Christian Louboutin Loubichrome Collection

The Loubichrome collection from Christian Louboutin came out at the very end of 2016/very beginning of 2017.  Three lacquers in beautiful heavy glass bottles with rainbow colored handles in stiletto shaped points.  These are smaller than normal Christian Louboutin lacquers, at only 0.2 oz while other Christian Louboutin polishes are 0.4 oz.  This also changes the price point, so each of these lacquers are only $30US instead of the regular price point of $50US a bottle.

The second these were available, I bought them from Nordstrom's website.  I got them as soon as possible (with free shipping)...and then immediately set them on top of my desktop to stare at them for a month.  Or five....

These beautiful bottles hold frosty flecked lacquer that is a unique blend of a foil-like finish featuring a frosted, silvery look.  The rainbow-lidded glory of these lacquers may have one thinking that the lacquer inside would also be rainbow-like and feature holographic polish, but that is not the case.  None of these polishes are holographic.  They are neither holographic, duochrome/mulitchrome, nor are they opalescent.  Instead, the frost/foil finish adds an extra dimension to the yellow, red, and purple color of the lacquer.

no base coat, 3 coats of Loubichrome I, no top coat

Above is Lubichrome I.  It is the most sheer polish out of the three lacquers, and needs three or more coats to cover any visible nail line (VNL).  

This yellow is an interesting hue reminiscent of lemon-lime, with a tinge of green that makes this polish unique in any collection.  The frost look in the frost-foil finish of these polishes seems to also be the strongest with this polish, where the visible brush strokes are present on the nail far after the polish has dried.

no base coat, 2 coats of Loubichrome II, no top coat

Second in the collection is the red lacquer, Loubichrome II.  The frost/foil finish makes this red-hued polish look very pink on the nail in certain lighting.  Visible brush strokes were minimal, and the foil-effect is much stronger than any frostiness that this finish may have, making this polish more wearable than Loubichrome I.  The pink-red hue is suspended in a silver, foil base, giving the metallic particles within the polish a high shine through the pink-red base.

no base coat, 2 coats of Loubichrome III, no top coat

The last in the Loubichrome collection is Loubichrome III.  This purple hue is such a nice, vibrant color.  The finish of this polish is very similar to Loubichrome II, where the foil finish shines through to create a metallic purple polish that consists of silver microparticles in a purple base.  The final effect when this polish dries is a sparkling purple lacquer with a high silver shine.

One word of advice I will give with this lacquer is that you definitely need to wear a base coat with it.  When swatching I tend to try out most colors without using a base coat to see how they work by themselves without some type of smoothing base underneath.  After swatching this polish, I wore it for three days straight, and when I took it off my nails were stained yellow-orange wherever the polish had been.  This is why a base coat is vital.  You don't have to buy Christian Louboutin's base coat to use with these polishes, but I do recommend using your own favorite base coat to prevent staining.

As I've found with other Christian Louboutin polishes, these lacquers were very easy to apply, helped on by the long handle of the bottle.  Furthermore, I found these to be the easiest handles to wield because of the smaller handle/bottle size.  This makes me wish that more Christian Louboutin lacquers were available in these 0.2 oz sizes!

As of posting, on 10 June 2017, these polishes are still available to buy on the Saks Fifth Avenue website!  No need to pay scalpers on eBay for exorbitant prices, when these are still available from an official retailer! Yay!

Christian Louboutin Scarabee Collection

The Scarabée collection from Christian Louboutin contains three nail lacquers in duochrome shades.  From 2015, the lacquers - Scarabée I, Scarabée II, and Scarabée III - were designed to be reminiscent of the relics of ancient Egypt, featuring jewel-toned colors and gold-toned lids in heavy-weight glass bottles.

First in the collection is the gold-to-red multichrome.  In most lightings this polish is a duochrome featuring a burnished red-copper color with a strong orange shift.

no base coat, 3 coats Scarabée I, no top coat

In low lighting, this polish really shines.  The strongest multichrome shift out of the three lacquers in this collection, in the shade of midday, the yellow-gold, orange, and red of this polish are all clearly visible.  In the photo below, the only changes that were made to color were to color-correct the white background.  That is the actual multichrome color shift you can see in real life!

no base coat, 3 coats Scarabée I, no top coat

While Scarabée III is a multichrome in the bottle, it is very hard to capture the gold-to-blue shift.  Instead, the main gold color is what is seen in most lightings, with a hint of green around the edges.  (The blue is almost visible if you hold your nails at unnatural angles.)  Still a very beautiful polish featuring a true gold color.

no base coat, 3 coats Scarabée III, no top coat

The second polish in the collection, Scarabée II, features the weakest color shift of the three lacquers.  This is a teal-blue polish that shifts to darker blue around the edges.  The purple shift that is visible in the bottle is never quite visible on the nails in any lighting or at any angle.  What is nice about this teal-blue color is the bright blue-green shade that sparkles in the sunlight when under direct lighting.  The darker color seems to make the blue-green glow from within.

no base coat, 2 coats Scarabée II, no top coat

There is something about the bottle design that not only makes these lovely lacquers to have in any collection, but the longer handle makes wielding the brush easier, thus making nail polish application easier.  The quality of these polishes is good and tends to be consistent throughout the whole collection.  Scarabée II only needed 2 coats to be opaque, while Scarabée I and III needed 3 coats, but none of the polishes need a dark base color for any of the duochrome/multichrome color shift to be visible.

Unfortunately, these colors are no longer available through regular retailers like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Christian Louboutin stores.  You can still find them on eBay and other online resale avenues, so check there if you're interested!

Rouge Louboutin by Christian Louboutin

Hello!  It's been a while, so let's dive right into a beautiful, classic red polish released by a company known for its iconic fashion line (and now its iconic beauty line):

Rouge Louboutin by Christian Louboutin

The tallest of the nail lacquers available from Christian Louboutin, at 8 inches tall with a unique stiletto handle that speaks to the origins of this nail polish line.  For what is Christian Louboutin most famous for, if not the red sole of their high heels?

base coat, 2 coats Rouge Louboutin, no top coat

 This lacquer is made to be opaque in one coat, and by wearable standards it is exactly that.  Only with a macro camera lens is the nail line/edge visible at 1 coat of polish.

base coat, 2 coats Rouge Louboutin, no top coat

This polish features a high gloss shine, so no top coat is necessary if you'd prefer to forgo one.  Each swatch shown here is without top coat.

base coat, 2 coats Rouge Louboutin, no top coat

 One of the best things about Rouge Louboutin may be the stilleto handle and how easy it is to paint with.  Neither the width nor the length of the handle are unwieldy, and are in fact, easier to polish with than the short handles found on most modern day nail polish bottles.

base coat, 2 coats Rouge Louboutin, no top coat

As packaging goes, this is one of the most beautiful nail polish bottles around.  The hard cardboard box has a significant weight to it, and snugly hugs the bottle.  The top black lid lifts off around the polish bottle's handle, while the red and black bottom slides off the bottom of the bottle.  The glass bottle itself has a fascinating color gradation from clear at the top to black at the bottle's base.  The stiletto handle - "inspired by the tallest heel Christian Louboutin ever created- the Ballerina Ultima" - feels like it's made out of a solid resin/plastic that will retain its sheen and stand up to constant use. 

Overall, even though the price is currently one of the most expensive single polishes available at $50US a bottle, it is well worth it to invest in a classic red that will always make a statement on any dressing table or vanity.

Upcoming Chanel and Christian Louboutin Nail Polish Collections

This summer Chanel has already released two collections: 

Collection Méditerranée and Les Beiges

Yet, they've decided to release another.  And we can be happy they did!

The Chanel Blue Rhythm Collection - May/June 2015

Do you love blue nail polish as much as I do?  Well if so, the Chanel Blue Rhythm collection is just for you!  

image from chicprofile.com

Featuring two new blue nail polishes, the Chanel Blue Rhythm collection will debut Chanel Le Vernis 665 Vibrato and Chanel Le Vernis 681 Fortissimo.  Fortissimo is the polish that is currently marked as limited edition, but there is a chance that both of these may be gone if they sell out.

image from chicprofile.com

Look below for some actual swatches!

image from pixiwoo.com

And check out this great partial collection review from Missfrankiecat on YouTube where she compares Fortissimo to an older Chanel polish (one of those ones we all still want if we don't already own it), and demonstrates what a great formula Vibrato has with one coat on a swatch wheel!  

Check out the video HERE! 

This collection is supposed to be available currently at a Chanel counter near you (although it is not yet showing on their website), and in June at your nearest Nordstrom and Macy's if you live in the United States.  The YouTube reviewer from the link above mentioned she picked up her lacquers from a United Kingdom stand-alone store, so here's to hoping these are releasing the same time in Europe and elsewhere if you want to get your hands on these two!

Next is the Chanel Fall 2015 Collection:

The Chanel Les Automnales Collection - Fall 2015

I saw this collection first on Instagram from @maritushik, and now both chicprofile.com and the British Beauty Blogger have posted about it on their websites.

This collection features three lacquers:

image from britishbeautyblogger.com

Above from left to right: Chanel Le Vernis 669 Chataigne, Chanel Le Vernis 671 Écorce Sanguine, and Chanel Le Vernis 679 Vert Obscur.

Now, my guess is Vert Obscur will be the most popular of the three.  A dark green?  That's certainly a fan favorite (remember Nars Zulu?) but that's not the only green lacquer Chanel has come out with recently…

Chanel Le Vernis 767 Fraicheur

(Edited 6June2017 to add:)

This is 2 coats of #Chanel #NailPolish in #Fraicheur - a light green perfect for a hot summer day or a cold winter night (so it's perfect for the Fall transition season too). This #LeVernis color is currently available on Chanel's website! #nails #chanelnailpolish

A post shared by Cyan (@bluetapenails) on Aug 18, 2015 at 12:46am PDT

And now let's take a step back from all of the Chanel polishes and look at Christian Louboutin's upcoming nail collection:

Christian Louboutin Scarabée - June 15, 2015

@louboutinworld's instagram has hinted at these polishes for a while now:

Shhh, you're the first to know...something beautiful is on its way! Can you guess the inspiration behind Christian Louboutin's latest creation for #BeauteLouboutin? Stay tuned for an auspicious debut this June!

A photo posted by Christian Louboutin (@louboutinworld) on May 26, 2015 at 10:14am PDT

Or this one:

Scarabee is almost ready for her close-up. Christian Louboutin's latest creation for #BeauteLouboutin debuts this month!

A photo posted by Christian Louboutin (@louboutinworld) on Jun 5, 2015 at 8:46am PDT

And here is the final look:

image from instyle.com

Aren't they beautiful?!

Three duochrome/multichrome lacquers are the focus of this nail polish collection.  As with each polish collection Louboutin has released, these spiked lids seem to be a specific, unique color all their own to distinguish them from all of your other Christian Louboutin lacquers.  As an added touch, this collection features boxes with a scarab beetle cut-out (a nod to the namesake of the collection).

Chanel nail polishes retail for $27US and Christian Louboutin polishes retail for $50US.

Will you be picking any of these up?  Anyone own any of these yet?

OPI Gwen Stefani Holiday 2014 Nail Effects

Are you ready for Holiday collections yet?  For the Winter of 2014, OPI is releasing 3 separate collections in collaboration with Gwen Stefani.  The collection I have to show you today is the glitter collection.

Let's begin with a look at the solid color polishes that come with the collection for you to layer the glitter over:

no base coat, 2 coats Rollin' in Cashmere, no top coat

First up is Rollin' in Cashmere.  A frosty yellow-gold.  To me, this looks exactly like I though 50 Years of Style from the recent Ford Mustang collection would look.  I don't have them to compare, so you'll have to tell me if you agree or disagree.

no base coat, 2 coats Rollin' in Cashmere, no top coat

Next up is Unfrost My Heart.  Made up of dense, tiny silver particles to give you a chrome finish.  Like Rollin' in Cashmere, I think this polish looks very similar to a previous OPI polish.  What do you think: could this be a dupe to My Signature is DC from the Coca-Cola collection?

no base coat, 2 coats Unfrost My Heart, no top coat

How about another photo to help you decide:

no base coat, 2 coats Unfrost My Heart, no top coat

Ok, now on to the part you (probably) came here to see: the glitters.

no base coat, 1 coat of So Elegant over 3 coats of My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI, no top coat

This is So Elegant.  Large gunmetal hexagonal glitters, medium gunmetal hexagonal glitters, small matte black hexagons, and micro matte black dots are all suspended in a clear base.

no base coat, 1 coat of So Elegant over 3 coats of My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI, no top coat

Next up is I'll Tinsel You In.  Yay!  An easy-to-apply black and white glitter-topper from a mainstream brand.

base coat, 1 coat of I'll Tinsel You In over 2 coats of My Turn by Sinful Colors, no top coat

Honestly, I thought this was just a black and white glitter.  Upon closer inspection, this polish seems to fit its name perfectly.  There are large matte white glitter pieces, matte white bar glitter, small matte black hexagons, micro matte black dots, and… what  appears to be silver chrome bar glitter, thus making it look like this polish has actual tinsel in it!

base coat, 1 coat of I'll Tinsel You In over 2 coats of My Turn by Sinful Colors, no top coat

Snow Globetrotter was the polish I was most interested in when I heard about this collection, and it doesn't disappoint!

base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat

Layered over black, this polish looks like a mix of crushed jewels and galaxies on your nails!  A combination of opalescent hexagons in large, medium, small, and micro, along with matte white hexagonal glitter in sizes large, medium, small, and micro all in a clear base.

base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat

In the sun, the opalescent glitter pieces really catch the light!

base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat

Last but certainly not least, here is Comet in the Sky.  I tried to save the best for last, and I think you may agree.

no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat

Comet in the Sky is the twin to Snow Globetrotter in that it features multiple sizes of matte glitter and multiple sizes of opalescent glitter in a clear base.

no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat

The matte black hexagonal glitter comes in size large, small, and micro, while the opalescent glitter comes in large, medium, small, and micro, all in a clear base.

no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  top coat

The strong opalescent colors are most prominent in regular indoor (tungsten) lighting, unless you want flashes of sparkle, which you can get by wearing this glitter in the sun.  If you see below, you'll notice that the opalescent glitter on the bottom of my ring finger which looked clear-tinted yellow two photos above now glows a purplish-blue.

no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat

And there you have it!  

The coverage in each of these glitter polishes for just one coat was great.  No fishing for the larger glitter pieces was necessary!  The glitter applied smoothly and laid flat on the nail when dry.

I bought this collection on eBay for relatively the same amount it would cost at a beauty supply store, so if you can't wait for this collection like I couldn't, try checking online sellers, since this collection hasn't been officially released yet.  You can buy it at Ulta or JC Penney's (or any of your preferred retailers) when it becomes available in the fall.  But, you know, why wait when you can buy it online.  Right now.  Go!

But first, share your opinions!  What do you think of this Holiday collection?  Better than the last?  What do you think of this Gwen Stefani collection compared to the last?

Chanel Sweet Star for FNO 2014

Are you in Australia?  Are you attending Fashion's Night Out (FNO)?  If you were in debate about it, here's the reason you should go:

image from Vogue.com.au

Yes, that is a new Chanel Le Vernis.  And it's exclusive to FNO 2014.  If you're lucky enough to live in Australia (Sydney to be precise, since Australia's pretty big, it's not going to do you any good if you're sitting at home in Perth or somewhere across the continent), then run to Myer Sydney City Makeup Studio!

According to Vogue Australia, this polish will be at the (below) Chanel location for FNO.  And you can only get it if you go in person.  Tonight.  In Australia.

For more information, follow this link to visit Vogue Australia's info on the FNO exclusive: Chanel at Vogue Fashion's Night Out

Now, if you're like me and do not live in Sydney, then we just have to wait until November for the Chanel Delights collection to become available (according to this article from Vogue Australia).  

Unfortunately, I called my local Chanel boutique to confirm, and they said that the United States will not be getting in any of the FNO products.  I'm going to make a wild assumption here and state that I think Sweet Star will become available the way Cosmic and Magic did from last year's FNO exclusives.  So this polish may be available to you later this month.  At this time, I do not know if any other countries participating in FNO will be able to get Chanel Sweet Star on their FNO date/time (for example, FNO for the UK is occurring on September 23), but I'll keep you updated if I hear any more news about where you can find Chanel Sweet Star.

Note, at the time of this posting, FNO in Australia is set to start in a little over 3 hours.  So, you know, if you're on the opposite side of Australia, you can still run to the airport and fly out to Sydney.  

If you're one of the lucky ones to have gotten a bottle, please share some pictures!  Comment below, or tag me on Twitter and/or Instagram and I'll try to update this post so everyone can share in the nail polish exclusivity!  

Nails Inc NailKale and Illuminator Review

Kale and nail polish.  Who would have thought they would come together in one bottle?  Nails Inc. has jumped on the kale bandwagon and created a line of nail polish that are enriched with kale extract.  So now you can get the benefits of nail polish and kale all in one bottle!

Lets look at one of the colored polishes in the line and then we will look at the Illuminator polish that is meant to work as a nail brightener.

"…get the benefits of nail polish and kale all in one bottle!"

 no base coat, 2 coats Nails Inc. NailKale in Bruton Mews, no top coat

Ok, first off, look at that shine!  This is without top coat.  That's right, this is dry to the touch and is more shiny than it would be with a top coat.

 no base coat, 2 coats Nails Inc. NailKale in Bruton Mews, no top coat

Now indoors, and in most lighting, this nail polish is a green-leaning black.  Like a creme version of Nars Zulu, lighting brings out the green, so the more light, the more green that shows up in the polish.

 no base coat, 2 coats Nails Inc. NailKale in Bruton Mews, no top coat

You can see in the above picture, in direct mid-day sun, this polish is a true forest green creme.  And it is still very reflective and shiny.  Now on to the Illuminator.

"Now on to the Illuminator."

 no base coat, 3 coats Nails Inc. NailKale Illuminator in Bright Street, no top coat

Nails Inc. has a few new products besides colored polishes in the NailKale line.  The NailKale Illuminator is one of those polishes.  I consider it separate from the colored polishes because: (1) it has an extra word on the front of the bottle denoting it is an "Illuminator," (2) it has it's own tab on the Sephora website separate from the other polish color options and separate from the NailKale base coat, and (3) you're supposed to wear it like a colored polish (so, by itself) but I think it's great for layering as well (see below for what it looks like layered).

 no base coat, 3 coats Nails Inc. NailKale Illuminator in Bright Street, no top coat

This is a gem of a polish just for the blue "glow" alone.  Unfortunately sizing down the file size of each photo takes away from some of the awesome shine power, but click on any photo to enlarge it to see the great blue shimmer that streaks through this milky white polish.

"…click on any photo to enlarge it…"

 no base coat, 3 coats Nails Inc. NailKale Illuminator in Bright Street, no top coat

In direct sunlight the shimmer is amazing!  

 no base coat, 1 coat Bright Street over 2 coats Bruton Mews, no top coat

And now to see it layered!

 no base coat, 1 coat Bright Street over 2 coats Bruton Mews, no top coat

The blue shimmer in the Illuminator really comes out over a dark polish, and layering it over Bruton Mews really makes the blue shimmer sparkle as the whole nail looks blue.

no base coat, 1 coat Bright Street over 2 coats Bruton Mews, no top coat

And there you have it!  This is what you get when you mix kale with nail polish.


Both polishes were beautiful.  While Bruton Mews isn't a unique color, it is still a beautiful color and is worth purchasing for the glossy shine alone.  The Illuminator Bright Street is supposed to be "a nail polish with iridescent pearls that brighten the pink nail bed, leaving the appearance of whiter tips and healthier nails" (according to the Sephora website).  It certainly does whiten my nails, as it is a glossy white in color.  The blue shimmer adds to the appeal, rather than distract or detract.  The only downside to the Illuminator is the slightly slow dry time, but a quick-dry top coat will solve that problem in an instant.

Nails Inc. touts the NailKale polishes as being "formulated with kale extract known for its high levels of vitamins A, C and K which stimulate advanced keratin production. Making the nails stronger, brighter and more nourished. The entire Nailkale range also features Nails inc.’s patented Regenerating Complex (a two-fold Aldehyde, Zinc and Calcium blend) that boosts the production of keratin for harder, stronger and healthier nails" (from the Nails Inc. website).

I did a trial run of the NailKale Illuminator and wore it for three days.  It had good staying power (no chips), and I can say that even a week later I don't see any peeling or splits in my nails, but that could also be because I recently filed down my nails, so I can't connect the health of my nails to the use of NailKale specifically.

Personally, I'm interested in trying the NailKale Superfood Base Coat that's supposed to be keratin-enriched and have other healthy stuff in it.  While many people say that adding nutrients to nail polish is useless because your nail plate is dead the way hair is considered dead, I find that any little thing can help keep up the health of nails, so if it works for you, why not try it?


A quick note on the redesigned Nails Inc. bottles:

If you examine the bottles in the above photos, you'll notice that in the first picture the bottles have silver lids, and then in the subsequent photographs, I have taken off the silver lids, which left me with the smaller black handle.  So now Nails Inc. bottles are like many other companies (Chanel, Nars, etc.) where the bulky outside lid removes to reveal a smaller and easier to manage lid/brush.  The brush itself has been redesigned as well.  It now fits with the wider, curved-edge brushes that all the companies seem to be favoring.

Overall, the redesign of the bottles really seems to work.  Each bottle feels like its made out of thick glass, giving it a heavy, weighted feel.  The weighted feel makes it seem higher quality than if the packaging was thin and easily breakable.  The curve of the glass also makes it easier to hold, and more comfortable in the palm of the hand.

What's your opinion/position on nail polish and kale?  Have you tried NailKale yet?