Going almost nacked with Dior Nail Glow...

Before we start do know that I'm not an exhibitionist, truly I'm not! I love buttoned up blouses and they're what I wear most of the time but once in a while I can show a little cleavage... hmm now that doesn't count now does it? Joining a nudist colony? No way baby! First I don't think I'd enjoy the view(s) and as for myself, I'd need a portable Photoshop beautifying chamber!

Ok so joking aside, for the past few months, well actually for almost four months now, my nails have been in rehab! For some reason I just can't get them back to the shape they were in before. My index fingers and thumbs keep splitting and cracking at the ends! :(

The cracking and splitting are likely due to me wearing colors on them for so long so I've stopped! *cries* I miss my dark claws! This Kitty ain't happy but hey, I gotta do what I gotta do to get them back into shape!

Now no color is boring but naked nails are flat out depressing! To the rescue...

Dior Nail Glow...

Oh how I love thee! This baby is part of the Dior Backstage Essentials Collection and yes, I can truly say it is an essential, for me anyway. It's a clear high gloss polish with a rosy tint that instantly illuminates natural nails. I never apply more than one coat, really it's enough and the beauty of this little wonder is that if you don't have time to redo every few days or so, it fades evenly, really a no fuss product. This is what makes it different than any other clear polish I've ever tried. It doesn't peel or flake away, it just fades evenly.

Notice the poor state my index finger nail is in! :( 

I know some prefer to go all dressed up or flat out naked... on the nails I mean, but mine have a yellowish color that makes them look neglected in a way. Could be due to my nail shape I just dunno. Dior Nail Glow is like instant Photoshop for my nails, love, just love!

This is my right hand, nakked nails! Not an option! 

So, if like me going nakked isn't an option, go grab this baby, really it's a great beautifying product to own!

Now what do you like, colored, naked or a little somethin somethin... on the nails?

Olfactive Memories, The one that Seduced Me...

Fragrant memories...

I know some don't believe in that phenomenon but trust me when I say, I was literally hit by lightening the first time I saw André! I was getting in the elevator of the building where I lived accompanied by both my parents... I froze! Dang did I feel like a girl! Oh wait! I was a girl! I mean that first time I saw him I was six months shy of 18!

Wow! Just wow! The dude lived in my apartment building and yes, I almost did *faint*.

In French we call it: Coup de foudre and yes, I was hit hard!

The classic tall, dark and handsome dreamy looking guy! Always well dressed with a lil' somethin' extra... Well as we got closer the following spring that little something extra was, among other things, his fragrance...

Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage...

The first men's fragrance from the house of Dior was created by Edmond Roudnitska who was also responsible for Diorissimo and Diorella. Launched in 1966, it's an uplifting juice composed of strong notes of lemon, rosemary and spicy lavender for it's opening and closing with the sexiness of oak moss, musk, vetiver and amber.

Illustration: Gruau for Dior

A classic! 

This was the fragrance André wore that first summer we were together! Manly but yet romantic. Virile but not in a "in your face" kind of way. He had self confidence to spare but was never ever condescending, always respectful of others, especially of me...

Compared to some of the popular men's fragrances today, Eau Sauvage could appear to be a little too tame, unadventurous and even a little old school but back then it was extremely popular, a top seller! Me I only cared about the way it smelled on him! After all, what did I know about men's perfume at 18!

He was my guy, he was my love, he was my life!

Today would have been his birthday and yes, both Catherine and I miss him for he was the center of our universe! Truly he was!

I didn't think it would but yes, life does go on! Catherine is doing great and he would be so proud of her. She's becoming a beautiful young women with a good strong head on her shoulders. She's smart, considerate, respectful of others and yes, like her dad, she's very self confident! Quite amazing at 15!

As for me, well, he will always be in my heart and I'm thankful for the fact he has left me with beautiful memories. Thinking about Eau Sauvage has reminded me of so many!

Yes Eau Sauvage seduced me but let's be honest, it was the man wearing it that made it memorable!


Bonne fête mon'amour! 

The Sunday Post, Vol. 33...

Ooo now it's been a while since I wrote a Sunday Post so here we go...

New man...

Oh yesss!!! I did post about it yesterday so I will not get into it again but I do want to thank you for the lovely comments, Seems I got a few people on my side coz I also got great reactions from co-workers as well. I'm floating so please bare with me! Lucky is what I am and well yes, so is he, after all I ain't so bad myself! :)

First date...

No we didn't go to a fancy shmancy restaurant! I've had my share of those and honestly I can do without and no we didn't go to the movies either which is also a good thing since nothing interesting is showing these days. What we did do is go hiking at a beautiful spot barely 10 minutes from Montréal called Île Charron. It's a protected area, a small island where nature is free to run it's course and it's positively dreamy! Maps are available on site so you can decide which trail to follow but since Mr J had already been there a few times there was really no need for one but for the first timer, it can come in handy. We walked for a total of 2:30 hres and figured we had covered about 7 km which is pretty good. Along the trails are benches to either catch your breath or admire the view. The weather was so beautiful that day it was positively perfect!

I've already posted a few pictures on my Instagram, here, but here are a few more. On the island there are picnic areas and you can also rent a canoe as shown on the second picture. Truly a great place to visit, even if you're not into hiking.

Recent makeup love...

This past month one of the shade in my Clinique All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette has been my everyday base and Black Honey did receive a lot of love. That one is perfect for green eyes and the hold over NARS' primer is just amazing! Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst is da bomb and I've worn it at least three times a week since I purchased it. Of course Dior Velvet is still one of my basics and wow does it go well with Amethyst!

I'm a little out of the loop about the new collections but reviews are starting to pop up about what will be available for the holidays. My bloguerette friend Sara from Color Me Loud just posted one about Chanel's new palette Les 5 Ombres Oiseaux de Nuit, here, which will be available soon when the Plumes Précieuses 2014 Holiday Collection launches. In fact I think it's out now but I haven't checked it out. Seeing her review has inspired me to bring out last year's beauty, Charming and yesterday I had a bit of fun with it. I think it will be my main go to this week.

Lips have started to go a little darker thanks to another Clinique product, Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. I like its sheerness but I also enjoy giving it a little more intensity so I guess I'm taking baby steps back into darkness... :)

What I have my eyes on...

Would you believe nothing much! Really! I've steered clear of makeup counters this past month since I've purchased some new items of clothing including black skinny jeans... Never thought I'd go there but my weight loss made it possible and I must say I feel pretty dang good wearing them! *swoon* :)

Ok back to beauty, as I was saying there isn't much I'm contemplating except Guerlain Les Violines and a few lipsticks like one of the new NARS especially Brigitte and maybe one of the new Dior balms but then I have yet to repurchase my beloved Rouge Dior in Charnelle.

For your viewing enjoyment...

A great treat! The new Chanel N° 5 ad campaign with Gisele Bündchen (even sans Le makeup the woman is just gorgeous) and directed by Baz Luhrmann. First the behind the scene and then the film...

   

    

Sorry I got no makeup pictures this week, I'm still catching my breath! I'll probably end up brigning you a double dose next week!


Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

What are the chances?

Before I resume with the regular programing of Icaria's, I needed to share this personal update...

What are the chances of meeting the one person that will make your life better and more complete? To get to live it once is the most amazing thing but to get to live it twice, now that is just beyond incredible!

I was lucky, oh was I lucky to be loved by a man for whom I was the center of the universe, till the end. André was the most amazing man and I miss him every day. He was the one mainly responsible for who I became, the person I am today and I will always be thankful. He left me my daughter Catherine and for that too I will always be thankful.

The emptyness after the loss, the insecurities, what did the future hold for me have kept me up so many nights...

The Crystal Ball

John William Waterhouse (1902)

Private Collection

I can still vividly remember last year when after his death I had to pick myself up and think of the future, the stress of finding a job to be able to provide for my daughter in the way she was accustomed was just maddening. Oh the pain! At times I didn't think I would make it. There was of course my beautiful bloguerette friends but two people were largely instrumental in helping me get through the darkness, my web friend Laura and my neighbour, Mr J.

Laura was "there" that long winter during which André fought his ultimate battle and to my great despair, lost. She was there to console me and to encourage me. She was my one confidant, the one who knew all about my frustrations, anger and deep sadness. Then in April I started to have little chats with Mr J, a neighbour, who would stop by the fence and kindly chat with me when getting home from work. Those little bits of conversation made my summer slightly more bearable. He was my only human contact besides Catherine.

This past spring the chats with Mr J resumed after a long cold winter. Tall, handsome and extremely charming, he knew I wasn't looking,..

Because of the strong love I had for André I wasn't looking to find someone, I thought I wasn't ready and in fact every time I would start to think about meeting someone new there was always a feeling of disdain, a recoil of sort... no just no... No way could I be with someone else!

A month ago it all changed... Mr J gave me a hug, a simple comforting hug. He too knew all about my sadness, frustrations, anger and loneliness. He knew André, knows how much I loved him and always will. In my heart is where he belongs now... He's my past and it would seem that Mr J just might be my future...

Sadly some of us never get to experience deep love, the kind of love that comes out of passion yes but mostly out of respect for one another, consideration and oh, tenderness...

With André, passion brought us together, with Mr J, friendship was the culprit...

It would seem that I was born under a lucky star for I do believe I'll get to experience it twice!

I'm Back!!!

Ok that's it!

I got my blogging mojo is back and I couldn't be happier about it. Over a month!!! Unreal but I did need it both physically and mentally. Stepping away from the web was difficult but had to be done due to the fact that I've had to deal with unpleasantness which caused great amounts of stress. Real life simply had to come first because bottom line, I just couldn't concentrate and I had total writer's block.

I had to recharge my batteries and I so did, in a big way...

So September started bad but October appeared with a bang!!! A big one and I'm keeping it to myself... for now!

Catching up...

I'm so out of the loop at the moment it's just plain pathetic but hey, I won't stress about it. I have kept track of what my bloguerette friends were up to and wow, just wow, such great posts!

A huge thank you to a few fantastic ladies (you know who you are) for your incredible support, kindness and friendship. I know I've said it many times already but I just don't know what I would have done without this great community, the beauty blogging community.

Way more than pretty faces with artistically applied eye shadows, perfect lashes and sexy vampy lips, the ladies who make it real, are much more than perfect canvases for the latest makeup collections, they're a group of smart, super smart women! This is something I truly never expected.

So, no makeup talk today, just a little hello and thank you for your patience.

Regular programing to resume shortly!