March Madness! Greens All Month - Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Chartreuse Chase

Chartreuse Chase

As far as nail polish goes, I am a firm believer that pricier doesn't always mean better.  One of my favorite polishes that I loved to draw as a shining example of this was Sally Hansen Insta-Dry.  Pigmented, creamy, smooth application.  Sally had it all right with these.......... well most of these.

I picked up Chartreuse Chase and Blue-Away, which are two new limited edition shades available at Target.  Usually Insta-Dry are nearly one coat wonders.  Chartreuse Chase was lime green mess.  It took almost four coats to get opaque coverage.  My bottle was extremely watery and thin.  Also with those extra coats came added dry time.  This manicure never seemed to dry and got dinged pretty badly.  I took it off in a matter of hours out of frustration.

I'm disappointed for two reasons: 1 - Because I really wanted this to be great.  The color is so perfect for spring.  2 - It's a smudge on the otherwise amazing track record of the Insta-Dry line.   Shame on your Chartreuse.  Shame.


 I will swatch Blue-Away soon.
 This was 3-4 coats.
Too bad this didn't work out.  Isn't this a gorgeous shade?

Is there a way to fix a bad polish?  If anyone knows let me know.

March Madness! Greens All Month - Chanel Khaki Vert

 Khaki Vert.

Among all the hunters, limes, kellys, neons, pine, army, etc, it's hard to stand out sometimes as a green.  Chanel Khaki Vert is one of the greens that sets itself a part from others in the rest of my collection.  It's sophisticated yet edgy.  Calm but tough.  This creamy, beigey green is fun for all seasons.  Maybe that's why I wear khaki green clothes all year round?

Les Khakis were released this past summer for Fall 2010, but I have yet to see a really good dupe for this shade.  Has anyone see one?  Leave a comment below if you have.


 Les Khakis.  


Chanel Khaki Vert Le Vernis Nail Colour is currently discontinued, as it was a limited edition color.

What's your most sophisticated shade of green?

March Madness! Greens All Month - MAC Peppermint Patti - From The Archives!

 MAC Peppermint Patti Nail Lacquer

Happy St. Patty's y'all.  Since we are celebrating, I thought I would resurrect a really old polish from my archives for you.  This is MAC's Peppermint Patti which came out with the Sugarsweet collection.  Now this sold out in a heart beat, and it has been making appearances on EvilBay since for lots of green (the money kind).  Since this product was so high in demand, I had actually been saving it and only using it for special occasions.  However, I honestly cannot remember when was the last time the I wore it. 

When I was applying it for this post, I was a little surprised.  This minty green creme polish sucks.  Really bad.  It's so thin and watery.  It was difficult to get a non-streaky application.  What you see on my nails is four coats!  What was I saving this for?  I have no idea.  *rolling eyes*

However, I did wear this to mall today and received several compliments, so maybe there is something to this shade, if you can deal with the formula. 

 Peppermint Patti.
You're not as good as I remember, but you are still a pretty nice green.

Happy St. Patty's everyone!  Do you have any products you revisited and wondered why you loved them in the first place?

Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in Emerald Star - Greens for March Madness - Swatches and Photos

Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in Emerald Star

Tom Pecheux has done everything right for Estée Lauder.  I love it when brands  incorporate artists not only for name recognition but for brand direction and collaboration.  Estée Lauder has always been a trusted brand, but since adding Tom Pecheux as Creative Makeup Director, I definitely find that there is a stronger artistic presence in the products.

Pure Color EyeShadows were one of the first new launches of products that came out under the direction of Mr. Pecheux last summer.  The first thing I had noticed when I swatched them was an improved quality and texture.  These are really silky and smooth, not to mention actually pigmented! I also liked the departure from the blue plastic packaging.  The luxe gold cover on the case gave it a rich feeling.  Overall, a big improvement.

Here is one of my favorite green eyeshadows in my collection.  This is Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in Emerald Star.  Emerald Star is a shimmering deep forest green that works so beautifully wet as an eyeliner, dry as setting shade for your eyeliner or on your crease.  This color creates a sultry, sexy green smoky eye for when you want something other than black.

At $20 for 2.1g, 0.07oz is borderline for what I would like to pay for a single eyeshadow, but this one is pretty special to me.  And I have not regretted my purchase.

Emerald Star.
Swatched on finger.
 Swatched.

Estée Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in Emerald Star is $20 for 2.1g, 0.07oz and available nationwide at Estée Lauder counters or at esteelauder.com.

What are your favorite green eyeshadows?  Have you tried these eyeshadows from Estée Lauder?

Happy St. Patrick's Day From Beautyburg! What Are Your St. Patty's Traditions?

 Marlowe is wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Safe St. Patrick's Day!

Top o' the morning to you beauty lovers!  We are celebrating St. Patrick's Day at Beautyburg today with everything GREEN!

Since we have so many beauties from around the world and in the US, I wanted to know how you and your family and friends celebrated St. Patrick's Day? 

I used to live in a town called Hoboken, NJ which has its very own version of St. Patrick's Day.  Hoboken is right across the water from NYC, and many people who live there work in the city since Hoboken in conveniently situated between the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and has a few forms of public transportation directly into New York.   Well, with its proximity to NYC, it makes finding bagpipe players difficult for Hoboken's St. Patrick's Day parade.  So what do they do?  They have it two weeks earlier! 

The first year I had lived there, no one informed me of this tradition.  I had stumbled upon it while taking a stroll on the main drag.  The town, which already boasts the most bars per square mile (which is exactly how big it is) in the US and was rated #1 singles town by Money Magazine, actually turns kinda ugly during Hoboken St. Patrick's Day.  It basically turns into a town wide frat party with queues for bars forming at 6am!  By noon, the streets are filled with intoxication, and by 3pm, many people are going home with $1,000 tickets for open container violations.  However, among this chaos is a really fun parade and usually it was a day we spent with friends and their children watching the parade.

 One of many cars from the parade.
 Parade onlookers.
Marlowe watching the Hoboken parade.
 Where's my pot of gold?  Now we're trying to figure out what to do in CA!
This year I made cupcakes for a work party and Marlowe's human friends at daycare.

Does your country celebrate St. Patrick's Day?  What do you do on St. Patty's?  Do you have any favorite foods from this holiday?

March Madness - Greens All Month! - Golden Rose #104 Pale Green Holographic Color Nail Lacquer

Golden Rose Holographic Color in 104.

Here is a green and a brand that I don't see that much on blogs and deserves some love.  Golden Rose makes some seriously pretty nail polishes.  They make tons of holographic nail shades.  Best part is that most of the nail polishes are under $3 and they ship free in the USA for orders over $20.  Not bad, eh?

Golden Rose Holographic Color in 104 Pale Green.
 Golden Rose Holographic Color in 104 in Pale Green

Golden Rose Holographic Color Nail Lacquer is $2.19 for 6ml and available at www.goldenroseusa.com.

Have you heard of Golden Rose before?  What are your favorite holographic greens? 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Part 2 - Four Leaf Clover Painted Face Tutorial!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  EOTD + Clover!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!   To compliment my St. Patty's Day EOTD, here is a tutorial on face-painting clovers or really any shape.  A really fun, easy way to stencil cute shapes for you or kids on your face.

Tools for your stencil.  Put scotch tape, overlapping the panels, onto a piece of wax paper.  This will make it easy to peel off.
Draw your desired shape on the tape.  I drew a series of clovers, but you could really draw anything.  You can make them bigger for your cheeks. 
 Cut out your shapes. 
 Here are the products I used.  See the step by step for details.
 Peel the tape off the wax paper. 
 Apply the stencil to the face (cheek, eye, lip, whatever). 
Once the stencil is on, make sure it's adhered to skin without any gaps or lifts.  Paint on your base color.  I am using MAC Fluidline Ivy, a bright kelly green with no shimmer.  Fill in the shapes.  Don't worry about staying within the lines.  The stencil helps protect the rest of your face and eye makeup.
 After you've filled in the base color, tap on your pigments and glitter.  Have fun with this part!  Try mixing different shades.  I used Sugarpill ChromaLust Loose Eyeshadow in Tipsy and MAC Antique Green.  Then I dusted Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder on top.  The stencil helps prevent fallout.
 Peel away and viola!  A pretty painted shape.  You could do this freehand without the stencil, but the stencil helps with fallout and keeps the edges clean.  Also you can really have fun shading your shape.  Look at the color variation on the four leaf clover! 
 Now you're ready for a St. Patty's Celebration!
What are you doing for St. Patrick's Day?
Try this technique with kids!  They will love the face painting and using "grown-up" makeup.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Part 1 - Irish Green Eye Look EOTD

St. Patrick's Day EOTD!
Happy St. Patty's everyone!  Whether you plan on drowning in green beer or are just staying in (like me), here's a fun and light green eye look to help celebrate. 

This look is actually Part 1 of 2.  The second part I will be doing a little face painting for those feeling extra festive.  Whether it's for yourself or for kids, it's just something fun to add to festivities.
1. Prime your eye.  I'm using MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.
 2. Use a lighter green on the lid.  I'm using Fyrinnae's Prince Charming.
 3. Then I put a slight deeper green at the crease.  I'm using Sugarpill ChromaLust Loose Eyeshadow in Tipsy.
 4. Then I highlighted the browbone.  I'm using MAC Vapor.
 6. I sealed the gel liner with MAC Pigment in Antique Green and applied a little to the bottom lashline.  Curled eyelashes and added mascara.  Fill in brows.
 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What do you guys do today?  Corned beef?  Avoid all bars?  Parade?



March Madness! Greens All Month - Nfh Oh Greens 569 + 056 - Swatches & Photos

A heavenly green combination from Nfu Oh!

More gorgeous greens this month.  What a great excuse to celebrate a fab shade for nails, eyes, etc.  This is probably one of the most entrancing combinations of green that I own. 

Pictured above is Nfu Oh 569 layered with Nfu Oh 056.  Nfu Oh 569 is a dark green jelly.  The shade is actually a dupe for Nars Zulu, and I think it's actually better quality.  No tugs or pulls in this formula.  Two coats to dark but still slightly sheer jelly deliciousness.

Nfu Oh 569 in it's gorgeous greenness.
Love these sexy Nfu Oh corset bottles.

Nfu Oh 056 is a dark green flakie glitter that reflects blue and bright green.  It's sheer on its own, but it can be built up for wear by itself.  However, I think it works best with 1 or 2 coats on a base color.  And I *die* for this combination.

Click to enlarge!  Looks emerald here.
Almost jade green here.
Here you can see the blue.

I love wearing this combination together, but they are not exclusive to each other.  569 looks fabulous on its own, and 056 looks great topped on other polishes.  If you love flakies, check out Nfu Oh.  

Nfu Oh is a Korean brand which is available in the US at fabulousstreet.com for $12.50 for 17ml.

March Madness! Greens All Month - BB Couture Green Skittles - Taste The Rainbow

Yummy greens from BB Couture!
More March madness.  Greens, greens, greens!  Kim at Overall Beauty is also celebrating March madness.  From now until March 17th, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, green nail polishes from BB Couture are on sale from $9.95 to $7.95!

So here are some skittles from my collection for my green girls (or guys).  There are more colors on sale, so go to overallbeauty.com and check them out.  I love BB Couture nail polishes.  Their formula is fantastic, and they have some of the coolest and most unique shades I've seen.  The only thing I love more, is when BB Couture is on sale.
Left to right: Kamikaze, Grasshopper, Man Bug, Frosty Meadow

Kamikaze, Grasshopper, Man Bug, Frosty Meadow
Left to right: Green Goblin, Poison Ivy, Saturday Night Fever, Bonnie.
Left to right: Green Goblin, Poison Ivy, Saturday Night Fever, Bonnie.
Vampy Varnish (you need this entire collection), Eve, Ceremony, Grenade.
Left to right: Vampy Varnish, Eve, Ceremony, Grenade.

BB Couture nail polish is available at overallbeauty.com.

Do you own any BB Coutures?  What are your favorite shades?

March Madness! Greens All Month - Green Flakie Franken

My green franken!

Hi everyone!  Just a quick post for y'all today.  This month I'm going to highlight some of my favorite greens from my collection.  Hunter to grass, mint to pine, emerald to peridot... it's all happening.

I couldn't decide what green to kick off this series with, so I made a franken.  The base is NYX Blue Ave. with some Orly Wandering Vine and Orly It's Not Rocket Science.  It was rather sheer so I layered it on top of a base of American Apparel Hunter.  All really good greens!  More to come this month!

Glad to be green?

What are some of your favorite greens?  Do you wear green nail polish to work? 

Peace, Love, Nails - Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War - Swatches, Photos and Review - New Twitter Name!

No More War

Happy Monday everyone!  Just a quick note that you can now find us @Beautyburg on Twitter vs "beenofone."  If you were following me as beenofone, you will continue to follow as Beautyburg.  I just wanted to add continuity to the blog and Twitter.  If you don't follow us yet, follow me on Twitter!  It's the fastest way to all the good Marlowe photos! :)

I wanted to start off week with on a positive note.  As we are all anticipating the finalists from Ji's Rescue Beauty Lounge Fan Collection contest, read about here if you don't know about (sorry it's already closed!), let's take a look at one of my favorite RBL polishes.  No More War is an olive camo green creme with exceptional coverage and wear.  As much as a perfectionist as Ji is, there are differenciations between applications among the colors.  No More War is utter creamy, smooth perfection when applied.  Two coats and you are done.  This shade of green is probably one of my favorite to wear among my wardrobe, but it would take a nail genius like Ji to think about creating it as a lacquer.  On my NC35, I find it flattering and unique.  To me, it's edgy but sophisticated, not hippie dippie.  And the durability in wear is tough as... well, nails?  I can get days without significant tippage. 

No More War - $18 at Rescue Beauty Lounge

To Review:
Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War Nail Polish - $18 for 0.40oz, available at www.rescuebeauty.com
Pro: Unique shade.  Long wear.  Excellent application.
Con: Available only through Rescue Beauty's spa or website and at a few limited e-tailers, but they do ship internationally. 
Overall Beautyburg Rating: A

China Glaze Anchors Away Collection - Part 1 - Swatches and Photos

 Starboard

Sail away, sail away, sail away!  I am ready to set sail for spring with China Glaze Anchors Away Collection.  This 12 piece collection hosts cruise inspired colors.  So let's get ready to get our resort on.

If you want to see the other six colors from the collection, see our Part 2 here.

 Starboard
A mid-toned grass green creme.  This was actually one of my favorites from the collection.  Worlds apart from Four Leaf Clover from Up and Away collection. This is a Happy St. Patty's green.
 Firstmate
 Firstmate
A middle of the line classic navy blue.  Perfect for the seas!  A straight creme.
 Sea Spray
 Sea Spray
A soft periwinkle blue with very subtle shimmer.  This says spring to me, though in a whisper.
 Pelican Grey
 Pelican Grey
A creamy soft foggy grey with extremely subtle shimmer.  This isn't as blue as Sea Spray.
 White Cap
 White Cap
A sheer white with yellow gold mini-micro glitter (or really large shimmer, you decide).  This is 3 coats.  I would like to try this over 1 coat of pure white and see how that comes out.
 Lighthouse
Lighthouse
A sheer bright yellow, illuminated with strong gold shimmer.  The above is 3 coats.  This was a surprise favorite of the collection for me.  I never know how yellow is going to play out, but I am loving this.

China Glaze is available at Ulta, Sally Beauty and salons nationwide. 

UPDATED: Part 2 is up.  Click here.