Christian Louboutin — Rouge Louboutin

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Happy New Year! My first mani of the year was definitely one to remember.

I'm back behind the wheel, y'all.

My brother Alex has a history of getting me very thoughtful, very magical gifts. Christmas last year? A real, ceramic ocarina with a songbook from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s truly a work of art. Granted, I never even got the hang of a recorder, so it serves as decorative piece to show how cultured and cool I am ;) and less of a true musical instrument. For my birthday? Lucius Malfoy’s walking stick. Pull on the silver cobra head at the top of the staff and — voila— the magic wand is revealed. It is of the utmost quality and is a legit weapon. I keep it near my front door so that a) all guests may admire it and b) it's close at hand to battle potential hot prowlers.

And so, Christmas 2014. What would young Alex surprise me with now?

This.

Christian Louboutin / Rouge Louboutin nail varnish.

Check out that black on black packaging with a saucy wink of red. Ooh la la!

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From the CL website:

Rouge Louboutin… a timeless, vibrant red suited to any skin tone. A true objet d’art of a dramatic 8-inch height inspired by the tallest heel Christian Louboutin ever created- the Ballerina Ultima.

But wait. There's more...

The iconic Rouge is encased in a faceted, weighted glass bottle with an unique ombré effect. The tall slender cap, inspired by calligraphy, turns the application into a luxurious experience, inviting women to take their time.

A true indulgence at $50 for one bottle. Yowza! The color is richly red. It’s not quite a true red; it veers on the warm side. The application was great, and the brush made for a very different painting experience. It wasn’t necessarily unwieldy, but it definitely felt unusual. They say that in Roman times, patrician women would dip the tips of their fingers in bright red dye. This was called their domestic look. I felt a little like that; the paint job felt ritualistic in some way.

The spiked handle of this polish is sarcastically large. It's 8" (or so it SAYS, hahahah). My friend told me it looks like dark magic; like you have to stab the spike into someone's still-beating heart and the spike sucks the blood out, and then that id what you paint your nails with. This bottle, combined with my Lucius stick, means I am at least 80% real sorceress.

CL_Sangria

Legend has it that Christian painted the soles of a high heel he was designing with red nail polish on a whim. That moment of inspiration helped him make a name for himself in fashion, and now his iconic rouge lacquer serves as the first brick in the beauty product empire that he’s aiming to build. It’s poetic.

Christian Louboutin Rouge will sit in a place of honor, on top of my Stash; partly because it can’t fit with the rest of my bottles, but also because it is a goddess among mortals.

Sincerely, Francesca

CHANEL Limited-Edition Pair — Nuit Magique

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Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 12.33.04 PM O HAPPY DAY.

Not only is it Cyber Monday (I think you had to have lived in the early AOL days to find that name hilarious) but... CHANEL has released a new, limited-edition duo called "Nuit Magique."

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 12.32.55 PMFirst up is the eponymous shade, MAGIQUE. It's a nice, unexpected choice for a holiday party instead of the typical reds. I'm liking the blues we've seen lately! Like denim, they really do go with everything.

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 12.35.59 PMBut for the real showstopper in the collection, check out COSMIC.

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 12.33.19 PMLadies, ladies, ladies. This is not the same as the Ciel de Nuit of legend, but it's pretty damn close. I can't wait to see how close this is to Ciel de Nuit and, for that matter, the hallowed HTF, Essie Starry Starry Night. I know it won't be an exact dupe, but it will be interesting to see how close this new shade gets.

I highly recommend you get thee to CHANEL.com if you even have a shred of interest in this color. If it arrives and you hate it, there's always eBay. And we know how well CHANEL can perform there! It's a win-win.

I just ordered mine and will swatch as soon as it's here!

xx, Francesca

On the quest for Essie SSN? Here are some previous posts you may enjoy:

Nail Polish Lemmings — An Exposé

Naturistics Crystal Blue Pearl (Essie SSN dupe)

"HTF that HTF," or "How to Find That Hard to Find"

China Glaze — Sun Worshiper

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I’ve talked about my sun worshipping on this blog before. I know it’s terrible but there’s nothing like a little old fashioned sunshine to cheer me up. I tend to run on the cold side — basking in the sun’s rays makes me feel so cozy!

When I think about sunbathing, I recall a poster in the waiting room of my childhood doctor’s office that said something about how 5 great civilizations worshipped the sun, and 4 are extinct. Aight, doc, point taken but correlation does not imply causation. So no, I do NOT think that sunbathing was the downfall of the Egyptian empire. But I digress.

I recently wore China Glaze Sun Worshiper; not a color for the faint of heart. I mean, it barely matches anything and it glows in the dark, so if you’re looking for a color that whispers, “Take me seriously, I’m a professional,” I’d suggest looking elsewhere. But if you want a shade that shouts, drunkenly, “ZOMGYOUGUYS this is my favorite song!” you may have found her.

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 1.36.58 PM

Sun Worshiper is a neon yellow-orange that packs a major punch. What’s funny is that the color itself isn’t necessarily flattering to many (or… any?) skin tones, but you’ll still get tons of compliments because it’s just fun to look at. And therefore fun to wear. :)

Here's Sun Worshiper in direct sunlight.

Look at the way the thumb still glows in the shade.

The coverage is pretty good for a neon. I skated by with three coats since it can be a little streaky. A good idea may be to do a white base first, if you have the time. Three coats will be opaque though, so it's not a necessity. Keep in mind this is about as neon as you can get, so you’ll definitely want to top it all off with a nice glossy topcoat since it dries matte.

Ohmygawd, I'm glowing!

And now I’m off to sunny Palm Springs! Have a great weekend!

sunsuncomeondown, Francesca

Color Club — Harp On It

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If you want to sport an attention-grabbing nail but don’t have the time (or skillz) to deal with complicated nail art, there are few better ways to get ooohs and aaahs than a holo.

There are a bunch of holographic shades on the market, but my favorite brand is Color Club. They’ve got a full range of linear holo colors, but I like to go for the tried-and-true silver holo. As I always say, why gild the lily? A classic silver that sparkles like a prism is just perfect.

Here's the full lineup of Color Club holos, 2013.

Scrangie's got THE best swatches of the entire collection. Click the pic to check out her post.

If you’re going to have but one holo in your Stash, my professional recommendation is Color Club Harp On It. The coverage is INSANE, the formula’s smooth as silk and the rainbow effect is oh, so pretty.

Think about it. This is *indoor* lighting and it gleams like this.

Holo nails make you feel like your nails are from The Future. A streamlined, metallic future where everyone dresses only in American Apparel lamé outfits.

But wait! Step it up a notch and do an accent nail inspired by the always clever NailedIt.

Nailed It created a beautiful holo 2D diamond; looks great with that powder blue. Click the pic to get the tutorial.

shineon, Francesca

P.S. Color Club Beyond is a great dupe for all of y’all out there who are still on the hunt for an OPI My Private Jet dupe. Just sayin’. :)