Rescue Beauty Lounge- Recherché

Recherché was my second pick from Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconic/Ironic spring 2011 collection. It's not that I didn't admire Insouciant and Iconoclast, which I admit are the more unique of the four, but my approach to nail polish buying is to only invest in colors I know I'll wear again and again. Hence my love for Decorous and Recherché.

The latter is a wonderful dark chocolate plum. It's dark brown and purple, not very spring-like, but since Rescue Beauty is NYC-based they know exactly what they're doing. We had snow this morning, giant wet flakes. Recherché is just perfect for this weather. The color is very dark and shows its various undertones depending on the light. The full plummy effect is only visible in strong natural daylight. Most of the time it just looks like a very deep and rich brown.

Recherché is a cream formula and as opaque as it gets. I'm on my second round of this color, and what you see in the photo is just one coat (over a Deborah Lippmann base and no top coat). When I wore it earlier in the week I opted for two layers because it's smoother and takes away any application mishaps, but when redoing my nails earlier today I went with only one for the sake of quick drying. Seriously- Rescue Beauty has the fastest drying cream formula I've come across.

Recherché is not as long lasting and chip-resistant as Decorous, and as a matter of fact I experienced some peeling the very next day after my first use, but it's still a great addition to my nail polish collection. While I have various purples and browns I don't own any color that's even close to this one.

Recherché ($18) is part of Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconic/Ironic collection for spring 2011. Available for a limited time at rescuebeauty.com.

All photos are mine.

Rescue Beauty Lounge- Decorous

Decorous is one of the four nail polish colors in Rescue Beauty Lounge's spring 2011 Iconic/Ironic collection. I pre-ordered two of them so many weeks ago that when they finally arrived it was almost like an unexpected surprised. And a very nice one. Decorous is one of my most favorite nail colors of the season because it's very unique while maintaining an understated elegance that doesn't compete with the bold hues and patterns of spring and summer. I can wear Decorous with a bunch of chunky bracelets and bangles or a statement ring without crossing the line into circus territory.

Decorous is a chai latte color with cool toned micro shimmer that doesn't manifest as particles or frost. Instead it's an undertone- something we've seen in several other Rescue Beauty Lounge colors (like Ani). It catches and reflects the light beautifully- I tried to capture it in the swatches and failed miserably, but I hope you can see that this is not a flat beige.

The formula of this Rescue Beauty polish is excellent. Two coats give you full opacity, the color dries in minutes and is extremely hardy. What you see in the photos is after three and a half days of wearing without a top coat. The polish didn't crack or peel even after a week and only showed the expected tip wear, so that's very impressive even for Rescue Beauty.

Bottom Line: Excellent.

Decorous ($18) is a limited edition color for spring 2011 (the Iconic/Ironic collection). It's available right now at rescuebeauty.com.

All photos are mine. Cat in the background is Betty.

Rescue Beauty Lounge- Om Nail Polish

Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish is one of my safest bets for great colors and excellent performance. I'm actually waiting for a couple of their newest shades to arrive at my door as we speak, but I thought it's as good a time as any to talk about something that didn't work for me.

There's nothing wrong with Om- it's pretty, subtle and a good choice for transition into warmer weather. The finish is creamy and very appropriate for just about every place and circumstances. I think I picked Om because it reminds me of some of my mom's favorite colors of yore- there's something nostalgic and relaxing about it. But in reality the color is warmer and peachier than it appears on the Rescue Beauty Lounge website (I hoped for something rosier), and apparently there's a reason I don't wear coral and peach nail polish. They clash horribly with my skin tone, emphasizing the green undertones and simply looking unattractive. I'm guessing Om would be very flattering for redheads and probably on most of you who are much paler than me. I tried everything - one coat (too streaky), two and three (made my hands look like a green mango). It was just not meant to be.

Bottom Line: no nirvana.

Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish ($18) is available from rescuebeauty.com.

All photos are mine.

Rescue Beauty Lounge- Ani Nail Polish

Ani was part of my nude and neutral nail polish rampage. While I'm almost over that phase at the moment (and have some amazing colors to show for it- just give me a couple of days to take photos), this pretty shimmery beige from Rescue Beauty Lounge remains a staple for those "don't know what to wear but definitely not red" days.

Ani is quite sheer and requires  at least 3 coats to make any kind of impression- more than many Rescue Beauty Lounge colors (I usually prefer stop at 2). Thankfully, it dries quickly so the hassle isn't too much for me to handle. The shimmer is grownup and elegant and the whole effect is very subtle and goes with everything from an LBD to a vintage DVF print. As you can see in the comparison swatch to Plie, it really is quite yellowish and has no pink undertones whatsoever, though the level of warmth changes with the light.

Ani and the rest of the Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish colors ($18 each) are available from rescuebeauty.com.

Photos by me.

Rescue Beauty Lounge- Plié Nail Polish

Plié  from Rescue Beauty Lounge is less pink than ballet slippers and more flesh-toned. It's a warm pinky beige, maybe half a shade too warm than I would have preferred. Many, especially those with lighter skin tone than me, would probably find Plié  the perfect nude for a mannequin hand manicure. I like it as a complete neutral, something to wear for a perfectly polished look to pair with a fabulous cocktail ring or a statement bracelet.

Application is easy, two coats give me full coverage and are very smooth (one is too streaky and thin).  However, Plié  was the first Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish to ever give show quality issues. I'm very good about using high-quality base and top coats and wait for each layer to fully dry. Still, Plié  continuously chips and comes apart on the very first day of wearing it. The second time it happens I decided to keep track of exactly what I was doing with my hands, to make sure I wasn't being too hard on my polish. And I wasn't, so this is a real disappointment- usually I get very reliable results from my  Rescue Beauty Lounge favorites.

Bottom Line: Unless my bottle was an accidental lemon, a reformulation of Plié  is probably in order.

Plie and the rest if the Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish line ($18) can be found at rescuebeauty.com.

All photos by me.