RBL Grunge, Take Two

I wear polishes over and over again, and I'd taken a picture of this one early on in my blogging history.  I figured it was about time to try to do this one justice--it's top five for me, for certain, and my work appropriate color of choice due to application, wear, and the way it just looks so dang good on my hands.

This is two easy coats.

I took this on a gray morning, but in the sun it has a flash of secret golden shimmer. Yes, it's awesome. :)

RBL, Orbis Non Sufficit

Um, I love this color.  For many reasons:
1)  The Polish Addict was the first np blog that I read and really, really enjoyed.
2)  I studied Latin (am still, actually) as my language requirement in college and enjoyed it.  This was the color I wore for my last Latin final. It reminds me very cohesively of good and horrible times there.
3) Uh, it's green.

There is something very special about this murky green color, however.  It goes with nearly everything, in an understated and chic sort of way. At the same time, it's green, so it has a tendency to still attract attention. It's RBL and therefore the formula and application process is perfect, almost a hedonistic pleasure.  I applied ONS in one coat. It lasts for quite a while. It's lovely.

And, lastly, because I can't help myself:

Heehee. :)

Hello!

Happy Earth Day! :D

(notd is RBL Recycle, my second favorite polish of ALL TIME. also, sorry about the... really weird color that's happening with my camera lately. I'm trying to fix it!)

RBL Recycle, II

Oooh. Hello, lover.

Recycle, direct sunlight.

Recycle, shade.

Recycle, indoors.

Um, yeah. Missha is chiptastic--three days, and bam. Need new polish.

As you can imagine this depresses me in a myriad of ways. :) Thus, RBL repeat. (Yeah, I wear them a lot, but I promise that I won't do this all the time I repeat a polish).

This is two coats--I don't know about incredibly amazing manicurists, but the first coat is always kind of streaky and the second coat is always smooth and amazing for me. Recycle is the most painless out of the RBLs I know, but I can't say anything about its wear--for one, it's a dark color and would show chips far more than, say, Grunge.

That said--it's an amazing color. As you can see, it never looks black--dark, yes, but never black. I also like how (Ji Baek says this is jewel-like, and I agree) that it seems to vary in shade depending on the light: it flashes true green in the sunlight, is almost black in shade, and is an interesting, cool green somewhere in between. Lots of depth for a creme.

Here's what it looks like from further off:
Again--it remains green.

Okay, enough logical eloquent speaking. What I really want to do is this:
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG AS;LDFKJWE;OIRUASDF;LKJWAEO;IRUA;SLFDKJW;OEIRUAS;DLFKJA;WOERIU SO PURTY HUR HUR.

... Okay? Okay. :) I SWEAR I'll post something new next time! Pinky swear.

RBL, Grunge

GODS I miss this color.

This is Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, taken and swatched last summer while I was still studying Latin in my apartment. Rescue Beauty Lounge is typically classified as a mushroomy, band-aid-but-better (BABB) color, and one of those super-chic neutrals that have become the IN-THING this Fall.

On me, it looks a little pink--it's not an exact match for my skin tone, obviously, but that's why I like it.

This is two coats--so yes, the polish is very opaque--and has a slight golden shimmer that one does not notice in the bottle although it becomes evident (but difficult to see) on the nail. (In the sun.) I quite like it; it makes the polish really interesting. Oh, and of course, Grunge wears like iron.

Okay. I love this polish. I really do. Out of all the RBLs I bought this summer (and I am in love with ALL OF THEM), Grunge is definitely the favorite. I can wear it anywhere. It looks good with everything. My hands look neat and clean and professional and chic simultaneously. It is synonymous with elegance and sophistication, despite the name. And--even better--despite the elegance, there is something incredibly moody about the color. It's a bit more sullen than your average pink or neutral, and that, I suppose, is where the mushroominess comes in.

I keep perceiving that Grunge looks as though it has a dark base (although it DOESN'T)--like a pink painted over a black. Blow up the pictures and see if you see it, too--and that's yet another reason why I love this color.

I didn't bring it back home with me during the summer, and I kind of sort of deeply wish I did. Sigh. Grunge, I miss you. They should never ever discontinue this color--I can imagine wearing this for the rest of my life without gathering weird looks.

RBL, Bikini Bottom

My Notes on July:
It is such an effing beautiful color, isn't it? it's a wonderful way for me to be introduced to the world of blue nail polish, and there's something so strangely wearable about that delicate, shifty, blue-grey color. RBL is supposed to last for -ages-, so I think I'll keep this on until I just -can't- anymore.

Things I noticed: it bubbled a bit, but I'm not surprised since I didn't have hte patience to wait after I shook it. Also, Bikini Bottom takes a long time to dry--what's above is a base, four/five coats, and a topcoat.

Things I love: the color. The flawless, smooth-as-glass, easy application. For the first time I didn't mind putting on all those layers because--gasp--it was FUN. The bottle is beautiful. I also shouldn't type until I know for certain that the nails are dry. But seriously? I need five million of these. Stat. So I can wear this color until the end of my life. I can't stop staring at my hands. Heehee.

Notes Now:

I'm probably not going to buy this again. For one, I'm already half done with the bottle, because it takes four to five coats in order to get that opaque. Too fussy.

For another, yeah. It bubbles. A lot. There are tiny little bubbles on every single nail and since there's so many coats, the bubbles are -layered-. When I remove the polish they start showing themselves in their wonderful, gaping glory. Yuck.

On the plus side it really does wear even more like iron than the rest of the RBLs, but I assume the five to six coats has something to do with it.

So yes. Final verdict: beautiful color, but in no way worth the price. Great summer pedicure color, though.

RBL, Recycle

From here on out, I'm going to be using old swatches I've recorded before (fussy), so bear with me, folks:

This is Recycle. Everybody and their mom has heard about her, and about how awesome, green, wonderful, pigmented, and long-lasting she is.

They're all right.

This is pretty much exactly what surprised me about this shade--that a polish could even live up to the hype that it set is sort of, well, unheard of. Then again, this little beauty is eighteen freaking dollars. Plus shipping.

Then again, I'm seriously in love with everything that is Rescue Beauty Lounge and would gladly pay for quality over quantity. (Teal, Plie, Killa Red, Bruised, I am looking at you.)

Ahem. Anyway.

Basically I'm going to sit here and verify everything everybody else has already verified--the polish is a two-coater, one if you're careful (I'm not); wears for at least a week with a lot of nail abuse; remains green indoors; is surprisingly good with everything in the closet (mine, anyway); practically applies itself; etc. etc. etc.
Would I buy this again despite the ridiculous pricing? Yes. And a backup, too.