Archive for the 'Yellow' Category
 Erin Lucas of MTV’s The City is a celebrity nail fanatic to keep your eye on. After spotting her multi-colored manicure a few weeks back, I’ve been keeping tabs of this gorgeous gal’s appearances to see what her nails are up to. When I saw this red carpet image from a recent launch party, I just had to know what she was wearing. You all know that I’m on the Yellow Nail Trend kick so seeing celebs that aren’t afraid to rock a unique nail impresses me.
On a whim I tweeted Erin (who isn’t on Twitter these days?) to tell her how much I love her yellow mani and to ask about the color. I honestly wasn’t expecting a reply but you can imagine how thrilled I was that she Direct Messaged me back. Thanks Erin!
Can you guess what polish she’s wearing? My initial guess was WRONG. Find out after the jump! |
 I was dead certain that Erin had on Essie Shorty Pants but it was another Essie, Funky Limelight, that graced her tips. It just goes to show how poorly neons photograph. They’re never true to life, even with a professional photographer taking the shot. |
Essie Funky Limelight is a retina-searing neon green-yellow. Take a yellow hi-lighter to your tips and you’ll get the idea. It’s so bright it hurts my feelings. There’s no WAY you won’t be noticed wearing this one. Though be forewarned, this baby is a problem child to the Nth degree. I gave up trying to get it even and streak free after the 4th coat so I just slapped on a top coat to make it glossy (neons dry matte) and called it a day.
Essie Funky Limelight is part of Essie’s ’09 Neon collection. It’s available now online at Essie.com and in professional salons like ULTA, Regis, Trade Secret, etc.
So what do we think of this kind of in-your-face yellow? Those of you that own it can testify to how much brighter it is in person. How was your experience with the color?
image credit: Wire Image
 Last week I showed you the first half of the new Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition collection and now I’m wrapping up the back end and including a couple comparisons for you.
I should note that I was not aware that there are actually eight shades in the collection. A reader pointed out that I am missing a pink named Digital. I incorrectly assumed that Opulent Cloud was the eighth polish in this lineup but it will actually launch closer to fall. Check out the rest of the colors, after the jump! |
Lite has got to be one of my favorite yellows of late. It’s the yellow brick road in a bottle. I love how it glows on the nail and its pigmentation is way more impressive than its HD sisters.
Looking through my collection of yellows, OPI Lemonade Stand By Your Man is a very close twin to Lite. The only major difference is opacity. After three coats, the OPI still has a VNL (visible nail line). And just for funsies I threw in China Glaze Yell-O-Neil which is way more French’s mustard than the rest.
Three D is a warm coral that flashes hot pink. It’s not quite as vibrant as the other HDs and therefore not really wow-tastic. Of all the colors in this collection, this is the one I’d pass on.
Hi Res is much more rosy in person and extremely vivid, not an easy one to capture. It’s packed with pigment so three coats were barely necessary, though I did it anyway for consistency.
After seeing Blu in part one, reader moonchaii asked to see it next to Illamasqua Fern and China Glaze Frostbite. I’d say it falls somewhere in between the two.
The Sally Hansen Hi-Definition Nail Color collection ($5.95) officially launches in July at drugstores and mass retailers like WalMart, KMart and Target though readers have already begun spotting them on shelves around the country.
So now that you’ve seen all the shades, which ones are your favorites? Which ones are a pass?
 Yellow is popping up everywhere these days. Celebs like Natalie Portman and Cassie have been spotted recently sporting bright yellow manicures. And who could forget Rihanna’s lemon smiley faces from last winter (below)?
Granted, yellow isn’t exactly new for nails. We’ve been talking about it here since ALU began and the writers over at one of my fave daily reads, the Nylon Blog, have been obsessing over it since early 2008 but it seems that right now, yellow is having its moment. |
 The only major downside is that yellow is not an easy color to pull off. Wearing it will draw attention and choosing the wrong shade can make you look downright sickly. On the upside, a punch of lemon on your tips or toes can be the perfect accent to your summer wardrobe. Are you ready to make the leap and try the trend for yourself? Then you’ve come to the right place. My top yellow polishes are listed after the jump. |
 They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Last summer, the image of Selma Blair in InStyle rocking Chanel L.A. Sunrise from the Robertson Boulevard Collection was worth way more than a thousand bottles as nail fanatics flew to scoop one up the day it went on sale. This fanatic even went so far as to order two, the first time in years I’ve bought a backup.
Soft, buttery shades like this one are definitely the most flattering form of yellow and the least intimidating for newbies to the bright nail scene. You can still pick up a bottle of L.A. Sunrise on Chanel.com or opt for one of the alternatives below. |
Chanel L.A. Sunrise, $25, Chanel.com
Rescue Beauty Lounge Square Pants, $18, RescueBeauty.com
Finger Paints Yellow Bikini, $4.99, Sally Beauty Supply
OPI Banana Bandanna, $8.95 (Coming Soon)
 Each year Pantone, the authority on color, names its Color of The Year and for 2009 it’s Mimosa. A warm, golden shade chosen for the hope and reassurance it expresses, I was bit leery of Mimosa leaking over into the polish world. It’s a bit too warm for my skintone making me look sallow but against olive or dark skin it’s fantastic. My top rec’s for Mimosa-esque shades are… |
CND Hot Pop Yellow, $2.99, Head2ToeBeauty.com
China Glaze Solar Power, $2.60, TransDesign.com
OPI The “It” Color, $4.48, 8ty8Beauty.com
Finally, if you’re ready to throw caution to the wind and really go for it with something sunny and vibrant, you can’t miss with one of these beauties.
Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever, $18, RescueBeauty.com
Misa Happy Happy, $3, Head2ToeBeauty.com
Barielle Lemon Drops, $8, Barielle.com
How do you feel about yellow nails? Is it the hot color of the summer or too scary for words? Do you have a fave I overlooked? Let us know in the comments.
| Yellow is popping up everywhere these days. Celebs like Natalie Portman and Cassie have been spotted recently sporting bright yellow manicures. And who could forget Rihanna’s lemon smiley faces from last winter (below)?
Granted, yellow isn’t exactly new for nails. We’ve been talking about it here since ALU began and the writers over at one of my fave daily reads, the Nylon Blog, have been obsessing over it since early 2008 but it seems that right now, yellow is having its moment. |
| The only major downside is that yellow is not an easy color to pull off. Wearing it will draw attention and choosing the wrong shade can make you look downright sickly. On the upside, a punch of lemon on your tips or toes can be the perfect accent to your summer wardrobe. Are you ready to make the leap and try the trend for yourself? Then you’ve come to the right place. My top yellow polishes are listed after the jump. |
| They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Last summer, the image of Selma Blair in InStyle rocking Chanel L.A. Sunrise from the Robertson Boulevard Collection was worth way more than a thousand bottles as nail fanatics flew to scoop one up the day it went on sale. This fanatic even went so far as to order two, the first time in years I’ve bought a backup.
Soft, buttery shades like this one are definitely the most flattering form of yellow and the least intimidating for newbies to the bright nail scene. You can still pick up a bottle of L.A. Sunrise on Chanel.com or opt for one of the alternatives below. |
Chanel L.A. Sunrise, $25, Chanel.com
Rescue Beauty Lounge Square Pants, $18, RescueBeauty.com
Finger Paints Yellow Bikini, $4.99, Sally Beauty Supply
OPI Banana Bandanna, $8.95 (Coming Soon)
| Each year Pantone, the authority on color, names its Color of The Year and for 2009 it’s Mimosa. A warm, golden shade chosen for the hope and reassurance it expresses, I was bit leery of Mimosa leaking over into the polish world. It’s a bit too warm for my skintone making me look sallow but against olive or dark skin it’s fantastic. My top rec’s for Mimosa-esque shades are… |
CND Hot Pop Yellow, $2.99, Head2ToeBeauty.com
China Glaze Solar Power, $2.60,
le="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.transdesign.com/">TransDesign.com
OPI The “It” Color, $4.48, 8ty8Beauty.com
Finally, if you’re ready to throw caution to the wind and really go for it with something sunny and vibrant, you can’t miss with one of these beauties.
Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever, $18, RescueBeauty.comMisa Happy Happy, $3, Head2ToeBeauty.comBarielle Lemon Drops, $8, Barielle.comHow do you feel about yellow nails? Is it the hot color of the summer or too scary for words? Do you have a fave I overlooked? Let us know in the comments.
 I love getting little boxes in the mail. Some of you may recall that the boyfriend dubbed me, L.B. after all the “little boxes” that end up on our doorstep due to my fanaticism. So when I came home to not one but two little boxes in the same week from the Rescue Beauty Lounge sales, you can imagine my delight. Tearing through packages to uncover my new treasures. Wanna see what I hauled? Check out the first half after the jump! |
Bikini Bottom is a sweet, watery, pastel blue jelly. It’s not intended to opaque so just be warned that it takes a good four coats to look as it does below. The whole Spongebob inspired collection was meant to be worn sheer. I’m just not down with the sheer angle so I’ll weather the extra coats to get this gorgeous look.
Purple Haze surprised me. I expected it to be lighter, more lavendar (i.e. hideous) on me. I ordered anyway to see if I’d luck out with a winner. Luck out indeed!! I LURVE it!! The creamy, glossy finish. The mid-tone violet hue. It’s all working for me in a major way. How did I not own this sooner? How? The boyfriend says I look my best wearing purple and I actually own a top this shade that he loves me in so I know he’ll love this on me too.
Don’t be fooled by the pictures, Yellow Fever is a problem child. I’ve never had a RBL shade give me application issues until this baby walked into my life. Love the shade, love the slightly shimmery finish. LOVE! But what I don’t love is the three coats and streaking I encountered. It’s not insurmountable, obviously, I was just disappointed.
I’ll be sharing the second half of my haul with you soon but in the meantime… for those of you that ordered from the RBL sale, how are you liking your hauls? Which shade made you all giddy-like? Share!
Erin Lucas of MTV’s The City is a celebrity nail fanatic to keep your eye on. After spotting her multi-colored manicure a few weeks back, I’ve been keeping tabs of this gorgeous gal’s appearances to see what her nails are up to. When I saw this red carpet image from a recent launch party, I just had to know what she was wearing. You all know that I’m on the Yellow Nail Trend kick so seeing celebs that aren’t afraid to rock a unique nail impresses me.
I was dead certain that Erin had on Essie Shorty Pants but it was another Essie, Funky Limelight, that graced her tips. It just goes to show how poorly neons photograph. They’re never true to life, even with a professional photographer taking the shot.
Essie Funky Limelight is part of Essie’s ’09 Neon collection. It’s available now online at Essie.com and in professional salons like ULTA, Regis, Trade Secret, etc.
