Theatrical Brit designer Gareth Pugh, has collaborated with MAC Cosmetics on a limited edition collection. One of the best things about special edition collections is the packaging, and this one is particularly good! The shiny black cases with X’s, especially on the pigment pots looks very strong and dramatic.

The colour palette theme seems to be eggplant, navy, and champagne. I’m quite interested in the iridescent nail lacquers because those might be quite good for layering on top of opaque colours. The lashes are insane and look fabulous in the image. I’m currently shopping for a new makeup bag and this one might just do the trick.

The collection is available in North America November 23  and internationally in December.

The nail colours seen at Gucci, Armani and McQueen for SS11 are a refreshing change from the neons and brights of the season. I love the marble effect seen at McQueen. Deep navy at Armani with a very high shine finish was tres chic. Really you cannot get more timeless than red as seen at Gucci. Not to mention it is almost the end of July, and all three of these shades are the perfect transition to AW11.

1. Butter London The Full Monty 2. Creative Nail Design Inkwell 3. YSL Sublime Red

My nail polish box is over flowing, but I was in desperate need of a new super dark, almost black colour. In London last week I popped into Space NK beauty boutique and picked up  a Rococo nail lacquer. The company is London based and was started by two sisters who are manicurists. Black Sakura is the exact shade I wanted. It’s a really rich, deep, dark egg plant colour. I’ve never used this brand before and I found the shade range to be quite good. The colour I got is a cream texture, but I also saw there were frost, matte, glitter, sheer stain, and even a gold leaf version too. Of course I fell in love with the secondary packaging. As far as nail polish goes this comes with a pretty standard brush that’s easy enough to apply the colour with. I found the formula quite opaque and very shiny. I could have gotten away with only 1 coat, but opted for 2 since my nails chip so easily.

American Apparel has expanded their nail lacquer line up with 12 new shades. We were fans of the original collection — Lisa loved Office and for me it was Palm Springs. The new shades take inspiration from simple and straightforward elements of both Angeleno and global culture. Echo Park, a new shade of concrete grey, and MacArthur Park, a muted mossy yellow, both reference neighborhoods where the company first opened stores and where many of its employees live. Others, like Trenchcoat and Army Jacket, are nods to iconic garments and their evocative, eponymous tones.

“Nail polish is our favorite category for exploring color. We planned on releasing only six new shades, but we felt so strongly about all of these that we decided to release a full dozen. Its difficult to pick a favorite–they all compliment wardrobes in different ways. We can’t wait to see the looks people create with them,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

Like the original collection, the brush makes the polish easy to apply and streak free. They are also DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free

Yves Saint Laurent’s latest collection consists of lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, face highlighter, blush, and nail lacquer. Ginta Lapina looks stunning in the ads once again (we knew she’d blow up). The collection was inspired by YSL’s metallic colorama leather goods collection. The highlighter is actually packaged in a chic rose leather case. The entire collection is available now.

Chanel is on a roll with the launch of yet another nail polish, that’s bound to sell out. Riva made it’s debut at the resort show when all the models wore it on their fingers, and toes earlier this year. It hits stores this month. Even if you aren’t headed to warmer climates this season, I like the idea of wearing a pale ice blue in the middle of winter. Keep a close eye out for the cool shade because it won’t be available long.

In honor of Fashion’s Night Out Chanel launched this trio of Khaki nail lacquers. They are still available at chanel.com. As we are well aware limited Chanel nail colours are always in high demand. Limited anything sends people like us into a bit of a frenzy! The more exclusive it is the more you want it.

Should you not be fortunate enough to get your hands on the Chanel colours, we’ve chosen a few substitutions:

OPI Nomad’s Dream, MAC Brown Bag and Essie Sew Psyched.

American Apparel has ventured into the beauty industry, the newly launched nail polish collection features 18 colors and is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. According to the PR Newswire, each of the 18 colors in the primary offering evokes an important part of American Apparel. One is the color of raw cotton, while another — a minty green color called Office — was matched to the color of an accounting notepad found on the seventh floor of American Apparel’s headquarters. Factory Grey is the actual shade used to paint all floors of the company’s manufacturing operations, while Hassid – dark black – is a nod to American Apparel’s Jewish roots. Even the collection’s custom shade of red, “Downtown LA”, took the area where the factory is located as its inspiration.

“We think this nail polish captures what American Apparel is all about — a Made in the USA, high-quality product in a beautiful range of colors. It’s a venture of families in manufacturing, from the factory in which the polish is made to the Nail Lacquer logo created by Dov’s uncle, the noted graphic designer Israel Charney,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15. It will be sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. I’ve tried and tested the jade colour and I’m a fan, are you?

M.A.C. Cosmetics has collaborated with Jin Soon Choi, a New York based celebrity and editorial manicurist to create 6 new stunning colours for fall. Product has just hit the stores so make sure you get in there before they run out. Top Row: Cool Reserve, Dance All Night and Dry Martini. Bottom row: For Fun, Rich Dark Delicious and Beyond Jealous.

One member of our Smudge team is obsessed with custom mixing her own nail polish shades. Armed with her special mixing plate and brush, she concocts all shades tints and tones imaginable. For those of you who don’t have the time or patient for colour theory 101, we love the range of colours available from Butter London.