RBL Bangin' & H5

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I still wasn't up for facing another holiday manicure today, so I cracked into another Chez-Delaney stamping plate.  I wanted to use the tip pattern from plate H5, which is a pattern centered about a heart, and I thought it would look cool in Konad Black Pearl over a red creme.  For the base color, I went with RBL Bangin', halfway between a coral and a red, because the color is light and vivid enough to provide a stark contrast to the Black Pearl.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' is, like their other cremes, just perfect in two coats. It's normally easy to apply, but I must confess that today's manicure is neither my best application nor stamping.  The fact is, I did my nails while watching a Jackass DVD, so I kept busting out laughing.  I wish there were a more age-appropriate reason for the imperfections, but alas, I apparently have the sense of humor of a twelve year old boy.  So be it...  As a result, the only really decent stamps ended up being my thumb, which you can only see half of, and my middle finger.  I was laughing for the others and smudged them a little - just enough that they look crappy in a giant picture, but not enough to redo it.  Here's what I've got.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' Nail Polish with Chez-Delaney H5

It's not perfect, but I like it a lot just the same.

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL Bangin' & H5

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I still wasn't up for facing another holiday manicure today, so I cracked into another Chez-Delaney stamping plate.  I wanted to use the tip pattern from plate H5, which is a pattern centered about a heart, and I thought it would look cool in Konad Black Pearl over a red creme.  For the base color, I went with RBL Bangin', halfway between a coral and a red, because the color is light and vivid enough to provide a stark contrast to the Black Pearl.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' is, like their other cremes, just perfect in two coats. It's normally easy to apply, but I must confess that today's manicure is neither my best application nor stamping.  The fact is, I did my nails while watching a Jackass DVD, so I kept busting out laughing.  I wish there were a more age-appropriate reason for the imperfections, but alas, I apparently have the sense of humor of a twelve year old boy.  So be it...  As a result, the only really decent stamps ended up being my thumb, which you can only see half of, and my middle finger.  I was laughing for the others and smudged them a little - just enough that they look crappy in a giant picture, but not enough to redo it.  Here's what I've got.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' Nail Polish with Chez-Delaney H5

It's not perfect, but I like it a lot just the same.

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL Purple Haze & H4

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I just got around to changing my manicure today, and I realized that at this point I'm already weary of winter and holiday manicures.  I still have a long way to go!  I decided for a change, I'd go with Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze and try out one of the Chez-Delaney plates I got this week.

Purple Haze is, of course, as fabulous as always.  It's a great shade and it virtually applies itself, and it's perfection in two coats.

For the stamping, I wanted to see how Chez-Delaney's gargantuan tip patterns worked, and I went with the one on plate H4.  That's actually the main reason I ordered these, some of them have tip patterns that are friggin' enormous, so much so that I could literally have double the free edge I have now, and they'd still cover in one stamp.  For me, that matters because having to double stamp is a bit of a hassle, so these are great.  Just for a sense of scale, here's a picture of the plate from Chez-Delaney's site.  I used the one in the middle.

Chez Delaney Nail Stamping Plate H4

As you can see, the tip pattern and the full nail pattern to its left are the same length.  That's good news!

I did the stamping using Konad White, and they turned out well for the most part.  At first, I had a little trouble getting the Konad stamper to cover as much of the pattern as I wanted to pick up (I just used about half of it), and for some reason I start on my left hand.  So the stamping's a lot better on the right hand, but I have a heck of a time getting a picture of my right hand, so I'll just have to show you the imperfect left.

RBL Purple Haze Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Chez Delaney H4

I like it, and I'm excited to have some fun new plates.

On an entirely unrelated note, a few days ago in the comments, Cat from Australia asked about summery Christmas manicure ideas for those in the southern hemisphere.  I have two ideas I'm tossing around which are not complete, but I thought I'd ask you for your ideas as well, if you'd care to share them.  We can consider what it would be like to have late June weather at Christmas while the snow falls outside (like now!).  I'll be showing you at least one of the two ideas I'm working on this week.

That's just about all I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL Purple Haze & H4

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I just got around to changing my manicure today, and I realized that at this point I'm already weary of winter and holiday manicures.  I still have a long way to go!  I decided for a change, I'd go with Rescue Beauty Lounge Purple Haze and try out one of the Chez-Delaney plates I got this week.

Purple Haze is, of course, as fabulous as always.  It's a great shade and it virtually applies itself, and it's perfection in two coats.

For the stamping, I wanted to see how Chez-Delaney's gargantuan tip patterns worked, and I went with the one on plate H4.  That's actually the main reason I ordered these, some of them have tip patterns that are friggin' enormous, so much so that I could literally have double the free edge I have now, and they'd still cover in one stamp.  For me, that matters because having to double stamp is a bit of a hassle, so these are great.  Just for a sense of scale, here's a picture of the plate from Chez-Delaney's site.  I used the one in the middle.

Chez Delaney Nail Stamping Plate H4

As you can see, the tip pattern and the full nail pattern to its left are the same length.  That's good news!

I did the stamping using Konad White, and they turned out well for the most part.  At first, I had a little trouble getting the Konad stamper to cover as much of the pattern as I wanted to pick up (I just used about half of it), and for some reason I start on my left hand.  So the stamping's a lot better on the right hand, but I have a heck of a time getting a picture of my right hand, so I'll just have to show you the imperfect left.

RBL Purple Haze Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Chez Delaney H4

I like it, and I'm excited to have some fun new plates.

On an entirely unrelated note, a few days ago in the comments, Cat from Australia asked about summery Christmas manicure ideas for those in the southern hemisphere.  I have two ideas I'm tossing around which are not complete, but I thought I'd ask you for your ideas as well, if you'd care to share them.  We can consider what it would be like to have late June weather at Christmas while the snow falls outside (like now!).  I'll be showing you at least one of the two ideas I'm working on this week.

That's just about all I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Good morning, Dear Reader!

You know, with the exception of recent weeks, I've been changing my nail color just about every day for a few years now.  A consequence of that is that I really haven't been able to speak to the wear of most polishes, since I take them off the next day.  In the last few weeks, I've been reminded of just how annoying a really chippy polish is.  Case in point: MAC Jade Dragon.

I just took off Jade Dragon this morning (after three full days of wear), and it was chippy.  I had chips within twenty four hours of applying it, and yesterday little flakes of Jade Dragon were coming off every time I turned around - it was pretty much a reminder of why I didn't buy MAC nail polishes for a while.  I'd heard tales of bad staining from it, and although I had some minor staining to both my skin and nails upon removal, it wasn't really noteworthy.  The chipping really was, and I hadn't heard that before, so I thought I'd mention it.

When I changed color this morning, the one I chose to use was Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral.  It's a coral creme, a great shade.  I needed three coats of it to make it totally opaque, but I'm reasonably certain that I apply very thin coats - I frequently use one more than others report using, so two may be sufficient for most.  The dry time for Coral was a little below average for me, but the color is well worth a few extra minutes' wait.  Here is the finished Coral manicure.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral Nail Polish, Three Coats

It's a really nice one for the last days of summer.  Despite that, I don't think that I would buy this one again.  The fact is, there are quite a few other really good corals that are far less costly - there's a Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear I really like, there's also the whole Corals Collection that Nubar put out last year, and both brands work quite well for me and have a far smaller price tag.  However, RBL Coral is still a great polish, so I'm going to enjoy it since I have it.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Good morning, Dear Reader!

You know, with the exception of recent weeks, I've been changing my nail color just about every day for a few years now.  A consequence of that is that I really haven't been able to speak to the wear of most polishes, since I take them off the next day.  In the last few weeks, I've been reminded of just how annoying a really chippy polish is.  Case in point: MAC Jade Dragon.

I just took off Jade Dragon this morning (after three full days of wear), and it was chippy.  I had chips within twenty four hours of applying it, and yesterday little flakes of Jade Dragon were coming off every time I turned around - it was pretty much a reminder of why I didn't buy MAC nail polishes for a while.  I'd heard tales of bad staining from it, and although I had some minor staining to both my skin and nails upon removal, it wasn't really noteworthy.  The chipping really was, and I hadn't heard that before, so I thought I'd mention it.

When I changed color this morning, the one I chose to use was Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral.  It's a coral creme, a great shade.  I needed three coats of it to make it totally opaque, but I'm reasonably certain that I apply very thin coats - I frequently use one more than others report using, so two may be sufficient for most.  The dry time for Coral was a little below average for me, but the color is well worth a few extra minutes' wait.  Here is the finished Coral manicure.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral Nail Polish, Three Coats

It's a really nice one for the last days of summer.  Despite that, I don't think that I would buy this one again.  The fact is, there are quite a few other really good corals that are far less costly - there's a Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear I really like, there's also the whole Corals Collection that Nubar put out last year, and both brands work quite well for me and have a far smaller price tag.  However, RBL Coral is still a great polish, so I'm going to enjoy it since I have it.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

RBL The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm back with swatches of the Fall 2010 Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes (samples from RBL), and they are fantastic.  All were good in two coats, and all four are gorgeous shimmers.  You can read about Ji Baek's inspiration for the collection here. RBL will announce their availability on Facebook.

Jane is a pale neutral with a hint of pink and lavender, and just the perfect subtle shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane Nail Polish, Two Coats

Anne is a grey green with just a hint of pink shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Anne Nail Polish, Two Coats

Catherine H. is a gorgeous Wedgewood blue shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H. Nail Polish, Two Coats

My favorite is a real stunner, Catherine, which is a deep purple shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine Nail Polish, Two Coats

I am absolutely in love with all four of these!  What do you think?

That's it for the RBL Extravaganza today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm back with swatches of the Fall 2010 Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes (samples from RBL), and they are fantastic.  All were good in two coats, and all four are gorgeous shimmers.  You can read about Ji Baek's inspiration for the collection here. RBL will announce their availability on Facebook.

Jane is a pale neutral with a hint of pink and lavender, and just the perfect subtle shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane Nail Polish, Two Coats

Anne is a grey green with just a hint of pink shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Anne Nail Polish, Two Coats

Catherine H. is a gorgeous Wedgewood blue shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H. Nail Polish, Two Coats

My favorite is a real stunner, Catherine, which is a deep purple shimmer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine Nail Polish, Two Coats

I am absolutely in love with all four of these!  What do you think?

That's it for the RBL Extravaganza today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL Fall 2010 Press Release

Hello, Dear Reader!

I just received the press release for Rescue Beauty Lounge's Fall 2010 release.  I should have the polishes today, so swatches will come later.  Click on the image for a full page view.

RBL Fall 2010 Press Release

Hello, Dear Reader!

I just received the press release for Rescue Beauty Lounge's Fall 2010 release.  I should have the polishes today, so swatches will come later.  Click on the image for a full page view.

Chanel Gold Lame & RBL Locavore

Good morning, Dear Reader!

After a week of wearing holos, Paradoxal just wasn't doing it for me and I changed it yesterday morning.  I tried out Chanel Gold Lame, which is a two coat light gold shimmer.  It didn't seem blingtastic enough, so I added two coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge Locavore to it, and then I was happy.  Here it is a day later.

Chanel Gold Lame Nail Polish and RBL Locavore, Two Coats Each

It took three coats of top coat to make it smooth, but it was worth it.

That's what I have for you this morning, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

Chanel Gold Lame & RBL Locavore

Good morning, Dear Reader!

After a week of wearing holos, Paradoxal just wasn't doing it for me and I changed it yesterday morning.  I tried out Chanel Gold Lame, which is a two coat light gold shimmer.  It didn't seem blingtastic enough, so I added two coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge Locavore to it, and then I was happy.  Here it is a day later.

Chanel Gold Lame Nail Polish and RBL Locavore, Two Coats Each

It took three coats of top coat to make it smooth, but it was worth it.

That's what I have for you this morning, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL No More War & BM17

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I got my Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War from the re-release of it, so I had to use it today.  However, there was an unfortunate incident...

Yesterday I wore American Apparel Malibu Green, and upon removal this morning, my skin became Malibu Green.  I use non-acetone remover normally, so I started with that, was horrified at the color of my skin, grabbed some Remove+ and tried that, used a nail prep product that's acetone and isopropyl alcohol, then resorted to whitening toothpaste and mouthwash.  Know what?  My hands are still somewhat Malibu Green.  I was going to use old pictures you haven't seen today, but then decided I'd go ahead and show you my green hands so you know what you might be in for.  I look like the daughter of The Green Giant.

So, today's mani... It's RBL No More War with a tip apptern from Bundle Monster plate BM17 in Konad Black Pearl.  Here's two coats of No More War alone.

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War Nail Polish, Two Coats

See how stained my skin is?  I've never had that happen with any polish before - usually acetone remover will take it off, but I told you all the things I tried, and this was as much progress as I was able to make. 

Here's No More War with the Bundle Monster stamp.

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War Nail Polish, Two Coats, and Plate BM17

The Bundle Monster tip patterns look super narrow on the plate, but they seem to work just fine for me.

That's today's Nails of the Day and my tale of woe.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL No More War & BM17

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I got my Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War from the re-release of it, so I had to use it today.  However, there was an unfortunate incident...

Yesterday I wore American Apparel Malibu Green, and upon removal this morning, my skin became Malibu Green.  I use non-acetone remover normally, so I started with that, was horrified at the color of my skin, grabbed some Remove+ and tried that, used a nail prep product that's acetone and isopropyl alcohol, then resorted to whitening toothpaste and mouthwash.  Know what?  My hands are still somewhat Malibu Green.  I was going to use old pictures you haven't seen today, but then decided I'd go ahead and show you my green hands so you know what you might be in for.  I look like the daughter of The Green Giant.

So, today's mani... It's RBL No More War with a tip apptern from Bundle Monster plate BM17 in Konad Black Pearl.  Here's two coats of No More War alone.

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War Nail Polish, Two Coats

See how stained my skin is?  I've never had that happen with any polish before - usually acetone remover will take it off, but I told you all the things I tried, and this was as much progress as I was able to make. 

Here's No More War with the Bundle Monster stamp.

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War Nail Polish, Two Coats, and Plate BM17

The Bundle Monster tip patterns look super narrow on the plate, but they seem to work just fine for me.

That's today's Nails of the Day and my tale of woe.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL SpongeBob Nail Polishes

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm what, a year, year and a half late on showing you Rescue Beauty Lounge's SpongeBob Collection?  That's because I wasn't sold on them until recently, and when I placed an RBL order, I sprung for them and got them today.

The reason I was reluctant was that from reading other reviews of them, I knew they took four coats and that even at four coats there was a visible nail line.  I flinched at the four coats thing both because that's high maintenance and because that's using a lot of a high end polish at one time.  I changed my mind because I've been successful in layering over white as of late, so I figured two coats of the RBL's might work over two coats of either Essie Walk Down the Aisle (if I'm up for risking a bit of VNL) or Orly White Out (which I used today).  That left only the high maintenance issue, and I liked all three colors enough to deal with that.

What I like about all three is that they're the slightly off-beat RBL kind of shades - the blue's a little dustier than others, the coral a bit peachier, the yellow a little paler.  They're essentially RBL doing cool cremes, which is what I look to them for.

I swatched the three to see if they'd work over White Out - they did.  I really, really like them.  Keep in mind this is not how the colors were intended to be worn, but my way of wearing them.

Squarepants is a great pastel yellow.  It could probably use a third coat over White Out to be perfect, but I was trying to be consistent and see what two would do.  For a yellow, a third coat's not bad at all, so I'll try that next time.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Squarepants over Two Coats Orly White Out 

Bikini Bottom is a light blue that's just a tiny bit dusty, making it more interesting than just a pale blue.  Two coats of it over two coats of White Out was just right.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Bikini Bottom over Two Coats Orly White Out

The one I chose to wear is Starfish Patrick, which was also perfect in two coats.  I had to be careful while waiting between coats on this one - there was an incident during shipping that cracked a corner of the bottle and the crack has started to spider outward, so I was afraid to tighten the cap at all lest I be left with a handful of Starfish Patrick and broken glass.  I emailed Ji at RBL about it as soon as I found the damage, and typical RBL customer service, she simply asked for the picture I offered in order to replace it.  Things happen, but RBL is always great about dealing with them.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Starfish Patrick over Two Coats Orly White Out

So those are my swatches of layered RBL SpongeBob nail polishes.  I'm really happy I finally went for them, and I have other nice RBL's to show you in the coming week.  Tomorrow morning, though, I have something really fun (I think!).

That's all for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL SpongeBob Nail Polishes

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm what, a year, year and a half late on showing you Rescue Beauty Lounge's SpongeBob Collection?  That's because I wasn't sold on them until recently, and when I placed an RBL order, I sprung for them and got them today.

The reason I was reluctant was that from reading other reviews of them, I knew they took four coats and that even at four coats there was a visible nail line.  I flinched at the four coats thing both because that's high maintenance and because that's using a lot of a high end polish at one time.  I changed my mind because I've been successful in layering over white as of late, so I figured two coats of the RBL's might work over two coats of either Essie Walk Down the Aisle (if I'm up for risking a bit of VNL) or Orly White Out (which I used today).  That left only the high maintenance issue, and I liked all three colors enough to deal with that.

What I like about all three is that they're the slightly off-beat RBL kind of shades - the blue's a little dustier than others, the coral a bit peachier, the yellow a little paler.  They're essentially RBL doing cool cremes, which is what I look to them for.

I swatched the three to see if they'd work over White Out - they did.  I really, really like them.  Keep in mind this is not how the colors were intended to be worn, but my way of wearing them.

Squarepants is a great pastel yellow.  It could probably use a third coat over White Out to be perfect, but I was trying to be consistent and see what two would do.  For a yellow, a third coat's not bad at all, so I'll try that next time.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Squarepants over Two Coats Orly White Out 

Bikini Bottom is a light blue that's just a tiny bit dusty, making it more interesting than just a pale blue.  Two coats of it over two coats of White Out was just right.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Bikini Bottom over Two Coats Orly White Out

The one I chose to wear is Starfish Patrick, which was also perfect in two coats.  I had to be careful while waiting between coats on this one - there was an incident during shipping that cracked a corner of the bottle and the crack has started to spider outward, so I was afraid to tighten the cap at all lest I be left with a handful of Starfish Patrick and broken glass.  I emailed Ji at RBL about it as soon as I found the damage, and typical RBL customer service, she simply asked for the picture I offered in order to replace it.  Things happen, but RBL is always great about dealing with them.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Starfish Patrick over Two Coats Orly White Out

So those are my swatches of layered RBL SpongeBob nail polishes.  I'm really happy I finally went for them, and I have other nice RBL's to show you in the coming week.  Tomorrow morning, though, I have something really fun (I think!).

That's all for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

Konad Plate M71 & Hidden Treasure

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have a couple of Konadicures using Konad plate M71 for you, as well as some bonus pictures of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure.  The Konadicures are photographed in natural light, the Hidden Treasure pictures are me trying to find the right spot to use in the light box.

The first Konadicure is a base of China Glaze Something Sweet from the Up & Away Collection, two coats, stamped with Psyche Pink Konad Special Polish using a lace pattern from plate M71 and tip patterns from plate M19.

Konad Plate M71 over China Glaze Something Sweet, Two Coats, using Psyche Pink

The second is today's Nails of the Day, three coats of OPI Fiercely Fiona stamped with a lace pattern from plate M71 at the tips using Green Konad Special Polish.

Konad Plate M71 over Fiercely Fiona, Three Coats, using Green Special Polish

Now for the bonus pictures of Hidden Treasure... I have three because each different angle showed Hidden Treasure differently.  The manicure is two coats of Hidden Treasure over two coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge Mismas.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Hidden Treasure Nail Polish, Number One

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Hidden Treasure Nail Polish, Number Two

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Hidden Treasure Nail Polish, Number Three

Pretty cool, huh?

That's it for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!