I wish I had been able to share these shades with you before they sold out on MAC's website. All this moving stuff is slowing me down. I didn't expect nail lacquers to be the only products from the Smoke Signals and Blue Storm collections to sell out (with the exception of one lipglass). Though considering how gorgeous they are, it's not overly surprising.
Being the bargain hunter that I am I generally don't look to MAC for my polish at $10/bottle but, I can't resist a pretty color. Which is why I covet my bottles of Vin Goth, Blue Sprinkles, Rose Topping and Tiger Tiger. And why I have a drawer filled with blue, green and purple MAC shadows even though I rarely wear makeup other than my everyday neutral look.
I have to thank the lovely and generous Julia from All About The Pretty for offering to send her samples of these four new lacquers to me.
First up, the Blue Storm shades.
Whirlwind is glorious. Even more so in person. There is no way to capture this incredible shade and do it justice. If you can still find this at your local MAC counter, buy it!! Even if you don't wear blues or greens, BUY IT!! It applies like a dream, has amazing shimmer and fire and is completely swoon-worthy.
Rainy Day is what I'd call a "great concept, poor execution". A beautiful stormy blue-gray is right up my alley. But making it a metallic chrome instead of a shimmer like Whirlwind was a mistake in my opinion. The application and it's finish filled with brush strokes disappointed me. This is a case where layering could save this beautious shade. I'll have to play with some combos.
Now on to Smoke Signals.
When I first read that MAC was coming out with a black with red shimmer I thought here we go, they're jumping on the Lubu Heels, RBL Revamp bandwagon. I've never been so happy to be wrong. Why Wildfire is described as having red shimmer, I'll never know. It's actually a plum shimmer that turns this black based polish into a sexy deep purple on the nail.
Nocturnelle is a repromote that originally debuted with the Nocturnelle collection in October 2006, right in the middle of the black polish craze. For a black creme, Nocturnelle represents well. It's highly pigmented, glossy and smooth. But, I couldn't in good conscience tell you to go buy Nocturnelle when there are plenty of similar black cremes in your local drugstore that look just as nice. Unless you specifically want MAC's formula, I say skip it.
Were any of you lucky enough to snag these beauties? Which ones are your favorites?
MAC Fall 2007
The Black Polish Trend
I wouldn't be a true polish fanatic if I didn't pay homage to the biggest trend to hit the polish world since Uma Thurman donned Chanel Vamp in Pulp Fiction. Chanel's introduction of Black Satin caused a frenzy like I have never seen. The insane eBay prices, the story about Sarah Michelle Gellar stealing one from a party, the waiting lists at Chanel counters for a re-release, it's madness. Pure madness. And with the release of Chanel's new black for spring, Noir Ceramic, the craze continues.
(l-to-r) Misa Stiletto, Milani Black Cherry, Zoya Yasmeen, OPI Lincoln Park At Midnight, OPI Black Tie Optional (DC'd)
(l-to-r) Revlon Dark Pleasures Talk Dirty, Creative NFS, Creative Blue Blood (DC'd), Misa Blueberry Glaze, China Glaze Up All Night, Revlon Dark Pleasures Midnight Affair
(l-to-r) OPI Espresso Your Style, Orly Talk Dirty, Creative Fedora, Sinful Colors Black on Black, Zoya Raven, Orly Goth, Misa Wishing On A StarA better shot
I think I'll be changing my polish today so I wanted to get a quick shot in some daylight. At almost 4 days, I see very little tip wear and one tiny chip but that's my fault. I'm going to continue with the Stickey Sandwich for now. Seems to be working. Now I just need to decide on what color to wear next. I've been on such a dark vampy kick, like everyone else but, I think my brights are calling me.
Nails of the Day (NOTD)
May I present Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot (created with Pat Benetar).
I recently won a couple auctions for some Lippmann polishes and I'm really loving the colors and the formula. I don't know that they're worth the $15 retail price tag but they were definitely worth the ebay price I paid. The seller is getting rid of her inventory so if you're interested, look up shadowvine13. She's running low on a lot of colors but there are still deals to be had.
I wish stupid Ohio would get some decent sunlight so I could truly capture the gunmetal glory of this polish. It's definitely not black and I love that shimmer shows up in most lighting.
Those of you that have this polish, do you know how it compares to Chanel Noir Ceramic? I refuse to give into the Chanel frenzy that their two black polishes have created to find out. I don't judge people that do but I can't give in. I'll be happy as a clam with my $5.50 Chanel Black Satin dupe, Zoya Raven. I dare someone to be able to tell the difference between the two. Spend the $5.50, find out for yourself.
Oh and I am trying a new method with this polish. I did the Stickey Sandwich. I used Creative Stickey base coat (a HG of mine), applied 3 coats of polish, another coat of Stickey and Seche Vite top coat. Sandwiching the polish between Stickey is supposed to extend the life of my mani. We'll see. I had to use Seche Vite, which is not a favorite of mine, because my Poshe got gross and goopy. Off to Sally's I go for a new bottle.
