Shimmer
Misa Poisoned Passion for Fall 2008
Jewel tones and vampy nail shades are carrying over from last Fall and Misa Cosmetics is putting their twist on the trend. The recently launched Poisoned Passion collection is a lineup of six rich shades. With five shimmers and one creme, these colors pack a lot of punch. They are all very lush.
The last time I reviewed a Misa collection, Love Connections, it was right after their switch to become Big 3 Free. You may remember that I was non-plused with the formula then but, I’m seeing an improvement in this new lineup. While I still had issues with application of a couple shades (Dying Love & Fatal Affair) the rest flowed quite nicely. One thing that has remained consistent is the high level of pigmentation. Each polish only required two coats.
Toxic Seduction – Let’s start out with my favorite color of the bunch. Of course it’s the green, duh! You might call the base color a blackened teal or blue-green but the hints of gold shimmer warm it up a bit. Though I wouldn’t say its a forest green. More like a franken of Gussied Up Green & Rodeo Fanatic. Regardless of how you describe it, I have just one word – WINNER! I looked for it’s closest living relative in my stash and found Poison Ivy from Nailed by Sleek UK (shown below).
A Sin Worth Committing’s base color is royal blue, like OPI Dating A Royal. No purple undertones in the slightest. It’s most definitely a superb navy shimmer however, I found that OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue is close enough that you wouldn’t need both. A Sin Worth Committing is just a touch bolder.
Dying Love is a tricky one. Both in application and color description. I guess it’s appropriate for the punkiest color to be the problem child. Not quite jet black yet too dark to be gunmetal gray, Dying Love falls somewhere between Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Sally Hansen Salon Black Orchid (a LE color).
Fatal Affair is similar to Misa Blueberry Glaze in that BG is a purple tinged blue and Fatal Affair is a blue tinged purple. Though the blue shimmer affected my ability to show the true color. It’s more purple in real life. Compared to one of my favorite purples, Misa Dreamy Purple, it is deeper with a red-violet base.
Forbidden Lust is a deep red based purple shimmer. Like a dark amethyst. In looking for a dupe, I found that it’s a deeper version of NYX Wild (#2 on the linked image).
The only creme in the group, Love Bite, is a vampy browned red. It’s bright berry base makes 2-3 coats necessary to achieve bottle color. I have to say that this is the one color I wasn’t all that jazzed over. As you can see below, it’s very similar to Misa Stiletto so not really a must have for me.
The Poisoned Passion collection is available for sale online at MisaCosmetics.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com.
So fanatics, what do you think? What did you/are you buying from the collection?
China Glaze Fall 2008 – Rodeo Diva Hay Ride
Giddy up little cowgirls for the Rodeo Diva collection from China Glaze is here. Twelve nail polishes divided into two sets, warm and cool, these shimmering beauties will be causing a frenzy. And even though I tend to go the cool route (blues, greens) the gold shimmer in the Hay Ride polishes is incredible.
I would describe the shimmer as micro glitter yet it doesn’t affect the finish or cause that skin crawling glitter scratching as you remove it. All in all, the polishes applied well. Though I did notice the formula getting thicker as I went from lighter to darker shades. The lacquers dry glossy and the pigmentation is excellent, I only needed two coats to achieve bottle color.
Now you’ll notice that my skin tone looks a bit funky in the swatch pics below. That’s only because I altered the images to best show the polish color, which resulted in my skin looking a bit jaundiced in some and flushed in others. You’ll just have to excuse that.
Yee Haw! is a golden peachy orange that just radiates in the sunlight. I don’t think it necessarily works on me but the shimmer really gives it a punch to take it from being just another peach.
Golden Spurs is actually one of my favorite shades in this group and I’m not a big fan of tans. There’s something about how the shimmer really adds dimension to what could be a totally boring color that draws me in. It’s a sexy evening neutral.
Prize Winning Mare is a hard shade to capture. It’s golden brown but not chocolaty and very chameleon-like. In every light, it looked different. Very unique
Lasso My Heart’s golden shimmer makes it look more rosy in person. In fact, in the bottle, I thought it was a duo-chrome because of the way the shimmer affects the color.
Wagon Trail was the one color I most look forward to testing and it didn’t disappoint. You know me, any mention of green perks my ears up. This golden green is dirty, funky and totally fun. Like nothing else I own. I know there are fans of the discontinued China Glaze shade, Cat’s Eye (I don’t own it). Well I’d say that Wagon Trail is its blackened, trampy cousin.
Side-Saddle is for all you vamps. A browned plum peppered with gold, this shade represents the “diva” in Rodeo Diva the best. The minute I saw it, I thought of my pal Sara from Bit By The Beauty Bug. Even though I’ve helped encourage her to explore the lighter, brighter side of polish this summer, she’s a vampy girl at heart. I just know she’ll love this!
And since I knew there would questions of how Side-Saddle compares to NYC Cognac Sparkle, I beat you to the punch. Cognac Sparkle is more berry/wine based and a tinge lighter. Sorry gals, no twin here.
The Rodeo Diva collection can be found online at Head2ToeBeauty and is coming soon to 8ty8Beauty. China Glaze can also be purchased at ULTA and Sally Beauty Supply, call for seasonal collection availability.
Rise & Shine With Chanel Robertson Exclusive – L.A. Sunrise
For any beauty fanatic, there’s nothing better than coming home after a long day at work to find a little box (L.B.) of beauty goodness on your doorstep. Whether it be a swap package or a purchase it always feels like my birthday when something new arrives. Well today’s L.B. was a doozie. After stalking the Chanel website like a crack fiend for the past month (I know they said July but you never know), the Robertson Collection FINALLY went on sale last Thursday. In fact, I was running late to see a movie as I scrambled to place my order. But now L.A. Sunrise is mine, ALL MINE!
Holy yellow hotness, Chanel! You have seriously made my day. I’ve been on the search for the perfect lemon nail polish and L.A. Sunrise is it. Not too mustard, too light or too gold. Just pure lemon pudding with a whisper of silver shimmer. Perfection!
I just wish that fabulosity (yes, I’ve watched Kimora’s reality show) translated to the formula. I’ve been pretty pleased with the application of Chanel polishes in the past and I don’t know if it’s just the nature of yellow polish but I can’t get one, NOT ONE, to apply well. Every yellow I own is thicker and more streaky than its collection counterparts and they all require three coats. For $25 a bottle, I expect more.
Unfortunately, I don’t own a yellow with the same softness and opacity but if you find one shout it out in the comments! Until a twin is found, I direct you to the Chanel.com website where L.A. Sunrise is still available along with the rest of the Robertson Collection.
It’s A Neon, Neon World With Essie & Orly
As my favorite nail color queen, Rihanna, has already shown us, bright, bold, in-your-face shades are what’s hot right now. She’s been spotted wearing orange, teal, purple, etc. and even though she’s driving the bandwagon other young celebs are jumping on board. Take Lindsay Lohan for example. She wore a hot pink to match her prom-tastic dress at her 22nd birthday party and was caught lighting up (don’t do it!) with glowing orange tips.
To feed your need for neon, Essie and Orly have hit us with a one-two punch of bright, four color collections for Summer.
The Essie Neons are quite a departure for the usually subdued brand. They tend to target the conservative, classic nail fanatic. I give Essie two thumbs up for addressing the trend. Unfortunately I have to give a thumbs up/thumbs down to the formula. While half the shades (Mini Shorts & Short Shorts) were OK, the others (Bermuda Shorts & Shorty Pants) were pretty nightmarish. As expected, the neon pigments cause these polishes to dry matte but for some reason they don’t smooth out easily. You have to put in some work to avoid an uneven texture. But the colors, love them! Mini Shorts is definitely my favorite.
Orly High Voltage is a mixture of saucy shimmers and punchy cremes. The gold shimmer in Heat Wave is captivating. As soon as I picked up the bottle, I had to have it on my tips. It’s really a stand out lacquer for me. Charged Up is a nice grape but it’s also the only polish I had application issues with. I needed three coats to get even, full coverage. And if I were picking a hot reddish pink, Hot Shot would be my choice. It’s way more vibrant in person, somewhat shocking.
The polishes pictured are shown with a top coat since the majority dry matte. I chose images for each lacquer that best represented the color so they aren’t all shown in sunlight.
The Essie Neons and Orly High Voltage collections are available now online and in stores including hair and nail salons, Trade Secret, ULTA, Sally Beauty Supply and Regis. Contact your local retailer to check availability.
Zoya Fall 2008 Preview
I know Summer has barely begun but it’s already time to start looking ahead at what’s to come for Fall and Zoya is next to preview its lineup. Two collections are coming our way and they look pretty vamp-tacular if you ask me.
In the same vein as Chit Chat & Gossip, Pulse is a set of six metallics while Vibe is all cremes. I’ve been told that Nina & Sam are both brown which totally made my day. While I adore my rich brown shimmers, like OPI Espresso Your Style and Misa Chocolate Icing, I have yet to find a truly fab glossy brown creme. Fingers crossed that these are winners!
The Pulse and Vibe collections will be available for pre-order near the end of July and begin shipping in early August. Zoya polishes retail for $6 and can be purchased at professional salons and spas or directly through the Zoya.com website.
Notice: Images are provided by Art of Beauty for the exclusive use of All Lacquered Up. Please do not republish without expressed written permission.
Lisa N.
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