Nail Files - Fall 2010 - Rescue Beauty Lounge

Final post (I think) on fave Fall polishes.  How many of you have tried Rescue Beauty Lounge?  I am a huge fan of Ji Baek - I love her book, Rescue Your Nails, it's a great how-to for home manis & pedis with other fun info included.

I don't have many RLB polishes - in fact, before this fall, I only had one.  But when I saw the Fall 2010 release, I had to jump.  Note - get on the email list if you like these, I was able to pre-order since I had gotten the email and had them in hand even before they were released to the public.  Not because I'm special or anything...just because I signed up for the email list.  And I will add that they don't inundate you with 5 emails a day - it's not even once a week, so you're not setting yourself up for spam-ville...unlike some other retailers...

Let's get to the polishes, shall we?  The RBL Fall collection was inspired by the Housewives of Tudor Englad. I got 2 - Anne & Jane.  And they retail for $18 each.  The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty....how fun is that?

image above from Rescue Beauty Lounge

First up: Anne. Per the website: Rumored to be a sorceress, Henry's second wife lends her short-lived name to this bewitching olive green with a pink-gold metallic iridescence.  I'll admit - they had me at "olive green".  But the little teeny hot pink sparkles in this are just gorgeous - and very subtle - it's not overly flashy.  Hard to get a great picture - it's even better in person. Just a gorgeous, rich, saturated fall color.  If you've ever imagined a polish inspired by a rich brocade gown, this is it.  Yum. 

This will be one of my mainstays this fall, without question.  Application was flawless - very easy.  If you click on the link to go to RBL's website, they have links to some of the main polish bloggers' pictures, including my all time fave polish blog, All Lacquered Up.

And then we have Jane.  Or, as RBL says on their website: Ji’s latest favorite polish is named for Henry's favorite wife, a pale gray pearl with sheer washes of pink and gold.  I was pleasantly surprised at the application - it's nice and smooth.  Pale colors can often be streaky because of the way they are formulated.  I like the color.  A really nice neutral for year-round.  The pink and gold are *very* subtle - they just add a little richness to the color. 

And as you can see below, this is right in line with those gray-beige-taupe-smoky colors I like.  Jane, come meet your new friends....

Bottom line - Anne is a must-have for me and I'm thrilled with it.  Jane is a great neutral - so if you don't have something like it, go for it. 

And I think that's it on polish purchases for me for the fall.  My triumvirate for fall polish will be Essie Over the Top, Chanel Paradoxal, and RBL Anne.  Now it's time to clean out the nail polish bin...

Essential Piece: The Cashmere "Sweatshirt"

Still cashmere weather today.  And oh, I was loving my cozy bed last night.  Today was one of those days where I just wanted to be in a blanket all day.  But on days like that, I often find that just making the effort to get dressed in "real" clothes helps lift my energy level.  It's too easy to just sag down in the chair with the sweats on, you know?  So a perfect day for my cashmere "sweatshirt".

Before you start yelling, yes, I realize this isn't really a sweatshirt...thus my use of quotation marks above.  What I really mean is a nice cozy and oversized cashmere sweater to wear on these kinds of days.  You *want* to be in a sweatshirt, but you feel like you want to do just a bit more.  I think I do stand up a bit straighter than if I were in sweats.  Obviously, this isn't something you want to spend a ton of cash on since hey, it's functioning as a sweatshirt.  If you've lost a lot of weight, great, you're probably set.  If you want to find one, I suggest looking at the sales and buy up a size.  It's amazing how well this one works for me.

For you JCAs, you probably recognize a J Crew Cashmere Crewneck Tee when you see one (#28763, $145 - but we know these go on sale online ALL the time).  This is a size L, so it's a size up from the JC cashmere turtle I wore and posted on yesterday.  It's also from Fall 2008, so it's a year earlier, so who knows what that means size-wise.  I love this color - was it heather blade?  Such a gorgeous green, wish we'd see more of it.  I think I got this on sale plus discount = happy with what I paid. 

The key is to keep everything else trim, but comfy.  I added a pair of black Minnies (8T) because the slim bottom is important, a white crewneck perfect fit tee, some darling old Isaac Mizrahi for Target mocs (yes, they are that old and I will cry when they bite the dust), and a black ribbon pearl necklace - also from Target.  So I guess this is my J Crew/Target outfit?  Funny...the 2 stores I shop most often...huh...how about that...

So as the season wears on, keep an eye out for a cashmere "sweatshirt"...you'll love it.

Polyvore from today:

10/5/10 by HeidiGblog featuring stretch twill pants

C is for Cashmere....(and cashmere is for me....)

Yes, I have kids but I remember Cookie Monster's song from when I was little.  Well...as a grown-up...today it was "c is for cashmere".  Fall has officially arrived - with cold and rain.  Down to the 40's tonight.  Yeeps.  We actually turned the heat on tonight and I gave our bed its usual fall makeover, swapping out the percale sheets and thermal blanket for flannel sheets, fuzzy blanket and a down quilt on top.  Yum...can't wait to go to bed tonight.

It was definitely a day where I was thankful that I do work from home, as I was hanging out in a big cozy sweatshirt.  And then tonight, I had a PTA chair dinner to attend, so cashmere was the only way to go.   Out came last winter's dark slate cashmere turtleneck (yes, I was that chilly, size M btw) plus black Minnies (8T) and black Born Lovely flats, and a stack full of bracelets - crystal shapes, gold link, crystal supernova.  It gave a little sparkle to the outfit.  (Any sparkle will do. It's a great base outfit for pretty much any kind of accessorizing.) 

Then some gold hoops and a ponytail and I was good to go.  Anyone else read the Percy Jackson series?  Yes, I am a 38-year-old woman and I like to read some juvenile fiction.  I say it's just because of the kids...  Anyway, in the 3rd or 4th book, where the author starts talking about the "Party Ponies"?  Always makes me think of this hairdo.  It's my party pony (in other words, my hair's been down all day and I need to do something different with it).

To recap the evening - lots of fun catching up with friends.  And I stayed cozy the whole time.  Success!  I may have to pick up another one this season.  I'm digging that heather cobblestone and heather saddle color.  Sigh, I know, more neutrals.  Maybe I need to swing over to the warm honey.  We'll see.  But it's late and I'm itching to crawl into my cozy bed.  Good night!

Polyvore from this evening:

10/4/10 by HeidiGblog featuring crystal bracelets

Nail Files - Fall 2010 - Chanel Paradoxal...it's about time...

Wow...just wow...that's all I have to say about this color.  It's funny, I had been visiting Chanel Paradoxal at Nordstrom for about 2 months.  Every time I went by the Chanel counter, I'd stop at look at Paradoxal.  You see, I just wasn't sure I needed it, especially when I had Dior's Lemon Balm from last fall.  But a few weeks ago, after realizing that I was doing this *every* time I walked through Nordstrom (in my defense, the Chanel nail polish does face right out to the mail aisle to get to the rest of the mall), I finally sprang for it.  And couldn't wait to get home and put in on my nails.  I love it.   I do.  I love love love love it.  The next day, I called one of my fellow nail junkies to coo about Paradoxal...yes, it's that bad.  And she agreed about the gorgeousness because she borrowed it when we got pedis together a few days later.

Of late, I had stopped buying Chanel polish, because I wasn't loving anything enough to pay the price for it.  I thought Pariculiere was a fab color, but OPI's YDKJ was enough taupe for me.  And I wasn't feeling any of the summer colors.  And I finally realized that much as I like Blue Satin, OPI's Light My Sapphire is a better navy for me - less bright, more gray.  And I heard reports of chipping issues with Jade... And... And... And...  For me to spend that much on a polish it has to be pretty spectacular.

This one is.  To start, Chanel polishes usually show on the nail a bit different than in the bottle - most often, it's that there is less sparkle on the nail than in the bottle.  With Paradoxal, if I had known what it would look like on my nails, I would have gotten it sooner.  In the bottle there is a very bright purple iridescent quality to it.  But on the nail, the color morphs a bit darker, with subtle sheen in the sunlight. 

How would I describe the color?  Hmmmmm.  It's just a gorgeous bit of smoky violet-taupe mysterious goodness.  Application is fantastic.  Even without my fave OPI wide brush, it applies like a dream.  Not too thick, but not too thin.  2 coats really is all you need.  It's funny as I post this, because I just put it on my fingers again last night. 

Closest comparisons with my polish collection, with notes because, as I said, Paradoxal definitely presents as much deeper on the nail than in the bottle.

Sephora OPI Metro Chic:  Paradoxal is definitely deeper/darker.
OPI You Don't Know Jacques: Paradoxal is more purple, less brown/gray.
Dior Lemon Balm:  Paradoxal doesn't have as much shimmer - and it's deeper.

Bottom line - HIGHLY recommend this one, if you've been feeling the urge.  It's still available online at Chanel.com, and my local Nordstrom had several bottles left in the case - so your local store may have it as well.