I hope everyone had a great weekend! I was planning to upload swatch comparisons on the Dior Kingdom of Colors Spring 2015 Nail Polishes on Friday but took a few days off from blogging for a much-needed weekend break. As promised here are some comparisons for Dior Spring 2015 Vernis Gel Shine Nail Lacquers in Lady #294 and Glory #660. Both nail wheels have the same colors, just two different views for lighting:
Louboutin Madame Est Nue + Tres Decollete (swatched)
To me Dior Glory looks identical to my old Dior Lucky and very similar to other pinkish reds. I still love it but definitely think you can find similar colors. Dior Lady on the other hand is powder pink perfection. It’s not too dark, not too light, has full coverage and has just the right amount of cool/pink tones to make it look soft and feminine but not too pastel. I love how elegant and understated it is without being too neutral or nude.
Dior’s Spring 2015 collection is called the Kingdom of Colors. There are three new nail polishes with the collection including two new Gel-Shine Long Wear Nail Lacquers ($27 each) in Lady 294 and Glory 660 and a Blossoming Top Coat ($28). Every time I swatch a Dior nail polish I am always impressed by the formula. They’ve done a phenomenal job at creating an exquisite flawless finish and sometimes I don’t know why I use anything else. The two spring colors are stunning with full opaque and smooth coverage. The Top Coat has a clear base with tiny chunks of glitter particles in different shapes and sizes. It’s a really fun item to wear layered over other colors, but it’s just not me. More thoughts on this below.
First up is Lady #294. When I saw this online I suspected it might be very similar to Tra-La-La or Incognito, but it’s really quite different. When I swatched this color on the nails my first thought was “where has this color been all my life?!” It’s a stunning full coverage baby pink that has a hint of mauve and cool-tones in it. Pictures don’t do it justice – on the nails it’s a powder pink but not too powdery or pale and it’s super flattering for a clean polished look. This is definitely going on my backup list.
Glory #660 is a vibrant pink red with a tinge of coral. This has more of a slight jelly finish but still gives complete and full coverage on the nails with two coats. I have lots of other colors similar to this one, but I still think it’s perfect. That being said if you have a lot of warm pink/corals you may want to shop your stash and skip this one.
The Eclosion Top Coat is a party in a bottle. It’s a soft mix of pastel greens, yellow and white glitter particles in different shapes and sizes. The base is clear and the density of the glitters is on the medium side. As with many glitters that are suspended in a clear base, application can require some extra work to get it on the nail evenly. I swatched it below on top of both of the spring shades with two coats. It looks like I’m wearing a sprinkles cupcake on my fingers which is fun, but too much for my conservative makeup wearing/loving self.
I’ll have swatch comparisons loaded later this weekend (I’ll update this post). I’m still trying to find out where a couple of the shades I want to compare are. In the meantime I recommend you check out Color Me Loud’s post and comparison swatches.
Both Lady and Glory are stunning polishes for spring and year round. I would say if you have a lot of brighter summery shades, you may find Glory dupe-able or too similar to what you own. As for Lady, it think it’s absolutely perfect. After testing the top coat for a few days and wearing it around, I tried to see if it would grow on me. It’s so fun and pretty in the bottle I keep trying to love it and see how I can pull it off. I can’t help but feel it’s too trendy for me.
YSL’s latest in lips is the new Volupté Tint-In-Oil ($32 for 0.20 fl oz/6 ml) described as a “revolutionary lip color with a lip tint suspended in a deep conditioning oil.” I waited until I was able to see these in store to test them before buying any of these. I have pigmented lips and any kind of tint or stain for the lips tend to pull very bright or dark on my lips. The YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oils come in a range of light to bright colors. After swatching them on the hand I saw sheer veils of tint and shimmer suspended in oil/gloss. At first swipe they look clear but if you let them set on the hands you’ll see some color appear as they tint the skin. The brighter colors looked very wearable but I’m not a fan of putting store testers on my lips for sanitary reasons so I opted for three lighter shades to see how they would wear on my lips.
Drive Me Copper 1 is a sheer coppery gold shimmer suspended in gloss
Oh My Gold 2 is a lighter gold shimmer suspended in golden tinted gloss
I Rose You 4 is a soft light rose pink shimmer
Swatched below you can see how these have a tiny micro sparkle shimmers suspended in the oil formula which is glossy. They have a very smooth non-gritty texture:
I let the lip oil sit on my arm for about 15-20 minutes and then removed the gloss to show you the stain that remained. With a flash the colors looked washed out, so here are the stains photographed without any flash or sunlight. It was hard to capture the colors accurately, the stain reflects the actual colors of the glosses but without a flash.
My initial thoughts on these would be that these could possibly be a complete mess and that these would slide off my lips. The testers at the store were quite messy and gloss/oil was all over some of the tubes and others looked like they were leaking. Also the word “oil” in a lip product sounds less than appealing. I’ve had good experiences with YSL lip products and I know product testers in stores can go through a lot of rough testing so I decided to give these a try.
The texture is very fluid. I had an open tube tilted at a slight upside-down angle for a few minutes while I was trying to read the bottom label and a little bit of product dripped out. For the most part I don’t see many people holding it upside-down so leaking shouldn’t be an issue. The Volupté Oils are very emollient but they didn’t slide around on the lips like some sheer glosses do. At first swipe they look clear but after you let them sit on the lips the tint melds in with the lip and adds a slight glow with some color.
Lasting power is medium for me, the gloss effect lasts several hours and it will last through bottles of water, not so much coffee or tea, but since there is a slight stain and tint to the color remains on the lips for hours (all day for me). I should have opted for the darker more pigmented colors but after seeing them turn bright on my hands at the store, I was afraid they would turn fluorescent on my lips. After seeing how the three lighter shades I purchased performed, I do think I should have gone with the more pigmented shades.
There is the signature sweet grapefruit YSL scent in these. If you liked the YSL Gloss Voluptés (three reviewed here), I think you will like the Volupté Tint-In-Oil. If you want more pigment or color, skip the colors I got and try for one of the shades that look darker/brighter.
Here are the colors on my lips. Note as usual your mileage may vary depending on your natural lip color and pigment:
I like the formula. They feel smooth and moisturizing on the lips and even though there is visible tiny micro sparkles these are remarkably smooth and non-gritty feeling. I thought these would be an oil slick but for a lip oil they stay put where you apply the product and I found they didn’t slide around. On me these transform from a clear gloss to a healthy natural glow with a hint of color. I’m all for neutral and nude lips but on me the three colors I picked kinda look the same – unfortunately you can’t really tell how they will look on you until you try them. They way they swatch on the hand is different from how they look on the lips. Had I known how they would perform I would have skipped #2 Oh My Gold because it looks really similar to #1 Drive Me Copper and opted for a darker pink or purple shade (like #5, 6 or 8).
Have you checked out the YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oils yet? What did you think? There are 8 shades available for $32 each. All are available now at Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks.
Giorgio Armani’s latest includes a new liquid/cream eyeshadow called Eye Tints ($38 each for 6.5 ml/0.22 fl oz, made in France). These eyeshadows are all shimmery and come in twelve different colors. I ordered several sight unseen and literally gasped when I opened the boxes. They are really beautiful.
The shades above, left to right (note the tubes themselves only have numbers as labels):
Onyx 5 is a super sparkly olive green with silver and green shimmers
Cold Copper 9 is a smooth shimmer neutral tan
Senso 10 is a unique plum brown bronze shimmer
Rose Ashes 11 is a warm peachy gold base that flashes pink and rose
Gold Ashes 12 is a super sparkly cool-toned champagne shimmer
These Armani Eye Tints have a fluid texture but aren’t so fluid that they are like liquids. There is a bit of thickness to them which makes them slightly like a cream, but the texture is still on the fluid side. The color sheers out once you blend them but it is easy to build and blend. I’ve been playing with these all last week – my favorite way to apply is straight from the tube onto the lids and then blend on the eyes with a finger.
Onyx and Gold Ashes are extremely sparkly, but not quite as frosted or as pigmented as Armani Eyes to Kill shadows and not as glitzy as some of the Chanel Illusion D’Ombres. I’ve tried Gold Ashes all over the lids and it blends out really nicely for an even wash of sparkle. The other shades Cold Copper, Sense and Rose Ashes have a more finely milled shimmer. In terms of lasting power, I found these dried down to a satiny finish on the eyes after they set and lasted all day without budging. You can layer a powder shadow on top of these but if you do, I recommend working quickly with your shadows – these tend to set and dry quickly, although it’s not immediate which allows you to blend and layer, dry time is on the fast side (at least for me).
For reference, Café Makeup has all the shades swatched and Color Me Loud has a detailed review on Senso #10.
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon (swatches)
Armani Eyes to Kill 9
I really like these, although I am partial to the Eyes to Kill Intense Shadows. I know many have found those too shimmery and too intense so if you’re looking for something softer I recommend you check out the Eye Tints. They have a smooth texture that offers light to medium buildable coverage.
This spring Diptyque has released a the new rose-themed collection called Rosafolia. It includes three new items including the Rosafolia Candle, Scented Oval and a new perfume called Eau Plurielle. I ordered the candle which comes in a beautiful limited-edition white jar with a lovely rose and ivy design. This year’s special rose scent has a new fresh twist on rose. The best way I can describe it is as a green rose.
Per Diptyque, Rosafolia is “a scented candle whose verdure, enhanced by a touch of galbanum, is gracefully diffused at the heart of Turkish rose absolute, the softness of petals sharpened by the understated vitality from a hint of geranium.” There is a green touch to it which rounds out the floral notes. Compared to last year’s Rosamundi, Rosafloria is clearly more green and with a fresher and slightly sweeter touch. Last year’s Diptyque special rose release was a bit more floral and almost powdery in scent.
Rosafolia is bottom line gorgeous. I highly recommend you check it out. I ordered mine from Diptyque South Coast Plaza. It’s also available now online at Nordstrom and Diptyque.
This month, NARS Cosmetics introduces a limited-edition collection called the Eye-Opening Act featuring Tilda Swinton as the face of the campaign. This collection focuses on creating different looks for the eyes with new products and colors.
All the items in the Limited-Edition Eye-Opening Act Collection are exclusive to Nordstrom through March 15 of this year:
I ordered some items sight unseen a little over a week ago and have been putting them to the test. I have my picks to share with you today. First up are the new Matte Velvet Eyeshadow Sticks. These are twist up creamy shadows that come in five colors. I’ve had really good experiences with the NARS Larger Than Life Eyeliners and Soft Touch Shadow Pencils so I thought these new shadow sticks might be a cross of the two products. I ordered Reykjavik, Flibuste and Dark Angel sight unseen.
The shades I ordered are quite intense and pigmented. I found Reykjavik (grey) and Dark Angel (brown) easy to apply straight on the lids along the lash line. They glided on without tugging. Flibuste (black) was a bit drier in texture and tugged a little bit on my eyes but I was still able to apply on the lash line fairly easily. The Velvet Matte Shadow sticks do dry very quickly and once they set they don’t budge. For me, these work best as a liner. I’ve played with these by using a small smudge brush to apply them (take the brush and swipe the shadow stick, then use the product on the brush to apply to the eyes). Or I’ve also applied these directly to the eyes and blend with the fingers or a blending brush very quickly.
I like the sleek and simple packaging but given the intensity and pigment of the colors, I feel these act more like eyeliners rather than eyeshadows and wish they came in the Larger than Life Eyeliner form for easier and more precise application. That being said, for any darker cream shadow I usually use a brush to apply (versus fingers) whether it’s a pot, twist up stick, chubby stick or compact form.
Here are a few swatched comparisons. I think the NARS Reykjavik grey is a phenomenal grey color. It’s my favorite out of the ones I’ve tested because it’s an intense grey without being too light or dark.
Next are the two Eyeshadow Palettes. These are my favorite items from the Eye-Opening Act Collection. Both are super compact and cute. I thought my favorite for sure would be the Yeux Irresistible but I actually really like Inoubliable Coup D’Oeil just as much, especially since it has a lot of new colors (versus repromoted shades).
Yeux Irresistible contains a mix of warm and cool. All the shades are available in other Single Shadows and Eyeshadow Duos with the exception of Colombo which is exclusive to this palette. For me this one has colors that will create a smokey or dramatic eye.
Here are the shades swatched with a heavy hand. If you’re familiar with NARS Eyeshadows you are well aware that they have a smooth texture with medium pigment that is easy to build. All the shades here perform just like the individuals. They glide on the eyes nicely and layer well with each other. There is only one shade I’ve found requires extra work. In my experience with Thunderball (the single), I’ve found it works best when packed on the eyes with a detail brush as a liner. If you apply with a regular eyeshadow brush all over the lids, you may find it looks uneven and chalky. I found performance to be the same with this palette.
All About Eve II is a cool shimmering champagne pink with finely milled shimmer
Jezebel is a reddish brown color with subtle shimmer
Thunderball is a matte navy teal grey
Colombo is a shimmering gold with a very soft texture
Brousse I is a shimmering plum
Coconut Grove is a satiny dark brown that acts more like a matte on the lids
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Inoubliable Coup d’Oeil surprised me. With the exception of Luberon, all the other colors are very much cool-toned which can be hard for me to wear easily. That combined with the fact that I rarely wear green shadows on the eyes made me a bit hesitant to order this. I decided to give it a try and I’m really glad I did. Most of the colors with the exception of Pandora Duo are new and exclusive to this palette. The combination of these colors creates a unique and softly defined eye.
Dalliance is a sheer soft matte lilac tan, it goes on smoothly over an eyeshadow base
Pyla is a soft olive green with a slight grey tone and satiny shimmer
Sidi Bou Said is a dusty purple grape color with a satiny matte texture
Pandora I and II is a sheer iridescent cool white shimmer with a matte black
Lumeron is a shimmering coppery rose gold champagne
Last but not least is the new St. Lucia Multiple. This is a beautiful soft shimmering rose champagne. On my medium-toned skin it’s a highlighter color (I use the NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation and All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Punjab), but I suspect on fair skin tones it will look more bronzey with more color. This one has a finely milled shimmer with a super smooth texture (no glitter). On my skin it’s light enough that I can wear it on the eyes without having to worry about getting that pink-eye look. On the cheeks it adds a very natural but visible glow to the skin. It’s really stunning. It’s a multi-dimensional color with lots of different colored shimmers in it. It has a rose base with champagne, silver, and pink shimmers that makes it glow. I found it sheer-to-medium in coverage. It’s not invisible on the skin, but it is on the sheer side for my particular skin tone. You can build the color naturally.
I’m really pleased with the eyeshadow palettes and new multiple. The colors in the palettes make creating an eye look easy whether you want something for day or night. There is a nice simplicity to the color combinations that will give you a classic look with a modern edge. The small size of the palettes makes these easy to carry with you if you need to travel or carry something with you to take you from day to night if you can’t make it back home to get ready. The new St. Lucia Multiple is really quite stunning. It is sheer but gives a really stunning glow. I have mixed feelings about the Velvet Shadow Sticks. If you’re looking for a more pigmented version of the Soft Touch Shadow Pencils, you will probably like the Velvet Shadow Sticks. I like the packaging design and the rich pigment. I also found lasting power very impressive (they don’t budge). I do think they set a bit too quickly for me and due to the intensity of the colors I think they work better as liners than shadows.
All the items in the NARS Eye-Opening Act are limited-edition. They are currently exclusive to Nordstrom counters and online. Have you checked out the collection? Or have anything on your wish list? I’d love to hear your thoughts?
This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions my own. All products purchased by me. For more information please refer to my disclosures.
Happy weekend everyone! New spring collections and launches are starting to trickle in. Spring seems to be filled with some lovely pinks and roses. A few things on my beauty radar, from top left clockwise:
Diptyque’s latest is the Rose and Ivy Collection. There is a new candle out called Rosafolia. Available now at online Diptyque and in Diptyque Boutiques. In addition there is a new scented oval and perfume released with the collection.
Hourglass Cosmetics has new Eyeshadow Palettes coming out this spring called Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes. Infinity is the first one released, available now at Barneys New York. I can’t wait to see this in person.
Dior Kingdom of Colors has two new Nail Lacquers in Glory and Lady for spring. There is also a really interesting Top Coat that looks like confetti.
YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil is a lip tint suspended in oil. It comes in eight colors. I’ve read mixed reviews but I have three sitting in my shopping cart. I can’t decide whether or not to pull the trigger and buy without testing first.
Bite Beauty has a new Agave Lip Mask in Smashed which is a berry hue. I am putting this one to the test right now and hope to have a full review with swatches later next week.
