Hi Lacquer Lovers!
I know it's been quiet over here at Polish & Tonic - and will continue to be so - but I don't want you to think I've forgotten about you! Mama is heading out of the country today for a much overdue (and much deserved!) vacation. I won't be blogging while I'm gone, but check back the week of 7/11 for updates on my crazy rendezvous with London and Paris, all the manis and pedis I sported during the trip, and most importantly - the huge international polish haul I'm sure to be bringing home!
30 June 2011
28 June 2011
Rescue Beauty Lounge: No More War
Today I have for you one of my most favorite polishes that I purchased recently. I haven't gotten this excited for a polish in so long! Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War is the color that got me interested enough to buy RBL for the first time, and the perfect example as to why RBL is an amazing boutique brand. I wore this as a pedi a few weeks ago on my trip to Northern Cal, and I got so many comments on it!
If you talk to any polish addict, she's likely heard of RBL. When asked what makes RBL unique, one of the Family Feud-style top five answers will always be "the colors are so unique!" Only a handful of RBL polishes have ever been duped by another brand. RBL No More War is no different. It is the Hilary Swank of nail polish. (If you know me, you know that I joke that Hilary Swank is my favorite ugly pretty Hollywood actress - she's got some less-than-perfect features that make her absolutely pretty and interesting to look at. Cruel, but true.) No More War is like that - at first glance, you're going to love it or hate it; there is no in between, and likely there's no changing your mind. Check it out:
And I was doing a little drinky-drinky when swatching this polish, and thought it would be fun to snap a shot of the polish with my buttery chardonnay:
I am so surprised by how much I like this. No More War is a warm-toned color, which I normally stay away from. The first coat shows a lot of the yellow undertone, and 2 coats would have sufficed, but I used 3 coats for this mani just to really bring out the true beauty of this color. It's a conversation starter, definitely the most unique polish I own, and an absolute favorite!
What do you think? Is No More War ugly, pretty, or ugly-pretty? Do you have any out-there colors that no one has duped, but you polish on and stare at for days? What brand do you think makes the most unique colors? Sound off in the comments!
If you talk to any polish addict, she's likely heard of RBL. When asked what makes RBL unique, one of the Family Feud-style top five answers will always be "the colors are so unique!" Only a handful of RBL polishes have ever been duped by another brand. RBL No More War is no different. It is the Hilary Swank of nail polish. (If you know me, you know that I joke that Hilary Swank is my favorite ugly pretty Hollywood actress - she's got some less-than-perfect features that make her absolutely pretty and interesting to look at. Cruel, but true.) No More War is like that - at first glance, you're going to love it or hate it; there is no in between, and likely there's no changing your mind. Check it out:
And I was doing a little drinky-drinky when swatching this polish, and thought it would be fun to snap a shot of the polish with my buttery chardonnay:
I am so surprised by how much I like this. No More War is a warm-toned color, which I normally stay away from. The first coat shows a lot of the yellow undertone, and 2 coats would have sufficed, but I used 3 coats for this mani just to really bring out the true beauty of this color. It's a conversation starter, definitely the most unique polish I own, and an absolute favorite!
What do you think? Is No More War ugly, pretty, or ugly-pretty? Do you have any out-there colors that no one has duped, but you polish on and stare at for days? What brand do you think makes the most unique colors? Sound off in the comments!
27 June 2011
Chip Prevention Wear Test: The Verdict Is In!
Happy Monday!
If you remember, last Wednesday I started a wear test to determine which treatment is better at preventing chips, a sticky base coat or a chip skip top coat. I managed to wear Rescue Beauty Lounge for a full 5 day wear test - I was itching to change the color by Friday! - and the verdict is in. Read on!
If you remember, I had Nubar Foundation base coat on my middle and pinky fingers, with a generic top coat on top. I wore essie No Chips Ahead top coat on my pointer and ring fingers, with a generic base coat underneath. Take a look at the mani after 5 days:
As you can see, there is normal tipwear on all 4 nails (expected, as I do work at a computer all day) with a little more-than-expected tip wear on the pointer finger and ring fingers, and a huge chip on the pinky finger. The pinky is misleading - up until 3 minutes before I took this photo my pinky looked just like my middle finger. But then I walked into a wall (yes, I have blond moments, too). I naturally have soft nails, and this is less a chip and more just a piece of my nail peeled off from the impact.
The Winner: Nubar Foundation Base Coat
Here's the thing - I actually thought both treatments were pretty fairly equal until the last day, when the essie protected nails started showing excessive wear, compared to the Nubar nails. If you keep your mani's for a long time, as in over 5 days, go with a sticky base coat like Nubar (or Orly Bonder, another fave). If you're like me and change your polishes frequently, though, I would say either one adequately will prevent chips.
All things being equal, then, I had to go with the Nubar as the winner. Essie NCA felt very thin when applied, and didn't bring a lot of shine to the mani. I'd rather stick with a sticky base coat like Nubar which would allow me to use a high glossy top coat, like CND Super Shiney, which really makes a mani sparkle.
What do you think? Were you expecting both to give similar results? Or are you passionate about one versus the other? And am I the only one who finds it painful to wear the same mani for 5 days in a row?!?!
If you remember, last Wednesday I started a wear test to determine which treatment is better at preventing chips, a sticky base coat or a chip skip top coat. I managed to wear Rescue Beauty Lounge for a full 5 day wear test - I was itching to change the color by Friday! - and the verdict is in. Read on!
If you remember, I had Nubar Foundation base coat on my middle and pinky fingers, with a generic top coat on top. I wore essie No Chips Ahead top coat on my pointer and ring fingers, with a generic base coat underneath. Take a look at the mani after 5 days:
As you can see, there is normal tipwear on all 4 nails (expected, as I do work at a computer all day) with a little more-than-expected tip wear on the pointer finger and ring fingers, and a huge chip on the pinky finger. The pinky is misleading - up until 3 minutes before I took this photo my pinky looked just like my middle finger. But then I walked into a wall (yes, I have blond moments, too). I naturally have soft nails, and this is less a chip and more just a piece of my nail peeled off from the impact.
The Winner: Nubar Foundation Base Coat
Here's the thing - I actually thought both treatments were pretty fairly equal until the last day, when the essie protected nails started showing excessive wear, compared to the Nubar nails. If you keep your mani's for a long time, as in over 5 days, go with a sticky base coat like Nubar (or Orly Bonder, another fave). If you're like me and change your polishes frequently, though, I would say either one adequately will prevent chips.
All things being equal, then, I had to go with the Nubar as the winner. Essie NCA felt very thin when applied, and didn't bring a lot of shine to the mani. I'd rather stick with a sticky base coat like Nubar which would allow me to use a high glossy top coat, like CND Super Shiney, which really makes a mani sparkle.
What do you think? Were you expecting both to give similar results? Or are you passionate about one versus the other? And am I the only one who finds it painful to wear the same mani for 5 days in a row?!?!
26 June 2011
Zoya Sooki (True Blood Returns!)
Happy Sunday, Lacquer Lovers!
It has been a quiet and productive weekend here in SoCal - I got my hair did yesterday, did a little nail polish shopping, beautiful hike this morning in Runyon Canyon, and just finished a few hours of swatching polishes I haven't had time to get to. Haha okay, so there was no cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, etc., but the former is my idea of a productive weekend way more than the latter.
In case you haven't heard, season 4 of True Blood returns tonight on HBO! I watched the first 3 episodes already (there are a few perks to working for a studio and having friends in the industry!), and for all you hardcore fans, you will not be disappointed! For fans of the book - well, the more you can distance yourself from the storyline in the books, the happier you will be. Alan Ball has his own point of view for the characters in Bon Temps, and while he respects Charlaine Harris' original work, he definitely is forging his own ideas on the Bon Temps universe without apology.
To celebrate the return of our favorite southern vamps, I changed up my pedi today to Zoya Sooki. Sooki is a bright red creme, released this year as a part of the Zoya Summertime Collection. It was surprisingly opaque in just 1 coat - always a plus! - but I did 2 coats below, just to get rid of any VNL. You know I never force my friends to stare at my piggies, so here's a look at Sooki on my fingers:
The photo above is natural light and didn't quite capture how bright and bold Sooki really is. Here's a shot with artificial light and flash:
Overall, Sooki really reminds me of OPI Vodka & Caviar, one of my favorite reds ever. V&C is much more of a jelly versus Sooki which is a true creme. (Memo to self - must do a comparison soon!) Sooki has a place in my collection now, but if it turns out to be a dupe for V&C, it may be facing the 'true death' and leaving my collection.
What do you think? Do you have any of the polishes from the Zoya Summertime Collection? Are you a True Blood fan? And doesn't Sooki seem to be the perfect polish for Sookie Stackhouse?
It has been a quiet and productive weekend here in SoCal - I got my hair did yesterday, did a little nail polish shopping, beautiful hike this morning in Runyon Canyon, and just finished a few hours of swatching polishes I haven't had time to get to. Haha okay, so there was no cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, etc., but the former is my idea of a productive weekend way more than the latter.
In case you haven't heard, season 4 of True Blood returns tonight on HBO! I watched the first 3 episodes already (there are a few perks to working for a studio and having friends in the industry!), and for all you hardcore fans, you will not be disappointed! For fans of the book - well, the more you can distance yourself from the storyline in the books, the happier you will be. Alan Ball has his own point of view for the characters in Bon Temps, and while he respects Charlaine Harris' original work, he definitely is forging his own ideas on the Bon Temps universe without apology.
To celebrate the return of our favorite southern vamps, I changed up my pedi today to Zoya Sooki. Sooki is a bright red creme, released this year as a part of the Zoya Summertime Collection. It was surprisingly opaque in just 1 coat - always a plus! - but I did 2 coats below, just to get rid of any VNL. You know I never force my friends to stare at my piggies, so here's a look at Sooki on my fingers:
The photo above is natural light and didn't quite capture how bright and bold Sooki really is. Here's a shot with artificial light and flash:
Overall, Sooki really reminds me of OPI Vodka & Caviar, one of my favorite reds ever. V&C is much more of a jelly versus Sooki which is a true creme. (Memo to self - must do a comparison soon!) Sooki has a place in my collection now, but if it turns out to be a dupe for V&C, it may be facing the 'true death' and leaving my collection.
What do you think? Do you have any of the polishes from the Zoya Summertime Collection? Are you a True Blood fan? And doesn't Sooki seem to be the perfect polish for Sookie Stackhouse?
23 June 2011
Chip Prevention Wear Test: Part Deux
A few weeks ago I attempted to do my first wear test to determine the best way to extend a manicure and minimize chips - either using a sticky base coat, or a chip preventing top coat. The wear test was interrupted by my office move, and I promised you all I'd re-visit the topic in the future.
The future has arrived.
THE CHALLENGE:
Wear a manicure for 5 days (that alone is a challenge for me!) in order to find the best weapon in my current collection of top coats, base coats, and treatments to prevent chipping and extend the life of the mani.
THE CONTENDERS:
Representing sticky base coats, weighing in at 0.5 fl oz, we have Nubar Foundation Base Coat. I realize that Nubar is a less well-known brand, but I'm hoping to inspire you to go out and find them. Really, they make fantastic colors and have a great formula - every polish lover should have a few in their collection!
Representing chip preventing top coats, from a well-known salon brand, weighing in at 0.5 fl oz, we have Essie No Chips Ahead Top Coat. Essie is an easily accessible brand, available at both salons and major retailers like CVS, Target, and Wal-Mart.
THE MANICURE:
If I have to stare at the same manicure for 5 days, you better believe it is going to be a polish I love. I have hunted online and the streets of LA high and low to snag up a bottle of the sold-out Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine, from the fall 2010 The Real Housewives of the Tudors Dynasty Collection (yea, that's a mouthful). Rescue Beauty Lounge is a small, boutique nail polish brand based out of NYC with a passionate group of followers who call themselves ReBeLs.
Catherine is a dark, smokey, blue-tinted purple with a fuschia and teal sparkle. The polish applied flawlessly in 2 coats, however, RBL polishes are special for their colors, and Catherine is no different. Seriously, RBL gives you the most unique colors that you haven't seen anywhere before, and the uniqueness alone makes the price (retails for $18 for a 0.4 fl oz bottle) worth it. Take a look:
Unfortunately, we're in June gloom season in LA, and I don't have any direct sunlight to show you the fuschia/teal sparkle - so sad! However, I do have some close-up shots to show a hint of the sparkle on the nails and in the bottle. Here's a close-up in natural lighting:
And under artificial lighting (sorry for the blurriness, but look at her sparkle!):
So there you have it! The only rules are that I'm not allowed to touch up the manicure (aah!) except to re-apply top coat for shine. I'll be re-applying regular top coat on the Nubar nails, and the Essie NCA to the nails that already have it.
Let the battle royale begin! Check back Monday morning for results!
What do you think? Do you rely on a sticky base coat or hardening top coat to protect your nails from keyboards, dish soap, and all elements that would do them harm? Have you tried any Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes yet? What are you fave colors? Sound off in the comments!
The future has arrived.
THE CHALLENGE:
Wear a manicure for 5 days (that alone is a challenge for me!) in order to find the best weapon in my current collection of top coats, base coats, and treatments to prevent chipping and extend the life of the mani.
THE CONTENDERS:
Representing sticky base coats, weighing in at 0.5 fl oz, we have Nubar Foundation Base Coat. I realize that Nubar is a less well-known brand, but I'm hoping to inspire you to go out and find them. Really, they make fantastic colors and have a great formula - every polish lover should have a few in their collection!
Representing chip preventing top coats, from a well-known salon brand, weighing in at 0.5 fl oz, we have Essie No Chips Ahead Top Coat. Essie is an easily accessible brand, available at both salons and major retailers like CVS, Target, and Wal-Mart.
THE MANICURE:
If I have to stare at the same manicure for 5 days, you better believe it is going to be a polish I love. I have hunted online and the streets of LA high and low to snag up a bottle of the sold-out Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine, from the fall 2010 The Real Housewives of the Tudors Dynasty Collection (yea, that's a mouthful). Rescue Beauty Lounge is a small, boutique nail polish brand based out of NYC with a passionate group of followers who call themselves ReBeLs.
Catherine is a dark, smokey, blue-tinted purple with a fuschia and teal sparkle. The polish applied flawlessly in 2 coats, however, RBL polishes are special for their colors, and Catherine is no different. Seriously, RBL gives you the most unique colors that you haven't seen anywhere before, and the uniqueness alone makes the price (retails for $18 for a 0.4 fl oz bottle) worth it. Take a look:
Unfortunately, we're in June gloom season in LA, and I don't have any direct sunlight to show you the fuschia/teal sparkle - so sad! However, I do have some close-up shots to show a hint of the sparkle on the nails and in the bottle. Here's a close-up in natural lighting:
And under artificial lighting (sorry for the blurriness, but look at her sparkle!):
So there you have it! The only rules are that I'm not allowed to touch up the manicure (aah!) except to re-apply top coat for shine. I'll be re-applying regular top coat on the Nubar nails, and the Essie NCA to the nails that already have it.
Let the battle royale begin! Check back Monday morning for results!
What do you think? Do you rely on a sticky base coat or hardening top coat to protect your nails from keyboards, dish soap, and all elements that would do them harm? Have you tried any Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes yet? What are you fave colors? Sound off in the comments!
21 June 2011
NOTD: Julep Natalie
Good Morning!
One of the reasons I'm such a nail polish addict is because I spend a lot of time online talking to other nail polish addicts and learning so much about polish! I'm always surprised at how much I don't know. I recently found an online community I love, and the ladies have completely opened me up to nail polish brands I'd never heard of (and never would) before. Yes, you have OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Zoya, Sally Hansen, and others, and all of these brands are good at some things and worse at others. But even beyond these major brands, there are some special polishes out there, and today's post is here to introduce you to a boutique brand out of the pacific northwest - Julep Nail Parlor.
I first learned about Julep from a blogger, and I have been in love with their bright colors ever since I first laid eyes on them. Julep (and most boutique brands) is a bit pricey - each polish retails for $14 for a 0.27 fl oz bottle (about 1/2 the size of what you get from OPI, Orly, etc. for almost twice the price). So a few weeks ago when Lucky Magazine had a deal of the day to pick up 4 Julep polishes for 60% off, you know I had to snatch some up!
The summer set came with four polishes: Amy, Helena, Natalie, and Jennifer. I have for you today Natalie, described as a bright 'honeysuckle pink' on Julep's site. Natalie is a beautiful pink with some orange tones - at first I thought it might be a pink-tinged coral, which is how it appears indoors/low lighting. However, after stepping outside this morning, I knew she was the bright pink as promised. The formula on Julep was really nice - I actually thought it went on a little thick, and I prefer slightly thinner polish. I had nearly full opacity in one coat, but put a second on just because. Take a look:
And here's an up-close shot of the polish:
Julep Natalie is definitely a keeper! Although, in the interest of full disclosure, because it applied so thick, I've already found 2 small chips in the mani after typing at work all day. Sadness! However, I'm still completely in love with this color and brand, and can't wait to take the other 3 colors out for a test drive!
What do you think? Have you tried other colors from Julep? Are you a fan of Julep, or any other boutique nail polish brands? And just how much are you willing to spend on a bottle of nail polish?
One of the reasons I'm such a nail polish addict is because I spend a lot of time online talking to other nail polish addicts and learning so much about polish! I'm always surprised at how much I don't know. I recently found an online community I love, and the ladies have completely opened me up to nail polish brands I'd never heard of (and never would) before. Yes, you have OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Zoya, Sally Hansen, and others, and all of these brands are good at some things and worse at others. But even beyond these major brands, there are some special polishes out there, and today's post is here to introduce you to a boutique brand out of the pacific northwest - Julep Nail Parlor.
I first learned about Julep from a blogger, and I have been in love with their bright colors ever since I first laid eyes on them. Julep (and most boutique brands) is a bit pricey - each polish retails for $14 for a 0.27 fl oz bottle (about 1/2 the size of what you get from OPI, Orly, etc. for almost twice the price). So a few weeks ago when Lucky Magazine had a deal of the day to pick up 4 Julep polishes for 60% off, you know I had to snatch some up!
The summer set came with four polishes: Amy, Helena, Natalie, and Jennifer. I have for you today Natalie, described as a bright 'honeysuckle pink' on Julep's site. Natalie is a beautiful pink with some orange tones - at first I thought it might be a pink-tinged coral, which is how it appears indoors/low lighting. However, after stepping outside this morning, I knew she was the bright pink as promised. The formula on Julep was really nice - I actually thought it went on a little thick, and I prefer slightly thinner polish. I had nearly full opacity in one coat, but put a second on just because. Take a look:
And here's an up-close shot of the polish:
Julep Natalie is definitely a keeper! Although, in the interest of full disclosure, because it applied so thick, I've already found 2 small chips in the mani after typing at work all day. Sadness! However, I'm still completely in love with this color and brand, and can't wait to take the other 3 colors out for a test drive!
What do you think? Have you tried other colors from Julep? Are you a fan of Julep, or any other boutique nail polish brands? And just how much are you willing to spend on a bottle of nail polish?
16 June 2011
The Untried Diaries: OPI Houston We Have A Purple
Happy Thursday! Two more days till the weekend! It feels like it's been forever since I last posted! Last weekend was a crazy one - I was visiting friends in San Francisco and Sonoma for 3 days, and needless to say, there was a lot of drinking! The drive up I-5 was easy-peasy on Saturday, and seriously the most painful drive ever on Monday - it's amazing what 72 hours of binge drinking can do to the body.
Today's mani is actually the mani I rocked for the weekend - OPI Houston We Have A Purple. HWHAP was released this past spring as a part of the Texas Collection, which included six polishes (including HWHAP) with a "sorbet-like" finish. Read: it's a jelly polish! I had already worn and fallen in love with Do You Think I'm Tex-y?, a bright pink jelly from the collection, so a few weeks later when I was back at Ulta, I had to pick up HWHAP too.
HWHAP is a purple polish with a cool pink undertone; it almost looked like a purple-ish raspberry on my mani. Try as I might, I wasn't able to capture the true purple tint on camera, but below is fairly accurate. As it's a jelly, the polish had a super high gloss finish (Love!) and as expected had VNL at two coats. I did a third coat for a little more opacity, but most people who love jellies would have been happy at two.
And here's a close-up:
But of course I loved Houston We Have A Purple! This polish is right up my alley in terms of both finish and color. It definitely brings a happy summery vibe to my nails, and I won't be surprised to find myself reaching for this polish several times throughout the summer.
What do you think? Do you have any jellies or polishes from the OPI Texas collection? And if you have seen the jellies from the OPI Texas collection in person (www.opi.com), be honest: can you really tell the difference between Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em and Do You Think I'm Tex-y? I know I can't!
Today's mani is actually the mani I rocked for the weekend - OPI Houston We Have A Purple. HWHAP was released this past spring as a part of the Texas Collection, which included six polishes (including HWHAP) with a "sorbet-like" finish. Read: it's a jelly polish! I had already worn and fallen in love with Do You Think I'm Tex-y?, a bright pink jelly from the collection, so a few weeks later when I was back at Ulta, I had to pick up HWHAP too.
HWHAP is a purple polish with a cool pink undertone; it almost looked like a purple-ish raspberry on my mani. Try as I might, I wasn't able to capture the true purple tint on camera, but below is fairly accurate. As it's a jelly, the polish had a super high gloss finish (Love!) and as expected had VNL at two coats. I did a third coat for a little more opacity, but most people who love jellies would have been happy at two.
And here's a close-up:
But of course I loved Houston We Have A Purple! This polish is right up my alley in terms of both finish and color. It definitely brings a happy summery vibe to my nails, and I won't be surprised to find myself reaching for this polish several times throughout the summer.
What do you think? Do you have any jellies or polishes from the OPI Texas collection? And if you have seen the jellies from the OPI Texas collection in person (www.opi.com), be honest: can you really tell the difference between Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em and Do You Think I'm Tex-y? I know I can't!
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