Nordstrom Anniversary Exclusive: Le Metier de Beaute Rock 'n' Romance Nail Lacquer Set

Needless to say I have been bad blogger. I've had the photos in this post ready to be edited since last month and here I am finally getting to it. 

This beautiful set from Nordstrom was my introductory product to Le Metier- and I have to say it has been a very satisfactory one! The set comes with four sophisticated shades ranging from crimson red (which actually swatches to an almost black on the nails) to a midnight navy. The mini-sized bottles come with smaller brushes for application but the formula is smooth and nice so there is no noticeable difficulty in applying.

Heat of the Night as mentioned above applies as a much darker color than the crimson in the bottle. It has a slight shimmer to it. The hubster commented that "the crimson that comes out in the light makes it classy even though it's almost black." Okay- he didn't use that exact phrase but I saw it in his eyes when he said "I like it."

True Romance is a beautiful nude with a slight metallic finish. It creates a polished sophisticated look, perfect for the workplace. (The Beauty Look Book has already done a great coverage on True Romance.) I haven't had Chrome Passion or Midnight Rendezvous on my nails yet but both look promising from the swatches.

Overall happy with my purchase, I'm see more Le Metier in my future! 

NOTD: Pink French Tip with Orly, Zoya & Essie

Orly Sheer Peche as base color
Zoya Happi as French tip
Essie No Chips Ahead as top coat

I wanted something clean and simple but also a little girly this week :) So I decided to do a pink French tip. It maintains the classic look of a white French tip but with a youthful twist.

Orly Sheer Peche goes on pretty sheer on the nails. If not for the slight softening of the nail color I would say it was pretty much clear. It's my go-to nail color for when I don't want any color on my nails but still want them to look neat and smoothed out.

Zoya Happi is a vibrant pink with gold iridescent duo-chrome type shimmers. I have had this on my nails full-on a couple of times but I think I like it better as a French tip. It looks more refined that way.

Essie top coat I just picked up recently during a Target run because my Seche Vite was drying up on me and I wanted to try something new. It's a very watery formula but I think I like it. I can't vouch for it's non-chipping qualities as this is the first time I've actually had it on.

So that's that! Let me know what nail polish you have on and/or any plans you may have for the weekend! I'm craving me some Peking duck @ Peking Gourmet Inn (those of you in the DC area know what I'm talking about!) so I've made reservations. Also, Bridesmaids is in theaters now so that's on my list as well. Have a happy weekend!

A First Look: The Glossimers of Chanel Summer 2011

I was in NY two weekends ago and much to my delight, found the Chanel Summer 2011 out and about early at the Chanel boutique. The bronzers and the eyeshadows did not interest me (sorry.. this means I did not swatch them) but I kinda have to say: I am quite smitten with the Glossimer colors in this collection!

Pink Peony, Pensee, Aurore

Especially Pensee, a beautiful coral and Aurore, a light peachy pink with iridescent shimmer are must-haves. I was surprised that I loved Aurore so much since I'm not easily swayed by pale pinks but it was stunning the way this shade changed color depending on the angle. It's so unique (even if it doesn't seem like it at first sight) and pretty.

I hadn't realized I had taken such a shoddy swatch photo..! Oh well.. That's Pink Peony, Pensee and Aurore from top to bottom.

So that's that. Do you plan to pick up anything from the collection?

I picked up just the le vernis in Morning Rose (a beautiful candy pink with quiet gold shimmers) on this particular trip but I think I may go back for the Glossimers. I wanted to love Mimosa (the much-talked-about Yellow one) but after swatching it I decided to pass.

Collective Haul: Lush, Shiseido, The Body Shop, more Candles and other randomness.

The Dorothy Bubble Bar in all its earthy goodness is back! Some say that this smells like the Figs & Leaves soap but to my untrained nose, Dorothy smells much better : ) I usually separate the rainbow section and the blue "skies" section to use in separate baths because my bathwater looks prettier that way. I also picked up Love Lettuce- my all-time favorite fresh face mask. Lush face masks require refrigeration and expires pretty quickly but that just means that they are super fresh while they last!

 

Having observed that I love sweet scents, the girl who helped me offered me a sample of the Almond & Coconut Smoothie Soap- she was sure I would be back for more :) It works like any other soap- it's just in a smooth buttery form. Smells divine. Haven't tried it yet though.

Next, I spied the new Shiseido Urban Environment sunscreen out on display @ Bloomingdale's and had to pick one up to take home with me. The Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 (the one in the blue tube-see below) is my go-to, everyday, love of my life sunscreen and so a new/different version was a must-try for me. I love the new sleek white/silvergrey tube but the lighter SPF is slightly worrying as I like my sunscreen to be on the stronger side. Still I'm excited!

I don't know if you can tell but the Urban Environment (top) sunscreen is slightly more watery than the regular Shiseido sunscreen. I don't notice a big difference on the face but I haven't been using it for long so we'll see :)

Next, my little loot from The Body Shop. I had stepped into the store to just get the Peppermint Pumice Foot Scrub but once in the store I was lured in by the ubiquitous "buy however many get however many free" promotion and I ended up with more than just the foot scrub. (An after-shave I got for my cousin, who was shopping with me is not photographed.) So here's what I got:

1. Cotton Rounds: So much better than the CVS ones.. argh! I hate those.

2. Vitamin E Face Mist: Kind of random but seemed like a good idea. Spraying vitamin E on my skin seems easy enough. Plus the rose scent is really nice.

3. Banana Conditioner: I loved my first bottle so much that I had pick up another.

4. Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray: Premature but I had summer on my mind that day...

5. and of course the Peppermint Pumice Foot Scrub.

This is what the foot scrub looks like inside: I love this stuff for summer when foot exposure is rampant.

Next, I picked up two new candles from Bath & Body Works, Lemon Gelatto (pictured with a sparklicious yellow infinity scarf I picked up from Charlotte Russe) & Cotton Candy (pictured with the Hello Kitty shower cap available at Sephora). I have to say Slatkin & Co. is really on a roll these days with their awesome candles! I have been burning Cotton Candy nonstop: the scent is sweet but clean cut.

Finally, some random items from here and there (and everywhere).

1. Anastasia Mini Brow Kit: Worst pair of tweezers in the history of tweezers...
2. OPI Teenage Dream: I don't know what I was thinking. It's really sparkly. Not very lawyer-ly... but I think I was mesmerized by all the glitter.
3. Revlon Totally Toffee: Love. It's red. It's brown. It's toffee. who knows what it is. Love.
4. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom: I've never gotten into Burts Bees lip balms but the fact that the new tinted lip balms have no shimmer and no SPF really appealed to me. (My lips tend to react badly to lip products with SPF...not all the time but lots of times.)

I was kind of worried that Pink Blossom would be a paler pink (better with cooler skin tones) but it wasn't as pale as I imagined and the sheer factor makes it an easy shade to pull off. It's nothing spectacular but it's good for a casual touch up. Texture-wise I prefer something like the Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment.

And that's all for now! That was a picture-heavy post, but I wanted to include as much as I could because if I didn't procrastination will inevitably come knocking at my door threatening to huff and puff and blow mah house down... ; ) You know what I'm talking about.

Chanel Spring 2011 Collection Swatches and Pêche Nacrée

Last last last week, (can you say "overdue post"?) I stopped by Nordstrom to take a look at the Chanel Spring 2011 pretties. btw, who is that girl Chanel's been using as their model lately? I think I'm in love with her.

I swatched a couple of the lip products I was interested in. Nakkar was more strawberry pink than I had anticipated. For some reason I was under the impression that it had more of a coral tinge to it even though Chanel distinctly describes it as being a raspberry color. I think it's because I saw various in-person photos of Nakkar showing off more of a coral pink. Oh well, maybe it was just the difference in lighting. It's the type of shade that can look different depending on the angle and the lighting; perhaps that's what makes it all the more pretty and alluring.

I ended up passing on Nakkar, but brought home Pêche Nacrée, a soft pearly peach nail polish. Even though Black Pearl has been getting more publicity, to me, Pêche Nacrée seemed a better representative of the collection as a whole. Additionally, I've been wearing dark colors on my nails nonstop this winter, so Pêche Nacrée felt like a breath of fresh spring air! The pinky-peach shade lightens up significantly once on the nails but its still very pretty. The slight pearl finish makes the hands look soft and feminine.

A Little NYC Haul: Chanel Le Vernis in Particuliere & Riva

I was in Manhattan last week to accompany K on a business trip. And while he was lunching with men of his trade, I took a stroll down 5th Ave. I was happy to find that the Chanel boutique there had received a fresh batch of Riva and Particuliere.

So different, so equally beautiful!

A Drugstore Haul & NOTD

Last weekend I had a chance to stop by my favorite CVS location, the one in Harbor East, Baltimore! It may be silly to say I have memories about a drugstore but... I have memories about this drugstore. Harbor East was the first neighborhood K and I lived in as a married couple so we made many random (and often late night) runs to this 24-hour CVS for ice cream or advil or laundry detergent. Of course I would stop by after school and browse its abundant beauty aisle. This location always received THE quickest shipment of new limited item displays and helped me rediscover the potential of drugstore makeup.

Anyways, enough with the babble. Here's what I picked up!

1. Revlon Multi-Use Palette: Nine times out of ten I arrive at the office with a virtually naked face because apparently there are infinite ways of convincing your half-asleep self that a couple minutes extra snooze is worth looking like a zombie at work. This compact palette looked like a good thing to keep at the office as an emergency kit.

2. Revlon Nail Polish in Perplex: I didn't feel obligated to get Chanel's Paradoxal but that doesn't mean I'll skip on a dupe this good! (See Pink Sith's awesome comparison)

3. Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Intermix: I got this for its name; it reminded me of the Intermix in Georgetown, which I always find to be a stylish little thing.

4. Milani Nail Polish in Gold Glitz:

Glitter nail polish is often disappointing because what you see in the bottle is rarely what ends up on your nails. But this Milani One Coat Glitter polish is packed with gold glitter and looks incredible on the nails. I've never received so many compliments on my nails in my life- love it!

NOTD: Revlon Gray Suede

Nails of the Day: Revlon Gray Suede

I've been wearing a lot of dark colors on my nails lately so I wanted to do with something super neutral this week. Gray Suede is a nice nude with microshimmer (which is visible only in the direct light). It takes 3 coats for a smooth opaque finish. I have Seche Vite on top.

I am loving the nude, brown, grey type color scheme for polishes lately. Apparently the term is "greige" (gray+beige) ...

really? Greige?