The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
A sweet reader, Faye, emailed me quite some time ago about how she visited the L’oreal Company Store and spotted two GREEN Shu Uemura nail polishes that I just had to have. I was floored and flattered that she thought of me and was kind enough to send them my way. The generosity of strangers, I tell you!
One of the polishes is a dark green creme a la NARS Zulu and the other is such a unique hue, words fail me to describe it. Take a peek after the jump!
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| The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
Last night I went to a screening of the Wizard of Oz with the winners of my giveaway courtesy of China Glaze. In select theaters across the country the film is being shown in Hi-Def to celebrate its 70th Anniversary. Being that I had never viewed the film on anything larger than a 27″ TV it was a thrill to see Judy Garland singing on the big screen. In lieu of the standard previews they showed a whole package about the making of the movie with casting info (I never knew Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man) and cast interviews. It was really cool. If you can find a screening in your area I highly suggest going.
Of course such an event requires a WoO themed manicure and naturally Dorothy Who? was my pick. Check it out along with a fun pic of me and the giveaway winners after the jump! |
You guys I can NOT WAIT until the Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection returns. Mainly so I can stop using my old bottle of Dorothy Who?. I love the old gal but she’s not in the best shape. I’d like to preserve her as is without attempting to add thinner. As you can see Dorothy Who? is a glitter packed gem.
Similar to Ruby Pumps the blue and silver glitter is suspended in a sheer electric blue base. It does dry with texture so you need a thicker high gloss top coat (ie Seche Vite) for a glass like finish. I just wish my camera could capture how truly magical this shade is. There is a fire and brilliance that the camera just doesn’t see.
Jammies, Heather, Julie, Me, Gena and ChristineHere we are pre-movie. Julie even wore sparkly red heels to match her
Ruby Pumps manicure. Though talk about a small world. I’ve known Julie via Facebook for a couple years now though we met for the first time backstage at Fashion Week and Julie did Gena’s nails for prom. I love those kind of random coincidences.
So who else is dying to see the new Wizard of Ooh Ahz polishes?? It’s got to be one of the most anticipated collections of the year. I just know it will be a sensation.
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
My Chanel Jade nail polish frenzy is growing. I am seriously dying to get my hands on the shade. I heard from a reader that it was on sale at Chanel.com for like a minute but I’m hoping that isn’t the last we’ll see of it (i.e. Tokyo Happening). UPDATE: I was misinformed. I am told that Jade will not be publicly released until September 10th.
To quell my fever I had to pull out one of my all time fave Chanels, Vert Sacrilege, for this week’s Archives. Check it out! |
I was lucky enough to score a bottle of Vert Sacrilege through a swap on MUA and even though it’s a tester and the formula is a little thin, I LURVE it! I mean, it’s a GREEN Chanel. A bottle of shimmery forest gorgeousness , what’s not to love? It’s like it was made for me. The shimmer is a bit metallic so there are tiny brush strokes but I can deal. I can more than deal, I’m just plain blind to them. I seriously wanted to hug the bottle when I got it.
Since we’re on such a matte kick and the new Zoya MatteVelvet green hasn’t yet arrived, I thought adding a layer of Nubar’s matte top coat would give me an idea of what’s to come. I almost prefer it mattified. What do you think?
Unfortunately, this is one of those really hard to find colors. Testers were still around on ebay a few years ago but it seems the well has run dry. If you find a hidden treasure trove somewhere, give us the heads up (after you buy yours of course).
So are there any other fanatics out there hoarding a bottle of Vert Sacrilege? Should we petition Chanel Creative Director Peter Philips to give us a dark green? Let’s here it!
The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
First of all, thank you to everyone who messaged, commented, tweeted me about my overly obvious absence. You’re so sweet to worry about me. I’ve been out the past three days due to a pinched nerve. It’s a recurring issue I’ve been dealing with for the past twelve years or so and when it flares up I just have to rest the pain away. I’m not 100% but I’m well enough to sit up for short periods of time. So while I’m feeling up to it, I thought I’d share a couple polishes from the Archives.
A while back I told you that Beauty.com is now carrying Pop Beauty Nail Glams and I ordered a few but never posted them. Check out Ocean and Mandarin after the jump!
Pop Beauty Nail Glams are 3 Free (including Formaldehyde Resin) though it seems that at some point the formula and packaging changed a bit as one bottle lists Camphor as an ingredient and the other doesn’t. So if Camphor is an issue for you, make sure you check the bottle. The formula on these were spot on; well pigmented, smooth and fairly thin in spite of its 3 Free status. Normally I show polishes with no top coat but because Mandarin is a neon, which dries matte, I threw on a glossy top coat.
Ocean is a vibrant ultramarine hue. The metallic shimmer does leave minor brush strokes but they’re not overly distracting. I ended up applying three thin coats but you could get away with two medium coats.
Mandarin is like a greased pig, VERY hard to capture. Imagine a radioactive slightly underripe orange and you get close to what this neon orange-yellow creme looks like in person. There are a lot of neons on the market and I HATE most of them for two very good reasons. 1. They are eye searingly painful to look at. 2. They apply terribly; thick, streaky nonsense. Mandarin is in its own class. If you’ve yet to find the perfect neon, try this!
Pop Beauty Nail Glams retail for $14 on Beauty.com
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Which of you have Nail Glams in your stash? What are your favorite colors? Do your bottles list Camphor as an ingredient and when did you buy it? Did I inspire any of you to snag some bottles for yourself? Share!
 The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
I’m not a regular Craigslist reader but for the heck of it I did a search last winter for nail polish. Much to my surprise there was a listing for a box of random polish for only $5. When I found out the seller lived two streets from me, I figured it couldn’t hurt to check it out. Let me say, it was TOTALLY worth it. I found a couple treasures in that box including a bottle of Chanel Metallic Vamp. Score!
Check out this fun discontinued find along with the current version of Vamp after the jump! |
Chanel Vamp first hit the scene in the early 90s and was an instant sell-out hit. Uma Thurman wearing it in Pulp Fiction only added it its cult status. Though back then Vamp was a creme. Then in 1995 they released Metallic Vamp and Very Very Vamp as sister shades similar to how there are multiple “Satins” in the Le Vernis lineup.
A few years back Chanel relaunched Vamp in the US but with shimmer. They also released a creme European version with the same product number (#18) only named Rouge Noir. Rouge Noir has been released here in sets but hasn’t been added to the perm lineup. So if you want the original 90s Vamp you want Rouge Noir. If you want a hint of shimmer get Vamp. Confused, you won’t be after this episode of Soap. Sorry, it just popped in my head. Did anyone else watch that show? Enough history, let’s check out the polish.
This is the current version of Vamp. It’s a deep berry with just a hint of shimmer. Though the shimmer is more apparent in the bottle than when it’s dry on the nail. For all intents and purposes, I’d consider it a creme. The formula applies perfectly. It flows so smoothly and is so well pigmented I wish I had more nails to paint.
And here’s my Craigslist gem, Metallic Vamp, a deep plum metallic. I would have paid more than $5 just for this one alone. Granted the formula isn’t at its best. It’s a bit goopy and brush stroke-y but as a collector I can overlook that. I may add a drop or two of thinner and see what happens. Regardless it’s a keeper.
Chanel Vamp retails for $23 and is available on Chanel.com and at most department stores both online and on counter.
How many of you own Vamp? Which version? Do you prefer it as a creme or shimmer? Anyone have a bottle of Very Very Vamp?
The ALU Archives focuses on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
