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Dior Vernis in Lili #121

November 25, 2014

Dior released four new Vernis Nail Polishes in Lili, Star, Diorette and Spring ($25 each) with the launch of the Rouge Dior Baumes. I bought all four shades and have Lili #121 to share with you today. Lili is a cream beige nude with a very slight hint of pink undertone. Many nudes are sheer or have a difficult-to-work-with formula requiring three coats. Lili is one of the most pigmented nudes I’ve ever swatched before. The first coat will look a bit uneven, but it levels out to the perfect nude with the second coat. As Mostly Sunny noted in her review, finding a flattering nude polish can be challenging. My recent swatch testing with Chanel Intention was a fail for my skin tone. Dior Lili on the other hand is a different shade of nude and naturally flattering. It’s not too pale, not too dark and has enough pink in it to prevent it from looking yellowish.

Swatches below with two coats, this week I used Deborah Lippman Rehydrating Base Coat and Chanel Top Coat in conjunction with Dior Lili (my nail care favorites rounded up here).

My order of nail wheels finally arrived (yay!) so I have some comparisons for you, both sets are the same colors, just different lighting.

Shown on the wheel:

Christian Louboutin Nudes in Sweet Charity and Just Nothing
Marc Jacobs Runway Shades in 9 to 5 and Klute (reviewed here)
Burberry Nude Pink (swatched on hand here)
OPI Don’t Pretzel My Buttons
Chanel Django (discontinued)
Tom Ford Sugar Dune (discontinued, review)
Dior Charnelle (discontinued, review)
Dior Yacht (review here)
Dior Incognito (swatched here)

Even though I have a lot of nudes, I’m really happy with Dior Lili. I would say it’s pretty close to Burberry Nude Pink, the Dior is just a bit lighter in color and easier to apply. If you already own Charnelle, you might find it looks identical on the hands although Charnelle is sheerer in formula.

If you’ve seen my previous reviews on Dior nail polishes, you know I’m a huge fan of the formula for smooth application and high shine finishes. Lili #121 is no exception. If you’re in the market for a pale nude that isn’t too pale or beige, this one is worth looking into.

You can find Dior Lili at all Dior counters and beauty boutiques. It is listed as a limited-edition color but it looks like you can still find it easily now. Available online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Dior.com.

What’s your perfect nude nail polish?

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NudeStix #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit

November 24, 2014

NudeStix has released a few holiday sets this year, today I have the #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit ($49 for 3 x 1.41g/0.05 oz) to share with you. It has three Magnetic Eye Colors in Gilt, Twilight and Night along with a compact sharpener, all cased in a limited-edition tin. You can also purchase each of the shades in the set individually for $24 each at all NudeStix retailers, but the trio set is currently exclusive to Sephora.

The three shades in the set:

  • Gilt – a warm shimmery golden beige
  • Twilight – a silvery taupe bronze mix
  • Night – a super intense black

I reviewed the couple of the Eye Pencils back in July. The Magnetic Eye Color pencils surpass the Eye Pencils in pigment and lasting power. They are longwearing eye color pencils with a creamy texture that glide on lids easily. There are different colors to shade, highlight or define and once the pencils set, they will not budge. These have a nice creamy texture that blends nicely with the fingers. For the lighter shades Gilt and Twilight, I like to apply straight onto the lid from the pencil and then either smudge or blend with the fingers. The darker shade Night is best when smudged with a soft brush for me (I like MAC #239).

According to NudeStix, the Magnetic Eye Color pencils are ideal for oily lids. The formula is waterproof and after testing these, I can say that they did last all day for me and did not budge at all, not even Night.

Close ups and some swatches:

There are a number of creamy pencil shadow sticks I’ve reviewed from different brands. I’m really impressed with the long-wear quality many brands have been releasing. Formulas are improving and lasting power is getting better. The NudeStix Magnetic Eye Colors are in between Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks and Marc Jacobs Twinkle Pops. I would say the Laura Mercier is more creamy in texture with softer shimmer and slightly softer pigment. Marc Jacobs Twinkle Pops are more glitzy and shimmery but have pigment that is just as intense as the Nudestix.

I have three sets of color comparisons:

NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywood Land
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Golden (discontinued)
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Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Moonriver (discontinued)
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Ombre Mercure #15
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Moonlight (review + eye look)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Suspect (from Naked2)
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Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Tuxedo (on the eyes here)
Chanel Stylo Yeux in Black Shimmer
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The colors in the NudeStix #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit are classics that are easy to combine for a no-fuss look. I’m really impressed with the lasting power and pigment. Some creamy pencils disappear on the lids once you blend them out, but the NudeStix doesn’t disappear on my lids. Given that these are classic neutrals, you may find duplicates or colors with similar effects. You may want to shop your stash, but I give these a thumbs up.
The NudeStix #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit is limited-edition and exclusive to Sephora this year, if you miss out or don’t like all the colors, you can buy the shades individually at Sephora and Space NK (they are part of the permanent line).
The NudeStix products were provided free of charge for review consideration.
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Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Eye Sticks in Au Revoir and Volver

November 21, 2014

I recently bought two of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Eye Sticks ($28 each for 1.6 g/ 0.05 oz, made in Italy) in Au Revoir and Volver (my recent Sephora haul here). I’ve been playing with the Twinkle Pop Eye Sticks for months in store but never pulled the trigger to purchase. These are twist up cream shadow sticks with intense color and shimmer. On the skin they have a slightly cool feel when you first apply them. The packaging mimics a large crayon which I think is really fun. The tips have colors that match the color of the shadow which makes it easy to identify if you store them upright in jars.

Au Revoir is a shimmery medium taupe silver color. The shimmer is quite intense but it blends out nicely on the lids. I did find with this shade I had to blend quickly because they set and dried a bit fast on the lids. If you have oily lids, you will really like how these stay put a long time. My lids aren’t oily, they tend to be on the dry side (but relatively normal). With this one I needed to make sure my eyes were well prepped with a tiny bit of eye cream. The pigment is so rich and the formula is a bit thick straight from the tube, so any dry areas will be emphasized with this one.

Volver is a warm golden champagne peach shimmer. This one is also very shimmery, but not quite as frosty as Au Revoir. I found this color a bit easier to work with and blend on the lids. It didn’t dry quite as fast as Au Revoir did (at least based on the ones I bought) but it still dried pretty fast. Volver has a golden sheen to it but the base is still light-to-medium champagne so it’s not too gold.

I’ve been using these a couple different ways. I like incorporating one of the Twinkle Pops into an eye look with 2 other powder shadows. Since the ones I picked are neutrals they are very easy to mix with other eyeshadow colors. I’ve tried layering them together as well. It gives a nice simple polished look, but for me the two of them combined is a bit too frosty for my personal preference.

Swatches straight from the tube, these are heavy unblended swatches:

Comparisons below, note that the flash enhances the shimmer. These are on the high frost side, but for me they aren’t so frosty that they are over the top (the MAC Pigments are discontinued shades I thought might be similar, but turns out they are very different):

I’m in love with Volver. It’s a really nice warm peachy champagne color and the gold shimmer gives it dimension without being too frosty. I can never resist taupe shadows so I give Au Revoir a thumbs up, although it is on the more shimmery side and takes some blending for my dry lids. If you have normal to oily, it will probably blend easier on your skin compared to the way it does on mine. 

These are both shimmery, but still wearable for my conservative makeup-loving self. If you like neutral shimmers but want something more subtle, I’d recommend opting for the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks (especially the mini set reviewed here).

There are currently nine different shade options of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Eye Sticks. They retail for $28 each. Available at Sephora and Marc Jacobs Beauty.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

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Bobbi Brown Black Scotch Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

November 20, 2014

For the holiday Bobbi Brown has a new Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner color called Black Scotch ($24 for .1 oz/3 g). It’s a gorgeous deep shimmery blackened bronze. It fits the gap in my eyeliner collection between black and bronze. The color is quite pigmented and applies easily along the upper lash line. It has an emollient texture which makes it glide onto the eyes. I find it sets and dries after a minute. After that short wait period, there is no smudging. I haven’t tried it along the lower lash line, mainly because I haven’t found any gel or pencil liner that will stay put on the bottom. But on the top lid, it lasted all day without budging or smudging. Sometimes I like to use these Gel Liners as a base for a darker shadow. The combination of gel liner + powder shadow on top really intensifies darker colors and makes a smokey lash line easy with the blending and layering.

Up close you can see the tiny bits of gold and bronze shimmer:

Swatched you can see the gold flecks:

Gel liners have been around so long and are so popular sometimes I forget that some women are new to liners that aren’t pencils. In case you are just starting to explore different kinds of liners, two brushes I really like to use are the Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eye Liner Brush and wider smudge brushes like Tom Ford Eyeliner/ Eye Definer Brush #15. For gel liners sometimes I don’t want a super precise line because I like to pack on the color a bit more and then smudge with one brush. Smudge brushes help me do this.

Comparisons below show how Black Scotch is quite different from many other bronzy brown eyeliners. There might be dupes from MAC with some of the limited-edition releases but many of my pencils are still buried somewhere in a storage box (note Bobbi Brown Bronze has been discontinued):

One last shot:

Bottom line: a beautiful classic. I really like that it’s a deep color without being brown or black. The bronze and gold shimmer is visible once you apply it without it being too glitzy. It has just the right amount of sparkle.

You can find the Black Scotch Gel Liner at all Bobbi Brown counters now. Online at Bobbi Brown, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Bloomingdales, and Lord and Taylor. Note that it is listed as a limited-edition color, but right now it should still be relatively easy to find.
Did you check out anything from the Bobbi Brown holiday collection? I picked up the gold highlighter, lipstick and nail polish (swatched and featured here). I’m debating whether or not to track down the pink highlighter.
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Fresh Blue Box at The Grove This Thursday, November 20th

November 19, 2014

This Thursday on November 20th, Fresh Beauty will have their special Fresh Blue Box parked at the Grove in Los Angeles for everyone to visit. They will have an assortment of fun activities and the Fresh Beauty team will be giving out free Fresh goodies/samples. You can also create customized cosmetic cases with your own lip print and signature. In addition they will have chances for you to enter contests and experience Fresh’s beloved Sugar Lip Treatments first hand. The Fresh Blue Box will be at The Grove Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm.

If you can’t make it to their stop in LA this week, the Fresh Blue Box will also be making an appearance at the new Fresh store opening in Pasadena on December 10th – 11th. For more information be sure to visit their microsite Fresh Blue Box or follow them through their pages on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with the latest (look for #freshbluebox).

If you aren’t in Southern California an are unable to make it to either stop, you can still experience the Blue Box from home with their My First Fresh Kiss campaign. This is a fun interactive microsite to celebrate their beloved Sugar Lip Treatment. Now through December 12th, Fresh fans can visit the Fresh Blue Box website to enter the Kissing Confessional. Share the story of your first kiss by uploading a video or photo for the chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree on Fresh.com. (Look for #FirstFreshKiss on their social channels.)
This looks like a fun event I thought I’d share. I totally wish I could visit the Blue Box at The Grove tomorrow, but my schedule is tied up this week so I won’t be able to make it. If you are in the Los Angeles area and are able to go, snap a picture and let me know. I would love to hear about it!
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Holiday Gift Guide: Travel and Trial-Sized Beauty

November 19, 2014

Here is my first gift guide for the holiday season. This time of year always brings about tempting value sets and travel-sized beauty gifts. I think these travel-friendly sets are a great way to try new skincare without committing to the full-sized options. For color, if you’re one of the types that takes forever to use up an eyeliner or lipstick, minis are the way to go and get more options for the same price. Here are some gifts this year that I think look like great samplers.

2 Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Party Essentials Sampler
6 Diptyque 5 Piece Mini Candle Set
8 Fresh Sugar Cravings Kissing Trio 
12 Marc Jacobs Beauty The Sky-liner 7 Piece Mini Set
13 NARS Virtual Domination Cheek Palette

Have you bought any good sets this year yet? I’d love to hear what you’ve been eyeing and any loves so far. I’m always up for recommendations on what is the latest and greatest on the market for the holiday sets and gifts.

Some more gift set ideas below:

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Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Intention 633, Expression 635 and Exception 639

November 18, 2014

Chanel released three new Le Vernis Nail Colors ($27 each for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz) in conjunction with the Rouge Allure Gloss collection. The three shades include:
  • Intention 633 a medium camel-beige nude with a slight hint of gold shimmer
  • Expression 635 a medium-bright pink red cream
  • Exception 639 a deep wine brown with a hint of warm red
All three shades are similar to previously released shades so you may want to shop your stash if you have a lot of pink-reds or brown-reds. Unfortunately I don’t have swatches to compare since I’m completely out of nail wheels and my fingers can’t take a lot of swatching right now with the dry weather and load of polish remover.


Intention 633 is a warm beige with a slight hint of gold shimmer in the bottle. It has a bit of pink in it making a slight salmon colored tint. On the nails the gold isn’t visible. I thought this would be my favorite since I adore neutrals, there’s something about the color that is extremely unflattering on my skintone. It makes my olive skin look extremely sallow. I don’t think I’ve given many Chanel nail polishes a thumbs down on color, but for me this is a definite no. If you can wear warm beiges easily, the formula is very nice and smooth. You can get full coverage with two coats. I do believe this is a unique color. It’s reminiscent of Inattendu which is sheerer and more wearable (for me at least).



Expression 635 is a medium-bright pink red rose. In the bottle it looks like a straight red, but there is a slight hint of bright pink mixed in making it a softer red. The pink brightens the color so it’s not quite as sharp as a true red. Out of all the Chanel reds, Pirate is the most blue-based that I’ve tried. Expression by comparison is brighter and more vibrant. Even though I own a lot of other reds, this one is a must for me. The mix of pink in it makes it really pretty. It has a similar vibe to Suspicious which is more blue-based, while Expression has more red.

Exception 639 is a unique brown and brick red mix. It’s not quite a vamp, but it’s not brown, and it’s not red either. It’s a mix of several different shades making it a reddish brown. The formula is really phenomenal with this one. It’s smooth, pigmented and very glossy. The red in it gives the color a bit of warmth so it’s not too dark on the nails. In direct light it appears more red, in natural light or the shade, it will look more brown. It reminds me of Accessoire minus the plum and with a bit more warmth.

 This is in direct sunlight so it looks more red than it does in natural light:

Out of the three, I like Expression (the pink one) the best even though I own so many pink-reds. Given the similarities of all the colors to previously released shades, I can’t say any of them are must-haves, even for a die-hard Chanel Nail Polish collector like myself. Still, Exception (the brown) is a very nice brown brick red with a classic but soft touch. If you missed out on previously released nail polishes, I would say these are good classic shades everyone should have in their nail polish collection.
Bottom line: Expression and Exception are nice to have, but not must-haves. If you have similar skin to me, I would say skip Intention. I usually always look forward to new nail polish releases from Chanel. They make such lovely colors and I adore the formula. This collection’s releases were a bit disappointing for me because I feel like they could have released more unique colors. Or re-released some past amazing limited-edition colors (such as any of the Russies, Haute Chocolat, Kaleidoscope, Wonderland, Malice etc.)

All three shades are available at Chanel counters and boutiques now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Saks and Chanel.com. Will you be getting any of the shades or are these a pass for you? If you already did buy these, what did you think?

P.S. Chanel Sweet Star is back in stock on Chanel.com, if you were waiting, I suggest you order soon! Swatches and original post here.
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