The Wait is Over. I Do!

butter London's No More Waity, Katie
Review by Melanie Parker

When butter London announced a new nail lacquer named No More Waity, Katie that looked to be a demure princess pink base with lots of sparkle, I had to order. I say “had” with a little reluctance because I think butter London is hard to find locally, they have high shipping costs (which is ridiculous considering they actually ship from Washington state and not London as the name would imply), and in the past I have had problems securing the square caps that has caused the polish to get thick.

But, I’m happy to say that No More Waity, Katie, which started shipping at the beginning of March 2011, has exceeded my expectations. It’s actually not pink at all. It’s a smokey lilac that delivers an abundance of lavender glitter. The square cap now lifts off to reveal a cylindrical knob, which is much easier to take off, paint with, and put back on than the previous generation’s square cap. In fact, the packaging now aligns with how the high-end benchmark, Chanel nail lacquer, has the removable square cap.

Also, I prefer darker colors, as you can see in the Tramp Stamp and British Racing Green colors that completed my order. So, the fact that No More Waity, Katie is darker than the promotional shots on the Web site looked is fine with me.




The color was named after Kate Middleton, who is betrothed to England’s beloved Prince William. The purple hue fits with this royal theme, but it is not a color that I associate with her. It’s a little edgier. At first, I was ready to declare it Sephora by OPI Metro Chic’s sassy sister. But in comparing the two, Metro Chic is a dim bulb — just gray and beige. No More Waity, Katie is vibrant, but the smokiness gives it sophistication. The glitter gives it sparkle and a slight texture. I find filing the free edge of my nails lightly when the polish dries is necessary to smooth the glitter down, which is especially important if you wear contact lenses.

For those who are on the “one and done” bandwagon, you will not be satisfied with one coat of this color. It’s sheer and streaky. It looks like gray smoke with lavender sparkles. I built it up to opaque with 3 coats, which is what I expect to do with any polish I wear to be streak free on medium-length nails.

This polish was purchased directly from butter London’s Web site. Shipping price for 3 bottles from Seattle to Chicago was $8.50.

Disclosure: The nail polish was purchased by the reviewer
Credit: Melanie Parker

Some Kind Of Wonderful

Behold the lovely heaven of Zoya's Kelly.
The grey is cold, murky, twisted, loch ness-like and full of Sleepy Hollow evil. Chanel's Paradoxal is almost cheerful in comparison. Fall is going to be a Tim Burton fairyland.

Kelly is part of the Zoya Fall collection called Wonderful. Kelly retails solo for $7. The entire Wonderful sampler collection retails for $36. Visit http://www.zoya.com/content/38/category/Zoya.html?brndid=38 to order or for more details.

Disclosure: A press sample was provided by Zoya and Chanel.

I can resist anything except temptation

Meet the newest love of my life, Paradoxal by Chanel.
It is all kinds of twisted and murky goodness.
The shade is a mouse-like plum with a slight nod to grey.

My bottle was not shimmery in the slightest. MissHavisham on Makeupalley's nail board had a bottle of Paradoxal that really delivered on the shimmer fire.

Behold the glimmery magic via this link to MUA: http://www.makeupalley.com/m_112011865
If that does not make you rush out to your nearest and dearest Chanel counter....you have a lemming heart of stone.

Disclosure: A press sample was provided by Chanel cosmetics
Title: Oscar Wilde

Do you love me, do you, Surfer Girl?

Essence Cosmetics “Surfer Babe” Collection
Review by Jessica M

Essence Cosmetics, the German makeup brand that recently launched in the United States, recently brought out its summer collection. It's a limited edition line called Surfer Babe, and it promises “that sun-kissed laid-back surfer look---carefree and casual.” Well, I avoid the sun and I don’t even like to swim, so you’ll never see me on a surfboard, but I can still appreciate some of the products in this line.

The Eyeshadow Palette in Surfer's Kit, for example, is on-trend and versatile ($2.99). I like the pale matte lilac as an overall wash shade, and the frosty white as a highlight on the browbone. The purple and orange shades have high-octane shimmer when applied with a sponge applicator, but a fluffy shadow brush sheers them out and makes them useful as day-to-night layers over a more basic eye shadow. The deep shimmery charcoal would make a good smokey liner.

Surfer Babe Refreshing Lip Gloss ($1.99) is like an affordable little sister to Lancome’s Juicy Tubes. Once applied, the gloss formula has medium shimmer, high shine, and a cool, tingly feeling. These shades complement the eye shadows: The World’s Coolest is a light aqua in the tube, Hang Loose is lavender, and Tube Rider is orange. They have less visible pigment when worn, so that they add just a hint of color.

I’ve raved before about Essence’s high-quality, budget-friendly nail polishes. Surfer Girl Nail Polish ($1.99) is a color family with four shades. I’m especially happy with Surferama (a punchy berry crreme) and Hang Loose (lavender creme); both applied smoothly and gave complete coverage in two coats, and they lasted well. World’s Coolest (light aqua with light shimmer) felt a bit thicker and harder to work with, and I haven’t tried Pointbreak yet (medium gray creme), but I love its name. Surf’s up!

Essence Cosmetics’ Surfer Babe collection will be available from June through August at Ulta stores nationwide. It also includes waterproof liquid eyeliner, an eyeliner pen, and powder blusher.

Title: Lyric by The Beach Boys
Images: Cover of Gidget by Frederick Kohner; all product photos by Jessica M
Disclosure: Press samples were provided by Essence Cosmetics

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Vena Cava Fall/Winter ’10 Collection
By Angie W

The Inspiration: Lloyd Simmonds, MAC makeup artist, told us that the Vena Cava collection has a chic 70's vibe that the designers wanted to contrast with the hair and makeup to break up the look a bit. The makeup is meant to evoke a lady who has been horse back riding all day long in cold weather and has just arrived home and decided to go back to town looking just as she is,windblown and sun kissed.

How to Get the Look:

Face: Select Cover Up Concealer was used as foundation
Eyes: Taupe Pro Blush was applied softly in crease, Style Predator EyeShadow was applied on the whole eye, and Pro Shine Was topped off lids for a glossy effect. The makeup artist also showed bloggers a shadow that was being used but won’t be available until fall ’10, a peachy golden shade with the working name October Day. Finally, Black Pro Lash was applied only to upper lashes and models were given a nicely groomed and brushed up brow.

Blush: This involved three or more blushes combined for that windblown,sun kissed effect!

First, Sepia was applied for across the cheekbones and face for a tanned effect. This is mixed with an Antique Gold powder across cheekbones, forehead and nose. Finally, Orange Alarm is added for a sunkissed effect on bridge of nose, brushed into hairline and neckbone to give effect of blood rising in the skin. Shine Wax is then applied on cheek bones to finish.

Lips: This was the standout element of the look: vibrant vermillion lips.
The artists used MAC Pro Red Lip Mix pigment, applied in a natural shape but with intensity.

Fabulous Smoky Grape Nails:An exciting surprise was getting to meet Nonie Creme, Founding Creative Director of fab nail polish line, butter London. Nonie collaborated with Vena Cava to create a custom nail polish mix for the show.

It is called Marrow and is a deep, muted gray purple. Nonie said that everyone was getting tired of the same deep wine polishes and wanted to make something that was still a deep, rich shade but more earthy. The color began with a deep burgundy shade to which black and navy were added. Then a white pigment was added to give the polish a filmy quality.

Nonie told us the polish might come out in fall ’10 in limited edition. In the meantime, she suggests that we all just act like mad scientists and try adding black and brown to our current wine polishes.
A final tip: only mix polishes from within the same product line for the best quality/effect.

Hair: All hail the ponytail!




Credits: Jessica M and Angie W for Blogdorf Goodman

Formula Perfection That's Easily Found

By Melanie Parker

Several years ago, I relegated myself to only salon brand polishes. I stocked up on Essie, OPI, China Glaze, and Misa. I let my Orly, Sally Hansen, and Finger Paints polishes linger unused in their bottles for years. I don't know why. Before the color obsession, I was quite happy with my Sally Hansen Pure Putty and Calming Cocoa colors. Both were neutral crèmes that looks elegant with my long nails. I'm happy to report that their new salon formulas are actually outlasting the salon brands. You really can get the best finish and wear at the drugstores thanks to Rimmel London and Sally Hansen raising the bar.

After getting burned by several lackluster collections and a whole lot of wasted money on Chanel polishes that take too may coats to achieve bottle color and chip easily, I stopped buying polish for awhile. Now, I've started up again and I'm going back to my roots. Well, back to my nail lacquer roots. I'm still going to cover the gray in my hair.

So, I experimented with two new polish formulas easily found on display at the local Walgreen's. First up is Rimmel London's new Lasting Finish Pro formula. Despite there being a lovely peacock blue shimmer, I opted for a traditional blue-based red crème. I wasn't sure if it would be a jelly finish like Sally Hansen Salon's Cocktail Party or not. Luckily, it is not a duplicate. The Rimmel has a wide flat brush that covers the nail thoroughly. Because I like vampy nails, I did three coats of color. The bottle promises that it will last "Up to 10 Days." I took this picture on day 8. There was no chipping and minimal tip wear. I'm impressed. I can't remember if this was $7 or 8, but it was definitely worth it. I will be buying this formula again.

Next up was Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. As you can tell from the pictures, the bottle shape is different than the Sally Hansen Salon formula polishes is the rectangular bottles. I like this new cap. It has a rubber ridge that you can rest your bent finger on while painting the opposite hand. It also has a wide, flat brush that cover a pinky nail in one stroke. I really like everything about this polish. I love the two dusty crème hues I chose and that they covered thoroughly and completely in two coats. For less than $8 a bottle, this formula is the best I have ever used. Yes, it's better than OPI, China Glaze, and even Misa. I'm hooked!

Commander in Chic is the color I spotted across the aisle that drew me to the display. It looked a little like the Sephora for OPI Metro Chic, but it's a few shades lighter. OPI's You Don't Know Jacques is another mushroom/gray/beige crème polish that it might get compared to, but Commander in Chic is at least 2 shades lighter on the nail and almost has a lavender base color. The closest color that I could find is the Rimmel London Steel Gray, but that was just a tad darker and more taupe, which is ironic since the name would indicate it was gray. I really debated between the two colors in the store, but I am happy I choose Sally Hansen's Commander in Chic because I really love this formula. It's so thick and glossy, even before I added a coat of Poshe topcoat.

Plum's the Word is another interesting shade from this collection. I am quite satisfied that this will quench my thirst for the new Chanel Particuliere. Muted plum crèmes are strong on the fashion scene right now. I like this formula better than Essie Mink Muffs and the Chanel, but I also think it is a few shades lighter. When Walgreen's has a sale on these, I'm going back for Fairy Teal and a few other bright colors.

Disclaimer: These polishes were purchased at the drugstore by the reviewer.

Curse of the Jade Scorpion: Part 2

My nail tech requested that I bring in my bottles of Chanel Jade and MAC Peppermint Patty to the salon. She wanted to see how they compared to Essie's Mint Candy Apple green.

She sold 6 bottles within one week and can not keep it in stock. One client bought 3 bottles to use for her pedicures. That is a mixture of great smitten status and fear. She must have been burned by the limited edition trend.

I did not get the love until we swatched it on a piece of tape. It is a mint green with a slight blue cast. It is a very cold shade and far from the jadite shades of Chanel and MAC.

Essie's Mint Candy Apple polish is currently being sold at http://www.essieshop.com/
It retails for $8.

I’ll be your mirror, reflect what you are...

Anna Sui Holiday Cosmetics Collection 2009
By Jessica M

Anna Sui’s cosmetics are always so appealing, with their rock-romance design (rose-shaped gloss compacts!) and their range of colors from pastels to brights (with plenty of sparkle), and the limited edition products for the 2009 holiday season offer an extra dose of sweetness and shine.

There are five limited edition items in this line, also called the “Crystal Angel” collection. The stars of the group are two palettes shaped like old-fashioned hand mirrors; they flip open to reveal mirrors and five-pan color selections inside. The lip color palette includes five shades, from delicate to bold: Wish Pink (translucent soft pink), Crystal Yellow (clear yellow with gold pearl and red shimmer), Angel Orange (neutral orange), Glossy Red (translucent red), and Cherry Pink (bright pink). A lip brush is also enclosed.

The eye color palette is a violet-purple range, which is typical Anna Sui but also very on-trend. One shadow is a cream shadow; it’s called Crystal Gold (pearlized gold highlighter). The four powder shades are Mysterious Purple (with blue shimmer), Milky Green (light green with gold shimmer), Cocoa Brown (deep brown with reddish shimmer), and Cupid Pink (light pink with red shimmer). An applicator is included. Each palette retails for $45.

For holiday nails, two kits are available. Each flowered pouch contains two nail colors, a patterned emery board, and a small container of rhinestones and tiny nail jewels. Set 01, in a purple theme, includes polishes in Aurora Purple (deep purple with “aurora” shimmer in red, pink, and silver) and Angel Pink (sheer pink with pink and silver shimmer). Set 02, in a red theme, includes polishes in Angel Rose (a creamy reddish pink) and Tiara Pink (light pink with pink sparkles) and Each set is priced at $40.

If you’re looking for something to hold your Anna Sui cosmetics, nail polishes, or jewelry, you just might love the flowered Antique Vanity Box. It’s made of lightweight metal, with a removable plastic tray inside. (Confession: I’ve already caved on one of these.) It sells for $25.

And, in case you want to share the holiday love, this collection even offers two heart-shaped cards, a red one and a purple one. They’re elaborate, layered “pop-ups” in Anna Sui’s typical neo-Victorian style. They cost $8 each.

In the United States, this collection is available exclusively at the Anna Sui boutique located at 113 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012. For more information, contact the boutique at (212) 941-8406. Stock is limited!

Cosmetics images courtesy of Anna Sui. Dress from Fall 2009 Ready collection, via Style.com. The title of this post is a song lyric from The Velvet Underground.

Project Runway: The Polish and the Finale

By Melanie Parker

This week is the finale of Project Runway. In celebration for the end of the sixth season of this design show, I'm featuring a fantastic limited edition Sally Hansen Salon lacquer called Project Runway. This color is believed to be exclusive to Canada. The Runway Collection of polishes are in a cute display that features a center catwalk, and so far I have yet to see any making an appearance at a drug store in the USA. I don't know what it is about these LE Sally Hansen Salon colors, but they don't seem to have a sound distribution channel. This color is reallly quite fabulous and I hope that it comes to a store near you one day.

Project Runway is a jelly green with lots of green and gold shimmer. It almost reminds me of a snakeskin in the bottle. On the nail, it is rich and shimmery. I really have to say in a sea of green nail polishes available now, this one is unique and captivating.

In other limited edition news from Sally Hansen, the Hi-Definition Nail Color in Opulent Cloud is another special snowflake. This color always seems to photograph with a lavender hue, but it is actually an interesting gray with gold flashing. There were reports that it flashed green, but I don't get that on the nail. I get a strong gold flashing, which is a complete contrast to the silvery gray base.

The closest color I could think to compare Opulent Cloud to in the silver and gold category is CHANEL Kaliedescope, but as you can see in the bottle shots, Kaleidescope is quite brassy by comparison. Opulent Cloud is a great color to wear as a pedicure with silver shoes around the holidays and New Year's Eve. The Sally Hansen Hi-Definition colors are available at select drugstores like Walgreen's and CVS thoughout the USA and retail for about $7 a bottle.

Back to the Project Runway finale... Are you watching the show since it switched over to the Lifetime channel from Bravo? It has Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, and some great guest judges, but it still seems to be missing something. I'm not as impressed with the designers this season, but I think I miss the marathon format of Bravo the most. The Models of the Runway show that is on after it is interesting. But again, I'm not keen on the casting of any of these models, so it just seems a little lacking. If you want to get caught up on episodes before the finale on Thursday, you can watch them on http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/project-runway.

I think I'm rooting for Irina. Yes, she's a little like a Kardashian, but I would wear her designs. Who are you cheering for this season?

Disclaimer: All products featured in the review were purchased.

Nail Tricks and Treats

By Melanie Parker

This Halloween there are quite a few nail polish options out there for a fun and festive look. Black nail polish crossed over from witchy to posh around the time CHANEL released Black Satin. Since then, vampy dark hues have been on the forefront of color trends for nails, but they seem especially fitting in October, as does orange lacquers.

I have a few seasonal tricks in my bag, the first of which involves the delightful pumpkin spice foil-finished OPI Music Hall Curtain Call, which was released as part of the Holiday 2006 collection. It is my go-to harvest hue because I just can't get enough of that foil finish. This year, I decided to pair it with a stark black crème polish. I used the Konad stamping technique with an all over paisley pattern from the M60 plate. Konad stamping is easy and fun. This particular pattern got a lot of compliments because it almost looks like a detailed henna decoration.

The next trick is something OPI whipped up all on its own. The OPI Suede collection, released this Fall, takes popular colors from its existing collection and gave them a suede finish. The suede finish is a cross between a foil and a matte finish in its native state. The instructions warn that it will not last as long as a the original salon formula, and that you should not wear it with top coat, drying products, or lotions. I choose the sueded version of Lincoln Park After Dark. It's a ghost of the original dark plum crème polish. In fact, it reminds me of a frosty purple eye shadow. You know, the one that looks intriguing in the pan, but is a little too light and shiny on your lids, so then you wet your brush, re-apply it, and like magic it transforms into a deeper,sexier version of itself and you have a smokey eye? It's exactly like that. Use this suede to give yourself some smokey nails.

Although I should note that the suede polishes take longer to remove. The plum lifted off like an original color, but then I was left with a silver foil finish on my nails that I really had to work at and saturate with remover to thoroughly clean my nails of any traces of this tricky polish. And like the matte polishes reviewed recently, these colors do double duty and you can transform the suedes into a dazzling, brighter, shimmering nail polish with a top coat.

Another polish that reminds me of Halloween is Nicole's Black Cat-cha Later. It's a deep black base with red shimmer. It's sleek and sexy.

China Glaze gives us quite a treat with the limited edition Fortune Teller this year. This color became hard to find pretty quickly due to seasonal production and the fact that the black glaze uniquely suspends a variety of sizes of orange glitter. The glitter ranges from micro specks to larger hexagon-shapes. Because I don't like a bumpy texture on my nails when I am putting in my contacts, I used this sparingly over the previous Nicole manicure. Just one coat of Fortune Teller gave me great coverage. Up close, the cluster of glitter reminded me of a star field. When I was using my hands later, I noticed that the glitter glowed and faded in the light like the embers of a bonfire as it moved. I LOVE the dancing light quality that the various sizes of glitter provide. One can only hope that one day China Glaze will come out with various sizes of pink glitter suspended in black glaze like this. I don't need a crystal ball to predict that it would be an immediate sell out!

Disclaimer: All products featured in the review were purchased.
Review by Melanie Parker

Soft and Velvety or Sparkling Jewels - You Decide

By Melanie Parker

Zoya's Winter Matte collection does double duty as soft and velvety matte finished shades or as shiny and sparkly jewel-toned nail lacquers.

Veruschka is a evergreen velvet that covers well in two coats. Named after the legendary 6’3” glamazon model from the 60s and 70s, it is the star of the collection. This shade is lovely with a matte finish and really does remind me of a green velvet ribbon. Even if the matte finish is not your thing, you can use a top coat to make this polish shine and sparkle.

With one coat of Poshe top coat, Veruschka transforms into a brighter, shinier emerald microglittler polish that is just perfect for Fall and the upcoming holiday season. It’s shown here with my new favorite nail treatment by Palladio. I use the Palladio Moisture Surge Nail Repair in place of a base coat in the winter months. Even though my nails do not peel or split, they can use all the moisture they can get in the colder months. I bought this at Sally’s Beauty Supply and although it looks mint green in the bottle, it dries clear enough to wear under sheers. I am a big fan of Palladio herbal lipglosses, too. If you like sheer with a little sparkle, try Pink Candy.

Harlow is a raspberry shade that covers in one coat with the matte formula. Whereas, Savita is a darker purple and needs 2 coats to provide even coverage. They appear muted and chalky in their native matte finish.

It’s no surprise that I like Harlow and Savita much better with a top coat of Poshe, as well. Harlow’s fuchsia microglitter makes it interesting and unique. It reminds me of an amped up China Glaze Secrets. Truth be told, I do not like Barney purple polishes in crème or shimmer finishes, but if you do, Savita is quite a vivid hue. Purples and blues are hard to photograph and display on a monitor. In real life, Savita has no obvious blue tones. It’s a bright grape base with violet microglitter.

Zoya polishes are available at select nail salons and artofbeauty.com. Palladio products are available at Sally's Beauty Supply, head2tobeauty.com, and select nail salons.

Photos: Melanie Parker.

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this review were individually purchased.