As many of you already know, recently Ji Baek of Rescue Beauty Lounge gave me, Scrangie and Michelle from ALU the unique opportunity to create our own shade of nail polish for her collection. I’ve gotten dozens of emails from you guys concerning my color which has been inadvertently shrouded in mystery. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t able to post it sooner. I didn’t mean to keep everyone waiting. I’m still studying for the Bar exam so, sadly, I won’t be able to give this color the gushing attention I want to give it, at least not for another two weeks.

So, without further ado here it is… Orbis Non Sufficit:

I don’t think it’s shocking to anyone that I chose a shade of green. (My love for dark greens is an illness.) When Ji first approached me with the possibility of creating my dream color, my first reaction was – flail – AHHHH…. ZULU. This was during the dark long long ago when I didn’t own it yet and I was still lemming it something fierce. But, it dawned on me that it would be silly to waste this chance by ripping off a color already in existence (no matter how badly I want to stick it to NARS and ebay scalpers) and instead I should use this opportunity to create something that was more reflective of me.

If you’ve spent any time on my site at all, you know that I love dark, moody, mushroomy colors. I wanted to go with something edgy – I had three shades in mind. A muted shade of combat green, a mountbatten pink or a jelly black with black glitter a la China Glaze Ruby Pumps. Jelly black with black glitter is the holy grail – apparently, it’s an impossibility because black glitter has to be so pigmented that it sinks to the bottom of the bottle creating a gooey mess that cannot be applied properly. (I was pretty sad to hear that especially because I already had a name picked out for it, “Quoth the Raven.” I had to throw back to my boy Edgar if I was going with something black.) Mountbatten pink, while freaking awesome, was too run-of-the-mill and I felt like most people would want to punch me in the face for choosing a purply-pink no matter how bad ass.

Obviously, green was my only option.

I’m really pleased with the end product. Orbis Non Sufficit is a dark moody grayed-out combat green creme. Like all Rescue Beauty Lounge cremes, it applied like a dream, perfectly pigmented. It’s a one coater but the swatch pictured is two. As for the name, it’s the Bond family motto. Translation: The World is Insufficient (or rather, The World is Not Enough.) I know, cheesy, but what can I say? I love the cheese like I love the green.

With all that said, I miss you guys!!! I have been reading your emails but I’ve only been responding to the ones that are time sensitive. I promise – in two weeks – you’ll have me back in full force and every single email and comment will get a reply. I’ve been doing my nails all summer (I didn’t give it up to help maintain my sanity) so while I haven’t been swatching, I do have tons of new images, not to mention that I’ll be posting the three million collections that have come out since I’ve been gone. Stick with me! : )

I am overwhelmed with sorrow whenever I see The Nailphile’s KOTDs. I die a little inside because I know that no matter how hard I try, Konad will always hates me. In this pitiful state I’ve learned to love, and see beauty in, my failed attempts… it’s not an ugly konad failure, no I say, it’s um… art deco. The accident pictured above is just such an example, the stamp is not supposed to look like that, but in this case I actually like the final product. This konadicure is Misa Dirty Sexy Money (one of my favorite new colors for Spring 2009) and China Glaze VIII used with Konad plate 65. VIII is a gorgeous deep purple creme, however, the formula is too thin so it’s not really suitable for Konad. The result is similar to a linoleum stamp print. The look works with this particular pattern, perhaps not with others. I actually don’t own very many Konad special polishes. I don’t know why but I just can’t bring myself to buy them without first exhausting my stash for a normal polish that works well with Konad. I haven’t found a good purple Konad polish substitute so I think I’m finally going to give in and get their purple polishes using The Nailphile’s WowSoCool 20% code. Unless you guys have any suggestions for me?

I haven’t gotten a chance to reply to recent comments yet but I will soon, I promise.

I’m ashamed to say this but I totally forgot about the first anniversary of this blog coming up. If it hadn’t been for my thoughtful friend and reader, Kyosuke, I would have forgotten completely – I’ve just been so swamped with life lately, I apologize.

In any case, I thought for this special post I would reflect a bit on what this blog means to me personally. I started The Polish Addict last year during the final examination period. I’m a notorious productive procrastinator (I procrastinate by doing everything other than the thing I’m supposed to be doing) and this site was just the newest project in a long line of things I invented to absorb my study time. I never expected that this site would become as popular as it has become but I am so glad that I endeavored to write it. This site has enriched my life, truly. I have made so many wonderful friends along the way. I thought the best way to celebrate this anniversary would be to show you guys a polish sent to me by one of the amazing people I had the pleasure of encountering through blogging. My friend and reader Magda sent me this polish all the way from Poland.

This picture just doesn’t do this color any justice at all. Vipera 558 is green micro glitter suspended in black transparent polish. The shimmer is extremely complex and gives the polish a stunning multi-dimensional depth. It flashes different shades of green and copper. Honestly, 558 is one of the most beautiful polishes I have ever seen. The application was flawless. I don’t know much about this brand. I haven’t encountered it in the United States so I’m assuming it’s only available in Central Europe.

Ji Baek has out done herself yet again. For the past few seasons, Rescue Beauty Lounge has consistently pushed the boundaries by releasing innovative unique collections that have well exceeded my expectations; Spring 2009 is no exception. I have just one word: GLITTER. Because glitter is typically (and erroneously) associated with a younger age group, Ji set out to create a glittery polish that is more accessible to ‘adults’. While I don’t really agree that glitter is age exclusive, I think she accomplished what she set out to do. These polishes are ultra bling, very glimmer-y, but at the same time wearable and not gaudy.

Also, I really appreciate companies that step outside of their image. I associate RBL with chic edgy cremes. I never, ever, ever expected to see a set of chunky glitters donning the Rescue Beauty name. Ji took a risk, an awesomely blingy gorgeous risk, and I, for one, am very pleased.

These polishes consist of very dense multi-sized, multi-shaped brilliant glitter suspended in clear polish. You’ll see extremely tiny flecks of glitter (which help to build opacity and provide depth to bling) along with regular-sized glitter, both round and square shaped. I think these polishes are too dense to be used as a glitter top coat unless a thick coat of glitter is the look you’re trying to achieve.

All these swatches are 3 coats of polish and 2 coats of top coat.

Locavore is gold, teal, and amethyst glitter. The main complaint about these  is that the glitter is too chunky, causing a rough finish. It’s definitely not smooth, but I found that one coat of regular topcoat, topped with one coat of Seche Vite gets rid of the bumpiness satisfactorily.

The light refraction from the glitter created so much bling that my camera had a hard time focusing. Here’s an indirect shot that’s more true to color.

*drool* This is a super close up shot. Absolutely gorgeous.

Frugalista is composed of silver and amethyst glitter. I wore this one as a manicure. It’s sort of like an optical illusion, the shades of the glitter combine to create a platinum flash. This one is definitely a show stopper.

Here’s an indirect side view for more accuracy.

And again, a close up shot. I usually don’t do ultra close ups but I’m trying to display the different sizes and shapes of the glitter.

And finally Look Rich, Be Cheap is gold and purple glitter (slightly deeper than the amethyst shade found in the other two polishes.) Lovacore and Look Rich, Be Cheap really remind me Mardi Gras.

Speaking of which, as a Florida Gator, if I had any kind of school spirit what-so-ever, I would not love this polish as much as I do because gold and purple are LSU colors. haha.

Close up shot for full bling appreciation.

In my humble opinion, this was a really successful foray into the world of bling. I really hope it’s not a one time thing for Ji.

Chelsea Psycho Green is a dark Zulu-esque green with very subtle nearly invisible bluish green shimmer. I love this color, but honestly, it’s here as a place holder for Zulu since I didn’t own it when I finalized this list back in November. However, that doesn’t belittle the significance of Psycho Green to my personal collection. I received Psycho Green is my very first swap on MUA. My swapping partner knew about my unrequited love for Zulu and decided to send this amazing polish as an extra. Essentially, Psycho Green was my first brush with the amazing kindness of the nail board. For that reason, this is a much loved polish in my collection. Not to mention that Psycho Green definitely helped curb my hunger for Zulu because it’s a good base color dupe even though it differs as far as texture and finish. (See this post for a comparison of Psycho Green versus other green polishes.)

Sadly, Chelsea polishes can’t be purchased online (at least not to my knowledge). You have to hunt these babies down in dusties and beauty supplies. Lack of easy accessibility is it what makes Psycho Green hard-t0-find. I don’t believe it’s been discontinued but then again, I know very little about this mysterious little brand.

As far as application, Chelsea measures up. This is 2 coats very easily applied. The wear, however, leaves something to be desired. I usually get an abnormal amount of tip wear when I sport this polish.

Behold: NARS Zulu.

Did you hear that? It was the sound of my head exploding with joy.

If you read my blog with any sort of frequency then you know that I have a hardcore undying obsession with this color. I’ve posted about it constantly (see here and here). I went through some serious angst in my fervor to procure this color. Amidst the rumors that NARS was planning a re-release, I had all but given up on ever owning an original. I continued to feel that way until two incredibly generous girls did the unspeakable.

I feel truly blessed that I have met so many incredibly generous girls in my nail polish adventures and that I am fortunate enough to call these girls my friends. First, fellow blogger and confidante, Scrangie, hit the mother-load of L’Oreal Bijous at a Dollar Tree. Knowing that I was Bijou-less due to my awesome-deficient local Dollar Tree, she RAOK’d a ton of gorgeous Bijous from her bounty. I was so excited by the Bijous that I almost missed looking at the contents of the little red satin Sephora bag she sent me. Inside, tucked away behind some delicious all natural tea, was a decanted bottle of Zulu. Yes people, Scrangie, decanted her own bottle to help me kill my lemming.

As if that didn’t make me the luckiest girl on earth already… a few weeks after that, another friend, MUA’s RaspberryBeetle, RAOK’d to me the motherload of rare hard-to-find greens. Her generosity was other-worldly, she sent me the works, seriously. We’re talking OPI Jasper Jade, Real Teal, Creme de Menthe, Iridescent Opal, Tequila Lime Light, just to name a few. As unbelievable as it may sound she also sent bottle of Zulu. The amazing-ness was so overwhelming that I’m still not over it. I feel like I’m going to wake up one day and find that it was all a dream.

Was Zulu everything I ever dreamed it would be? Honestly, yes, and so much more. When I finally had it on, I felt like I had attained some sort of nail polish nirvana. I hope the rumors that NARS is re-releasing Zulu are true because this color is truly fantastic and everyone deserves to own it without having to pay the scalper’s prices.

The petition for the Give Us Zulu Campaign is still going so take a minute to sign it if you haven’t already.

I am so sorry for the lack of updates recently. I’m in the process of getting ready to take the Bar Exam, taking all the necessary steps to start working in May (woo hoo), getting ready to graduate, all while also trying to keep up with my classes. It’s been a huge mess but I’m going to try to be less neglectful, I promise.

In any case, on to the polish talk. Zoya’s newest collection Twist is delicate but edgy Spring installation. Zoya played it a little safe here. Most of these colors are what I consider traditional spring colors but I really love a few polishes from Twist. I had no application issues with any of these colors. All these images are 3 coat of color, 1 coat of base coat and top coat.

Cassi, a pinkish coral with glitzy multi-dimensional irridescent shimmer, is delicate with a twist. Zoya calls it peach, I disagree. This is the type of color I think of when I think of Spring.

Harley is a shimmery light gray. I’m a little bit at a loss as to how to describe the shimmer… it reminds me of concrete, course dark silver shimmer. I love it; Harley is definitely my favorite from this collection. It seems as though nail polish companies are finally jumping on the gray band wagon. Although I wish it had happened a little sooner, I do continue to love these shades.

Malia is a gorgeous lilac creme. This is my second favorite from this collection. Malia is a shade darker than OPI Do You Lilac It? and a few shades lighter than China Glaze Spontaneous (both of which can be seen here.)

Moxie, a vibrant deep raspberry, is another favorite from this collection. It reminded me a lot of the coveted OPI My Throne For a Cranberry Scone, but MTFaCS is actually darker than Moxie. Moxie is an excellent choice for anyone who hasn’t been able to get their hands on MTFaCS. The other potential dupe was China Glaze Designer Satin but it’s, surprisingly, brighter than Moxie.

Barbie is a good name for this color. It’s a Barbie pink with subtle pink shimmer (which didn’t show in my photograph at all). The shimmer is very similar to the shimmer found in China Glaze Pink Underground but the base color of Pink Underground is deeper than Barbie’s base color.

Finally, Jo is a periwinkle blue with silvery blue shimmer. This picture is a little more blue than the actual color which is lighter (I apologize, photographing blues and purples is still extremely difficult even with my new camera and lighting set up.) The base color is similar to China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le but Jo has a depth to it that comes from the shimmer.

To celebrate my new found color choice freedom, I pulled out one of the loudest polishes in my collection, Misa Green with Envy. This is a bright (and I mean BRIGHT) lime green. It’s extremely different, I don’t own anything else quite like it. I didn’t have any application issues (it actually applied really well) but it seriously took like 5 hours to get this manicure done. Every time I finished, I would dent one finger – it happened 6 different times! I used 3 coats of color and 1 coat of Misa BACKbone as the base and 1 coat of Seche Vite as the top coat. If I’m ever feeling particularly adventurous I might try to do a half-moon mani using Green with Envy and OPI Don’t Know… Beets Me.

If you haven’t taken advantage of the exclusive Misa offer I posted about before, tomorrow (Friday the 30th) is the very last day to get a free polish and order polishes at a discount. I recommend calling them (1- 888-733-6472), instead of using email, if you decide to place a last minute order.

I’m a Barielle fan girl, so you can imagine my excitement when I read that Barielle would be launching a line of colors designed by Celebrity manicurist, Elle. And what an awesome new line it is, Elle has whipped up some truly incredible shades. So far, I’ve *loved* what I’ve seen on ALU and Scrangie. And for us girls who need to wear work-appropriate colors, Elle’s spring collection looks extremely promising as well (swatches coming soon).

Date Night is my first venture into the Shades line and I am completely, totally in love. The color is very well pigmented, perfect in two coats. My one criticism is that the polish dries extremely fast, which can be bittersweet. If you take too long to apply you might get a little bit of brush drag but it’s workable.  The color is SPOT ON – seriously, golf clap for Elle. The community has been clamoring for greens for a while, so it’s great that designers are finally starting to listen. This green is particularly beautiful. Dark, but not too dark, shimmery but not ‘cheap’  shimmery, perfect.

Girls have been spotting these polishes in CVS Drug Stores but you can also get them online at barielle.com.

For a few seasons now, China Glaze has released thematic, well balanced collections. Their main seasonal collections have consistently included something for every taste. So, golf clap to China Glaze – their design department knows what’s up.

Like seasonal collections in the past, Romantique consists of two sets, one cool, the other warm. Most of these colors apply perfectly in one coat. One Coat. People have been saying that for a while but I dismissed it thinking that one coat meant one massive-absurdly-thick coat but no, really, opaque bottle color coverage in one normal coat. The theme in this collection is a frosty metallic finish. When I first saw the promotional images I thought these were going to be chrome, they aren’t. Instead the finish is shimmery, nearly foil like. These colors, with their amazing pigmentation and viscosity, are going to be perfect for use with the Konad. All these swatches are 1 coat of color over 1 coat of base coat.

A note on the color accuracy of these images: These colors, due to the finish, are really difficult to capture accurately with my lighting set up. Most of the colors are deeper in real life. Additionally, the finish is not uniformly reflective like it appears to be in some of these photos. These colors have  a lot of frosty sparkle. I really recommend looking at Scrangie’s swatches which were taken in sunlight, in my opinion her images are a better depiction of these colors.

China Glaze Awaken is described as a platinum silver, I think it’s more like a silvery charcoal. This color is grunge-y. To me it has a steampunk feel to it. This swatch is one coat of color, no top coat.

China Glaze Cherish is a metallic-y moss green. I couldn’t capture the color correctly, it’s much more green toned in real life. This swatch is one coat, no top coat.

Adore is a metallic-y turquoise. This one is a standout for me. I’m going to go nuts using this color with Konad over black. 1 coat color, 1 coat base.

Devotion is a metallic-y lavender. This is my second favorite from this set. It may just be me but I feel like this shade of lavender was made to be worn with this finish. 1 coat of color, 1 coat of base.

Harmony is metallic-y purple. My third favorite, I feel like this color flattered my skin tone the most – I consider myself a warm tone even though I’ve never really understood all that jazz about cool tones and warm tones. 1 coat of color, 1 coat of base.

Joy is a metallic-y purple toned mauve. This is 1 coat of color, 1 coat of base.

I’ll report back with my Konading experiments at a future date.

I’m pretty late to the party, other girls have been digging BB Couture for Nails for a while. Poison Ivy, a gorgeous mid-tone creme green, is the color that initially piqued by interest in this brand. I’ve gotten to the point in collecting polish where I pretty much only get interested in new brands if they tote unique colors. Poison Ivy is definitely that. This green is bright, yet muted. It reminds me of the Brazilian flag. I’m impressed with BB’s color array, a lot of unique cremes and glitters.

The formula for this particular color was highly pigmented, but less powdery than Rescue Beauty Lounge. The viscosity was good although a little on the thick side. This manicure was composed of base, 2 coats of colors, and 1 coat of Seche Vite (my Seche is in desperate need of some thinner as you can see by the tiny surface bubbles on my middle finger nail). My only complaint is the length of the brush wand. I like shorter wands because shorter wands make it easier to control the the amount of polish the slides down the brush during application. If the brush is too long, one can end up with too much polish on the brush which causes pooling at the cuticles. It’s not a huge problem, it just takes some adjustment in application style. I’ve picked up a few colors and I can already say that this is the beginning of a love affair. I’m excited to see what else BB Couture for Nails has in store for us.

BB Couture for Nails is also available on www.overallbeauty.com.

Now, I know what you all are thinking, “Why is stopping the countdown!!??” Well… I reached a color that I haven’t photographed yet but also I wanted to share a recent discovery.

Behold:

There is no need to adjust your monitor. This is actually a frosty with NO visible brush strokes. I know, it’s shocking. I didn’t think I would ever find one in my life time and yet here it is in all its non-brush stroke-y glory. The one downside, at least for me, is that this very flattering light muted minty green is less metallic than other frosties. Still though, this color is very unique, very pretty. This mani 1 coat base coat,  3 coats color, 1 coat Seche.

(Adorée is available from Esther’s Nail Center in the U.S. and Pro Nail Store in Europe, specifically Sweden.)

Nubar is quickly becoming my go-to brand for duo/multi-chrome polishes. Nubar Peacock Feathers is a particularly popular multi-chrome among polish addicts, with good reason. It’s a pretty impressive shade. A lot of duo-chromes are duds, very flashy in the bottle but they lack the same intensity and variation of color on the nail. Peacock Feathers is the exact opposite of a dud. I actually got flashes of frosty purple, blue, and green, constantly. It’s purple in most lighting. When it’s not purple, it’s green – the blue comes out mostly in-doors but it is there. Sometimes between the blue and purple flash I got a very pretty greenish, gray ashy shade. My picture doesn’t do this color justice but you can see some of the variation of color reflected in the bottle. The only downside is that I’m currently going through an evil weird “ugh purple” phase that just came out of no where. Purples are the roots of my addiction. I *love* purple but lately I just can’t stand the sight of the color. I hope I get back to my purple loving self soon because it seriously comprises 35% of my collection. As an aside, my bottle of Seche is reaching the dead zone, the stage at which even an ocean thinner cannot revive it – that’s why the gap area looks so weird.

(And since I know girls are going to ask… Nubar is available from www.bynubar.com.)

I think I’m just going to stop raving about Rescue Beauty Lounge because I’m starting to sound like a broken record. These colors are just so disgustingly gorgeous – it’s almost overwhelming. I’m starting to suspect that the nail polish gods have bestowed Ji Baek with the logos. This collection is so perfect, I practically started speaking in tongues when the FedEx guy dropped it off. ¹ So now I’m spreading the gospel to you guys – *cue the trumpets* – behold:

Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal is tough to describe. Is it blue, is it green? It does look green in some lights, blue in others. It’s not really teal… is it? I’m not sure. I just know that it’s drop dead gorgeous. As always great application – almost complete coverage in one coat.

I’m wearing Rescue Beauty Lounge Bruise right now. Like Teal, it’s tough to pin down in one color category. It’s a purple-y muted maroon-ish brown. Those colors don’t even seem like they are part of the same spectrum but Bruise looks like all three at same time. On short nails and in non-conservative offices, I’d say this one is work appropriate. Also, great application.

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War is the controversial color from this collection. People either absolutely LOVE it or absolutely HATE this olive green, there doesn’t seem to be an in between. I’m sure this won’t be shocking to anyone but I’m in the ‘f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g love it’ camp. Plus, the tiny little dirty tree hugging hippie inside me loves the name.

So does this collection have anyone else speaking Glossolalia, or is it just me?

________

The title of this post is somewhat misleading. Adorée doesn’t release collections per se – they tend to respond to consumer and market feedback and release new colors accordingly. These new polishes coincide with Fall but they aren’t necessarily Fall releases. In any case, there are seven new nameless colors. Five of which are glitters, so I’ve grouped them together in this post. The other two are deep luscious browns which I’ll post about in the very near future.  *crosses fingers in hopes that they’ll actually look good on me*

So without further ado, here are the Adorées:

Adoree 242 is a tyrian purple with multi-toned glitter. This swatch is 2 coats plus 1 coat of Seche Vite. Unfortunately, this polish dries bumpy because of the glitter. However, a coat or two of Seche satisfactorily takes care of the bumpiness.

Adore 245 is a tamer version of Orly Goth. 245 is solid black with small silver glitter, no bumpiness issues with this one. The black isn’t jelly but it does apply very thin so I needed 3 coats for opacity.

Adoree 244 is a jelly-ish light blue with multi-toned light iridescent glitter. The finish, which is like a mixture of frost and shimmer, reminded me a lot of Adoree Peony’s finish. This swatch is 3 coats, no bumpiness but there is visible VPL.

Adoree 243 is tough to describe. It’s a very dense pink, silver, and possibly gold glitter suspended in clear polish. This swatch is 3 coats. It did look good with 2 coats though. I just really loved it so I got a little carried away during swatching.

Adoree 246 is a jelly red with multi-sized orange toned glitter (similar to the glitter in Adoree Riding Hood.) Let me assure you that it’s a lot prettier in person than it is in my image. The formula is a little on the thick side but still workable. It also looks good over black which can be seen at the bottom of this post. This swatch is 2 coats.

Adoree Capri Sea is actually not new but I wanted to group it in with all the other glitters. My nails are very badly stained yellow so it’s throwing off the base color of this polish. (I’m too chicken-sh*t to try using bleach and nothing else I’ve tried has worked. Booo.) Capri Sea is duo-chromish (green to blue scale) glitter suspended in green tinted polish. It practically glows on your nail. I couldn’t photograph it properly but the duo-chrome quality of the glitter is really apparent over black, see below. Capri Sea, like 246, is a little on the thick side. This swatch is 2 coats. (Please excuse the typo in image above, the polish is named ‘Capri Sea’ not ‘Seas’.)

I apologize about the sloppiness of the these swatches. I was in a bit of a hurry but wanted to show you guys what these two colors look like over black. I used two coats of Milani Black Magic and 1 coat each of Capri Seas and 246 respectively. Capri Sea blew me away, really amazing.

Adoree is available from Esther’s Nail Center in the U.S. and Pro Nail Store in Europe, specifically Sweden.