Right up my alley, or maybe I should say beach path. I love the beach, the sand, the glorious shades of water and the wild life on top and below. Today I get to share with you a perfect pair of polishes from Deborah Lippmann, Life’s a Beach. And that packaging! Can you just?! Call me cray, but I’m keeping these cuties inside the package when I’m not painting with them. Brilliant DL!
Brave the waves with The Tide Is High, an aquatic blue crème and Break 4 Love, a bubblegum pink crème. I lean more toward Break 4 Love as a coral creme. $17/set. 2 bottles at 8mL each
I found both polishes apply great, on the thick side due to their high pigmentation. Both cremes are glossy as heck. For this mani I chose to do a “coral in the water” look. 😉
Break 4 Love is a soft coral pink creme (2-coater) very pigmented and glossy. The Tide is High is an aquatic blue creme. I was immediately inspired to beach up my look with some coral art over this sea-worthy blue. What a perfectly sundrenched pair!
I also received for review three nail treatments. I love that Hard Rock is ready to rock as a base and top coat. And it’s nail strengthening. Something we all need when spending so much time in the sun and water.
• Hard Rock base and top coat nail strengthening nail treatment. A rock solid choice to strengthen and protect, this protein-rich treatment encourages healthy nail growth. It’s especially beneficial for weak nails or post gel and artificial nail removal. Apply a thin layer over bare nails, or use as a base or top coat. For best results of nail strengthening, apply a thin layer the next day and every day until you change your nail polish. .5 Fl. Oz. 15 mL • Addicted to Speed top coat super quick-drying. You’re out the door—in a flash. This high-shine top coat dries fast so you can go about your business without a smear, smudge or scratch. Apply a thin layer over nail color. .5 Fl. Oz. 15 mL • Turn Back Time anti-aging base coat. Just like skin, our nails age. This innovative treatment puts the process in reverse. Light diffusing micronized diamond core powder reduces the appearance of yellowing and staining to restore a youthful luster. Use as a base coat before color, or wear alone for a brilliant bare finish. .5 Fl. Oz. 15 mL All three are $20ea.
Addicted to Speed Quick Drying Top Coat is amazing! I mean rock hard in two minutes.
Turn Back Time, a super base coat and I’ll report back later if I see anti-aging results. I’m sure it is with all those healthy ingredients!
Conclusion: All products are amazing as expected. Love the Life’s a Beach shades and Addicted to Speed is FAST!
7 Free Formula. Contains no toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor or DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate). No animal testing.
First, I’d like to tell you all Merry Christmas and happy holidays! It’s been a busy time for us here at the Duncan household. We just moved in to our new house a week before Thanksgiving, had holiday company, then poor little ole me, been sick ever since. Good news is, I’m getting better and I managed somehow to decorate for Christmas. My strength is returning just in time!
Allow me to show you the Deborah Lippmann Undressed Collection LE (available now). I did a full review in October of the Undressed Collection and I can’t emphasize enough that these six perfect little bottles of naked nail nirvana are LE (Limited Edition). You’ll definitely want to get your hands on this cute gift pack for your polish loving friend, and get one for yourself while you are at it! SRP only $34 (a $72 value) Available online at http://www.deborahlippmann.com, and at Barney’s New York, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sephora stores nationwide while supplies last. BONUSif you act now, purchase the Undressed Set at Deborahlippmann.com and receive a FREE ($12 value) Smooth Operator 4-way nail buffer. Shape, smooth, buff, shine—this multi-tasking buffer lays the groundwork for a perfect manicure and is also a tool for a quick fix for high-shine on the go without nail color. The extra gentle, micro fiber material is easy on the nails. Use the numbered sides of Smooth Operator as follows: 1. Gently shape nail tip. 2. Gently buff ridges on top of nail. 3. Smooth nail surface before applying base coat. 4. Buff to high-shine when you don’t want to wear nail polish. Do not buff to high-shine if you intend to paint your nails.
I love the festive and elegant packaing. This Undressed gift set includes: Flesh For Fantasy, Totally Nude, Born This Way, Bare It All, Natural Woman and Skin Deep. The Deborah Lippmann Undressed collection: from left: Flesh For Fantasy, Totally Nude, Born This Way, Bare It All, Natural Woman and Skin Deep.
I’d also like to share this fabulous trio that is, “Dependable. Gentle. Trustworthy.”! It’s the Deborah Lippmann Treat Me Right gift set (LE). Also available in same places as stated above, this SRP is $24 (a $36 value). More on that following the Undressed collection. So let’s revisit this adorable naked creme ensemble. Create the perfect canvas with this limited-edition set. These three must-have, best-selling treatments in fashion sizes give any at-home manicure a salon-professional look. Fashion sizes are 8 ml ea.
Here is a recap of swatches! Flesh For Fantasy is described as alabaster nude. Naturally, it’s gorgeous on any skin tone but I am loving it for my neutral pale skin tone! Totally Nude is described as fair pink nude. Just a blush of pink. Born This Way is described as peach nude. Soft and smooth as a baby’s behind! Bare It All is described as mauve nude. It’s really quite “mauvelous”! Natural Woman is described as almond nude. It’s toasted to perfection! Skin Deep is described as sable nude. A statement shade for we who are palefaces, and simply perfect for gorgeous darker skinned beauties.
The set is described as: “The perfect nude nail is at your fingertips…in six all new elegant shades. Our set of 6 full coverage fashion shades flatter any skin tone, creating a graceful, polished (no pun intended) look. From work to weekend, looking natural has never been so glam.” DL also states, “…Contrary to the nudes of the past, there is no one-shade fits all proposition; Deborah expertly developed each color to flatter any skin tone for a graceful, polished look.”
The Treat Me Right gift set includes 3 fashion size bottles for your nail treatments. They include from left: All About That Base CC Base Coat, Cuticle Oil and Addicted to Speed Super Quick-Drying Top Coat.
I can tell you, All About That Base (is 7-free) not only acts as a corrector and concealer (great for yellowed nails), it provides an amazing base to keep your painted nails looking their tip-top best longer. The Cuticle Oil is a necessity for all well-groomed fingertips and the Addicted to Speed Super Quick-Drying Top Coat provides a high shine option while protecting your mani from smears, smudges and scratches. Everything you need at home for a salon-pro look.
I still hold the same Conclusion! I love the shades and finish of this set. I found a slight difference in the formulas. Although all are fully pigmented and each shade took 2 coats, I found the darker 3 polishes formulas to be better than the paler 3. I don’t think it’s my imagination as I’ve swatched many collections and sometimes because of the shade, it’s just going to HAVE to be different in application due to pigments. The first three shades, Flesh For Fantasy, Totally Nude and Born This Way were thicker and took a bit more finesse to apply without streaks on first coat, let fully dry then apply second. Second coats self levels and dried fully opaque and glossy. The last three (darker shades), Bare It All, Natural Woman and Skin Deep, were thinner (not thin) and struck a perfect balance of opacity and smooth application. Glossy on finish and great to apply. I had no trouble with the brushes in these petites, as they are full size brushes. Favorite shades were Bare It All and Skin Deep.
Lacquered Lori 