"Urban
Ballerina" is Sephora by OPI's newest collection for Spring 2011. I
picked up the Urban Ballerinas mini set to try out, which consists of
four tiny (and they are tiny! They were pretty hard to hold onto
in photographs) bottles: Leotard Optional, The Way Tutu His Heart, Who's
Spinning Tonight?, and Break A Leg-Warmer! I
usually love Sephora by OPI polishes, but the formula on these were a
bit of a let down (is it because they're minis? This is my first time
buying minis). Thin, watery, and two were streaky.Leotard Optional
is an opaque, very pretty neutral cafe latte creme. The formula was
pretty good on this one, albeit a little thick and somewhat streaky (I
used three coats for this picture). It looks warmer in the bottle than
it did on my hands, where it seemed to magically become pinker. This
reminds me a bit of OPI's Kreme de la Kremlin, but not as rosy. It's a
nice, work appropriate neutral:
The Way Tutu His Heart
is a very pale semi-opaque whitish pink. So many people are always
after the nail polish color Giada de Laurentiis often wears; a creamy
pinky white that looks like really clean nails (it's
been said that OPI Bubble Bath is it, but BB didn't look anything like
it at all on me). When I saw this in the bottle, I thought it just might
be that color on me. While this is a very pretty version
of that shade, the formula is difficult: streaky as hell! I needed three
coats. Opaque pale pinks are pretty much always hard to work with,
however, so I just may suck it up and end up buying the full size (I'd
also like to compare the formula of a mini to the full size version's,
just to see if there is any difference). Especially since most opaque
pale white pinks are too pastel. This one looks natural in comparison to
those:
Who's Spinning Tonight? is
a warm purple with magenta and blue sparkles. Really cool,
but....again, the formula was just "eh": extremely thin and watery on
the first coat, better on the second but streaky, and the third covered
up all previous sins:
Break A Leg-Warmer!
is a grey creme with strong blue undertones. Not my favorite on myself,
but still a very cool shade. The first coat was very watery and thin.
The second coat went on evenly, however, so I only had to use two coats:
There
are two other shades that are part of the Urban Ballerina collection
which are not included in this set: Shiny Dancer (a metallic slate
grey), and Let's Plie (a metallic beige- which I really want to try
since I love shimmery nudes).
Chanel released a new lipstick recently; a
shiny, sheerer version of their already popular Rouge Coco. The
appropriately named Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks are housed in slim
versions of the classic Chanel/ RC tube (black and gold) and retail for
$32 (crazy, I know, but it seems there's a sort of war going on with
high-end makeup companies to see just who can make the priciest and most
luxurious lipstick).I
purchased Biarritz and Cavalière after playing around with the testers
at the display (although I wanted a few more, to be honest ;). Biarritz
is a gorgeous soft natural peach with golden microshimmer, and Cavalière is a beautiful "my-lips-but-better" shade of shimmering mauvey plum that is very similar to Dior's famous Addict lipstick in Chestnut Chic, only much, much better in my opinion. While Cavalière
looks very cool-toned in the tube, on my lips it turns into one of the
most gorgeous and flattering MLBB shades I have ever worn. Biarritz:
Cavalière:
Swatches (Cavalière on the left and Biarritz on the right):
The
shimmer in these two shades is extremely fine and hardly noticeable
once on lips; nothing frosty or even remotely disco ball. The formula is
to die for. As smooth as butter, cushiony, and super hydrating,
these almost feel like liquid on your lips and leave behind a soft
shine. Although they are soft and glossy, I didn't experience any
bleeding with these lipsticks.While
I think $32 is a ridiculous/ borderline hilarious price for a lipstick,
these are definately worth it. The only thing that might deter anyone
from buying is if you are sensitive to scent: they have the somewhat
heavy Rouge Coco floral scent (a mix of rose and vanilla), but I
honestly don't notice on my lips. And I am concerned about how these
will fare in even slightly warm weather- they're so soft, I fear they'll
melt in no time flat.The other shades (of the 18 available) that caught my eye were Liberté
, a peach-coral; Unique, a strawberry pinky-red shade which looked like a lipstick version of Spark Glossimer; and É
vasion,
a pale pink-peach. The sales associate tried to sell me on Boy, a pinky
mauve that is the most popular shade right now, but it looked too cool
for my NC40-ish coloring.
As
I've come to expect from Dior, they recently revamped (I swear they
re-release/ revamp shades and products more than any other brand) their
Addict Ultra-Shine lipstick line. The lipstick now costs a few dollars
more ($28), the packaging seems to be heavier and thicker and now
features a silver band on the outside of the cap. A whopping 44 (!)
shades are now available, including some extra ones exclusive to stores
like Sephora and Nordstrom. The array of shades at Sephora was
dizzying. I
went home with two of the most wearable shades: Spotlight 612 (a
brownish mauve plum with silver glitter; The Lipstick Formerly Known As
Chestnut Chic) and Nude 333 (creamy peach nude, which may be a
repackaged Nude Silhouette from the old line. I'll have to compare
sometime to be sure). I really wanted Tokyo (a soft peachy pink), but it was sold out (and the tester was worn down!), and I tried on Garç
onne
(a very warm rose shade with green microglitter in it) but was not too
happy with it- it looked orangey on me. Urban (a sheer pale pink that
resembles NARS Turkish Delight lipgloss, only with an added bit of
shimmer) caught my eye since it looked exactly like the über
pale
lip Jennifer Lopez has been sporting lately on "American Idol", but I
came to find out it was sold out at multiple Sephoras in NYC. My
all-time favorite shade of Addict Ultra-Shines was Beige-a-Porter, a
shimmery dark mauvey rose pink, and I'm so sad to see there isn't a
replacement for it! And what about a replacement for the gorgeous Addict
Ultra-Shine shade of Model Brown? I've been looking and haven't found
one. The shades in this
line seem to run on the cool side- not the best for me. I played around
with some of the brighter pinks, but in all honesty they all seemed to
blend into one another, and they just weren't unique enough shades to
warrant the price tag (you could buy two MAC lipsticks for almost the
price of one of these). Spotlight 612:
Nude 333:
Swatches (Nude on the left and Spotlight on the right):
When I first saw Nude in the tester, I thought it looked a lot
like MAC Freckletone, one of my faves. I held them side by side and
even did a comparison swatch, only to find out Nude 333 is pinker. When
side by side, Nude appears to be a peachy-pink nude:
The Dior Addict formula is wonderful; light, creamy, and moisturizing. Shades with any microglitter (like Spotlight) can feel
the tiniest bit gritty sometimes. I hate sound like a crabby bitch, but
my only gripe is that Dior didn't seem to change their formula at
all...this seems like exactly the same old Addict lipstick I loved (with
a wider range of shades, minus some shades I -and many people- loved),
albeit repackaged in somewhat chunkier tubes, with Kate Moss as the
spokesmodel and going for about $4 more. Seriously, I thought they'd at
least add some SPF or something to help warrant the higher price! So I'm
a bit on the fence about these, and hesitant to open up my wallet for
any more of them, even though they are terrific lipsticks.
I love nude and nude beige nail
polishes. I know they're boring compared to the rainbow of shades out
there, but I love putting on a pale nude and just having my hands look
clean after wearing vamps, reds, berries, roses and peaches for weeks or
months at a time.Two of the best new nudes on the market now are Naked by Deborah Lippmann ($16) and Let's Plié
by Sephora by OPI ($9), both below:
Let's Plié is described as "opaque metallic beige" on Sephora's website (where I ordered it off of due to it being sold out in every
Sephora I checked!), but that's a poor description. It's actually a
creamy (the formula on this one is really nice and smooth- and two coats
got the job done), opaque pale peachy beige spun with very fine silver
shimmer that passes for a creme from a distance. It reminds me a bit of
Barielle's Beaches and Dreams nail polish (a super pale opaque creme
peach), only this is more subdued and much less stark:
Naked, by Deborah Lippmann, is a somewhat sheer, glossy neutral beige. It looks flat in the bottle, and I was weary of it being too sheer
(...like an essie), but three coats covered my nails nicely and the
jelly-ish finish gave them a look that reminded me of Faye Dunaway's
nails in "The Thomas Crown Affair":
I really hope Let's Plié
is a hit and Sephora keeps it around. Naked, on the other hand, I could
live without- but I do love having a somewhat opaque glossy beige in my
stash, since the rest are always way too sheer.
A
stylist at the salon I go to was sweet enough to give me a sample of
Bumble and Bumble's latest product, called Texture hair (un)dressing
creme, which is meant to give hair "that elusive, undone yet done quality, with a hint of grit, hold and a tousled, shine-free finish". I
had been hearing about its release for a couple weeks, and the stylists
were saying Texture was "going to be like Dirt by Jonathan, only
better." (Also on the horizon is a new shampoo and conditioner called
"Shine", which will be lightweight glossing formulas. Bumble's current
Bb.Shine spray will no longer be an aerosol, and will be returning to a
pump bottle as part of the new "Shine" lineup).
Since
I have an almost shoulder-length bob with choppy layers, I thought this
would be the great product to enhance them with. Texture has a fresh/
clean scent, a light gel-cream consistency (this is not a heavy product)
and it must be used on damp hair. The directions say to use a
small amount and build. Let sit a minute, then loosen and ruffle,
freehand. Apply at roots for extra lift. Use a diffuser for more volume
all over. Anyone can use it, no matter your hair length, thickness or
texture.Texture
has been used on me twice- once on my own, and once by my stylist. One
of the main ingredients is a super hold polymer that the girls in the
salon almost warned me about: "it can get...REALLY tacky in your hair if you use too much".
My
stylist applied it on my damp hair and scrunched it in, and then
scrunched some more. She worked it in for about five minutes total. "The key to this product is really working it in...and when you've worked it in, work it in a little more",
she said. She blow-dried my thick, straight hair using only her hands
and a diffuser, scrunching and finger-combing until it was dry, bringing
out waves I never knew I had. Texture made my hair HUGE (as it did with
two other thick-haired stylists who tried it), and I don't mean that in
a bad way. This product can literally add a ton of volume to hair,
which I really didn't need in the first place.Later
on that day I ran my fingers through my hair, and I could feel the
super-hold polymer. Maybe my stylist used a bit much, but a tacky
feeling (it felt a bit like if you've ever used too much hairspray) is
not something I like in my hair. And because of Texture's shine-free
finish, my hair had a bit of a rough look to it. I'm constantly looking
for products that smooth my hair, and add shine and softness (since it's
quite thick and I color and highlight constantly), so Texture really
isn't a godsend for me. I did, however, love the lift it gave my roots
(which can get a little flat) and the separation it gave my layers. I
gave the rest of my sample to a fine-haired friend who fell in love with
the volume, lift, and texture it gave her. This
would be a dream product for anyone who loves undone, beachy hair but
doesn't like the dryness caused by using salt sprays. Texture is
available for $26 in a large tube and $12 for a mini at Bumble salons
and Bumbleandbumble.com, where they have an excellent video about how to
use this.
Pearl Drop, a
white with intense gold pearl flash, is one of three nail polishes
Chanel has released for Spring 2011. The other two are Pê
che Nacré
e,
a soft iridescent peach-pink, (which I also purchased) and Black Pearl,
a shimmery greyish black green (this was sold out at my counter, but I
did see it in the tester - as well as on all the SA's hands). Of all
three, Pearl Drop was my favorite. I freely admit to being a white nail
polish whore- I want them all! I have dozens of different colors
in my stash, but no other color looks as clean or pops as much against
my skin as white. I own just about every white polish out there, give or
take a few. My only gripes with white polishes is when they have too
much of a silvery look, which ends up giving it a greyish look on my
skintone, or when they are too sheer. Not the case with Pearl Drop (this
is 2 coats + topcoat):
It can look a bit whiter at other angles:
The
best part about Pearl Drop that it's the rare, quite opaque white- I
only had to wear two coats to get good coverage (most of the time, I do
three). I started to wonder if I had any dupes for this. Zoya Gaia
instantly came to mind, but it's much sheerer. The gold pearl is much
finer in Pearl Drop, while Gaia has more of a sparkle. But if you're not
feeling nitpicky, or you don't feel like splurging $23 on a nail polish
(Zoyas are only $7 a pop), you could lay down a coat of any white cream
(like Essie Marshmallow) and do two coats of Gaia over it for a super
close color. Bottle comparison:
The
only other white-with-gold shades I can think of are OPI At First Sight
(which was wayyy too sheer. I hated it) and Rescue Beauty Lounge Moxie
(which I believe is discontinued. And also way too sheer), which has too
much of a dull greenish hue to it (L- Moxie, R- Pearl Drop):
Moxie has the flash, but it just doesn't have the clean, snowflake white base that Gaia and Pearl Drop have. As best shown here:
SO.
Is Pearl Drop worth it? If you really love white polishes and collect
as many as you can, or you just really love Chanel, then yes. If not,
stick with Zoya's Gaia- because it's close enough.
It
seems as if makeup companies are in a war to see just who can come out
with the best, most luxurious (i.e. most expensive) lipstick. Yves Saint
Laurent Rouge Volupté
and Gloss Volupté
. Guerlain Le Rouge G. Dior Rouge Dior. Chanel Rouge Coco. YSL Rouge Pur Couture. Lancô
me L'Absolu Nu. The list goes on.I
feel like some old-timer, talking to young kids about the good ol' days
when I see how many pricey new formulations are out there: "I remember when high-end lipsticks were around $20!".With spring's arrival and summer on its way, two companies in particular are competing
with sheerer, glossier formulas: Chanel just released their Rouge Coco
Shine lipsticks, while Dior revamped their Addict Ultra-Shine line.
Rouge Coco Shines retail for $32 a tube, while Addicts go for $28 a
tube. Chanel's come in 18 shades, while Dior's are available in 44 (with
extra shades exclusive to stores like Sephora). Chanel's packaging
wins, hands down in my opinion (come on, it's Chanel ;): a slim
black rectangular tube with a gold band and the Chanel logo on the top
of the cap. Dior Addict's packaging is bigger, chunkier, and futuristic:
a clear plastic rectangular cap with a silver band, while the tube is
rounded and silver, with a knob on the bottom. When comparing the
formulas, Dior Addicts are slightly more moisturizing and longer-lasting
on my lips. I own two of each lipstick; Dior Spotlight and Nude, and Chanel Biarritz and Cavaliè
re. Here are the tubes, side-by-side:
And some comparison swatches (L-R, Chanel Cavaliè
re, Dior Spotlight, Chanel Biarritz, Dior Nude):
