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Chanel Le Vernis for Fall 2011: Quartz, Graphite and Peridot

June 18, 2011

Chanel Fall 2011 has broken my blog break and has also eaten into my savings for a Chanel mini-flap. I am still highly ecstatic. My first feature on the Fall Collection will be on new Le Vernis shades ($25 each). The theme for nails is metallic where light plays a key role in the final result of what you see on the nails. The colors are slightly translucent in texture so you can build intensity with two or more coats. Each shade has a slightly different finish and quality making each color unique.

  • Quartz 525 is a frosted silvery brown taupe (I’d describe this as a smooth and soft metallic)
  • Graphite 529 is a highly metallic glittery silver-gunmetal (this one is intense, almost foiled-like, the tiny particles reflect light making this a multi-dimensional shade)
  • Peridot 531 reminds me of a scarab beetle, the color is complex with green, yellow, brown, blue I’m hard pressed to put a description on this (it’s almost duochrome, almost frost-like, but non-streaky and simply glows)
The photo at the very top shows the shades in natural light, no flash but with direct sun shining on the colors. The photo below is the same angle and also with natural light, but with an added high flash from the camera so you can see the other metallic qualities/colors.

Another angle reveals the complexity of these shades



Quartz

Graphite

Peridot

Each swatch has 2 coats. I love Quartz and Graphite. Peridot is such a unique color but I’m not loving it. Comparisons to other shades to come soon but for inquiring minds – these are all very unique and different from any previous Chanel or Dior release. These are very “fall” though. I personally adore virtually everything Chanel releases. However some of you might not be feeling in the mood to wear these for a couple months when the real fall season arrives. (FYI this is how I felt with Chanel Paradoxal last year when it came out end of June.)
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Les Rouges by Dior: Trafalgar, Gruau G and Icône

June 14, 2011

In January, Dior released their limited edition Gris City Collection. This fall, Dior brings us another limited edition nail polish trio in a red theme called Les Rouges. The three new shades are called Trafalgar 747, Gruau G 837 and Icône 862 ($21 each). Fashion Polish gave us an amazing sneak peek last month. I wasn’t expecting these to arrive instore/online until September, but many thanks to a few who let me know these arrived early at the Dior Boutique in Las Vegas! I suspect they will be online at Dior.com soon, store availability will most likely be exclusive to select Dior Boutiques if these are like the Gris City collection. According to Dior:

“Trafalgar 747 A bright luminous poppy red with a hint of orange. A dynamic echo of the spectacular red designs that Christian Dior liked to send out right in the middle of his shows to catch the audience’s attention.

Gruau G 837 Flamboyant and seductive, a sophisticated tribute to the radiant red of Gruau’s illustrations. The eternal passionate red of a chic Parisian. A red celebrated in a blaze at thelatest Spring-Summer 2011 Haute-Couture show, inspired by Gruau G*.

Icône 862 A dense and enchanting subtly pearly red brown, recalling Rouge icône, created by Christian Dior to light up the mythical Spring-Summer 1955 “Atout Coeur” dress. Today the House of Dior still pays symbolic tribute to this refined red with lavish dresses in every show.“

When these arrived at my door, my heart sank a little bit as they looked a bit too basic in the bottle but I knew I had to see them on the fingers to get a better idea of how they would look on me. Two coats each on three fingers resulted in absolute red perfection. They are so much better on the hands than what you see in the bottle (although the color in the bottles is still very pretty).

With a high flash:


In direct sunlight:


Dior’s descriptions are spot on and Fashion Polish had swatches and photographs that are gorgeously accurate. Trafalgar is a vibrant coral red poppy creme with the slightest hint of sparkle. The shimmer is barely detectable but I believe it gives this hot red a bit of depth to prevent it from being flat and shocking from the brightness. Gruau G is a vibrant brick red creme, also has the same finish with a tiny bit of microsparkle. Icône is a deep burgandy brownish shimmer. This one has visible shimmer but the color is dark so unless you look at the nail closely, what you see looks like a cream.



The formula is impeccable. Rich, opaque, smooth, glossy and quick-drying although Icône is a bit thicker and needs 2 full coats to get a smooth application (first coat is slightly blotchy). All swatches are without a topcoat.

Are they must-haves or unique? I would say they are not the most unique and if you have reds in your collection these are not must-haves. Still, once on the fingers, these look rich and classic and the formula is amazing. My comparisons (some are really really close in color):

L to R – Dior Trafalgar, Chanel Enthusiast, Chanel Dragon, Dior Gruau G, MAC Rouge Marie, Dior Icône, Chanel Vamp, Chanel Cosmic Violine

All content and photos are copyrighted. Kindly please do not steal, republish or hotlink on other websites, blogs or message boards.

To those inquiring, yes, I am still on a blogging break. These were just TOO amazing to wait until July to write about and as Chanel fall arrives instores, I suspect I will not be able to contain my excitement either.
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Chanel Dragon 475 Le Vernis: Ode To Café Makeup

June 11, 2011

I’ve written about Dragon Le Vernis by Chanel on numerous occasions but as I was going through my archives and realized I haven’t done a full proper review on this classic red. This post is dedicated to Café Makeup, currently gone, but definitely not forgotten. Her blog was phenomenal and an extremely valuable resource to us all. I know we are all hopeful for a possible return in the near future! At the same time, I wish her and Liz all the best for their plans right now. Chanel Dragon was Café Makeup’s signature red. Everytime I thought of or looked at my Chanel Dragon, I thought of Cafe Makeup 🙂 She described it as epic. Indeed it is. It’s sharp, crisp, rich, eye-catching in a classic sophisticated way. It looked amazing on her fair skin and it seems to be a universally flattering red for all skintones.

Here are a few photos of Chanel Dragon Le Vernis.

Nars Baroque on the lips (previously featured here)

I have quite a few favorite reds, Chanel Dragon is at the top of my list. Do you have a favorite red nail polish? Note I will be out of town most of the day, so I will be checking in comments but you may see a delay in approvals. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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My Must-Have Nail Polishes Plus a Little Update …

June 5, 2011

A few of you have e-mailed me asking “what are your top picks for nails?” This is a tough question! As with many other products, my favorites are subject to change week after week. I’ve picked 5 color categories of what my must-haves for nails are. My favorites fall mainly within a few select brands, but many of my readers either don’t like the brand, formula or price. However, those who do love the same brands as me, for each category I’ve included my right-now favorites by brand/color. Most of these have been previously featured. (Update: It appears the sidebar google search isn’t working so I’ve linked past reviews to each name as applicable below.)

I think everyone needs:






A few nail spam pictures

Django

Black Pearl

Rococo Reissue

And …

The Beauty Look Book is going on a mini-summer break from blogging the month of June. I have quite a few projects coming up which will require more time and dedication. But not to worry! Blog posting for me will not come to a complete halt this next month although there will be a significant slow down in the upcoming weeks. I will have limited time to respond to e-mails or comments but will keep you updated on my latest finds in the upcoming month and complete a few more reviews on things I’ve been loving but haven’t had time to write about yet.

The inside my new Chanel feature will be posted sometime later this week.

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Dolce & Gabbana Passione Nail Lacquer

May 16, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana Passione Nail Lacquer 121 ($20) is new for summer 2011. It’s currently available at Saks. I would describe it as a rich and bright cool magenta. Passione is one of those colors that you can’t really tell if it’s purple or pink or mauve – or a mixture of all three. I think this is one of those colors everyone would describe differently. It applies smoothly with rich color in just 2 thin coats. I find lasting power pretty good for Dolce & Gabbana. No chips, smooth application, just your normal tip wear after a couple days.


Outdoors in direct sunlight:


I couldn’t find any dupes in my collection, although Makeup Magpie did find a dupe (see her post here). Comparisons from my own personal nail polish collection, L to R: to Chanel Pulsion, Chanel Splendeur, Dolce & Gabbana Passione, Dolce & Gabbana Rose, Chanel Fantastic



Overall thoughts: LOVE, although I think this will be better suited for toes for me. It does appear easily dupe-able. I just don’t have any dupes.

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Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime Picks

May 15, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana’s latest release, the Italian Summertime collection, has arrived at Saks. Nikki from the Houston store called to let me know the new shades arrived just in time for their Saks Friends and Family. Her descriptions are always so helpful, but luckily I saw the items featured on Makeup Magpie the same week so knew what to expect before my package arrived.

A quick breakdown of the new colors in the collection plus over the phone descriptions:

  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Venere (vibrant cream orange red)
  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla (nude tan cream)
  • Shine Lipstick in Perla (pale frosted pink)
  • Shine Lipstick in Luna (pale gold champagne)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Acqua (clear with white frost shimmer)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Cannella (dark brown shimmer)
  • Precision Lipliner in Caramello (tan brown)
  • Smooth Eye Color Quad in Vulcano
  • Eyeliner in Bronzo (taupe bronze gold shimmer)
  • Eyeliner in Agave (deep forest green shimmer)
  • Mascara in Dahlia (dark plum)
  • Intense Nail Lacquer in Passione (rich fuchsia magenta mauve)
  • Luminous Cheek Color in Sole (vibrant red)
Based on Nikki’s recommendations, I ordered everything she thought I would love: Vulcano Quad, Sole Blush, Mandorla Lipstick, Perla Lipstick, Agave Eyeliner, Bronzo Eyeliner, Passione Nail Lacquer and the Dahlia Mascara (not featured).

Vulcano Quad:

Agave (top) and Bronzo (bottom) Eye Liners:

Sole Blush:

Top to bottom: Mandorla, Perla, Passione

I haven’t had time to play with anything yet except the Passione Nail Polish. I highly recommend you visit Makeup Magpie’s blog – she has done a lovely series on her picks complete with amazing swatches and comparisons. I will do a more detailed feature on each item in the upcoming week.

Many of you ask “where do you buy brand x?” You may notice I normally do not write about who I buy from mainly because I want you to go out and explore and discover makeup artists and sales associates on your own. I believe it’s best for you to develop a personal relationship with a brand expert who can see you in person to really know what you like and what looks good on you. After all makeup shopping is about more than just the product, it’s about the experience!

However, with hard-to-find brands, it’s a different story. I will help in any way I can. With HTF items, we often times end up ordering online. It’s definitely convenient and it’s hassle free from overzealous associates who overpromise and under-deliver (hate those). But online swatches are crummy and you often miss out on promotions, GWPs and sometimes great customer service.

I’ve written about Nikki before – she’s amazing (I didn’t tell her about my blog at first, but someone else spilled the beans and when she asked, I did tell her, yes, I have one). I’ve never met her in person, but she is friendly, upbeat, prompt in letting me know when new things arrive and never fails to give me super accurate descriptions over the phone. Her product knowledge is superb. She foundation-matched me over the phone twice (once when I was tan, and then recently when I got lighter). Both times were a perfect match. The GWPs she has with her store are generous and while the minimums might be higher than most brands, they are not ridiculously high (around $100 to $150) and they often include at least 2 full sized products plus a makeup bag. The items in Dolce & Gabbana GWPs are nice items that are usable. Bonus!

You can reach Nikki at Saks Houston at 713 627 0500 x5101. I’m not sure when their next event or GWP occurs, but she will give you the full 411.

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Loving Right Now: Spring Pinks

May 5, 2011


I’m loving spring pinks right now. I can’t get enough of them. They make me feel polished and brighten my skin in a soft and feminine way. A few favorites right now:

  • Chanel Riviera Le Vernis – reviewed here, featured here, compared to Rose Insolent here, duped here
  • Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis – reviewed here and compared here
  • Chanel Aventure Rouge Coco Shine
  • Edward Bess First Kiss Lip Gloss – featured here
  • MAC Pleasantry Mineralized Blush – from 2008ish



Compared to Bobbi Brown Pale Pink (old packaging) for color reference:

Morning Rose feels like it’s a bit faded looking – I think it’s because of the top coat I used which is the Dior from the Electric Tropics duos, I feel as though it doesn’t help colors last and makes them look slightly faded. It looks amazing on the Dior, not so much on Chanels.

All swatched on the arm for reference:


What are some of your favorite pinks?

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