The Sunday Post, Vol. 13...

Ouch! What a week!

I've suffered a bad tooth infection that required antibiotics. On Thursday my face was so swollen I didn't go to work. Today the pain has subsided a little but on Tuesday night, it's coming out! :(

Only one new blog post since last Sunday because on top of that my internet connexion was wonky and so I wasn't able to read as many blogs as I usually do and I didn't write much either since half the time I couldn't even open Blogger. I called and spoke to a technician from my internet provider Friday night and maybe next week I won't have any other choice than to have someone come over to change my modem.

If you see I'm off the blog grid, know that this is the reason. Leaving comments via my phone is such a pain and somehow doesn't work half the time.

Daylight Saving Time...

We're losing an hour of sleep in the morning but Yay we will have "longer" days! Last week I noticed that there was still daylight by 5:00 pm and that was quite uplifting. That little hour in the morning will probably make a big difference this week and I must say that today, the first day, I'm already falling behind. I got up at 8:30 instead of 7:30!!! Sundays aren't long enough to begin with but today has made me go ARGH!!!

This week's makeup love...

Mixing Chanel Mystère with Clinique Black Honey = LOVE! Since for the past few days we've been enjoying a bit more sun in Montreal I've started to use my Dior bronzer and a little more pink on my cheeks. For lips it's been a mixture of NARS Dolce Vita and Clarins Lip Perfector in Candy Shimmer.

The medium shade of Chanel Mystère with Black Honey (the reddish brown, second from the right of the Clinique palette) made a great pair this week, I've tried to put them as close to one another as possible to give you an idea. Applying my Bobbi Brown Caviar Ink eye liner with the Ultra Fine Liner brush from the same company has made a world of difference and my eyes have looked... Wow!  M.A.C Whole Lotta Love Pro Longwear Blush got a little busier. Applied lightly over the sheer warm glow of Dior Bronze #010 Healthy Look was a nice change and I guess it would seem Spring wants to "spring" !

I was happy last Sunday to go back to Chanel Le Vernis Coup de Coeur for my nails. As pretty as O.P.I's The Thrill Of Brazil was the week before, I really wasn't feeling the call of the red. I need plums and berries!

Update...

Sad to say but I've returned the NARS Radiand Creamy Concealer I reviewed recently. I believe it was part of my watery eyes problem. As careful as I was not to bring it close to my waterline, my eyes were a mess. I finally was able to get my hands on a replacement of my beloved Rimmel. The coverage is sheerer but at least my eyes seem to stay dry. It still hasn't solved the mystery since I did start to have problems before I got the NARS.

By the way my review of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer stands. It's not because it seemed to irritate my eyes that it will be the same for you if you decide to try it. Just be aware that irritation or an allergic reaction can happen with any product, especially one used in the eye area.

New purchases...

Being a little more attracted by pinks recently, I bought two Maybelline Color Elixir, a replacement to my Rimmel London Match Perfection concealer and a Bobbi Brown eye liner brush.

What I have my eyes on...

Shu Uemura S Curler!!! This week I went back to Sephora to get one but they were out! I hesitated too long and so I pray they get a new shipment soon. On some mornings I mess up the outer corner lashes on my left eye and when this happens it drives me nuts. I figured that little curler may be just what I need to get my lashes to point in the right direction.

For your viewing enjoyment...

I'm not much of a glitter on nails kinda girl but I know many love the look and for those who do they know that the worst thing about wearing glittery finishes is the removal part. One trick I read was applying white glue as a base! Yup, white glue like Elmer's. I don't know how long the finish lasts but this apparently makes removal easier.

You don't feel like using glue on your nails? Well you might consider this new product from O.P.I...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDBPI_KnIFY

Finding this video I noticed that there are numerous tutorials about glitter removal on youtube so if not this products there might be an option for you among them.

This day is going by way too fast so gotta run and get ready for the week!


Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

O.P.I The Thrill Of Brazil...

Ahhh  Brazil...

To me Brazil is synonymous with Carnival, Samba and Carmen Miranda...

This Friday starts the Rio Carnival, last bits of celebration before Lent the 40 days period which precedes Easter. This grand street party can be quite wild for some and so must be very different these days than when it started back in 1823.

Photo credit: That The Bones You Have Crushed...

Before writing this entry I knew nothing about the Rio Carnival and so I read bits about it here and there on the web. Like everybody else I had seen images of people dancing next and on top of lavishly decorated floats in what appeared to be a wild party atmosphere. What I’ve learnt is that it’s all about the Samba which seems to have originated in Bahia, Brazil, with roots in Rio de Janeiro and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. Samba is most frequently identified as a musical expression of urban Rio de Janeiro where it was developed between the 19^th and 20^th century.

The Rio Carnival is a big party but it’s also a Samba competition. The carnival parade is for samba schools to compete against rival samba schools. Each chooses a theme they try to portray in their performances, floats, costumes, some pretty amazing artistic makeups and of course, music. There can be as much as 4000 participants/revelers per school.* Now talk about a party!

O.P.I Spring/Summer 2014 collection, Brazil...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkRZZD11WwE&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLQJUg0LNqNatSIO-M1qlMsj5umZBR5-ET

Twelve new colors inspired by the largest South American country have hit the shelves about two weeks ago. I hadn’t planned on getting any but hey, why not?

The Thrill Of Brazil...

I decided to go for the beautiful bright red in the collection but ended up being duped!!!

I purchased The Thrill Of Brazil thinking it was color from the new collection only to find out once home that it had been originally released in 2002 as part of the South American Collection. It now has its place in O.P.I’s  regular line up. Even more annoying is that there was a swatch of it on the store's color wheel along with those of the new offerings.

Still, even if this is not a new shade it does come up as a pretty perfect dupe of Red Hot Rio which is likely the reason it was on the same display. A co-worker was wearing the gel version of it this week and our two hands side by side, truly looked identical. When two colors are that close it really makes me wonder about some limited edition collections out there and I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but O.P.I has pretty extensive selection of reds similar to this one. I guess it's getting a little hard to develop new ones.

The formula...

Slightly on the thin side but if you lick the extra on the the neck of the bottle it goes on easily and I had no pooling. This one could actually be a one coater but I preferred to go with two for durability. Drying time was pretty quick so that was nice. I’d say I was able to use my hands 30 minutes after applying the second coat.

I applied it on Sunday morning and early in the afternoon did some cooking where I prepared three dishes for the upcoming week. After about an hour I could see that I was starting to get some tip wear so this one definitely needs a top coat just like most O.P.I cream nail polishes I own.

I removed it on Friday nights and by then it didn't look that good. I must admit that I didn't reapply my top coat mid week. Longevity is not as good as some higher end formulas I own but for the price this is a good quality nail polish. Just note that if you have soft nails you may end up with chips on the second day, especially if you don't wear a top coat over it. Staining may also be an issue so a base coat may have its place here if it's something that annoys you. I don't mind much since I'll be going for another medium dark color right after.

I don’t wear reds that often, in fact up until now I only owned one from Essie (Twin Sweater Set reviewed, here) released last fall and the reason I decided to get O.P.I’s was because I thought it would be a little brighter, which it is but since I’m not a red aficionado I could have lived without it. I find them pretty much interchangeable.

I tried to take pictures of it I really tried and every time the color came out almost tomato red which it’s not. It’s much cooler thus more wearable in my opinion for this time of year. Even the swatches I’ve seen on other blogs all appear warmer than it is. On the pictures above, natural light on the left is the closest I could get to the actual color. You can get an idea of what I mean on the right with indoor lighting about the tomato effect.

Who knew red could be so hard to photograph?

Here next to one another Essie Twin Sweater Set does appear much darker but in real life it's not that evident.

So this took care of The Thrill Of Brazil, the carnival and samba portion but who the heck was Carmen Miranda?

A popular Brazilian actress from the 1930s/1950s. She was Hollywood’s generic kind of stereotypical “Latinness” who was a sort of mixture of Brazilian, Mexican, Portuguese, Cuban and Argentinean styles. Flamboyant, she would wear over the top colorful costumes, crazy fruit loaded head pieces and platform shoes high enough to make Lady Gaga jealous! You can learn more about her, here.

I do believe she would have loved O.P.I’s Red Hot In Brazil!

If you love red you might want to check out The Thrill Of Brazil or Red Hot In Rio and who knows, they just might inspire you to take samba lessons!  :)

How do you feel about red nail polish? Go or no go?

*To learn more about Samba schools and the carnival in general there's this very informative website you can visit, Rio Carnival but be warned, it's slow and a bit of a pain to navigate. 

The Sunday Post, Vol 2...

So, the weather has been getting pretty cold in Montreal which means that most smart people are starting to look like smaller versions of the Michelin man! The not so smart, well, they kind of look like sad icicles!

-28° Celsius with the windchill yesterday and it's only the beginning!

Last night we've had snow, lots of it and today it's still going down hard!

Sadly we can't look forward to be snowed in since as you may have guessed, Canada is pretty good with the white stuff and in my beautiful city the bus and metro network is quite amazing so whatever happens, to work I'll go!

In my purse...

Similar to last week although I did reach for Clinique Black Honey a few times in the morning and wear NARS Tolède more than Rouge Dior Grège during the day. My lips are a little dryer due to the cold weather so I'll be using my Caudalie Lip Conditioner more often under a creamier lippie. Needless to say that at night I've been applying a thick layer of my beloved Nuxe Rève de Miel lip balm.

I did a comparison of these two and the jar won by a mile!!!

This week's makeup love...

I used my new Marcelle CC as a base in the morning and it's been doing a fine job although my nose gets a little shinier in the afternoon. I'll have to keep a close watch because I'm feeling two little clogged pores on my right cheek so *fingers crossed* it's not the CC and just a case of poor cleansing. Powders and blush were all courtesy of Guerlain with Crazy Météorites, Crazy Terracotta and Madame Rougit.

Eyes enjoyed Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Fatal combined with Dior Velvet almost everyday with a little accent from the medium beige in Chanel Charming palette. Since the look was a bit darker I've been using Bobbi Brown gel liner in Caviar Ink and I must say I'm really starting to like it. For mascara, it was my little size of Benefit They're Real!

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Caviar Ink.

Nail of the week was O.P.I Muir Muir On The Wall which was reviewed yesterday. A beautiful color but unfortunately not a hit.

Lastly for fragrances I started the week with Tocca Florence, a lovely light scent that I'll keep for spring so I'll wait before writing a review of it since I've only worn it a few times so far. On Tuesday I forgot to reach for anything and so stopped by a drugstore next to work and sprayed some Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy which I enjoyed quite a bit two years ago but never took time to review. I think I still have a sample left so I may write a little something about it in the new year. The rest of the week was again Dior Addict Eau Délice!

New additions...

Until Saturday morning I was such a good girl!!! I went into Sephora only once on Friday night to have a quick look at Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I didn't buy any beauty stuff!!!

What happened Saturday morning? Stacey, that Expat Makeup Addict who lives in Dubai had a blog sale! I caved in... again! I previously purchased Chanel Mystère from her and just couldn't resist getting Guerlain Terracotta La Sélection de L'Été!!! I sooo wanted that compact last summer but it wasn't available in Montreal. I can't wait for it to get here! Stacey still has some nice goodies up for grabs so do go have a look, here.

Oh I almost forgot, yesterday afternoon I purchased a Revlon lash curler. I've been having such a hard time with my Shiseido lately mainly due to the dark metal color. I've been having difficulty to see my lashes through it and so I've ended up either pinching my lids or worse, crimped up lashes. When I was able to use daylight to do my makeup in the morning it wasn't an issue but with a lamp it's totally different. Hopefully this inexpensive one will do for now.

Guerlain La Sélection de L'Été summer 2013.

Wants...

Chanel Accent blush from the holiday 2013 collection Nuit Infinie is still on my list! *sigh* Toward the end of the week I'll look into mascaras and will likely get Dior Iconic Curl. More lippies? Maybelline just came out with a nice nude collection that I have yet to see and I there's still NARS Dolce Vita that I would like to get. Remember my review of Clinique Black Honey Lip Duo? I'm thinking about replacing the lipstick since I've been reaching for it a few times in the morning but do not want to put it in my purse given the poor state my tube is in.

What's up with Cat?

Last week I mentioned giving Catherine her first Chanel Le Vernis and she did wear it but the lighting was so not good I wasn't able to take pictures of her nails. About three days in, it was ruined! She plays guitar at school and doesn't use a pick so it was kind of normal and had nothing to do with the formula.

On Thursday night she had her first Christmas show at school where she was to sing. The auditorium was filled with people, the show went brilliantly but... we could hardly hear her! The stupid music teacher had decided to bring in his wife to "accompany" Catherine and the two other girls selected for a rendition of The Beatles' Let It Be.

The result, a pseudo showcase of the music teacher's wife, apparently a "professional singer" who ended up messing up the words!!! I know, Let It Be is such a hard song to sing! Right?

The good thing in this, Catherine wasn't fazed out and took in in stride. She almost didn't go but decided that since she had given her word she would honor it. That's my girl!!! This week she's got another Christmas show and will sing again but this time it's the school's choir and I can't wait for that. I'll let you all know how it went next week!

For your viewing enjoyment...

Let It Be of course!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4zaofnVhps

For some reason although I do know the song by heart I've never really payed any attention to the lyrics. They do indeed go with the season even if it's not a "Christmas" song.


Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

O.P.I Muir Muir On The Wall… and Gwen Stephani

O.P.I Muir Muir On The Wall...

I guess after my great experience with Diorific Frimas the week before I was expecting similar results with this one but no, it didn’t do as well.

O.P.I Muir Muir On The Wall is a beautiful deep plum with a light gold sheen that makes it appear metallic. Classy and vampy this one is just my style but unfortunately it didn't turn out to be very resistant to tip wear. I applied it on Sunday night without a top coat and by Monday afternoon already it was looking less than fresh. 


I've had to take my pictures at the office since the lighting at home was just plain horrible.

Monday afternoon.

That evening I did apply a top coat but even with it, it continued to break on the ends of my nails especially my index fingers. This was clearly a case of redoing my nails mid week and I thought of applying Frimas again but I just didn't have the time.

Tuesday afternoon with top coat. It's not that obvious on the picture 

but there's already some tip wear especially on the index finger.

Me was not happy! 

By Thursday night there was a big chip on the tip of my right index finger! Since I had to go out I did an express correction and applied a little of Muir Muir On The Wall just on the colorless spot. Good thing no one looked at my nails up close. Not a good thing!

This is the first time this happens to me with O.P.I. All the polishes I own from this brand have been winners but sadly this one isn't. Two coats made it perfect and the color was gorgeous but that was it. I was expecting at least five days of good nails but got a little over three. Do note that I don't put my hands in water much but as I've mentioned before I type a lot! This of course doesn't help but most of my recent nail polish purchases have fared quite well compared to this one. 


So this one was a dud for me but I'm still looking forward to the upcoming O.P.I Gwen Stefani for OPI Collection.

“Inspired by the 2013 Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala that featured the theme “Punk: Chaos to Couture,”. “With her expertise as a singer, songwriter and designer, who better to collaborate with than Gwen Stefani?”. “Known for her trademark red lips, bold eye makeup and nail art, Gwen uses beauty to accessorize her style.” – OPI Executive Vice President and Artistic Director  Weiss-Fischmann

Click on the picture to visit my favorite Romanian girl Tavia, on Chic Profile. She's got all the promo photos and really, the colors are stunning, just like the artist I guess. :)

Thoughts about the name Muir Muir On The Wall...

Oh how that name brought back memories! For most it sounds like "Mirror, mirror on the wall" but for me it reminded me of something totally different!

Ever heard of the movie The Ghost and Mrs Muir? No? Maybe the tv show?

When I was a kid we used to get what were already dated English series either from the States or the UK on television translated in French and one of my favorites was Madame et son fantôme (The Ghost and Mrs Muir). I just loved it! 

A young widow along with her children and a funny grumpy maid, moves into a beautiful house that once belonged to a sea captain. I can't quite remember if it was on a beach or on a cliff but I can recall vaguely the room of the captain with its beautiful spyglass set on a stand to watch passing ships and spy on visitors calling on the lady of the house. He would show himself only to Mrs Muir and I was so hoping they would fall in love! 

Edward Mulhare and Hope Lange in The Ghost and Mrs Muir the tv show.*

Yup! That's what I call a handsome ghost! 

I won't bore you with details of either the movie or the tv show but if you are curious about them you can read about them here and here.

I just couldn't resist, loooved that tv show! :)

Do you have a nail polish that you were looking forward to but ended up being disappointed by it?

*Picture credit: Moviegoods 

The Sunday Post, Vol. 1...

A new title for Sundays...

I've mentioned last week that I didn't quite know what to do about my Sunday post due to my new situation. Working full time equals in having much less time for blogging. By giving this day a new title it will enable me to do a bit of everything. I'll try to bring you some links here and there but these will unfortunately be less of a regular thing for the time being. I guess a structure will form as I go along so bare with me. :)

Here goes for no 1...

In my purse...

Along with my Givenchy compact and Rouge Dior Grège 1947, I took out my beloved NARS Tolède this week. This color is just so perfect!!! It came out last spring as a limited edition and I know that once it's almost done I'll be on the hunt for a dupe! Caudalie Lip Conditionner and Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 06 Rosewood Shimmer also tagged along and were used frequently.

Makeup of the week...

I used pretty much the same items as last week except for the fact that I brought out Bobbi Brown's Gel Liner a few times and switched to my small size of Benefit They're Real! mascara for my Dior Iconic isn't doing as good for me anymore. It's become thicker and takes too long to apply. I'll probably use it a few more weekends and be done with it.

Yesterday I did a little experiment. In the morning I used Nuxe Crème Fraîche light and applied Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation. What a pain!!! It took forever to blend in and in the end it didn't look that great on my nose. As much as I used to like this foundation (back when I did I didn't wear any face covering product everyday) I don't think I'll ever wear it again for it made my skin look flat and almost dry. Good thing I had the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette to give my face a bit of glow otherwise it would have looked like I was wearing a death mask! This foundation which by the way is a best seller might be one to try again with a primer on me but then I'd be stuck with three steps and honestly, I don't want to bother.

Nail of the week was Diorific 318 Frimas. Hopefully I'll be able to take a good picture for the review that's ready to post. It's such a hard color to photograph I may have no other choice than to bring you links of swatches because believe me I've tried but it always turns out either too warm or too cold. :(

Fragrance, these past 7 days was all about Dior Addict Eau Délice! I'm so glad I took advantage of Black Friday at Sephora. If I remember correctly there was a $6.00 markdown on the small size I purchased.

Catherine's first Chanel...

Many of you know that my daughter isn't into makeup, at all! At 14 she couldn't care less about mascara and lipstick and I must admit I was the same at her age. What she does like are nail polishes and recently she mentioned Chanel Taboo. I told her she could use it if she wanted but she looked at me almost in shock saying: "Mom, it's Chanel!" I was so surprised by her reaction, I of course told her, who cares, if you like it you can wear it, I didn't buy it to have it dry up on the shelf!

So this week I stumbled on pictures of Chanel's limited edition nail polishes for their holiday 2013 Nuit Infinie Collection. I called her up so she could have a look and she flipped when she saw Le Vernis in Cosmos!

Friday I stopped by the Chanel counter, got Cosmos and the SA wrapped it up for her. I think my baby was happy! I told her this one was all hers but she could still borrow mine whenever she wanted. I'm now sorry I didn't take a picture of it wrapped but hey, this was not for the blog but for her!  But I did keep the bow! :)

New additions...

I was a good girl! I purchased a replacement of Sephora's micellar cleanser (next time I'll get the large size, I wanted a 2nd bottle with the convenient pump) and a Marcelle CC cream because my Estée Lauder DayWear BB tube is now officially empty! I really liked it and might repurchase next summer.

Being this good just might enable me to get Chanel Accent blush after all! I swatched it again when I purchased Le Vernis Cosmos and I'm still soooo tempted!

I forgot to mention last week a new O.P.I nail lacquer from the Fall 2013 San Francisco Collection, Muir Muir On The Wall which was chosen by Catherine and will likely be this week's mani. In the bottle it looks like a beautiful deep plum with a gold metallic sheen.


For your viewing enjoyment...

With the holidays kind of here, I'm sure many of you will have special events and/or parties to go to. Makeup and clothes may be a done deal but what about nails? I'm not much into nail art myself but I've stumbled upon these tutorials from O.P.I that look so easy to do they could totally up you fashion game for Christmas and especially New Year's Eve. All the colors shown are from the O.P.I Mariah Carey Holiday 2013 Collection but you may already own similar colors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TQ_1JGQL4&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLQJUg0LNqNatW3PTqYFRe5tyh7kA4boLM

I must admit that the Bling Ring Mani would probably be a go if I did have a special evening planned. I would totally do one accent nail as shown. If you keep on watching there's a beautiful Moonlight Mani tutorial done with O.P.I's Liquid Sand nail polishes that is quite simply stunning! One quick note, I do have a Liquid Sand and the formula lasts and lasts so taking the time to recreate this look would mean that you'd be set for the week! :)


Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

O.P.I Expert Touch Lacquer Remover / Review...

What's in a nail polish remover? A lot if you ask me and I didn't even notice until recently!

We always read about nail treatments, hand creams and nail polishes but rarely about removers. I tried to do a quick search and sadly not much came up and that's probably because most of us figure that a polish remover is just that, a polish remover and they're all the same so why even mention them? This is an almost non issue if you only wear light colors, French manicure or just use a top coat for a clean look but if you wear vampy colors like me, you may find removing your polish a pain without a good one!

That's what happened to me last summer! I had to replace an empty bottle and picked up what was available at my local drugstore. What I got was this particular drugstore chain's name brand and it was the worst ever!!! At first I didn't really notice how poorly it performed since the colors I was wearing then were corals and fuchsias but a few weeks ago I had Dior Nuit 1947 on my nails which you can see here. I think this is probably the darkest color that was introduced this fall out of all the new collections. It took forever to come off and even once I was done, my nails were stained red.

Ok so stained nails aren't such a big deal for me since I usually go ahead with new polish right away but the time and effort it took... argh!!!

That nail polish remover did have acetone in it but apparently not enough of it and yes, it did say Extra Strength on the bottle!

Next up I got Sally Hansen's Extra Strength. I think out of all the drugstore options we have here it's probably the most effective and most affordable. Seeing how much better Sally Hansen was got me thinking about what professional use. Now I've had a professional manicure done only once in my life so I have no idea what they go for. I know, I know, how on Earth is that possible? Well, I hate being touched and the only reason I went was because I had broken a nail just before a special event.

O.P.I Expert Touch Lacquer Remover...

I stumbled upon this one by luck last week at Winners and $12.99 for 480 ml is a little more than what I'm used to pay for such a product but I really was curious to see if it would be better.

How did it perform? Great!

I tested it to remove Guerlain Madame Batifole which is on the dark side, you can see it, here. I ended up using less product and my nail polish came off like a breeze! On the bottle there are no "Strengthening" or "Moisturizing" claims, no Vitamin E added or whatever. It's just a remover and truly the best I've used so far. As a bonus, it didn't dry up my cuticles as much as Sally Hansen does and I found this quite surprising.

Would I recommend O.P.I Expert Touch Lacquer Remover? Yes!!!

If you want to be quick about removing your nail polish, this is for you. It is more expensive but it's so much better! I don't plan on bringing you other reviews of nail polish removers but I guess any Professional option will do better by you than what's at the drugstore although Sally Hansen does perform well so in a jam I'll keep a bottle of it. At around $3,00 for 267 ml, it's a steal.

This O.P.I product has a suggested retail price of about $20,00 for 480 ml but believe me, a little goes a long way and it's still less expensive than Dior which sells for the same price but for a 50 ml bottle.


Bonus review...

O.P.I Nail Lacquer, Casino Royale...

From the 2012 Skyfall Holiday Collection this is just my kind of color. I glad I got this one last winter, I'm such a James Bond fan! A beautiful vampy dark plum, a classic! The formula is opaque with two coats but does require a top coat. Here is 24 hours after application and it's lost a little of its shine already. There are many dupes of this one but even if it's a color from last year, it's still available in some areas.

Of course the color is a little wonky! It's actually a little darker in reality.

Do you get your nail polish remover from a drugstore or from a salon?

Do you have a favorite James Bond movie or actor? Me, I think I would have to say Thunderball (1965) due to the underwater scenes. Sean Connery will always be Bond but Daniel Craig is turning out to be a pretty handsome good one!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Get Ready to See Pink!

October is Brest Cancer Awareness month and this means that starting tomorrow, we'll be flooded by pink!

The first use of the pink ribbons goes back to fall of 1991 by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, when they where handed out to the participants of a race for breast cancer survivors in New York City. It was officially adopted the next year in 1992, as the symbol for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Evelyn Lauder a breast cancer survivor herself, senior corporate vice president of Estée Lauder then created a ribbon to be distributed in stores in New York. The movement took off!

Have you ever seen the pink and blue ribbon? This one was created in 1996 to bring awareness to the fact that both women and men are afflicted by this. It is more rare in men but it does happen, I have a brother in law who is a survivor. Both he and his wife fought the disease and won.

Along with Estée Lauder there are now a countless number of companies that produce pink colored products to be promoted and sold during the month of October to remind us to give to the cause. How much are these companies contributing? It's hard to say but one thing is certain, it makes us feel good when we purchase something pink!

Just imagine if all companies gave 100% of all the proceeds these products brought in to the cause like M.A.C does with it's Viva Glam campaign for AIDS, what a difference it would make!

Estée Lauder...

Evelyn Lauder & Elizabeth Hurley Dream Lip Collection, includes a Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Rubellite and a Pure Color Sheer RollerGloss in Hot Pink along with a two tone clutch. $35,00. Clinique and Bobbi Brown will also have special promotional items to offer.

Avon...

Silver tone necklace with the word Love or Amour, $5.00 with all proceeds going to benefit breast cancer research, awareness and support programs. Through a representative or avon.com.ca


O.P.I Pink of Hearts...

From what I've read, O.P.I will donate $25,000 to the Susan G.Komen Foundation and $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer Canada. This is one of the most popular items in the blogosphere but honestly I think O.P.I  could give a little more...

There will be countless pink offerings in stores, from kitchen appliances to snow removing brushes. It's hard to tell how much those companies contribute so one has to be selective. If you really want to give to the cause...

On this site you can find a list of products from brands recognised by the Foundation, here.

Every province as several associations with special events worthy of getting your pennies so again, given the fact we don't know exactly how much of our money goes to the cause, this could be the way to go but at the same time, giving one something pink to a breast cancer survivor can be a very nice touch.

O.P.I and Essie Fall 2013...

These two brands for me are like two reliable friends. So far I've been extremely lucky with the formulas of the colors I've purchased from both, even if sometimes the colors themselves ended up not wowing me as much. I truly have nothing negative to say about either.

Essie's Recessionista from last year's Fall/Winter collection Stylenomics was the one that got me back into wearing colors. A dark vampy plum red, it didn't let me down and I loved it so much, I got a back up. For such a dark color, it's formula was excellent, stayed on a good six days with a top coat. With it I was using Sally Hansen's Mega Shine but his time around I plan on trying a few others.

Even if it's last year's favorite color for me, kind of been there done that, Recessionista remains a front runner as a favorite for every day, again. Why? The plum factor!

I love dark vampy reds, I find burgundy smashingly classic but throw in a little plum and I'm stet! It's that little extra somethin somethin that makes it go with everything.

I haven't crossed over to greys, teal greens or dark blues, yet! I love seeing them on others but for some reason just can't imagine these on me. Since nail polish is such an easy way to make a fashion statement, I do believe I may do it this time around. After all, I spent the summer wearing Chanel Le Vernis in Taboo!

As much as I love high end nail polishes, I've satisfied my crave for Guerlain Madame Batifole and plan on having a closer look at Dior Galaxie oh and maybe Chanel Elixir but after that, I think some of these below will complete my Fall/Winter look. I just don't know which ones yet!


O.P.I  San Francisco Collection...

The theme was known and pictures have been circulating for a while now, since April in fact. Oh and last week was announced a collaboration with Carrie Underwood for Spring 2014! This is a little annoying since you're barely getting your hands on summer colors and already you're seeing the fall/winter collections. I know that's the way it is but still. The only thing that really gets me with O.P.I is their website! I always have issues with it. These below where taken from their Australian website...

Edited: Sorry guys it appears the two on the right are names from the Euro Centrale collection. As stated, I took these screen shots from OPI Australia. Their actual names are Wharf wharf wharf & Alcatraz...Rocks, which makes perfect sense given the shades. Thank you Dominique for leaving a comment and bringing this to my attention. :)


Essie Fall 2013 For The Twill of It Collection...

To get us back to a warm and fuzzy feeling, these colors are more than comfy... I love Essie, especially the fact that's it's readily available everywhere. Often reduced at under $8.00 they're affordable and the quality is quite respectable.

For The Twill Of It, a medium brown with green shimmer

Afterschool Boy Blazer, midnight blue

Twin Sweater Set, crimson red

Cashmere Bathrobe, flannel gray with shimmering specs

The Lace is On, pearlescent fushia

Vested Interest, grey teal

In Montreal and I'm sure it's the same in any major city, if you're in the habit of going downtown to do your shopping, you can find O.P.I for under $12.00 and Essie for under $10.00. Also what's fun if you stop by a salon that sells these brands, you can often get mini sizes sets for about $15.00. This is probably what I will do this year. It will enable me to try more colors.

This might be a good thing since nail polishes are the only thing beauty that interest my daughter. :)

All these are starting to be available pretty much everywhere.


What colors are you usually going for?  Me, as I've said, vampy plummy reds. :)

Rimmel London's New Line of Nail Polishes...

Oh I do hope these are coming our way! In case you didn't know, the quality of Rimmel's nail polishes is way up there and the big flat brush, like O.P.I, makes the application a breeze.

Today I popped over Makeup4All, a beauty blog written by Marina and what do you know? She was mentioning her excitement over the launch of this new line of nail polishes created by Kate Moss. I know, this is probably old news but again, I was out of the blogging world for close to a month and a half. Surprise to me, I'm very happy about this new collection.

From Cosmopolitan UK On this page you can also read an interview with Kate Moss.

Here the supermodel talks about the new collection...

Rimmel London Salon Pro Nail Polish TV commercial...

By now you must know that Rimmel London is one if not my favorite drugstore brands because so far, everything I've tried has been pretty good. What's super nice is their wallet friendly prices, anyone can get "The London Look". The nail polishes are usually around $5.00 so let's keep our fingers crossed and hope we get them soon. They where launched in the UK in April.

My 2 favorites, Burgundy Flirt & Stiletto Red

These are the ones currently available. 

Click on the image to visit Rimmel London's 

Canadian website.

If I get more information about availability I will update this post.

O.P.I Hands Off My Kielbasa, My NOTW / Review

Here I go with nails!

A word of warning, this is not my forte! 

I unfortunately do not have a picture of my nails due to the fact that the weather was cold and cloudy last week when I wore it and nothing decent was possible. For swatches, google has plenty of this color which you can see here.

Hands Off My Kielbasa is part of O.P.I  Euro Centrale Collection for Spring Summer 2013. I purchased this color a few weeks back and made it part of one of my recent purchases post. It's light and peachy with a bit of bronzy shimmer. Too light and too peachy for me but even if this was not my kind of shade I must say the formula applied like a dream and 2 coats made it streakless. I may try it again this summer but with all the beautiful cream shades out there I doubt it. I just can't get used to shimmer, for now anyway.

How did it perform?

Excellent! I have nothing negative to say about the formula. Like stated above, two coats made it streakless and smooth looking. On top I applied one coat of Seche Vite™ for extra shine and protection. The result, a good six days of perfect looking nails. No chips, I did have a bit of tip wear, to be expected but since this is a medium shade, I could hardly notice.

OPI Euro Centrale Collection

Nail polish drawing made for Icaria's by City Lights Painted Girls who I will properly introduce soon.

At Home Gel Nail Polish Kits

I have only recently started to wear color again on my finger nails after years of going either bare or transparent and before that it was French manicure.

The colors I go for these days, dark wine reds! I love seeing red!

Sadly, these shades don't last more than about 4 days. Cooking, dishes and especially typing (I spend a lot of time on my lap top) are not gentle on nail polishes and the darker the color, the more obvious the wear.

Looking for a more durable option without spending a fortune? These could fit the bill. I have seen  gelshine™ manicures and the effect is stunningly beautiful. If like me you're not into salons and prefer to do things yourself, these kits may be worth a second look.