Rescue Beauty Lounge | The Fan Collection 3.0

There’s a good reason why Ji Baek of Rescue Beauty Lounge has such a loyal fan base: she understands what makes lacquer lovers tick, and has welcomed the world to becoming an integral part of the creative process behind several of her nail polish collections. After the resounding success of the two previous iterations, Ji once again put out the call for fans to submit a vision of their dream polish shade, and after receiving thousands of entries (which were then narrowed agonizingly down – I mean seriously, how can a person choose from so many original ideas?), the list was finalized to the seven hues shown here.

Therefore and without further ado, presenting The Fan Collection 3.0 – enjoy!

Rescue Beauty Lounge | The Fan Collection 3.0

“It is reflected in a fleeting sunrise, the lining of a seashell, the bubbles of pink champagne in a gold-rimmed flute, the shimmering silk of a sari, the elegant glow of a candle through a gossamer white curtain. Ethereal is elegant and infinitely wearable, but has the merest hint of flash. It’s a versatile polish that can be word by anyone, for any occasion” – Nancy’s Fantasy

This colour truly reflects the inside of as seashell – shiny, with a mellow white mica and flashes of pink that swim through its slightly golden-grey shimmer – you can practically hear the waves by looking at the bottle.

Ethereal | An opalescent white shade that displays some sheerness with the first coat, albeit still giving good coverage – and which applies non-patchy and self levelling. This pearly shade gives way to a visible pink flash and while not super glossy, the finish is quite shiny just the same. Note that longer nails may still see some translucency after 2 coats, but I personally love that look.

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Ethereal swatch

“This dream color would be an icy pastel blue/green with magical iridescent sparkles. It would be light and bright, never described as muted or dusty. More blue than Aqua Lily, and much lighter than Faraway, it is closer to the colour of Bikini Bottom, but striking and opaque. I imagine the sparkle effect to be along the lines of Scrangie and NailsandNoms. Tiny, yet highly effective” – Ashley’s #want

Electro Glacier was the most challenging of the collection, requiring many variations (there were tons of non-stop mixing going on – making this the most demanding fan color thus far) and boy, am I glad we stuck with it! Creating an icy blue that would stay light, but still be a true blue, took some magic. This blue iridescent sparkly delight is jammed-packed with shine.

Electro Glacier | An icy baby blue with ultra fine and tightly condensed shimmer. The formula leans slightly thick but is still easily spread along the nail with a quicker dry time than most of the others here, so make sure to load up your brush and work fast. Opaque enough by the first coat, you’ll need a second for complete coverage. Note: be prepared for some glitter spread upon removal.

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Electro Glacier swatch

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Electro Glacier swatch (detail)

“…a night-sky black polish that, like Uluru, responds to its environment revealing fiery flashes of red orange from within. ‘Many Splendors’ can be thought of as a darker sister to my beloved bottle of Pie Mosso, however, like the island that inspired her, she will be truly one of a kind.” – Angela’s Envisage

I am super technically challenged, but not one to give up. we focused on creating a lava-like color since black pigment by itself is very dense. I replaced the black matte glitter with gold and orange sparkles. This color dries to a matte. I’m really into this look, but one swipe of our super-shiny top coat will transform Many Splendors into live, hot, molten danger.

Many Splendors | A sheer charcoal base that’s brimming with gold and fiery amber ultra fine glitter, in a formula that appears somewhat thin at the first coat, but achieves good coverage by the second. This shade comes to a velvety matte finish (very hard to capture in photos; much more cohesive and smoother than appears in the first swatch photo) with the shimmer keeping it from coming off as too flat or 1-dimensional (soft grit to the touch). Adding top coat does all kinds of crazy magic to Many Splendors and makes it come alive.

Coats applied: 3 thin (top coat only in second swatch photo)

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Many Splendors swatch

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Many Splendors swatch with top coat

“This is a beautiful place in Istanbul where the Bosphorus makes an inlet. The idea is to have an off-white base (nothing too strong) with gold particles in it, similar to Naked Without Polish (which had a pink base). I love Naked Without Polish and I believe this can be a unique addition to your line. The particles should show through, so probably the base will not be 100% opaque. I love white & gold, I think it can be worn all year round, it is classy and chic” – Sara’s Marvel…

This is a sophisticated, soft white mica base with a flash of lavender and golden flecks. It applies like a dream and yep – all year around and for every occasion.

Golden Horn | An opalescent ivory hue with irregularly shaped gold flecks that appear to be suspended beneath the surface layer – in a formula that falls semi-sheer at first, but reaches a decent opacity by the second. There’s a subtle lilac flash flash seen at some angles that add a nice depth of tone, and the finish is relatively smooth to the touch. Bonus: no glitter migration upon removal.

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Golden Horn swatch

“The color I crave is a juicy jelly à la Starfish Patrick with a bright burgundy base. It is luminous, like Poco a Poco, illuminated by the soft, peached pink glow and subtle flashes of orange. The colour is vibrant, bold, and spirited. At once bright and sparkling, mysterious and dark” – Lygie’s Craving

It isn’t technically possible for a jelly to hold shimmers and flashes, so we’ve altered the base to a smooth, gliding, non-streaky mica base, which we punched with sparkles. If Peachypolish.com is raspberry, this is its brighter, sparkly cranberry cousin.

Sanguine | A luscious claret that’s loaded with shimmer of the glass-flecked variety; this gives the illusion of banked embers and that lit-from-within glow that’s just so mesmerizing (and which I totally love). Highly pigmented, this shade can almost be a 1-coat-wonder if you load up your brush enough, but I prefer the look with 2 coats. Self-levelling and super glossy at the finish, there’s no staining upon removal – bonus!

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Sanguine swatch

“I’m dreaming of a shade that (as of yet?) has been missing from the RBL spectrum. It’s rich and decadent and just dripping with luxury. A vivid magenta! A semi-translucent jelly, but one that is so drenched in color that it can become fully opaque in just a few coats. Its depth is filled with shimmer like (the first) Scrangie. so deep you feel as though you could dive right in and swim around for hours. A magenta that almost glows from within with stunning teal and gold, sparkling, shining through its layers…” – Shelly’s Dream…

There are so many shimmers in here that it’s almost ridiculously obscene – in a good way of course. This flawless formula waxes poetic on magenta while it perfectly embeds and traps the decadent, luxurious glimmers…

Vixen by Sassy Shelly | An intense magenta with similar glass-flecked shimmer to that of Sanguine, with that same inner fire and hypnotic tone. There’s a jelly-like quality to the formula, bearing a self-levelling application and insanely glossy finish — although be warned that there is some mild staining potential here, so do not skip your base coat.

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Vixen by Sassy Shelly swatch

“Things that excite (and somewhat terrify) me are outer space and the sea. My inspiration for a new shade are those two extremes, as well as my favorite colors – multi-faceted shades of purple, blue, magenta – think fish scales. I love glitter in my polishes or sometimes a well-done shimmer makes an even bigger impact — think stars” Danielle’s Yearning…

Ok. This might win top honors at a shimmer contest. It really reminds me of our long-ago Scrangie, but on steroids. This lavender base enmeshed with flecks of blue glass makes this formula glidingly, oh-so-easy to apply — it’s a win-win.

Galaxea | A high-voltage violet/lilac hue with prismatic glitter that gives off pink, blue & purple flashes. The formula falls this side of thick (similar to that of Electro Glacier), but is nevertheless easy to work with and provides excellent coverage even by the first coat. While shiny on its own, this shade turns almost supernatural with an addition of top coat – spectacular! Note: be prepared for some glitter spread upon removal.

Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Galaxea swatch

Rescue Beauty Lounge | Galaxea swatch detail (in sunlight)

Upon looking at the shades when I first received them, I was positive that my favourites would be the Ethereal, Golden Horn (just proves my weakness for whites) and Electro Glacier (my other weakness for anything remotely aquatic-looking), and while I was correct about ethereal and Electro Glacier, I was totally unprepared for the way Sanguine, Vixen by Sassy Shelly, and Galaxea would grab me. Many Splendors is an interesting contradiction; what appears to be a shimmery black hue, turns out to be many sided and also adds a tactile and visual appeal – and while matte may not be everyone’s cup of tea (I confess to loving a matte and/or textured finish), it’s a shade that will blow you away once seen with a layer of glossy top coat. Believe me.

The Rescue Beauty Lounge Fan Collection 3.0 will be available for pre-sale starting October 13th for 48 hours, retail USD $20.00/each (shortly thereafter for everyone else) – make sure to sign up for the RBL newsletter in order to receive the email link invite.