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A Few Alternatives to Super Dark Nail Polish (That Are Still Kinda On The Dark Side)

October 27, 2009

When it comes to fashion and beauty trends I am not always brave enough to be a true follower. There are always styles that are cute and chic on others that I could never pull off (for example teal eyeshadow, black lipstick/gloss or leggings with boots). If you like dark nails but feel the new releases are a bit too vampy or deep, here are four softer alternatives I really like:

L to R: OPI Melody in Mocha, Paul & Joe #20 Manhattan, Urban Decay Gunmetal, Dior Lemon Balm, Chanel Noir Ceramic


* I believe the OPI and Chanel are both discontinued, but you can still find quite a few online through swap boards, ebay or discount nail e-tailers

* OPI Melody in Mocha is a complex fawn grey with slight mauve tones and gold shimmer, I was lucky to get one in a swap and love it – I think there are quite a few dupes, there’s one from China Glaze that might be similar (the flash makes it look lighter and emphasizes the silver – in real life it’s not quite as pale for the swatch at least)

* Paul & Joe #20 Manhattan is a sparkley medium-light gunmetal shimmer, it is on the sheerer side so I had to use four coats but the finished result has a lot of depth – it’s hard to explain but it looks different depending on the way the light hits the color

* Urban Decay Gunmetal is currently only available in the Apocalyptic Nail Kit, I really hope it comes out in full size, it’s a deeper gunmetal shimmer with slight brownish tones in it so it doesn’t turn blue on me like most gunmetal shades

* Dior Lemon Balm was a Nordstrom Exclusive for their last Anniversary Sale, I believe you might still be able to find it online at nordstrom.com, it’s an oddly-named color, in the container it looks more greyish, but on the nails and compared to the other greys, it definitely pulls more purple with brown shimmers

* Chanel Noir Ceramic was photographed mainly for comparison purposes, but it’s a nice black with silver shimmers which make it softer and less harsh than most blacks, a close dupe is Chanel’s Black Satin which is darker



One more view:


I’d really LOVE to hear your favorite shimmer nail polishes that are medium-to-dark. I’m always looking for more colors by recommendations to check out. I tend to feel overwhelmed when I shop at Ulta or Sephora for nail products – too many colors to choose from and I usually end up with too many reds that look almost identical.

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Macy’s Dior Exclusive Lipgloss & Nail Polish for Breast Cancer Awareness

October 21, 2009

A fellow Dior fan told me about a few exclusives she found at her Macy’s for Breast Cancer Awareness. The two exclusive items include a Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect Pink Layette 067 & Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer Pink Dahlia 251. When you purchase the 2 items together you get a cute little pink envelope mirror in a pink satin pouch. Both are pale shimmery pinks. The lipgloss is very pale and milky (see my other milky pinks lipglosses) and the nail polish is very sheer and needs 3 coats to show up, but reminds me of a more sparkley version of Chanel’s Pink Satin that came out several holiday/springs ago.



Updated nail swatches per request compared to Chanel Pink Satin (3 coats) v Pink Dahlia (4 coats):



I’ve included pictures of the tops of the boxes because I know Dior sometimes has two sets of names for each item, one used in the US and the other in other countries.


The little gift mirror with pouch:


I couldn’t find any information or products online, but check your local Macy’s Dior counter and ask about their exclusives. I believe these might have been part of the Dior Lilas collection that seemed to be available everywhere except the US (we only got the Pearly Lilac Quint).

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Dior Holiday 2009: Smoky Crystal Quint + Silver Purple Nail Polish

October 9, 2009

Dior Holiday 2009 has been spotted at my local Macy’s and I picked up the new Smoky Crystal 089 quint and Silver Purple 782 nail polish from the collection.

I just got a manicure, so I didn’t swatch the nail polish for you. I do recommend you check All Lacquered Up for a swatch of this lovely purple though. The entire holiday collection seemed very cool-toned, most of it seemed like repromoted items with the exception of a new sparkle-chrome-like single shadow and a charm with gloss.

Close up of the new eyeshadow palette:

Comparisons to a few other quints that I have to show how cool-toned it is. It’s even more cool than Sky Glow:

I don’t have dupes for the other shades, but the closest I could find to the bottom left color is MAC Moth Brown. The Dior is even more blue-cool toned than MAC Moth Brown which I consider to be one of the coolest-toned eyeshadows that I have:

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is one of the iridescent formula quints, so the pigment is very rich. It’s definitely unique and not easily dupe-able in my opinion. Lovely for a soft silvery eye or a smokey eye. There are a lot of different looks you can create with this palette.

UPDATE: I was initially worried this would be too cool-toned or frosty for my medium olive-golden skin, however, I tried it tonight and it worked just fine for me! I even ventured out of my comfort zone and used all the shades tonight and it wasn’t too frosty.

I signed up for a Dior event this next week at my local Nordstrom – so I will see if they can show me more techniques on how to use this.

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Color Focus: Deep Purple Eye Shadows

September 25, 2009

I love the smokey eye looks that come out for fall but until recently, it seems like most all the lines usually release the typical variations of black and grey for their “smokey look.” I am not one who can pull of black eyeshadow or eyeliner easily because it’s often too harsh or ends up looking blueish on my skin. I have to opt for other deep colors and did a series on Smokey Eye Variations back in June and am so excited that lines are now releasing collections with a “black/smokey” theme that include colors other than just black or grey.

I just discovered 2 new deep purple shimmery eyeshadows from MAC and Dior and thought I’d pull out some of my favorite deep purples to compare.

1. Dior Ultra-Smooth High Impact Eyeshadow in #186 Ultra Violet
2. MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Young Punk
3. Laura Mercier Sateen Eyeshadow in Kir Royal
4. MAC Fertile Eyeshadow
5. Giorgio Armani Maestro #18
6. Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in After Hours
7. Stila Poise

A few other pictures of smokey purples:

1. Bobbi Brown Metallic in After Hours
2. Chanel Magic Night
3. MAC Smut
4. MAC Deep Purple Pigment (Pro)

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Dior Beige Print Eyeshadow Comparisons

September 4, 2009

Per request this will show a few comparisons of the new Dior Beige Print Eyeshadow compared to some other shades from the original post New 1-Colour Ultra-Smoothing High Impact Eyeshadows.

Product photos:

1. Paul & Joe Pearl Powder 01
2. Nars Cyprus
3. Benefit Fawn Over Me
4. Dior Beige Print
5. MAC Deckchair
6. Shu Uemura P Brown 820
7. Dior Beige Sunshine
8. MAC Femme-Fi
9. Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Wash

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Swatches (used a sheer tinted moisturizer as a base):

1. Paul & Joe Pearl Powder 01
2. Nars Cyprus
3. Benefit Fawn Over Me
4. Dior Beige Print
5. Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Wash
6. MAC Femme-Fi
7. Shu Uemura P Brown 820
8. Dior Beige Sunshine
9. MAC Deckchair

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DiorShow Black Out Look – Catwalk Eye Makeup (Sephora Exclusive)

September 1, 2009

Received another goodie in the mail yesterday from Sephora.com along with my new shadows which is the DiorShow Black Out Look set which basically their Black Out Mascara that comes in a soft black tied pouch and a mini iridescent quint of Smoky Light 019. The set retails for $24 so you basically get that cute quint for free.

I’m a huge fan of Dior Mascaras, I actually prefer Iconic and DiorShow, but couldn’t pass on this cute quint.

I have seen this on various e-bay international seller auctions and have been looking all over to see if they have this quint in a full size, but I believe it’s only in the mini size right now. I haven’t had a chance to test it out, but it seems like what I wanted Sky Glow to be (that is the quint minus that powder blue shade which I know I will never wear).

Has anyone seen this in full size or know any other details? I think I would be in heaven if this came out in full size, even more so than when they released the Leather Palette for Eyes and Iridescent Leather quint.

* Due to the uber-tiny size of this, I probably won’t be swatching the palette. Thanks for understanding!

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New Dior 1-Colour Ultra-Smoothing High Impact Eyeshadows

September 1, 2009

Dior just released a collection of single eyeshadows in a new formula called “1-Couleur Ultra-Smooth High Impact Eyeshadow,” retailing for $27.50. Dior released a few in the new formula in Argentic 056 & Trendy Taupe 066 with their fall 2009 Jazz Club collection in the US.

I bought these from Sephora.com because of the “ONLY AT SEPHORA” note beside each shade, but it seems like Sephora simply received the new eyeshadows first (similar to the release of the reformulated Addict Lip Color where they received the lipsticks first before other retailers like Nordstrom & Bloomingdales) since today, I now see the shades available at Nordstrom.com.

Nordstrom.com describes the product saying, “Dior takes shadow play to extremes with Color Extreme powder eyeshadow singles. Maximum color. Maximum wear. In a single sweep they’re on to stay for hours. The new innovative eyeshadow uses a new Japanese slurry powder process to create a formula that delivers maximum color payoff and extreme hold in just one coat.”

Sephora.com has decent product photos and color descriptions.

I ended up purchasing two of the shades Bronzy Night 486 and Beige Print 626. I had purchased Argentic 056 when the fall collection came out.

Additional product photos, swatches and scans/pictures from various magazines.

Close up of Argentic 056:

Close up of Bronzy Night 486:

Close up of Beige Print 626:

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Swatches compared to a few other singles from the original single eyeshadow line:

1. Argentic (new formula)
2. Bronzy Night (new formula)
3. Beige Print (new formula)
4. Beige Sunshine (original formula for single shadows)
5. Brown Sequins (original formula for single shadows)

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From Oggi October 2009:
* Item #2 is Nude Luminescence 516
* Item #3 is Infra-Rose 826

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From Biteki September 2009:
* Item #1 is Infra-Rose 826
* Item #2 is Beige Print 626

Actual product compared to magazine (Beige Print):

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From Biteki September 2009:
* Item #1 is Gold Touch 546
* Item #2 is Trendy Taupe 066

These come in the same size compact as the One-Colour Eyeshadow which retail for $25.00, I don’t know what the difference is in formula that would justify the higher price tag of $27.50 (which I think is really steep). I will have to play around with the colors a bit more to see exactly what the difference is, but initially, it seems that the new formula is more shimmery and the texture is highly pigmented and slightly creamy versus powdery like traditional eyeshadows.

Overall I’m really pleased with the pigmentation and the shimmer is finely milled so it’s not over the top or too subtle. I will definitely be on the lookout for the product instores to test out the other colors like Nude Luminescence, Ultra Violet & Brown Fever.

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