Purple Friday: Rescue Beauty Lounge Pause

For today's Purple Friday post I am reaching back a few years and pulling out a Rescue Beauty Lounge polish that has been lanquishing in my untrieds because I have waaay too much polish. No real reason for this particular polish except I had pulled it out recently as a potential manicure option for an out of town friend. And since it was still sitting around in (relatively) close reach, I figured-- why not use it? This week the Huskies take on Portland State, an FCS school from Oregon, and while this should be another "easy" win for the Huskies, last year Portland State shocked a lot of people and beat our cross state rival, WSU, in their opening weekend. So anything could happen! Theoretically we should be able to score enough points early that it's not really a contest, but we'll see, as the Huskies had a slow start last week against Idaho (though ultimately prevailed without a whole lot of trouble). Hopefully we can do a little better this week! 

Rescue Beauty Lounge Pause is a gorgeous medium dark purple with pink shimmer. The formula was good, though the first coat was a touch streaky. Pause built up nicely but I did use three coats to make sure I had the coverage I wanted. Two coats probably would have been fine if my nails had been shorter, but the thinner RBL formula + the small brush + wide nail beds means I needed three coats. But I didn't have any issues with it! 

Again, not thrilled with my photos (whyyyy is it soooo hard to photograph purples?!) but I just need to keep working at it! The color actually looks pretty good, at last on my screen. Pause is certainly a very pretty color; I don't know if I'm totally in love with it. I'm not really sure why, because I have been looking forward to using this color, and while it's lovely it's not resonating with me this week. Hopefully the game is a bit more exciting! 

Go Dawgs! Beat the Vikings!

















I feel like my photos greyed this out just a titch (or at least looked like it on my camera screen...)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Many Splendors

Today, let's tackle Texture Tuesday-- from an unexpected source no less. This is one of the last polishes from Rescue Beauty, as part of the Fan Collection 3.0. Today I have Many Splendors, which is a polish inspired by "...a night-sky black polish that, like Uluru, responds to its environment revealing fiery flashes of red orange from within." The result of this inspiration is a the polish I have to share with you now! Many Splendors has base of black glitter that is shot through with gold, orange, and red glitters. In some light the base looks more brown than black, so it's a little bit a chameleon in that sense. 

Many Splendors was a little sheer in the first coat, but built up nicely in the next coat. Unfortunately, I can't remember how many coats I used-- I think it was probably three in the end, but two might have been sufficient. I didn't have any issues applying it, and as mentioned, it does try to a textured finished. If you want to make it glossy, it will probably require several coats to smooth everything out.


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I  wish I had put some top coat on this so I could show you what it looks like all shiny, because it looks very beautiful like that. As a texture, this wore well-- I actually wore this for 4-5 days with only minor tip wear. Awesome! This polish is no longer available, but I feel it really accurately captures the inspiration and is a pretty unique texture! I like it!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Pardonne Moi

I think everyone knows by now that Rescue Beauty Lounge is going out of busy-- which I find not terribly surprising given their business model, price point, and the plethora of other indie and boutique polish makers out there-- today I have another polish from their Je t'aime Je t'aime collection. Today I have Pardonne Moi, which is described as a "satin finish of an exceptional indigo blue overcast with iris purple." This polish is a metallic blue with a slight purple duochrome on the edges-- it's more apparent in the bottle than one the nail, but you can see flashes. This isn't really a satin finish in my opinion, a shimmery metallic but I can't really remember

The formula on this was a little on the thin side, so I needed three coats to get the coverage I wanted. I would suggest being careful, as it can leave streaks due to the metallic nature. Also being a metallic, it dries fairly quickly.

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I know my photos do show a few streaks, but it's not terrible in real life, even for a metallic. You can currently purchase this for $8 (down from $20!) on the Rescue Beauty site.

Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout

Switching gears, today I have a pretty unique (and just plain pretty) polish to share with you: Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout from the Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection. C'est Tout is described as a "rivalry between gunmetal and green, for sometimes it appears to be dark gray with blue undertones and in another moment, you will see green with micro shimmers of pink, blue, and gold." This is definitely a spot on description-- to me, I tend see more of the green with the multicolor shimmer, but I also see the grey and blue as well.

The formula on this was ok-- decently pigmented, but a little on the thin side, so I think I ended up having to use three coats here. The RBL brush is on the thin side so I always find that even with the more pigmented polishes, I tend to need more polish because of my large nail beds. As a metallic, this does dry on the faster side, but not fast that it's unworkable. Also due to the metallic, this is prone to have brushstrokes if you aren't careful, but they aren't super noticeable in real life.

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Despite the slight brushstrokes you can get when applying this polish, I think the color is very chic and modern-- a nice twist on a non-beige neutral. I think the shimmer really brings it to life and make it more than just a metallic grey. This one is pretty unique to my collection.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Ah, Oui

Today I have another polish from the Rescue Beauty Lounge Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection, which is based on owner Ji's time in Paris. Today I have Ah, Oui! (translation: ah, yes) which is described as being the epitomy of Parisian chic and as "not blue, not purple, and not gray; just picture a perfect, cloudless Parisian powdery periwinkle sky. This polish is a glasslike periwinkle crème jelly." When I first saw swatches of this collection, this was the polish I was drawn to first. My all-time favorite nail polish is creme, so when there's a pretty, bold periwinkle like this-- I had to have it. Periwinkle seems like it might be a demure color, but Ah, Oui! definitely packs a punch.

Because Ah, Oui! is a creme-jelly (or crelly), the formula is on the thinner side. The description on the RBL site calls it transparent in one coat, but it was more pigmented than that, at least with how I applied it. Because I have wider nail beds and the Rescue Beauty brush is pretty narrow, but I usually load the brush with polish to make sure I can actually cover my whole nail. I did need three coats to get the coverage you see in my photos. Because of the thinner formula, you do have to be careful of streaks and use a light hand when applying it. Ah, Oui! dried to a fairly glossy finish but I did add a shiny, quick-dry top coat.

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This is a gorgeous polish, but is it necessarily worth the $20 price point? Well, probably not, but it depends on what you're comfortable with, of course. Ah, Oui! is a stunning color, but not necessarily unique-- though I I don't have time to try and find any dupes, so sorry about that. The formula is ok, but as it's a creme-jelly hybrid, it's to be expected that the formula is a bit on the thinner side. Given that

Rescue Beauty Bonne Journee

Today I have a polish from Rescue Beauty's latest collection, Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection. I love France (have only been there once but would go back in a heartbeat!) so I was excited when this collection came out. The first polish I have from this collection is Bonne Journee, which means "good journey" in French. Bonne Journee is described as a "happy rose pink with blue undertones and a hint of copper." The description also says it has a "shimmery satin finish." What this translates to is metallic.

As a metallic, this type of polish is prone to brushstrokes, but the brushstrokes don't bother me as much as the formula did-- it seemed very thin to me, and was not helped by the narrow brushes these bottles feature. It was very sheer in the first coat (although I think this is pretty common with metallics) and I ended up having to use four to get the coverage I wanted, which was disappointing, because I think the color is gorgeous. 

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I actually don't hate this-- usually brushstrokes are not my cup of tea, but this polish is extremely pretty. I just wish that the polish had been more pigmented because the color is gorgeous. It reminds me of this gorgeous photo a friend took in southern France-- bonne journee indeed!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Moulin Rouge/Cerise Noir

Tonight I have another Rescue Beauty Lounge polish to share with you-- Moulin Rouge. Actually, that's the old name for this polish; it was renamed Cerise Noir when it was re-released. To avoid confusion, I will just call this Cerise Noir. My bottle is the old version, but both are described as "black cherries wrapped in dark chocolate. Decadant, luscious, and just a bit dangerous."

Cerise Noir is a deep vampy red with hints of brown, but despite the darkness of this polish, you can't mistake it for black. This was an easy polish to apply-- 2 coats was all I needed. This went on incredibly smoothly and dries to a glossy finish without a top coat.

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This is a lovely vampy red brown. I think it's rich, sexy and sophisticated.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Killa Red

I'm a terrible blogger. I started work part time at the end of January and since then I've just been plain too busy and way too tired to even think about blogging or painting my nails. Well, that's not quite true. I think about it quite a lot-- it's actually doing anything that is the real sticking point right now. One step at a time, I suppose. Sorry I have been absent for pretty much the entire month of February!

In any case, tonight I have Rescue Beauty Lounge Killa Red to share with you! Killa Red is described as a "cool, blue-toned red worn by those dangerous blondes in Hitchcock films (as they reach for their guns hidden in slim Kelly-green alligator clutches)." This is a gorgeous red that has a crelly formula-- though it might actually be more jelly than creme, in all honesty. The formula had a slight syrupy quality to it. This was a breeze to apply-- riffing on the femme fatale theme, it went on as smoothly as a silk stocking. Unfortunately I didn't write down how many coats I used-- definitely two to three. 

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Gorgeous, classic red! Hard to go wrong here. This is a red that feels slightly dangerous-- I'm picturing stiletto nails, slinky metallic gowns... and suddenly I have the hankering for a martini.

What's your favorite red polish?

Birthday manicure!

This past week I turned the big 3-0!! I'm no longer a 20-something! In a brief moment of reflection, given that turning 30 is supposed to be a big deal, I have to say-- I'm not that bothered by moving from my 20's to my 30's. I have a lot of great things to look forward in this next year and really, age is just a number, right?

I definitely have too much polish and was stumped to come up with something special for my birthday. Because the weather has been so nice, there was a color combination calling my name-- coral and gold. I'm ready for summer! I decided on the following polishes: Rescue Beauty Lounge Smile and Cult Nails Walk of Shame. Smile is described as a "dazzling red light, a neutral red, and full of sunny, shimmery goodness," while Walk of Shame is described as a "clear base with medium sized, blingtastic gold glitter sprinkled with holographic microglitter." I used two coats of Smile and then layered a coat of Walk of Shame on my ring finger.

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Smile is gorgeous and just seem appropriate-- I'm happy and content with life right now. And Walk of Shame is also gorgeous and was easy to  apply-- luckily, I'm too old to be doing any real walks of shame and will just wear it on my nails instead! I really liked this combination. A manicure that's slightly grown up but also has a fun side. And failing all else, at least I started 30 being perfectly polished-- on my nails, anyway!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle

Tonight I'm going to kick-off of a series of manicures featuring the main color of St. Patrick's Day-- green! I have a classic green for you tonight, Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle. This was actually one of my first RBL polishes ever! And it took me forever to wear it, too. Which is a shame, because it's really a gorgeous color. Recycle is described as a "deep blackish emerald green" and that's pretty spot-on. While the color is very deep, it's not necessarily dark, despite what the description says. You can always tell that Recycle is green, even in lower light.

The formula on Recycle was perfection. It goes on smoothly and easily, no problems at all. Even better, it dries to a ridiculously shiny finish! Below I have used two coats and no top coat. And yes, that's how shiny it is.

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Recycle is available for $20 at Rescue Beauty Lounge-- it's a limited edition color and was recently "brought back" by popular demand. While the price is a little on the steep side for a creme polish, the formula and color are perfection and I would go so far to call this the perfect green creme.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever

Tonight's yellow polish is Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever. Because I'm a scientist with an interest in virology, my brain goes immediately to the disease, but really, Yellow Fever is a perfect name for this polish. It's yellow!! Really yellow. RBL describes Yellow Fever like this: "Closet packed with navy, gray and black? Then pick this saturated lemon yellow to brighten those blah uniform colors. It also kicks up summer whites and safari neutrals in khaki and olive drab." Yellow Fever definitely fits the bill if you need a splash of color to compliment your outfit. I would call this almost egg yolk yellow, but in any case it is a bright yellow with some gorgeous silver shimmer.

Yellow Fever seems to follow the general rule of most yellows: streaky!! Quite honestly, Yellow Fever was actually pretty easy to work with, despite the streakiness. It dried quickly, and I didn't have any problems with the formula otherwise. I have used three coats here and I think the coverage is pretty good and mostly even. The shimmer is pretty subtle on the nail but definitely appears in direct light.

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Shimmer!!

Gorgeous!

Despite the streakiness, I love this bright yellow. I can see myself pulling this out to wear in the dead of winter when I need a splash of sunshine on my nails under the dreary grey Seattle skies.