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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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Tom Ford Black Sugar Nail Lacquer – Fall 2013

September 1, 2013

Tom Ford Black Sugar #24 Nail Lacquer ($32 for .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a plum-taupe cream infused with red shimmer. The mix of colors is quite unique – I haven’t seen anything like it. On my nails Black Sugar applied semi-opaque. The texture was smooth and easy to apply, but two coats didn’t give full coverage. Three coats gave full smooth coverage. Lasting power was quite good, using Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and Chanel’s Laque Brilliance Extreme. I was able to get 4 full days of wear before I saw any tip wear. No chipping issues, although by day 4 the sheen from the top coat had worn off and the polish looked a bit dull (Chanel and Dior by comparison manage to stay shiny for me through day 4-5). Tom Ford Black Sugar is a complex shade in the sense that it’s both taupe and plum. The red shimmer is very subtle on the nails. It’s only visible if you look closely in direct light. However it’s not quite as invisible as some shimmers in Chanel shades like Jade Rose or Vertigo.

Here it is swatched, looking warmer and more taupey:

Below shows more plum:

In direct sunlight with flash, more taupe and the red shimmer is visible on the nail (but subtle):

Another view, darker lighting makes the color pull more dusty purple:

Initial thoughts that it looked like a cross between Chanel Particuliere and Paradoxal. Below are comparisons to both and also OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and Chanel Vertigo:

Since Tom Ford Black Sugar, Chanel Paradoxal and Vertigo are the colors with the subtle shimmers, here are two sets of swatches. You can see below that in regular light without flash, Black Sugar has a very similar feel to the OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and Chanel Particuliere.

I really love Tom Ford’s Black Sugar for fall. The red shimmer (although subtle) makes it special for me, but the price tag is hard to justify. I was a little bummed the prices increased to $32 per bottle, but the color is really lovely and I like the quality of this color.  It’s listed as limited-edition so if you’re interested I suggest you try to track one down soon. I do think it’s really close to a few other shades so if you’re not crazy about taupes for nails, you may want to pass on this and shop your stash.

Available online at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Tom Ford.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer: Le Charm #112

August 15, 2013
Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer: Le Charm #112 ($18 for 13 ml/0.43 fl oz, Sephora) is a glitzy warm coppery pink. Le Charm is loaded with tons of sparkle in gold, pink, silver, copper – it has a similar complex finish to Petra (reviewed here). The formula for this one seemed to be slightly thinner than the other two I purchased, but still thicker than most polishes I own. Out of the three shades I bought from Sephora, Le Charm had the best application. It goes on smoothly and covers the nail entirely with just one coat. Dry time seemed to be very quick. I’ve worn this color for a few days now – you definitely need a good top coat to extend the wear. I’ve tested it with Chanel’s Top Coat on one hand and no top coat on the other. Without a good layer on top, tip wear and chipping happens within one day. The complexity of the color makes it look pinkish at some angles. In different lighting it flashes more copper. This one is my favorite out of the three I purchased.

Here are swatches with two coats, no top coat. You can see how it looks slightly pink in some photos while in others it’s more coppery/peach:

I found it unique compared to other shades. I don’t have anything that comes close in undertone or complexity. For a glitzy pink, I love that it has just enough coppery/peach that it doesn’t look too metallic with the silvery glitters. The balance of color is perfect. Compared below to Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle, Shu Uemura P996 (old discontinued shade) and MAC Soiree.

Bottom line: love. Marc Jacobs Beauty is available at Sephora as an exclusive. Have you checked out the Marc Jacobs line?

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer: Gatsby #110

August 14, 2013

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Gatsby #110 ($18 for 13 ml/0.43 fl oz) is a metallic champagne pink. It’s rich pigmented shade with a metal-like finish. I found the color to be unique compared to other metallic pinks. Gatsby has a slight mauvey tone to it. The formula was a bit difficult to work with – I found this one to be thicker than most shades that applied with a streaky finish and visible brush strokes. Once dried and with two coats applied the strokes blended out a bit. The metallic quality is a bit sharp with this one contrasting with my olive skintone. I’m not sure whether I like it or not – I’m on the fence with this color. More photos and swatches below.

In sunlight:

Swatches:

A few comparisons below to Le Metier de Beaute True Romance, Guerlain Petite Robe Noire and Chanel Violette.

Overall – still undecided. I know it’s expected that brush strokes are visible with metallics. I’m not sure if the photos captured those streaks. Gatsby is a lovely striking shade that’s neutral but with that edge from the shimmer. You can find Marc Jacobs beauty exclusively at Sephora.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer: Petra #140

August 13, 2013

Marc Jacobs Petra #140 Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer ($18 for 13 ml/0.43 fl oz, Sephora.com) is a rich complex sparkly plum-taupe-silver. It’s one of those shades loaded with multi-colored shimmers giving a foiled metallic look (think along the lines of Chanel Graphite and Delight). Petra has a thick formula that requires a slow and steady application. You need to let the first coat dry entirely before you apply the second. I had to redo several nails as I tried to smooth out the first coat (which didn’t work too well). The finish is smooth and streak-free. It has a smooth texture and feels like one of those shades that will adhere well to the nail and last a long time.

Here it is swatched with two coats, although one coat covered the nail entirely. It’s mostly a purply-taupe on me, but looks silvery depending on how the light captures the silver flecks.

In sunlight with flash:

In sunlight, no flash:

I couldn’t find anything quite like Petra. In the store it looked like it could match a few OPI shades but when I pulled comparisons, I couldn’t find any dupes. Here it is compared to Rococo Metal Jacket, OPI Holiday Glow, OPI The World is Not Enough and Dior Aztec Chocolate (now called New World Purple). All of these shades are rather complicated shimmers. Here are 2 sets of the same shades so you can see the shimmers:

I love the color. I wish I had this in an eyeshadow and eyeliner form. I wish I had this color in my closet as well. It’s perfect for this time of year and I found it unique. It’s a beautiful complex metallic without being too glitzy. I love that Petra has a lot of purple, taupe and brown mixed into the color with a tiny bit of silver. I’m currently testing and swatching half a dozen nail polishes or else I’d have this color on my nails the rest of the month – tips and toes. Marc Jacobs Beauty is currently exclusive to Sephora.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquers – Preview

August 12, 2013

Marc Jacobs Beauty launched at Sephora last week. I stopped by my local store to check out the line and picked three of the Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquers ($18 each for 13 ml/0.43 oz). There is a wide range of colors and textures to pick from. I saw creams, shimmers, frosts, glitters and some sheers. I picked out three of the shimmery shades in Gatsby, Le Charm and Petra as my first intro to the line. I’m working on reviews and swatches as fast as I can on each shade. For now, here is a sneak preview. The bottles are so cute. They have a pull off cap and I love that the bottles feel very sturdy. Part of the display at Sephora.

The packaging and brush:

Gatsby, Le Charm and Petra close ups:

Detailed report to follow shortly. Did you check out the Marc Jacobs Beauty collection at your Sephora? Did you pick anything up? I’m all ears for what everyone has tried 🙂

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Chanel Paradoxal 509 Le Vernis – Revisited

August 4, 2013

On the nails this past week: Chanel Paradoxal 509 ($27 for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz). This color came out years ago with the Fall 2010 collection but remains a classic. It’s a lovely dusty grey purple cream that has that Chanel shimmer in the bottle but applies more like a cream. If you look closely at the nails (once it’s applied) you can see a beautiful sheen. I do wish the shimmer was more visible but it is still a lovely classic shade with a twist – different from your traditional vamps or reds. Chanel Paradoxal worked well with shades of black, white, navy and even orange from my work wardrobe. Many have tried to dupe it with less expensive alternatives. See the verdict on Lacquerized, Pink Sith, and The Swatchaholic.

Here you can see how the shimmer flashes depending on the light:

From the Fall 2010 Chanel Campaign:

Swatches with two coats:

You can find Chanel Paradoxal 509 at all Chanel retailers. Do you find yourself revisiting older classics? What are you wearing on your nails right now?

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