Lise Watier Sparkle of Hope Gloss...

So funny!

Yesterday at work was pretty busy for a Friday! Still, when things get too crazy I tend to find cracks to have fun and make situations not as heavy as they actually are. What can I say, it's my nature! As much as I can be a real b**** sometimes in real life, at works I have to make light of certain situations otherwise it would get way too heavy and considering the time I spend there, well, this is how I keep my sanity!

During the afternoon, one of my colleagues had a fit of laughter! Too busy to inquire about the cause of the hilarity, I heard another say "You must show this to Hélène!"... Hmm... I was really intrigued but then forgot about it because I had to concentrate and get back to what I was doing. An hour or so later I learnt why! My co-worker, who's birthday it was, had received a lip gloss as a gift from a friend but not just any lip gloss, one with a light!

Lise Watier Sparkle of Hope Gloss...

My work friend who coincidentally shares the same first name as Madame Watier, graciously gave me permission to take pictures of it. Lovely packaging, just lovely! I didn't swatch it of course but the texture seemed really nice and not too thin, transparent with shiny silver sparkles. The kind of gloss one wears over a lipstick to give it light...

Now about that light...

When you unscrew the cap, there it is! Notice how it almost seems to come from the gloss itself? This little trickery can also be found in Lise Watier's regular line up of glosses, Haute Couleur Lip Lacquer as well as with their nail polishes. I know the light thing is nothing new but...

What makes this one special? The cause!

I love this and guess what? Since I'm not much into glosses these days I plan on picking up the lipstick...

The name, Rose Tendresse is so appropriate and the price quite reasonable. Plus it'll be an opportunity for me to finally try one of Watier's lipsticks after so many years... It'll be a win win situation, getting a new lipstick with portions of the profits* going towards great programs.

To visit the foundation's web page, just click on the picture!

Isn't it great when companies give back? :)



*I wasn't able to find out just exactly how much of the profits go toward the foundation. 

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Glosses...

For some reason this brand hasn't really called my name yet. I've read rave reviews about some of it's offerings but when I see the display at Sephora I always feel kind of meh about it. Bite Beauty is a Canadian company operating out of Toronto and I wonder if this is the reason why my Sephora has it at the end of a gondola in the back of the store. Ok it's right in front of Josie Maran and Tarte but still quite easy to miss. Then there are the prices! At $28.00 a pop for some lipsticks (yes more expensive than in the States!) I tend to prefer Dior or NARS who so far are my favorite formulas.

Ok so I had to at least try something!

I bought this trio of mini lip glosses back in November, on Black Friday to be exact and haven't really given them a go until recently.

All three are pretty sheer and so for me they're the type of glosses I would wear over a lipstick, especially Honey as you will see below. On their own they last about two hours, nice to wear they're not overly sticky although they are slightly thicker than Revlon but not as much as NARS...

Cocoa, described as a nude mauve pulls beige on me and truly looking at the tube, I don't really see any mauve in it but I guess it could give that impression on some depending on skin tone and natural lip color. This one reminds me of my Clarins Lip Perfector in 06 Rosewood reviewed, here, with the difference that it does last a little longer on my lips.

Strawberry, a sheer carnation pink this one is very similar to my other Clarins Lip Perfector, 05 Candy Shimmer a favorite of mine. I nice sheer coral, Strawberry it too stays on longer than Clarins but it doesn't have the same comfortable feel.

Honey, my favorite of the three. A nude with almost micro gold shimmer, Honey is perfect to wear over almost any lipstick to warm it up. It's quite lovely but unfortunately once the gloss disappears the shimmering bits end up all over! Around my mouth, on my chin... Not the look I go for. Now this may not be an issue for you since I have the same problem with both Chanel and Dior glosses who do get mostly love. I'm sorry but I wasn't able to capture the shimmer in Honey on the swatch below but it's there trust me! :)

Cocoa, Strawberry and Honey

They have a faint fruity smell/taste that lasts barely 5 or 10 minutes which in my book is a good thing. These three since they are so sheer don't really leave a stain on my lips so when they're gone, they're gone which is something some of you may be looking for. I can't comment on the darker colors but I would think they probably leave some lingering color behind. Drinking two glasses of ice tea wearing Strawberry I barely had any gloss left on my lips so it's unlikely any of these would resist a meal.

Since these are minis they have a smallish doe foot applicator which felt a little harsh and I had to dip back in the container quite a few times to get enough gloss on my lips. Hopefully the regular sizes are more pleasant to use.

I'm glad I got to try these but would not consider purchasing full sizes which go for $25.00 (0.13 oz). First because I'm not in a gloss wearing mood these days and second because I find NARS at $29.00 (0.18 oz) the best formula for me (it almost wears like iron with no glitter fallout) so for the difference in prices, the latter is my choice.

Have you tried any of Bite Beauty's offerings? Any favorites?

Oh look at all my goodies...

Quick post but I just had to share! Last Friday I went on a little shopping spree!!!

Ok a big one according to my wallet but hey, this was for both my birthday which was last month and Mother's Day. I purchased three more blouses and now will be on the hunt for some Capri pants and one or two pairs of shoes. Once I find these I'll be good for summer! :)

Here are the beauty goodies I got...

Sorry about the quality of the picture but I had little time and really, really wanted to show you! If you follow me on Instagram, here, then you've seen these already.

Diptyque Do Sun solid perfume (yes we have Diptyque at Ogilvy which is much closer to me than Holt Renfrew). This was a real unpredicted spur of the moment splurge!

Voluspa candle which is rosy divine! Here you see the top of the box.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique, a nail polish and a La Petite Robe Noire sample (did I mention the SAs at my Gerlain counter were just great?). Would you believe this is my first ever Guerlain lippie? Woot!

Two The Balm eye shadows and a gloss all at an amazing price! This was a great opportunity to try some of this brand's offerings.

A box of Hello Kitty bandages!

*Happy Dance*

I rarely go for so many items at the same time and I must admit, I felt a little guilty but hey, it was for both my birthday and Mother's Day as mentioned.

About the Hello Kitty bandages... Catherine thought I was nuts getting these but as I explained to her, I'd much rather have these on my feet (reason why I just had to stop by a drugstore to purchase because they were hurting bad from all the walking) than some ugly beige plastic or pseudo fabric strips. They look cute and go so nicely with Chanel Le Vernis in Coup de Coeur which is my second pedi color of the season! :)


What do you think of whimsical bandages? Like or no like?


If you're on Instagram, leave me your link so I can stalk follow you. :)

Maybelline New York Color Elixir...

Recently at the drugstore I stumbled upon a new display of these little beauties! I've been looking at pink shades for lips more and more but before going for that high end lippie that will take me back $40.00, I figured I would start with less expensive options, for the colors, to see if I would really wear pink again. Seeing these I figured why not give them a try?

Maybelline New York Color Elixir by Color Sensational...

Twenty shades in all, these go along the new trend of hybrid lip products that are popping up everywhere. The Maybelline version is said to have a trio of concentrates to deliver color, care and shine. These apparently came out last November but for some reason I had never seen them in Montreal until now.

The colors... 

I chose Captivating Carnation #080, a pretty bright pink that pulls a little coral on my lips and Mauve Mystique #025, which appears like a deep berry in the container but for some reason looks more like a mauvish lilac on my lips. Neither are saturated but they go on smoothly and the colors can be built up but high saturation doesn't last that long on me because I tend to rub my lips a lot with this type of formula.

Ok guys, look at those colors... WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME???

You do know I'm a NUDE lippie girl don't ya?

The formula...

More sheer than a liquid lipstick, not as sticky as a gloss and a little more "there" than a balm is how I would describe them. These will last a few hours but will not resist a meal. They are very comfortable to wear and their textures remind me of Clarins Lip Perfectors (if you go have a look at the first phrase of that post you'll see why I think I've flipped!), the only products I own I could compare them with, but with more color. Sadly they don't have the same lovely caramel/chocolaty taste. I couldn't quite put my finger on what they tasted like so I had a peek at reviews on Makeup Alley and one reviewer had the perfect description. These have a floral, almost laundry soap kind of taste that I just don't get and it lasts a little too long for me. The weird thing is that when you take the applicator out of the container, these smell like vanilla! That I could have lived with.

As you can see the colors are way more saturated than my beloved 

Clarins Lip Perfector in Candy Shimmer on the right.

A few hours of wear, first the shine goes and then the color but it disappears evenly even with the darker Mauve Mystique.

The applicator is a little flimsy and honestly they could have gone with a classic doe foot type but I guess this one makes the product more in tune with the times. Sometimes I wonder if companies are trying to reinvent the wheel! :)

Do I recommend Maybelline New York Color Elixir? Yes...

If you can get past the taste (I'm having a hard time to but I know some don't really notice it), these have a lovely formula and you can get three for the price of one high end lipstick. Great to try colors your not sure you would wear on a regular basis.

What annoys me the most about drugstore brands...

The sticky tape they use to keep people from opening the products is such a pain to remove!!! The fact that their offerings are box less for the most part is what makes these less expensive and I do get it but how many times have I gotten to finally use the product only to still have either tape or glue traces on the packaging oh and good luck in removing those traces. In some cases oil works but sometimes it doesn't. I don't mind much for a concealer but for a lip product that can be taken out of one's purse in public, me no likey!

Notice the nice traces of tape on the caps! Grrr!

What do you dislike most about drugstore brands?

My First Work Week In Makeup...

My first week at my new job is done and went quite well! Lots of things to learn but mostly about procedures which is what I was expecting. In all honesty, I do believe I will simply love it! :)

As suspected and mentioned last Sunday, I didn't get the chance to take note on interesting articles for you but I think I'll be able to next week. You see this weekend I've had to clean up the yard and do a lot of leaves picking. I got 10 big orange bags! I would have double if not for the leaf picker upper that mulches them! You may have guessed that I'm a little tired.

First week's beauty stuff...

I thought is would be fun to show you the items I reached for in the morning. Aside from getting up at 5:30 am, my biggest challenge was to figure out where I would "put on my face"! As it turns out, same place as usual only this time instead of relying on the light coming in from the window I use an artificial one. At that hour it's still night outside and thank the *putting on makeup* gods I have a good halogen lamp!

Face...

Split face testing of Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, Estée Lauder DayWear BB Cream, Rimmel London Match Perfection Concealer, Marcelle Compact powder (not shown), a nice little go to to make sure other powders go on smoothly.

Eyes...

On Monday I started off the week with Chanel Mystère quad but as a *first day of work* gift to myself I got NARS Fary's Kiss palette during my lunch break and have been playing with it ever since. The top middle and top right colors have been my favorites so far and yes, I will bring you a review real soon. I also have one in the works for NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base.

Bobbi Brown Cement and Slate from the Navy & Nude palette have been great complements. Mascara, I started with L'Oréal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess but for some reason on Wednesday it looked weird on my lashes, almost kind of goopy. I was able to smooth it out but it did make me a little angry so out it will go. On Thursday morning I switched to Dior Iconic and although it takes a little longer to achieve the thickness I like, it lasts all day and keeps the curl beautifully.

Oh the one item I left out is my beloved L'Oréal Infaillible Lacquer Liner in Slate! I get the most amazing thick line in no time and it stays put!

"Glow" & Cheeks...

Guerlain Crazy Terracotta has been getting all my attention this week and with good reason, just read my review, it's total love! I used Madame Rougit a few times for a little extra kick of color when I felt the need for it.

Lips...

On my first day it was Rouge Dior Grège 1947 but for a work day it's too creamy and doesn't last long enough so the following day I wore Rouge Dior Nude in Esquisse 683 and on Friday, Rose Dolce Vita 555 was the one I reached for. Those last two haven't been reviewed yet but it's coming! I also kept in my purse this new Revlon Lip Gloss but have to find the color. I bought two recently and they lost their stickers at the bottom. This one here has a bit of glitter in it which gives it dimension and results into a nice nude lip.

Nails...

I started the week with Diorific Minuit and on Wednesday night went for Essie Sable Collar. Usually I would not have done my nails again in the middle of the week but broke a nail.

Fragrances...

Except for Tuesday when I wore Dior J'Adore, it was Nina L'Eau by Nina Ricci this entire week.

In my purse...

I kept the lipsticks and gloss along with my little Givenchy compact and my small Caudalie Huile Divine.

How long did it take me to put on my makeup in the morning?

10 minutes tops and that was Wednesday when I had to *play* with my lashes due to the L'Oréal mascara.


What do you think? Too much or too little? Have you ever broken down your weekly beauty routine? 

The Original Viva Glam Girl is Back!

Yessss! RuPaul is back!

Dior Addict Gloss / Review...

To get myself more in a fall mood I figured I would get a deep plum/berry gloss and so Sunday while I was at the Dior counter I decided to pick up this little number...

Dior Addict Gloss in 973 Night Fantasy...

Described as a sparkling deep berry it truly complemented my Guerlain Madame Batifole nail polish but without being too matchy matchy. The color is beautiful!

How did it perform? Poorly!!!

This is truly breaking my heart and I'm so sorry but if possible this one is going back! Not thirty minutes after putting it on I already had sparkles all over the lower part of my face! Really not a look I go for.

I tried it on it's own and whether it was a light or thicker coat, sparkles all over.

I tried it over a lipstick. This was actually my plan from the get go, to gently deepen my NARS Tolède and wouldn't you know, sparkles all over, again!!!

Oh and don't blot it because if you do... Boom! Sparkle explosion!

I know, I know you're not suppose to blot a gloss but I did it only with the hope it would remove a bit of the glitter so less would end up on my skin.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... I still have a few lip glosses from Avon Mark and they perform better than this Dior! The problem here seems to be that the sparkles are too big and fall off from the gloss if that makes sense. It's like they're too heavy for the formula even if they seem so fine. The same thing happened to me with a Chanel gloss last spring that I didn't review.

At $31.00 Dior Addict Gloss in Night Fantasy, although a gorgeous color, clearly isn't worth it for me so if it's at all possible, I'll be returning it and I don't think I'll exchange it for a non sparkling gloss since the wear was a little disappointing as well. After about an hour I could barely feel anything left on my lips and it didn't fade evenly. Instead, it accumulated on the contour of my lips with, you guessed it, sparkles stuck all over!

Ok you know I'm not the best for swatches but here goes anyway! See the glitter? 

It would have been gorgeous if only it had remained on my lips. :(

*cries*

Reviews:

Makeup Alley: 3.6 / 5 lippies for 77 reviews
Beauté-test: 4 / 5 stars for 90 reviews

NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss / Review

I received a small size of NARS Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Gold Digger when I purchased Tolède Satin Lipstick (which I'm still loving by the way, reviewed here). All excited, when I got home and opened it, looked at the little tiny brush, well what can I say, I was disappointed.

Now that didn't last long! For this gloss, this brush is quite appropriate. It's precise and prevents applying too much especially  since a little goes a long way. Still, I did have to dip the brush a few times to get an even finish. To put it to the test, I wore it alone. A transparent gloss loaded with gold glitter, it would not have been my first choice but since it was a gift I was more than happy to try it. A little sticky at first, I think it's actually the thickest gloss formula I've tried so far but I must say that after about an hour it becomes quite comfortable and just like NARS Satin Lipstick, it has no taste.

The shimmer, which was truly spread evenly on my lips, lasted a good 5 hours and it was still visible after eating. Oh and I didn't end up with gold specs all over the lower part of my face like it happened recently with another gloss for which I'll bring you a review soon.

It is of course a smaller size gloss but the brush is the same. 

Sorry about the big thumb, I wanted to give you a better idea. 

As you can see it's quite small.

If you like glitters, NARS Gold Digger won't disappoint. Me I think I'll keep it to use once in a while, lightly in the middle of my lower lip for it's that shiny. Still, having said that, I would think that the other colors wouldn't need to be applied over a lipstick. They appear so pigmented that it would be pointless. Now I'm curious about this little brush and how it performs for the other versions of NARS Larger Than Life glosses. It's perfect to deposit a small amount but for the entire lips it may become annoying after a while. We'll see, hopefully I'll get to try one soon.

Guess what's on my nails? Chanel Taboo of course! :)

Lancôme Gloss In Love Now Available Online!

While on the subject of Lancôme, this just in, the new Gloss In Love, available online.

12 beautiful shades with a comfortable vinyl finish. As a bonus, 6 hours of moisture. The 5th from the right, which I think is Lily en Lamé would likely be a good one to keep in my purse! :)

On the picture below, it may not be easy to see clearly but the applicator is curved for a more precise application.

Emma Watson for Lancôme In Love, click on the picture to go to Lancôme.ca

Available through Lancôme website, $28.00 each if they're not yet in stores it shouldn't be long.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors / Review

It's official! I've decided, bright colored lipsticks aren't for me anymore!

Well, for now anyway!

I love to see all the beautiful shades my bloggerettes friends try on, Chanel, Givenchy and Dior all have fabulously bright colors this season. Candies or jewels, you choose your definition.

Yesterday I roamed through a small cosmetic department in my area

I don't know when exactly these came out. As some of you know I was out of the loop for a bit and missed a lot. I do think they have been reviewed several times by now but I just got mine and thought I would add my thoughts about them to the lot.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors = LOVE!!!

Imagine a balm mixed in with a gloss and a hint of color that is non sticky. So comfortable to wear with a taste that's like a mixture of caramel, vanilla and chocolate. Yes, to me it reminds me a little of chocolate.

A balm quality, I feel my lips getting softer as I wear it.

A gloss, yes it does have that effect on lips but can you imagine a gloss that doesn't trap your hair when it's windy? Long haired girls, you know what I mean! For that, this is quite simply amazing.

A hint of color, just enough to give your lips a nice light polished, fresh look.

If you need a bang of color, this is not for you. If you want your "gloss" to last hours, this is not for you. If you want shine, sheen that lasts, this is not for you.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip perfectors do exactly what the name describes. Natural, light shimmer and color with the benefits of comfortable feeling lips is what you'll get. I reapply every 2 hours or so. I started to wear them last Thursday night and haven't had dry lips since! At night I keep using my beloved Nuxe Rêve de Miel but during daytime, Clarins is "da bomb"!

As seen above I purchased two of the new colors. 05 Candy Shimmer and 06 Rosewood Shimmer. The tip is a sponge applicator through which the product comes out when you press on the tube.

05 Candy Shimmer & 06 Rosewood Shimmer *

I'm very sorry about the quality of the pictures. For some reason they didn't come out as clear as expected. Oh and no, my skin does not have a weird color although the Lip Perfector shades did come out rather true. Weird.

05 Candy Shimmer is not as bright on lips and 06 Rosewood Shimmer doesn't come out as brown once applied. Again, they are sheer and wear their names well, Lip Perfector.

There are in all six different colors available the last three being the more "opaque" I didn't purchase 04 Petal Shimmer for I feel it would have been pretty much invisible on my lips. If you have dark pigmented lips, you may want to pass but for light to medium, these are great.

For a few weeks now I've been looking at lipsticks, mainly brighter colors to change from my usual neutrals. So far, no luck! I'm having a real hard time of letting go of my usual. Even my daughter last week told I should take a risk but for some reason I just can't do it, yet!

Ok I'm not totally shutting the door on bright colors...

Baby steps, baby steps...

For now, I'm more than happy with these and they go perfectly with my "Precious" Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow!  :)

If this is not your case and you want more pigment, shine and balm like quality, have a look at these...

These are visually stunning and look much better in real life. 

Their texture, dreamy! $27.00 each.

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm. A core full of color trapped in a translucent gel casing that does remind us of crystal. You can either go for a light or a more opaque effect depending on how much you apply. With the Lip Perfectors I don't always use a mirror but with these, if you want the more pigmented look, I suggest you use one. These two shades 05 Crystal Rose and 06 Crystal Mandarin came out with the new Clarins Splendours Summer Collection and are limited edition.

One last note...

I've had a chance to "play" a bit with the colors from the new collection and all I can say is, they are fabulous! The texture and look of the bronzer is just amazing and would suit any carnation. The eye makeup palette, it's colors, flattering to anyone. Oh and the liner, is deep purple!!! Gorgeous!

We don't mention this brand often enough in my opinion. High quality with reasonable prices.

I'm sorry but I just had to show these to you again. Do note that the bronzer is much bigger than the palette. I came real close to buying it but it would have been overkill. Beautiful texture, slightly more matte than the Bronzing Duo Mineral Powder reviewed here, it really is suitable for everyone. If you don't own a bronzer yet, this one is an excellent option.

In some stores they are already out of the palette so if you are interested in it, you better not wait too long. Both the bronzer and the palette sell for $42.00 each. Just click on the picture to visit Clarins Canada.



* The nail polish I'm wearing is Essie Fifth Avenue. Two coats with one coat of Sèche Vite.

Oh My! Clarins Is Doing It Again...

They are, again, coming out with a beautiful Summer Makeup Collection!

Splendours Collection

Here are the items I'll be having a second look at. You can also go to Clarins website, just click on the Bronzer picture.

First what I consider the star of this new collection, the Fabulous Face Bronzing Powder compact.

I know, how many bronzers can a girl have? This one is just so stunningly beautiful, it will be hard to resist especially considering the quality of Clarins bronzers. This one goes for $42.00. I did get one of their regular bronzers for my daughter, tried it and it's just beautiful. Read my review here.

Splendours Eye Shadow and Eye Liner Palette

Again the attention to details here is just stunning! Beautiful golds with a powder contour as well as a liner. I might actually go for that one. $42.00

Instant Smooth Crystal Gel, two new glosses that look like ice cream toppings!

Crystal Pink & Crystal Plum, $21.00 each.

Two Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms

Crystal Rose & Crystal Mandarin, $27.00 each.

Three new shades of Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. Believe me when I say the colors here are much paler than reality. These are also more pigmented than the others already on the market. They give that "my lips but better" effect with just a hint of shimmer. Glossy but not sticky.

04 Petal Shimmer, 05 Candy Shimmer & 06 Rosewood Shimmer, $20.00 each.

Shimmer Body Oil

This I'm quite intrigued by. I can't wait to smell it and see if the fragrance lasts on the skin. 

Light shimmer as a bonus, for Summer, could be quite nice. $49.00

Other items also available, Wonder Waterproof Mascara ($27.00), Foundation Brush ($34.00), The Brush a kabuki style brush ($33.00) and Instant Light Brush On Perfector to brighten dark areas in three shades ($36.00)

And to think I was at the Clarins counter on Sunday! I didn't even bother to look to see if there was anything new. I must say I was with my daughter and she hates it when mom starts looking at makeup! I apparently spent too much time...

... The girl simply doesn't know what she's talking about!

Clinique Black Honey Lip Duo / Review & Swatches

This seemed like such a good idea at the time! Combining Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey with a Long Last Glosswear SPF15 gloss.

In 2011, Clinique came out with a small collection based on Black Honey. I remember at the time being tempted by the blush but sadly passed. What I did get was this duo.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is quite unique. It looks so dark but it's really a color you can make your own depending on your lips' pigmentation and on how thick you apply it. On me, with only a few swipes, it's my lips but better. Combined with the Black Honey gloss, the finish is a little darker, more polished.

I just loved the idea of the two together but sadly the packaging is not even worth that of a drugstore brand.

This is what it looked like when I first got it:

This is what it looked like after a few months in my purse:

To make matters worst, the cap on the lipstick side kept falling off. Of all the lipsticks I own, this is truly one of the most disappointing as far as packaging is concerned. Needless to say I didn't even want to take it out of my purse in public. 

If only Clinique could release Black Honey as one of their regular Long Last Glosswear colors I'd be a happy girl. At the moment, it's only available through this duo.

Here below are the best swatches I could come up with. As you can see, the colors are nothing like one would imagine just by looking at the lipstick or the gloss. 

On the left, Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, 

Middle, Long Last Glosswear in Black Honey,

On the right, lipstick & gloss layered.

Clinique Black Honey Lip Duo is still available at Sephora for $25.00. 

Since I want to keep it in my purse, I'll be replacing only the lipstick which goes for $19.00. The extra $6.00 for this duo is in my view not worth it, unless it's kept at home, but then what would be the point?

NARS Flirty Fearless Fushia for Spring!

I know, I know, in some parts of the country it's still pretty cold and this morning in Montreal we had the privilege of enjoying more wet snow. Spring seems to have passed us by but believe me, good days are ahead. Proof, these beautiful colors. Yes, we will be able to enjoy them soon, I promise!

Last Monday I saw this beautiful collection that NARS has put together for Spring 2013 at Sephora and could just kick myself for not taking pictures of the swatches I did. I'm not used to having an iPhone yet. Even if it doesn't take the best pictures it would have still given you a pretty good idea of the colors and textures.

NARS blush in Mata Hari  / $32.00
Love love love!!!
Lovely texture, finely milled, Mata Hari is a very pigmented pink colored blush. I loved the fact that it's matte. This, I believe, will give it more mileage. Shimmer can always be added with a powder highlighter. Using a brush it does produce a bit of powder but not so much that you'd feel your waisting a lot of product. On light skin you would need little. On darker complexions, it will definitely show.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Jardins de Plantes / $30.00
This color is beautiful but not for everyone. Described as a fuchsia, it has blue undertones. This is not a color I would be able to pull off but for those who can, the texture is just lovely. Highly pigmented, a little goes a long way which is a good thing considering the price. It has a bit of a soft frosted finish which I find is perfect for this type of color.

NARS Lip Lacquer in Hot Wired / $29.00
If it wasn't so expensive this, I would definitely consider buying. Nice gel-like texture with enough color for a natural pinkish lip with a nice iridescent shimmer.

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Bouthan / $39.00
This duo is quite interesting. Pink eyeshadows! Not for everyone in my book. It can be easy to look washed up wearing them. Of this duo I like the darker shade, Bright Pink With Gold Shimmer. We can barely see the goldish sparkle in this picture which is sad. This is what I found made this shade so interesting. I could definitely consider it as an accent color. Sadly, I found the lighter shade, Pink Tulle, much too light and on me it would not fair so well.

NARS Opaque Nail Polish in Schiap / $21.00
Very pretty color but I do believe I already have some dupes of it and for that I would not consider purchasing it. I've never tried NARS nail polishes so I can't comment on neither their textures nor formulas.

Now, if only my wallet would let me get that blush!!!

Kisses from Clinique

Now this is just too adorable to pass!

Four high gloss Superbalm minis with a cute little pouch! Who in Canada or anywhere cold for that matter, has enough lip balms? Not me! Dryness protection with lots of shine, yay!

Who wouldn't want to get this as a gift? $34.00 at The Bay