Deborah Lippmann 99 Luftballons

Have you heard the news?  Deborah Lippmann is now at Sephora!  And to celebrate the monumentous occasion, Deborah Lippmann is releasing a 4 polish collection just for Sephora.  There are 3 cremes and 1 glitter polish in this new collection.

When I first heard about this collection, I rushed onto Sephora.com to order the glitter.  Meet 99 Luftballons.

I may have taken a few hundred photos of this polish, but I have narrowed it down to 8 shots to show you how this polish looks first without top coat, and then with top coat.

 no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, no top coat

The above photograph was taken in indirect sunlight.

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, no top coat

The above and below photos were taken using an Ott-lite.

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, no top coat

The photo below was taken in direct sunlight.  Can you see that great glow from the glitter?

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, no top coat

And now for the photos taken after top coat:

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, top coat

In the above photo, you can see how the top coat helps the glitter pop from the jelly red base of the polish.

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, top coat

  no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, top coat

 no base coat, 2 coats of 99 Luftballons, top coat

So what do you think?

Now I have to mention, something that first drew me to this polish was the name.  I love it!  That used to be a song I listened to a lot when I was younger and just wearing this polish gives me a nostalgic feeling.

99 Luftballons is what we've come to expect from Deborah Lippmann: a supremely glitter-packed polish.  The red jelly base is that shade of red that almost borders on pink in certain lighting.  To get a better idea of the type of glitter and the colors held within, think of Happy Birthday with a sheer red base.

I really like this polish - it's sparkly and shiny even in low light, and the red base will make it perfect for any time (including the upcoming Holiday season).

If you want to add this polish to your collection, head over to Sephora.com and add this to your basket! And if you're a Beauty Insider, for only 100 points you can get a mini version of Happy Birthday.  If you have never tried Deborah Lippmann before, now is the time!  You can pick up any Deborah Lippmann shade, and for only 100 points you can snag her most beloved glitter!  The mini size is .27 fl. oz./8 mL, which is the same size as the mini DL's you can buy on HSN.com.  The great thing about these minis are the fact that the bottle is just a smaller version of the beautiful DL bottle, and each bottle is labeled on the bottom just like the regular sized bottles - something that I greatly appreciate!  

Now if that isn't incentive to go buy this polish, I don't know what is!

Deborah Lippmann Va Va Voom and Rolling in the Deep

Today I have two lacquers from Deborah Lippmann's Jewel Heist collection to share with you: Va Va Voom and Rolling in the Deep!

 base coat, 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat

So first let's take a look at the creme part of this duo.  The Jewel Heist collection features 6 polishes in total.  There are 3 chunky glitter polishes, 2 cremes, and 1 micro-glitter polish.  There are 2 golden shades, 2 green shades, and 2 blue shades, where each shade has a chunky glitter polish and a corresponding creme or micro glitter polish in a similar color.

The photograph above is Rolling in the Deep against a white background with an Ott-lite lightbulb.

base coat, 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat 

To give you a better idea of how blackened this polish is while still remaining blue in color, I also wanted to show it to you against a black background.  At first glance this polish does look black in most lighting conditions, so don't be surprised if people assume you are wearing a black polish when you have this on!

The lighting in the above photo is an Ott-lite.

 base coat, 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat

A very interesting aspect to this deep blue creme is the fact that it has a very faint silver micro-shimmer to it.  I have tried to capture the illusive sparkle, but it is only visible around where the light reflections on each nail are.  In the photo above, on the nail second from the left (my middle finger), you can faintly see two silver specks.  This is the sparkle.  In real life you can see the sparkle better, but for the most part it is swallowed up by the deep blue creme finish.

For a better view, click the photo to make it bigger.

 base coat, 1 coat of Va Va Voom over 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat

With the above picture, you can get a better understanding for how well these two colors pair up!

This is Va Va Voom layered over Rolling in the Deep.

 base coat, 1 coat of Va Va Voom over 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat

Against the black background the contrast between the glitter and the creme background really pops out at you.

 base coat, 1 coat of Va Va Voom over 2 coats of Rolling in the Deep, no top coat

And one last look at the pair in indirect sunlight to see the sparkle and color contrast.

 base coat, 2 coats of Va Va Voom, top coat

Va Va Voom is the show stopper part of this duo!  This polish contains large silver hexagonal glitter and smaller (almost micro hexagonal glitter) - both of which is holographic!  All of the glitter floats in a lovely blue base.  The blue jelly finish of the base leans slightly purple, giving it a look of a dark periwinkle blue/cornflower blue.

 base coat, 2 coats of Va Va Voom, top coat

Because this polish is packed with glitter, at two coats the glitter is built up to almost complete opacity.  If you enlarge the photos by clicking on them, you can still see some spots on some of the nails where you can see through the blue jelly finish to the nail bed below.

base coat, 2 coats of Va Va Voom, top coat

This was such a beautiful color to wear that I didn't want to take it off after swatching it, so I wore it on my left hand for the rest of the evening....

Which led me to the reminder of how hard glitter polishes are to get off.  If you have used a Deborah Lippmann polish like Happy Birthday or another glitter-packed polish, you know how hard it is to get the glitter to come off your nails.  On the bright side, what that means for wear time is that this polish really lasts, so you won't have to worry about re-doing your manicure the very next day!

Another side note I'd like to add is the fact that even though I did put on a base coat (Deborah Lippmann's Turn Back Time), I still had a few patches of staining, so I would suggest doubling up your base coat before painting your nails with Rolling in the Deep.

These polishes are both beautiful additions to the Deborah Lippmann line.  Rolling in the Deep has that extra secret shimmer that is often associated with Chanel polishes, making it an extra special midnight blue hue, while Va Va Voom is a seriously sparkly blue glitter polish that is truly unique and covetable.

I purchased these two polishes as a pair on HSN.com, but you can buy these individually on Deborah Lippmann's website, or at your local Nordstrom and Sephora.

Deborah Lippmann True Blood Collection

Hello!  Deborah Lippmann seems to be coming out with quite a few collections that are exclusive to HSN.  Her last major collection, Footloose, was one I totally missed out on.  (Even when it was on sale on the HSN website!)  So this time I promised myself that I would order the next collection at the first opportunity I was able to.  And now this came in the mail today!  So I wanted to share it with you as quickly as possible.

Let's jump right to the photos:

 Let It Bleed, 2 coats, Deborah Lippmann base coat underneath, no top coat

Let It Bleed is the special polish out of the whole Forsaken collection because not only is it being released with Deborah Lippmann's first lipstick, but also because it is infused with the new Forsaken fragrance that is named after the collection.  The prominent notes of the fragrance seem to be floral with just a hint of something else.  Not musky, but rather a clean smell overall.

 Human Nature, 2 coats, no base coat, no top coat

Human Nature is the neutral shade that came in the two piece collection that is centered around the character of Sookie Stackhouse from the True Blood series.  This is described on the HSN website as a "mortal putty taupe", which is a great description for this polish.  In real life, it is hard to tell if this polish leans warm or cool, because different lighting situations show this shade off differently.

 Fairydust, 2 (thick-ish) coats, no base coat, no top coat

Fairydust is the other half of the Sookie Duo.  While this polish may just be meant as a top coat to add sparkle to any base color, this polish does more than just sparkle.  Having a strong opalescent quality to it, this white glass-flecked polish flashes reddish-orange to slight shades of pink in direct light.  To see more of the effect, click on the photos to enlarge them.

 1 coat Fairydust over 2 coats of Human Nature, no top coat, no base coat

Since these two came together in the same package, it only seemed right to layer them over one another!  If you love the look of Fairydust but hate the VNL (visible nail line), then layer it over Human Nature and you get the same great glow without the VNL.

1 coat Fairydust over 2 coats Let It Bleed, Deborah Lippmann base coat, no top coat

While I was getting carried away layering Fairydust over all the polishes, I thought it only fair to show you what it looks like over a darker color.  Here I did a little more experimenting, where from let to right in the photo, I have on a think coat of Fairydust, a medium coat, and a thick coat.  As you can see, Fairydust has a pretty thick consistency, where one thick coat almost wipes out the color underneath!  A thin coat really helps to bring shine and unique reflections to the color it covers.

The last nail polish set is a triple pack of mini bottles, which I did not order.  The Forsaken lipstick that comes with the nail polish Let It Bleed is a nice deep shade of rouge that looks like it will be flattering on many skintones.  I did try to swatch the lipstick, but it wasn't working out well enough to show what shade the lipstick is, so I had to scrap those photos.  What I can tell you on the color of the lipstick is that while it appears similar to the shade of Let It Bleed in the bottle, once on your lips, it does not look as dark.  This is a rather nice effect because it makes the lipstick more wearable.

Another great thing with this collection is that all the bottles have the "deborah lippmann TRUEBLOOD" logo in silvery-white (and red) on one side, while the opposite of the bottle has the original "deborah lippmann" logo in black.  This makes for a nice effect for the range of light and dark shades available.

Well I hope that helped with your future shopping decisions!  If you want to pick up any of this collection I suggest you run over to HSN.com right now before anything is sold out!

Nail Polish Xmas Gifts featuring Nars and DL

...or Wish List...

images from Vogue.com

Can't think of a great gift to give the person who has everything? (Or even for the person who doesn't.) Marc Jacobs and Nars have teamed up to create these two great sets for the holiday season!

Each set features a newly mixed nail polish (created by Nars just for this collaboration) and a pair of soft, warm fingerless gloves from Marc Jacobs. Each lacquer is meant to complement the shade of the gloves. Violet cashmere gloves with a dark lilac polish or black cashmere gloves with a blackened-gold lacquer.

$52US for each set. Exclusively at Nars 413 Bleecker Street, New York.

Which will you be picking up? As a gift, or for yourself?


And Deborah Lippmann has a new trio of polishes out for the holidays!

image from shop.nordstrom.com

The "Dance Music" Holiday Mini Trio features three new colors: (From left to right)

• Just Dance - described on the Nordstrom website as a "brilliant aqua - glitter"
• Dancing in the Dark - described on the Nordstrom website as "disco ball in the dark - glitter"
• Flash Dance - described on the Nordstrom website as an "electrifying orchid - glitter"
  

A Nordstrom Exclusive, this set retails for $29US. Get it while you can!


Do you already have a full Christmas/Holiday Wish List? Think you might add any of these to it?



*Images and details for this post were taken from the following websites: http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/at-your-fingertips-nars-marc-jacobss-cool-new-collaboration/ and http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/deborah-lippmann-dance-music-holiday-mini-trio-nordstrom-exclusive/3240402*

SOTD: Lippmann It's Delovely

A juicy summertime color!



You can tell this polish is a bit older since the bottle reads "Lippmann Collection" rather than "Deborah Lippmann" but I bought it new at a Beauty Supply Store recently. If you're looking for out of date Lippmann polishes (Rehab, perhaps?), I would suggest searching Beauty Supply Stores in your surrounding area to see if they have older stock.




This polish only took two coats to full glossy coverage.



These photos make the polish look like it's a tomato red color, but this is definitely a coral red shade (it's just a tad pink-er in real life than it is in these photos). It looks quite similar to the newer Deborah Lippmann shade Girls Just Want to Have Fun, but I think that shade might be a bit more orange/coral and a bit brighter than It's Delovely.


I've never tried a Lippmann polish before this one, and I have to say this wore quite well! I had it on for over five days and it took a beating, being exposed to chlorinated pool water, map reading (which consists of poking at points on a map and shouting "There! That's the turn we missed!"), and other summertime activities since I chose this polish to wear as a manicure for a short vacation trip I took last month.

A great summertime color that can stand up to the elements! What more could you ask for? (Plus the bottle shape is divine, so it looks great standing alone on a dresser, or it can stand out in a packed Helmer!)

Upcoming Fall/Winter 2011 Collections

It always seems a bit difficult to think of fall/winter trends in the middle of summer when it's really heating up outside, but as the nail polish collections for the next season become available, it's always nice to have a head's-up.

So, here is what's next for some of the higher-end nail polish lines:




Butter London (aka butter LONDON) has a new line of shades coming up for fall/winter 2011/2012 that includes this beauty (pictured above). "Wallis" is a beautiful dark gold shade. When I first saw it, I couldn't help but think that butter LONDON had given us the best parts of the two favorite shades from the Fall Chanel line.



Peridot (left) and Graphite (right) are both beautiful colors in their own right, but at $25US a bottle, they are a bit harder to come by for some that would like to have that look.




Instead of choosing one over the other, why not have both shades in one?! And at $14 a bottle (this is typical pricing if you buy butter LONDON at suppliers like Nordstrom or Ulta, and on Nordstrom's website, Wallis is labeled as a Nordstrom Exclusive), you'll have enough money left over to buy another shade from the butter LONDON Fall Collection!





Seen in the photo below is the full lineup for Fall/Winter 2011. (From left to right: No More Waity, Katie; Bluey; Toff; Wallis; and Knees Up). To seem some amazing swatches of this collection, I recommend visiting Lipglossiping's blog HERE. Her swatches of the shades are divine, and you can get a better sense of how the colors look in real life.



Now onto the next collection! By now you've probably seen these promo shots for Deborah Lippmann's Fall/Winter collections, but I've broken them down by the release dates that are currently circulating online for each collection.



Pictured above, top row (left to right) is Single Ladies and Stormy Weather. Bottom row (left to right) is Billionaire and Brick House. These polishes (along with the Get This Party Started set) are supposed to start being available at the beginning of August.




In the photo above, from left to right: Good Girl Gone Bad and Glamarous Life (online the spelling is with that extra second "a" rather than an "o"). These are set to release at the beginning of September.



Deborah Lippmann Glitters! What could be better? Top row (left to right): Stairway to Heaven and I Love the Nightlife. Bottom row (left to right): Do Ya Think I'm Sexy and Shake Your Groove Thing. These are set to release at the beginning of October.




Now do you remember the fabulous red nail color from Rodarte's collection that everyone was hyped-up about? The working name for that polish was Jessica Rabbit, but it appears that the name has been changed to Do Ya Think I'm Sexy.





The above photographed nail polishes were used for Rodarte's Collection. The top bottle is No More Drama, and the bottom is Jessica Rabbit (which appears to be the same nail color as the promo pic for Do Ya Think I'm Sexy).




Finally, if you're a reader of Mary's great blog Body and Soul, she posted the other day about an article in Allure magazine online that discussed the future trend of "slutty polish names." Illamasqua is coming out with four new shades for the fall that made it into the Allure article. Kink (shown in the photo above), Taint (brown), Vice (pinkish-red), and Faux Pas (blue/purple) make up the nail polishes for their Fall Collection.



*Images in this post are from butter LONDON's facebook page, Nordstrom.com, popbee.com, Refinery29.com, Eva Chen (Teen Vogue Editor)'s Tumblr, Lippmanncollection.blogspot.com, and Makeupalley.*