of A Color, minus the golden shimmer. It’s rich, warm and very fall.
The MAC Nail Trend collection by Jin Soon launches in stores on August 27th. It should be online at MACCosmetics.com on Tuesday the 25th as they tend to launch online a couple days early. The polishes retail for $12/ea.

So spill… who’s buying? Which colors? What do you think of MAC polishes? Do you have any LE shades you wish they’d bring back? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Fall 2009 Blogger Created Collection

If the amazing Ji Baek, founder of Rescue Beauty Lounge, asked you to create your dream polish what would you do? After picking yourself up off the floor of course. All fainting aside, that was the honor/privilege/challenge bestowed upon myself and fellow nail bloggers Polish Addict and Scrangie. If I do say so myself, we rose to the occasion contributing to one knockout of a Fall collection.We didn’t set out to create a matched set but my purple, Steph’s green and Scrangie’s sparkling mix of the two is a green & purple lovers delight. Check them out along with Rescue’s new Matte Top Coat after the jump!


Now that Steph is back to posting and has had a chance to reveal her creation, I can show you my swatches of the set. As per usual, the consistency and pigmentation of all three shades live up to Rescue’s amazing reputation. I know of no other cremes that are so spot on in application, coverage and finish. It’s unreal!

You’ve seen Mismas before but a reader commented that my original image didn’t do the color any favors so here is take two. Seriously you guys I NEVER wear polishes more than once. With as many as I have it doesn’t make sense. But I have had Mismas on my toes or fingers for pretty much the entire summer, I love it that much. I wanted the perfect purple creme and now I have it. Ji, I love you for creating her. She’s simply spectacular!

Sun


Here’s my girl with Ji’s new Matte Top Coat. The formula is milky in appearance and is one of the most mattifying top coats I’ve tried. It gives a frosted glass look and the milkiness lightens the hue ever so slightly.

When I heard Steph from Polish Addict was creating a grayed green creme, I knew without even seeing it that Orbis Non Sufficit and I would be lifelong friends. It’s just dusty enough to stand out among every other green I own.

Sun


I think I like it even better as a Matte. What about you? One word of caution with matte top coats. They are very unforgiving in regards to imperfections so use just a few quick, even strokes for a smooth finish.

Images really don’t do Scrangie justice. You have to see the blue-green shimmer in person to truly appreciate it. According to Scrangie, the inspiration was a beetle wing. The bluish-purple base is filled with iridescent shimmer and glitter to create one blingtastic polish.

Sun

Of all three polishes in this collection I think Scrangie makes the best Matte. Maybe it’s just me but I prefer to mattify shimmer/glitter polishes. It’s like you’re freezing the sparkle in time or something.
The Blogger created Fall 2009 collection from Rescue Beauty Lounge is available for Pre-Order NOW and will ship very, very soon. The polishes and Matte Top Coat retail for $18/ea. If you don’t want to miss out on any of these colors, I suggest you order as soon as possible as the polishes are limited edition.

So what do you think Fanatics?? How did we do? Which polishes do you plan to order? Will these be your first RBLs or just additions to your growing stash?

The Barielle All Lacquered Up Collection is On Sale NOW!

By on August 17, 2009
in Barielle, Fall 2009 with 11 Comments
That’s right Fanatics, the wait is over. The All Lacquered Up collection from Barielle is now on sale!

I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate your support of this collaboration between myself, Elle and Barielle and I really hope you’ll love the colors as much as I do. If you missed my initial posting of the colors get your recap here:

Part 1 and Part 2

So head on over to Barielle.com and place your order. And remember, Shades by Barielle are Buy Two Get One Free! Happy Shopping!

Orly Once Upon A Time Collection

By on August 14, 2009
in Berry, Brown, Fall 2009, Gray, Green, Orly, Red with 17 Comments
As a child I was very much enamored with the world of fairy tales. I used to collect Madame Alexander dolls in my favorite characters like Cinderella and Snow White.

And even though our beyond ancient Encyclopedia Britannica set didn’t know man had landed on the moon yet it did come with an amazing set of children’s books that included the works of the Brothers Grimm. Now I don’t know if any of you remember the Fractured Fairy Tales from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show but I was SUCH a fan!

Knowing all this you can only imagine my delight in hearing that Orly was taking the fairy tale theme and running with it for Fall. Their chic, grown up version not only includes a gorgeous GREEN but a fantabulous grey. Take a look at Once Upon A Time after the jump!


For some reason the polishes in this collection all apply a little differently so I’m going to address them individually rather than as a group.

Enchanted Forest – Hello LUVAH! Words don’t even begin to describe this gem. This rich forest green creme is deep, dreamy and utterly perfect. I applied it in two flawless coats and fell head over hells in love. Need I say more?

Now I wish could proclaim that Prince Charming swept me off my feet but alas he left me feeling a little flat. This muddy brown is too yellow for my skin tone and just isn’t working for me. The pigmentation and application were decent, nothing newsworthy. It’s a bit jellyish in texture but with two coats you’re done!
Can you have a fairy tale themed collection without a luscious red? I think not. Poison Apple not only represents that evil fruit but it makes me think of the cherry red lips our fair maidens are described as having. I will say I was impressed with the pigmentation on this. It looks true to bottle in two even coats.
Pixie Dust is my other stand out, must have, don’t think about not buying shade. This blue tinged dove grey sparkler is the work of magic. Once it’s on your fingers you won’t be able to stop staring. It’s an uber pigmented two coater though a little tricky to apply. I actually used top coat here to even it out.
You know how I love a grey and Mirror Mirror’s light cement hue is right up my alley. Unfortunately the formula didn’t wow. It was streaky and lumpy and even after three coats it looked imperfect. I want to love you Mirror Mirror but your competitors did it better.
Finally Happily Ever After is quite a unique berry. It looks all simple and creamy but there’s this hidden undercurrent of sparkle peeking out. It’s not easy to detect but in sunlight it pops out to surprise you.

A little Fractured Fairy Tale for your enjoyment!

The Orly Once Upon A Time colleciton launches in September and will retail for $7.50/ea. You can buy Orly at OrlyBeauty.com in stores at Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA and online at our fave e-tailers (see sidebar).

What do you think Fanatics? Who’s feeling the mystical, magical love?

Dior Vernis Fall Nail Lacquers Swatches & Review

By on August 7, 2009
in Dior, Fall 2009 with 23 Comments
Happy Friday Fanatics! Who’s ready for a fab weekend? I’m gearing up for our annual wine extravaganza. We host an all day tour of our fave local wineries. It’s a fun and intoxicating adventure.

Now I know things have been a bit slow here at ALU but I promise the slight dry spell in posts will end soon. There have been a lot of changes in my life recently but we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming ASAP. I have so many great fall shades to show you so stay tuned.

Today I have the new Dior Vernis polishes to show you. Two shades are Nordstrom exclusives that launched during their Anniversary Sale. The other two are part of the Jazz Club collection releasing at Sephora and Dior counters. Shall we take a look?


First, let’s get all the formula/application talk out of the way. Simply put, it’s spot on. Well pigmented and smooth with a great flat brush. The chrome caps pull off to reveal a curved, ribbed cap to use during application. Each shade went on in a perfect two coats. Basically, I have NO complaints. Now lets talk color.

Lemon Balm is hands down the most unique color of the bunch. I don’t understand the name at all but I LOVE the color. This dirty, taupe-y, shimmery confection is glorious for someone like me who’s always looking for something worth saying WOW. It’s got this smokey, plum look to it in the light and a more browned hue in the shade. Seriously, get it now before it’s gone forever!



Black Plum looks just as the name implies, a blackened berry creme. There’s not much more to say about it. The color speaks for itself.

Dahlia Rouge is a fun pop of color for a season that’s known for being all about drab or vampy hues. A bold raspberry creme, it’s deep enough to work for Fall but would make a great Summer pedi as well.
Mystique Violine looks like a reddish brown in the bottle and when you apply it you can see the dark plum in its base. Dried, it’s a whole other story. It becomes a rich, “almost black” dark chocolate. It actually reminds me a LOT of the old CND shade Fedora. BT-dubs, what’s up with Chanel and Dior both having polishes with Violine in the name? Is this the year of Violine? What does that word even mean? Where are my French speakers?
Dior Vernis Nail Lacquers retail for $20/ea. Lemon Balm and Mystique Violine are Nordstrom exclusives and still available online at Nordstrom.com. Red Dahlia is a Sephora exclusive available in stores and at Sephora.com. Finally Black Plum is available as part of the Jazz Club collection at Dior counters nationwide.

So are we loving these? Who already picked up the Nordie’s exclusives during the Anniversary Sale? Thoughts?

Don’t forget, at 11:55PM EST tonight my Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Giveaway ends so get your entries in. And have a fantastic weekend Fanatics!!

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