China Glaze Platinum Silver and Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle

Yes, again. Because here's why: Not too long ago, Chanel nail polishes and I broke up. See, for the longest time, Vamp was my most beloved, my most favoritest of all time polish. I started wearing it in 1995, when I was a young lass who still got acrylic nails. It was expensive nail polish, but so worth it to me. Because that beautiful blackish purple was just right up my alley. I loved it, and I bought many a bottle. This was back in my nascent nail obsessed days, so I didn't know about base coats or top coats or not to smother my own sad little nails with noxious chemicals. I've always wanted pretty hands and nails. My grandmother's hands were feminine, and never without polish (almost always red). My mom's nails are long, strong and lovely. My own hands? I could palm a basketball, and until I started painting my nails daily, never once had all ten nails long at the same time.

I'm not sure when Chanel changed their formula, but it was after I'd moved to Dallas. Because I stopped buying Vamp. I still got my nails done, but I'd always choose an OPI or occasionally, an Essie.

And then, in 2006, Chanel released a polish that seemed to finally make it okay to adore and proudly rock very dark nails: Black Satin. I had to drive over to Fort Worth to get mine because it was all sold out everywhere in Dallas. And then, after getting not one, but two bottles of Black Satin, it occurred to me why I'd left Vamp by the wayside. Chanel's formula sucks. The polish chips, oftentimes right away. I use strong, shiny topcoats, and still the Chanel always chips. And I figure, if you're going to charge me $18 per bottle, then your polish ought to have a decent formula.

It was on Beauty Addict, I think, where I first read about Rescue Beauty Lounge. It was a picture of Recycle, and I thought "holy cow, that's gorgeous! I don't mind spending good money for good products, so I thought "I'll buy a bottle of that, and if I love it, I will wear it all the time." So, the Recycle came. And the formula is amazing, it's fairly opaque in the first coat, and completely by the second coat. They are also big three free. Very soon after getting Recycle, I ordered Concrete Jungle, which is a matte soft grey. I absolutely adore my RBL.

The point of all this is that Chanel and Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes are the same price. I would not hesitate to recommend buying an RBL polish. In fact, I have. Repeatedly. I currently have only five of them: Recycle, Concrete Jungle, Starfish Patrick, Bruise and Teal. But I use them often, and love them deeply. And Recycle remains my favorite all time polish.

That was a lot of jabber to justify today's Dallas Mavs mani, with green & silver toes to match.