Illamasqua Boo! Pantomime Nail Duo Swatches & Review

Happy Anniversary Illamasqua!  What a year it’s been for them.  The brand went from “How do you pronounce that?” to “MAC better watch out!”  To celebrate, Illamasqua is releasing the Boo! & Hiss Pantomime Nail Duos.  Two Limited Edition nail polish sets pairing an existing lacquer with a new LE glitter to layer on top. I received the Boo! Duo consisting of Baptiste and the new Boo! glitter polish to test out and it is the hotness! Check it out, after the jump!

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CND Monday – Anchor Blue Colour with Emerald Shimmer Effect

Welcome to CND Monday, a new feature here on ALU. Each week I’ll be sharing a new layering combination from CND Colour & Effects to show you the versatility and creativity of the line. Last week I got a Head2Toe order in with some additional Effects from the CND line and I couldn’t wait to play with them. Until now I’ve only shown you Sparkles and a Pearl but now I have some Shimmers to experiment with. Being that blues and greens are two of my fave color families, I thought it would be fun to combine them and see what happens. Check out how dramatically Emerald Shimmer changes Anchor Blue after the jump!

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butter LONDON Fall-Winter 09 Swatches & Review

I’ve been champing at the bit to get my hands on butter LONDON’s British Racing Green ever since I eyed it backstage at Vena Cava during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last February. A couple months ago we got a peek a the rest of the Fall/Winter collection and now I finally have it in my hot little hands.

A set of five diverse and unique shades, Creative Director Nonie Creme designed this collection to give women colors with personality that punch up the muted tones seen on the runways. Check them out after the jump!

First off, let’s talk about what’s new for Fall 2009; a revamped butter LONDON bottle. Hearing your criticism regarding the hard to remove outer cap, bL has replaced it with an easy glide version. No longer shall we debate whether you’re supposed to polish with the outer cap on or off. The decorative raven printed on the inner cap solves that mystery.

Now on to the polish. The formula with these is on par with a couple noted exceptions. Rosie Lee, being a clear based glitter, required three coats as did Pearly Queen (the frosty white). Unfortunately my travel schedule to NYC limited my time so rather than wait until next week when I return, I did some quick one finger swatches for you.

Of course I had to do a full mani with British Racing Green. How could I resist?? The shade reminds me of a vintage MG convertible only better because of the shimmer. We’re not talking standout sparkle but the shade is so vivid that even in incandescent light I can pick up on it. Hand this polish a prize because it’s a winner!
The name Rosie Lee kind of speaks for itself. A sweet, dazzling rosy pink it becomes foil-like in the sun.
Scoundrel is a medium reddish lilac creme that’s just dark enough for me to avoid “alien hand” syndrome. It’s not bright but it definitely has a kick!
Can you say pumpkin? Minger’s warm undertones give this nontraditional fall bright a sesonally appropriate feel.
Pearly Queen is my only disappointment in the bunch. It’s plagued with brush stroke issues and the hue just doesn’t work on me. To put up with brush marks I better LOVE the color.
The butter LONDON Fall/Winter 09 collection retails for $14/ea or get the Fashionista’s Favourites Fall 2009 pack and receive all 5 polishes for $45. The collection is on sale now at butterLondon.com and coming soon to Beauty.com.

What do we think Fanatics? Are you dying over British Racing Green like I am? Which fall bL’s do you plan to purchase?

Zoya Dare Collection Review and Swatches

Zoya Dare has landed and after much anticipation, I’ve got your first look at them on the nail. As you may remember, the Dare collection of Zoya’s Truth or Dare Fall lineup is a group of chic, dramatic shades with five cremes and one shimmer. Let’s get right to it and check out the colors, shall we?

With the exception of Ibiza all the Dare collection polishes are cremes. They all glide on smooth and even in spite of the formula’s thickness. The shades are well pigmented requiring only two coats and dry with a high gloss shine.

Demi is a midtone reddish purple, you might call it a mauve. In the bottle it looked a bit Barney-ish but it’s a very pretty on the nail.

Ciara has a sundrenched raspberry look about it. Don’t get me wrong it’s vivid and rich, not at all dusty, those are just the first two words that came to mind when looking at it.
Vanessa is a berry based cool red. It applies very close to bottle color on the first coat which is always a plus with reds.

Pinta is the definition of burple (bluish purple). It definitely leans way blue but you can see its purple roots in bright light. My issue is that it’s so dark that unless you’re in sunlight, you’re the only person who will know how truly stunning this shade is.
For that reason I decided to take a sunlight shot of it. You see I shy away from direct sunlight swatching because I find it to be SOOOO inaccurate and I don’t want you kids buying a color and being disappointed when it looks NOTHING like what I showed you. So for the purposes of displaying the base color only, I did this sunlight shot for you.
Envy is a mossy deep forest green that has an earthy, camouflage feel to it. What’s funny is that as I applied it, the first coat had a graininess that looks like watercolor which I originally mistook for shimmer. With the second coat it’s pure glossy creme. Though if you want the bottle color and not an “almost black” make sure you apply two thin coats. Three is way too much.

Ibiza is a shimmery deep sapphire blue. The color is so dark and the shimmer is so subtle that you barely notice it outside of direct sunlight. Honestly, I love Indigo, with its multi-colored micro-glitter, so much that Ibiza is just OK for me.
The Zoya Dare Collection polishes retail for $6/each and are available for PRE-ORDER now on Zoya.com with a ship date of July 15th.

So all my DARE girls out there, what do you think?

Zoya Matte Velvet & Truth or Dare Collection Teaser

Happy Friday Fanatics!! I have a little treat for you to start your weekend. A peek at the Zoya Matte Velvet and Truth or Dare polishes. To wet my overly curious appetite and yours, Zoya sent out sample palettes of the colors as a teaser of what’s to come. Check ‘em out!

Sample nails aren’t the easiest to photograph accurately because of all the different colors but I did the best my little point and shoot could manage.

First up, the Truth or Dare collection for Fall.
Truth’s Penny, Kalmia, Salma, Isla, Anaka and Drew are all metallic shimmers and based on the samples, Anaka just jumps off the palette. The sparkle is electrifying. I can’t wait to see it on the nail.
Dare’s Ibiza is the lone shimmer accompanying cremes Envy, Pinta, Demi, Clara and Vanessa. The burple-y Pinta, mossy green Envy and sapphire Ibiza are the standouts in this crowd.

Next up, Matte Velvet, Zoya’s entry in the incresingly popular matte trend.
I can already tell I’m going to love these more than the OPI Mattes because they have that same great shimmer quality that I loved about La Paz-itively Hot Matte. Loredana, Dovima and Posh all have a finely dispersed shimmer that makes them a bit satiny rather than flat matte.

I’m hoping to have my hands on the real deal very soon so stay tuned for real live swatches!! In the meantime, does this change your opinion on mattes? Are you loving Truth or Dare so far? Sound off!