January 30, 2014
January 26, 2014
Portside
Whoops, sorry for the unintentional mini blog hiatus! I was sick and then became super swamped at work so the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was turn on my computer after staring at a screen all day. Thankfully I'm feeling much more rejuvenated now and not gonna lie, it's probably partly due to the amazing weather we've been having recently. Yesterday was one of the most lovely days so we took the opportunity to walk around in the sunshine and check out the Food Truck Fest. I hope this is a sign of more spring-like days to come!
January 13, 2014
OMG Shoes
These amazing mixed animal print flats were one of my favourite buys from my recent Toronto trip. I had been scouring stores all over Vancouver for 10 Crosby Derek Lam shoes without any luck so, of course, I made it my goal to find them while I was away. Does anyone in Vancouver know where I can find this brand?
January 9, 2014
Revlon Parfumerie: Fresh Linen, Surf Spray, Espresso
The last time I used scented nail polish was circa 2001 when these Bonne Bell Cosmic Nails were all the rage (anyone else remember them?). However, while Galactic Grape was certainly delicious at the time, Revlon has now come along and reinvented "traditional" scented nail polish with the recent release of its Parfumerie Collection.
Housed in chic glass bottles with round caps, the polishes are reminiscent of old school perfume bottles. Perfect for displaying on a vanity! The product inside does smell like typical nail enamel (unfortunately there's no getting away from that) but once applied, it dries down to a unique fragrance that can be smelled even under topcoat.
Revlon sent over a few polishes from the Holiday Collection (good news for fans - there will also be a Spring Collection available March 2014 and a Summer Collection available July 2014). I received Fresh Linen, Surf Spray, and Espresso.
Fresh Linen is a pearlescent off-white polish that ended up being quite difficult to work with. My swatch is 4 coats but it was still streaky with visible brush strokes. The scent was okay but not what I think fresh linen should smell like. Instead of being light and crisp, it smelled extremely strong and more like dryer Bounce sheets or highly perfumed laundry detergent.
Surf Spray was easier to work with though not as vibrant on the nails as I thought it would be, even with 3 coats as above (Sally Hansen Calypso Blue is similar but more opaque). The scent was much lighter than Fresh Linen and is hard to describe. It's pleasant but I guess I thought it would smell salty somehow so was surprised when it didn't.
Espresso is a black creme that went on smoothly and was opaque in 2 coats. This scent was also quite light, kind of of like coffee beans. I think of the three I have, it's my favourite fragrance but unfortunately I don't wear straight black nail polish that often.
Fragrance, like nail colour, is an accessory and the Parfumerie Collection can even act like your daily perfume. Revlon also suggests layering complementary fragrances by painting an accent nail in a different shade/scent which I think is a cool idea. For me personally, I found myself sniffing my nails a lot and felt a little weird about it so I don't think scented nail polish is an everyday product for me. I will probably whip them out occasionally when I want to add some fun to my manis.
Find the Revlon Parfumerie Collection for $6.95 CAD at select drugstores and mass retailers, including London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Housed in chic glass bottles with round caps, the polishes are reminiscent of old school perfume bottles. Perfect for displaying on a vanity! The product inside does smell like typical nail enamel (unfortunately there's no getting away from that) but once applied, it dries down to a unique fragrance that can be smelled even under topcoat.
Revlon sent over a few polishes from the Holiday Collection (good news for fans - there will also be a Spring Collection available March 2014 and a Summer Collection available July 2014). I received Fresh Linen, Surf Spray, and Espresso.
Fresh Linen is a pearlescent off-white polish that ended up being quite difficult to work with. My swatch is 4 coats but it was still streaky with visible brush strokes. The scent was okay but not what I think fresh linen should smell like. Instead of being light and crisp, it smelled extremely strong and more like dryer Bounce sheets or highly perfumed laundry detergent.
Surf Spray was easier to work with though not as vibrant on the nails as I thought it would be, even with 3 coats as above (Sally Hansen Calypso Blue is similar but more opaque). The scent was much lighter than Fresh Linen and is hard to describe. It's pleasant but I guess I thought it would smell salty somehow so was surprised when it didn't.
Espresso is a black creme that went on smoothly and was opaque in 2 coats. This scent was also quite light, kind of of like coffee beans. I think of the three I have, it's my favourite fragrance but unfortunately I don't wear straight black nail polish that often.
Fragrance, like nail colour, is an accessory and the Parfumerie Collection can even act like your daily perfume. Revlon also suggests layering complementary fragrances by painting an accent nail in a different shade/scent which I think is a cool idea. For me personally, I found myself sniffing my nails a lot and felt a little weird about it so I don't think scented nail polish is an everyday product for me. I will probably whip them out occasionally when I want to add some fun to my manis.
Find the Revlon Parfumerie Collection for $6.95 CAD at select drugstores and mass retailers, including London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart.
January 6, 2014
Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf
I've been waffling over the purchase of a McQueen skull scarf for a number of years now so it was rather fortuitous that my decision ended up being made for me when I received it as a Christmas present. A sign that I clearly needed this piece, obviously!
January 3, 2014
Urban Decay Naked3 Palette
When the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette was released last month, I knew I had to have it. I already have the original Naked Palette (for a fun trip back in my blog's history, see this review from 3.5 years ago) and had skipped out on Naked2 and Naked Basics... but this time around, I just could not say "no" to the prettiness.
Housed in sturdy packaging similar to Naked2, Naked3 also comes with a dual-ended synthetic brush which is nicer than the tiny brushes typically included with eyeshadow palettes, though I personally prefer softer brushes. Additionally, there are 4 Primer Potion samples... kind of a cheap throwaway, in my opinion. While the sample sizes are generous enough, they'll probably dry out quickly and aren't easy to travel with like the cute mini UDPPs that have been included in the past.
All in all, I do like this palette a lot but I just don't think it's an "everyday" palette. What do you think? Have any of you purchased Naked3?
For $52 USD, Naked 3 includes the following 12 full-sized shadows: Strange (pale neutral pink matte-satin), Dust (pale metallic pink shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter), Burnout (light pinky-peach satin), Limit (light dusty rose matte), Buzz (metallic rose shimmer with silver microglitter), Trick (light metallic pinky-copper shimmer with tonal microsparkle), Nooner (medium pinky-brown matte), Liar (medium metallic mauve shimmer), Factory (pinky-brown satin), Mugshot (metallic taupe shimmer with slight pink shift), Darkside (deep taupe-mauve satin), and Blackheart (smoky black matte with rosy red microsparkle). Dust was a disappointing glittery mess with major fallout, but the other shadows are well pigmented and apply evenly. My current favourites are Limit, Nooner, and Blackheart.
As you can see, the palette features a warm rose gold colourway, which I feel is quite a departure from the previous Naked Palettes. I do love that Urban Decay has released brand new shadows instead of repeats like they did with Naked/Naked2 but these aren't shades that I would necessarily consider neutrals. The colour combinations are not that versatile and you would still need some other basic shadows to complement what's inside (something to keep in mind if you don't own much makeup and are looking to invest in a standalone palette). In my case, having an extensive collection thankfully makes up for this downfall, so I've actually been enjoying Naked3 a lot.
Housed in sturdy packaging similar to Naked2, Naked3 also comes with a dual-ended synthetic brush which is nicer than the tiny brushes typically included with eyeshadow palettes, though I personally prefer softer brushes. Additionally, there are 4 Primer Potion samples... kind of a cheap throwaway, in my opinion. While the sample sizes are generous enough, they'll probably dry out quickly and aren't easy to travel with like the cute mini UDPPs that have been included in the past.
All in all, I do like this palette a lot but I just don't think it's an "everyday" palette. What do you think? Have any of you purchased Naked3?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)