This just in: Misa Holiday 2010 Spark My Interest Press Release

September 2010 – Philadelphia, PA. Ladies, put some bling on it!

Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long.


Winter 2010: Spark My Interest

Date Nights to the Twilight: You may never know what to wear on date night, but this ebullient royal purple will lay the foundation for the perfect look, whether you choose a flirty mini or laid-back denim. Wow him with your glittering personality (and nails!), then party from twilight till morning light!

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom: Self-conscious? Never! Slipping into a pair of red stilettos is instantly empowering for any woman, and this ruby-red sparkle polish will stir up the same sense of instant sexiness and look-at-me self-assurance. Match your favorite siren-red Louboutins with this high-octane shade for confidence that won’t quit.

Spark My Heart, That’s a Start: A glimmer of interest is easy to notice—he can just follow the flashing of your fingernails as you take his hand and lead him to the dance floor. This coral-pink hue lets him know that your heart beats strong, but he still needs to work hard to keep you interested. A bold demand, sure, but this shade is for women who know what they want.

Pink Bling On My Ring: You can’t leave home without the right accessories! A girl’s gotta have jewelry, but this shocking hot-pink glitter hue will vigorously compete with the gemstones that decorate her fingers. Like bejeweled ornaments, nails will shine bright and accent any outfit just right.

Wink, Blink, Let’s Get a Drink: Skip the awkward getting-to-know-you phase and get right to the flirting! This glimmering deep fuchsia will let him know you’re interested from across a crowded room—and will have his eyes glued to you all night as you work your charm. It won’t be long before he leans in and asks, “Another round?”

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera: Let’s get candid: Nails will be continually camera-ready with a couple of coats of this sparkling playful plum. Picture-perfect nails are guaranteed as this polish’s glitter catches the light of the paparazzi’s flashes. Evoke the sophistication of Old Hollywood and say “glam” just before the shutter snaps!

Misa Mardi Gras Collection for Spring 2010

I can't believe how behind I am in posting this. This was technically the spring collection and now it's the end of Summer! Sorry guys. Here goes...



Blame It On Fat Tuesday. I had the hardest time photographing this one. It's not quite so teal/blue as it looks, it's really more green. In fact, it looks a lot like another impossible to photograph polish: China Glaze Four Leaf Clover.


Jester Ate The King Cake. This is the collection of the impossible to photograph polishes. Another reason these took me so long to post. This is a light yellow creme with a really strong green tone. Think of OPI Fiercely Fiona or maybe a creme version of Nicole Lemon Lime Twist. Yellow green. Or really, green-yellow.


Party In The Masquerade. Pretty, punchy medium neon pink. I like these types of pinks.


Shake It To The Samba. This is a soft peach-orange color. Very peachy, a little bit like a cross between Essie Tart Deco and Van d'Go. Peachy, orangey, soft, creamy.


Single and Ready To Limbo. Medium bright red creme. Not too light and not vampy.


Throw Me Something Purple Please. I can't tell you how frustrating this was to photograph! It still doesn't look right. It's more purple-ish than this. But really.. it's not purple. It's blue with a purple tinged look... I don't know how to describe it. One of those impossible blue-purple colors like Color Club Puccilicious, looks different depending on the type of lighting... Kinda makes my head hurt just thinking about it. Haha! Very pretty though.

The formula was very thick and very opaque. Two coats on all of these except Jester which is three. Drying time is very long, probably due to the thickness. Some of my brushes had stray hairs, too, so you may need to check your bottles and trim as needed.

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about these! On one hand, I do like the colors, they're pretty and bright and definitely colors I like to wear... but on the other hand, I just didn't feel that usual wave of happiness and excitement when I swatched these. Not a bad collection at all- lots of bright fun colors, but I just didn't feel like it was unique or characteristically "Misa". Misa's fall collection seems much more "Misa" than this one. This is also another all-creme collection... If I'm remembering correctly, the last three collections (year and a half, right?) have all been creme with the What I Like About You fall set finally breaking the streak? I feel like Misa has changed so much since the days of duochrome glory.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Misa What I Like About You Collection Fall 2010

Swatching is always a good excuse for interrupting a wear-time experiment... heh. Oh well. I was bored and these were more interesting than waiting for my polish to chip!

Misa's fall 2010 collection is quite a relief for me. It seems their last three collections (all cremes!) had lost that creative Misa personality that we all love. While these shades aren't super unique, they're at least interesting and remind me of all those old gorgeous Misa shades that made me fall in love with the brand (like Chocolate Icing, Blueberry Glaze, Toxic Seduction, you know the ones!).



It's You! How are you gentlemen! Haha, sorry couldn't resist. But seriously, this polish is actually called "It's You!" I can see this being the nail polish equivalent of "Who's On First?". This shade looked like a smoky green with copper duochrome in the promo picture, but it's not. It's a deep grey base- not quite black- more soft charcoal, with green pearl shimmer and subtle pink duochrome. The first picture shows the green, the second picture shows the pink from a different angle. You may need to click to enlarge. It's like a less-frosty, less-duochrome cousin of Borghese Stellare Notte. Maybe like Jessica Casablanca and Stellare Notte had a baby?

Like It Like That. A bright metallic green with blue duochrome. My pictures make it look more blue toned, but it's much more yellow toned golden green- like bright grass- and blue around the edges in real life. It's sort of a cross between Bloom Bianca and Sally Hansen Lagoon but much more green. It has the depth of Bianca but the smooth metallic finish of Lagoon with the blue/green duochrome effect of both, but a lot more green than blue. Very pretty. You may need to see this in real life to get the full effect.

Perfect Kiss. Standard medium magenta shimmer. Lots of light reflecting shimmer particles give a lot of depth to this color. Other than that, not particularly noteworthy.


Quirky Smile. Very pretty teal shimmer. I'm growing very fond of teal lately. This is a little deeper in real life, but I wanted to get a good picture of the shimmer in direct sunlight so it got washed out a little. Sort of reminds me of peacock feathers.


Spinning Out Of Control. Blue-purple shimmer. This looks more purple in the bottle, but when applied I find that it's more blue than purple. It's like blue with purple shimmer. Blurple... is this considered 'blurple'? Man, what a weird word. I think my picture still makes it look more blue than it really is, but it's totally not as purple-y as I thought it would be. Makes me think of Borghese Plumaggio Purple, that one seems more blue than purple on the nail than in the bottle too.

When You Say My Name. Last but definitely not least. A deep, rich shimmery brown. My favorite kind of brown. Look at it. It's so beautiful. It seems red-based, but neutral. Is that possible? It's not super warm like a lot of browns. Maybe this is even a cool brown. I don't know. I'm not so good at the warm/cool thing but it doesn't seem strongly cool or warm on me. It's just really pretty and really sparkly. Excellent fall color. Love it.


The formula was good on these. A little thin but easy to control without too much of a tendency to pool. Opacity was really good too, all of these are two coats except It's You! which is three and I feel it really needed the third coat. Standard Misa brush- a little on the long side, thin, round. Slightly long dry time.

I really like Misa bottles... there's something about them. They're so square and strong and uniform but still elegant. They line up so nicely in drawers and on racks... They look really special. Random, I know, but I was reminded of that when I was swatching these. Haven't swatched Misa in quite some time. Which reminds me that I still need to post the Mardi Gras summer collection, but I need to finish the pictures. They were really finicky to capture! I'll get to those soon.

Overall, I like this Misa collection. I had been pretty disappointed with the last couple of collections due to the lack of variety and unoriginality of the colors, but this collection has renewed my faith in Misa to make nice colors! I was really hoping they could re-capture the amazingness of the Poisoned Passion collection from fall 2008, which in my eyes was practically a perfect collection. While this isn't quite as perfect (in my eyes, at least!) as Poisoned Passion was, it does come close and this is definitely a nice selection of shades- I love every color but Perfect Kiss. I just wish Misa would bring back all of their amazing duochromes (or maybe do some new ones)! That's what got me started on Misa in the first place and I think they excelled at them.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Preview image of the new Misa collection: What I Like About You

This is more like it! Looks like shimmers to me, maybe even a duochrome? Very excited about this one. Glad to see some variety instead of another set of standard cremes!

EDIT: Forgot to add the text from the press release!

Fall in Love This Fall With Misa Cosmetics’ What I Like About You Collection

July 19, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA. Sometimes it’s easy to know just what you want, but
you’ll immediately know what you need when you lay your eyes on the Misa Cosmetics
What I Like About You Collection, six new shades for fall that plumb the depths of
color intensity. You’ve explored the dark side of romance with the Poisoned Passion
Collection; now fall in love with the ecstasy that love can provide through these dare-
you-to-look-away glimmering hues. Just like a budding affair, these colors will spark
inexplicable emotions and near-obsessive thoughts. Go ahead—indulge your deepest
desires!

Fall 2010: What I Like About You Collection

Quirky Smile: Something about his lilted smile lets you know he’s interested…and
this shimmering Prussian blue is no less attention-grabbing. However, this rich shade
invites you into deeper territory—what’s lurking beneath? In this case, you’ll discover a
polish that evokes stormy skies and churning seas, a perfect metaphor for love’s mixed
emotions.

Like It Like That: You can’t avoid feeling upbeat when a relationship is going just right,
or when gazing at nails that are the perfect shade. Just try to block this candy apple
green out of your mind; when you like it like that, why deny yourself the pleasure?

Spinning Out of Control: Sometimes you just can’t control yourself—and you
wouldn’t have it any other way. Embrace that euphoric feeling with a brooding
cobalt blue-violet that says, “Don’t stop this merry-go-round; I’m enjoying the ride!”

It’s You!: Searching for the perfect mate is like searching for the perfect nail polish
shade: When you find it, you know right away. Like a perfect-match partner, this
multilayered iridescent hue offers the best of both worlds: a smoldering forest green shot
through with copper ribbons that glimmer and twinkle perfectly in candlelight.

Perfect Kiss: Don’t blush! When you recognize a good moment, grab what’s yours: the
perfect kiss. A well-planted smooch can provide material for days of daydreaming, and
this vibrant fuchsia is equally fantasy-inspiring. An eye-catching color like this one will
have any man’s lips quivering uncontrollably.

When U Say My Name: Chances are, your man has plenty to say, but nothing is sweeter
than when he whispers your name while in a sweet embrace. Blissfully sink into the
moment while donning this sultry rust, and don’t be afraid to demand, “Say it again!”

Misa Fall 2009 I'm Only Human Collection

The long-awaited fall collection from Misa is finally here! You may remember the interesting promo picture for this collection from this post... The colors that go along with it are quite unexpected!

Pictures first, opinions second.


Can't Nobody Take Me Down. Brown creme. This has a lot of red in it, almost appearing purple in certain lights. It's not quite a chocolate brown... It's too red/purple to be pure chocolate.

Forgive, Forget, For Me I Will. Dark orange creme. This looks more red in the picture than it does in real life. It's a very deep burnt orange creme. Very appropriate for fall!


I'm Going To Love Myself. Bright purple/pink creme. Looks like everyone's doing brights for fall! Flattering cool bright pink, in the same vein as OPI Ate Berries In The Canaries / OPI I'm India Mood For Love. Love these pinks on my skintone.



Sorry, Just Can't Help It. Medium red-purple creme. This, as always, look more blue in the picture than it does in real life. I'm a sucker for purple cremes... Sorry, just can't help it. Hahaha, okay, bad joke. But really, I just can't help but love this color!


That's My Little Secret. Berry creme. Cool-toned version of Today is My Birthday!

Today Is My Birthday! Berry creme. Red/warm-toned version of That's My Little Secret.

The shades are slightly truer to life in the bottle picture at the top of the page.


The formula on these is very, very thick. I had a little difficulty applying these because they didn't want to smooth out nicely due to the thickness. Nothing that can't be fixed with a little polish thinner, though. Misas in general are on the thick side so that's normal, but these are thicker than previous Misa polishes I've used. Opacity is very good, you could probably get away with one coat on these but I did two to cover up bald spots. Drying time is long, but they do dry to a shiny finish even without topcoat. One of my brushes was defective, so be sure to check for stray hairs before applying- a quick trim with very sharp scissors should do the trick.

Okay, deep breath. I hate to criticize a polish collection from a company whose collections usually make me jump for joy, but here goes....

I'm not completely in love with it! I really wanted to be. I'm a big Misa fan and I've been dying to see what kind of fun, fascinating and unique colors they had in store for us this year, and, truthfully, I feel a little bit let down....

There's nothing wrong with the colors at all. They're great colors, beautiful colors, colors I like. It's just that... they're not unique. We've seen these already in everyone else's fall collections. Misa usually does such unique and awesome colors, I wasn't expecting these to be so common. For one, they're all cremes, which is okay because I love cremes, but I would have loved to see a little more variety. And second: Berry cremes. Two out of six are berry cremes. I know a lot of people love them, but I personally think I might scream if I see one more berry creme. All of this year's collections have had multiple berry cremes and they're all near-duplicates of each other. Again, I would have loved to see more variety.

I love brown, I love orange, I love purple and I love Misa polish... But I'm just not feeling head-over-heels for this collection like I usually do with Misa. Remember last year's fall collection from Misa? It's still one of the best collections EVER, even a year after its release.... I suppose I was hoping for another one of those.

Also.... I feel the need to address this gem:

I'm not easily offended and I can't say this image actually *offends* me, but it does make me giggle like a twelve-year-old.

Here are the points I'd like to make on this. I'll keep it a clean and mature as possible.

First, it's shockingly raunchy and suggestive for a nail polish ad. I don't think the target audience for nail polish advertisements would really appreciate this type of image. Normally I'm giving China Glaze a hard time about their pseudo-pornographic promotional images, but I'm shocked to see this from Misa! Does this image really appeal to women? Does it really make women want to buy nail polish? I'm not a marketing expert by any means but this really surprises me. "Hey, does that woman have balls in her mouth?" "Yeah, let's go buy nail polish!!"

I understand that this image is supposed to portray Eve's sin (and that's something to celebrate??) and I'm just glad it didn't include the serpent as well.

Second, the theme of this collection is supposed to be a female-empowerment "You go girl!" type of theme. However, the model in the advertisement seems to be simulating a sexual act that is pretty much the opposite of female empowerment. Pardon my language, but there is nothing 'empowering' about being tea-bagged. This image seems to be very contrary to the 'feminist' embrace-your-flaws theme that was intended.

I really hope I'm not being too harsh! I know that I'm entitled to my own opinion, and hey, this is my blog so it's all about my opinion... I have to be honest, and I know you all come to read my honest opinion on things... But Misa never usually lets me down! Hopefully my criticism comes across as constructive, because that's how it's intended.

So... what do YOU all think? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Preview: Misa Fall/Winter 2009 Only Human Collection

Fabulous, Flawed, Feminine, “I’m Only Human”

July 2009 – Philadelphia, PA. Knock me down, I’ll pick myself up. Ask me about my alluring, bedroom eyes, I’ll coyly wink but won’t give away my secret. Spoil me, today is my birthday—I deserve it! I am fabulous, flawed but most of all, intoxicatingly feminine—forgive me for I’m Only Human.

Introducing “I’m Only Human,” the new sexy and vibrant nail collection for Fall/Winter by Misa Cosmetics. This collection celebrates the power and ambition of women who recognize and embrace their own humanity. It offers a rich palette of colors that signify key elements of being human.

Fall/Winter 2009: I’m Only Human Collection
Can’t Nobody Take Me Down: For centuries women have been praised for their mighty resolve in the face of adversity. Today’s modern woman can exude this same level of confidence and power by wearing this inspiring, brick brown colored hue designed to spice up any look year round.

Forgive, Forget, For Me I Will: Versatility, honesty and authenticity, describe the meaning behind this vibrant red-orange shade. Women possess the ability to relate to others in an honest, real way. This color celebrates the humanity and femininity of women.

That’s My Little Secret: A crush no one knows about, the black dress that accentuates just the right curves, a beauty product that seemingly produces magic results. Women love the thought of keeping those little treasures to themselves—however that last little secret? Apply this salacious cherry shade to accent your favorite little dress and your secret just might escape you!

Sorry, Just Can’t Help It: Okay, we admit it. There are certain things in life we just can’t help. Our chocolate addiction, our love of gossip, our fascination with window shopping. This rich violet purple color signifies those things which women love to apologize for.

Today is my Birthday!: Presents, party time and pizzazz! We may not like turning another year older but we love the attention…even when we say we don’t. Today is my Birthday. Cue the gorgeous pink hue and the celebration!

I’m Going to Love Myself: Brilliantly magenta, this color creates a luster that puts the world on notice, that as women we may devote much of our time to work, family and friends, but above all we are committed to loving ourselves for the fabulous, flawed, and ferociously feminine beings that we are—for after all, We Are Only Human.

Release date is August 1st!