Rescue Beauty Lounge in Aqua Lily

Direct sunlight

This week I've been wearing Rescue Beauty Lounge in Aqua Lily. Aqua Lily was released with the Spring 2012 "Fan" collection, inspired by Kay-Di Kat's mom and the Maldives waters: "the turquoise water is a crystal-clear sea green" and reflects "a shimmery-pink hue from the shedding scales of the colorful, vivid, and exotic tropical fish."

Aqua Lily is a green-leaning turquoise creme with violet-pink shimmer. The shimmer is visible in most lights, but it's not really wham! bam! pow! in-your-face even in sunlight. It would definitely be more flattering on me if I had a bit more of a tan, but it's a beautiful color nevertheless. I tried quite a few combinations to achieve a similar color but didn't manage to get something satisfyingly similar. The closest base colors in my collection are China Glaze in Custom Kicks and L.A. Girl Flare in Nirvana (TURQUOISE), but neither were perfect; from what I've read, China Glaze in Aquadelic comes closest. I tried the following toppers to achieve the right shimmer: Chanel in #91 Électra, CND in #564 Amethyst Sparkle, OPI in Mamma Mia, OPI in Movin' Out, OPI in Rent, and OPI in Thoroughly Modern Millie. OPI in Movin' Out had the right color shimmer but the base is too pigmented. Chanel in #91 Électra was the closest in overall appearance, but the shimmer is too pink. I suspect Essie in Kisses and Bisses is pretty close to Électra for comparison purposes. I would guess that CND in Violet Shimmer or Crimson Shimmer might give the right color shimmer. But the shimmer in Aqua Lily comes from within the polish, not the top, so to get the true effect you would have to franken, not just layer (I tried a few combos adding OPI in Don't Touch My Tutu! over to try to achieve this effect, but they weren't perfect.). The link I included above does have a dupe formula, but is vague about how to find the right pigment.

The formula on Aqua Lily was a bit thick, causing some balding. I used 3 thin coats. The third coat came after I thinned the bottle, which made application perfect. I did experience moderate staining despite using my normal CND Stickey underneath, so I would recommend you double up on base coat.

Worn July 18 - 23, 2013.

Indirect natural light

Direct sunlight

Indirect natural light

Aqua Lily was such a quick seller that it was almost immediately re-released for the Winter 2012 "Bring It Back 4" collection, so you can find plenty of swatches, but here are my favorites: Scrangie, Kellie Gonzo, Vampy Varnish, Nails and Noms, The Polish Addict, Nailin' It!, Polish Police, and Fashion Polish.

Did you manage to pick up Aqua Lily? Do you think it's worth the hype?

I've got some exciting stuff coming up, so stay tuned!