Showing posts with label red. Show all posts
Showing posts with label red. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
More Del Sol Solar Color Change Polish
I no longer feel good about recommending this brand, so I've archived my review.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Lippmann Collection Summer 2009
Two new beauties from Lippmann Collection for summer 2009!
It's Raining Men. A super-bright red creme. This is one very flamboyant red. It's bright and flashy. I'm not sure if my picture captures the brightness of this color. It's a retro, sexy pinup girl red creme and I'm sure you could see this color from a mile away. I love it. I'm picturing it as a matching manicure, pedicure and lipstick with one of those hot retro red and white polka dot bathing suits.
Call Me Irresponsible. Rich purple jelly. Finally, a true purple jelly! This is an amazing polish. It is sheer but not the least bit streaky. It actually looks good with one coat. It builds opacity with each coat and reaches full opacity at four coats. Another interesting quality of this polish is that it seems to change color with each coat. First coat is reddish purple, second coat has more blue added, third coat it reaches a true purple shade and fourth coat it matches the bottle color. Very cool. This is the perfect shade of purple. It is bright enough to always look purple (not blue or black) and the jelly texture makes it really fascinating to look at.
The formula on these is perfect, as usual. I've never had a Lippmann polish with iffy formula, they are always nice and smooth. These also dry very quickly and have a shiny finish even without topcoat. No complaints on the formula.
Did you know that Lippmann Collection polishes contain Biotin and green tea? They do! I'm not sure how effective they are in such a small topical dose, but it's really cool to know that there are little extras in the formula. It also contains Aucoumea Klaineana resin extract, which is supposed to be a good nail strengthener and an alternative to formaldehyde. Here's a really interesting bit of information about the use of Okume resin in cosmetics.
Great colors, great formula, I only wish there were more of them! If I recall correctly, Lippmann Collection used to do sets of four for seasonal collections but now they seem to have switched to sets of two. Ah, well, I can't complain. They do manage to give us great colors every season and I think Call Me Irresponsible has satisfied a purple craving that no one else so far has.
Lippmann Collection Call Me Irresponsible and It's Raining Men are available now and can be purchased directly from their website and retail for $15 each.
It's Raining Men. A super-bright red creme. This is one very flamboyant red. It's bright and flashy. I'm not sure if my picture captures the brightness of this color. It's a retro, sexy pinup girl red creme and I'm sure you could see this color from a mile away. I love it. I'm picturing it as a matching manicure, pedicure and lipstick with one of those hot retro red and white polka dot bathing suits. 
Call Me Irresponsible. Rich purple jelly. Finally, a true purple jelly! This is an amazing polish. It is sheer but not the least bit streaky. It actually looks good with one coat. It builds opacity with each coat and reaches full opacity at four coats. Another interesting quality of this polish is that it seems to change color with each coat. First coat is reddish purple, second coat has more blue added, third coat it reaches a true purple shade and fourth coat it matches the bottle color. Very cool. This is the perfect shade of purple. It is bright enough to always look purple (not blue or black) and the jelly texture makes it really fascinating to look at.The formula on these is perfect, as usual. I've never had a Lippmann polish with iffy formula, they are always nice and smooth. These also dry very quickly and have a shiny finish even without topcoat. No complaints on the formula.
Did you know that Lippmann Collection polishes contain Biotin and green tea? They do! I'm not sure how effective they are in such a small topical dose, but it's really cool to know that there are little extras in the formula. It also contains Aucoumea Klaineana resin extract, which is supposed to be a good nail strengthener and an alternative to formaldehyde. Here's a really interesting bit of information about the use of Okume resin in cosmetics.
Great colors, great formula, I only wish there were more of them! If I recall correctly, Lippmann Collection used to do sets of four for seasonal collections but now they seem to have switched to sets of two. Ah, well, I can't complain. They do manage to give us great colors every season and I think Call Me Irresponsible has satisfied a purple craving that no one else so far has.
Lippmann Collection Call Me Irresponsible and It's Raining Men are available now and can be purchased directly from their website and retail for $15 each.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Rescue Beauty Lounge 50% off sale and Lippmann Gift With Purchase
Wanted to give you all a heads up on these awesome specials from two of my favorite brands!
First of all, Rescue Beauty Lounge is having a 50% off sale for a couple hours tomorrow. Stephanie at Polish Addict covers all the details in her post, so check it out to get the whole scoop!
Also, I know I'm a day late on this one, but Lippmann Collection is giving away the completely awesome Party Like A Rock Star kit with any $50 purchase. The email does not include a code to enter, so I'm assuming it will be automatically added to all orders $50 and over. I would mention it in the comments section just to be safe. This is also for a limited time- tomorrow is the last day to get the free kit!
Here are a few swatches to inspire you :)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Black Russian
Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm
Rescue Beauty Lounge Frugalista
Rescue Beauty Lounge Locavore
Rescue Beauty Lounge Look Rich, Be Cheap
Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle
Lippmann Collection Party Like A Rock Star Set
Lippmann Collection Whatever Lola Wants
Lippmann Collection Purple Rain
Lippmann Collection Maneater
Lippmann Collection It's Delovely
Lippmann Collection Pump Up The Jam
Lippmann Collection Shut Up And Drive
Lippmann Collection Rhapsody In White
Lippmann Collection Lady Marmalade
Lippmann Collection Fever
Lippmann Collection P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
First of all, Rescue Beauty Lounge is having a 50% off sale for a couple hours tomorrow. Stephanie at Polish Addict covers all the details in her post, so check it out to get the whole scoop!
Also, I know I'm a day late on this one, but Lippmann Collection is giving away the completely awesome Party Like A Rock Star kit with any $50 purchase. The email does not include a code to enter, so I'm assuming it will be automatically added to all orders $50 and over. I would mention it in the comments section just to be safe. This is also for a limited time- tomorrow is the last day to get the free kit!
Here are a few swatches to inspire you :)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Black Russian
Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm
Rescue Beauty Lounge Frugalista
Rescue Beauty Lounge Locavore
Rescue Beauty Lounge Look Rich, Be Cheap
Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle
Lippmann Collection Party Like A Rock Star Set
Lippmann Collection Whatever Lola Wants
Lippmann Collection Purple Rain
Lippmann Collection Maneater
Lippmann Collection It's Delovely
Lippmann Collection Pump Up The Jam
Lippmann Collection Shut Up And Drive
Lippmann Collection Rhapsody In White
Lippmann Collection Lady Marmalade
Lippmann Collection Fever
Lippmann Collection P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Orly Summer 2009 Tiki Time Collection
One more summer collection, this time it's a collection of four bright cremes from Orly.
(And yes, I know that some of my pictures are blurry! My camera can't seem to focus very well anymore...)
Calypso Breeze. A dreamy bright blue creme. I don't have much to say about this- the picture says it all. It's beautiful. It is somewhat similar to Essie Mesmerize, but I don't have them to compare side-by-side at the moment.
Mint Mojito. Bright mint green creme. This reminds me of the color of mint chocolate chip ice cream! It's more of a bright green-yellow than I had anticipated. I thought it might be a match for MAC Peppermint Patti, but when it arrived I realized I was wrong! It is much better and brighter in real life. I am in love with this color. Right on, Orly!!
Sol Cabana. Soft yet bright orange creme. This is a lot softer looking in real life- these pictures seem to make it look almost neon, but it reminds me more of orange juice. It is quite bright and colorful but still has a soft, almost pale look to it- this seems to contradict itself, but once you see it in real life, you'll understand what I'm trying to say!
Teeny Bikini. Ultra bright red creme. Is there such a thing as neon red? Because that's what I would call this. This red is SO BRIGHT. It stands out so much against my skintone that you can't help but stare at it. This is definitely an attention grabbing sort of color.
The formula on these was wonderful. Thin, smooth, no runny/thick three free formula like a lot of other Orly polishes have. Drying time was much faster than I'm used to for Orly. Maybe they're working on their formula a little?
These pictures are all three coats of polish. They were a little sheer due to the thin texture of the polish, but they looked decent at two coats. I wanted to be absolutely sure they were 100% opaque, so I did three coats. You could probably get away with two.
Other than Mint Mojito, none of these colors are entirely unique. You could probably find matches for them from multiple brands- right off the bat, three of the colors are pretty close to three from the Misa Living On The Fast Lane collection. But still, they're gorgeous and if you don't already own similar colors they're worth having in your collection.
Overall, this is an awesome collection. I love every single color. I love brights, I love blue, I love green, I love orange, so I knew this would at least have three things I liked. The red was a total surprise. I don't normally like red, I find it boring, predictable and overdone, but certain shades of red appeal to me. There are a few reds that I really love- Maybelline Juicy Tomato, OPI Vodka and Caviar, OPI Keys To My Karma, Zoya America, Essie Russian Roulette, Essie E! Live From The Red Carpet, and now this.
It's also a nice small collection- easy on the wallet. Even better, this collection comes in a set of minis as well! It's a cheaper way to try out the collection and I really appreciate that Orly is making it more affordable to try their colors. Minis rock.
(And yes, I know that some of my pictures are blurry! My camera can't seem to focus very well anymore...)
Calypso Breeze. A dreamy bright blue creme. I don't have much to say about this- the picture says it all. It's beautiful. It is somewhat similar to Essie Mesmerize, but I don't have them to compare side-by-side at the moment.
Mint Mojito. Bright mint green creme. This reminds me of the color of mint chocolate chip ice cream! It's more of a bright green-yellow than I had anticipated. I thought it might be a match for MAC Peppermint Patti, but when it arrived I realized I was wrong! It is much better and brighter in real life. I am in love with this color. Right on, Orly!!
Sol Cabana. Soft yet bright orange creme. This is a lot softer looking in real life- these pictures seem to make it look almost neon, but it reminds me more of orange juice. It is quite bright and colorful but still has a soft, almost pale look to it- this seems to contradict itself, but once you see it in real life, you'll understand what I'm trying to say!
Teeny Bikini. Ultra bright red creme. Is there such a thing as neon red? Because that's what I would call this. This red is SO BRIGHT. It stands out so much against my skintone that you can't help but stare at it. This is definitely an attention grabbing sort of color.
The formula on these was wonderful. Thin, smooth, no runny/thick three free formula like a lot of other Orly polishes have. Drying time was much faster than I'm used to for Orly. Maybe they're working on their formula a little?
These pictures are all three coats of polish. They were a little sheer due to the thin texture of the polish, but they looked decent at two coats. I wanted to be absolutely sure they were 100% opaque, so I did three coats. You could probably get away with two.
Other than Mint Mojito, none of these colors are entirely unique. You could probably find matches for them from multiple brands- right off the bat, three of the colors are pretty close to three from the Misa Living On The Fast Lane collection. But still, they're gorgeous and if you don't already own similar colors they're worth having in your collection.
Overall, this is an awesome collection. I love every single color. I love brights, I love blue, I love green, I love orange, so I knew this would at least have three things I liked. The red was a total surprise. I don't normally like red, I find it boring, predictable and overdone, but certain shades of red appeal to me. There are a few reds that I really love- Maybelline Juicy Tomato, OPI Vodka and Caviar, OPI Keys To My Karma, Zoya America, Essie Russian Roulette, Essie E! Live From The Red Carpet, and now this.
It's also a nice small collection- easy on the wallet. Even better, this collection comes in a set of minis as well! It's a cheaper way to try out the collection and I really appreciate that Orly is making it more affordable to try their colors. Minis rock.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Zoya Summer 2009 La-Di-Da Collection
In case you missed it, part one of Zoya's two-part summer collection was Ooh-La-La, a collection of six bright metallics.
La-Di-Da is a collection of six bright cremes, and bright is an understatement. Oh yeah, we're talking about NEONS!
One disclaimer and then on to the swatches. Since three of the six shades are neon, there's almost no way for me to truly capture the brightness and glow of the polish on camera. Neons just do weird, weird things to a digital camera, and I have yet to find a good way to photograph them. I've tried my very best to give the most accurate pictures possible, but they're just not as good as real life. Use your imagination- picture the color like in the picture, but so bright it looks like it's glowing and possibly burning your retinas.
Ali. Ultra-bright neon pink. Wicked, wicked bright. It looks like it would be warm if you touched it. Neon sign bright. Think of the 90's. It's 90's pink!
America. Clean, pure, light red. Love the name! This one was surprising for me- I'm not a red person and I didn't really care for how this looked in the bottle, but when I put it on I immediately changed my mind. It's bright and clean, but at the same time is has a soft retro feel to it, like something a gorgeous pin-up girl would wear. I love this red. It reminds me a lot of my other favorite (sadly discontinued) red, Maybelline Juicy Tomato. Less orange than Juicy Tomato.
Dita. Soft dark pink berry creme. Another polish with a retro feel to it. Young and ladylike but still mischievous. It reminds me of those illustrated old advertisements about how women should match their lips and nails. This is somewhat hard to describe- it's pink, but it's more than pink. It's not red... or is it pinkish-red? I think it's more berry-colored, but toned down, softer, not as dark.
Paz. Ultra-bright neon orange. Picture a traffic cone. That's Paz. I think you could see this color from a mile away. That's always a good thing in my book! I can't get enough!
Pippa. Soft yellow creme. Another color I can never get enough of- yellow! Pippa is delightfully cheerful and sunny. It's a lot softer than I expected. I expected a neon yellow, a highlighter yellow. Pippa isn't neon and that's okay with me! It's soft but not pastel. It's paler and less bold than, say, Zoya Creamy or Essie Shorty Pants.
Renee. Ultra-bright warm neon pink. Another incredibly bright and glowy neon to round out the collection, but this time there's a touch of coral in it. Ali is more pink with a touch of red and Renee is more pink with a touch of orange. Both are blindingly bright. You know, these would look really cool as a polka-dot manicure. A base of Renee with dots of Ali? A base of Ali with dots of Paz? I think it would really make anyone think they were seeing spots!
All pictures are three coats of polish with one coat of Seche Vite. Since half of these are neon, they dry to a matte finish. If you want a glossy finish, you must use a topcoat. Any topcoat will do, I just used my usual Seche Vite and it worked beautifully.
The formula on these was awesome. Not a single one of these polishes gave me trouble. They practically applied themselves. Pippa was a little bit streaky on the first coat, but that is to be expected of a yellow creme polish. Another upside to the neon formula is that they dry almost instantly. Even the non-neons dried quickly. No complaints at all.
You know, I think this is the first time I've seen a neon Zoya! I know that they have the Nocti Nano-Brite line, but those aren't exactly Zoya. For their first release of neon color, they really nailed it. Haha! Get it? Nailed? *ducks flying tomatoes*
I really hope Zoya decides to do more neons. These new ones have such a great formula and easy application, I might even like them more than my beloved Color Club neons. That's saying something. I'd love to see a cobalt blue creme neon and a lime green creme neon to even out the pinks and oranges.
Overall, strange mixture of colors but an exciting collection. Three neons with a not quite neon yellow? Sure, that makes sense, you almost wouldn't notice it. But four super-bright shades with two red cremes? Strange combination! I think I've noticed a trend- they do a collection with four or five shades that go together and then add one odd duck! I actually really like that. Who says you have to stick to one color palette? You always have to have a lone wolf. Right on.
One thing worth mentioning about neons: Even if you think they're too bright, they make awesome pedicure colors. I know not everyone's a neon lover (YET!!!) but I urge you to at least give a hot pink pedi a try... You might like it :) And I've never seen a person that looks bad in neons...
La-Di-Da is a collection of six bright cremes, and bright is an understatement. Oh yeah, we're talking about NEONS!
One disclaimer and then on to the swatches. Since three of the six shades are neon, there's almost no way for me to truly capture the brightness and glow of the polish on camera. Neons just do weird, weird things to a digital camera, and I have yet to find a good way to photograph them. I've tried my very best to give the most accurate pictures possible, but they're just not as good as real life. Use your imagination- picture the color like in the picture, but so bright it looks like it's glowing and possibly burning your retinas.
Ali. Ultra-bright neon pink. Wicked, wicked bright. It looks like it would be warm if you touched it. Neon sign bright. Think of the 90's. It's 90's pink!
America. Clean, pure, light red. Love the name! This one was surprising for me- I'm not a red person and I didn't really care for how this looked in the bottle, but when I put it on I immediately changed my mind. It's bright and clean, but at the same time is has a soft retro feel to it, like something a gorgeous pin-up girl would wear. I love this red. It reminds me a lot of my other favorite (sadly discontinued) red, Maybelline Juicy Tomato. Less orange than Juicy Tomato.
Dita. Soft dark pink berry creme. Another polish with a retro feel to it. Young and ladylike but still mischievous. It reminds me of those illustrated old advertisements about how women should match their lips and nails. This is somewhat hard to describe- it's pink, but it's more than pink. It's not red... or is it pinkish-red? I think it's more berry-colored, but toned down, softer, not as dark.
Paz. Ultra-bright neon orange. Picture a traffic cone. That's Paz. I think you could see this color from a mile away. That's always a good thing in my book! I can't get enough!
Pippa. Soft yellow creme. Another color I can never get enough of- yellow! Pippa is delightfully cheerful and sunny. It's a lot softer than I expected. I expected a neon yellow, a highlighter yellow. Pippa isn't neon and that's okay with me! It's soft but not pastel. It's paler and less bold than, say, Zoya Creamy or Essie Shorty Pants.
Renee. Ultra-bright warm neon pink. Another incredibly bright and glowy neon to round out the collection, but this time there's a touch of coral in it. Ali is more pink with a touch of red and Renee is more pink with a touch of orange. Both are blindingly bright. You know, these would look really cool as a polka-dot manicure. A base of Renee with dots of Ali? A base of Ali with dots of Paz? I think it would really make anyone think they were seeing spots!
All pictures are three coats of polish with one coat of Seche Vite. Since half of these are neon, they dry to a matte finish. If you want a glossy finish, you must use a topcoat. Any topcoat will do, I just used my usual Seche Vite and it worked beautifully.
The formula on these was awesome. Not a single one of these polishes gave me trouble. They practically applied themselves. Pippa was a little bit streaky on the first coat, but that is to be expected of a yellow creme polish. Another upside to the neon formula is that they dry almost instantly. Even the non-neons dried quickly. No complaints at all.
You know, I think this is the first time I've seen a neon Zoya! I know that they have the Nocti Nano-Brite line, but those aren't exactly Zoya. For their first release of neon color, they really nailed it. Haha! Get it? Nailed? *ducks flying tomatoes*
I really hope Zoya decides to do more neons. These new ones have such a great formula and easy application, I might even like them more than my beloved Color Club neons. That's saying something. I'd love to see a cobalt blue creme neon and a lime green creme neon to even out the pinks and oranges.
Overall, strange mixture of colors but an exciting collection. Three neons with a not quite neon yellow? Sure, that makes sense, you almost wouldn't notice it. But four super-bright shades with two red cremes? Strange combination! I think I've noticed a trend- they do a collection with four or five shades that go together and then add one odd duck! I actually really like that. Who says you have to stick to one color palette? You always have to have a lone wolf. Right on.
One thing worth mentioning about neons: Even if you think they're too bright, they make awesome pedicure colors. I know not everyone's a neon lover (YET!!!) but I urge you to at least give a hot pink pedi a try... You might like it :) And I've never seen a person that looks bad in neons...
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Essie Love, Beverly Hills xx
Eek, I'm quite late in posting this! But hey, better late then never, right?
Essie Love, Beverly Hills xx
This is a vibrant glowing red with hints of gold shimmer that comes from the real 24 karat gold in the polish. Amazing formula and application, no running, dripping, streaking or bubbling. Dries quickly even without quick dry topcoat.
Here's Essie's official word on it:
"Trends come and go, but when it comes to making a statement, few brands know how to consistently pave the way for the fashion elite more than essie cosmetics—famous for its bold color palettes and trend-setting clientele, and Beverly Hills—a destination that has long dressed the movers and shakers of Hollywood. This coming awards season, essie and the Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau have teamed up to debut Love, Beverly Hills xx, an exclusive, limited-edition nail polish sure to land on every “Best Dressed” list from East to West, and turn heads along the way.
Love, Beverly Hills xx is an opulent red polish with an authentic shimmer thanks to the polish’s special ingredient: 24 karat pure gold. Just in time for Valentine’s Day and ready to twinkle on the red-carpet, Love Beverly Hills, xx has a subtle glow and perfectly compliments every skin tone.
Okay, as much as I love Essie, this line made me scratch my head a little- "famous for its bold color palettes".... I'm not sure that Essie is the company that comes to mind when I hear "bold color"! Haha! But, as we've all seen, the Queen of sheer pinks and nudes seems to be breaking out of the 'safe color' box a lot more lately. I sincerely hope that this continues to be the case with Essie, as I really have fallen in love with their new improved formula and flawless brushes. I'd love to see more colors like Mesmerize, Greenport, Bermuda Shorts, Sexy Divide and so on....
Anyway, getting off track here... This limited edition polish retails for $18 on essie.com but I have heard that you can get it for half price on other sites which I have not personally had any experience with so I can't vouch for them. But, if you don't want to pay full retail, shop around, it's out there :)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Color Club Fall 2008 Dance To The Musique Collection Revisited
The first time I posted about the Dance To The Musique collection, I only posted one picture of 'skittles'- one color on each finger and one bottle in my hand. The reason I did this was not because I didn't love the collection- it was because the sun was setting and I needed to get the picture taken in the fastest way possible since I didn't feel like swatching one collection over two (or more, depending on the sun's cooperation) days.
Since is was such an incredible collection, it deserves a real post with real swatches.
After Hours. A shimmery, smoky grey. A lot of other charcoal-grey shades have a strong blue tone to them, but this one seems a lot more neutral.
Electronica. Deep sparkling purple. This color is actually purple, despite how blue it looks in my picture. Purples are just, for some reason, impossible to photograph. They always come out blue no matter what I do!! Anyway, Electronica is AMAZING. One of the best purples ever. It's deep but not too dark or black looking and it's packed with shimmer, miniature 'flakies' and even what appears to be microglitter, though there is no hint of roughness to this polish. Perfection.
Feel The Beat. A coral-copper-orange duochrome. Yes, this is a duochrome. It reminds me a little bit of Misa Bo-Jangles. It's coppery red all over the polish and at the edges it's orangey-coral. I couldn't really capture the full effect of the duochrome, but it's definitely there.
Groove Thang. Blackened vampy purple shimmer. At first, this color reminded me of an OPI- maybe a mix between Black Tie Optional and Ink or Who Are You Wearing?... It has that sort of color-changing 'beetle shell' quality to it. It is very dark, almost black, but any light hitting it brings out a purple glow on the surface of the polish. Pretty unique and ultra hot.
Slow Jam. Warm reddish brown shimmer. This color screams FALL!!!! to me. Is this what you would call 'burgundy' or is it too brown? I'm not sure. Either way, this color rocks because it's one of those 'lit from within' shades I love. It looks like it's dark on the edges and the center is brighter, almost like it's glowing.
Velvet Rope. Red shimmer. You will rarely see me get excited over a red shimmer... But, even if I am not absolutely in love with it, it is still beautiful. Velvet Rope is bold and loud and sparkly. It really stands out against my skintone and it's almost like there's a miniature neon sign above my hand with an arrow pointing down saying "LOOK AT MY NAILS". Very flashy, indeed.
Despite three of the six shades being red or almost-red, this was still one of my favorite collections of 2008. I would wear (and have worn, multiple times) every single color in this collection. Electronica is so breathtakingly beautiful you can't help but want to stare at it all the time. Sometimes I just take out the bottle to look at it! It's that good. And Groove Thang, same with that one. There must be some color-obsessed geniuses working at Color Club because they consistently release awesome and adventurous shades. Even their sheers/pale/french manicure shades rock!!
The formula on these is perfect. Even though Color Club isn't as popular as one of the 'big brands' like OPI or Essie, their formula could pass as high end any day. It's pigmented, smooth, even-textured, fast drying and long wearing. It's not too thick, not too thin, not at all runny. The bottles and brushes are great- no weird shaped bottle to knock over and no defective bristles. They do have a tendency to get stuck shut- I mean really, really stuck... I have a bottle of Yell-Oh! that I haven't been able to open for over a year. Nothing I do seems to work, I think I just have to buy another bottle. So, make sure the necks of your Color Club bottles are clean!
One of the best things about Color Club is the price. I think the average price for these online and in nail supply stores is around $2.50 each. With a quality just as good as OPI and even better than some other higher-priced brands, it's truly a bargain. Low price, high quality, amazing shades. They make nail polish accessible.
Overall, incredible collection. Fantastic sexy vampy fall shades, great formula, great price, gorgeous makeup on the model that appears on the packaging.... You can't go wrong with Color Club! I hope they continue to release fun, funky colors that appeal to everyone- not just the salon consumer but us, the hardcore nail junkies!
Since is was such an incredible collection, it deserves a real post with real swatches.
After Hours. A shimmery, smoky grey. A lot of other charcoal-grey shades have a strong blue tone to them, but this one seems a lot more neutral.
Electronica. Deep sparkling purple. This color is actually purple, despite how blue it looks in my picture. Purples are just, for some reason, impossible to photograph. They always come out blue no matter what I do!! Anyway, Electronica is AMAZING. One of the best purples ever. It's deep but not too dark or black looking and it's packed with shimmer, miniature 'flakies' and even what appears to be microglitter, though there is no hint of roughness to this polish. Perfection.
Feel The Beat. A coral-copper-orange duochrome. Yes, this is a duochrome. It reminds me a little bit of Misa Bo-Jangles. It's coppery red all over the polish and at the edges it's orangey-coral. I couldn't really capture the full effect of the duochrome, but it's definitely there.
Groove Thang. Blackened vampy purple shimmer. At first, this color reminded me of an OPI- maybe a mix between Black Tie Optional and Ink or Who Are You Wearing?... It has that sort of color-changing 'beetle shell' quality to it. It is very dark, almost black, but any light hitting it brings out a purple glow on the surface of the polish. Pretty unique and ultra hot.
Slow Jam. Warm reddish brown shimmer. This color screams FALL!!!! to me. Is this what you would call 'burgundy' or is it too brown? I'm not sure. Either way, this color rocks because it's one of those 'lit from within' shades I love. It looks like it's dark on the edges and the center is brighter, almost like it's glowing.
Velvet Rope. Red shimmer. You will rarely see me get excited over a red shimmer... But, even if I am not absolutely in love with it, it is still beautiful. Velvet Rope is bold and loud and sparkly. It really stands out against my skintone and it's almost like there's a miniature neon sign above my hand with an arrow pointing down saying "LOOK AT MY NAILS". Very flashy, indeed.
Despite three of the six shades being red or almost-red, this was still one of my favorite collections of 2008. I would wear (and have worn, multiple times) every single color in this collection. Electronica is so breathtakingly beautiful you can't help but want to stare at it all the time. Sometimes I just take out the bottle to look at it! It's that good. And Groove Thang, same with that one. There must be some color-obsessed geniuses working at Color Club because they consistently release awesome and adventurous shades. Even their sheers/pale/french manicure shades rock!!
The formula on these is perfect. Even though Color Club isn't as popular as one of the 'big brands' like OPI or Essie, their formula could pass as high end any day. It's pigmented, smooth, even-textured, fast drying and long wearing. It's not too thick, not too thin, not at all runny. The bottles and brushes are great- no weird shaped bottle to knock over and no defective bristles. They do have a tendency to get stuck shut- I mean really, really stuck... I have a bottle of Yell-Oh! that I haven't been able to open for over a year. Nothing I do seems to work, I think I just have to buy another bottle. So, make sure the necks of your Color Club bottles are clean!
One of the best things about Color Club is the price. I think the average price for these online and in nail supply stores is around $2.50 each. With a quality just as good as OPI and even better than some other higher-priced brands, it's truly a bargain. Low price, high quality, amazing shades. They make nail polish accessible.
Overall, incredible collection. Fantastic sexy vampy fall shades, great formula, great price, gorgeous makeup on the model that appears on the packaging.... You can't go wrong with Color Club! I hope they continue to release fun, funky colors that appeal to everyone- not just the salon consumer but us, the hardcore nail junkies!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
OPI Summer 2009 Colorcopia Collection - 20th Anniversary of OPI
Colorcopia is a special OPI collection- instead of being a set of twelve brand new colors, they have re-released the most popular or best-selling shades from classic OPI collections.
I absolutely can not think today so please don't mind my incoherent babble. I can't even remember my middle name right now, much less construct an understandable sentence! Also, another warning ahead of time: OPI picked the twelve most IMPOSSIBLE to photograph shades they could think of, so not all of these pictures are 100% color-accurate. I did the best I could, but pinks and reds do a number on my camera!
I have many thoughts about this concept, but I'll save that for last. Swatches first!
Berry Berry Broadway. Re-release from the New York City Collection (2000). A bronzed berry shimmer.
Cancun Fiesta. Re-release from the original OPI launch in 1989! A medium blue-toned pink with very subtle shimmer. This is not a very good representation of the shade- it's more saturated and leans a little more purple in real life.
Copper Mountain Copper. Re-release from the Winter Resort Collection (1995). A rich red-mauve near-metallic shimmer. Not really what I think of when I hear 'copper' but it's still a beautiful autumn shade.
D.C. Cherry Blossom. Re-release from the 9091 Collection (1990). A saturated blue-pink creme. This color isn't the most unique but it's really hot. On the rare occasion that I do wear pink, I love these nearly-purple bright pinks.
Florentine Fuchsia. Re-release from the International Collection (1991). A medium fuchsia jelly. This is also a fairly poor representation of this shade- it's nearly impossible to photograph. It's very jelly-like: squishy looking and nearly translucent but not sheer. It's more of a berry shade but it's not like Misa Push Upon It or Zoya Moxie.
French Bordeaux. Re-release from the International Collection (2001). A warm red with slightly magenta-hued shimmer. This color is a little more brown in real life. It appears a lot more brown in the bottle, but when applied it is a brighter shade of red than expected.
Kinky In Helsinki. Re-release from the European Collection (2002). Pearly metallic fuchsia with blue-pink duochrome. I love the name of this, it was one of the first OPI polishes I ever bought just for the name. This is a really glowy shade, it looks lit from within.
Mediterranean Moonlight. Re-release from the Mediterranean Collection (1994). OPI describes this as "a light shade of gleaming caramel" but it's so not caramel. It's peach... Deep peach. It's a little more faded looking in real life.
Purple-opolis. Re-release from the Greek Isles collection (2004). A light, shimmery red-toned purple. This looks really different in sunlight and indoors. The sunlight picks up on the warm tones in the polish, but in dim light the cooler more blue purple shade comes out. Very, very pretty. Although, I'm pretty sure this is a bit different from the original release, but I can't find my bottle to compare. I need to re-organize. Ugh.
Sahara Sapphire. Re-release from the Painted Desert Collection (1998). A metallic blue pearl. This goes on with heavy brushstrokes, but they fade a little bit as the polish dries. They don't completely disappear, but they're not too bad. It has the same texture as Pike's Peek-A-Boo Purple. This almost has a hint of violet to it in certain lights. Serene looking.
Shootout At The O.K. Coral. Re-release from the American Collection (1995). A bright coral with blue/pink duochrome. This was my go-to pedicure color for years. It is very bright but not quite neon.
Venus Di Violet. Re-release from the Collezione Italiana (2001). A soft lilac pearl with blue-violet duochrome. A very unusual color!
I think it's really cool that OPI re-releases shades from long discontinued collections. I love old polishes and I love that people will have the chance to be able to buy them again for a regular price. However...
... I think they picked the most bland, boring shades they could find! Okay, there are a few old favorites of mine in this collection of re-released shades, but three reds? Three pink cremes?? Cancun Fiesta isn't really a creme, but the shimmer is so subtle that it could pass as one.
OPI has released some *incredible* unique shades in the past and I would have loved to see them as part of this collection. I feel like the colors they chose are really playing it safe. It is stated that the colors selected for this collection of re-releases were past best sellers. I believe that. These are the types of colors that tend to sell really well. That doesn't necessarily mean they're unique, but they'll most likely be very popular.
If I had to choose twelve shades to re-release in my very own Colorcopia, they would be these:
1. Rainforest
2. Jasper Jade
3. I Get A Kick Out Of Gold
4. Black Tie Optional
5. Crim-Sun
6. Amethyst Abyss
7. Mystic Moonshine
8. La Boheme
9. Affair In Times Square
10. Vampire State Building
11. Real Teal
12. Home On The O-Range
Okay, that's just one possible set I can think of- there are hundreds of combinations of 'vintage' awesome colors that could be re-released. Those are just a few long-gone favorites and impossible to obtain wishes of mine.
Overall, not a terrible collection but not terribly adventurous. I love a lot of the colors- Venus Di Violet, Kinky In Helsinki, Shootout At The O.K. Coral, Florentine Fuchsia, Sahara Sapphire- that's almost half! I can't complain too much, but I would have liked to see some of their more unique shades in this collection instead of three uninteresting reds and three easily duplicated pinks.
And, just for fun, here are some very old pictures of me wearing the original versions of a couple of these colors:
Kinky In Helsinki.
Shootout At The O.K. Coral.
What would you have rather seen in this collection? Or is it perfect the way it is?
I absolutely can not think today so please don't mind my incoherent babble. I can't even remember my middle name right now, much less construct an understandable sentence! Also, another warning ahead of time: OPI picked the twelve most IMPOSSIBLE to photograph shades they could think of, so not all of these pictures are 100% color-accurate. I did the best I could, but pinks and reds do a number on my camera!
I have many thoughts about this concept, but I'll save that for last. Swatches first!
Berry Berry Broadway. Re-release from the New York City Collection (2000). A bronzed berry shimmer.
Cancun Fiesta. Re-release from the original OPI launch in 1989! A medium blue-toned pink with very subtle shimmer. This is not a very good representation of the shade- it's more saturated and leans a little more purple in real life.
Copper Mountain Copper. Re-release from the Winter Resort Collection (1995). A rich red-mauve near-metallic shimmer. Not really what I think of when I hear 'copper' but it's still a beautiful autumn shade.
D.C. Cherry Blossom. Re-release from the 9091 Collection (1990). A saturated blue-pink creme. This color isn't the most unique but it's really hot. On the rare occasion that I do wear pink, I love these nearly-purple bright pinks.
Florentine Fuchsia. Re-release from the International Collection (1991). A medium fuchsia jelly. This is also a fairly poor representation of this shade- it's nearly impossible to photograph. It's very jelly-like: squishy looking and nearly translucent but not sheer. It's more of a berry shade but it's not like Misa Push Upon It or Zoya Moxie.
French Bordeaux. Re-release from the International Collection (2001). A warm red with slightly magenta-hued shimmer. This color is a little more brown in real life. It appears a lot more brown in the bottle, but when applied it is a brighter shade of red than expected.
Kinky In Helsinki. Re-release from the European Collection (2002). Pearly metallic fuchsia with blue-pink duochrome. I love the name of this, it was one of the first OPI polishes I ever bought just for the name. This is a really glowy shade, it looks lit from within.
Mediterranean Moonlight. Re-release from the Mediterranean Collection (1994). OPI describes this as "a light shade of gleaming caramel" but it's so not caramel. It's peach... Deep peach. It's a little more faded looking in real life.
Purple-opolis. Re-release from the Greek Isles collection (2004). A light, shimmery red-toned purple. This looks really different in sunlight and indoors. The sunlight picks up on the warm tones in the polish, but in dim light the cooler more blue purple shade comes out. Very, very pretty. Although, I'm pretty sure this is a bit different from the original release, but I can't find my bottle to compare. I need to re-organize. Ugh.
Sahara Sapphire. Re-release from the Painted Desert Collection (1998). A metallic blue pearl. This goes on with heavy brushstrokes, but they fade a little bit as the polish dries. They don't completely disappear, but they're not too bad. It has the same texture as Pike's Peek-A-Boo Purple. This almost has a hint of violet to it in certain lights. Serene looking.
Shootout At The O.K. Coral. Re-release from the American Collection (1995). A bright coral with blue/pink duochrome. This was my go-to pedicure color for years. It is very bright but not quite neon.
Venus Di Violet. Re-release from the Collezione Italiana (2001). A soft lilac pearl with blue-violet duochrome. A very unusual color!
I think it's really cool that OPI re-releases shades from long discontinued collections. I love old polishes and I love that people will have the chance to be able to buy them again for a regular price. However...
... I think they picked the most bland, boring shades they could find! Okay, there are a few old favorites of mine in this collection of re-released shades, but three reds? Three pink cremes?? Cancun Fiesta isn't really a creme, but the shimmer is so subtle that it could pass as one.
OPI has released some *incredible* unique shades in the past and I would have loved to see them as part of this collection. I feel like the colors they chose are really playing it safe. It is stated that the colors selected for this collection of re-releases were past best sellers. I believe that. These are the types of colors that tend to sell really well. That doesn't necessarily mean they're unique, but they'll most likely be very popular.
If I had to choose twelve shades to re-release in my very own Colorcopia, they would be these:
1. Rainforest
2. Jasper Jade
3. I Get A Kick Out Of Gold
4. Black Tie Optional
5. Crim-Sun
6. Amethyst Abyss
7. Mystic Moonshine
8. La Boheme
9. Affair In Times Square
10. Vampire State Building
11. Real Teal
12. Home On The O-Range
Okay, that's just one possible set I can think of- there are hundreds of combinations of 'vintage' awesome colors that could be re-released. Those are just a few long-gone favorites and impossible to obtain wishes of mine.
Overall, not a terrible collection but not terribly adventurous. I love a lot of the colors- Venus Di Violet, Kinky In Helsinki, Shootout At The O.K. Coral, Florentine Fuchsia, Sahara Sapphire- that's almost half! I can't complain too much, but I would have liked to see some of their more unique shades in this collection instead of three uninteresting reds and three easily duplicated pinks.
And, just for fun, here are some very old pictures of me wearing the original versions of a couple of these colors:
Kinky In Helsinki.
Shootout At The O.K. Coral.
What would you have rather seen in this collection? Or is it perfect the way it is?
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