Teal, emerald, green and aqua seem to be the focus for nails in several collections this season. There are a number of gorgeous new green nail polishes – all of which I was unable to resist. Some are more subtle and subdued while others are bright and electric. The new shades this season inspired me to pull out my other greens for comparison. I’m currently running a top coat experiment so I won’t be able to swatch these on the nails just yet, hopefully these photos will help give you an idea in the meantime.
The inspiration: new shades for summer from Dior, Chanel, YSL, MAC and Deborah Lippmann (spotted near me in stores now at Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom):
Dior’s Samba Duo ($29, spotted instore at Macys, Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com)
YSL Vert D’Orient #36 ($25 instores and here at Nordstrom.com)
MAC Mineralize Lip Balm in Glacé ($20 here at Nordstrom.com)
Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin ($19 at in store and online at Nordstrom.com)
All the nail colors in greens, teals, aquas: OPI Thanks a Windmillion, YSL Jade Imperial (limited from spring 2013), Dior Waterlily (limited from spring 2012), Dior Samba Duo (summer 2013), Chanel Azure (summer 2013), Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream, Rescue Beauty Lounge Jack (limited), JINsoon Charade (at Sephora), JINsoon Metaphor (at Sephora), Chanel Black Pearl, YSL Vert d’Orient, Deborah Lippmann Rockin’ Robin (spring 2013):
For quick reference here’s one more shot of the bottom wheel at a different angle so you can see the difference in undertone between Chanel Azure and Dior Samba:
I love how vibrant and bright the shades are this season although I do wonder if I will be brave enough to pull them off on the fingers for everyday wear at the office. I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to wear them on the toes. Teal/Emerald as a small accessory or accent piece? Even a blouse? Definitely yes, but on the fingers, I’ll have to experiment to see. More detailed swatches and reviews to come in the next few days as soon I possibly can.
What’s your favorite teal, green or emerald shade for nails? Are you picking up any of the new greens this spring/summer?
This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.
After playing around on the Dior Addict Minisite, I went back to Nordstrom and picked up Dior Diablotine 643 in the Addict Lipstick ($31) and Lipgloss ($29.50) formula to match the Nail Lacquer ($24) (reviewed last month here). The looks from Dior showed that using both the lipstick and lipgloss created a lush lip look that is perfect for spring to summer. Being the coral fanatic that I am, I didn’t need to see them in person to know they were must-haves. (Click photo below to go to Dior’s Addict minisite.)
The Dior Diablotine 643 lip options are similar to that of Spring Ball 343 in the sense that both lip colors are more subtle and soft than the nail polish versions. Diablotine Addict Lipstick and Lipgloss do have more color than Spring Ball so they show up better on my lips, but are still natural enough for my neutral-loving self.
Diablotine 643 Addict Lipstick is a coral in the tube but goes on more pinkish on my lips. The texture is smooth, finish is semi-shiny, pigment is medium but slightly transparent. There is subtle shimmer in the tube but you don’t really see it on the lips. Diablotine 643 Addict Lipgloss is a true coral peach loaded with tons of gold shimmer. It’s a high-shine gloss. It’s gorgeous. The gloss is similar to Chanel Nakkar so you probably don’t need both. The Dior is more sparkly and more red/orange.
Lip comparisons:
Lips and nails side by side:
I love both the lipstick and gloss formulas of Dior Diablotine #643 (along with the nail polish). The formulas feel luxurious on the lips. They have a nice moisturizing feel. I purchased mine from Nordstrom in store. The entire Sparkling Shine is also online at Nordstrom.com and other Dior counters and boutiques.
Have you had a chance to play with the new items from Dior?
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see the About/FAQ section.
It’s only March yet some summer beauty collections have started to arrive in stores. Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess collection has a mix of beautiful bright and bronzey shades. Being a huge fan of the gelée powders, quickly picked up the new limited-edition Heat Wave Illuminating Powder Gelée ($40 for 0.21 oz/6 g, also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Estee Lauder). Heat Wave has a beautiful embossed pattern like sun rays. It’s a luminous pale gold champagne in the compact. It swatches true to the color in the pan. I expected to fall in love with it completely, especially after swatching on my hand in store – it was like wearing sunshine on my hand. However, on the face I found it a bit too sharp and frosty (I tested with the sponge applicator, soft fluffy brushes and skunk brushes). It does layer beautifully over a cream bronzer, but I think I’m at the right amount of tan to be too dark for this to look natural. I’m all for visible shimmers, however this one emphasized my pores and looked slightly too metallic on my skin. I do think it will suit fairer skins better. Money wasn’t wasted though, this has just the right amount of glitz and sparkle to wear on the eyes. The frost factor is similar to that of the paler Armani Eyes to Kill Shadows (Heat Wave is just sheerer and not quite as frosty). Your mileage will vary with this one depending on your skintone.
Comparisons to some other gold/champagne gelee highlighters. All the ones shown below were limited-edition, I’m not sure that they will be easy to find these days, but if you already own some – you may want to shop your stash before caving on Heat Wave. MAC’s Whisper of Gilt is almost identical to Estee Lauder’s Heat Wave. I prefer the MAC even though it’s still quite frosty. The Estee Lauder Heat Wave has some tiny gold micro sparkles (these are really tiny) that emphasize my pores. The MAC is more metallic all the way through.
Here’s a simple look that I’ve did last week. It includes a few favorites:
I’m overall pleased with Estée Lauder’s Heat Wave. Even though it doesn’t work out for my face (for everyday at least), it’s a lovely eye highlighter/shadow with excellent lasting power.
Did you pick up anything from Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess collection? Did you like Heat Wave or did you find it too similar to what you already own? Note it is a limited-edition product. I recommend you try soon before it sells out. You can find it in store now at most Estee Lauder counters. Right now it’s online as well at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Estee Lauder.
This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.
Guerlain has revamped their Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzers ($75 each for 10 g/0.35 oz, made in France) this year and released some new shades for spring-summer. I have not had much experience with Guerlain’s terracotta bronzers (except for a few seasonal limited ones) even though I’m obsessed with bronzers in all shades, formulas and finishes. This is the first time I’ve looked into the Terracotta Bronzer line from Guerlain. For this new release, there are six shades available. Two of the older shades have been re-named (sorry I’m not sure which ones have been repromoted), and four new colors have been added. I picked up the two lightest shades from Neimans, Terracotta 4 Seasons in Nude 00 and Naturel-Blondes 02.
Nude 00 is light quad with three tan shades and one pink shimmer. It’s fairly light. I have olive medium skin and currently use Chanel B30, Dolce & Gabbana Warm 100 and NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska. I found Nude 00 to be extremely natural on me applying more like a nude blush rather than a bronzer. The finish is satiny leaning more on the matte side but not flat. Those who detest shimmer in their blush/bronzer will love the finish of the 4 Seasons bronzers.
Naturel-Blondes 02 is the second lightest option. All shades are medium tans (very similar). The bottom right corner has slight shimmer. It’s a warm but natural bronzer. On me it’s still on the natural side but true to bronzer form. Swatches below will make it seem on the orangey side. On the face it warms up the skin but doesn’t look orange at all. On me it’s goof proof. The color is layerable but it seems to be one of those shades that is impossible to mess up or overdo.
Each shade in the quads were a bit too sheer to swatch individually on the arm. On the face it’s easier to swirl the brush in a circular motion to mix all shades within each palette and then apply to the face. I’ve found that I can wear these alone without any layering of other blushes or creams.
Here are a few swatches, these were applied with a soft fluffy brush:
The Terracotta 4 Seasons are more matte than the Terracotta Light shades (mosaic looking bronzers) but have a similar finish in terms of pigment/intensity. I have two of the Terracotta Light shades, Blondes and Sun Blondes to compare.
I had some challenges capturing the true effect of each. There is a softness to each shade that my camera cannot capture. The Blondes and Sun Blondes have a noticeable luminous glow on the face, it might not be apparent below.
I dug through some of my current favorites to compare. Colors will vary depending on your skintone and also undertones. I have a lot of olive/yellow. Note the Guerlain was swatched with a slightly heavier hand to show the undertone. On the face they do not apply quite as intense.
I am one who loves all kinds of bronzers, even ones that are more dramatic and stronger. The Guerlain 4 Seasons shades I chose looked darker in the store and in finger/arm swatches compared to what you see when you apply on the face. They are well pigmented but still extremely soft in color. I think they are among the softest bronzers I own (MAC Golden is one of the softest in color, but I think it is because it matches my skintone closely). Lasting power was quite good. These are heavily scented with a powdery scent. I have a super sensitive nose but I found the scent faded after 5-10 minutes.
I had expected Nude 00 and Naturel-Blondes 02 to look darker and more dramatic on the face. Instead I found them to be more on the natural side. I have to admit the other colors instore looked extremely dark, but I almost wish I had tried the darker ones first. At a high price of $75 I highly recommend that you try before buying. I know I will get a lot of use out of the two I purchased. The texture of the 4 Seasons Bronzers is very luxurious and soft. They apply flawlessly. I like that the compacts are sturdy enough that I feel comfortable carrying one in my purse. After testing for a week or so, I like them, but it’s not love … yet. I personally prefer the Blondes/Sun Blondes even though the effect/finish is completely different.
For quick reference, here is a photo of all the ones in store. Some with the same names might look different because of the reflection from my iPhone flash:
Guerlain 4 Seasons Bronzers are available at counters now. I saw the entire lineup at Nordstrom and Neimans. I’ve heard it has also arrived at the Guerlain Boutique in Las Vegas. Currently it’s only showing up at 2 locations online at Nordstrom.com and Saks.com. I suspect it will show up at more locations online soon.
Have you checked out Guerlain’s Summer Collection for the Terracotta
release? Have you been a long-time Terracotta Bronzer user? I’d love to
hear what your favorites are (or have been) and your skintone.
This post contains an affiliate link. For more information please see the About/FAQ section.
