En Couleur @ Cal

Scrangie by Rescue Beauty Lounge

To me, Scrangie is more than a magic bottle of purple-blue duochrome perfection—it is also a story. It is a story of yearning and loss, of redemption and extraordinary kindness. For months I had longed for a RBL polish, but I could never justify taking the plunge. Throughout that time, Scrangie dominated my wish list. I loved everything about it: the interplay of the red-toned purple base and the cerulean shimmer, the backstory (how it was created by the famous blogger of the same name), and the fact that it was inspired by iridescent beetles’ wings.

Scrangie is incredibly hard to find, since it’s been sold out for a while. Though RBL is bringing it back, the new batch will take 5-6 months to produce. So how did this beauty end up in my well-manicured hands? The answer is my friend and fellow polish connoisseur JS, who takes the art of gift-giving to a whole new level.

As for the polish itself, in person it was just as beautiful as I had imagined. This is two coats, and I probably could have used three. The brush is a bit small, but it applies flawlessly.  Scrangie definitely ranks among my favorite polishes ever; I just pray that my bottle never runs out.

Purple Gala by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

The intense sparkle of Purple Gala, even in the shade, speaks for itself. This purple-gold glitter reflected so much light that it was hard for my camera to capture it accurately. Before I saw it in person, I’d heard of it described as a dupe for Hard Candy’s Mr. Wrong, one of my favorite colors, and I knew I would love it then. It’s hard to say which gets the edge. I’d probably give it to Purple Gala simply because at under $3, it retails for less than the $5 Hard Candy line. Whichever you decide to go with, both are beautiful and deserving of a spot in any nail polish collection.

Malia by Zoya

I’ve worn Malia several times but held off on reviewing it because I felt my photos hadn’t really captured the color properly.  The pictures here show how different it looks in direct and natural lighting.  It’s a wonderful purple creme, not pastel and darker than a traditional lavender.  Malia is similar to Pokerface by NARS, but too dark to be called a dupe.  Like other Zoyas, this formula applies very nicely, though I’ve noticed Zoya cremes can sometimes apply a bit thick.  It’s not enough to be bothersome though.  

Harlow by Zoya

Another lovely lady from Zoya’s matte velvet line, Harlow is a truly decadent warm toned purple with some pink duochrome. It’s the royal brocade of nail polishes. One of the things that stands out for me about the matte velvet colors are how lush they are, and Harlow proves no different. Like other mattes, it comes alive with a top coat, but I prefer it without. It stands out by itself and is definitely a special occasion color. I can imagine wearing this to a holiday party or on a date night. And true to Zoya form, Harlow was a breeze to apply and dried quickly, even without a top coat. 

Purple Pulse by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

Happy New Year everyone! The first lacquer I chose to swatch in 2011 is this shade of aubergine. The color itself is pretty, if a little commonplace. I’ve tried exactly one Complete Salon Manicure before, and it was also ho-hum. I dislike the thick formula (note the presence of several bubbles) and wide brush, which is supposed to facilitate full coverage of the nail but also makes it easier for individual bristles to get bent the wrong way. Also, this formula is designed to negate top and base coat, but you’d be foolish to eschew a base coat with a color this dark, because it will stain. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for an eggplant-purple frost that applies quickly, you could certainly do worse.