Goldfinger.
He's the man, the man with the midas touch.
A spider's touch.
Such a cold finger.
Beckons you to enter his web of sin
But don't go in.
Golden words he will pour in your ear,
But his lies can't disguise what you fear,
For a golden girl knows when he's kissed her,
It's the kiss of death from
Mister Goldfinger.
Pretty girl beware of this heart of gold
This heart is cold.
Goldfinger Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
For Fall 2008 CHANEL Makeup's Global Creative Director, Peter Philips, took his inspiration from Coco Chanel's apartment on Rue Cambon. A collection that includes rich berries and luxurious golds, the most buzzed about product is the Facettes D'or Nail Colour in Gold Fiction. Though it's not the color itself that is causing jaws to flap, it's the $30 price tag.
Chanel attributes the higher cost to the ingredients and from what I can tell Silica and Tin Oxide are the only ingredients that aren't found in other Chanel nail polishes I own. While I am unsure about the cost of silica, I do know that tin oxide is rather expensive and is likely the cause of the price increase.
Gold Fiction is pure molten 24 karat bars for your nails. It's one of the truest gold shades I've seen, not dirty or too yellow. The application is flawless and in spite of its metallic appearance, brush strokes are minimal if at all visible. The opaque bottle will protect light from damaging the pigments but prevent you from knowing how much is left. 
Gold Fiction may be the color everyone is dying to see but Kaleidoscope gets my vote for best of the collection. I LOVE this shade more than my luggage. The name is so apropos for this chameleon-eque sparkler. Described as a green-gold this shade ranges from pewter to antique gold depending on the light but the shimmer is what really makes this one unique. It's as if a layer of superfine pixie dust covers each nail, similar to the glitz of Flamingo but even more dazzling. Two coats to perfection and no brush marks. Honestly, I can't rave enough about this one and I'm so not into golds.
I wish I could give Fantastic the same praise but there just isn't anything standout about this deep wine shade. It's a pretty polish with subtle tonal shimmer that flows smoothly on the nail. And with the gold and berry trend seeming apparent for Fall, I'm sure this will fit right in.
OK so I know the comments are coming. The raves for the colors but complaints about price and while I would love to debate this, I'm standing back and letting all of you battle it out. Let's face it, with the press Gold Fiction is getting, the Chanel label, limited edition status and stunning color, this baby will sell out. So you can either jump on the bandwagon or wave as it goes by (your wallet intact).
The Fall 2008 Makeup Collection including Gold Fiction ($30), Kaleidoscope ($20) & Fantastic ($20) will be on counter and available at Chanel.com in July.
So I'll leave you with a little Shirley Bassey. Even though there are a few of her Goldfinger performances floating around, I love her appearance on The Muppet Show best. Everything is better with Muppets.
Chanel Fall 2008 - Gold Fiction & Company
Chanel Fall Sneek Peek
The big beauty story in today's Women's Wear Daily is about Chanel's fall collection. It's the first collection for the new creative director of makeup Peter Philips and he's taking Chanel GOLD!
The collection's nail colour, Gold Fiction, will be quite a departure from what we've been seeing from Chanel. There's no "satin" in the name, the packaging will be opaque and the price tag has significantly incresed; $30! No that's not a misprint, the lacquer will retail for $30 due to the high-end pigments used to create the shade and the opaque gold case.
Christine Dagousset executive vice president of Fragrance and Beauté for Chanel describes Gold Fiction as "...a soft honey gold, not a sparkling bright gold. It’s very wearable and very modern."
What do you think? Is Gold the next big nail polish color? What about the hefty price tag? Justified? Too high?
OPI Spring 2008 Collection - India
OPI, you don't know this but we've been broken up for some time now. The fighting began when you revamped your formula last spring. The inconsistencies in every collection since Australia has been frustrating. I understand the pressure to go Big 3 Free but sacrificing quality in order to satisfy the protesters was a bad call if you ask me. Of course our fight occurred entirely in my head but I'm sure you'll be happy to know that we've called a truce.
Why the change of heart? Well, two reasons really.
1. You finally delivered a navy blue shimmer that actually looks navy. No purple undertones. Not just another blue-black. Yoga-ta Get This Blue, it's like you knew I needed you.
2. You realized that I was not the only unhappy camper in regards to formula and you found a way to deliver pigmented, streak-free, non-goopy cremes.
The OPI India Collection for Spring 2008 made me remember what it was that caused me to fall for OPI in the first place. How compared to all the drugstore brands of polish I had used, there was a line that applied smooth and even with a beautiful range of colors. My first OPI obsession was the classic; I'm Not Really A Waitress. My latest; Yoga-ta Get This Blue.
With a color range pulled from the fashion and culture of India, this collection is filled with vibrant pinks and reds, rich berries and luxurious metallics. Do I think every shade is utterly unique and rave-worthy? No but let's get real girls. Us hardcore nail fanatics are a finicky group to please. I say formula improvements are a good step. Giving us the next Rainforest would be a fabulous and giant leap.
So this formula I am raving about, is it really that different? I wouldn't testify in a court of law but, to me, there really is a noticeable improvement. I can't find the change in the ingredient list but I'm telling you, something happened. With a couple exceptions, every shade applied like a dream. And disregarding the two sheers, these lacquers are highly pigmented requiring no more than two coats. Each image below was taken without a top coat and only two layers of lacquer.
Black Cherry Chutney - a blackened red with subtle shimmer for depth. In most lighting all you see are a few specs of shimmer and otherwise it's just another almost black berry. The brush on mine has a few bent strands so that affected application. I hope it was just the brush but I can't promise anything.
Charmed by a Snake - a lighter bronze, more appropriate for Spring. The champagne shimmer keeps this shade from being too warm and too Fall. Definitely one of my favorites.
Curry Up Don't Be Late! - I'm not gonna lie, this will be a hard shade to pull off. Brushed yellow gold is too much for my pale skin but, I would think with a faux tan or darker skin tone this shade could really pop. 
ElePhantastic Pink has been creating a buzz before it even hit shelves. It's the shade I've received the most inquiries about. A bold carnation pink creme, this isn't for the demure pink wearer.
Get Me to the Taj on Time - is a safe opalescent semi-sheer. Yes, it applies well but we've seen this before.
I'm Indi-a Mood for Love - a hot pink creme that leans towards blue, giving it a slight purple undertone.
Keys to My Karma is your basic maraschino cherry red creme. This one has a lot of pink in its base and needs two coats to achieve the bottle shade. It's a good staple color but not something you need. Still I'm feeling the urge to pull out my reds again.
Lunch at the Delhi has been dubbed a "coral" but I'm not seeing it. If anything, I think of it as a dusty, muted red. Yes, it's warm and orange based but not the pinky peach I typically think of when I hear coral. Sometimes an OPI description is so far off from what I'm seeing, I wonder if I'm colorblind. What shade do you see?
MonSooner or Later is a tomato red creme. Orange and red combine to create this glossy confection. I can totally see this on toes at the beach.
Moon Over Mumbai - get on the gray train now before it runs you over, leaving you face first in the dust. Of course the uber-chic nail boarders over at Makeup Alley have been frankening their own grays for months now but if you don't want to make your own, here's a nice soft version to ease you into the trend.
Royal Rajah Ruby is the other vampy berry shade included in India. A rich wine shimmer, this shade would have made me take notice had it been a bit lighter. It just doesn't stand out in the crowd. The shimmer adds character but no real charm.
Yoga-ta Get this Blue! - I saved the best for last. I had to keep you scrolling. From the very second I got my hands on this shade I've been talking it up to anyone who would listen. Deeper and richer than Blue My Mind from the 2005 Brights yet lighter than all the 2007 OPI blues, Yoga-ta is everything I've been wanting a navy to be. It's visibly blue in most lighting situations which is something many of the blues that came before it have failed to achieve. In the simplest of terms, it's perfect.
The OPI India collection is available in stores and online now and retails for $8.50 ($9.95 CAN). No that's not a misprint, there was a price increase.
Now let's hear from you? What are you loving/hating, buying/passing on?
Comparisons are in the works but before I finish, are there any requests? I already have down Ms. DQ2's desire for a China Glaze X comp but what else do you want to see? I can't fulfill all your demands but I'll do my best to please the majority.
OPI Holiday in Hollywood: Dazzling Darks & Neutrals
When I think of glitz and glam, my mind immediately drifts to Hollywood, award shows and the red carpet. For Holiday 2007 OPI takes us there with the Holiday in Hollywood Collection. It includes two distinct sets of six polishes: Dazzling Darks & Neutrals and Glamour Reds.
The Dazzling Darks & Neutrals are up first. The Glamour Reds are soon to follow.
Stars in My Eyes is a semi-sheer sparkly silver. What you see below is two thin coats. I'm sure a third coat would make it completely opaque. As I was applying Stars in My Eyes and the majority of the sparklers in this collection I noticed a great multi-colored shimmer in the lacquer but it doesn't appear on the nail. Instead this shade has a slightly pinkish cast and amazing depth. It dries semi-matte so if you really want to put on the glitz, add a super shiny top coat.
Hollywood Blonde is my surprise of the collection. I totally didn't expect to like, let alone love, this shade. From the few pics I'd seen of it online, it looked like a blah nude. Wow was I wrong. A glistening nudish pink semi-sheer, this is my kind pale. The gold shimmer gives it depth and a fairy dust quality. I would totally rock this on my tips or toes for a holiday party. I love when a polish blows my expectations out of the water.
I'd Like To Thank... is described by OPI as a "copper shimmer." I don't know what Suzi has been smoking but I see no copper here. I'd Like To Thank is a duo-chrome; a shade that changes from one shade to another depending on the lighting. This one changes from a mid-tone peachy pink a deep golden rose thanks to the magical gold metallic shimmer. This is a shade I'd say is more suited to warm skin tones. The only real downside of this color is that the metallic quality made my brush strokes more apparent.
My Big Break has the same consistency and duo chrome effect as I'd Like To Thank. And the same visible brush stroke issue but it's not nearly as visible. There is a small amount of green shimmer in the formula that shows up on the nail at certain angles. Overall it's a lovely berry rose shade that leans towards a deep lilac depending on the light.
Have You Seen My Limo? gets the prize for most unique. Yet another duo-chrome, the deep grape base has silver and green shimmer that allows the shade to transform from reddish purple to a dark silvery plum. I really hope OPI adds this to their permanent Classic Collection.
Who Are You Wearing? is a tough color to accurately capture. I must have shot 40+ images of it and I still had to add swatch shots from other images to give you an idea of how truly cool this polish is. When I first saw online swatches of it I thought it was just another blue, like OPI Ink or Russian Navy but, oh no it's so much more! The final duo-chrome in this collection, Who Are You Wearing? has a red shimmer that only appears in warm indoor lighting. Otherwise it's a battle between the blue shimmer and the purple base as to which color you'll see. The purple being the hardest to capture digitally. This is a shade you MUST see for yourself.
The Holiday In Hollywood collection is available now at professional salons, including Ulta, Trade Secret, Regis, Pure Beauty, JCPenney, Dillard’s, Beauty First, and Beauty Brands.Now it's time for you to weigh in. Which shades have you drooling? Which ones have you bought? What's on your wish list? What didn't work for you? Any lemmings killed?
MAC Holiday 2007 - Antiquitease
The first of the highly anticipated MAC Holiday collections is now available on the MACCosmetics.com website. The Antiquitease Colour collection not only includes some gorgeous mineral eyeshadow duos that I'll have to snag but, also two new nail lacquers.
The line will be in stores tomorrow (October 18th). I'll be reviewing the lacquers soon but for now, here are some teaser pics courtesy of MAC.
Zoya Holiday 2007 - Utopia
Releasing in November for the holiday season, the Utopia collection from Zoya is a group of fun, bold shimmering metallic shades that will add a splash of color and glitz to those dreary gray winter days. And All Lacquered Up is fortunate to be the very first to see it, outside of the Art of Beauty family.
This is going to sound silly but whenever I hear the word Utopia I think of that Drew Barrymore movie Ever After. It's a feminist take on the tale of Cinderella and in it the heroine (played by Drew) loves the book Utopia by Thomas More. I still have my copy of Ever After on VHS and even though I haven't had a VHS player hooked up in years, I refuse to get rid of it. I love that movie.
Ok, so either someone at Zoya loves me or green nails is a trend that I didn't see coming. Of all the jewels tones green is the color I least expected to become mainstream. Outside of our small online nail community I've never seen anyone else wearing it. But you certainly won't hear me complaining. Bring on the greens!
My one and only complaint with this collection is the pigmentation. The majority of the lacquers needed three coats to become completely opaque and achieve the bottle shade. Similar to Suvi and Kotori from the Downtown Collection. I wonder if it's because the extra pigment would thicken the formula and Zoya's polish is already thicker than the typical non-Big 3 Free brands.
Austine is a muted brushed gold. On the nail it has the appearance hammered metal and the silver shimmer keeps the color from becoming too peach. Austina is more metallic than shimmery which sets it apart from the other shades in Utopia but thankfully it doesn't affect application.
Tama is the least "me" shade of the bunch. I'm not anti-pink or brights but I feel there's something in this shade that doesn't work with my skin tone. It's a pretty color and definitely more rosy in the sun but it's just not something I would intentionally buy for myself.
Kamilah is luscious crimson shade with a hint of gold shimmer that comes out in sunlight. As you can see in the individual swatch pics of this and some of the other shades, these polishes seem to have a slight duochrome effect. The color doesn't completely change but it's definitely more intense in direct light.
In the bottle Juno looks very much like a duochrome. The polish looks blue all along the edges of the bottle, similar to how Ki looks in the bottle. However on the nail, the blue isn't that apparent which is a shame. A purple/blue duochrome would be amazing. Of all the purples I have, I feel that Juno will make my top 10 for sure, possibly even top 5. It has incredible depth, pigmentation and gloss. If you love purple, get Juno.
Akyra reminds me of a peacock feather. It's not as bright but in the same vein. In the sun the green takes dominance and it's the green that makes Akyra different than Kotori.
I saved the best for last. Irene is a stunning mossy sage green sprinkled with gold shimmer. This green is probably better suited to warm skin tones but a shade this gorgeous should not be limited by skin coloring. In case you haven't guessed, this is my #1 pick from Utopia and a must have for anyone that loves or appreciates the beauty of green polish.
Which polishes will you be adding to your wish list?
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.
