MAC always finds a way to drag their fans out of the house the day after Christmas thanks to their post-holiday collections.  This year they launched Love Lace and Warm & Cozy both of which included new nail colors. Love Lace with its focus on the dark smokey eye comes with the pale creamy Light Affair while Warm & Cozy has a very sitting by the fire with a cup of cocoa feel thanks to Dim The Lights.  Check them out after the jump!

Can I just say that for the first time I am IMPRESSED with the formula of a light polish from MAC.  I know!  I’m shocked too.  Normally they’re pretty thick, streaky and require three coats.  Not this time folks!  Light Affair went on creamy and perfect in two coats.  It’s still thick with pigmentation but it had a lot more flow than I’m used to.  Two thumbs up for that!  That goes for Dim The Lights as well.

Dim The Lights is a rich, warm chocolate.  More than other browns this one actually looks like a Hershey bar.  It’s not too red or too blackened.  A reader on Twitter asked for a new brown polish rec yesterday and without hesitation, I told her about this beauty.

In the bottle I thought OPI Suzi Says Da! would be a good match for Dim The Lights but Suzi’s berry base put the kibosh on that.  I included a comparison with Rich, Dark, Delicious from the Jin Soon collection just to show how much lighter Dim The Lights is.

Light Affair is a creamy, grayed pink “nude” type hue.  It’s like baby pink satin that’s been put through the wash too many times with dark colors and NOT on delicate (admit it, you don’t always follow the care instuctions).

I thought that Light Affair would be more grey based on the description from the MAC website so I’m showing it next to On The Prowl so you can see how NOT grey it is.  In fact, it’s almost a dead on dupe for Essie Body Language.  The main difference being polish texture.  Body Language is jelly-ish in application and more sheer.

The MAC Love Lace and Warm & Cozy collections are available now at MACCosmetics.com and MAC counters nationwide.  MAC Nail Lacquers retail for$12/ea.

So who ran out on December 26th to pick up goodies from these collections?  Have you tried either of these polishes yet?  Thoughts?

Disclosure: A product sample was furnished to me by MAC Cosmetics.  For further information view my Disclosure Policy.

The highly anticipated Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection is finally here.  After a lot of nail board begging, petitions and pleas the people at China Glaze listened and brought back the famed 2001 collection including the much talked about but rarely seen Dorothy Who?, Good Witch? and C-C-Courage.I’ve been fortunate to have owned, or seen in person, all the original WOOA polishes but most have not been as lucky, even the people AT China Glaze.  Thanks to the help of original WOOA owners, like myself, the brand attempted to re-create the collection and they’ve come pretty close for what they had to work with.  Check out the 2009 version of these beauties and see how they stack up against the originals (that I still own), after the jump!

Back-story

The Wizard of Ooh Ahz polishes became part of the nail polish lexicon when a MUA nail boarder discovered them in a closeout store (a Christmas Tree Shop, I believe) about 4 or 5 years ago.  Lemmings were born and a fever to hunt them down began.  Thanks to the generosity of my fellow nail boarders I’ve had the pleasure of owning all except The Ten Man and an original bottle of Ruby Pumps.

In 2007 petitions began to form and China Glaze reached out to me for a swatch wheel of the originals.  Since that time, they’ve worked on perfecting clones.  Fanatics who are looking for dead-on dupes won’t find them here though not for a lack of trying.  I’ve seen two previous incarnations prior to this launch and while they still haven’t hit the nail directly on the head, they did a bang-up job nonetheless.  With formula changes (to 3-Free), no recipe to work with and only dry swatches of the originals, I have no doubt it was quite a task.

Formula

Unfortunately I do have an issue with the formula on these.  It’s not the consistency, it’s the opacity. I know when you do a glitter polish you have to have sheer to semi-sheer base but these are too sheer for my liking.  Like we’re talking 4 coats on Cowardly Lyin.  The originals in all their toxic chemical glory were much more opaque. Other wise, the jelly based polishes apply like a dream and the frosts are just slightly brush stroke-y. They’re saved by the micro-glitter from being a metallic finish nightmare.

Dorothy Who? is still a glittering, jelly blue fantasy only this version is a bit lighter due to the opacity issue and the slightly less electrifying base.  The base color of this version is more of a bright sky blue so the finished product doesn’t have the same depth as my original.

Sunlight

Comparison

C-C-Courage is a graple frost peppered with purple and pink micro-glitter. I think this one shows the differences in the frosts the most and I believe it’s due to the shape of the glitter. The glitter in the original polish appears more squared, dense and heavy whereas the 2009 version is lighter, rounder and more dispersed. That could also have something to do with the age of my bottle.

Sunlight

Comparison

Cowardly Lyin’ is a golden, yellow frost speckled with bright gold micro-glitter.  To me, this is the polish that comes closest to matching the original.  The 2009 version may be a tad darker but the finish looks the same on the nail.

Sunlight

Comparison

Good Witch? was always the most coveted and hard-to-find of the original WOOA polishes but it was never really my thing.  No offense to the Good Witch? lovers but I’m not as much a fan of the lighter shades’ frosty finish.  The glitter is so textured that it looks bumpy.  I think if Good Witch?, Cowardly Lyin’ and The Ten Man were in the same formula as Dorothy Who? and Ruby Pumps I would love them more.  It’s for that reason that I sent my original bottle of Good Witch? to live with my pink loving friend who I knew would adore her.

Sunlight

Comparison

The Ten Man’s name was hotly debated until we saw and actual photograph.  “Tin Man?” well that makes sense but it’s too literal.  “The Tan Man?” what would that even mean?  The Ten Man, as in ten fingers/toes, is a silver glitter frost that has a foil-like appearance.  This is my fave of the lighter frosts though the opacity could use some work.

Sunlight

It’s no wonder Ruby Pumps was the one color to make it from the original WOOA collection to the core lineup.  It truly is one of the most spectacular red glitters I’ve ever worn.  Next to Mismas and my 90s go-to OPI INRAW, Ruby Pumps is the pedi shade I’ve worn most. Holidays, special occasions, fun in the summer sun; this super sparkly red is always a winner.  Unfortunately the sun was running away from me so I only have a natural light swatch but you can check out my old Ruby Pumps sunlight pic in my Loves You Snow Much review.

The China Glaze Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection has begun to ship and is available online NOW. 8ty8Beauty.com & TransDesign.com already have the polishes listed and they will be at Head2ToeBeauty.com soon. You can find China Glaze polishes on shelves at Sally Beauty Supply stores nationwide.

I know some people have commented about the missing “Emerald City” polish that this collection so rightly deserves.  China Glaze wanted to re-release the collection in its original form so they created Emerald Sparkle to satisfy that need.

OK so are you as excited about this collection now that you’ve seen the actual polishes?  Who’s planning to snag up the whole thing?  Who owns some of the originals? Which ones?

Keep On With The [Mattes] Don’t Stop
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
lyrics by Michael Jackson (altered by moi)

As long as you keep loving the Mattes, its seems Zoya will keep pumping them out. And if they’re as hot as the Winter MatteVelvets, sign me up.

You all know that I’m a fan of the matte top coat vs. matte polish but some colors are worth the short wear time. For me, that color is GREEN! Big surprise, I know. Throw in my other love, purple, and we’ve got ourselves one helluva matte party. Check out the Winter MatteVelvets after the jump!

You know from my NYFW NOTD Challenge that I’ve had the Winter MatteVelvets for a while. I waited until now to post them because I was informed that the finish of my Veruschka sample (the green) was too shiny and being reformulated before the official launch. You want to see the actual polish you’re buying, right?

Now I don’t know if the finish is the only change with these mattes but for the most part, they applied FLAWLESSLY. Savita was my only problem child (see below). I was seriously impressed. They flowed so much better than the fall collection, especially Verushcka, providing a larger margin for application errors and a more even result. Well done Zoya!

Veruschka is obviously my fave in this collection. Like an evergreen tree she is a shimmering goddess of the forest. There’s something about the shimmer in the Zoya mattes that give them a “lit from within” look that doesn’t translate on camera. Very magical.
Savita is without question a stunner. A true grape hue, it’s right up my alley. What disappointed me was the consistency. This was the only polish in the set that I had difficulty with. It had a somewhat chalky quality that made for an uneven, chunky application. It’s not totally unworkable, it just wasn’t the dream Veruschka was.
Harlow‘s berry/magenta hue has glow that looks like I’m wearing fabric on my nails. With a glossy top coat it reminds me of one of my fave OPI Designer Series polish, Extravagance, minus the holographic glitter.
The Zoya MatteVelvet Collection is on sale now. Polishes retail for $7/ea and can be purchased online at Zoya.com. To find a salon carrying Zoya near you, try their salon locator.

Who’s planning to get the Winter MatteVelvets? Who already bought them? What do you think of them? Have you discovered any tricks to making them last longer?

In case you were wondering, the mint green train isn’t stopping anytime soon. I know some of you feel it’s too light for Fall/Winter but I’m so all over it, I can’t stand it! In fact, Essie is introducing her twist on the minty nail trend in her candy-themed Winter 2009 collection. I had the privilege of meeting Essie backstage at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. In fact, I saw her two days in a row. How crazy is that? A friend introduced me in the backstage area and we chatted for a few and then the next day she hosted a press event for the limited edition Capri Blue polish she created for MBFW. That’s when I first laid eyes on the Winter colors and you KNOW I fixated on that green. Get all the details and see the colors, after the jump!

First of all, let me say that Essie is a doll to chat with. I was uber-intimidated to meet such a giant in the polish industry and her statuesque figure only adds to her presence. She’s one tall drink of water. But my butterflies were unwarranted because Essie is very down-to-earth, extremely inviting and so in love with color. When asked what colors she loves to wear, Essie admitted that while she’s normally a Bordeaux girl when it comes to her toes, she wore Lacquered Up all summer. And because she spends a lot of her time in meetings, she prefers to keep her fingernails pretty and safe. She wears combinations of sheers and pales, changing her look each week. Some fave combos include Ballet Slippers with Mademoiselle and Fed Up with Blushing Bride though she’s currently loving Mademoiselle with Blushing Bride.

For Fashion Week she collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to create a polish to match their Capri Blue metallic paint. Essie Capri Blue was available exclusively in the Mercedes-Benz backstage lounge but you can get a similar look wearing Midnight Cami from the Fall Cuddle With Color collection.

For Winter, Essie wanted something whimsical, fun and refreshing. She created these confections with that in mind.

Rock Candy is your typical Essie pink sheer. It’s a bit milky and I ended up using three coats to get it even. You know I’m not one for sheers so it’s not really my style.
Lollipop is unique in that it applied like a glaze. Not jelly-ish and not creamy more like a lip gloss. Though in spite of its texture the color is opaque in two coats. Very unusual and candy-like for such a traditional red hue.
Mint Candy Apple is the pièce de résistance. You know how I’ve swooned over the other mint greens to date and this one is in a class all its own. This really does look like pastel after dinner mints. Oh how I love those. So delicious and melty in your mouth. This beauty is creamy, slightly blue and unfortunately for your wallets, utterly unique. Even though it took three coats for a completely even, opaque finish, I. Don’t. Care. It’s gorgeous!

I swatched it next to every mint green I own and not a one comes close. Lined up against its predecessors it totally stands out.

What do we think Fanatics? Who’s up for mint green-a-palooza this winter?

The matte train keeps on rolling through. Get ready for three more MatteVelvet shades from Zoya including a GREEN. You know that makes my heart go pitter pat. Considering how pretty the Fall shades are, in spite of their wear issues, I’m sure these will be just as gorg.

The ZOYA color experts have done it again!

Introducing three new LIMITED EDITION, exclusive MATTEVELVET* shades for Winter 2009/2010…

MATTEVELVET WINTER

Savita – plum gray matte shimmer
Harlow – rose matte shimmer
Veruschuka – evergreen matte shimmer

The incredible Zoya MATTEVELVET* shade collection has been expanded with three new LIMITED EDITION beauties. Get all of the color, none of shine with MATTEVELVET*, Zoya’s exclusive blend of matte base and subtle shimmer resulting in utterly wearable and truly stylish nail polish.

*MATTEVELVET nail color by Zoya is not intended to be worn with a base coat, top coat or speed dryer of any kind. Due to the unique matte formulation, color is not as long-wearing as traditional nail color. A completely clean, dry nail surface yields the best results for matte nail color wear. For best results make sure to always prepare nail with Zoya Remove + (3-in-1 nail polish remover, nail plate cleaner and new color prep.) prior to applying color.

MATTEVELVET polishes retail for $6/ea and release on September 15th but you can Pre-Order them now on Zoya.com. ***FYI – the price will increase to $7/ea in October so get your orders in now.

What are we thinking Fanatics? Are you itching for more Zoya mattes?

Exciting news fanatics! I’ve been dying to share this beyond thrilling development with all of you. For the past I don’t know how many months, I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with top Celebrity Manicurist, Barielle Spokesperson and Shades by Barielle Creative Director, Elle, to create their fall and winter collections!! Can you even? Seriously, it’s like a dream come true. Believe me, if you had told me that someday I’d be dreaming up polish colors for a major brand like Barielle, I would have slapped you silly.

After spending a week backstage at New York Fashion Week and talking trends with Elle, we came up with 12 amazing straight-from-the-runway shades that will blow your mind. We just finalized the names last week and I’m hoping to have the finished polishes to show you soon. I’ve seen samples and let me tell you, they’re GORG.

Now you know because it’s named after ALU that there’s a green, right? And if I said gray, would that surprise you? Well, you haven’t seen a gray like this. And if I told you I named a color Falling Star could you imagine what that might look like? I wish I could spill more but I’ll let you salivate on that for now. More deets to come soon. I promise!