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Deborah Lippmann Jewel Heist Picks: Fake It Til You Make It, Glitter and Be Gay, Shake Your Money Maker

September 22, 2013
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Deborah Lippmann makes the best glitters. Her line is one of the few that catches my eye enough to brave the glitzy chunky glitters even though I’m very conservative when it comes to makeup and nail polish. Her fall Jewel Heist collection has some beautiful glitzy shades. I was really surprised with myself for caving on Fake It Til You Make It ($17), Glitter and Be Gay along with Shake Your Money Maker (glitters $19 each). Every now and then I’ll try something way out of my comfort zone, determined to make the items work for me. These colors were just so stunning in the bottles I couldn’t pass, but after testing I found these to be extremely glitzy. I’m not sure exactly when I’ll find the right occasion to wear these since I work full-time in a conservative corporate environment. (I’m testing the glitters on the toes this weekend.)

Fake It Til You Make It is a glitzy textured gold-platinum infused with red, green and silver micro glitters. Two coats give a rich super metallic look. It’s the only one of the three I feel comfortable wearing on my fingers but still a bit too glitzy for me to wear to work.

Glitter and Be Gay is a mesmerizing gold glitter infused with smaller chunks of multi-colored sparkles. Like many other glitters, this one requires careful application to get glitter on the nail. Two rounds of dabbing and then brushing get the nail covered evenly with still a bit of the bare nail showing through underneath. It looks pretty layered on top of a red or another gold. Extremely glitzy though.

Shake Your Money Maker has a sheer transparent green base, large chunks of gold glitter and then smaller chunks of green glitter. It has a festive holiday feel. I love the color but still have no idea when I’ll actually be able to wear it.

Here they are swatched, two coats each:

Fake It Til You Make It is the only one I’ve tested so far for a full manicure. Here it is swatched and another set with comparisons to prior limited-edition shades (unfortunately no longer available):

Definitely out of my comfort zone but irresistibly gorgeous. I can’t stop staring at the bottles! As a business/financial analyst – I don’t think I can pull these off at work (call me boring but I just can’t do it). Do you like glitters for nails? Can you wear them easily or are you more on the conservative side for nails? 

I found these at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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Dior Vernis Nuit 1947 #970

September 19, 2013

I spotted Dior Nuit 1947 ($24 for 10 ml/0.33 fl oz) on This That Beauty’s Instagram here and here and fell in love. I ordered it as soon as it popped up online. Dior Nuit 1947 #970 is a dark vamp with a jelly finish. The texture makes it on the sheer side. It applies with a see-through finish that can be a bit streaky with two coats. Applying a third coat seemed to be a must for me to achieve a rich dark even finish.

If you look closely at the bottle you will see very subtle shimmers. It’s not really visible on the nail except at certain angles.

Here it is swatched with two coats:

Here it is with three coats:

More with three coats:

I’m out of nail wheels so I wasn’t able to do a lot of comparisons. Among the vamps I pulled I did find Dior Nuit 1947 to be the deepest richest vamp with three coats. The look is very similar to many other vamps though. Unless you have direct sunlight shining on your nails, most of the vamps look identical in natural light. Here are a few comparisons I pulled to Chanel Diabolic (d/c), Chanel Western Light (limited), Chanel Rouge Noir (d/c) and Chanel Strong (d/c).

With flash:

No flash, under artificial light:

I really like Dior Nuit 1947. It is a bit high maintenance since it definitely needs three coats. The finish is rich and glossy though. If you have a lot of vamps I don’t think the new Dior is a must-have. It’s very similar to other classic vampy nail colors.
You can find Dior Nuit 1947 now on Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Sephora along with all Dior retailers.

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Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy – Heat #304

September 16, 2013

Armani has released a new formula of lipstick called Rouge Ecstasy ($34 each for 4.2 ml/4g). There are 36 different shades encased in a drop-dead gorgeous bright red magnetic-capped tube. I was drawn to all the peaches the first time I tested these. The first color I picked up was Heat #304 a bright coral-pink. The Rouge Ecstasy lipsticks are thick in texture with a slight tacky feel when you apply. They don’t glide on easily but they don’t really tug at the lips either. The texture makes the color adhere well to the lips helping it last longer than most Armani lipsticks. The color is easily layerable. Swipe the tubes on the lips a few times, allow to sit and then press the lips together to blend the color and the lipstick then feels weightless but moist. There is a very soft lipstick rose scent – it’s not noticeable when you apply though.
Heat #304 is a bright coral-pink. There is a slight transparent quality since there is a glossy finish to the shade. There is a bit of shimmer in the tube which is on the subtle side. It’s noticeable but very very subtle. It adds dimension and brightens the color. I love how you can adjust the look with the color. One even swipe gives a healthy glow. Multiple swipes brightens the color to a vibrant coral.

Here it is swatched, on the lips it pulls more pink on me:

For lips I have tons of nudes and peaches. Often times corals and peaches look the same in the tubes or swatched but apply differently on the lips depending on undertone, pigment and shimmer. I found Heat #304 most similar to Chanel Mystique. I prefer the Armani since it’s not quite as dry and appears a bit more natural on the lips due to the subtle sheen. More comparisons below to NARS Lodhi, Tom Ford Insidious (swatched here), YSL Rouge Volupte #30, MAC Coral Bliss, Chanel Mystique (reviewed here), Chanel Flirt (reviewed here) and Edward Bess Forbidden Flower.

I’m overall very pleased with Heat #304. I just picked up a few more of the nudes which I’ll be testing this week. The Armani Rouge Ecstasy Lipsticks have a very nice moist feel on the lips without being too moist. I like that the texture is thick but still a bit shiny. The lasting power is quite good considering most of my other Armani lipsticks tend to fade quickly due to the sheerness. All Armani counters should have received the testers and product for sale. I found mine at Neiman Marcus. You can also find them online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and GiorgioArmaniBeauty-USA.com.

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Chanel Vamp 18 Le Vernis – Revisited

September 8, 2013


Chanel Le Vernis in Vamp #18 ($27 for 13 ml/0.4 oz) is one of my most-worn nail colors and is one of the few polishes I’ve used up completely – twice. Vamp was one of my first colors back in the 90’s when Chanel nail polishes were only in the $15-18ish range. The original was different than today’s version but I never kept the bottle after it was used so I can’t provide a comparison of the then vs. now. Chanel Vamp has still remained a cult classic. It’s been swatched and featured on this blog numerous times as the baseline for classic vamp comparisons. See it compared to YSL Prune Minimale, Chanel Provocation, Vamp Favorites (2012 edition), Dior Galaxie, and Chanel Malice to name a few. I have it on the nails this weekend as I’m going through a vampy/aubergine color obsession again.

Chanel Vamp is listed as a permanent shade. You can find it at all Chanel counters and beauty studios. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks. What’s on your nails this weekend?

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The Beauty Look Book featured on Makeup and Beauty Blog

September 6, 2013

Today I’m featured as a guest on Makeup and Beauty Blog with a mini-interview and a post about a favorite Chanel staple of mine.
Fun fact: Karen was the one who inspired me to start my own blog back in 2009. At that time I was in grad school, just starting to get into social media. Karen’s blog was one of my first regular reads. She had openings for guest writers, I submitted an idea and she featured it! The article was on Le Metier de Beaute. She was so encouraging, friendly, and inspiring. I had so much fun with her that I decided to start my own blog.

Her warm and kind spirit shows through her writing style. She’s always upbeat – one reason I love reading her blog each and every day (multiple times a day). If you’re not following her yet, be sure to follow Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog, Twitter @karenmbb, Instagram @karenmbb!

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Inside My Makeup Bag

September 6, 2013

Right now my makeup bag is loaded with too many lip products, but I can never be satisfied carrying just one or two lip items:
  1. Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner (reviewed here)
  2. Dior Addict Gloss in Nuit Boreale #157
  3. Tom Ford Lip Shine in Abandon
  4. Tom Ford Lipstick in Pink Dusk (older packaging swatched here and here)
  5. YSL Volupté Sheer Candy in Lush Coconut
  6. Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream (mini gift)
  7. MAC Lovechild Lipglass (the best mauve-plum for me)
  8. Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #10
  9. Chanel Les Beiges Powder (reviewed here)
  10. Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily (sample, on my wishlist)
  11. Trish McEvoy Short Handled Brush (old)

What’s in your makeup bag now?

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Tom Ford Show Me the Pink Nail Lacquer – Fall 2013

September 2, 2013

Tom Ford Show Me the Pink #25 Nail Lacquer ($32 for .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a warm nude pink cream with subtle silver sparkles. On my skin it pulls a bit peachy similar to Chanel Emprise (from last Spring 2013), but just a tad lighter and more pink. I found the formula with this color a bit difficult to work with. It too a bit of work to be able to apply evenly and smooths out with 3 coats. I had to spend a lot of time cleaning up the edges near the cuticles. Once applied it does look quite lovely – it’s an understated but pigmented pinkish-peach. The shimmers don’t really show up at all on the nails. Lasting power is quite good with this color.

Here it is swatched with three coats:

Comparisons to Dior Beige Lotus 211, Chanel Emprise (still available at Saks and Chanel.com), Tom Ford Toasted Sugar and Laura Mercier Oh La La (discontinued):

I can’t say this one is a must-have mainly because I found the formula difficult to work with. I was able to get it to work but it wasn’t easy to apply for me. Do note that I found Tom Ford Vapor from summer difficult to work with while many others had no issues, so your mileage may vary. I wasn’t super excited about the color although my husband and a few friends liked it enough to comment.
Tom Ford Show Me the Pink is limited-edition, as of May 2015, now permanent. It retails for $32 and should be arriving at your local Tom Ford Beauty counters now. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.

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