The New Black Gets Shamrocked By Dell, But Does Not Wow

Review By Melanie Parker

Timed with the release of the new 2010 Hong Kong Collection by OPI, the Dell Design Studio now offers six of the collection’s shades. The OPI by Dell line was originally launched in November 2009, and the Dell Design Studio is replacing the initial Holiday Collection selections with the new Hong Kong Collection options. There are also 20 classic OPI colors in the permanent collection of color choices for Mini, Inspiron and Studio laptops. The Hong Kong Collection features fun shades in deep orange, jade green, red, berry, purple, and blue.



Just hearing that Jade is the New Black was one of the OPI by Dell colors had me thinking that now was the time to buy a Studio 17 notebook. I imagined getting it for my birthday at the end of March, which coincides with when I usually get a Federal tax refund. However, Mercury being in retrograde and all, my printer broke on a Saturday and my 8-year old Dell tower refused to boot up the following Monday. The time was right to order the new laptop and printer now.

I momentarily thought about ordering the shell in I'm Not Really a Waitress because it is such a fun and classic shade of red. I love the shimmer. But, I went with Jade Is the New Black sight unseen. I'd seen some swatches of the nail lacquer online, and it really did look like a kelly green jade stone or a green onyx. That would make a lovely laptop color. I'd already named my new techno-baby "The Green Machine" and committed to painting my nails with the lucky looking OPI's Jade Is the New Black until my new computer arrived.

Unfortunately, it took a long time for my new techno-baby to get here. The gestation period amounted to about 3 weeks, which is an eternity when you are sans home computer. And then I was at the office during the first delivery attempt and it pained me to have to wait another day. I am not sure what I was more excited about, switching to one of my new Alice In Wonderland holographic OPIs once I got the laptop or the laptop itself. Three weeks is much longer than I like to go with any one nail color, despite how much I do love this shade of green and that it looks good with about 70% of my wardrobe being kelly green, navy, or black.

So, imagine my surprise when I cracked open the box for my new techno-baby and saw what essentially looked like a Shamrock shake swirl on the top. It's much lighter than the polish, and it's a very grainy image. In fact, in the upper-left corner, there is "OPI by Dell Jade is the New Black" in print, and the font looks grainy too. BIG LET DOWN.

The more I look at it, the more it reminds me of that faux green marble finish that was so popular to paint on the walls in the 1990s. I can't even say that it looks like malachite instead of jade. It looks like a vanilla shake getting mixed with some horrid green mint gel at the local malt shop. It's that white veining that makes my stomach churn.

This designer shell was a total waste of $85. I still love the machine with it backlit keyboard, web cam, and extra RAM. It's the "designer" OPI by Dell shell that I could have lived without. I don't even think a vinyl design from etsy.com could save this shell. It would just be contributing to the wrongness to add another layer. It's a good thing I don't have to look at the shell when I am actually using the notebook.

When I posted my disappointment about the color of the shell on Facebook, I got a comment from a friend who said she was disappointed with the Princesses Rule! one that she got. For those who aren't familiar with that color, it's a pink microglitter. Instead of having a glittery or metallic sheen, she said there are white blobs where the glitter is supposed to be. WTF? The flinish of these shades is what makes them unique to OPI. Merely putting a "wet paint" look of a small swatch magnified to 400% and drowning down these glorious hues dismays this nailphile.

If you are interested in ordering a designer shell for your new computer, I suggest trying to find photos or video of the actual product online first. QVC.com has some of the classic colors. The Hong Kong Collection color options are available now for $85 per device. All customizable colors for Dell Mini, Inspiron and Studio laptops are available at www.dell.com/DesignStudio. The newest additions will be retailed first in the U.S. and later in other countries. Select OPI colors will also be available at select Dell retailers nationwide.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by the reviewer.

Credit: Melanie Parker for Blogdorf Goodman

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, created the Jade Nail Collection with two limited edition nail enamels in sure-to-be-coveted colors “Jade” and “Jade Rose” for the Ready-to-Wear Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 runway show. These mineral-inspired shades transform the nails into genuine gems and recall the jade jewelry and the pink knit and pistachio tweed of the fashion collection.

“For the nails, Karl wanted a green shade to evoke the jade notes of the collection. I worked with our laboratories to offer him a monochromatic palette of 10 green shades. (I think I just heard Melanie Parker gasp!)

We chose the color that most resembled the green tweed skirt suit from the collection,” explains Peter Philips.

The CHANEL Jade Nail Collection debuts on September 10th at the CHANEL Soho Boutique in New York City in celebration of Vogue’s Fashion Night Out.

Starting the 11th of September, The Jade Nail Collection will be sold for limited time exclusively at www.chanel.com, CHANEL Makeup Studios and CHANEL boutiques for $25.00.

Let us know if it looks anything like MAC's Peppermint Patti nail polish!

Credits: Chanel and Cat Walking.

The Girl is Pine

Orly Enchanted Forest Review
by Melanie Parker

Orly has released a fabulous nail color line for Fall with the Once Upon a Time collection. It’s a little bit sparkly and a little bit creamy, but every color is a gem.

The stand out shade is a pine green crème called Enchanted Forest. Oh yes, I am going to go there… This is what people who missed out on Nars Zulu have been waiting for in terms of nail color. It’s a delightfully decadent color that is perfect for Fall. I took pictures of it in the sun, shade, and indoors so you can see how it stays green no matter what the lighting conditions are.

It reminds me of a British racing green sports car, a leafy spinach salad, and a Christmas tree all in one—just a few of my favorite things. I’m smitten with Enchanted Forest. And I haven’t even told you the best part, it provides full, rich color in 2 coats. I know some aren’t so enamored with the jelly finish of Zulu, and for those who see jellies as streaky the Enchanted Forest will better meet your needs.

Honorable mention goes to Pixie Dust and Happily Ever After. Pixie Dust is a bluish gray with platinum sparkles. Happily Ever After is a fresh berry color that appears to be a crème, but has trace amounts of sparkly goodness upon closer inspection.

Orly retails for $7.50 and is available at some salons and CVS stores and is discounted at Sally’s Beauty Supply and online discounters like head2toebeauty.com. I bought mine at Sally’s and they each came with a little rhinestone zipper pull/charm on the lid.


And here is some gratuitous puppy p0rn for you. I can’t have my neighbors thinking I am some kind of weirdo walking my dog and taking picture of my hand in the sun, so I also took some pictures of Chloe. Fans of the Britcom Absolutely Fabulous will know what I mean when I say this bi-colored beauty is the Chanel of dogs.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by Melanie Parker.

Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."
Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Sinful Nail Polish in San Francisco

Sinful is a nail polish line at Walgreens. The price is dirt cheap at $1.99 but the quality rivals any high end polish. The polishes have rich pigment, dries quickly and are fairly chip resistant. It takes two to three coats to achieve the emerald city shade in the bottle. It shimmers and has great sheen. The nail polish line has a great selection of colors. They are usually located near the cash register in the Walgreen's cosmetic section.

Getting nailed poll: What nail polish are you wearing this week?

Disclosure: I purchased this nail polish at my local drugstore.

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Cult Classics
Day 31, OPI's Rainforest by Michelle Mismas from
All Lacquered Up - A Polish Fanatic's Resource

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/

As with any cult classic, it starts with a small group of fanatics and builds from there. When it comes to green nail polish I am most definitely a fan and OPI’s Rainforest is a rock star. Back when the MUA Nail Board was young the original “green queens” included DQ2, Giggles, SpeakerPunk and myself. We were passionate about our love of green polish yet hard pressed to find a truly great shade. And then came Rainforest. It appeared as just a bottle pic on the board but that was all we needed to begin the hunt. Somehow it has snowballed into a phenomenon that can only be outdone by the frenzy Chanel Black Satin caused last year. The only difference, Rainforest has staying power.

Even for girls that aren’t into green polish, this emerald sparkler has become a holy grail and sought after shade. There is something about a genuine jewel tone that draws people in. You imagine matching it to your ring, a bracelet, your sweater, etc. and once you see it on the nail, you fall in love. It is one of the beloved discontinued OPIs that sparked the “dusty hunting” trend; the practice of stalking old (dusty) nail shops in the hopes of discovering a hidden gem. It’s your only hope for avoiding the eBay scalpers and their ridiculous prices. I was fortunate to score my bottle at a local nail shop for only $3. It was used but no less loved.

Unfortunately the history of Rainforest is murky. The collection it came from is unknown. There were hopes that the OPI anniversary book would solve that mystery but alas, we are left to wonder how and when it came to be. If anyone knows the origin story, please share.

Credit: Michelle Mismas

Revved Up And My Toes Are Ready To Go

By Melanie Parker

Part of being a nail polish collector is the fun in matching nail colors to that of favorite items. I have many that match dresses, shoes, jewelry, walls in my home, and after a long search I finally found one that matches my car's paint. I know it sounds crazy, but I have actually used nail polish to touch up paint chips on my previous cars. My last vehicle matched Jane Hot Blooded and OPI Edin-burgundy--a shiny blue-based red. The car before that was Opening Night Champagne (a gold shimmer) , and the one before that was OPI Chick Flick Cherry (another blue-based red crème).

But my current car is British racing green, and it is not easy to find a decent green polish. Especially a blackened green in a vampy crème finish. For years, I told myself that Creative NFS was a match, but it is a blue-based green and has a slight shimmer. So, I kept looking and collected three that seemed like they may be matches: Chelsea Psycho Green, Anna Sui #915, and Nars Zulu.

I swatched all three of them, and they looked similar until I got them in the direct sunlight. The Anna Sui is the lightest of the three and the streakiest, but I like it best. It's a clover green crème. What can I say? Sometimes I like a challenge. Actually, any vampy crème color can be a challenge to apply because you run the risk of dragging the color at the cuticle as you attempt to build up an even coat of polish. I have this problem with many dark reds, so the Anna Sui is not alone in its streakiness. Zulu and Psycho Green apply smoother and are almost color twins, except the finish is much shinier with the Nars.

It feels good to discover that Nars Zulu is a color match. I went and got a pedicure with it today and the nail tech told me that I needed a flower because this was a Fall color. No way! There is no season that prohibits this green goodness. Another customer admired my deep, lush green toes and said, "Oh, that color makes me think of shopping. I miss Marshall Field's." I feel a little nostalgic when I see it, too. Not only does it match my British racer, but it is the exact color of the Marshall Field's shopping bags before they got switched over to Macy's branding and the Frango mint chocolate boxes. *sigh*

What nail polish best matches your car?

Disclosure: This product was purchased by the reviewer, Melanie Parker

Rimmel Underground Is Out!

Rimmel's new Underground collection is slowly making its way to super stores and drug stores across North America. In the Chicago area, I've only been able to find it at Meijer's, and by the time I got there, most of the polishes and shadows had sold out. Others across the USA and Canada are reporting that their Ultas, Wal-marts, and Walgreen's are carrying the new line.

The first thing that caught my eye in this collection were the deep saturated jewel tones for Spring. An emerald green shimmer polish like Rimmel's Play Fast Camouflage is hard to find in any salon brand, so to find it at the drug store was a delight. And it was the perfect polish for St. Patrick's Day. It covered well in one coat, but I did 2 just to be sure. It stayed put from Wednesday to Sunday with no noticeable tip wear. That is incredible durability for me. It's on par with OPI and China Glaze and outlasts Essie and Chanel by days. And I paid only $3.49 a bottle.

I also bought Cat Fight (a dusty pinkish lilac microglitter), Rave (a deep maroon shimmer), and Killer Queen (a raspberry merlot shimmer). Cat Fight is semi-sheer, which I do not normally care for. So, I loaded on four coats to get it opaque and then topped it with a Poshe rapid dry top coat and it looked great. The microglitter is a lot of bling with a smooth consistency--not chunky and hard to remove like a true glitter polish.

Rimmel Killer Queen is a delightful deep raspberry shimmer. It looks darker in the bottle than it appears on the nail. I used 2 coats for durability, but with this flat brush and excellent formula, you could get away with one coat coverage. There are so many other colors in this collection that I would like to try, from an opalescent taupe (Night Life) to a lilac shimmer (Hit That), there is something for every skin tone in this collection.

Photos and review from DramaQueenie2.

Readers: Have you seen this new collection at your local stores? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: The products were purchased by the reviewer.