Cult Nails Blog: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Zac Posen for Target?

I ent to Target last night and right there in front of my eyes was this amazing tuxedo jacket with a big sign over it that said Zac Posen. Did my eyes deceive me? Have I been living under a rock? Zac Posen at Target? I am sure I would have heard about this - I love fashion! But I have been so busy lately - I completely missed this. They had so much stuff to this collection. Shirts, pants, swimsuits, dresses - you name it! Of course I had to look it up when I came home and it appears that this has been big fashion news for a while. I can't believe I had no clue about this! Two pieces were must haves in my opinion. One is a ruffle dress - which I have no where to wear it. I did try on another dress but it didn't suit me. I almost bought the ruffle dress for my daughter's 6th grade dance, but it was too big and with getting it sized it would have cost $80 for the dress and then at least another $30+ to get is taken in, so I think that is a bit much to pay for 6th grade. But I kind of regret not getting it for her, because it was so amazing. I did grab the tuxedo jacket for myself. Not that I need another black jacket - but this one is divine. I had to have it as soon as I saw it. Granted the weather here is getting hot already - so I probably won't be wearing it for a while. I can't believe I spent $50 for a jacket at Target! I haven't taken a picture of the jacket yet, but I did come across this picture of Dakota Fanning Wearing the jacket. Seriously how cute is this jacket? I am so glad I grabbed it - too bad it's going to be in the high 80's tomorrow! Now I am actually wanting cool weather! HA!

OK, so anyway - this is a nail blog, not a fashion blog, so let's get back to nails. But um going back to the jacket for a fraction of a second, won't this look great with Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish in Under the Stars?

This color is so amazing! It is a dark almost black Navy blue - with the most amazing sparkle thrown in. I did need two coats to get the depth on this one. But it has to be one of the most amazing colors. So many Navy blues with sparkles like this fail. Ji got this one perfectly!

Or maybe I could wear the jacket with Dead Calm? This is like the base for Under the Stars, but a little brighter and a creme. This is a one coater of navy blue perfection. I will warn you though, I wear the RBL base coat system with these - even for swatching, no base coat and you can pretty much guarantee yourself some stained nails!

Heck, I think Teal will even look good with this jacket! This is another perfect one coater and again, a base coat is a must for these richly pigmented dark colors.

Heck I think I could even wear Recycle with this jacket!

Let's face it, any color will go with this jacket! RBL nail polish and Zac Posen are a perfect match! Highly sought after polishes for a highly sought after designer!

And for those of you wondering what the heck I am holding in these photos, it is a Vejigante mask. This is a "traditional" mask from Puerto Rico. They were worn hundreds of years ago in carnival celebrations in Puerto Rico. Here is a better photo of my Vejigante.

Wow this post was all over the place! So what do you guys think of my jacket? Cute right? Which polish would you wear with this jacket?

If you haven't entered the drawing for the RBL Nail Polish surf collection, you only have two days to go! Click here for details and to enter. good luck!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish - The Reds

I can't believe how well the reception has been for Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish week! You guys are great. I have been having so much fun this week posting all my RBL polishes! I really enjoyed doing the interview as well. Of course this also has me itching to place another RBL order!!! I don't own any from the glitter collection, so I want those and there are also a few others I am lemming too. I see an order in my near future - shhh don't tell my husband. HA!

I attended an HR conference yesterday. These conferences are long days, and the information is always beneficial, but it does make for a long day. After attending a conference, I definitely enjoy a nice glass of wine and call it a day. I didn't have any wine last night though, since my allergies are bugging me and I don't want to mix the allergy meds with even one glass of wine, so how about some polish pictures with wine instead?

Film Noir (OK so Moet isn't wine - but it is perfect for Film Noir!) This is an almost black with a hint of a deep burgundy red. I had to take this one with a flash in order to get the true color of this polish to come through in the picture.

Killa Red. This is my favorite RBL red. I love the perfection of this color. I think it will look good on anyone. It is just a pure red.

This is Drifter. This is like a lighter version of Film Noir. I totally forgot that I had this color! How sad is that? This is such a great color when you want a dark color that isn't too vampy.

Cherry Love. This is a red with a hint of pink thrown in. It is very subtle as you can see. It is a great red. It is soft and not an in your face kind of red. I love it!

Do you have a favorite RBL Nail Polish red? I used to have Chinoise too and I gave it to someone. Booo I thought Oh I could just buy myself another one, no big deal. But I haven't replaced it yet. Yet another one to add back to my Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish wish list.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Interview With Ji Baek of Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish

Concrete Jungle

In your book you write about the decision to open Rescue Beauty Lounge. Did you start your salon with your own polish line or did this come later? What made you decide to start the polish line?

We opened our first location in 1998, the polish line came around 2003. I had an ex- partner whom I ended up having nasty break up with at the end, but as always good things do come out of nightmares. She actually convinced me to have the nail polish line. There was a definite void for high end nail polish that has interesting colors and that lasts a long time.

We all know that Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish is synonymous with quality, but how did you go about creating the colors for your brand in the beginning?

Having the service end I had a close pulse in market research, my priority for the formula was long lasting nail polish with rich pigmentation. It took two and a half years to develop-I'm still a living nightmare for the lab that I work with. I'm pretty much type A, it doesn't matter how long it takes I want and need it perfect. Two questions I always ask "Would you wear it?" "Would you buy it?"

Bruised

How do you determine what colors will make it into a new collection? Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration is often on runway trends but it also has to work organically with colors and texture. Sometime we put a spin on it - politics or themes.

How do you feel about the almost cult following of your brand?

I'm in awe and completely humbled by all the die hard fans.

Recently you decided to bring back some discontinued colors based on feedback. This is unheard of from many companies. What made you decide to bring these colors back?

I respect and listen to our consumers if color is in high demand why shouldn't we accommodate? That sometimes is the beauty of having a small company.

Stormy

Your latest collection - the surf collection - sold out in both pre-sales, will there be more of these colors for those who missed the pre-sales?

It will be available to the general public in the beginning of May.

Will any of your limited edition colors ever make it to your core line?

It really depends on inventory, budget and of course the fans voice of demands.

Are you going to be releasing more collections in the future, like maybe a summer collection?

We were actually looking into making summer colors but reintroducing Scrangie, No More War and Opaque Nude took it all out of our budget.

Do you really keep your nails polished all the time and how often do you change your polish colors?

I keep my color on until it chips and always log how many days it last. I do not really see or try other brands to keep my creative juices original. Although I do wear nail polish all the time I'm also aware to rotate dark to light colors to keep my nails from staining. About every six weeks I keep them buff to let them breathe for a week.

Purple Haze

What is your favorite go to color from your line?

It varies from what kind of mood I'm in but before Bangin it was matching Chionoise, Grunge and Clear Pink. By go to meaning I might wear this more that six time a year. I have a blast revisiting all the colors.

And finally, I am dying to plan a trip to NYC just so I can go to your salon. Would a nail fanatic like myself be able to not just receive a manicure or pedicure at your salon, but by you? If so how far in advance are you booked?

My philosophy in life is quality not quantity-this is generally applied to all aspects of my life. When we first opened it was me, one other technician that I trained and my husband who helped me answer the phone, of course business grew and step by step we hired more people. I was actually doing service for about a good four years but I would never book it under my name. Coming from a restaurant management background, it is impossible to oversea quality control if you book your self solid, the goal for us is to train all the technicians according to my protocol. (I still help out even to this day when we are behind or over booked) Of course I can charge an arm and a leg for my services, but then we probably will not have a nail polish line or have time to answer every single e-mail that comes our way. The biggest gratification about my career is I have trained so many technicians over the 12 years - to know that they could not even hold a file correctly now they own their own salons and make huge wages for being a top technician. We still have some of our original crew.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview Ji.

Give - Away Reminder

If you haven't entered the give-away - you still have some time. Ji is giving away 2 complete sets of her Surf collection. Click here for information and to enter.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Oh No He Didn't!!!

A little over a year ago I took some pictures pin up style for my husband. Nothing too racy - because frankly that just isn't my style, but still I thought they were cute and fun and hot. My Husband, who is in the military, was away for a year, so I took the best photo and had it enlarged and framed and sent it to him. When he returned home for a visit in the middle of his year away, I took a smaller version of the photo to a local tattoo shop and told the artist I would like something loosely based on that photo. I mean I don't want my husband walking around with ME on his leg, BUT he had been asking me for a while if he could get a pin up cartoon version of me tattoo'd on him. After much thought, I figured, well at least it's not my name he wants on him, so I guess that's not a jinx, so if the tattoo doesn't LOOK like me, but has the feel of me - then why not? This artist did a great job at re-creating the photo into a cartoon version of me. I don't think anyone would even think it was me if they saw it. Well unless I was standing there - since whenever any of our friends see it they immediately point out that my husband has a tattoo of me on his leg.

Juan's tattoo

Cute right? My husband is friends with this artist on Facebook and I have since gotten two tattoos by him. He really is a great artist and his range is amazing. (Anyone looking for a great tattoo, he works out of Orlando - but from what I gather they are going on a Tattoo Tour across America where he will be doing tattoo's at events across the U.S. Email me if you want his info.) ANYWAY, back to my story - so my husband sees that he added a new photo to his page and when he clicks it - this is what comes up:

Um really? At first I was like - hey that's me! But he did change it up enough - so not really. But still kind of creepy right? I mean dark hair that curls at the bottom, Red outfit, Flower in the hair? Hey this guy could also have a wife who he wanted a pin up of - who knows. So while I know this isn't someone else walking around with "me" on their body - it is kind of funny. Hey I'm a famous tattoo now! HA!

OK so let's get to why we're really here and that is for Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes. Today I am featuring the blogger edition polishes. My first instinct is to write that these are three of my favorites, but I feel like I would just be continuously typing the same thing all week, so I will refrain. I tried to get photos of these in front of the respective bloggers page, but I couldn't get color accurate photos. with the computer light behind the hands, so it is just plain photos today. But I did get pictures of these on my friend so you can see the difference of the colors on our different skin tones.

This is Mismas. These pictures were both taken in direct sunlight. The picture on the left is of my friend's hand. The one on the right is on me. It looks more vivid and dark on my friend, while on me it seems a bit lighter. It could be the way the sun is hitting us differently, but even in person it looked much more vivid on her.

This is Orbis non Sufficit. Again my friend's hand is on the left and I am on the right. This looked exactly like it does in the bottle on my friend. On me, it almost has a dusty quality to it.

Last up is Scrangie. This one looked exactly the same on both of us. My friend is on the left and I am on the right. The blue shimmer on this one really comes out if you use two coats.

Ok - so um - yeah - I will say it. These are some of my favorite colors!

Tomorrow I feature my interview with Ji Baek! I am dying to post it! See you all tomorrow!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mellow Monday

It is rainy here and I am exhausted. We had an amazing time Saturday night with our friends celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary, and yesterday was clean up day, errands day, blog swatching and photo day, take the kids to the park day and anything else you can manage to do so you do not nap so you won't be up all night day. Well I managed to go nap free yesterday, went to bed before 11 and all should have been good right? NOPE! We had a crazy thunderstorm come through that woke me up some time around 2 in the morning. My daughter had come into bed with me last night - which meant Juan had to sleep on the couch. Poor Juan. Well at 2am this thunder was so bad and so loud and the accompanying lightening was constant - that it felt like our house was smack in the middle of all the action. I was so scared - I grabbed my cell and went online to the news website to make sure there weren't any tornado warnings. It was that bad! Lo and behold no warnings, just a watch until 7AM! UGH! I knew then I wasn't going to get much sleep but I tried. I think I may have made it another 20 minutes or so before venturing downstairs and waking Juan up to come to bed with me. I "slept" squished in the middle between Juan and my youngest. Yup grown woman here - and I had to have Juan come protect me from the lightening and thunder! What a wimp! Needless to say I got very little sleep the rest of the night and I am exhausted!!! I think I ruined Juan's night sleep with all my tossing and turning too. What a trooper! I hope I can somehow make it through the day. My head is pounding like there is a migraine just waiting to come through. My sinuses are acting up. I am not looking forward to going to work this morning feeling like this. But what is a girl to do?

Anyway on the bright side - I have some more Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes to show you today. I chose my neutral colors since it's Monday. There are a few neutrals that I still don't have, but hopefully I will acquire them soon. For now here is what I have for you. I used the orchids Juan sent me for our anniversary for a back drop to these.

This is Plie. I absolutely love this color. It is truly opaque and not a true pink. It is just as you see here - almost nude in color with a hint of pink thrown in. I had to use a flash to capture the color accurately on this one. I think this one looks better on someone with pale skin, unfortunately it isn't one I tried on my friend to compare. But I do tend to use this when I need to remain neutral but still want some color. I am not one for sheer neutrals.

This is Smitten. Can I just say I am completely smitten with Smitten! This is a very soft yet bright pink. It is not quite bubble gum pink, but it adds a bit of vividness to a neutral pink, yet somehow still remains neutral. I just feel so womanly wearing this pink. It is the perfect pink.

This is Lulu. This is close to Plie in the bottle, but completely different on. This one is almost white vs. nude to me with some pink thrown in. If you love the white trend and don't think you can pull it off, this may be the color for you. Again this one is opaque in just one coat. I had to use two though, since I was too tired when I was swatching these, and couldn't quite get all of them perfect in one coat. I have seen this one on those with pale skin and it looks completely different on them. It is not so noticeable. I have to admit - I hardly ever wear this one, but I it is still a beautiful color and perfect for someone who wants a standout color or is paler than I am.

The last one I have for you is Opaque Nude. This one was one of the discontinued colors, but I think it is one of the colors that is coming back. I am glad. I love this color. It is exactly what the name implies. Opaque Nude. Granted it isn't a nude match for me - but I am sure it is for someone. This is just a soft neutral color that is always appropriate. You can't go wrong with this one.

All in all I think Ji has the work appropriate shades down. Especially if you are like me and want your neutrals to be opaque. I know her line offers some sheer options as well, but I unfortunately do not have any. So what do you all think of these shades? Do you stick with neutral colors during the work week?

Just a reminder if you want to enter the give-away for one of two complete sets of the Rescue Beauty Lounge Surf collection, Click Here. Good luck!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish - Surf Collection

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish Week Begins - Give Away Announcement!

Today officially begins Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish Week! All my posts this week will feature Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes.

As most of you know RBL nail polish is one of my favorite brands. I love the formula and the wear. I also love the variety of shades this line produces. For me, this line is worth every penny!

I contacted Ji Baek, owner of Rescue Beauty Lounge in New York and the Nail Polish line of the same name and asked her if I could feature her in an interview on my blog and if she would be willing to sponser a give-away. She graciously agreed and the give-away is amazing! I'll feature the interview on Wednesday.

I am sure you are all anxiously awaiting the give-away announcement, so here it is.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish Give-Away!

Ji Baek is going to send two lucky followers a complete set of her new Surf Collection! That's right - not one but TWO complete sets of her new highly sought after surf collection!!! This is a retail value of $54 USD for each prize!

The rules of the give-away as follows. You must be a follower of my blog. You must complete the entry form in it's entirety. This is open to all followers. You get one entry for being a follower, one entry for tweeting about the give-away and one entry for blogging about the entry. You need to complete the comment section of the entry form and let me know if you own any RBL polishes or not and if you do, what is you favorite color or if you don't which color would you most like to see or try. I will feature some of the comments on my blog this week so let me know if you would like your comments to be anonymous. The contest will end Saturday May 1st at 11:59PM EST. I will announce the winners here on my blog next Sunday.

I posted a complete review of the Surf Collection when I first received it. Click here to see the review.

A good friend came over today and let me paint her nails with some of my RBL Polishes. She is very fair skinned which is a complete opposite to my tan olive skin. I thought it would be great to show you some pictures of the surf collection on her.

360

Bangin

Diddy Mow

And for fun, I took some surf inspired pictures of me wearing the collection. What do you think?

360

Bangin

Diddy Mow

I hope you are all as excited as I am for Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish week! I look forward to hearing what you all think. Good luck to all my followers!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Let the Craziness Begin!

I can't believe how much I still have left to do for tomorrow's party. We have the food ordered, but not the desserts. I still need to order some dessert trays and I am hoping I can still get them ordered this late in the game. Not to mention I need to grab about 3 or 4 lbs of shrimp and get all the drinks and make a few gallons of my amazing Sangria and get my eyebrows done, and pick up a package at Fed Ex and..... Maybe I should stop there! I think the to do list is growing as much as the guest list. I don't know how we are going to fit all these people in our house! We are not a formal couple, so we didn't want to have something at a hotel or venue - so a good old fashioned house party seemed perfect. But now I really worry about how crammed my house will be. At least for the first few hours - I think most people will leave after a few hours and that is probably when the real party will begin! HA! Did I mention that my husband still hasn't talked to our neighbors to let them know we are going to be having so many people over and music going and everything? We definitely will have to extend an invite to the neighbors when we let them know - so that is more people! It is going to be insane. But I know once all this work is done, I will get to relax and have a good time celebrating our 15th year of marriage with several friends. I can't wait for that! Since we are having everything catered, there isn't going to be the worry of stress or cooking involved so that is good. Sorry no Spanish food tomorrow night!

Oh wait did I mention - I DON"T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!!!! I have no clue what I am wearing. I wanted to wear jeans and a cute top - well in the town I live in, there is nothing! I would have to go to Orlando to try to find something decent. I just don't have that kind of time. I am so frustrated over what to wear - nothing seems to work. I don't know - maybe I will break down and wear a casual dress or something. It is my party after all! HA! Any ideas or inspiration on this one are appreciated! Let's not even get into the fact that somewhere in there I have to squeeze in my pedicure and manicure. Oh Boy! Can I please multiply myself?

Here is a swatch I did a few weeks ago. I keep thinking of this color and was thinking of wearing this one tomorrow night with a purple pedi. What do you think?

This is Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors. I showed you this one on one nail before, but I also swatched it on one hand. I have been dying to use this one as a full on mani. I am trying to decide between this one and RBL Killa Red. (which I have shown before and will feature again during my upcoming Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish Week). I guess it will depend on what I find for an outfit. What do you think? Any other ideas? You ladies are great!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day

Me holding the Earth in my hands - wearing Nubar Earth of course!

Each year around Earth Day, we reflect on our planet and what we can do to protect it. Some people feel it is just another day, some people live to protect our Earth all the time. Where do you stand? A few years ago I wanted to try to make some changes, I wanted to start recycling, use less paper towels and use re-usable shopping bags. I haven't quite gotten there. I am much better than before, I do recycle on and off (I know BAD!), I do use less paper towels than I used to and I almost always use re-usable shopping bags when I do groceries. This year, rather than trying to add something to the mix, I want to get better at these things. I want to increase my use of reusable towels and rags for cleaning, I want to recycle - ALL THE TIME and I want to not just use my shopping bags for groceries, but whenever I shop. I am going to work hard this year on this commitment. Am I perfect? No. Do I think I will make good on my commitment however? Yes. I think I will be able to sit here next year and say that I was better than I was last year. It is a simple thing, it is nothing major, but it is my commitment to helping protect this Earth. Are you making any changes this year?

Inspired by Earth Day, today I am wearing Nubar Earth. This polish color is amazing. It is an almost teal green with blue shimmer throughout. It is not glitter, nor flakies and I would say it is a little more than a shimmer, there are actually blue particles floating in this polish, but they are so fine, the closest thing they resemble to me is shimmer. Trying to capture this on film was a challenge. You can see my earth photo above doesn't showcase it to well. Hey it is hard to hold the Earth in your hands and get a good nail picture at the same time! Who knew?

Nubar Earth is part of Nubar's Going Green collection. Do you have this color already? What do you think about it? This marks day 6 now that I have worn blue or green polish. I have actually been wearing them to work all week! Wow!

On a side note - today is not just Earth Day, but my 15th Wedding Aniversary! I don't know where the time went, I still feel like we are newlyweds even though we have three kids and two dogs and our life is always chaotic. But my husband is the most amazing man. He is insanely funny, wicked smart, the greatest dad and the kindest person I have ever met. He supports me in everything I do. Even when I was just talking about doing this blog, he pushed me and convinced me I would be great at it. I consider myself lucky to have found such an amazing man! We will be celebrating with a huge bash at our place this weekend. I can't wait! So if he is reading this today - I love you babe! Happy Anniversary!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

I had not planned on doing an announcement for this - but I am so excited - I can't wait!!!

You all know I am a die hard Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish fan! Well I threw caution to the wind and emailed Ji Baek to see if she would grant me an interview that I could feature right here on my blog.

GUESS WHAT? She agreed!!! But wait there is more! Ji is so gracious, I wanted to do a give-away as well and asked if she would be willing to sponsor the give-away. I was hoping she would help with one or two polishes but nope - not only is she sponsoring the give-away - but when you see the gift you are all going to FLIP!!!

So in honor of my favorite brand and Ji Baek's amazing nail polish and customer service, starting Sunday will begin Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish week. All week I will feature all the Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish colors I have. I will post the give-away details on Sunday as well and I will post the interview on Wednesday. I will end (sadly) Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish week on Saturday and close the give-away at that time.

Are you guys sitting at the edge of your seats? Are you as excited as I am? Ji if you are reading this - Thank you again! You are the best!!!

Her Beautiful Nails

She sits so focused

Determined to find the perfect color

The one that shows exactly how she feels

"Which one?" "Which one?" She thinks to herself

What is she doing? You might wonder

Not looking for a dress

And not looking for those perfect shoes

But that absolutely amazing color for her beautiful nails

My daughter wrote me this poem. How sweet is that? She is the best!

So which one did I choose? ULTA Chic Peek - at least for today anyway!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Another Grey Rainy Day?

It has been hazy and grey since Sunday. Yesterday's feel trip was a cool 70 degrees. I felt so cold and it was 70! It is suppose to be cloudy and rainy until Thursday when we get back to our sunny 80. I love when the weather is nice. But to go with the grey weather, I figure I will take advantage and wear a grey polish.

I am wearing Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Grey by Grey. I have to say that the polish seems to be good, but with that brush - ugh! I wipe the polish off the brush and yet more seems to pour down the length of the brush and all over my nails. Then I would try to wipe the polish in the bottle really well and I wouldn't have enough to paint a full nail! I had to wipe it off three times, before I figured out how to work this formula. I am glad I didn't pay full price for these polishes! Once I was done though, it did look amazing. But I wasted so much polish to get this manicure! FRUSTRATING! Is it just me or did anyone else have a problem with the application on this one?

You can see that this is almost a cross between a blue and a grey. I would venture to say this is a dusty blue.

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