I had not planned on purchasing Dior's Spring 2014 Blossom nail polish ($24 USD) until I stopped by the Dior counter to pick up the frosty pink matte top coat, Perle. The sweet Kristie of Natural N Chic Makeup offered her valuable input regarding Blossom on Instagram, so I figured this limited edition color was at least worth a try. Blossom's eye-catching golden shimmer is what won me over, and it very well may win you over, too! Check out swatches and comparisons after the jump!
Hello, everyone! This is my first fashion video in ages, so I hope you will enjoy the slightly different route I took this Spring. Due to the hot weather we are experiencing in Southern California, I turned this into a transitional look book featuring outfits appropriate for a warm spring and sunny summer. All makeup worn is listed below the outfit breakdowns!
FOURTH OUTFIT:
DailyLook Rhinestone Collar Tank in Ivory - old
Simone Bandage Skirt in Light Aqua - http://bit.ly/12I0hrh
Stingray Wrist Wrap in Taupe - http://bit.ly/14yOVH9
Vera Wang Lisa Ballet Flats in Nude/Crystal [old]
*I purchased mine through Hautelook! http://tinyurl.com/795prda
Hair:
Jonathan Create Smooth Hair Serum - http://bit.ly/10POael
For Bun - Japanese Donut Bun with Velcro Grips
Nail Polish:
OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow
MAKEUP WORN:
Dolce & Gabbana The Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation in Warm 100
Tom Ford Illuminating Pen in 05 Natural Bisque
L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Crayon Concealer in W4-5
Lancome Translucence Mattifying Silky Pressed Powder in 300 Bisque with MAC 109
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer with Hakuhodo Angled Brush
Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush with Shu Uemura 20h Brush
Cle de Peau Eyebrow Pencil in 204
by Terry Eye Primer in 002
Lorac Pro Palette Eye Shadow Palette with Shu Uemura Kolinsky 10, Sigma 35 and 47 Eye Brushes
Lancome Artliner in Noir and Lancome Oscillation Intensity Mascara
Velour Lashes in Lash in the City
Lips - Please see below for lipsticks
FIRST OUTFIT
Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Ginger Snap
SECOND OUTFIT
Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Framboise Creme
THIRD OUTFIT
Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Ginger Snap
FOURTH OUTFIT
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Fuchsia Shock [see tutorial video below]
It's time for another favorites! This month has gone by so quickly, where did all that time go?! Thank you for all the support in my blog absence.. I am doing my best to pick up on reviews again, but I just can't seem to get a spare moment! I have so many product photos and swatches to show you guys, just a couple more days and I'll get them written up. Good news, though! I 'm going to try to add cooking to my blog. Just pictures of what I made and possibly a recipe here and there :) Anyway, hope you enjoy this episode!
Make-up Worn:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation in 03
Dolce & Gabbana The Powder Foundation in 110 Caramel
Shiseido Natural Brow Pencil in Natural Black
Chanel Ombre D'eau Fluid in 90 Gold
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette in Busted and Foxy
Lancome Artliner in Black & MUFE Aqua Pencil in Black
Armani Eyes to Kill Waterproof Mascara in Black
Guerlain Blush 4 Eclats in 04 Rosee du Printemps
Tom Ford Private Blend Lipstick in 08 Flamingo
Products Shown:
Orly Nail Polish in French Tips
OPI Nail Polish in Alpine Snow
Chanel Extreme Shine Nail Lacquer [Top Coat]
Essie Nail Polish in Turquoise and Caicos
Tom Ford Private Blend Lipstick in 08 Flamingo
Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in 336 Saint Tropez
Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick in 140 Mitsouku
Armani Gloss D'Armani in Beige 103
Chanel Blush Brush #4 [new] and #7 [old]
ShoeMint Heels in Chloe in Taupe Suede
SUPER Dr. Perricone Brightening Activator
SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion
Earrings:
House of Harlow Oval Drop Earrings *I purchased them from GlamHouse.com but they are sold out, sorry!
This is my first Suede polish and I'm impressed. Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow is the newest addition to the Suede family and I purchased it because I was informed the polish's formula was improved. I am wearing this polish in my August Favorites video!
Application: 2 coats provide opaque color and surprisingly, the polish dries very quickly! It has a matte finish, while the glitters add a bit of texture. It applies smoothly and for the most part, evenly. OPI's professional brush is the perfect fit for my nails!
Color: Without a top coat, the color is a dry (boring) forest green with a bit of metallic shimmer. Personally, I would never wear the suede finish alone. I feel as though it ages my hands, which already look older than your typical 21 year-old's hands. With a top coat, however, Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow shines! Literally, it shines. The green base brightens up to a rich forest green and the metallic shimmers burst with iridescent color under the sunlight. I love it!!
*I included the last photo, even though it is slightly out of focus, because the other photos were not able to capture the glitter's iridescence properly!
OPI Glitzerland was launched this Fall of 2010 with the Swiss Collection.
Collection Thoughts: The Swiss Collection is hefty, with twelve colors to choose from. I was only attracted to three colors but wound up purchasing two. [Yes, I took one out.. SELF-CONTROL!] I can't necessarily pinpoint the Swiss inspiration in the colors, other than the inclusion of red from the Swiss flag, but at least the names of the polishes are cute and memorable!
Color & Finish: Glitzerland is a champagne gold with a slightly beige base color and it as glitzy as the glamour girl in each of us could ask for! As you can see in the above photos, the polish appears to have a metallic finish in the shade and in natural light. The shimmer looks more subdued and leans toward the effect of a fine glitter foil. In the sunlight, however, Glitzerland really comes to life.. just like Paradoxal! The multi-faceted reflects of the glitters provide a hippity-hoppity show of rainbow-colored shooting stars for our eyes to take in with glee *tehehe* That's why it would make such a fabulous top coat for other polishes!
Application & Wear: The first coat gives my nails a sheer layer of glitter. The gold base is apparent but my nail line is still visible. The second coat builds up the color significantly. The glitters start to pop but my nail line is still visible. The third coat gives my nails complete coverage, with no visible nail lines! Furthermore, this polish does not chip easily! Even with my Seche Vite Top Coat, my Chanel varnishes chip after the 3rd or 4th day, but I wore Glitzerland for a week and it didn't even chip once! It did, however, fade at the very edges of my nails but that is normal wear and tear ;)
Dupe: Orly Luxe is the more intense, metallic version of Glitzerland. Luxe, however, has fewer iridescent glitter particles. Glitzerland is also a bit more beige while Luxe looks more like a true yellow gold against my hands' skintone. I will be reviewing Orly Luxe next so that you can see the differences. Personally, I find Glitzerland more wearable on a day-to-day basis.
Verdict: I feel that Glitzerland is the only must-have polish from the Swiss collection. I picked up another polish from the collection, Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, but I prefer Glitzerland, as it can be worn all year round!
I love nude varnishes but it's rather difficult trying to find one that works for my nails. I have a tiny nail bed and long fingernails. The problem is that I hate seeing the white nails underneath the varnish. That's a problem I ran into with Just Tea-Sing. It's a beautiful milky, creamy nude with very fine shimmers but it took me FOUR medium-density coats to make the nail bed area look as even as possible with the whites of my fingernail tips.
Otherwise, it's a beautiful color - one of my favorite nudes, actually - and I prefer to wear this when I feel like having natural and subtle color on my nails. It's quite sophisticated but still has that slight bling factor because of the shimmers. I love OPI varnish and am overjoyed that most of their varnishes now come with the larger professional brush. I'm still a novice painter so the wider brushes are easier for me to use.
Just-Teasing is one of the easiest nude varnishes that I've worked with. It dries well, not too fast or not too slowly, and it isn't very streaky. The downside is that you have to be patient and add each layer of polish carefully but if you're in the market for a pretty nude shade, check this out!
Also, there was a nude polish by OPI that was similar to Just Tea-Sing but it did not have any shimmers. If any of you might have an idea of which polish I'm referring to, please let me know! The name escapes me and I'm desperate to find that shade =(
I'll be reviewing the two Chanel varnishes that will be shown in my July Haul next ^^
