Yearly Archives

2010

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Hair Care Loves

June 5, 2010
Hair care is one area I don’t like to splurge on, but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find good products that are reasonably priced from the drugstore. If you have any holy grails please share your successes with me, I’m always open to trying new bath and shower products 🙂

The 411 on my hair: I have thick dark black-brown hair with natural red highlights. It’s not exactly straight but not perfectly wavy either. Without a blowdryer and/or flat iron it dries to a huge poofy mess. I usually keep it around just below the shoulder for length. I would like it longer, but it just takes me a really long time to grow it out.

My hair care routine:

  • Daily: shampoo, leave in conditioner treatment and blow dry
  • Weekly: condition and straighten with a flat iron
  • Monthly: hair mask treatment
  • Misc: Hair cuts once every 3 to 4 months
  • Never: Color or highlight
Brands I’ve used repeatedly in the past include Aveda, Frederick Fekkai, Goldwell, Phyto, Redken, Neutrogena, and Crew for Men (yes, I use my hubby’s shampoo sometimes). As much as I love Aveda, I find the scents to usually be too earthy and herbal. Frederick Fekkai has been reformulating his shampoos so I haven’t used his line for a long time.

Right now my staples include, left to right:

Phytojoba Shampoo, Phyto7, Phytokarité,
HAI Ceramic Iron, Supersolano 3600 Micro

  1. Supersolano 3600 Micro Hair Dryer – This is my second Solano in the past 8 years. I really love this brand. After I decided to retire my first one, I tried a number of other always-raved-in-magazines type brands and was thoroughly disappointed by *all* of them (especially T3). None gave my hair that soft glossy shine or smooth blowout like my Solano. I’m not exactly sure what it is about the Solano, but it’s just amazing. I got mine at Ball Beauty Online on both occasions and they seem to have really good prices.
  2. HAI Convertible Ceramic Straightening Iron – Another fabulous birthday present from my sister 🙂 I’ve had this one for about 5 years. I’m not sure where she purchased this one from, but it’s also available online at Ball Beauty. Again, I’m not sure what technology this one has that makes it so great, but it makes my hair shine and ends look pretty.
  3. Phytojoba Shampoo – It’s meant for dry hair (even though my hair isn’t super dry) but I still love this. Has a delicious subtle pineapple-coconut scent, gets a rich lather, leaves the hair and scalp feeling good. My only 2 rants are the price for the size you get (I go through it really fast) and the fact that there is no pump (which makes it hard not to spill too much into my palm sometimes).
  4. Phyto7 & PhytoSpecific Integral Hair Care – Phyto7 is a hydrating cream I apply before blowdrying. A little goes a long way and I’m on my second tube right now (the first tube lasted me a year). I’ve written about PhytoSpecific here before but recently ran out so I don’t have it available to photograph. It’s a HG for me and allows my hair to airdry nicely like no other product.
  5. Phytokarité Ultra Nourishing Hair Mask – I recently had a 45 minute Phyto Hair Treatment at my local salon and the Phyto specialist used this on my hair. It was incredible and gave me baby soft hair. They gave me tons of sample packets of this conditioner to try out (since I got the regular Phytojoba Conditioner in a set). One packet has enough product for 2 uses. I’ve gone through 3 packets already (six weeks worth) and am definitely going back for this once my current conditioner is used up.
What is your hair type and what are your favorites? Do you have any special treatments you like to indulge in?
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Paul & Joe Summer Creation 2010: Sahara Collection

June 3, 2010
Have any of you checked out the new Summer Sahara Collection from Paul & Joe yet? The standout for me is the lovely packaging in a turquoise, cream, orange and brown colored floral almost fan-like print. I had ordered a few lipsticks from BG during their last GWP event but at that time they didn’t have the nail polishes in. I recently saw that Beautyhabit was also doing a promotion and was ecstatic to find they received the nail polishes just last week. I haven’t been able to see the entire line in person yet (hopefully soon). But here are my picks plus the gifts from both Bergdorfs and Beautyhabit. My gloss and lipliner picks from the summer release was reviewed a few days ago here.

Lipstick S in Caravan 001 (sheer light pink shimmer)
Lipstick S in Morocco 003 (sheer bronzey pink brown)


Nail Enamel in Marrakesh 004 (coral-red with gold shimmer)
Nail Enamel in Mirage 005 (shimmery beige gold with silver sparkles)


The Gift With Purchase Makeup Bags
(Left from Beautyhabit, Right from Bergdorfs)

Lipstick Size Comparisons (seasonal v regular)

Nail Polish Comparisons, Close Ups and Swatches






Again, the packaging is the best part of this collection. I’ve only tried the sheer pink lipstick and it has a sheer glossy finish with noticeable shimmer (not frost though). I plan on trying out the bronzey one in the next few days. I absolutely love the Mirage 005 Nail Polish. It’s similar to P&J Gilded 27 except the new Mirage 005 is more beigey. The coral Marrakesh 004 Nail Polish is lovely too, but I’m not used to coral-orangey reds. Perhaps it will look better on the toes.
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Color Focus: Soft Pinks I’m Loving Right Now

May 29, 2010
I decided to do a different twist on my regular monthly Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now and combine this with my color focus feature. I like soft pinks because they always look so pretty in the compact and tubes. But finding a good soft pink can be a bit tricky sometimes. I can’t tell you how many soft pinks have made me oooohh and aaaahhh only to find it looks way to light or washed out on my skin (ala MAC Hue/Angel Lipstick or Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Demure Lipstick). It still doesn’t stop me from trying to make them work though, lol. That being said, the products listed below are my no-fail and no-tweaking required soft pinks.

There are so many favorites, but these are the ones I’ve been using a lot in the past month. I am actually just starting my 3rd tube of MAC Fabby (see below)! Laura Mercier Babydoll Lip Glace is a favorite that looks good on practically all my friends whether they are fair skinned or tanned.

Blush & Highlighters:

Dior Rose Diamond
MAC Well Dressed
MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder
(this was repromoted with the Liberty of London Collection in a different compact)

Eyeshadows:

Bobbi Brown Petal Shimmerwash
NARS Nepal Eyeshadow
Becca Angel Loose Shimmer Powder

Cheek and Eye Swatches:


Lip Glosses:

Chanel Waterlily Glossimer
Dior Pink Silk 262 Addict Lip Gloss (swatched here)
Laura Mercier Babydoll Lip Glace
Trish McEvoy Pretty Pink Beauty Booster Gloss

Lipsticks:

Chanel Rouge Coco in Rose Comete (swatched here)
MAC Frost Lipstick in Fabby
D&G Shine Lipstick in Soiree (swatched here)

Lip Swatches:


Nail Polishes:

Paul & Joe Poodle #10
Zoya Jessika
Chanel Mica Rose


I have many more favorites but if I featured all my loves, this would just be a never-ending article if I pulled every single soft pink from my stash. What are some of your favorites and what is your skintone?

FYI, in case you’re new to my blog, I’m a Chanel Shell 1.5 Teint Innocence right now. This is the equivalent to what’s right in between MAC NC30 and NC35. I’m at that point again where I’m in between shades for most foundation lines. You can see My Foundation Shades HERE. I recently tried Bobbi Brown’s newest foundation and found a perfect match in Natural Finish formula shade 4.25 Natural Tan, however the formula didn’t work so well with my skin. So far, Chanel Teint Innocence and Lift Lumieres and DPFs are my holy grails.

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Paul & Joe Summer Creation 2010: New Lipgloss G & Lip Pencil Duos

May 27, 2010
Paul & Joe has released a new collection of lipglosses and double sided lipliners this summer. I was lucky enough to preview the demo products before the official launch back in March and was smitten with the colors and formulas. I was able to get a few sneak peek photos as well (featured here) – which just added to my excitement even more. Unfortunately, I believe I may have swatched the lipliner shades in the wrong order since the colors I wrote down don’t match the descriptions/products on the official Paul & Joe Website.


I ordered a few of the new lipliners and glosses (both retail for $22 each) for the BG summer event and got a cute GWP bag, I’ll feature more pics of it when I write about their summer collection (check back in a few days) but Haru from Rouge Deluxe also got a similar gift from her recent event, although I have to say the contents of her GWP was a much better deal. See her review/haul here.

What I picked up, left to right, with descriptions:
  • Lip Pencil 01 Dual Melon – a lovely peach & darker peach
  • Lip Pencil 04 Dual Rose – soft pink & deeper pinky-brown rose
  • Lip Gloss G 02 Sherbert – sheer sparkly beige (similar to the old 04)
  • Lip Gloss G 04 Blossom – sheer sparkly peachy pink
  • Lip Gloss G 05 Mon Cheri – sheer bright pink sparkle
  • Lip Gloss G 06 Sheer Bliss – sparkly melon peach


Check out the Paul & Joe Website for more pics/swatches here. The wand lipglosses come with a brush tip which I really like and find easy to apply. The texture is smooth and shiny (non-sticky) and have a slight melon scent that fades within a few minutes. The lighter shades seem sheerer, the brighter shades have more color.

The lipliners are to die for in my opinion. They have one glossy side and one more matte side. They are really creamy and glide on like a dream. I definitely need to check out the other shades again soon.

The new lipglosses are similar to the old, except the floral pattern is now embossed. I don’t have a lot of the older wand lipglosses, so I’m not sure if other colors are repromotes, but I did find their Old 04 similar to the new 02. You can see the other shades I have linked here.


Close Up with High Flash:

Close Up in Natural Sunlight:

Overall I like these a lot. A bit high in price IMHO, but I like the packaging and texture of the lipliners and glosses. The lighter shades seem like they’ll be too sheer to wear on their own, but they are still really pretty. If you like Chanel Aqualumiere Glosses, then you’ll like these new ones from Paul & Joe. They have a really nice smooth texture with a pretty finish. Even though they seem on the sparkley side, there is no grittiness which is always a plus.

I got these from Bergdorf Goodman in NY.

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A Few New Taupes From MAC, Guerlain, Trish McEvoy & Too Faced

May 25, 2010
I’ve recently found a few new taupe shades in cream and powder formulas from MAC, Trish McEvoy, Guerlain and Too Faced.

Clockwise from top shadow:
MAC Eyeshadow in Prepped for Glamour
Guerlain Terracotta Eyeshadow Pen in Smoky Metal
Trish McEvoy 24-Hour Shadow & Liner in Topaz
MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty
Too Faced Single Eyeshadow in Sitcom Siren

Most of the shades look true to what you see in the compact or stick, except for Guerlain Smoky Metal which went on my skin surprisingly warm. I haven’t tried this shade on the eyes yet, but I have tested out the others. MAC Dirty is such a gorgeous shade but unfortunately doesn’t last at all. It is extremely smudgey and by late afternoon gave me raccoon eyes. Trish McEvoy Topaz is more promising. I used it alone blended out on my lids and it didn’t budge at all. I can’t say whether or not it lasted a full 24 hours since I only had it on for the evening (from around 7:00 pm to midnight). But it lasted the entire time and when I got home looked just as good as when I put it on. My SA tested out the steel black grey shade from Trish and said it didn’t last at all on her and seemed way to soft/moist to be a 24-hour product, so YMMV per shade.

MAC Prepped for Glamour is extremely similar to Satin Taupe but the Prepped for Glamour shade has just a tad bit more red/warmth to it. But otherwise, very close. that I can barely tell the difference. Too Faced Sitcom Siren is my first Too Faced product. Pigment/blendability is nice but I actually prefer MAC. Sitcom Siren is a bit too frosty for my liking.

Swatches with different lighting:



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Zoya Sabrina + Rococo Metal Jacket

May 25, 2010
As soon as I found out there was a nail polish with my name, I knew I had to get it since it’s not that often that I find things with my own personal name. Today’s mani + pedi is Zoya Sabrina on fingers + Rococo Nail Apparel Metal Jacket on toes.

Zoya Sabrina is a sheer pale cream off-white-pinkish color. I think it’s a nice classic cream color for the nails. The color is rather sheer, so the manicure has 3 coats for a more opaque look. It actually looked a lot better with a more natural finish with 2 coats, but my manicurist thought it could use one more coat. Next time I’ll just ask for 2 coats for a more natural look. Otherwise, it just feels a tad too contrasted with my skin.

Rococo Metal Jacket is a complex mixture of taupe-brown-silver. This one is an odd one for me. When I tested it at Space NK, it was clearly brown, much like you see on Vampy Varnish’s review. However, the one I received from my online order pulls more silver-taupe on me. If you haven’t read the first article I wrote about Rococo Nail Apparel (here), to recap, I’ve experienced some inconsistencies with the colors – which seem to differ slightly based on which batch the product was made from. Which may explain why Metal Jacket looks brown on others and looked brown from the tester I saw in the store, but looks more silvery taupe in the bottle I received. (More explanation in the original post.) The pigment is amazing though and didn’t really need more than just 1 coat, however 2 coats were applied at the nail salon.


Zoya Sabrina:

Rococo Metal Jacket:


Zoya Sabrina:

Zoya Metal Jacket:


Zoya Sabrina looks really similar to OPI Bubble Bath and Chanel Allegoria in the bottles – but I haven’t swatched them on the nails to see the actual difference. I don’t have a dupe for the Rococo, but then I don’t have many taupey sparkles for nail polishes. Overall, I have to say I’m not completely in love with either shade. My nails look nice and polished, but the colors on me just feel a bit bland.

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Dolce & Gabbana Fascination Shine Lipstick

May 24, 2010
* natural light, no flash

Dolce & Gabbana’s Fascination Lipstick is part of the mini collection that was released back in March called The Roses which consists of five new lipsticks inspired by different roses. Today I wanted to do a lip-swatch of Fascination, a cool cream pink.



As a disclaimer, I don’t know that the rose I have pictured is an actual Fascination Rose, but it was close in color to the lipstick. I like the texture and finish of this D&G lipstick, however, it’s a bit too cool for my skintone by itself. So while I think it’s pretty in the tube, on the lips, it just looks to fake. The other two I purchased, Shine On and Baby Darling, are easier for me to wear (they were previously featured in March here).

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