I know, I know, most of us have now put our feet in hibernation for it seems that as soon as we have to start wearing socks we give up on them!
This year I've decided to try to keep my feet in good shape and this will include not only a weekly pampering session but nail color! ... We'll see how long I keep it up! :)
For the past month I'd been wearing Dior Massaï, a beautiful darkish red and I almost went with it again last night but then I stopped myself and texted Mr J! I was curious to see if he would have an opinion and I gave him three options: Dior Massaï #853, Chanel Taboo #583 and Essie Cashmere Bathrobe! Ok so I didn't give him the names for they would have meant nothing to him. I simply wrote: dark red, dark purple (although I did mention it was called Taboo to see if he would bite) and dark grey. To my surprise he answered dark grey, the one I least expected.
Toe nails now have Cashmere Bathrobe on! Do excuse the quality of the picture, the sun has been a no show for a while and this is poor indoor lighting. In real life they all are a smidgen darker.
Oh and Mr J did thank me for asking! How sweet is that?
So, do you keep on pampering your feet in winter and if you do apply color, how do you go about in choosing which one it will be?
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.
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 19th and 20th
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!
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.
This is my first time doing such a list and to make it easier for myself I decided to go with the products that were hits "at first use", the ones that really made me go... Wow! This past year I've had to replace a lot of my old makeup and yes there were a few misses along the way but I'm glad to say that there were more than a few great finds.
Those of you who follow Icaria's on a regular basis will recognise most of them for they have been mentioned several times already. This in a way feels a little redundant but what can I say, they are my ultimate favorites of 2013!
Favorite compacts...
I went a little nuts this year with face products and this started with Givenchy Le Prisme Visage Mat which was such a great find, never having tried any of this brand's products before. It's always in my purse and I use it every day to keep the shine away! Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow... Oh how I love thee!!! The perfect summer glow! Honestly, I don't know how Dior can top this one! Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush came out last fall and is such a pleasure to use and just perfect for my skin tone aaaaannnnd.... Guerlain Crazy Terracotta and Guerlain Crazy Météorites. These two amazing powders should definitely become part of the brand's regular line.
Favorite eye palettes...
You will notice that these palettes are on the neutral side. As mentioned, I had to replace some of my old makeup and so these are now part of my "basics". Bobbi Brown Navy & Nude Eye Palette gets some love almost every morning, especially Cement which is great for my upper lids and Slate that I use with a slanted brush to lightly define my lower lash line. NARS Fairy's Kiss, to think I almost missed out on this one for I took my sweet time to get it. Chanel Ombres Matelassée in Charming was a big splurge but oh so worth it! Not the most in your face colors but so perfect for every day.
Favorite eye combination...
My favorite combination this year? Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Fatal and Diorshow Velvet eyeshadow! I know on the picture they look a little similar but Velvet is more grey than Fatal and gives my eyes more Oomf! Who would have thought I would go for glitter? :)
This nail polish from Dior's Golden Winter Collection Holiday 2013 seems to be the forgotten one! There's little mention of it and not that many reviews.
Diorific 318 Frimas...
Honestly, it's not my type of color. I'm usually all about vampy nails but on my first new job week, on the second day to be exact, I broke a nail! That was not the end of the world really since I'm not that obsessed about my hands but, I did have to do my manicure again. I know, I know I could have redone only that nail but I do like to make my life more complicated! :)
Not a good idea if you want to be quick about a mid week mani! I did mention that I wasn't an expert "applicationer" didn't I?
This is when I started to think about getting a nude shade.
I don't like nude on nails so why would I bother? Because they're much easier to do a gook looking mani in almost one go. Meaning that even if the cleaning up part isn't perfect, it doesn't show as much as with dark nail polishes.
Since I'm absolutely in love with Diorific Minuit I decided to give Frimas a second look!
Just so you know the pictures below were taken after one full week of wear!!! I did my nails on Sunday night and took these pictures on Saturday morning. Little tip wear, especially on my index finger, this nail polish did an amazing job.
This is under warm lighting when you can see the subtle glitter.
It's a beautiful beige with pink undertones that can look like a dusty pink under some lighting with some of the same smart glitter as in Minuit. Not as stunning but Frimas definitely has style and unlike some metallics it doesn't fall flat and you don't get any brush strokes. Instead it almost seems as if a soft light is coming from within. This is of course when you look at it up close. No one in the metro will notice this and if you start looking at your nails people will be thinking you're one weird dudette! Better not do that!
This is how it kind of looks in the metro under cooler lighting.
No I didn't take a picture of my nails in the metro! :)
How did it perform? Amazing!
It's the same formula as Minuit and two coats make it perfect, even more so than it's dark counterpart which can appear a little shear if application is uneven. These nail polishes grip the nails like no others and they dry fast. I waited about 5 minutes before applying the second coat and I believe 10 more minutes would have been enough for it to be completely dry but to be on the safe side I waited 30. I wore it this entire week and didn't bother with a base coat, I never do actually. I've applied a top coat 2x, first on Sunday night right after the second coat was dry enough and the second on... Saturday morning! I took it off on Sunday afternoon.
That's from Sunday to Sunday!!!
I think I would have liked Frimas to be one shade lighter but I won't complain since the tenacity of it makes it an excellent mid week mani option to take me right through to the week end, for when I have more time to have a go at a more "my kind" of color.
Diorific Frimas will not become a favorite but rather a "color of convenience" and I do think we all need one of those. A darker nude Frimas in my view, would be flattering for most skin tones except maybe very dark ones unless it's paired with specific clothing colors.
Long wear, smart dimension thanks to the gentle micro glitter, Diorific Frimas is definitely a good nail polish to own if not to wear every week, at least as a mid week replacement.
Do go have a look at it before it's gone for this is a limited edition.
What do you think about nude nail polishes? Like or no like?
Part of the new Winter 2013 Collection, Shearling Darling that's starting to pop up here and there, Sable Collar is not my usual type of color but it had just enough purple in it for me to totally want to try it. Described as a cocoa plum, although I see a bit of grey in it, two coats are all you'll need to get a nice streak less metallic finish.
Wait what??? Metallic finish?
Ok I'm not a fan of metallic and I must admit that in a way Sable Collar looks better in the bottle than on my nails BUT like I said, it does have that nice plum to it that make me like it. In fact to my great surprise I like it a lot.
Right, after 3 days with no top coat. Left with top coat. Notice the purple in the bottle.
Sadly it doesn't look the same on nails but it still is a very nice color.
The formula went on super smoothly. I doubt one would be satisfied with just one coat although it is thick enough for an even application. Since I'm no expert I did need to go for seconds to even out the finish.
Although it does have that metallic finish it's not that super shiny the day after so a top coat is required to give it it's full depth otherwise if falls a bit flat as you may have noticed on the above pictures.
As with most of Essie's nail polishes I've tried so far, you should get a good four days out of it on it's own. With a top coat, I'd say six with a little tip wear. Now of course this depends on your daily activities. I don't put my hands in water much but do A LOT of typing!
Essie Shearling Darling Collection,
From left to right:
Toggle To The Top, a bright red packed with red glitter
Shearling Darling, a deep burgundy creme
Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, described as a wisteria pink, a pretty dusty purple creme
Sable Collar, as seen above
Parka Perfect, a pretty dusty blue with light shimmer
Mind Your Mittens, a dark diamond teal creme
As you may have guessed, you really have to see these colors in person because pictures on the web don't do them justice. In real life, Shealing Darling and Parka Perfect are darker and Mind Your Mittens is more vivid.
What do you think metallic nail colors? Do you like them?
Stepping out of my comfort zone, again... Only this time, I love it!
I've never been much of a red nail polish kinda girl but for some reason this year I've been looking at them with more interest than ever before. Every cosmetics company out there that produces nail polishes has reds in their collections. Warm, cool, metallic or cream, if you're looking for a specific shade of red you'll find it.
Essie's Twin Sweater Set is a red that had me go back to the drugstore. I had purchased For The Twill Of It for my daughter but she didn't like it, seems she's not into metallic. We went back to exchange it and she chose Cashmere Bathrobe, you can see it on her nails, here. Both times I was drawn by the beautiful creamy crimson red but didn't take the plunge. Not because of the price, they were on sale, but because of the fact that I already own a few reds that I can't remember wearing. So why would I bother with this one?
Part of the For The Twill Of It Fall 2013 collection previously shown, here, Cashmere Bathrobe is a gorgeous medium/dark grey with just enough glitter to give it all the dimension this type of color deserves.
I do own a few greys but never feel comfortable wearing them and I guess the lack of shimmer is the reason. Then again, I'm not a shimmer nail polish kind of girl so don't expect me to go for any shiny silver any time soon. What I do like is when a formula shows "intelligent" dimension and Cashmere Bathrobe has that.
In a few days August will be over! Where did it go???
This Summer was way too short and I just can't believe that we will soon have to start wearing socks again! The blogging world is going loco for all the new fall collections and I agree, there are or will be some stunners out there but for me, this means the return of the cold! I like Spring the most. It announces the arrival of lazy and care free days. Fall, is the precursor to cold and last Winter was such a harsh one in Montreal that I wish I could win the lottery and move to a more temperate climate...
*Le Sigh*
Recently I showed you what my Spring & Summer Skin Care Routine was like and so I thought it would be fun to show you what makeup I've been going for in the morning for the past month or so. I realise looking at these that this was real basic. No fuss, five minutes and I'm done! Compared to the same type of post I brought you in June, here, a few changes where made but I'm still keeping it minimal.
These have been my absolute favorites, I have used other products here and there but there are the ones my hands reached for most often, especially this past month and all have been reviewed...
True that Estée Lauder's BB and Bobbi Brown's palette are recent additions but oh how I wish I had put my hands on them sooner.
One quick comment about both the Givenchy and Dior compacts, notice how the embossed patterns are still visible? I've used these almost every day since I purchased them and it barely shows. This to me proves that they where totally worth the splurge. Fine and tightly pressed powders that perform well are definitely worth it and these have excellent staying power so no need to reapply repetitively during the day.
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. :)
I can't believe I haven't brought you a review of this lovely nail polish until now!
Love, love, love Essie The Girls Are Out!
I tried to hide the chip on my middle finger, entirely my fault and not the formula. On the left with sun light and on the right in the shade. This is on it's own, with no top coat. Can you see the silvery shimmer?
It's a beautiful red orange I didn't even know I had or I should say I can't remember when I purchased it. I admit, this is not the best picture but I'm doing the best I can, I swear! :)
Two coats with one coat of Sèche Vite
The application of the first coat went like a breeze. I waited about 20 minutes and for the second coat and to my surprise, it became streaky on a few nails. I know that with every brand, formula, depending on the shade can be hit or miss and with Essie I've been lucky so far. Still, when it streaks it's usually on the first coat. I guess 20 minutes wasn't enough drying time before going for the second coat. Shown here is two coats with a coat of Sèche Vite.
It lasted a good four days without any tip wear which I find pretty good. I should have removed it yesterday, the fifth day but toughed it out and did that today.
As you can see, it was about time! I rarely wait so long I swear. This is the kind of look I just can't stand, dull with tip wear.
So far I haven't been disappointed with any of the essie colors I've purchased. Good quality for a low price is always nice! This color didn't last quite as long and the streaking was a little annoying but that's when I compare it with the others I own. I've had worse results with more expensive nail polishes.
All in all, this one was kind of average but will not deter me from buying other essie colors.
For years I didn't bother with top coats simply because I didn't wear colors on my finger nails. I always wore a clear or sheer nail polish to give my hands a clean look and that was it. These days my favorite color to wear is Essie Recessionista from their Fall 2012 collection, a dark red with prune undertones. It goes with everything and I just love the shade.
Although Essie's nail polish formula has good staying power, it does lose some of it's shine after a few days and this to me seems more obvious with dark colors. After the fiasco of Essie's no chips ahead chip free top coat, I was using Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat which I already owned. This one did an honest job but I figured there must be something better out there. I was planning on trying another of Sally Hansen's offerings when I stumbled upon Seche Vite™ at one of my local drugstores. This one I had to try!
How does it perform? Beautifully!
I usually do my nails one evening, applying two coats of color and go for the top coat the following night. Somehow I was always afraid if I did all of it in one night, it wouldn't have time to dry hard enough to avoid ruining the finish during the night. With Seche Vite™ I decided to put it to the test and do it all in one night. I applied it over my two coats of Recessionista at about 10:00 p.m., went to bed at around 11:00 p.m. and woke up to perfect nails!
Durability and finish are quite good. My polish has chipped less than with Mega Shine and stayed shiny longer. I reapplied Seche Vite™ on the 4th day to give my nails an extra 3 days of shine. From Thursday night to Thursday night, my nails where good, in fact, I only had a little tip wear which is to be expected.
Would I recommend Seche Vite™? Yes!
If you don't want to have to redo your nails every 3 days or so, this will definitely help in protecting the finish. At under $13.00 for 14 ml (.5 fl oz) which is a little more than your average nail product, it's well worth it.
Seche now makes color nail polishes, I do hope they will be available soon. Given the quality of the fast drying top coat, I would think the colors would be pretty amazing!
My favorite nail polish these days is Essie's Recessionista from their Fall 2012 Stylenomics Collection. It's a deep burgundy red with plum undertones which I find goes with just about everything. Although it has good staying power it does loose some of it's shine after 2 days or so.
I already had Sally Hansen Mega Shine and having worn it on it's own for a more finished look I figured I might as well give it a try and see how it performs as what it was meant for, a top coat.
Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat
From the website:
Dries in just 60 seconds! Advanced formula dries your manicure from top to bottom in just 60 seconds - no more smudges! Fuses and seals all your manicure layers into one powerful protective shield that resists chipping, cracking, peeling and damaging moisture. Micro-diamonds add mirror shine and strenght.
I must admit that I haven't put it to the 60 seconds test since I usually make sure I won't have to use my hands a good 30 minutes, just to be on the safe side. It does give a nice shiny finish but the chipping, I'm not convinced. Oddly enough, when I wear 2 coats of Recessionista without Mega Shine, after a few days I only see a some tip wear but nothing dramatic. When I do apply 1 coat with Mega Shine, well, the nail polish does chip a little. Nothing dramatic but just enough to notice the difference.
Essie Recessionista is a good formula that lasts an average of 6 days on me on it's own. With Sally Hansen Mega Shine, it can get a few chips but it remains shiny longer. It also works well with Essie Burgundy and Rimmel Burgundy Flirt, the other 2 shades I've been wearing these past few months.
Do I recommend Sally Hansen Mega Shine? Yes & No
Yes because it's so inexpensive, under $10.00 and does an honest job and no because I find it annoying that it picks up color when I apply it. I'm always afraid it will ruin my manicure. In other words, I think if you're used to wear light shades it's fine, on dark ones well, you have to work fast. At least it's much better than Essie's no chips ahead chip free top coat, reviewed here.
Reviews:
Makeup Alley: 3.3 / 5 lippies for 196 reviews Beauté-test: there are only 2 reviews, giving it 4.5 stars out of 5.
As I've have mentioned recently in my At Home Gel Nail Polish Kits post, I started to wear colors on my nails again. Dark colors that need protection. There's nothing, well almost nothing, I dislike most than tip wear. I don't think it's asking too much to want my manicure to last at least 4 days. Is it?
At the drugstore the other day essie nail care products where all on sale so I purchased the no chips ahead chip free top coat for a mere $4.99.
That night I gave it a try on top of the dark red I had applied the night before. I did so at about 10:00 p.m. and went to bed a little over an hour later. I figured that an hour was more than enough for it to dry on top of already hard nail polish. Nope, it was not!
The next morning I woke up with ruined nails. Pillow, sheet traces....yuck! Even then I could feel it wasn't perfectly dry... Unbelievable!
That afternoon I took it back to the drugstore. Not so much for the $4.99 but for the principle. I had a look at the reviews on MakeupAlley and it would seem that I wasn't the only one disappointed by this product. It only gets a 2.6 out of 5 lippies. Surprisingly on Beauté-test is gets a better score.
Would I recommend this product? No unless you have hours and hours ahead of you to let it dry!
Reviews:
MakeupAlley: 2.6 / 5 lippies for 40 reviews.
Beauté-test: 4 / 5 stars for 13 reviews.
