Marc Jacobs Beauty..Nails it

Enamored

While in the depths of discovering new beauty products, looks, traveling and work. I fell off the grid and forgot to follow-up on my Marc Jacobs Beauty post. I've been thinking about it and other things I need to fill you in on and  I'm constantly reminded when I walk into Sephora to check out seasonal debuts or if I'm in the West Village thinking about a buttercream Magnolia treat and am greeted by a BookMarc and Marc by Marc Jacobs stores on opposite corners.

Well lets get down to business, shall we? The collection debuted ..buzz, buzz, buzz. Now there is another display to fancy when doing your lunch break Sephora run. Some dust has settled a bit annnnd review time!
I was impressed with some products while others I just left right there on the display or quietly pouted as I walked away shaking my head. Well, I'm still going to let my Loves, Likes and ?'s be known right. now.

Loves: Marc Jacobs Enamored- the nail varnish is amazing! the colors are rich, the finish is glossy and the staying power lasted through the week.

• Fave colors- Lux- Electric Ooze, Delphine- Particuliere-ly and Fawn-y

Likes: LoveMarc Lip gel- the shades that err on the side of deep are done right. The vampy colors ( i.e. Neo- Noir and Saboteur) are sophisticated with a bit of camp but - isn't that what we want in a lippie anyway?

Gripe 1. I had really high hopes for the nudes- Hello? Strange Magic was supposed to be my jam! The color description vs. the actual color of the product was a huge let down. Insert Sephora pout face.

Marc Jacobs Fall 2014 Beauty Look photo: Style.com

Marc Jacobs Fall 2014 Backstage. NARS photo: Style.com

?  Despite the MJ beauty collection launch last year, the Spring 2014 Marc Jacobs runway show featured some of the Summer 2014 beauty products but this past runway show for Fall 2014, the Marc Jacobs runway shows still featured NARS product backstage. Huh?
I know that Marc and Francois have worked together for years coming up with some of the best runway looks in the decades (see here) but my question is- if you have a beauty line, why not use it in your show?
Further, having your products in your show provides inspiration for say.. beauty peeps like me.

So now that we have almost a full year under the beauty tutelage of Marc, I'm still looking forward to what will happen next.

50 Grades of Shea- Part 4

Slip into something Shea we say! Here's 10 more to make your day!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

 Fun fact: 98.1% of this oil is natural.

Bliss Vanilla+Bergamot Body Buff

Renee Furterer Karite Conditioning Mask

Everyday Shea Vanilla Mint Shampoo

Badger Cuticle Care

Tarte Cosmetics Rest Assured

Clarins Eye Contour Balm

REN Grapeseed, Jojoba and Shea Body Cream

REN Grapeseed, Jojoba and Shea Body Cream 

Mama Mio boob tube bust & neck firmer

Mama Mio claims to increase the texture of your bust, chest and neck in one week.

Proasco Shave Foam

Chanel Beige (565) Nail Color Swatch

Chanel Beige ( 565) Nail Color

Back in May, Chanel craftly let us know that a limited edition nail color coming, I had no clue what color it was going to be- in fact, I thought it would be a repromote of the Khaki collection but actually they came out with a new color that was more practical yet very daring, a beige color that errs on the side of warmer yellow than your standard neutral. Hmm, this IS interesting.
Even the color swatch on the site is a bit..off but after seeing the color in person and trying it on, its probably the most "classic" Chanel nail color since Ballerina.
Beige is that friendly reminder that ,"nail art is cool..but just not at my 9-to-5" or its perfect for those who need a break from the trends. For now its available on Chanel.com but will be hitting counters this fall.

Thakoon for NARS 2012- Lal Mirchi Nail polish

Thakoon for Nars- Lal Mirchi

I'm wearing Lal Mirchi for brunch at Juliette in Williamsburg.

Last week, I headed over to the west village to check out NARS' Summer collection but ran into some playful friends named the Thakoon for NARS Nail polish collection!  Initially, I didn't think I would like the colors as I thought the blue's were more like the Chanel Denim color palette but I was wrong. These colors are really bold and the polish requires no more than 2 coats.  I was tossed up between one of three colors that I really loved but decided on Lal Mirchi, the "mandarin red" colored polish. The color is true to form and errs slightly on the orange side but not your orange-coral seen all around NYC. As far as wear goes, I've had this on for a week and no chipping as of yet. I just used a clear base and two coats and I was done.

Lady Luck: Chanel Gold Fingers Nail Vernis

Chanel Gold Fingers with Lilly Lewis for TopShop hat

Gold Fingers Bottle

Chanel Gold Fingers Swatches

Where does one go for beautiful weather, margaritas at the pool and tons of walking to burn off the calories in margaritas? Las Vegas! And that's where we were for Spring Break last week.
While taking a break from the sun, I walked over to the new Chanel boutique at the Bellagio Hotel that opened last month. The store reminded me of the Soho boutique, very well lit and spacious. I walked over to the beauty counter and the SA told me that all that was left of the Las Vegas exclusives were the Gold Fingers nail color and the palette Lucky Stripes. So the SA swatched the nail color and made my purchase.
When swatched, Gold Fingers is a  sheer shimmery yellow gold with golden flecks. Not quite goldenrod and not quite canary, just somewhere in between, maybe if mellow gold? If you struggle with getting glittery polish off your nails (like I do), you won't have a problem with this one. It just whisks right off. I think this color looks amazing alone but, its so sheer ( 1 coat is pictured) I think it would be a great overlay on another favorite nail color. The only downside I can see is despite its exclusivity for Chanel, its definitely dupable. If you are looking for a shade like this, you will definitely find it ( I don't know any off the top of my head but I've seen a person or 2 with a similar shade of nail color on and it wasn't Gold Fingers).
 On a fashion note, TopShop opened in Vegas and they had tons of exclusives! One that had me going back and forth at the Fashion Mall was the Lilly Lewis for TopShop Club pilbox hat. Its so adorable!
I immediately saw this and had to stop, leave, comeback, debate, tell my friends at the hotel and then go back to the store before they closed! There were four different hats  2 red glitter- Hearts and Diamonds and 2 black glitter- Spades and Clubs.

Nouvelle Vague poolside

Happy Spring break!
I'm poolside in Vegas at the MGM Grand. I dug this color out of the archive to wear for this warm weather occasion.
I'll keep you posted on my beauty digs while I'm in the other city that never sleeps!

Chanel Spring 2012: June 539 Nail Color

Chanel June (539) Nail Color Swatches

Even though its been a mild winter so far, I can't wait for "official" Spring but I'm taking the Spring like weather and loving every bit of it. I wanted to switch up my nail color too, I've been wearing Black Satin and thinking about something lighter, peppier, maybe it can lift my spirits and boost some creativity and into the nail box I went. I purchased June back in December but left it at the bottom of my drawer but then I was reminded of its color after a quick run through Macy's yesterday. So I decided to give it a try and I love the color! June is an opaque bright milky coral that complements my skin-tone nicely. I just can't wait to break out with my warmer gear but until then I have perkiness nailed!

Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch Nail Lacquer Review and Swatches

TF Bitter Bitch Swatch in indoor light

TF Bitter Bitch Swatch with flash

 Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch Nail Lacquer has been on the lips of ever woman and man that step foot into the Tom Ford area of Bergdorf Goodman's basement beauty department. While I was checking out the new collection in November, having missed Mr. Ford and the initial batch of Bitter Bitch sold out, I was still curious about the shade. For a hefty $30, a nail lacquer with quality, color consistency, and wear shouldn't be a question since we all know that Tom Ford's name on almost anything is prestigious. On a Saturday afternoon I found myself at the TF area chatting up a makeup artist about Bitter Bitch and the new lipsticks and about 30 minutes later I found myself at home with a bottle of Bitter Bitch and a tube of Deep Mink ready to experiment with the most expensive makeup I have purchased since leaving my comfortable job and becoming a full-time MBA student!

Bitter Bitch is an enigmatic neutral, meaning it looks different on everyone! The MUA described it as such as well. Its no Chanel Particuliere, which is a muted brown grey- I found the color of Bitter Bitch to be in the chocolate-wine category, very vamp and boudoir. The coverage is very rich- n skimping on pigment.
The applicator was great, I haven't experienced a brush that can coat as effectively after the first dip as this brush- so I only needed two coats per nail. The polish also dried within 10-15 minutes and didn't require any help to speed up the process ( i.e. a fan or a fast drying top coat).
The look lasted for a week without chipping or any other nail damage!

Overall, The polish is great and well worth the price for the quality you get. I would suggest that with this color you should see it for yourself in person to gauge how it will look on you as the pictures of swatches available on the TF and Bergdorf Sites do not do the color justice.

Top Five Beauty Trends for 2012

As we move on from 2011, do you think that we can hold fast to the colors and trends that have dominated the past few months? Will there be a victor from the hodgepodge of trends that have cyclically surfaced every 3 to 5 years?

To date, The Lipstick Index tried and failed to predict sales and trends and judging by the past few years we now can safely say that the Nail Color Index can attribute to the influx of spending in the nail care sector, so much so that Nail Color sales were $328 million in 2010, dominating over other color cosmetics.

Will Nail Domination continue in 2012? Here are my top 5 most- unscientifically hypothesized ganders for what 2012 will bring for us color cosmetic enthusiasts.


1. Beauty for the Ages

We all can generalize and say that gloss is for the teens and tweens, lipsticks are from the young adult to professional crowd and that everyone else just doesn't exist.. just kidding. Well, it sure does seem that way- the oldest beauty ambassador on the roster is Ellen DeGeneris who is in her Mid- 50's, well done cosmetic companies! But what about 50 and over? MAC Cosmetics answered the call of " All Ages" ( coincidentally their tag line) and will release the MAC for Iris Aphel collection this month. Iris is almost a centurion and is still fashionable in every way. Another cosmetic venture, Fabulousat60.com a lifestyle website for Baby Boomers who can also get their beauty fix.


2. Natural is as Natural Does

Cosmeticeuticals are once again up for debate. Borba has tried it and new products are coming soon that will give you all the nutrients you need so that your inner health is reflected on the outside, and it will taste good! I guess it beats the one pill to cure everything but also poses a problem if you have to have a mixed cocktail to strengthen hair, reduce oiliness in skin and boost the immune system..


3. The Unpredictable Coveted Beauty Collaborations

One day next year, or if I'm lucky enough to go to Japan in the fall, I will be able to order a lipstick alongside my Cassis Macaron at Ladureé. I'm so excited that Ladureé is stepping into the world of color cosmetics! Judging by the quality of their Candles, Fragrances, Teas and Macarons, their cosmetic collection will be nothing short of amazing! Other completely left-field-but-totally-can't wait collections include: Pantone and Sephora. On another note, why doesn't MAC partner up with Sprinkles cupcakes for some lip colors or nail polishes or better yet one of my favorite NYC stores, Opening Ceremony!


4. Global Beauty Love!

Some color cosmetics companies are good at others with this one, its teaching the US consumers about what is effective and special about products that do well abroad. For example, The BB creams that were released here didn't go so well. Why? because the Makeup Artists were not really trained to tell you what they were and how do they work! 
I think that more companies need to explore the Global Embrace, educate don't imitate nor dominate. Another example, if you are inspired by Baja Mexico, do your research, make the campaign look amazing and show how to work the colors, textures and tones into the everyday or special occasion looks.


5. The end of the Glittery Nail Struggle


I've posted before on my struggle with glitter nail polish, soaking doesn't work, rubbing takes off the color, not the glitter, twisting causes scratching on my nail surface..its a useless battle that has me sitting the bench instead of participating in the glitter party. Can someone please re-develop a formula so that glitter nail polish can easily be taken off without the threat of harming yourself in the process?


That is all for 2012.


 

OPI's The Muppets Collection- Divine Swine Swatches

OPI Divine Swine

I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a month! Time flies while you are in school and readying for the dreaded MIDTERMS! it's now the conclusion of my 7th week so its time to test my knowledge.

Divine Swine- 3 coats

All while preparing for my exams, I was able to sneak away and wander into Ricky's to stock up on my lovely Lavender Dr. Bronner's Soap but something caught my eye at the counter!

The OPI Muppets Holiday Collection was available! Each polish is priced at $9.99.
I grabbed Divine Swine, a glittery metallic Magenta with touches of silver in it, then later swatched it in the evening. Application was splotchy, as glitters, metallics and shimmers go, you have to put on 3-4 coats for even coverage, which did the trick. The most painful part of this polish was the fact that it was a glitter, metallic concoction which was a pain to take the polish off. I spent 20 minutes taking this polish off my nails just due to the glitter not wanting to come off. I tried two types of removers, the first being the pre-moistened nail remover pads, the second, bottles nail polish remover with a cotton pad. I twisted my fingers, I pulled my fingers I tried just soaking my fingers in both the pm pad and cotton pad and the stuff wouldn't budge!! Only after I had to saturate the cotton and twist it around my fingers vigorously did the glitter start to come off.
With that said, I don't know if I will wear this color again, or maybe I will reserve it for my toes and just replace my polish when it starts to wear down.

Sunday Laduree and Beauty time!

Ladureé NYC

Mmm Macarons!

After studying accounting and econ in the library for 4 plus hours, I made my way to the newly opened Laudrée for some Macarons! Lauduree just opened here in the city about two weeks ago and along with the opening came the line of devote Macaron lovers!  Prior to this experience, my only brush with Laudreé was their Brioche and Glazed Chestnut candles that I picked up at Opening Ceremony earlier this year.
Luckly, the line wasn't so bad, I stood for a good 15 minutes before heading inside and picking up a small gift box of Macarons. These babies are a definite treat but something I won't be having regularly.
But since its Sunday and I've finished my homework, I'm ready to enjoy some Macarons, watch the new season of SNL, put in a hair mask and lacquer up my nails.
Its been about 3 weeks since I have done my nails and am in between choosing something fall-ish or something fun. Aww, we'll see.
How are you enjoying your Sunday afternoon?

Fashions Night Out Exclusive: Les Jeans de Chanel Vernis Swatches

As you already know, I am a HUGE fan of Chanel's nail colors ( Vernis, if you will) and made the Chanel SoHo store my first Fashion's Night Out stop. Both of Chanel's boutiques had free mini manicures featuring the Les Jeans Collection or you can choose from the other nail color favorites, among the shades, Black Satin, Particuliere and Vendetta to name a few.

At about 5:15pm small lined formed and I got in it as I wanted to check out the manicure situation first prior to purchase. Especially, how well Coco Blue compares to Riva ( for reference, I love Riva! Its really stands out on my skin and looks beautiful!).

From top down: Coco Blue, Blue Rebel and Blue Boy

The Les Jeans de Chanel color hues are as follows:
Coco Blue- Opaque Baby Blue, no shimmer.
Blue Boy- Medium Blue Grey, like a standard wash jean
Blue Rebel- Dark Blue Indigo

At 6:10pm the doors opened and I started to get manicured. I chose a combination of the three nail colors using Coco Blue on four nails and Blue Jean on the ring finger of my left hand and Blue Rebel on the ring finger of my right hand.. normally I wouldn't do this but the manicurist assured it was "trendy".
Later on in the night, a friend commented that Coco Blue looked like Hard Candy's Sky from back in the day when Drew Barrymore was all about HC and the jelly rings that came with the nail polish.
I found that I really liked Blue Jean, its purely unique and universally flattering, it was also the shade that I saw the most ladies sporting throughout the evening.
Also, thinking back I would have loved to pick up Dior's denim nail color but Dior's nail colors, like Chanel's, sells out with the quickness.


On another note, these colors were a bit more pricier than the other LE's and exclusives as they were $29 each.

** Coco Riva vs. Coco Blue
Coco Riva has been courted as a Robin's Egg Blue where as Coco Blue is 2-3 shades cooler in tone, pretty close to a sky blue.
Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Fall 2011: Chanel Graphite 529 Nail Color and Swatches

 The Fall 2011 Chanel Le Vernis trio has been out since June but I just opened my box of Graphite today. Why? I'm still trying to hold on to summer! While swatching all three colors ( Quartz- a shade shifting moody beige metallic with just a hint of rose and Peridot- a holographic shifting gold green are the other two colors that I left at the counter) Graphite stood out as my favorite. The color is a metallic silver that is completely wearable, uber dramatic and perfect for fall.

Fall Sneek Preview: Duri's Cognac XO 561 Nail Polish

 

Duri cosmetics' Cognac XO 561 nail polish

We are halfway through Summer and I'm finding little reminders of Fall already. The majority of the trees on my block have shed their leaves (check), I'm finding myself looking at "Back to School" attire when walking through stores (check), reminiscing on watching Daria and catching up on My So Called Life on instant Netflix ( um..check), experimenting with warmer, denser colors for my lips and eyes for Fall to blog about ( double check). Then, last week after coming back from vacation, I received a nail polish sample from Duri's Fall 2011 " Wine Tasting Party" Nail Color collection and decided to preview fall give or take a few weeks.

Duri's Wine Tasting Party Collection boasts 6 nail colors that range from shimmery violet to shades of red. One of the colors I tried, 561 Cognac XO ( pictured) is a warm terracotta that is really easy to apply ( 2 coats), dries quickly ( roughly 5 minutes) , is DBP, toulene and formaldeheyde-free AND is only $5.00 for .5 fl oz. Other colors from the collection include 562- Bloody Mary, 563 Pinot Noir, 564 Cabernet Sauvignon, 566- Dragontini and 567 Grape Swirl.

The collection is available September 2011 via www.duri.com or by calling 1-800-724-2216.
For Android and iPhone App users, Duri Cosmetics has a FREE nail color and treatment app so you can try on your nail color shade virtually.

disclaimer: I received this product for potential review.

American Apparel NEON Nail Lacquer: Neon Red - Review

"As bright as day as bright as night.." just to semi-paraphrase the Green Lantern, is how I would describe American Apparel's NEON  Nail Lacquer collection. Actually, a deadpan word to describe the colors is "Fluo" in every french sense of the work.  The shade I chose to demystify is Neon Red simply because red wasn't present at all, the color is more like an electric watermelon. While there is little to no hint of red in this lacquer, the color is rather impressive. Extremely bold and attention grabbing that the sales woman in AmAp commented on the shade when I tested in on my pinkie finger but when I got home, I reserved this color for swatches and to brighten my toes.
 

Chanel Dragon 475 Le Vernis

 

Found: a true-blue red that is flattering on all skin-tones, Chanel's Dragon 475 Le Vernis!

 This has been my summer go to shade since I bought it at the Bay in Toronto earlier this year and I hear that it will be re-released this holiday season!

Christian Dior Haute Couture Winter 2011-2012

It's haute couture season in Paris right now and Christian Dior Kicked things off with pretty pastels. ruffles and the houses current sold out hit nail vernis, St. Tropez.

The first few models sported a shade like this aqua teal color on their nails at this mornings show. Hopefully the St. Tropez will be available at Dior counters but until then, its available online at Dior.com, however its currently sold out.

photos: vogue.fr

Topshop Spring 2011 Nail Color: Cyclone

With all the new Spring nail collections debuting soft, pastel mint's, yellow's and lavender's, its nice to know that there is a new definition of the spring nail that incorporates metallic silver like Topshop's Cyclone Nail Varnish from the Sandstorm Collection.
The Sandstorm Collection is inspired by the beauty of the desert music festivals and includes metallic eyeliners, a blush and fuchsia and orange toned glosses.
So if you need a quick escape from a painfully cute and toxic spring, get hip to some road tripping shades.

Weekend Nails: Topshop's Delusion Nail Varnish

This dusty lilac has been my fave all week! For those who love creamy pastel colors, this one's for you! Though on my bottle, the name of this nail polish ( varnish) is Parma Violet, Topshop's website has its name as Delusion.

What is your weekend nail color?

Dupe it: Chanel Mimosa 577

So somewhere in the cosmetic universe there is a dupe for Chanel's Mimosa? Yes there is!
But be advised, just as Mimosa is limited edition, so is its $4 dupe buddy, Maybelline's Banana Bamba.
I stumbled upon the latter at Rite Aid while perusing the isles looking for a dupe for the beloved but way since discontinued, MAC's YumYam. Though YumYam was creamier and lacked shimmer, I put Banana Bamba away n my nail drawer. Now , two nights ago while looking for a nail color change up, I grabbed Banana Bamba and placed it next to Mimosa, and the colors from the bottle looked identical. They are both shimmery yellow and it took three coats per nail for proper coverage.
Next step, I took the flash picture above since I was lacking proper sunlight and have been with our wacky sunny for 2 seconds and hovering rain cloud NYC weather.

If want to experiment with a Mimosa like color but at a cheaper price, you will be in luck with Maybelline's Banana Bamba.