Chanel Rose Cache

Hey nail fanatics!  How’s your Thursday going?  It’s another overcast day here in LA – June Gloom is in full effect – which means crappy weather for photographing.  So instead I went through my photos to find a mani I haven’t shown you yet!

Today I have for you Chanel Rose Cache.  This is a sheer, nude colored polish with a pretty light pink shimmer.  Normally I don’t go for these nude colors at all, but this past winter I was in a nail polish exchange on one of my favorite forums and saw this polish; at the same time I was getting ready for grad school interviews and new I didn’t have anything conservative in my collection, so I grabbed this one up.  I’m so happy I did!  It’s a great neutral-but-not-boring polish.  This is 3 coats of Rose Cache. 

 Here’s a shot in direct sunlight….
 

…and another in indirect sunlight (it was a glorious day in LA!)…

I really like Rose Cache, but I also really dis-like visible nail line, which still shows through after 3 coats.  I’d heard that Dior Incognito, released in the Spring 2012 Color Block collection, had a similar base color as Rose Cache without the shimmer, so I picked up a bottle.  I’ll photograph a comparison of the two soon for you!  Either way, I’m holding on to Rose Cache for now; it’s not an instant love, but it’s a strong like, and maybe I’ll give it another chance…

Rose Cache was released in December 2011 and is currently available online at Chanel and at my favorite department store, Nordstrom.  Each polish retails for $26 for a 0.5 fl oz bottle. 

Make it a great day!

China Glaze Fast Track

 Hi everyone!  How’s everyone’s weekend going so far?  The weather is GORGEOUS here in sunny SoCal, and I am trying to find something fun to do outdoors!  I always tell my friends and family that December – March is why I pay the ridiculous amount I do to live in SoCal – best weather, hands down!

Today for you I have quick mani that I’ve been wearing for the past few days, China Glaze Fast Track.  Fast Track is a part of the new Hunger Games collection.  Can I just tell you how excited I am for this movie?!?! I loved the books so much when I read them back in 2010, and it has been painful waiting this long to see the film!  Fast Track is a very warm and pale tan base with a stunning gold sparkle.  It feels almost like the gold is a micro glitter.  A little bumpy going on the nail, but nothing a thicker top coat couldn’t smooth out!  Fast Track is slightly sheer, and I used 3 coats for full opacity here.  I could have gotten away with 2, as the VNL (visible nail line) would have only been noticeable to me or another nail addict staring at my hands, but whatever – I had the time, so 3 it was!

Apologies for the minor tip wear.  Take a look!

I absolutely love Fast Track!  It is a great work-appropriate neutral, but that gold sparkle keeps this polish from ever being described as boring.  Definitely a keeper!

Fast Track and the rest of the polishes from the Hunger Games Collection should be available by mid-March at your regular beauty retailers.  They’re currently available online at sallybeauty.com, and I found Fast Track at my local beauty supply. 


What do you think about Fast Track?  Is it love at first sight?  Are there any other polishes from the Hunger Games collection that catch your eye?  I also bought Agro, and hope to have a review up for you in a few days.  Till then, sound off in the comments below!

Nails Inc Week: Porchester Square

Happy Tuesday, Polish Fanatics!

As I mentioned in my post late yesterday, Nails Inc. polishes recently launched in the US! I am super excited that you all can now share in this brand, because they make fantastic polishes in great colors with buttery formulas. To celebrate the launch, I'm going to be reviewing Nails Inc. polishes all week to help you guys figure out which polishes you need to buy first!

For today's mani I have Nails Inc. Porchester Square. Porchester Square is a light taupe creme, a perfect nude for the work day. There is a light hint of lavender in the polish, but it's not overstated. Porchester Square is the lighter sister to the deeper mushroom taupes of last season, a la Chanel Paradoxal and Sally Hansen Commander In Chic. I'm not sure what was wrong with me when I did this mani, but I had heavy hands and needed 3 coats to smooth out some of the bumps. I've worn Porchester Square before, and it only required 2 coats then, so I chalk this up to operator error (read: I'm a ditz!).

(Nails Inc. Porchester Square; direct sunlight; no flash)


(Nails Inc. Porchester Square; shade; no flash)

(Nails Inc. Porchester Square; close-up; direct sunlight; no flash)

Is it any surprise to you that I am a fan of Porchester Square? It shouldn't be! This is the perfect shade for work; it's beautiful, fashionable, but not so loud as to draw a lot of attention at work - the perfect trifecta!

Porchester Square is currently available at select Sephora locations and online at sephora.com. If you're in the market for a pretty color for work, definitely check it out!


What do you think? Are you excited about Porchester Square? Have you ran to Sephora yet to pick up a few Nails Inc. polishes? If not, what in the world are you waiting for?!?!

My European Vacation: Part II

Good Morning! Did everyone have a great weekend? I definitely did. Sarah McLachlan at the Hollywood Bowl led to some unplanned partying late Friday night, which then turned into a killer hangover on Saturday. I managed to pull it together for Sunday though, and got an an insane amount of cleaning, laundry, and other chores done - including picking up my first IKEA Helmer! Oh yea, the polish collection is officially out of control, so I bought myself a Helmer as a birthday treat. Can't wait to put it together tonight!

Continuing in my Euro vacation series, I have for your today Rescue Beauty Lounge Decorous, which was my manicure to kick off the euro festivities. (I know, I've been reviewing the RBL polishes a lot lately, but this is it for a while, I promise!) Since I had a ll kinds of purple fun going on with my pedicure, and because of the varied styles and colors of my clothes, I really wanted to go for a neutral color on my fingers, as I didn't want to have to worry about colors clashing. Enter RBL Decorous. From the RBL site, Decorous is described as '...imagine if a cup of chai latte had a baby with a malted milkshake. A shimmery cocoa to add a chic suede finish to any outfit.' The color description is spot on, and Decorous had the same great formula I've come to love from RBL. Two coats and I was ready to go!


There wasn't any really great sunlight yesterday in LA, so here's another shot of the mani, just to give you an idea of the polish's color:


I love Decorous, and should probably add that this was at least the second or third time I had worn this mani - it's becoming a staple in my collection, for sure. If I have one complaint, it's that the light blue shimmer in the bottle and in photographs does not translate well on the nail. Disappointing, but it's still such a great light coffee color that I'm of course keeping it in the collection!

If you're interested, Decorous is still available from rescuebeauty.com. Like most of their polishes though, it is limited edition, so you may want to pick it up while you can! Ji Baek, the owner of RBL, has hinted that the Fall 2011 pre-sale will be coming up soon on July 29th, so you may want to hold off and do one big order (shipping does add up after awhile!); I know I likely will be picking up a few in stock items with the fall collection at the same time.


What do you think? Do you have any other RBL polishes where the pretty shimmer just doesn't translate well in a manicure? What's your favorite neutral - but not too neutral - polish? And are you also scrambling to get through all the summer polishes you picked up before the fall colors roll in next month?

The Untried Diaries: Essie Sand Tropez

I love nail polish, but ask anyone who knows me personally, and they'll tell you I love one thing more - a good deal. I am the ultimate deal shopper. I'm not like those ladies on Extreme Couponing who stock up on years and years of supplies for $0.50 that they may never use (unless nail polish counts!), but I definitely stopped paying retail for anything a few years ago, and it's rare for me to buy anything online or in person unless it's discounted or I have a coupon. Money is tight, yo, and this is how I maintain my standard of living in a tighter economy.

So in my recent nail polish shopping, I've been finding so many good deals that yesterday I took count and realized I now own more nail polish that I haven't worn than those I do. That's kinda sad. So here is the first entry in The Untried Diaries, my attempt to wear all the great (or maybe not so great?) polishes I've bought to figure out what really should stay in my personal collection, and what maybe should go.

The first entry in The Untried Diaries is essie Sand Tropez. Can you tell I have been loving me some essie recently? I can't believe I've never worn their polish before last week - I am so in love with their colors! essie gets a bad rep as only being sheers/nudes/pinks (read: conservative) but I've found so many vibrant colors in their line, normally in their limited edition collections. Sand Tropez, however, is a conservative safe-for-work nude, one that I wasn't sure how it would look on me. The color is a very pale and buttery tan. It applied very streaky, but after 3 coats had smoothed out nicely.

Indoor, natural lighting, with flash

The longer I look at this color on me, the more I love it! I think this is a perfect everyday nude color. I'll definitely be keeping this one nearby for frequent use. essie Sand Tropez was released as a part of the essie Spring 2011 collection (A French Affair), and is still available at salons and retailers (Target, CVS, Walmart, etc.). I found this with a 50% off sticker at CVS, so you may want to check there first!

What do you think? Will you be picking up a bottle of Sand Tropez? What's your favorite nude polish? And just how big is your collection of untrieds? Sound off in the comments!