Rescue Beauty Lounge Pic Spam… I Mean Swatches
I hate to say this because I think the idea of an 18 dollar nail polish is absolutely ridiculous, but I’m a fan of Rescue Beauty Lounge. Their application and wear is amazing but more importantly, at least to me, they have really unique colors. I’m not a shimmer girl. In a world where most unique colors have shimmer, finding unique cremes is an almost impossible task… then I found Rescue Beauty Lounge and to this day my wallet and bank account quietly sob in unison.
First, the *MOST* prized of the Rescue Beauty Bunch:
Rescue Beauty Lounge – Recycle
Ooooh, I obsessed over whether to buy this one or not for weeks. I was still recovering from the psychological trauma of having neglected to buy Zulu, so I said to hell with being frugal and took the plunge. I felt really guilty about it for a while because it was so expensive ($18 + Ridiculous Shipping Charges = Guilt). I got over it, I just loved the color so much. It’s the perfect true green. Recycle was the gateway that facilitated my future RBL purchases.
My second Rescue Beauty Lounge splurge was for Dead Calm:
I wanted a true blue creme so badly. My first brush with blue cremes was Lippmann Rehab. It’s a great polish, the only problem is that it has a jelly finish and requires 4 coats to achieve a pretty navy color. It also took forever to dry, sometimes it didn’t dry at all. I would end up with horrendous sheet marks (back then I had yet to discover the gloriousness that is Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat). Dead Calm is opaque in one coat, amazing wear and application. It’s also really unique, not quite like anything else on the market. So at least for me, Dead Calm was definitely worth the money. As a side note, ‘Dead Calm’ is an awesome name for a polish.
I got Purple Haze, Stormy, and Concrete Jungle all in one haul – the day I lost my mind.
Purple Haze is a beautiful color but I didn’t love it on myself. Again, it is undoubtedly a unique color. As you can see from my purple comparison swatches there is nothing else quite like it in my collection.
I mauled over getting Stormy and Concrete Jungle for a long time.
Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy is probably not worth the money unless you really really *really* want it. I developed my obsession for this polish back when no other company had a gray polish on the market. That’s not the case anymore, every brand has their own version of a chic gray. If you want to go gray without denting your funds try OPI Moon Over Mumbai, Essie Body Language, Carolyn New York Handball Courts or Hangin’ on the Stoop, China Glaze Recycle or frankening your own gray instead. If, in the end, you are so inclined to spend the money, rest assured it’s an excellent polish.
Finally, Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle:
This is my current NOTD. It’s a great color. I had a little trouble with the application when I used Barielle Nail Camouflage. For some reason, it made the polish really thick and difficult to apply. I switched to a non-ridge filling base coat and the application problems disappeared. Like with Stormy, Concrete Jungle, color-wise, is probably not worth the cold hard cash.
My nail polish philosophy is that expensive brands are only worth it if either a.) the color is really unique and there is nothing else anywhere that is like it, or b.) you just can’t help yourself and splurging will make you happy. You won’t see me buying a pink or a red from Chanel or RBL. Do you guys feel the same way? What’s your philosophy on expensive polish?
*Disclaimer* The Polish Addict is in not liable for any lemmings this post may have created.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Those are so gorgeous… I might just have to break down and get them.
I try not to buy expensive polish when it’s similar to something I can get from OPI or another brand…. But sometimes, I just have to splurge.
I do feel silly for getting Chanel Blue Satin and Dior Poison Blue, because now that I have them I realize how much I paid for blue nail polish that’s not even unique.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Nooo don’t feel that way. Like I said, if something makes you happy just splurge. I know a loooot of people Splurged on Dior and Chanel’s blues. It’s really ok. : P My weakness is RBL.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I love the “sob in unison” line. Great writing! and the comparisons and links are really fabulous. Daily reading now includes you! So happy to have found this blog!!
April 30th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I am REALLY enjoying your blog!! The pictures are beautiful….and helpful too:-) Keep up the good work!
May 31st, 2008 at 9:13 am
i must say ive never known so much about nail polish until i found you on google! i’ll never go back to cheapie $1 polishes ever again! they should give you your own section in allure! or better yet nylon or paper!
May 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
Don’t give up on cheap polish, you just have to find the good cheap stuff. : )
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
[...] is opaque in one coat. I was able to use just one brush stroke for the blue behind the stars. Click here for a swatch of Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead [...]
July 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am
: ) I always use base coat but nothing fancy – I just use whatever I have around. Unless it’s a streaky polish in which case I use Barielle Camouflage. I feel like top coat is more important anyway. I saw your blog (which I really like so I’m adding to my blog roll), and I totally feel your pain about that RBL kit. I eventually talked myself out of it. lol.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Hi! I love your site! And I am soooo glad that someone else also LOVES Rescue (and is also bummed about price)!
I’ve come to find that my local Planet Beauty gives a 20% discount (on RBL and most other stuff in the store) if you’re in their system and tell them you’re in the system! :)
Anyway, just wondering… Do you use a base before applying the RBL polishes?
Have you tried their bases?
I have Grunge and Yellow Fever, both of which I LOVE but sometime they apply well and sometimes it takes a few coats to get a nice application!
I’d love any feedback you have!
Thanks and thanks for your site! :)
July 16th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I’m searching for the perfect gray nail polish!!!!! Thanks….i think i might just spend the 18 dollars on RBL. Also, I think your nails look best here – when they’re a little bit shorter.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It’s definitely good nail polish – although I lament the price and thank you.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:43 am
When I see this colour I can almostly cry because I do not live in America.
They are SO cool!
And you know what – they are NOT expensive. OPI for 140 SEK=20 US dollars here in Stockholm – this is what IS expensive. Rescue beauty lounge – we just do not have it here in shops, maybe in some salons…
October 8th, 2008 at 8:56 am
You probably won’t find them in shops : ( – do you know someone who lives in the US who can ship them to you?
November 14th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I totally agree with your philosophy on expensive nail polish. I would never get a wicked expensive red or pink. They’re bloody everywhere. No need to spend in excess of $15.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:20 am
Can someone please post pictures of the sheer red without underwear? I’m really curious to see what it looks like on a bare nail but cannot seem to ANYWHERE!
March 28th, 2011 at 6:21 am
[...] http://polishaddict.com/2008/04/28/rescue-beauty-lounge-pic-spam-i-mean-swatches/ [...]
November 26th, 2012 at 7:15 am
[...] gone and they’ll be up on eBay for insane prices. Available will be: Insouciant, Recycle, Piu Mosso, Starfish Patrick, Opaque Nude and the famous Aqua Lily, which I consider to be [...]
January 5th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
[...] in my heart. Although I’ve written about this color before (you can see the original post here), I took the prospect of writing this post as an opportunity to pull this one out from my tried [...]
January 29th, 2013 at 8:41 am
I want to know how can I go about purchasing the polish