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Diorific Vernis Gold Coffret – Saks Exclusive | Holiday 2013

December 3, 2013

Saks has released an exclusive nail trio this year, the Diorific Vernis Gold Coffret ($70, limited-edition). The colors in this set include Almee #291 a sheer sparkly gold with tiny micro glitters, Aladin #668 a warm metallic copper, and Apparat #871 a shimmery red infused with gold. It’s a repeat of last year’s Printemps Christmas 2012 set released in
limited quantities and stores. It also contains Apparat, a repeat from
holiday 2011.

Each shade comes packaged in the beautiful holiday bottles with the gold twist off caps. Everything from the gold box to the packaging and colors is exquisite. Dior really created lovely nail colors for the holiday.

Almee #291 is a sheer sparkly gold. I suspect this will be a better top coat on warm colors to add shimmer and sparkle. The shimmer is infused with tiny clear glitters. It’s beautiful in the bottle and on the nails (even though it’s very very sheer). Here it is with three coats:

Aladin #668 is a beautiful warm coppery gold metallic shade. The metallic quality makes it apply slightly lighter on the nails compared to what you see in the bottle. I was impressed with this and how it applied pretty much streak-free (considering it’s a metallic). I didn’t have time to photograph swatch comparisons next to other Dior or Chanel golds, but Aladin is softer and lighter with a more refined shimmer giving it a softer look. Two coats below.

Apparat #871 is a repeat from holiday 2011 in special packaging. It’s a lovely neutral-cool red with gold shimmer. The pigment is incredibly rich and applies smoothly. I don’t think I ever swatched this one on the nails on this blog but it’s a lovely metallic red. (Nail wheel swatch here.)

Dior’s Diorific Vernis Gold Coffret Trio is a luxurious boxed set. The colors are lovely – especially for the holiday and I think it would make a lovely gift for the holidays. Even though I already own Apparat in the regular bottle I still think this is worth purchasing just for the packaging alone. It’s limited-edition and available in stores at Saks and online at Saks.com.

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Tom Ford Shameless Nail Lacquer Comparisons

November 21, 2013

Today I bring you a delayed comparison post for Tom Ford Shameless (reviewed here). You can definitely find colors similar since classic reds are very popular and done in almost every nail polish brand. I still find Tom Ford Shameless a gorgeous red cream that brightens the hands. My thoughts:
  • Chanel Dragon is the closest to Tom Ford Shameless. The Chanel is slightly cooler while the Tom Ford is warmer with a brighter quality.
  • Chanel Rouge Fatal is significantly darker than Shameless.
  • Chanel Rouge Rubis (reviewed here) looks electric next to any other reds I own.
  • Dior Marilyn (from the 2012 holiday set) is also very close in color, but more blue-based with a wine colored finish.

Tom Ford Shameless swatched below:

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Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss | Holiday 2013

November 19, 2013

Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss ($29.50 for 6.5 ml) is a new sheer shimmery peach gloss for holiday. It has a soft peachy pink base with gold and peach shimmers. It was love at first sight since I have a major weakness for peachy lipglosses. The color is on the sheer side so you may find it similar to many other peaches that provide a soft transparent peach tint.

Swatched:

For skintone reference I’m wearing NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland mixed with Edward Bess Dewy Complexion Perfector in Medium (see swatches here):

 

I pulled a few peachy glosses to compare. For reference I’ll list prices and weight in case you want to compare brands. Left to right is Burberry Cameo #8 ($27 for 6 ml), Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer #501 ($29 for 6.5 ml), MAC Imperial Light ($20 for 2.4 ml), MAC Dynasty at Dusk ($20 for 2.4 ml), Dior Enchanted Rose #451 ($29.50 for 6.5 ml) and Dior Spring Ball #343 ($29.50 for 6.5 ml, reviewed here too).

Dior Enchanted Rose looks most similar to MAC Dynasty at Dusk.

Dior Enchanted Rose is a beautiful easy to wear sheer gloss. It adds just the right amount of sheen to any lipstick. If you already have a lot of sheer peachy glosses you may want to skip, but it’s definitely worth checking out at your nearest Dior counter. I bought mine online at Nordstrom.com.

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Fragrance

All Roses | Aerin Beauty, Diptyque, By Terry, Chanel and Dior

November 18, 2013

A few things I’m loving right now all have a rose theme in common. I haven’t always been a fan of heavy rose-scented beauty products. It took me a while to get used to the floral fragrance in Chanel and Burberry beauty items. My current obsessions are all rose-themed.

Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream ($40 for 4.2 oz) is the biggest splurge I’ve made for a hand and body lotion. The price is a bit steep but worth every penny. The tube is fairly large and it works wonders as a hand cream. I love the scent which smells like candied roses with very soft and feminine feel. The cream nourishes the hands and absorbs quickly but still keeps the hands feeling moist but not greasy. It’s a total must for me as a hand saver during the dry fall/winter months.

Diptyque Roses Candle ($28 for 2.4 oz approximately 20 hours of burn time) is a warm rose scent. It’s perfect for fall to winter. I like burning this by itself but it also burns nicely alongside Baies or Mimosa. I love that this gives a warm fuzzy feeling.

By Terry Baume de Rose ($60 for 10g/0.35 oz) is a cult classic. I’ve been eyeing this for years (literally years) but could never bring myself to splurge since I tend to avoid lip products that come in pots. (I prefer tubes for easier application.) However several beauty enthusiasts and friends insisted I try this and they pushed me over the edge. I’m happy to report that it’s every bit amazing as they claimed. The Rose Balm doubles for lips and nails, but I’ve only tried it for lips so far. It has a smooth texture and a unique luscious feel that I’ve never felt in any other lip balm. There is a rose scent but it’s very faint. How does it compare to my other two favorites? I’ll have to do more testing, but for now I can’t live without all three. The texture of the By Terry is slightly thicker and adheres to the lips better and feels like absolute heaven on the lips. My favorite part of Jo Malone’s is the scent (it’s heavenly) and packaging. I love the Hourglass because of how it performs combined with the spa-like scent it has. I’m hard pressed to pick just one – but will report after a bit more testing. Bottom line is the By Terry is worth every penny. I don’t ever want to be without this lip balm. (I keep wondering if the gloss version is good too?)

Chanel Rose Moire Le Vernis ($27, limited-edition) was previously reviewed here and here. There’s something so lovely about a shimmery rose-mauve pink. I’ve worn this numerous times since I first bought this color. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you check it out at your next trip to the Chanel counter.
Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss ($29.50, limited-edition) is a new shade from the holiday collection. It’s an irresistibly gorgeous neutral peachy pink infused with gold shimmers. It’s sheer on the lips alone but works wonders when layered over an opaque lipstick. Review and swatches to follow very soon for it’s own feature.

Are you fan of rose-scented or rose-colored beauty products? What are your favorites?

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Dior Golden Snow #644 and Golden Flower #634 Eyeshadow Palettes | Holiday 2013

November 14, 2013

Dior has released two new quints for the Golden Winter Holiday collection in Golden Snow #644 and Golden Flower #634 ($60 each for 6g/0.21 oz, limited-edition, Nordstrom.com). Both contain a mix of shimmers and sparkly metallics. The colors in each palette are soft, smooth and easy to blend. Pigment level with the shimmery colors is medium but easily layerable. The sparkly shades in gold and silver are sheerer with a slight transparent-like base but they give a healthy dose of sparkle that applies evenly over the lids. I prefer to skip the sparkly shades for every-day wear, but when I tested them I found they worked best layered and pressed over the other colors to add glitz and shine. Pressing lightly helps minimize fallout.

Swatched side by side:

Golden Snow #644 is a cool-toned palette. It has a shimmery cool opal pink, a glitzy gold sparkle, a white sparkle, a light shimmery purple and a dark blackened-navy shimmer. It goes on very cool on my olive skin, but is still wearable by itself without having to mix in other shades. I do prefer something that is a bit warmer with less contrast but the colors are quite lovely on. It has a similar feel to last year’s Fairy Golds but Golden Snow is much cooler-toned (comparisons below).

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Golden Flower #634 is my favorite of the two palettes. It has a warm golden peach-pink shimmer, a soft champagne sparkle, a bronze metallic and a warm coppery brown along with a glitzy gold sparkle shade in the middle. This applies very natural on my eyes. It has a similar feel to many other warm neutrals but most other palettes do not have the same combination of colors in one compact. You can get the same effect combining Dior’s old Couture Golds (from a few holidays ago) with Chanel Spices. I do find the bronzey colors in Golden Flower unique and very pretty. This was enough for me to justify this palette.

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Two comparisons below to last year’s Dior Fairy Golds (more nude/mauve) and Chanel Spices (sheerer and less sparkly).

At first glance I thought Golden Snow might be similar to Le Metier’s Saint-Domingue (Saks Exclusive, reviewed here) but swatching side by side shows they are quite different.

Overall Golden Snow and Golden Flower are beautiful holiday palettes. You may want to try recreating the palettes with singles or mixing palettes you already own. I personally prefer the Golden Flower even though it has a similar vibe to past holiday Armani and Dior palettes. The colors are stunning for the holiday with the added sparkle shades which are beautiful to layer.
Both palettes retail for $60 each and are limited-edition. I bought mine from Nordstrom. You can find them now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks and all Dior beauty counters.

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Diorific Nail Lacquer Frimas #318 | Holiday 2013

November 11, 2013

Diorific Nail Lacquer Frimas #318 ($26 for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz, limited-edition) is a new shade for the holiday. It’s a cocoa-mauve nude-pink infused with gold and silver shimmers making it somewhat complex and a bit difficult to photograph. In the bottle it appears to be a light mauve pink. On my olive skin it turns more cocoa and darkens. From what I’ve seen, it looks different on everyone making it unique.

The complex shimmers glow in the sun:

Dior Frimas is a pigmented shade. The shimmers/tiny glitters apply smoothly and evenly although they are on the large side making the contrast with the gold and the mauve visible. I applied it with two coats:

More swatches show how it looks mauve in some photos but brown in others:

I couldn’t find anything quite like it. I envisioned it being similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, but it turned out to be very different. Here it is compared to RBL Grunge, Chanel Rose Cache, Deborah Lippmann Modern Love and Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire:

Overall Dior Frimas is a lovely unique mauve-cocoa. I think it would flatter a number of skintones for those looking for a neutral but different nude-mauve kind of shade. The color is limited-edition. For holidays Dior seems to be releasing certain shades at select counters. I couldn’t find Frimas at many counters so I’m not sure if it’s exclusive to some stores. I bought mine from Nordstrom. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Neimans and Saks.
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Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 | Holiday 2013

November 4, 2013
Dior’s holiday 2013 collection brings new nail lacquers in the special round packaging. Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 ($26 for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz, limited-edition) is a stunning vamp-plum mixed with red and gold shimmers. I thought this would be just another standard shimmery plum but Minuit really stands out with a beautiful rich glossy finish. The red and gold flecks are visible but the color is still dark enough to be vampy. In the sunlight this color glows.

Close up of the shimmers:

Swatched with two colors results in a slightly jelly finish. It has smooth coverage but is slightly transparent making the color look more red than plum. I prefer this with three coats for full coverage. The application was smooth and easy to apply.

In indirect sunlight the color is less red and more plum:
I pulled Dior Shadow #783 (discontinued, swatched here), Dior Liquorice #972 (discontinued), Dior Galaxie #992 (reviewed here), Chanel Taboo #583 (swatched here) to compare. Dior Minuit for holiday is closest to Liquorice but Minuit is darker and more dramatic. Compared to the others below you can see how the gold flecks in Minuit make it stand out compared to other shimmers.

One last swatch of Dior Minuit:

LOVE. If you’re thinking about this shade I suggest you buy soon. I’m 100% in love with it and think it’s worth every penny. Dior Holiday should be out at your counters now. You can find Minuit #995 online now at Nordstrom and Sephora.
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