Archive for March, 2009
Help Me Choose… My Vacay Combo
 It’s vacation time kids and I’m so looking forward to some rest and relaxation. The boyfriend and I head south on Saturday for an 8-day Caribbean cruise. The only issue is it’s been so long since we’ve been anywhere tropical that I can’t settle on my mani/pedi look for the week so I need your help!
You see, last year we went to the Finger Lakes for a week of wine tasting which was fun but definitely not warm. The year before that we visited friends in Seattle. Again, a great time but there was barely a drop of sun. So I want to take full advantage of the light and wear something sparkly on my toes. Though because we have two formal night dinners on the cruise, I’d prefer something a little less crazy town on my tips. I’ve been milling some ideas in my head. I even asked my Twitter followers for some suggestions and put my faves together for you to vote on. See the contenders after the jump! |
The winter China Glaze Bahama Blues collection inspired me to want some kind of blue combo but I’m also LOVING purples right now too. A variation of greens/teals would be fun and orange always looks great with a faux-glow. As you can see, I’m all over the place so put me out of my misery and let me know what you think.
Vote now for your favorite color combination or suggest something different in the comments. Thanks in advance for your help. I will be posting my final choice before we set sail.
Edited to add an FYI: I plan to redo my tips on the trip. I’m not crazy enough to attempt 8 days without a change. You all should know me better than that. Ha!
Chanel Summer – Orange Fizz and Golden Sand
 The look for Chanel’s summer collection, Cote D’Azur, is an upscale take on beachy and bronzed. As I mentioned in the preview, the collection was inspired by Coco Chanel’s favorite resort locales. So while you’ll find traditional summery hues; coral, bronze, beige, peach, they’re done in an elegant, understated (i.e. anti-glitter bomb) way.
Of course we get two new lacquer shades for summer… Orange Fizz and Golden Sand. Check out my review and swatches after the jump! |
Orange Fizz is a creamy coral that leans towards pink. It’s not uber-vivid yet not muted. It falls somewhere in between. Now, when I heard the name Orange Fizz, I imagined a sparkly tangerine heading our way as I’m sure most of you would. While this shade is unlike any corals I own, you kids know I would have died for some orange-y glitz.
In my stash’s color range Orange Fizz falls between the very pink coral, Essie Carousel Coral and last summer’s Robertson Boulevard exclusive, L.A. Sunset.
Golden Sand‘s coppery metallic hue is an ideal accent color to faux-glowed skin. It’s got that burnished, sun-soaked look. I just wish metallics were easier to work with. Granted this one isn’t the worst I’ve dealt with but avoiding brush strokes isn’t happening, making it more suitable for pedicures since imperfections aren’t as visible from far away.
In the bottle, I thought Golden Sand would be a MAC Metalist dupe but it’s clearly more pigmented and deeper. Next to China Glaze Poetic, you can see that Poetic has a lot more brown in its base.
The Chanel Summer Cote D’Azur collection Le Vernis lacquers ($23) are on counters now and available online at Chanel.com
How are we feeling about these? Who already purchased? Thoughts?
“What’s On Your Nails?” with Christine from Temptalia
 What’s On Your Nails? is a series focusing on my fellow beauty bloggers and industry insiders, their favorite nail polish and other hot nail topics.When I first discovered an online gallery of makeup looks by this person calling herself Temptalia, I never thought that I’d someday be rooming with her at Fashion Week. You see kids, I was big time FOTD (Face of the Day) junkie on all the beauty message boards, wishing I could have the mad blending skills of these should-be makeup artists and Temptalia was part of the group I admired most. The unique color combos and detailed technique info she provided got me hooked so when she launched the Temptalia.com beauty blog, it became one of my daily “must reads.” And if it isn’t one of yours, it should be!
What’s funny is that I was really intimidated to meet Christine (aka Temptalia) let alone room with her and it was all for naught. She’s intelligent, motivated and, in spite her internet fame, friendly and easy to chat with. I was also insanely curious to see how much product she travels with and observe her routine in person. Amazingly enough, she actually packs incredibly light (a skill I don’t possess), wears beautiful but natural makeup (no yellow/green eyes) and has a relatively simple beauty regime. It just goes to show that you don’t need to use 10,000 products to be a beauty like Christine. Read on to discover Christine’s fave polish shade (it’s been a Fanatic Favorite two years running) and what nail care system she swears by. |
MAC Sugarsweet – Peppermint Patti & Seasonal Peach
 MAC‘s newest collection, Sugarsweet, launched online on Tuesday and the polishes are already SOLD OUT on MACCosmetics.com! The crazy power of MAC fanatics, huh? However, the on counter date was yesterday so I suggest if you’re dying to own one of these precious shades, you bolt on out and snag them.
Being a total sucker for packaging or any kind of gimmicky looking product, I’m all about the collection’s Tricolour Lipglasses but I’m trying to restrain myself. It’s not easy folks. I drive past the mall on my way home every night and I know they’re there, waiting for me. Like a basket full of free kittens, they’re hard to resist. Back to the task at hand, the polishes. Sugarsweet introduced one new shade, Peppermint Patti, and one repromote, Seasonal Peach (from Creamsheen). See how they look after the jump! |
Seasonal Peach is a soft, pinky peach cream and as much as I want to love this one, the formula is no bueno. Application issues and streakiness plagues this one from being a big time winner. I tried every trick I could think of but it wasn’t playing my reindeer games. If you tinker around long enough and apply three coats it can look decent but for me, Seasonal Peach is a pass.
Now Peppermint Patti I love!! That perfect after dinner mint green you’ve looking for, it’s right here! It’s just pigmented enough to not be washed out or too pastel. Though I’m not gonna lie, it’s not the easiest to apply either but better than its collection sister above. Application Tip: Apply two THIN coats with at least two minutes dry time between then one THICK, even coat. It’s not ideal but to get this gorgeous shade to work, I’m willing. Are you?
Just for funsies I added a thin line of Seasonal Peach to create a funky french. What do you think?
I knew the comparison questions would come a calling so here it is next to Essie Greenport and Barielle Sweet Addiction.
Like I said above, both shades are sold out online. That’s a big fat boo for online shoppers but don’t lose hope. Run, drive, fly etc. to your nearest MAC counter to scoop them up for yourself.
So, who else picked these babies up? Thoughts?
Dior Cristal Collection – Sweet Orange
 Dior’s iconic watches helped inspire this playful collection of radiant berries, corals and pinks. Running the gamut from edgy to sweet, the striking colors of the Cristal collection capture the fresh, flushed look of summer.
While visiting the Dior offices back in October, I was treated to a preview of the Cristal collection and I’ve been chomping at the bit to get my hands on the polishes ever since. Seriously, I sat down and immediately focused on the three pops of color peering back at me from inside their sample bottles. Among a table full of beauty goodies, the summer shades sucked me right in. The Dior Vernis shades in the collection include Sweet Orange, Bubble Gum and Purple Candy. I had the opportunity to try out Sweet Orange and have bottle images of the others to show you. |
Sweet Orange is a pink tinged sorbet hue flecked with golden shimmer. The formula reminds me of CND Toxic Perfection one of my all time fave corals and the base color is very close to Essie Cantaloupe. It’s on the semi-sheer side so even though I’m showing it with only two coats, a third wouldn’t hurt. Using the Dior Vernis flat brush, the polish flowed on smooth and even with no streaking or pooling.
Dior Vernis lacquers retail for $20/ea and launch in May 2009. Sweet Orange is a Sephora exclusive shade. Bubble Gum will be carried in specialty stores with Purple Candy at department store Dior counters.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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