Thursday, March 10, 2011
Misa Wishes Collection: Never Say Never
My first Misa polishes! Yee Haw :) I saw the Wishes Collection on VampyVarnish and just fell in love, especially when she said they weren't sheer. I don't care for sheer polish and it is difficult to find pale/pastel polish with any sort of opacity. Misa Wishes Collection for Spring 2011 does just that, gorgeous pale color, no visible nail line. The formula flows easily on the nail, the brush is easy to wield, and it dried quickly. Sign me up for more please! The Collection consists of 6 colors, a nude, peach, green, blue, lavender & grey. All have a similar shimmery satin finish. I'll be showing them all this next couple weeks. Up first is Never Say Never, a pale greyed silver shimmer. Absolutely stunning! Also very different from other silvers I've seen. Colors similar to this one tend to lean lavender or take on a lavender cast. This one is just pure light grey. So pretty!
Back to Bare Escentuals: Surreal Suspense on Pebble Beach requires Patience
I haven't done a look with total Bare Escentuals in ages. I find myself gravitating towards my UD & MAC so frequently that I decided to do a look with all Bare Escentuals to make sure I still love it. I DO! Here's the skinny:
Pebble Beach Foiled on the browbone
Patience Foiled on the lid
Surreal Foiled on outer half of lid
Suspense Wetlined upper & lower lashlines, draged into crease lightly (dry)
Buxom Mascara in Blackest Black
Pebble Beach Foiled on the browbone
Patience Foiled on the lid
Surreal Foiled on outer half of lid
Suspense Wetlined upper & lower lashlines, draged into crease lightly (dry)
Buxom Mascara in Blackest Black
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tarte 8th World Wonder Review
Tarte will have a TSV on QVC Tuesday, March 15, 2011 called The 8th World Wonder 7pc Clay Collection. As a Q Insider I preorder & it came in the mail today. I am LOVING this kit! This is my first big Tarte Experience and I'm way jazzed about it. I previously only played in Tarte's Cheek Stains, Lip Stains & Bronzer (all of which I love). Every part of this collection is amazing. I am SO GLAD I signed up for Auto Delivery! Here's what you get:
Amazonian Clay Balancing Foundation SPF 15 choice of Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep:
I purchased Fair, but it is too light for me. I normally wear Bare Escentuals foundation in Fair or Fairly Light, Philosophy Supernatural Hybrid in Sand, or Smashbox Halo in Light. The Tarte foundation in fair is a tad too ghostly for my complexion (my husband actually said "Your forehead looks pasty." LOL Thanks honey!), so I'll be swapping it out for Light or maybe mixing the two. Anyhow, I'm loving this foundation. It has a medium thick consistency but spreads out and blends very well. It doesn't feel heavy on the skin and has a very smooth velvety texture when dried down, which only takes a minute or less. I am really flakey right now and this foundation does cling to my dry spots, quite terribly at first, but after everything warmed up & melded (about 15 minutes) it didn't look so bad. My skin looked smoother, had good coverage (more so than I'm used to) but did not look cakey. I do not use a foundation primer. After 8 hours of wear, it still looks great and I do not have the normal shine/oiliness I get with all my other foundations, so I'm stoked about that! Can't wait to see how my skin reacts over extended use.
Foundation brush: Huge fluffy super soft WINNER! I didn't use this to put my blush or foundation on. I think I will give it a go with my Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer. I hope we get one of these with every kit!
Lights, Camera, Lashes Volumizing Mascara in Black : I'm a mascara fiend and this was my first experience with this formula. I like it! The brush gives fantastic volume and decent length, no major clumping and no flakes or smudges at the 8 hr mark. I probably wouldn't buy this at full price, but I'll totally take it as a perk in the big kit :)
Amazonian Clay12-Hour Wear Powder Blush in Glisten: Holy Blush Batman! THIS IS IT!! This has to be the most pigmented, long wearing, creamiest powder blush EVER. A little bit goes a very long way. I tapped my BE Heavenly Blush brush on this and got loads of color, had to blow a bit off & it still laid down some serious color. Speaking of the color, it's gorgeous, very NARS Orgasm, a tad more coral than O. This probably leans pinker or peacher depending upon your coloring. It has a fine gold shimmer to it that looks pretty blingy at first but buffs down to a golden sheen or glow. Not glittery at all :) I loathe super shimmery or glitter blushes, but this one is that perfect amount of glow. At the 8 hr mark it looked like I had just applied it, no fading, no migrating all over my face. This is an absolute first for me & a blush. And YES IT IS WATERPROOF! When I went to wash it off it was still there after my initial wetdown, then it turned my Clarisonic brush coral LOL But it wasn't difficult to remove. The compact is pretty & I like that it's the same color as the blush. Makes it super easy to find in the drawer! It also has a mirror, which is nice. I will be purchasing this blush in several colors.
Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Eye Shadow Quad in shimmering dark brown, shimmering bronze, shimmering light sand & shimmering plum: I cannot say GORGEOUS enough with this kit. These colors are simply stunning. They're all labeled shimmering which I feel is a bit misleading. These colors are far from matte, but they don't sparkle or glimmer or frost. They remind me quite a bit of Bare Escentuals old label of a Glimpse. They have a subtle shimmer/sheen/pearl, but nothing too much for older eyelids or folks who don't like to wear a lot of sparkle. The Light Sand shade is perfect for highlighting. It's not too light, chalky or frosty, and although pigmented, has a sheerness to it that lends it to not overhighlighting or drawing attention away from the main colors. Shimmering Bronze is a beautiful old gold shade. It reminded me of a toned down, less frosty Urban Decay Baked. Shimmering Dark Brown is just that, a medium dark brown that is very neutral, almost leaning cool in tone. Shimmering Plum is a medium dusty plum with a wink of blue shimmer in the pan but it doens't translate to the eye. This plum is warm and soft. All the shadows in this quad are highly pigmented, soft, & easy to blend. The case is bamboo with a beautiful leafy swirl design and magnetic closure. I'm looking forward to the future quads!
Amazonian Clay Automatic Waterproof Gel Liner in Golden Plum: This liner is extremely smooth and pigmented. Absolutely no tugging whatsoever. The color is exactly as described, a golden plum shade. It's like Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in 1999 and Rockstar had a baby with some gold dust. I couldn't get this work on my waterlines for some reason. Every once in a while my waterlines just won't line though, so I'm not sure if this was the case or if it was the liner. I'll have to test it again. Aside from that issue, this liner is lovely.
PureOptic- Moisturizing lip Gloss in Golden Pink: This was the piece I figured would be a throw away for me as I am pretty much a die hard MAC Lipglass/ BE 100% Natural kind of girl. I wanted to use it once so I could photograph the whole look with the kit and I was blown away! This color is unbelievable! Super shiny, golden shimmery, just bitten, juicy amazingness! It has a thicker texture and a peppermint scent/taste. I need a back up... or 4!
Purple Woven Purse/Bag w/ Zipper: This is actually really cute, fairly roomy & quite nice!
Amazonian Clay Balancing Foundation SPF 15 choice of Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep:
I purchased Fair, but it is too light for me. I normally wear Bare Escentuals foundation in Fair or Fairly Light, Philosophy Supernatural Hybrid in Sand, or Smashbox Halo in Light. The Tarte foundation in fair is a tad too ghostly for my complexion (my husband actually said "Your forehead looks pasty." LOL Thanks honey!), so I'll be swapping it out for Light or maybe mixing the two. Anyhow, I'm loving this foundation. It has a medium thick consistency but spreads out and blends very well. It doesn't feel heavy on the skin and has a very smooth velvety texture when dried down, which only takes a minute or less. I am really flakey right now and this foundation does cling to my dry spots, quite terribly at first, but after everything warmed up & melded (about 15 minutes) it didn't look so bad. My skin looked smoother, had good coverage (more so than I'm used to) but did not look cakey. I do not use a foundation primer. After 8 hours of wear, it still looks great and I do not have the normal shine/oiliness I get with all my other foundations, so I'm stoked about that! Can't wait to see how my skin reacts over extended use.
Foundation brush: Huge fluffy super soft WINNER! I didn't use this to put my blush or foundation on. I think I will give it a go with my Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer. I hope we get one of these with every kit!
Lights, Camera, Lashes Volumizing Mascara in Black : I'm a mascara fiend and this was my first experience with this formula. I like it! The brush gives fantastic volume and decent length, no major clumping and no flakes or smudges at the 8 hr mark. I probably wouldn't buy this at full price, but I'll totally take it as a perk in the big kit :)
Amazonian Clay12-Hour Wear Powder Blush in Glisten: Holy Blush Batman! THIS IS IT!! This has to be the most pigmented, long wearing, creamiest powder blush EVER. A little bit goes a very long way. I tapped my BE Heavenly Blush brush on this and got loads of color, had to blow a bit off & it still laid down some serious color. Speaking of the color, it's gorgeous, very NARS Orgasm, a tad more coral than O. This probably leans pinker or peacher depending upon your coloring. It has a fine gold shimmer to it that looks pretty blingy at first but buffs down to a golden sheen or glow. Not glittery at all :) I loathe super shimmery or glitter blushes, but this one is that perfect amount of glow. At the 8 hr mark it looked like I had just applied it, no fading, no migrating all over my face. This is an absolute first for me & a blush. And YES IT IS WATERPROOF! When I went to wash it off it was still there after my initial wetdown, then it turned my Clarisonic brush coral LOL But it wasn't difficult to remove. The compact is pretty & I like that it's the same color as the blush. Makes it super easy to find in the drawer! It also has a mirror, which is nice. I will be purchasing this blush in several colors.
Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Eye Shadow Quad in shimmering dark brown, shimmering bronze, shimmering light sand & shimmering plum: I cannot say GORGEOUS enough with this kit. These colors are simply stunning. They're all labeled shimmering which I feel is a bit misleading. These colors are far from matte, but they don't sparkle or glimmer or frost. They remind me quite a bit of Bare Escentuals old label of a Glimpse. They have a subtle shimmer/sheen/pearl, but nothing too much for older eyelids or folks who don't like to wear a lot of sparkle. The Light Sand shade is perfect for highlighting. It's not too light, chalky or frosty, and although pigmented, has a sheerness to it that lends it to not overhighlighting or drawing attention away from the main colors. Shimmering Bronze is a beautiful old gold shade. It reminded me of a toned down, less frosty Urban Decay Baked. Shimmering Dark Brown is just that, a medium dark brown that is very neutral, almost leaning cool in tone. Shimmering Plum is a medium dusty plum with a wink of blue shimmer in the pan but it doens't translate to the eye. This plum is warm and soft. All the shadows in this quad are highly pigmented, soft, & easy to blend. The case is bamboo with a beautiful leafy swirl design and magnetic closure. I'm looking forward to the future quads!
Amazonian Clay Automatic Waterproof Gel Liner in Golden Plum: This liner is extremely smooth and pigmented. Absolutely no tugging whatsoever. The color is exactly as described, a golden plum shade. It's like Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in 1999 and Rockstar had a baby with some gold dust. I couldn't get this work on my waterlines for some reason. Every once in a while my waterlines just won't line though, so I'm not sure if this was the case or if it was the liner. I'll have to test it again. Aside from that issue, this liner is lovely.
PureOptic- Moisturizing lip Gloss in Golden Pink: This was the piece I figured would be a throw away for me as I am pretty much a die hard MAC Lipglass/ BE 100% Natural kind of girl. I wanted to use it once so I could photograph the whole look with the kit and I was blown away! This color is unbelievable! Super shiny, golden shimmery, just bitten, juicy amazingness! It has a thicker texture and a peppermint scent/taste. I need a back up... or 4!
Purple Woven Purse/Bag w/ Zipper: This is actually really cute, fairly roomy & quite nice!
Swatches & Look: Swatches are labeled going clockwise. For the look I used everything from the kit and ONLY from the kit with the exception of Urban Decay Primer Potion Orginal & Benefit Bo-ing Concealer on eyes. I used Shimmering Light Sand on the browbone, Shimmering Bronze on the lid, Shimmering Dark Brown on the outer 1/3 of lid & Shimmering Plum in the Crease. Lined Upper & lower lashlines with Golden Plum, Lights Camera Lashes Mascara. Glisten blush, Golden Pink lipgloss
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Clockwise: Golden Plum Liner, Glisten Blush, Golden Pink Lipgloss, Shimmering Light Sand, Shimmering Plum, Shimmering Bronze, Shimmering Dark Brown     |
China Glaze Tronica Comparisons: Digital Dawn
Next up is Digital Dawn. This color is more holographic than Cyberspace, although still very weak and disappointing in the world of holos. Digital Dawn was also much easier to use. Thickness & ease of application were all standard China Glaze that we know & love. Digital Dawn has the same satin finish the entire Tronica Collection has upon drying. Pics are 3 coats, no topcoat.
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| Interior w/ flash Pinky: OPI DS Vintage Ring: China Glaze Kaleidoscope Rated Holographic Middle: China Glaze Tronica Digital Dawn Index: China Glaze OMG TTYL |
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| Direct Weak Sunlight Pinky: OPI DS Vintage Ring: China Glaze Kaleidoscope Rated Holographic Middle: China Glaze Tronica Digital Dawn Index: China Glaze OMG TTYL |
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| Outside Natural Light (weak sun) Pinky: OPI DS Vintage Ring: China Glaze Kaleidoscope Rated Holographic Middle: China Glaze Tronica Digital Dawn Index: China Glaze OMG TTYL |
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| Natural Light (inside by window) Pinky: OPI DS Vintage Ring: China Glaze Kaleidoscope Rated Holographic Middle: China Glaze Tronica Digital Dawn Index: China Glaze OMG TTYL |
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| Natural Light (inside by window) Pinky: OPI DS Vintage Ring: China Glaze Kaleidoscope Rated Holographic Middle: China Glaze Tronica Digital Dawn Index: China Glaze OMG TTYL |
China Glaze Tronica Comparisons: Cyberspace
Soooo, my China Glaze Tronica collection showed up on Saturday! WHOOT! First impression upon seeing the bottles? BOO! These are SO not Holos! I immediately did skittle swatches of one coat over my current mani to see if I was right & discovered that these are all over the place as far as texture, ease of application & holographicness. That being said, I decided to break out the review into individual colors with comparisons from my collection. I'm a holo nut and own many :) First up is Cyberspace. Cyberspace is a taupe shimmer with a slight holographic nature. This polish was thick and runny at the same time. Thick in the sense that it did not spread super easy onto the nail, but runny because despite how much I scraped off the brush a big glob would run down and flood my nail with polish in the middle of application. Despite this, the polish did level itself out on the nail decently upon drying. After completely dry it has a semi matte or satin finish. Topcoat is needed for a glossy look. Overall I do like this color, I feel it is unique in the world of taupes, however being touted as a holographic finish is a bit of a let down :( I managed to find some weak sunlight to snap pics in, which show how not holographic this shade is. To my surprise, interior direct overhead lighting brought out the most holo in this shade, which was only a light yellow green glow. Pics are 3 coats, no topcoat.
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| Outside Natural Light Thumb: Color Club Love Em Leave Em Index: China Glaza Kaleidoscope Spin Me Round Middle: China Glaze Tronica Cyberspace Ring: China Glaze OMG FYI Pinky: OPI DS Design |
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| Natural Light (inside by window w/ weak sun) Thumb: Color Club Love Em Leave Em Index: China Glaza Kaleidoscope Spin Me Round Middle: China Glaze Tronica Cyberspace Ring: China Glaze OMG FYI Pinky: OPI DS Design |
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| Inside w/ flash Thumb: Color Club Love Em Leave Em Index: China Glaza Kaleidoscope Spin Me Round Middle: China Glaze Tronica Cyberspace Ring: China Glaze OMG FYI Pinky: OPI DS Design |
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| Outside Direct Weak Sunlight Thumb: Color Club Love Em Leave Em Index: China Glaza Kaleidoscope Spin Me Round Middle: China Glaze Tronica Cyberspace Ring: China Glaze OMG FYI Pinky: OPI DS Design |
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Chanel Black Pearl
When I bought this polish I thought I was insane for spending $25 on a bottle of nail polish.... then I put it on my nails. This color is just absolutely STUNNING. Are there friends & family of this color out there? Yes, but no dupes and certainly nothing I could find that even came close to the wow factor. It's not a WOW in your face, it's subtle, elegant and fresh. There's something soft and feminine about this color. It's silver, charcoal, sea glass green, deep teal and every shade in between without being a duochrome. It has the luminosity of a pearl, that subtle shimmer and glow. Opaque at 2 coats, the formula is perfect, application is perfect, & I have not run into any of the wear problems many bloggers have had with Chanel polish. I'm simply in love with this color, I could care less what it costs or what label is attached to it ;)
Chanel Black Pearl
Rewind: China Glaze Let's Do it in 3D!
With China Glaze releasing their Tronica Collection this month I thought I would revisit one of the greatest holos ever, IMO. Hailing from the 2006 Kaleidoscope collection is Let's Do it in 3D, a smokey grey scattered holographic wonder. This manicure was also my first real attempt at Konad :)
Base: China Glaze Let's Do it in 3D
Stamp: Konad Special White w/ Konad M56
Base: China Glaze Let's Do it in 3D
Stamp: Konad Special White w/ Konad M56
P.S. The full China Glaze Tronica Collection is making its way across the USA to me as we speak! Once I receive it I plan to do a full review with comparisons to Kaleidoscope, OMG, and other holo familiars from random brands.
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