China Glaze Immaterial Gurl

You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
A material, a material, a material, a material world
Material Girl lyrics by Peter Brown & Robert Rans

Even though Madonna's song was about materialism and not fabric, it's hard for me not to look at the imMaterial Gurl collection from China Glaze without hearing those lyrics in my head. I can't sing to save my life but in the comfort of my polish room, I was belting it out like a champ while testing these shades.

A collection of six textile themed cremes, the imMaterial Gurl nail polishes are a girly change of pace compared to their bolder Spring/Summer offerings, Ink and Ecollection. With a diverse range of hues to flatter most skin tones, rich pigmentation and a high gloss shine, these are not what I'd call "must have" colors but they're definitely good staple shades to round out your collection.

For the most part the formula was spot on. Two coats for perfect, even coverage. The only notable exceptions are Second-hand Silk and Heirloom Organza. The consistency was a bit thicker and not as flowy so, I had to use three coats. All shades are shown without a top coat, just their natural glossiness.

Second-hand Silk

Mom's Chiffon

Heirloom Organza

Vintage Crepe

Atelier Tulle

Designer Satin

The imMaterial Colleciton is available now and can be purchased online from 8ty8Beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com. China Glaze is also carried in ULTA and Sally Beauty Supply stores but call for seasonal collection availability.

Orly Color I.D. 2

Orly has introduced another Color I.D. collection; colors that are supposed to "beautify and enhance natural skin tones."

The colors are (l-r): Truly Tangerine, Fabulous Flamingo, Lovely Lilac, Precisely Poppy, Beautiful Blush and Wonderful Wisteria

I've always considered myself light medium/medium but that lilac color does not appeal to me at all. I've tried lilacs before and they make me look deathly. Maybe they should have split the collection into two parts, one for warm skin tones and one for cool skin tones. I love to wear corals like Precisely Poppy but, that's because I'm warm. I don't know that the same color would work on a cool skin tone.

What do you think of the shade meant for your skin tone?

NYX Cosmetics

As I was reorganizing my stash I came across my small collection of NYX polishes. It's been so long since I've worn any of them, I almost forgot I had them. NYX isn't the easiest line to come across. I've read about people finding them in stores but I've never seen them in person. I order mine directly from NYX's website.

If you never tried an NYX polish, I highly recommend them. They have a huge color range; brights, sheers, glitters, pales, etc. The bottles have a wide brush, similar to OPI's, that makes application so much better. In fact, I believe that they had the wide brush way before OPI introduced theirs.

If you order directly from NYX, you will only be charged $3/bottle, not the $4 posted on the site. Shipping is fast and very reasonable. I ordered 10 polishes and only paid 6 dollars and some change for shipping.

The My Diva's Closet website also sells NYX and they have MUCH better pictures than NYX does. They charge $4/bottle so I only visit for the pictures. Here is my NYX collection.

Lippmann

At DramaQueenie's request I swatched some of my other Lippmann polishes. Of the four, Nefertiti is the only color that I consider truly unique. That being said, they all have a great depth of color and offer 2 coat coverage. The application is flawless. It flows from the brush so well that I hardly need to think about what I'm doing.


Black Coffee is just a bit lighter than my bottle of Misa Chocolate Icing and a bit more bronze. Chocolate Icing is supposed to be a dupe for Lippmann Brown Eyed Girl. I would say they're different enough to own both Brown Eyed Girl and Black Coffee but I would probably say that to justify the purchase regardless.


Nefertiti is an understated gold. It's more matte with micro sparkles that only come out in the light. It's a way of doing gold without doing GOLD. For comparison sake, I would say that OPI I Get A Kick Out of Gold is more champagne.


Love For Sale is my least favorite of the group. It's pretty but not something I would recommend. There are so many interesting shades from Lippmann that if you need a purpley wine shade, save your money and get a less expensive brand. Possibly something like OPI Don't Wine... Yukon Do It! or China Glaze Drama Queen.


Makin' Whoopee is a color I received as a bonus in mini size. I wasn't expecting it which makes it all the more fun. It's not a color I would have picked but I'm glad I have it. It leaves a very glassy finish, even without a topcoat and has an amazing glow about it. I've been racking my brain and can't come up with a comparison for it. Feel free to make suggestions for twins to this and any of the colors.


Finally, a bottle pic. If only I had 6 fingers to swatch them all on one hand.

You can purchase Lippmann products directly from their website, at fine department stores (e.g. Nordstrom & Neiman Marcus), Bath & Body Works Flagship stores and online from the B&BW website.

Essie Spring '07

Even though I'm not an Essie fan, in the interest of fairness to all brands, I present their spring collection. I must admit, I do like the Mod theme they have going on and I'll probably pick up a bottle of Guchi Muchi Puchi & Pinkadelic for the names alone.

Anyone that was disappointed with last years brights will be a happy camper this year.

And, can I get that bottle-heeled shoe? That would get me to rush to the stores.



Names are (l-r): Cool Lots, Guchi Muchi Puchi, Jackie Oh My, Mini How High, Mod Squad, Pinkadelic