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Getting Ready for New Year’s Eve with Metallic Glitzy Nails

December 29, 2010

New Year’s Eve is only a few nights away! I’m keeping it low-key this year with family but it’s still fun to get dressed up in the spirit. This year I’m in the mood for those high metallic, chrome-like/foil-like colors on the nails which is out of the ordinary for me as I’m not the biggest fan of those high-shine metallics. I end up feeling like an ornament or metal statue, but for NYE I think it’s fun. My picks (which I am still trying to decide on) include:
  • Dior Timeless Gold (Holiday 2010) reviewed here
  • Dior Silver Pearl (Last Spring 2010) reviewed here
  • YSL Pink Gold #140 (Holiday 2010) reviewed here
  • YSL Gold #139 (Holiday 2010) reviewed here
  • MAC Soirée (Holiday 2010)
  • OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (Swiss Collection, Fall 2010)
  • Rococo Nail Apparel R2T2 (can be found in the US at Space NK) reviewed here
  • Rococo Nail Apparel Metal Jacket (can be found in the US at Space NK reviewed here

The fun part about metallic nails is how the colors change depending on the light and how you move your fingers. I love how these have rich pigment and the metallic finish pearl particles make these dry really fast and last long. The formulas of these have a semi-matte finish, not quite like the OPI suede colors, but not like a shiny varnish either. I always love the colors in the bottles, but what goes on the nails is sometimes too intense for my personal taste.





Close ups and on the nails, Dior Timeless Gold, Dior Silver Pearl, YSL #140, YSL #139:


Close ups and on the nails, MAC Soiree, OPI lucerne-tainly look marvelous, Rococo R2T2, Rococo Metal Jacket:


I have too many options and can’t decide! Maybe you can help me pick 🙂 Of course it will depend on what I’m wearing. I have a few outfits picked out which are versatile and will go with any of these nail colors.
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Spring 2011 Previews from Maquia February 2011 Issue

December 26, 2010
I scanned these from Maquia’s February 2011 issue. A few sneak peeks of what’s to come. Note, I cannot translate this so I won’t be able to answer questions about the products, your guess is as good as mine is. However, there are number indicators on some of the products which help me try to figure out the coordinating product number to name. Also note Maquia is a Japanese publication so I don’t know if the US will get all the items featured, I know in years past we haven’t, but I’m not sure about this year.









For more previews, check out Rouge Deluxe for her preview scans/photos from Biteki’s February 2011 publication. She’s great at finding out new information and has a number of sneak peek and links to previews of stuff coming out this spring.

At the moment I have no information about what else is coming out or when items will be released except for Chanel, MAC and Bobbi Brown: I do know the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful palettes have been released, I saw them at Nordstrom this morning but passed since they combine creams and powders in the same level for the palette – a BIG NO-NO for me.

Please do not republish these on message boards, blogs, websites or anywhere else as it took me some time to scan each in and format them to fit this blog. Thank you.

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YSL Touche d’Or Highlighter & Colorama Palette

November 18, 2010

I’m slowly getting into YSL. It’s one brand I have long resisted but every once in a while something catches my eye. The holiday collection has the most beautiful highlighters this season with the new touche eclat-type highlighter and soft sparkling pink pressed shimmer powder.

I may be the one lone woman who doesn’t like the Touche Eclat from YSL, but I fell in love with the Touche d’Or Golden Touch Highlighter ($40) for holiday. It’s named “golden” but on my skin it went on more neutral-champagne than gold. It has a beautiful sparkle finish. I personally found it a bit too sparkly for every-day wear on the face, but it’s lovely on the eyes. If you’re looking for a glowy cream highlighter without too much sparkle opt for NARS Luxor Multiple or Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight or Afterglow.


The pressed Metallic Shimmer Powder in Colorama ($65) is absolutely stunning. It comes encased in a metallic leather compact which is similar in color to the Pink Gold Nail Color. The powder is finely milled and goes on a light pink shimmer. On my Chanel Shell Teint Innocence skintone it’s not too pale that it’s frosty. It has a lovely soft glowy finish on my cheeks. I’m not the biggest fan of the compact design but at least it’s sturdy. The product is just so gorgeous that I can overlook the flashy packaging and still love this. I find this similar in concept to Armani’s Blush #12 – in the compact and swatched on the hand it looks too light to be a blush, but on the cheeks it gives a wonderful soft glow. If Armani’s #12 worked on you, then chances are you’ll really like this highlighter. If Armani’s #12 didn’t work, then perhaps you might find this too subtle. I do think the YSL will serve as a more pigmented highlighter for darker/tan skintones though. The Armani is sheerer in finish which is why it might not show up so well on darker skins.


Swatches on bare skin, one with high flash:

Outdoor natural light:

My local Bloomingdales had a national event with a lovely GWP which made the high price tag more justifiable. My favorite item out of all the goodies was the full-sized powder brush which I look forward to trying out soon.

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YSL Holiday Nail Lacquers & Golden Glosses

November 7, 2010
YSL has a beautiful holiday collection this year filled with lovely metallic golds, champagne pinks and shimmery colors. I’m going to split up my reviews into two parts. First up are the Holiday La Laques ($20 each) in 139 Gold, 140 Pink Gold, 141 White Gold and two of the Holiday Golden Glosses ($30 each) in 38 Golden Champagne and 39 Golden Chestnut.



The Golden Glosses are typical YSL style and loaded with sparkle. They are on the sheer side and have the signature YSL gloss scent – sweet and like candy. These are non-gritty and smooth in texture. If you bought any of the Golden Glosses from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (#31, 32 or 33) then I’d say you don’t need either of these new holiday shades. The effect is similar.

  • Golden Champagne #38 is a soft pink with gold sparkle
  • Golden Chestnut #39 is a warm beigey-tan with gold sparkle

Comparisons to some other Golden Glosses. For many of these I can barely tell the difference in the tube unless I look at them closely in direct sunlight. Some have a different sparkle than others. There are some with a straight gold sparkle. Others have a multi-colored sparkled infused in the gloss. There are differences in the base color as well. Some have a more transparent finish while others have a more opaque creamy finish. All are still on the sheer side. Those wondering how these compare to MAC – the YSL Golden Glosses are like Dazzleglass Cremes without the grittiness. In my opinion the YSL are much better than MAC.

This is the first time I have tried YSL’s nail polishes so I won’t be able to compare these to previous shades. All I know is their number system drives me nuts to no end. Magazines will often list the products by name while the testers at counters are all labeled by number. Many times I’ve just given up trying to match the name and numbers. The holiday nail colors are frost-finished colors with rich pigment. The finish can be streaky if you’re not careful but the coverage is just incredible. The result is a high-shine metallic, almost foil-like finish.
  • Gold #139 is a pale gold frost
  • Pink Gold #140 is a copper pink-gold
  • White Gold #141 is like a sterling silver color (this is sheerer than the others)
The metallic nature of these polishes made it difficult to photograph. Here is one taken at an angle so you can see the color without the shine washing out all the color from the flash:

Photographed with a high flash:

Comparisons to other shades:

YSL #139 Gold Comparison Swatches:

YSL #140 Pink Gold & #141 White Gold Comparison Swatches:

Overall thoughts: I’ve been exploring YSL more and more lately. After buying several Golden Glosses I’ve found that most of them are pretty similar on the lips, so in the future I’ll probably stick to the regular non-shimmer shades. I found the Holiday Collection at Bloomingdales which only carries currently sold product, like most department stores. The other shades shown for comparison purposes have been discontinued meaning they were no where in any store to be pulled for comparison purposes.

I like the nail polishes for their excellent quality and rich pigment. I do find them a bit too metallic-y for my taste. I would have liked a more sophisticated shimmer rather than something that looks like chrome. Still I am impressed. The colors are unique and even in my extensive nail polish stash I don’t have anything quite like these holiday colors. I have Pink Gold #140 on my toes right now and I have to say it looks a lot better on the toes than the fingers.


Coming up soon: the Holiday highlighter and Gold Touche d’Or.

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YSL Rouge Volupté Perle 104 Stellar Pink

September 21, 2010
When YSL Fall arrived instores during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I fell in love with the Rouge Volupté Perle in Beige Caress #101. I had swatched the other shades and initially thought 103 and 104 resembled MAC Lame/Sequin, but on another occasion swatched them again and looked at the colors in natural light and was surprised how wearable #104 Stellar Pink was and ran right back in to get it.

I would describe it as a soft mauve pink rose with a slight (very slight) blue iridescent quality. I normally can’t wear any lip items with a blueish sheen but this one is just beautiful. These have a super soft texture and feel like a lip balm on the lips but show up quite well. I like that these have a glossy sheen for the finish and they taste like candy. The scent isn’t too noticeable but does smell like other Rouge Voluptés.


You can read my review of these on Beige Caress, but to recap – the Perles have a more forgiving finish than the regular Rouge Voluptés which due to their opaqueness can look a bit fake and thick if not applied carefully. The Perle formula is more natural but still shows up pretty well on the lips.


If you already have MAC Lame and don’t mind the frosty quality, then I’d say it’s pretty similar in color. I find adding a bit of clear gloss or lip balm to MAC frost finish lipsticks can tone down the frost quality. (Lame is one of the few shades I have gone through a full tube of, although I always find I need to tweak it a bit with gloss to keep it from looking too metallic on the lips.) Here is the YSL compared to MAC Lame and Chanel Legende (mini size):



Pricey at $34 but I like that this lipstick does not require any additional work (liner or gloss) to make it work on me. It’s an easy swipe and go type of shade. I found mine at Nordstrom. I’m not all that familiar with YSL so I can’t say whether or not this is limited edition or not.
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YSL Rouge Volupté Perle: Beige Caress 101

July 16, 2010
I’m not the biggest YSL fan but I do love their Rouge Volupté Lipsticks (see previous review here) and Golden Glosses (see review here and here). YSL has released a collection of 6 new Rouge Volupté Perle Lipsticks ($34) and they are literally to-die-for. The colors are gorgeous and are easier to wear on the lips than the regular non-shimmer colors. As much as I love the regular YSL RVs, I find the lighter colors high maintenance. I need to do a lot of tweaking in order for them to not look like concealer on my lips. Do note that the swatches on the YSL website are horribly off so don’t let that deter you from checking them out. I picked up 101 Beige Caress (a soft pinky-beige shimmer). At $34 these are pricey! Also those familiar with the Rouge Volupté formula know they are super creamy and soft. I wanted to test out one of the new Rouge Volupté Perles to see how it felt with the shimmer etc. The lipstick is slightly textured with the shimmer but not gritty. The finish is glossy with a super creamy moist finish.




Peach lip lovers will love 102 Coral Sun. It’s not nearly as bright as the website swatch shows, but is a soft pale coral shimmer. 103 Sparkling Pink and 104 Stellar Pink were also pretty and unique in my opinion. If you like shades like MAC Lame, Sequin and Chic but found them too frosty and/or slightly off key on your lips, you will love the 103 and 104.

After testing 101 out for a day, I think it’s just too glossy for my taste with this warm weather. In the heat it feels like it will just melt right off. I know it will last longer if I blotted my lips with a dusting of powder first. Of course these are new for “fall” even though it’s mid-summer. I think once the fall season officially arrives and the weather cools down these will be perfect.

I found these at Nordstrom.

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

February 21, 2010

  1. MAC Metal Rock Mineralized Skinfinish (From 2005 Gold Play Collection) – One of the prettiest complex coppery-deep bronzey colors. I like to use this for eyeshadow rather than on the face. For my skin it’s too dark to use on the cheeks. The closest I’ve found to this is NARS Fez.
  2. Bobbi Brown Penny Metallic Eyeshadow (From 2008 Bronzed Pink Collection) – Also limited edition. Gorgeous warm sandy copper shimmer. Highly pigmented. Blends like magic. Try Bobbi Brown Burnt Sugar as an alternative.
  3. Chantecaille Cheer Blush – Soft light peachy pink glow.
  4. Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
  5. MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
  6. YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
  7. Chanel Seashell Glossimer – The perfect sheer glowy pink. It’s better than topping lipsticks with clear gloss because it just makes everything look better with a subtle shimmery glow.
  8. March Issue of Lucky Magazine – This was a surprise for me, normally I don’t really find many things in this magazine that appeal to me, but in this issue there are so many cute outfit and shoe ideas in this issue. Definitely a good read!

  9. Pottery Barn Vintage Milk Bottles – Couldn’t find the individual ones online, but they have them instore. So cute to store pencils or small flowers. Online they have a set of 6 with the labels on the sides.

    These are the ones from Pottery Barn Online:

  10. Michael Bublé – I love his music. He has such a great voice. His songs Some Kind of Wonderful and Just Haven’t Met You Yet make my heart skip a beat.

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