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. A couple weeks ago I was invited to a blogger event at Legacy Village, an upscale shopping center in my neighborhood. They asked some local fashion and lifestyle bloggers to come check out some summer trends from White House Black Market and Charming Charlie and learn more about the stores in the complex. I was super stoked to go when I found out that some of my blogging friends, including fellow nail blogger Steff from Short ‘n Chic, were going to be there. Steff has a great sense of style and perusing the accessory racks with her was a lot of fun. I ended up coming home with a cute bracelet that I can’t stop wearing and today I decided to polish my nails to match using OPI Done Out In Deco.

Formula & Application: OPI is a 3-Free brand. They made the switch to 3-Free in 2008. You can identify an OPI with the 3-Free formula by the green lettering on the label. Bottles with black lettering have the old formula. Always check the labels to be sure. The OPI Pro Wide brush is flat, wide and medium in length. It’s of average stiffness and easily spreads out on the nail when pressed. The only downside to the Pro Wide brush is that it can be too wide for slim fingers or little toes.

The formula on this one is nice and thin and easy to work with. The pigmentation could use some improvement but at least it wasn’t streaky. I ended up using three coats just to be sure it was completely opaque but if you apply your polish a little thicker you could get away with two.

OPI Done Out In Deco is a creamy pink based lilac. Now normally when I hear lilac I go running for the hills. Pink based purples are my skin tone’s worst enemy. They give me what I call an “alien hands” effect. Fortunately DOID isn’t too pink or too light and in indirect light it looks a lot cooler and more smoky as you’ll see below.

As I mentioned above, the event featured clothes from White House Black Market with accessories from our host Charming Charlie. Now even though I basically live down the street from Legacy I’ve never been in Charming Charlie. I didn’t even know what they sold. So you can imagine how overwhelmed I was by this giant store filled with every kind of costume jewelry you can imagine plus hats, shoes, bags, etc. And the genius part is that it’s all organized by color AND super affordable. Like most items cost under $20.

Shibani from CLE Shopaholic and Allison from Confessions of a Cohabitant model some hats while Steff from Short ‘n Chic had fun with a fascinator-esque hair accessory.

While they were having fun with hats I made a beeline for the green, blue and purple sections of the store. Surprising, I know. I love accessories but I tend to be the type of shopper who goes out looking for something to go with a specific outfit rather than just purchase random things that can go with anything. This was the perfect opportunity to change that.

Being that I have a lot of purple, gray, black and silver in my closet I thought the bracelet I chose would mix well with a lot of my wardrobe. As you can see, I’m so into purple it’s even on the accent wall of my polish room. As it turns out DOID isn’t a perfect match for my bracelet, OPI Parlez Vous OPI? is a better companion, but I’ve already worn that one and DOID feels more springy.

Bottom Line: Done Out In Deco ended up being much more flattering than I expected and a great spring color. The formula is great, the pigmentation is serviceable but at the end of the day I’m not jumping up and down over it.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: As much as I love purple this one isn’t giving me butterflies so it’s off to be SHAREd with someone who will love it.

Unfortunately OPI Done Out In Deco is discontinued. It was launched as a limited edition color with the South Beach collection for Spring 2009. I’ve seen bottles floating around online in places like eBay and Amazon but I haven’t found an etailer I know who is carrying it.

Did you snap up a bottle of DOIN when it first launched? Thoughts on the color? I’m not really a matchy-matchy type of person so I’d love to hear your suggestions on what polish you would wear with my bracelet.

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by OPI. PR reps for Legacy Village provided me with a gift card to use on merchandise at any Legacy Village store and I chose to use it on accessories from Charming Charlie. Posting about the experience was neither requested nor required. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

For Spring and Summer 2009, Orly hit us with three, count ‘em THREE, colorful new collections; Prepster, Carnivale and Tiki Time. While all three have some fun colors, none of them wowed me as a whole so I chose my favorites to show to you. Check out my Top 5 of the season after the jump!

One thing I noticed is that most of the bold creme shades are jelly-like in texture. They’re semi-sheer but buildable and have that glossy, rubberized look that makes jellies so cool. I know the sheers in the Prepster collection are great for layering but they just weren’t doing it for me.

Cashmere Cardigan is a stunning periwinkle blue creme. It’s well pigmented but looks best with three coats. To me this shade looks a lot like Essie Huckle Buckle, minus the shimmer.
I knew I would love Mint Mojito before I even saw it. I’m all over this bright spring green. It also needs three coats but who cares. It’s lovely. It’s actually more vibrant in person but it’s really hard to capture. Actually you should check out the manicure Brittany (aka Clumps of Mascara) did with Cashmere Cardigan and Mint Mojito. She did it herself and it’s way gorg!
Festival Lights is a beautious melon tinged orange. Like a perfectly ripe canteloupe, it’s vivid but not BRIGHT.
Country Club Khaki is the shade celebrity manicurist Jenna Hipp raved about when I interviewed her for WOYN? and it’s no wonder. This is a great neutral mushroom hue. It’s like the spring version of You Don’t Know Jacques.
Finally the shade that made my heart skip, Calypso Breeze. I can’t think of a blue in my stash that looks quite like this and I don’t even know how to describe it. It makes me think of lake water, the sky before a storm and denim all mixed together.
All these polishes are limited edition but still available online at Head2ToeBeauty.com and TransDesign.com. Orly is also carried at Sally Beauty Supply but seasonal collections tend to sell out fast so availability will vary by location.

So what did you think of the Orly Spring/Summer collections? Which colors did you pick up?

I’m falling in love again Aint nothing I can do Falling in love again Girl this time its with you - Eagle Eye Cherry Dear Misa, I’ve officially fallen head over heels back in love with you! I was all “in like” after the Poisoned Passion collection but now we’re talking full on love. You see, when Misa intro’d their new formula with the Love Connections collection back in Spring ’07, I was less than thrilled. A brand that I was such a fan of, broke my heart with thick, hard to apply polish. Gone were the amazing colors and lovely chemical filled formula. Seriously, the formula was such a PITA it hurt my feelings! But now it’s all changed for the better. The Living On The Fast Lane collection has gone and flipped the script on me. Misa has given me (yes, I’m pretending that they made it just for me even though I know that’s not true) two fabulous blues, an on-trend muted blue-green and one sassy orange. Oh and there’s a berry and red to boot. Check out the loveliness after the jump!

At some point in the past year, Misa has changed their formula yet again. It’s still massively pigmented but the toluene has been removed. And even though the polish is still thick I’ve found a way to work with it and make each shade look perfect.

Application tip: To avoid a lumpy, bumpy surface I’ve found it’s best to apply the 2nd coat right on top of the first, before it has a chance to dry. I’m telling you, it’s genius. There’s no evening out issues, no pulling at the cuticles and the color is completely opaque. Works like a charm, every time.

Dirty Sexy Money is a stunning dusty blue-green. The name really couldn’t be any more fitting. It’s a gorg, gritty, grayed out green. Though the name makes me a wee bit sad as I’m reminded of the frothy ABC series by the same name that was canceled this year. I love me some Peter Krause and I was beyond PO’d when ABC brought down the axe.

On The Edge oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways… 1. you’re blue (already makes it a winner in my book). 2. you look blue in sunlight, shade, natural light (you get the picture). 3. your application is flawless (trick or no trick). 4. you’re glossy and creamy and PERFECT. I could go on and on. Seriously, will I ever get sick of blues? I hope not.

Stop Rewinding, Just Fast Forward is a slightly muted cherry red. Like a car that’s been sitting in the sun too long, in need of a good wash and wax.

Push Upon It joins the other berry lacquers that are hitting the scene this season. Much like its long lost twin, OPI Miami Beet, Push Upon It is a deep, rich creme.

If it were up to me, Speed of Life would be renamed “Speed of ALU” because this is SO the type of orange I’m feeling for this summer. In contrast to last year’s more popular neon look, this version has a creamsicle softness with a hint of melon peachiness. Such a wearable hue.

Right Here Now, No More Later is like sky blue on crack. It’s so so vivid. If I could look up and see this shade every day, I’d cut a skylight in my office. This one’s definitely a keeper.
The Misa Living In The Fast Lane collection is avaialable NOW online at MisaCosmetics.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com and TransDesign.com.

What do we think kids? How do you feel about Misa’s formula? Share with the group!

There’s a party on my nails and you’re all invited. I’m talking about the Spring collection of polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge. RBL founder Ji Baek went for all that is glam with a set of three sparkletastic shades. In the rough economic situation we’re all facing, it’s Ji’s thought that these glitzy creations will add a little luxe to your life at a time when high end spending is being drastically cut. Check out my swatches and review after the jump!

I’m not normally a glitter-bomb loving kind of girl. Mainly due to the rough finish and irritating removal process. Though I have to say that compared to some I’ve tested, Ji used a relatively fine glitter and trapped it in a thicker jelly-like clear base to aid the texture issue but removal still isn’t a joy. And I’m pleased to say that I only needed one coat of Seche Vite to get a glass like finish (other brands have required two).

Removal Tip: Add a coat of polish/base/top before removing. Adding a new layer of wet lacquer softens the polish underneath, making it easier to swipe off.

What you see below is two medium-thick coats of polish with no top coat. I love that it stays sparkly instead of getting all bumpy and matte.

Locavore looks very green in the bottle but it’s deceiving. On the nail it reminds me of Mardi Gras. A mixture of metallic glitter hues, much like a shiny masquerade mask.

Frugalista is an aluminum foil, silver metallic peppered with purple flecks. Purple is an underlying theme between the three shades but it stands out most in Frugalista. I have to say, this is the hands down winner for me. I love a purple and mixing it with silver is like perfection.

Look Rich Be Cheap‘s gold glitter is much softer, not as yellow, in person yet it has a lot of fire and brilliance. Gold accents, more than silver, have been popping up on the runways and that makes Look Rich Be Cheap very fashion forward.
So you’re not sure about glitter, can these still be for you? If you love the look of polish but are shy about full on sparkle nails try icing your tips for a funky french manicure or add a thin layer over another color for subtle sparkle or wear them on your toes. At that distance, the bling appears less powerful and, for a lack of better words, in your face.

The Spring bling polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge retail for $18/ea are available now at RescueBeauty.com.

MAC‘s newest collection, Sugarsweet, launched online on Tuesday and the polishes are already SOLD OUT on MACCosmetics.com! The crazy power of MAC fanatics, huh? However, the on counter date was yesterday so I suggest if you’re dying to own one of these precious shades, you bolt on out and snag them. Being a total sucker for packaging or any kind of gimmicky looking product, I’m all about the collection’s Tricolour Lipglasses but I’m trying to restrain myself. It’s not easy folks. I drive past the mall on my way home every night and I know they’re there, waiting for me. Like a basket full of free kittens, they’re hard to resist. Back to the task at hand, the polishes. Sugarsweet introduced one new shade, Peppermint Patti, and one repromote, Seasonal Peach (from Creamsheen). See how they look after the jump!

Seasonal Peach is a soft, pinky peach cream and as much as I want to love this one, the formula is no bueno. Application issues and streakiness plagues this one from being a big time winner. I tried every trick I could think of but it wasn’t playing my reindeer games. If you tinker around long enough and apply three coats it can look decent but for me, Seasonal Peach is a pass.

Now Peppermint Patti I love!! That perfect after dinner mint green you’ve looking for, it’s right here! It’s just pigmented enough to not be washed out or too pastel. Though I’m not gonna lie, it’s not the easiest to apply either but better than its collection sister above. Application Tip: Apply two THIN coats with at least two minutes dry time between then one THICK, even coat. It’s not ideal but to get this gorgeous shade to work, I’m willing. Are you?
Just for funsies I added a thin line of Seasonal Peach to create a funky french. What do you think?
I knew the comparison questions would come a calling so here it is next to Essie Greenport and Barielle Sweet Addiction.
Like I said above, both shades are sold out online. That’s a big fat boo for online shoppers but don’t lose hope. Run, drive, fly etc. to your nearest MAC counter to scoop them up for yourself.

So, who else picked these babies up? Thoughts?

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so over the moon about an Essie polish let alone a whole collection but when my eyes landed on the North Fork collection I actually shrieked. You can ask the boyfriend, he had to hear it and suffer through me holding bottles in his face saying, “Can you believe these are Essies? Can you? LOVE THEM!” Of course, as much as he tries to care and be involved in what I do, he doesn’t get it like you all do. It’s not like Essie hasn’t stepped out of her conservative niche and given us some amazing colors, she has. Hello Starry Starry Night, Dominica Green and Summer 08 Neons. It’s just been a while. Well Ms. Essie, color me wowed. I seriously can’t compliment you enough on these gorgeous, sandwashed shades.

The North Fork shades are the perfect beachy accompaniment to lazy days at the shore. Every single one makes me long for boating season even though I detest sailing. I like to think of the ‘rents sailboat as a floating condo. A great retreat until we get a powerboat of our own.

Anywho, back to the polishes. Each of these tranquil variations of blue is a winner in its own right. They are all shown with two coats and applied like a dream with the exception of Shelter Island which gave me a bit of trouble and required thee coats.

Greenport is a muted, creamy aquamarine. It’s not a traditional creme in that the finish is uber-glossy like a jelly even though the lacquer is way pigmented. Very unique indeed.

Sag Harbor is LOVE. OK not really but it’s a swoon-worthy color. It’s like dove gray and powder blue had a baby. This is totally random but it reminds me of a t-shirt I have from a bar at my fave summer destination, Put-In-Bay. It’s a purposely weathered blue and Sag Harbor is a perfect match. The shimmer in this one is subtle, adding just a hint of sparkly sheen.

Shelter Island is as blue as the sky on a hot, cloudless June day. It’s a bit more vibrant on the nail than in the bottle but not neon. Like I mentioned above, this was my problem child in terms of application. It has the same texture and feel as Greenport but for some reason it kept dragging at my cuticles even though I waited a few minutes between coats. Odd.
The Essie North Fork collection will be available beginning in April 2009 at Essie.com and fine spas, salons and beauty destinations worldwide. Polishes retail for $9/ea US, $11/ea CDN.

What do you think kids? Are you feeling these blues?

Coming to a MAC counter near you, The Sugarsweet Collection. Temptation is everywhere – luscious, whipped-cream decadent, deliciously decorative frosting colours and sugared almond combinations. Like peering through the window of a Parisian patisserie, you’ll want to become one of each! Have fun with a new Red Velvet recipe Shadestick. Tricolour Lipglass is like a mille feuille of layered lip gloss colours, each gives way to the next in a triple-layered pearl-swirl of prettiness; add extra-yum to Eye Shadow; Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish is the ultimate cake walk. We could eat you up.

So after seeing that minty green polish on the Chanel runways last week, I found out that MAC has a version of their own. The best part… no waiting til Fall!

Peppermint Patti – Creamy mint green
Seasonal Peach – Creamy pale peachy pink

The Sugarsweet Collection launches on Thursday March 19th though it will appear online tomorrow. Nail Lacquers retail for $11.00.

So who’s planning to pick up Peppermint Patti? I can’t wait to get my mitts on it. The Tricolour Lipglass sounds cool too. I love me a MAC Lipglass!

No offense to Essie but it’s rare that I see promo pics of a new collection and get uber-excited but within minutes of setting sight on the new North Folk collection, I had already IMd with two of my fellow beauty bloggers to rave. I’m just not the target Essie demo, I prefer my polishes crazy, bold and vampy. So with the exception of last summer’s brights and winter’s few vamps, I haven’t been riding the Essie train of late. However color me on board now!

There’s something about these soft seaside blues that make me yearn for boating weather, sailing with the fam on Lake Erie.

Within the soft palette of hues that floated down this season’s runways, one color stood out among the rest…. blue. Dreamy blues reminiscent of bright open skies and deep welcoming waters lead essie founder Essie Weingarten to create The North Fork Collection – named for the quaint vacation villages perched around the waters of Long Island’s East End .

“The new nail colors remind me of the most beautiful blues that surround The North Fork,” says Weingarten. “Tranquil yet playful, the colors cross over in fashion and in nature.”

The nail colors in The North Fork Collection capture the essence of blue. The fashion-or azure fingertips lounging under the sun.

Greenport, Sag Harbor and Shelter Island , each named after areas around The North Fork and Long Island Sound, are an homage to the beauty of nature.

GREENPORT – Dreamy aquamarine paradise

SAG HARBOR — Cool silver blue

SHELTER ISLAND – Sky blue radiance

The North Fork Collection is a limited-edition collection, available beginning April 2009 at www.essie.com and fine spas, salons and beauty destinations worldwide. SRP $9.00 USD, $11 Canada .

Prepare for glitter bombing. That’s right, Ji Baek has put her spin on glitter polishes for her Spring/Summer 09 collection. Inspired by the sparkling, heavily embellished looks from the Spring 2009 runway shows, Ji wanted to make that luxe look affordable. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a metallic cocktail dress, you can bling your tips for a fraction of the price.

According to Ji, “I was the one who’d actually call up for those ‘price upon request’ items.” “Now I’m taking the subway, cooking at home, taking more yoga classes – with this economy, we’re all sifting our priorities.”

While the September shows of the Spring/Summer 09 lines preceded the economic meltdown in October 2008, Baek nonetheless was surprised at the excess of embellishment seen in the many collections.

“I’ve never seen so many sequins, embroideries, shimmering metallics and jewels sewn into fabrics. And price points seemed to reach all time highs, with a spangled Balenciaga dress going for $42,000 and jeweled Lanvin sandals for $2,200.”

This need for an affordable way to sparkle led Baek to create three “super-shiny glitter” nail polishes for Spring. “We have brights, bold prints and florals from past seasons. All we need to update our look is a bit of opulence on our fingers and toes.”

The polishes have much more glitter than polishes you’ve seen in the past – they sparkle like diamonds,” adds Baek, “It makes me giddy.”

These beauties make me giddy as well. You know my issue with glitter, the rough, bumpy finish. I did a quick swatch of each polish and while they are not what you’d call smooth, the glitter lays flat so all you feel is a bit of texture. I added a coat of Seche Vite and voila, texture gone.

Frugalista is gunmetal shot through with purple glitter.

In the spirit of our J.Crew to Jimmy Choo-loving First Lady, there’s Look Rich, Be Cheap – a mix of gold and purple glitter.

And for sifting through locally grown produce at the Farmer’s Market, there’s Locavore, a dazzling combination of gold, green, blue and silver glitter.

The RBL Spring/Summer 09 colors go on sale in early March. RBL mailing list subscribers will get first dibs so sign up now at RescueBeauty.com. Of course, full swatches and reviews will be posted after my trip.

You kids know how into the whole gray trend I’ve been. Since last spring, I’ve told anyone who will listen about how amazingly cool gray looks on nails. Of course it didn’t really hit until last fall (look at me being ahead of the game!) and I’m pleased to see it carrying over to spring in Zoya’s newest collection, Twist. Like I mentioned in the preview, when I look at Twist, I see a light and airy version of fall’s big trends with a cranberry splash and two traditional pinks thrown in for good measure. Berry lips were big last fall and now we’re seeing that translated to tips for spring. Both OPI and Sally Hansen included a berry creme in their collections. An interesting “twist” for sure.

Let’s start with my obvious fave – Harley. Harley is a warm mid-tone gray shimmer. The light bronze ribbons of shimmer keep this one from being too cool for the olive skinned girls to pull off. If you haven’t tried gray yet, this is one you’ll definitely fall for.

Harley’s closest living relative is OPI “Sheer” Your Toys though SYT is a bit more blue-gray. I showed it next to Sephora by OPI Run With It! just for comparison’s sake but as you can see, they’re very different animals.

Malia is about as light as I can delve into purples with my skin tone. It’s not love at first sight but it’s a far cry better than what lavender does to me. Malia’s violet hue looks warm next to my skin even though it’s much cooler toned in the bottle. This one gave me some streakiness during application though I was able to smooth it out with very steady strokes.

Moxie is a dream to apply. Zoya’s creme formula tends to give me issues due to its thicker viscosity but Moxie flowed on perfectly. This bold berry really stands out against the other shades in this collection, making it the odd man out yet refreshingly unexpected at the same time.

Moxie isn’t the most unique girl at the party with Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Beet Stain and OPI Miami Beet (from the upcoming South Beach collection) as convincing dupes but I can say that she applies better than the Sally Hansen and is more pigmented than the OPI.

Cassi is a salmon pink shimmer. A nice warm pink for conservative girls and pink fans alike. Two coats gave nice, even coverage.

Barbie looks exactly as the name implies, Malibu Barbie pink. It totally reminds me of the pink Barbie convertible I had as a child. Vibrant and cool-toned, there is a subtle hint of shimmer in the bottle but on the nail it’s barely apparent.

Jo is the other big winner in Twist. A total jackpot of a blue. I’d dare to call it cornflower but the subtle way it leans towards purple keeps me from doing so. Whatever you call it, it’s unique, stunning and totally unlike any polish I own. Like Gabriel Byrne said to Winona Ryder (as Jo) at the end of Little Women, “such a little name for such a person,” Zoya’s Jo is such a color.

The Zoya Twist collection is available online at Zoya.com and at salons and spas across the country. Check the salon locator on Zoya’s website to track one down.

So what do we think? What are you loving? Hating? Indifferent about?