Monthly Archives: November 2010

Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro No. 430 Black Satin

If we think for a moment of all the traditional trend-predicting clichés like “____ is back!” “____ is so ‘in’ this season!” “____ is the new black!” and fill in all the blanks with “BLACK” (yes, even the last one), it would be pretty hard to date the trend, assign it a year, a season, or even an era because it’s the truth. Black is always back, in, new, and well, black. Ok, maybe as far as black nail varnish is concerned, I may be stretching it a bit, especially because of its classic ties to cultish envelop-pushers such as good old Marilyn Manson. But since being endorsed by Chanel, and earning an honored place on the Chanel Runway, I think it is safe to say that black has officially earned the acceptance it deserves in the nail polish mafia and a deal with cultish mainstreamers such as…. well, again, fill in the blank. And I have a theory as to why black polish has such strong lasting power. Oh yes, the picture says it all; quite simply, black nail polish is crazy, sexy, and cool.

At first I feared that a post about black nail polish would have been boring as there is nothing particularly unique or exceptional about black lacquer. However, black is one of my most “favoritest” colors to wear (so much so that it warrants my using the double superlative most “favoritest”), and I decided to show it a little love. What’s more, after years of searching for the best black polish- that is, the blackest, shiniest, and longest-lasting- I do believe I’ve found a brand that meets my very picky expectations, and I wanted to share the wealth.

So after much searching, I’ve finally found my favorite black that pleases me with a perfect, lasting manicure each time. That is Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro No. 430 in Black Satin, and black satin it truly is.

In other words, this polish does its name justice. It’s a smooth pure black color, without any shimmer or extra-luminary this, that, or the other thing to make the polish “prettier” and give it more “dimension.” Not necessary. I just want a glamorous, true black that will make my nails look dramatic, yet manicured, and this Rimmel Black Satin does precisely that. What’s really great about this nail polish (other than its true-black color and super high-shine) is that it doesn’t chip, nor does it wear along the tips (always a huge polish peeve of mine, especially when it comes to black). One recommendation I would make (a little trick I’ve discovered with trial and error): be sure to paint the tips of your nails well, making sure that the polish covers everything. Tried and true, this helps it to last much longer.

The only (possible) drawback of this polish is that I find the consistency of the forumla a bit thick. So it can be a tad bit difficult to work with, and it does take a little longer to dry. However, this can be taken care of with careful, patient application. And anyway, there is a positive side to this in that full opacity can be achieved in just one coat (but I always apply two), and the manicure lasts much longer.

So give it a try! The price is good and the results are better.

Until next time!

 

Molto Fashion
For some more fashion ramblings, come visit me at: http://emoltofashion.blogspot.com/

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Teal The Cows Come Home

Hi de hi de hi!

(um, this is where you say “Ho di ho di ho!”. Anybody? No?)

Here’s another delightful winter colour from the new Essence polishes, Multi Dimension XXL Shine Nail Polish 64 Trendsetter. It’s a deep forest green-teal creme.

indoor, natural light

*sigh*

Isn’t it lovely? More pictures.

outside, daylight, stubby fingers (um, that's water on my ring finger, the grass was wet :P)

indoors with flash

This is two coats of colour – it is GORGEOUSLY creamy and opaque. I added a top-coat of Essence 01 Absolute Pure to see how it would look.

indoors, natural light, with gloss top-coat

lovely and shiny

Ah, I wish my cuticles were in better condition. I took these photos nearly a month ago, and now they’re all dry and flakey and sad. Wah. Time to slather them with Vaseline and hope for the best!

Anyway, I adored this polish – it lasted well and is perfect for winter. I got another bottle from the XXXL range, which I plan to paint my nails with today.

Slán for now!

xo

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Summer Lovin’ with Essie 651 Bermuda Shorts

I’ve been a very bad blogger indeed, neglecting it for more than a week now. My one excuse is that I’ve been writing for NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. Basically, you bang out 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. If you win, blessings and peace be upon you. If not, wrath and guilt in their place. Anyway, 1667 words a day is keeping me occupied. Also, my cuticles suck at the moment. They suck to the power of SUUUUUUCK. Winter is not being kind to them. Anyway, I will press on, and continue the Essie theme Molto Fashion has established.

Essie 651 Bermuda Shorts – ridiculous name, cute polish. I remember buying this in Ricky’s, in SoHo NYC, back in the day… two years ago. At $8, it was the most I’d ever spent on a bottle of polish. Bermuda Shorts is a hot neon magenta creme, which dries semi-matte.

indoors with flash

natural light, outdoors

close-up

As usual, I used three coats of polish over a Rimmel Stronger Try Harder base coat. Then I decided to experiment with different top-coats.

glossy top-coat (Essence), Essie Bermuda Shorts, and matte top-coat (Claire's)

index and ring finger: Essence 01 Absolute Pure; middle and baby finger, Claire's matte top-coat (excuse the grass mark on my index finger :P)

glossy vs matte

no top-coat (left) vs. Claire's matte top-coat (right)

The wear and tear on this polish was not spectacular, I’m sorry to admit. There was tip-wear on the second day. It didn’t chip until the third day, but the tip-wear bothered me. The formula, however, is beautiful and it’s very easy to apply. I couldn’t decide whether I preferred glossy or matte! Luckily, I had the option of both 🙂

Halloween was so much fun. I dressed as a nun, painted my nails bloody (as in previous post) and went to a fireworks party. Here are some of my favourite pictures from the night. (I actually have a specific “fireworks” setting on my camera. This was the first time I’ve ever used it.)

blood splatter buns that I baked with my cousin

blood splatter nails (and my nun costume)

kid with sparkler

fireworks!

more fireworks!

firework taking off

fireworks galore! (so good, the neighbours complained. heh heh.)

That was my Halloween! I also went to Lady GaGa…

thisclose

… which was HUH-MAZING. Her nails were painted greige, just like the Deborah Lippmann colour she wore for the Vanity Fair cover. So awesome. And the support act, Semi Precious Weapons, was very entertaining! The lead singer even posed for two photos with my sister. Here’s one of their songs, Put A Diamond On It. Can’t stop singing it.

There’s a hand movement and everything that goes along with the song… not that I do it when I sing along or anything…

slán, readers!

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