Moody Elegance Prevails With The 3.1 Phillip Lim For NARS Cosmetics Nail Lacquer Collection
Fashion designer Phillip Lim describes the clothing within his 3.1 Phillip Lim line, envisioned to provide style connoisseurs with wearable and edgy pieces at entry-level price points for designer goods, as “everyday classics with accented with a sense of madness.” Just browsing through the 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2014 collection, you’ll find that his description is remarkably accurate. A baggy overcoat with a central zipper is fashioned to resemble an oversize bomber in terms of its silhouette but features futuristic, rocker-ready, intergalactic motifs via colorful sequins and beads that recall a Ziggy Stardust-worthy universe. Crisp light blue pants utilize a dressy tuxedo fabric and a tailored fit, but incorporate a front drape detail that feels unexpected and delightfully quirky. A camel-colored, wool-and-neoprene, sleeveless vest features a straight vertical line that extends from the neckline to about 3/4 down the length of the piece, then turns sharply in the opposite direction thanks to a horizontally cut and another vertical cut, the perpendicular nature of these lines both creating an unusual lapel and mimicking the sharp turns of a subway route map. All the piece are infinitely wearable and incorporate an element of surprise that’s nothing short of refreshing.
As yet another reminder of the inextricable relationship between fashion and beauty, Phillip Lim collaborated with NARS Cosmetics to create a limited-edition range of nail lacquers in rich jewel tones and neutral hues meant to convey a moody, if perhaps slightly sinister and decadent, elegance. The nail polish shades in the 3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS nail lacquer collection were inspired by existing NARS eye shadows, as well as by Porsche paint colors. And, of course, many iterations of these hues also appear in Lim’s latest collection, so that you can coordinate your nails and your outfit (yes, the practice is back in vogue).
The collection consists of 9 nail lacquers, each retailing for $20 at NARScosmetics.com and Sephora.com; these shades are: Insidious, a blackened bronze hue that feels tarnished and a bit wicked; Wrong Turn, a graphite shade that looks like a slick blue-toned gunmetal after a top coat is applied; Hell Bent, a scandalous orange-tinged red with a creamy finish; Dark Room, a deep teal blue reminiscent of a blue tourmaline gem; Gold Viper, a platinum gold shade that has the luminosity of 14k yellow gold but feels almost molten and has the precious quality of Egyptian gold gems; Shutter, a sophisticated, deep hunter green with a creamy finish; Other Side, a deep chocolate shade reminiscent of a Hershey’s bar; Anarchy, a nude, creamy, alabaster calcite shade; and Crossroads,a mysterious, eggplant purple with violet undertones.
Below, check out the entire array of nail lacquer shades before we get to the real fun: swatches!
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Dark Room Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Anarchy Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Crossroads Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Hell Bent Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Gold Viper Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Insidious Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Other Side Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Wrong Turn Nail Lacquer
3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Shutter Nail Lacquer
I love the smoldering, vamp-y quality of these shades and the unexpected undertones that give each shade that element of surprise we’d expect from a tastemaker like Phillip Lim
I had the chance to try two of the nail lacquers: Gold Viper and Wrong Turn. Below, check out photos of my nails painted in these hues.
GOLD VIPER
Few shades convey opulence as effectively as gold, but what makes this nail lacquer so fantastic is its unique coloration which, in fact, is reminiscent of a Porsche paint color — in fact, it’s almost identical to the Lime Gold Metallic Paint chosen for the exterior of 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo. Though it’s a 14k yellow gold shade, it does indeed have subtle lime undertones as well as platinum tones that give the lacquer a stunning sheen and make the polish look like molten metal atop fingertips. This is the kind of shade you can wear by itself or use to create a gilded manicure or color-blocked design.
WRONG TURN
The Wrong Turn nail lacquer is described as a graphite shade and, when applied to nails, it does initially resemble a gunmetal-y charcoal shade with a matte finish. Once a clear top coat is added, however, the nail polish transforms into the slickest blackened steel shade but with mesmerizing midnight blue undertones that give the color an eeriness that’s fashion-forward, young, and edgy. It’s actually quite close to the Dark Blue Metallic shade introduced for the Porsche Cayman in 2014. Every time I wear this hue, I feel a but naughty, en enigmatic force shrouded in intrigue, a bit like a temptress with a dark side — and what gal doesn’t like a bit of mischief and mystery?
Next on my to-get list are the Dark Room and Shutter nail polishes.
Have you tried any of these out yet? Which are you dying to wear?
