swatchcat

Tarte for True Blood

2011-07-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

I have a confession...I don't watch True Blood. Everyone still OK?? Do I need to get the smelling salts out? It's not that I wouldn't watch True Blood, it's just that I don't have HBO. I've seen a few of the early episodes before we got rid of HBO, but that's it.

So even though I'm not a fan of True Blood, I couldn't pass up the eye shadow palette and Lip Tint (there's also a Cheek Stain, but I passed on it...just not a fan of the gel cheek stains). I'm already a fan of Tarte's Lipsurgence Lip Tints, so I couldn't wait to get it, and the palette just looked so darn awesome that I took the plunge, even though I've never tried Tarte's shadows.

Tarte for True Blood Lipsurgence Lip Tint is a sheer, blood red (duh) with a light shimmer and a minty fresh scent that is cooling on the lips. The main reason I love the Lipsurgence Lip Tints is because they're sheer, but have buildable coverage. They're perfect if you're scared of bold colored lips, like me, but still want a bit of that bold color. Plus, they're also moisturizing and have a bit of a sheen to them, so you can just swipe them on and go. I'd say in regards to texture and color, they're very much like a tinted lip balm, just with a bit more tint. I have a couple other of the Lip Tints (not including the ones on my wishlist!), so I will do a separate post on them because they darn well deserve it!

Swatched light, then heavy on the arm. Just a couple swipes on the lips.

Now onto the palette. As I stated before, I'm new to Tarte eye shadows, but I've read good things about them, and I figured a big palette was a great opportunity to try a bunch of them out. The palette itself is super cool with it's laced-up black and red pleather look. As for the shadows, most of the 18 colors in the palette are ones that I would wear (there's a few I won't use much, but hey...can't win 'em all), and from what I can find, they're full-size, so for the money, a pretty decent value. Almost all of the swatches were from one swipe. The lighter colors took a couple swipes to achieve the color, but I can deal with that. Texture-wise, they are all very smooth, and a couple of them do have glitter. The palette also includes a mini Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, mini Natural Lift Eye Primer, and mini Emphaseyes Aqua-Gel Eyeliner...I'm not going to review those mostly 'cause I don't wanna, and they're not the reason I bought the palette.

I am going to give you loads of swatches, though!

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Dawn, The Light, Bayou, Charmer, Werewolf, Fairy

Left to Right: Dawn (light, shimmering gold), The Light (pale, shimmering beige), Bayou (shimmering antique gold), Charmer (shimmering copper), Werewolf (matte dark brown), Fairy (light, shimmering white-pink)

Middle Row (5): Moss, Telepath, Glamour Me, Waitress, Dusk

Left to Right: Moss (shimmering evergreen), Telepath (rose with silver glitter), Glamour Me (deep, shimmering eggplant), Waitress (shimmering beige with silver glitter), Dusk (matte pinky beige)

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Legend, The True Death, Stake, Nocturnal, V, Immortal

Left to Right: Legend (matte black), The True Death (metallic silver), Stake (matte grey), Nocturnal (matte black with blue glitter), V (metallic cranberry), Immortal (matte black with silver glitter)

See the blue sparkles in Nocturnal?! Pretty!

You can purchase the Tarte for True Blood Collection is available at sephora.com. The Lip Tint is $24 and the palette is $52. There is also a Natural Cheek Stain available for $$30.

Chanel Vendetta Le Vernis: Swatches and a comparison to Butter London HRH

2011-07-10T19:30:00.000-05:00

Chanel Vendetta is a deep, vampy purple with red and blue shimmers. It looks purple in the bottle, but once it's on the nails, it is nearly black. Indoors, the shimmers basically disappear, leaving it looking more creme-like, but outdoors, Vendetta takes on a more glow-y quality, with the shimmers sparkling in the sunlight.

Vendetta is part of the permanent collection and is available for $25 at all Chanel counters and on chanel.com.

A reader asked how Vendetta compared to Butter London HRH. Both have the same red and blue sparkles, but that is where the similarities end. Vendetta is a very dark, blue-based purple, nearly black. HRH is brighter and more red-based. See here for my original swatches of HRH.

If you love purples as much as I do, these both have a place in your collection.

Urban Decay Friends & Family Sale

2011-07-06T20:04:00.000-05:00

For just a few days only, Urban Decay is offering 25% off everything online (except the Naked Palette - boo)!! But hurry, the sale is only from July 5th - 10th. Enter code FFSUMMER11.

Get shopping!

I'm baaaack!! Chanel Illusore Look

2011-06-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I've been working on balancing work, life along with some personal issues, and blogging had to take a backseat. I do plan on continuing blogging, and I thank everyone that has stuck with me. Muchos kudos to you bloggers out there who maintain life, work and regularly blog - it's hard work!

I haven't really been purchasing all that much makeup lately, which isn't really a bad thing. My bank account is sure thankful, and I certainly have more than enough in my stash to last an eternity. Buttttt, Chanel's Fall Collection caught my eye...and how could it not? Right now I don't have swatches, mostly because I'm still debating a few items. I do, however, have a look for you featuring Illusore Illusion D'Ombre from the Fall Collection.

Basically, I wanted to do something simple and work appropriate. I'm lucky that I have a little freedom to wear fun stuff, but I find myself gravitating to more polished and professional looks. This is just a wash of Illusore over the lid with a highlighter, and a little liner underneath the lower lash line, topped off with a few coats of mascara. Super simple and a quick to do in the morning.

Natural Light

Indoor

And a new swatchcat feature...my face!

Products used:

Lorac Eye Primer

MAC Swiss Chocolate e/s (in brows)

MAC Smut e/s (in brows)

MAC Dazzlelight e/s

Chanel Illusore Illusion D'Ombre

Chanel Khaki Platine Precision Eye Definer

Yves St. Laurent Faux Cils Mascara Black

Benefit Bad Gal Mascara Plum

Smashbox Camera Ready Concealer Shade 2.0

MAC Cute Blush

Bobbi Brown Pale Mauve Creamy Lip Color

OPI for Sephora Glee: Mash-Up

2011-03-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

I'll admit it...there's no shame in it. I'm a bit of a Gleek. If you watch Glee, you know why it's so awesome. And if you don't, are you waiting for some sort of private invitation? Watch it already!!

Jumping on the Glee-bandwagon is Sephora, by releasing a whole line of polishes dedicated to Glee. My pockets aren't deep enough that I could indulge in them all, so I strategically chose one: Mash-Up. I didn't test or see any of the others, but this one is the clear winner based on uniqueness alone...and it doesn't hurt that it was inspired by the hunky Mr. Schuester, who is reason enough alone to watch Glee, amiright?! Mash-Up is a pearly, opalescenty, multi-tonal, glittery grey, and I think I've used my daily allotment of adjectives, so I'll just let y'all drool over the pictures.

Peep the rest of the pics after the jump!

Mash-Up is considerably lighter than how it is pictured online. I expected more of a charcoal grey, but it's actually more of a murky, dove grey with rosy pink, seafoam green, turquoise and lavender quadchrome? flashes (depending on the lighting) and silver microglitters. It's also fairly sheer, so it took me four coats to get opaque coverage. Still, this polish is worth every extra brush stroke.

The whole Glee collection is available online at sephora.com, and the polishes retail for $9.50 each. Yes, that is a hefty chunk of change, but Mash-Up is totally worth it.

Laundry Cats

2011-02-19T15:26:00.000-06:00

I was going to fold the laundry I did earlier this week, but who would want to disturb this:

The laundry can wait.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:00:00.096-06:00

I haven't posted anything tasty in awhile, so I thought I'd post these delicious cupcakes. I'm giving my coworkers a little treat for Valentine's Day - Red Velvet Cupcakes! Totally thematic with the red cake and ivory frosting, and totally indulgent. Perfect if your honey loves sweet treats!

Click the jump for the recipe and another teaser pic!

Recipe courtesy of Cakeman Raven via Food Network.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
3 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 cups Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Fine Salt (I just measured out the salt in a little ziploc baggie and used a rolling pin to decrease the granule size)
1 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk (at room temperature)
3 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
3 tablespoons Red Food Coloring (1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons White Distilled Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray muffin pans with non-stick spray. Then place cupcake cups into each muffin tin.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.

Using a stand mixer, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and the batter is smooth.

Ladle the batter into the cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes for large cupcakes and 8-10 minutes for mini cupcakes, or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting. Recipe makes 24 large cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
16 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
4 cups sifted Confectioners' Sugar
2 sticks Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

In a stand-mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Occasionally scrape the sides with a spatula.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the vanilla, increase the mixer speed to high and mix briefly until light and fluffy. Store the frosting in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff before using. A quick, easy way of frosting is to put several spoonfuls into a Ziploc baggie and snip a small bit of a corner off to make a simple pastry frosting bag. Frost in the pattern desired. Recipe makes enough frosting for 24 large cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes.

These cupcakes are Mr. swatchcat and Meggie-poo approved!

Butter London Nail Lacquer - Diamond Geezer

2011-02-12T12:00:00.018-06:00

Want a bright, silvery foil with little bits of glitter? Diamond Geezer would be it. I almost wore this for New Year's Eve, but I figured bright foily, silver would be too cliche. Eh, I have the rest of the year to wear this one.

Butter London Nail Lacquer - Branwen's Feather

2011-02-11T12:00:00.016-06:00

Branwen's Feather is described as a blackened purple (yes, another one...shocker!) reminiscent of a raven's feather. Yeah, that pretty well describes is all right. Branwen's Feather has a deep black base with purple and multicolor shimmers. Gorgeously vampy is how I describe it.

Again, apologies for the craptastic photos. Just picture this color richer and not so washed out and you'll get an idea of how awesome it is.

Butter London Nail Lacquer - HRH

2011-02-10T12:00:00.020-06:00

You can't honestly be surprised to find another purple on my favorites list. I love me some purple. HRH is a vibrant, glowy red-based violet with multicolor shimmer. It is very nearly a metallic, but not quite there.

Butter London Nail Lacquer - Yummy Mummy

2011-02-09T12:00:00.024-06:00

Yummy Mummy is another beautiful neutral. This one is nearly my skintone, so it makes my hands look long and lean, kinda like a pair of nude platform pumps, but for the nails. It has just a bit of silvery shimmer to keep it from looking flat. If you're uber-pale like me, this would be a perfect neutral for you, and I imagine on darker skintones, this would be a gorgeous contrasting color.

Butter London Nail Lacquer - All Hail The Queen

2011-02-08T12:00:00.015-06:00

How could I not pick All Hail The Queen (fka All Hail McQueen, originally created for late designer extraordinare Alexander McQueen)? First and foremost, IT HAS HOLO GLITTER!!! Plus, it's a beautiful neutral and has silver glitters along with HOLO GLITTER!!! My favorite thing about this polish is how wearable it is. Yes, there is holo glitter (yeah, I'm all done yelling), but indoors, it is rather subtle and looks more like fine, silvery glitter, making it great for office-wear, even in those conservative ones.

Check this beauty out!

Butter London Nail Lacquer - The Big Smoke

2011-02-07T12:00:00.010-06:00

Continuing the Butter London posts is The Big Smoke. Never have I received so many compliments on a nail color, from women AND men! The Big Smoke is an utterly gorgeous, metallic navy blue, remimiscent of the night sky.

If you asked me to recommend a blue polish, this one would definitely be it. See, I told you I was a liar...I really do like blue polishes, especially this one!

My apologies for the shoddy pictures, we can't seem to get a sunny weekend here. But, if The Big Smoke still manages to look that gorgeous in pictures, you can just imagine how it looks in person!

Butter London Nail Lacquer - Marrow

2011-02-06T12:19:00.000-06:00

I'd been reading lots of good things about Butter London polishes, so I decided to indulge myself in a few (read: 13 or so). I was going to do just a couple massive posts, but these colors are so pretty I decided each deserves it's own post. Given all the Butter London polishes I have to post about, I'm going to declare this "Butter London Week" and post all my favorites (of what I have, anyway) this week.

Butter London polishes are all 3-Free and are the creation of Brit Sasha Muir who moved stateside to Seattle and, with the help of fellow Brit, Nonie Creme, created the line based on her home country, complete with a cheeky British naming-convention. Just about all of the polishes had full coverage in two coats, with the exception of one (I'll let you know which one when I post it). I always do three coats, though.

Up first from my expanding Butter London collection is Marrow, a beautiful blue-based purple with subtle shimmer. The first and last pictures are the most color-accurate.

Click the jump for more pics!

I am so in love with these polishes, especially the adorable British names! You can purchase Butter London at several retailers, including Nordstrom.com, Ulta.com, Beauty.com, and directly from Butter London at ButterLondon.com. Butter London polishes retail for $14 each (although, sometimes Beauty.com has discount codes so you can get 'em for less!)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconic/Ironic Collection Spring 2011

2011-01-31T19:13:00.001-06:00

Image: via e-mail from RBL

I don't usually post about pre-sales, but I am head-over-heels for this collection. Nude, purples and metallic black...gimme 'em all! RBL's polishes are just top notch, and totally worth the $18 pricetag.

The pre-sale runs through tomorrow. Just click on the picture and it will take you right there. Looking for swatches? All Laquered Up has some great ones, including comparisons.

Burberry Nude Beige Lip Glow Lip Gloss and Rosewood Lip Cover Lipstick

2011-01-24T19:40:00.000-06:00

See, I can follow through. But before I toot my own horn too much, let's see how the rest of the week goes. This post is going to be short and sweet, because frankly, I had a bit o' wine while cooking dinner, and I'm just not so much with the words right now.

The lip gloss comes in a clear, square tube with a metal wand that has the Burberry plaid check design etched into it. The applicator is a doe-foot, which I know is not a favorite of many, but I don't mind it. The lipstick comes in a heavy metal case which has a magnetic closure and is also etched with the plaid check design.

Swatches after the jump.
Nude Beige Lip Glow Lip Gloss is well, a pink-y beige. It's very much a my own lip color, but better nude rather than a flesh-toned nude. Really great for slapping on and running out the door, whether it's paired with a simple daytime look or smoldering, smokey eyes.

Rosewood Lip Cover Lipstick is a satiny, mid-tone rose that has buildable coverage. It doesn't go on sheer, but a couple of swipes will get you nearly opaque coverage.

As with the eyeshadows, these are both luxurious products that come with a luxury price tag. Burberry Lip Glow Lip Gloss is $27 and Lip Cover Lipstick is $30, and both are very much on par with other luxury brands in terms of price and size. Given that I've been impressed with the quality, I do think I'll be indulging in more Burberry lip goodness, I just gotta budget for it! I purchased these Burberry lip products from Nordstrom.com.

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows in Rosewood and Taupe

2011-01-23T15:51:00.000-06:00

I've had these shadows for awhile, but I'm just getting around to posting the swatches now because I'm lazy. Sorry, it's the cold, hard truth. I have a couple of lip products to post, too. Judging by how long it took me to post the shadows, I should have the lip stuff up by spring. Kidding, kidding...it'll be summer before I get around to it.

OK, in all seriousness, I'll get the lip products posted tomorrow. I actually have huge backlog of stuff, not including the few new things I've gotten in, PLUS the plans I have for swatching my current holdings.

Now for today's post, Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows in Rosewood and Taupe. These shadows are anything but sheer. They are silky soft and highly pigmented, and are etched with the iconic Burberry plaid check design. They come in a sturdy, mirrored compact with a magnetic closure. The compact is etched with same plaid check design and tucked into a velvet protective case (much like Chanel's). Truly everything a luxury product should be.

See the swatches after the jump!

Rosewood is a soft, shimmery taupe with a hint of pink. I love wearing for an easy, daytime look with a bit of mascara and liner. The hint of pink is great for helping sleepy eyes look wide-awake. Perfect for those days I sleep in a bit too late...as if that ever happens!

Taupe is, well...a matte taupe. Soft, easily blendable, and not chalky at all. Taupe actually pairs quite nicely with Rosewood, or is great on it's own for a soft, smokey eye.

I have been rather impressed with these shadows. They are long-lasting and crease-resistant (remember to use a primer and/or base!). At $29, they are pricey than MAC or Urban Decay, but around the same price-point as other luxury brands. Burberry's shadows are also a full 1g larger, so you get a lot more product for the price. I certainly plan on purchasing more colors in the future. You can get Burberry from Nordstrom.com.

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary 24/7 Liner Collection: Review and Swatches

2011-01-16T15:43:00.001-06:00

Well, I finally got a few moments of sunshine so that I could do swatches...most of 'em anyway. Urban Decay 24/7 Liners are some of my favorite liners. They don't smudge or crease and the color-range is phenomenal, especially in this collection. Now for swatches!!

Perversion, Zero, Uzi

I used to think Zero was the blackest black. But UD stepped it up and brought out Perversion. Swatched next to Zero, you can see how deep, carbon black Perversion really is. Zero is still black and I'll still love it, especially since Zero is part of the permanent collection whereas Perversion is exclusive to this Anniversary Collection. But, if you're looking for the darkest black possible, Perversion it is. Not to be left out, Uzi is a deep charcoal grey with silver sparkles, and is also exclusive to this Collection. Uzi is quite a bit darker than Gunmetal. Gunmetal looks practically silver next to Uzi.

Click for the rest of the collection!
Stray Dog, Corrupt, Bourbon

Stray Dog is a cool-toned metallic taupe. It's one of my favorites from this collection, which it is exclusive to, and is much like the shadow. Don't worry if you have Underground. Stray Dog is very different. Underground is much more warm and is a golden taupe whereas Stray Dog is a cool, greyed taupe. Corrupt is a cool, deep, shimmering brown, and is again, exclusive to this Collection. It is the deep brown I've been looking for, and I hope this is one that gets put in the permanent collection. Bourbon is a rich chocolate brown with golden shimmer, and is part of the permanent collection. Bourbon gets a lot of use from me, especially when I'm doing a brown smokey eye.

Midnight Cowboy, Baked

Midnight Cowboy is a shimmering champagne beige, very much like it's namesake eyeshadow, and is another exclusive to the Collection. At least the liner doesn't have all that glitter fallout! Baked is a metallic bronze, and again, very much like the shadow. Are you spotting a theme, here?

Stash, Mildew

Stash is mossy green with golden shimmer. Reminds me quite a bit of my own eye color. Mildew is a shimmering forest green, perfect for pairing with a deep green smokey eye. Both Stash and Mildew are part of the permanent collection.

Electric, Binge

Electric is a bright shimmering teal with silver sparkles. Electric is a rather decent description because it is BRIGHT. Binge is a metallic, deep blue, almost navy. Blue-lovers, you'll want to nab these two if you pass on the Collection. Both are beautiful, vibrant colors and are part of the permanent collection.

Ransom, Asphyxia, Rockstar

Ransom is a bright, iridescent purple...one of those colors that glows. Asphyxia is a pink-based purple loaded with iridescent sparkles. Very sparkly, very fun and is exclusive to this Collection. It's one of those colors you just can stare at all day because it is so pretty and complex. Rockstar is a deep, shimmering, plummy-eggplant, and is one of my most-used liners. If you love purples, Rockstar is a must-have. I've worn it recently with both taupe and grey shadows to add an extra dimension to my look, and I often wear Rockstar under my lower lashes as a less-harsh alternative to black.

This collection retails for $92, which is an absolute steal for 15 full-sized liners. It is currently available at Sephora and on urbandecay.com. I highly suggest grabbing the collection while supplies are available, as this collection is limited edition. I hope that some of the liners exclusive to this collection will eventually be available on their own, as they are too pretty and versatile not to become part of the permanent collection.

BTW, I am offering up for sale a few of the liners from this collection, since I will never wear them: Baked, Electric, Binge, Ransom, Mildew & Stash. They've just been swatched the one time. Each liner is $7 + $3 for shipping & handling. E-mail me at swatchcat@gmail.com if you're interested!

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary 24/7 Liner Collection

2011-01-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

Look what swatchcat managed to get her paws on!!

Swatches to follow!

Collection Les Perles De Chanel

2011-01-03T12:00:00.123-06:00

In an effort to get all my seasonal relevant posts out of the way, I've got a few items from Collection Les Perles De Chanel from Spring 2011 that I swatched. I know winter juuuuust got under way, and spring seems like a long way off, but perhaps these goodies will get in you the mood. I'm also not one to limit colors to a specific season, and these Chanel spring colors are very versatile. From the collection, I picked up all three Le Vernis, Black Pearl, Pearl Drop, and Peach Nacree, and the Ombres Perlees quint.

Click the jump for the swatches!
Ombres Perlees Quint

The Ombres Perlees quint features five pearly colors, a pearly white with golden sheen, a pearly peach with a pink sheen, a deep pearly greyed-violet with a pink sheen, a pearly olive with a golden sheen, and a pearly charcoal with a golden olive sheen. The colors all go on sheer initially, but are quite buildable. The lighter two colors do verge on frosty, but that can be easily mitigated by using them sparingly.

Black Pearl Le Vernis

Black Pearl Le Vernis is the much ballyhooed piece of the collection, and it does live up to all that hype. Black Pearl is a pearly charcoal with heavy teal-green sheen, just like a black Tahitian pearl. I've never seen a polish quite like it. As with most dark Chanel polishes, Black Pearl is heavily pigmented and only required two coats for full coverage. I did three anyway.

Pearl Drop Le Vernis

Pearl Drop is a beautiful pearly white with a golden sheen. This color is just so gorgeous, especially when it glimmers in the sunlight. I know Black Pearl is supposed to be the gem of the collection, but I think all three polishes are equally gorgeous in their own right. Pearl Drop is on the sheer side, it took four coats to reach opacity, and the first couple were streaky, however that is due to it having a white base. Most polishes with white bases apply streaky to begin with, then even out (hence the reason pastels are streaky - the white base). Pearl Drop is well worth the patience to apply it evenly.

Peche Nacree

Peche Nacree is a gorgeous pearly peach with a hint of pink and a pale pink pearl finish. Like the other two, this color just glimmers in the sunlight. This is pearly, peach polish done right.

Collection Les Perles De Chanel is online now and at counters. The quint retails for $65 and the polishes retail for $23 each.

MAC Cham Pale Collection

2011-01-02T17:30:00.001-06:00

The Cham Pale Collection from MAC is the first one in a while that has caught my eye. I've been focusing on exploring other brands, so I'd been passing on MAC in favor of other stuff. I'd been looking for a couple new bases and once I saw the polishes, being the polish-hoor I am, decided I couldn't pass on those. I ended up purchasing Dangerous Cuvee and Vintage Selection Paint Pots, and Soiree and Very Important Platinum (which is just about the least creative name ever) Polishes.

Keep reading for swatches!

Dangerous Cuvee Paint Pot

Dangerous Cuvee is a slightly dirtied, metallic grey with a hint of blue-violet to it. There is quite a bit of sparkle to this paint pot, but not so much as to give you the disco-ball effect, making it easily wearable for daytime, especially if you're layering it underneath a shadow as a base.

Vintage Selection Paint Pot

Vintage Selection is a beautiful beige pink with golden shimmer and little bits of silvery glitter. It's not quite a sparkly as Dangerous Cuvee, so it is very wearable for daytime.

Very Important Platinum Polish

VIP Polish is a dirty metallic platinum with white pearl...very dirty. Not really even a hint of platinum to it. It's a dirty metallic with white pearl, and an awesome dirty metallic at that. Because of it's metallic nature, I would be remiss if I didn't mention it is a bit brush-strokey, as you can see in the pictures. The brush strokes really aren't so bad, and I'm willing to deal with them for this color. It's also a bit on the sheer side, and took four coats for full coverage.

Soiree Polish

Soiree Polish is a metallic rose copper? Rose bronze? I dunno. It's darker and less bright than rose gold. I bought Soiree because I misplaced my Orly Rage, but Soiree is definitely not a dupe. If you're familiar with Orly Rage, Soiree is in the same color family, just darker and not quite as shiny. Soiree has those two-tone metallic bits, the rosy metallic and a darker copper/bronze color. It is a very pretty and unique color. This polish is much more opaque and took two coats for full coverage, but I did three anyway.

I'd say the paint pots are truly the stand outs of the collection. The polishes are very pretty, but, unless you're a polish-hoor like I am, you probably won't miss them. The Cham Pale Collection is available online, and at counters and stores right now. The paint pots retail for $16.50 each and the polishes are $13.00 each.

OPI Designer Series Coronation

2010-12-28T20:16:00.001-06:00

I decided not to do red or green for Christmas, so I did the other predictable color - silver. But OPI DS Coronation is a sparkly holo silver, so I give myself a few bonus points for the holo. Plus, I got loads of compliments on it. Coronation is a flashy, but not overly so. Call it grown-up holo.

More pictures after the jump.

OPI DS Coronation does not appear to be part of the permanent DS Collection. It is still available on transdesign.com, though!

Do you measure Christmas Spirit in lights?

2010-12-25T16:35:00.000-06:00

Last night Mr. swatchcat and I drove around town looking at Christmas lights before heading off to midnight Mass. As we drove around, I began to wonder what people are thinking when they decorate the house. The vast majority keep it simple and understated, which is what I prefer.

This whole block gets in on the act. Yes, it's a bit over the top, but hey, they sure have the spirit of cooperation down.

We went to one particular subdivision where the houses are ginormous, and therefore, the occupants have plenty of cash to spend on lighting up.

But, there are the few that just don't know when to stop. Click the jump to see.

This house really wasn't all that bad. A kid (yes, a kid) and his folks and friends set up this display and it is set to music. Just two songs, one from Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but the other was some dark sadistic sounding theme that was just totally out-of-place. I'm pretty sure I saw a snowman spewing something.

That show wasn't nearly as bad as another musical display we drove by. I neglected to take pictures, but suffice it to say that one of the songs was about yellow snow and steaming piles of ... (set to the tune of "Let it Snow") and every time mention was made of yellow snow, a dog would light up and underneath the dog, yellow lights would flicker under the layer of snow. Klassy.

Then, there was this house...whose homeowners subscribe to the theory that the measure of Christmas Spirit is based on how much shit you can cram in your yard.

So. Much. Crap.

However many lights you choose to display to prove your Christmas Spirit, I won't judge you...much. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum: Review and Swatches

2010-12-19T15:45:00.001-06:00

If I could, I'd steal my sister-in-law's lashes. Hers are perfect. Ultra-long and thick - the perfect frame for eyes. Unfortunately, I wasn't born with lush, long natural lashes, so I'm always on the lookout for a product that promises such...without breaking the bank. I've been asked what I think about Latisse, the prescription lash enhancer, and I refuse to go there. Not only is it expensive, but with the chance that it might darken my irises, it's just not worth the results. I love my hazely-green eyes! But, if I had dark eyes and wasn't price sensitive, I'd probably try it out.

I purchased Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum a couple months ago, and put it through the ringer, so to speak. According to Dior, the Maximizer contains hydrolyzed soy proteins and lots of other scientificky-sounding stuff. After eight weeks of use, testers found the Maximizer increased lash volume by 52%, lash length by 38%, and lash curl by 73%.

So, does it deliver? Well, I did notice some difference in my lashes, though I don't know how to quantify that difference. My lashes do appear a bit longer (though it is hard to tell in the pictures because my lash tips are blonde), and more voluminous. I wouldn't say the Maximizer caused my lashes to grow, rather it conditioned my lashes, allowing them to grow longer (without breaking) and have a longer life before falling out. I also noticed those fine little baby lashes grew thicker and longer.

Application is like that of a mascara. It has a spiky, silicone (I think) brush with a little nub at the end. The Maximizer is formulated for use under mascara, which gives you instant results, as well as on it's own as a nighttime treatment. You can use the little nub to apply the serum to your eyelid right at the lash line to get the serum right down into the base of the lashes so it will work while you sleep. I'm puzzled by the use of the word "serum" because the stuff is a white cream. When I think serum, I think of a light, almost gel-like formula, not a thick cream.

One Coat Primer:

One Coat Primer + One Coat Mascara (at the start of the 8-week test):

Personally, while the Maximizer did produce instant results when I wore it under mascara, it was a bit too much for me for daily wear. Furthermore, I found my mascara flaked off when I wore the serum underneath. After that, I limited my wear to nighttime and special occasions only.

Being that I am a visual person, I like to see results, not just read about them, so I have a lot of pictures.

More pictures after the jump - and I mean a lot more pictures!
Bare Lashes Before:

Bare Lashes After:

One Coat Mascara Before:

One Coat Mascara After:

For what it is, the Maximizer did give my lashes a little bit more presence, but not overwhelmingly so. I would not expect Latisse results with it, but with the option to wear under your mascara, you will get instant, attention-getting lashes.

Overall, I give Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum 3.5 paws up.

It does perform, but the flaking is a big minus for me. Plus, a full coat under the mascara is just too much for me, for the daytime, anyway. I did find that after wearing overnight, if I was careful washing my face in the morning to not rub off the remaining serum, I did have just about the right amount leftover on my lashes for a little extra oomph, without being too over-the-top.

Ultimately, though, I'm on to looking for the next best lash maximizer because the Diorshow Maximizer just isn't for me. If you'd like to try it out for yourself, the Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum is available at Sephora or on Dior.com, and it retails for a rather reasonable $28.

The winners are...

2010-12-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

For the Zoya Ultra Glitter Set:

For OPI My Private Jet:

Congratulations to the winners!! Please contact me at swatchcat@gmail.com so that I can get your mailing info.

I had a lot of fun doing this giveaway, and I will do more in the future. Stay tuned because I have lots of great swatches coming up, including more Deborah Lippmann plus a whole bunch of Butter Londons, Burberry and Urban Decay, just to name a few!

One Last Reminder For My 100 Followers Giveaway!

2010-12-14T21:28:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love free stuff?! Make sure you enter my giveaway. Tomorrow is the deadline!

Tell your friends, family, neighbors and blog readers by 5:00 p.m. to get entries. See the details for entry here.

Reminder Cats

2010-12-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

swatchcat D might be too busy napping...

but swatchcat C has your back. He wants to remind you to enter my giveaway.

What a pal!

(Hurry, the deadline for entries is 5:00 p.m. December 15th...I'll be picking the winners that night!)

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

2010-12-07T20:55:00.000-06:00

See?! It's a conspiracy! Another pretty blue! At least this one also has green glitter. Plus it's a navy jelly base, so it makes my inner-goth very happy.

You want pretty pictures? Sure you do.

More after the jump.

Across The Universe, as I said, has a navy jelly base with green, light and dark blue hex glitter, and tiny blue square glitter...kinda like little stars in the night sky. Even in the jelly base, the finish is a bit textured because of the glitter, so you'll need a couple thick coats of topcoat.

Now, as pretty as this polish is, there are a couple of pitfalls. One being the price. This sucker will set you back $18 smackeroos. Add to that, it took four coats to reach that deep navy color, and I could still see some VNL on a couple nails. To top it off, Across The Universe is a complete pain in the...hind-parts to remove. I tried soaking my nails, and I ended up resorting to scraping the glitter off with an orange stick. Still, it's pretty enough that I'll pull it out at least once a year, but that's my limit. Across The Universe is available on Deborah Lippmann's website or on beauty.com.

Have you entered my awesome giveaway? Hurry, it ends at 5:00 p.m. on December 15th!

OPI Designer Series Magic

2010-11-28T15:40:00.000-06:00

I think there's a conspiracy to make me out to be a liar. I keep saying I don't "do blues", but here I go again with another one. OPI released two new Designer Series colors for Fall 2010, Radiance (which I didn't get because it's a sparkly silver, and I already have Coronation plus a couple others) and Magic. Magic is just too pretty for words. It is not a holo like a lot of the other DS polishes. Rather, it is a very sparkly, foil-like sapphire blue with a turquoise and fuchsia duochrome vaguely reminiscent of Rescue Beauty Lounge's Scrangie. Magic is a much brighter blue than OPI Designer Series Fantasy, which leans more toward navy and has the holo glitter (swatch here).

Click the jump for a whole bunch more pictures.

I had a heckuva time trying to photograph the fuchsia and turquoise duochrome, but if you look closely, you can see it, especially in the bottle. IRL, there is no trouble seeing the duochrome on the nails. Magic is proof OPI can do really awesome and complex colors. I was not disappointed and found Magic to be even prettier on the nails than in the bottle. I wish OPI would release colors like this more often!

OPI Designer Series Magic is available at most beauty retailers and retails for $12.50 (I believe). I purchased mine through Transdesign.com and saved a few bucks.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

100 Followers!!

2010-11-27T13:32:00.001-06:00

When I started this blog, my goal wasn't to collect as many followers as possible. I really just wanted to get swatches and inspiration out to the masses. I am so thrilled, though, that I have so many people who care what I have to say about beauty, fashion, etc...

So, to celebrate, I'm going to do TWO giveaways! First up, I have a set of Zoya Ultraglitters Astra, Luna and Nova. Second, is a bottle of OPI My Private Jet (the deep brown with holo glitter).

Ways to enter: 1. You must be a follower, so become a follower and leave me a comment! If you're already a follower, just leave me a comment! 2. Get an additional entry for featuring my giveaway on your blog (leave me a link to the post in a comment). 3. Get an additional entry for referring a friend who becomes a follower - you'll each receive another entry (be sure to note, by username, who you've referred/who referred you in a comment so I can credit you both)!

I will pick the winners on December 15th. This giveaway is open to everyone (U.S. and international). I will use random.org to generate the winners. All polishes are brand new from my personal collection. Good luck and thank you for your support!

Deborah Lippmann Bitches' Brew Nail Lacquer

2010-11-26T14:00:00.000-06:00

I thought about doing some bright, crazy color for Thanksgiving, but I decided to go with a more traditional fall color with a sassy name, Deborah Lippmann Bitches' Brew, a vampy burgundy shimmer.

More pictures after the jump!

I'm sure I've got other colors similar to Bitches' Brew, but the formula of Deborah Lippmann's polishes are really fantastic and totally worth the price. I did this mani before I started doing my Thanksgiving cooking, and my nails looked perfect when dinnertime rolled around. Deborah Lippmann Bitches' Brew, along with the rest of her collection are available on her website and on Beauty.com. Right now, you can save 20% on your purchase on either site. Use code turkey20 through November 30th on Deborah Lippmann's site. Code BTY20 on Beauty.com gets you not only 20% off, but free shipping, as well (I don't know how long that one is valid for, but I tried it today and it worked).

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:15:00.000-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year. Wonderful family (who helped with all this food!), friends and a new job among many, many other things. I'm also thankful for my readers who inspire me.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Leaf Killer

2010-11-23T20:53:00.000-06:00

I'm sure that leaf was being insolent or gave him the stink-eye. Otherwise, I can't imagine what would prompt the fat and über-lazy swatchcat D to lash out.

That leaf didn't stand a chance.

Chanel Riva Le Vernis

2010-11-21T16:00:00.001-06:00

Chanel just keeps pumping them out. This time it is Riva, part of the Chanel Côte d' Azur Cruise Collection. It's a pretty pale blue cream with hidden shimmer. I do really like the color, which, from me, is saying a lot, since I don't really do blues. Butttt, as pretty as Riva is, I think it's passable, and if you're really itching for a pale blue, dupeable.

Still, I took pretty pictures...

More pictures after the jump!

See the pretty subtle shimmer?

Riva has been getting a lot of mixed reviews, streakiness, pulling, sheer. Personally, I had no difficulties other than the sheerness, but I can deal with that. With pale creams, there usually is streaking in the first couple of layers, and that is true with Riva. However, it does even out quite nicely (albeit, in four coats). To avoid pulling (where the new layer takes off the previously applied layer), I think the key is to waiting a couple of minutes between each layer. I did that myself and had no pulling problems.

Bottom line, Riva is pretty, but will cost you a pretty penny, retailing for $27. If you are a Chanel die-hard, this is a pretty polish, perfect for infusing a bit of light color on those dreary winter days. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, word has it OPI for Sephora Havana Dreams ($9) and Hard Candy Sky ($5) are virtually indistinguishable. Check out a comparison between Riva and Sky here.

OPI Black Cherry Chutney

2010-11-18T12:00:00.001-06:00

OPI Black Cherry Chutney...sounds Thanksgiving-y doesn't it? It's nothing I'd try because I find cherries yucky, but I'm sure Black Cherry Chutney would be delicious. Being that I don't have to come in contact with actual cherries to wear the polish, I have no trouble sporting OPI Black Cherry Chutney. It is a gorgeous burgundy with subtle red shimmer. Very vampy and perfect to wear for Thanksgiving Dinner.

More pictures after the jump.

I don't know if Black Cherry Chutney is still available in-store, but I purchased my bottle online a short while ago, so it is available. OPI retails for $8.50.

Dior Czarina Gold Vernis and China Glaze Wagon Trail Comparison

2010-11-15T12:00:00.001-06:00

When I first reviewed Dior Czarina Gold, I said it was a blackened gold, and made a mental note to do a comparison to China Glaze Wagon Trail, since that is the only other blackened gold I have. The two polishes are similar, but not dupes. Czarina Gold is in more of a smokey base and has much more pronounced golden sparkles that give the polish an overall burnished bronze color. Wagon Trail, on the other hand, has a black base with golden shimmers, and those shimmers give the polish an overall deep olive-y tone.

Pointer and Ring: Wagon Trail; Middle and Pinkie: Czarina Gold

More pictures after the jump!

Both polishes are beautiful and apply very well. If budgeting is your concern, China Glaze Wagon Trail certainly checks in as the most budget-friendly at roughly $6 (cheaper online). Dior Czarina Gold is truly a luxurious treat at a hefty $21. You can't go wrong with either color.

OPI Burlesque Collection

2010-11-13T15:12:00.002-06:00

OPI's latest collection (I think...it's so hard to keep up sometimes) was inspired by the release of Burlesque starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. I have no opinion in regards to the movie, as it's not my thang, so I won't be seeing it. The polishes, on the other hand, I have not only opinions on, but pictures, too!

First up, Ali's Big Break, which is a beautiful blood red with fuschia and gold flakies. The flakies really give ABB a lit-from-within glow. Unique, not so much, although, I didn't have a color quite like it. This is three coats, and pardon the tip-wear. I'd been wearing it a couple of days before the sun finally came out so I could photograph it.

More after the jump!

Rising Star is a metallic copper. I really think Rising Star should've been part of the fall collection. The shiny, warm copper just screams, "Fall!!" It reminds me of glowing Sugar Maple leaves at sunset. Very pretty and shiny, and not quite blinding in the sunlight...which is good for me, because I tend to stare at my nails while sitting in traffic. This is three coats, but it was opaque at two.

Show It & Glow It! is a pretty silver and fuchsia based glitter with yellow, orange, green and blue glitters throughout. As far as glitters go, this one is pretty great. Three coats for full coverage, and it dried nearly smooth. You'd just need a thin topcoat to even it out. Also, removal was a breeze. No scrubbing or chipping to get the glitter off! I only got this one glitter, but I'd guess the other three are just like this one.

Tease-y Does It is a smokey base chockful of fuchsia and copper sparkles giving it a fiery glow. Reminds me a bit of how MAC Beauty Marked looks in the pan. In my vast collection of dark, vampy colors, I don't have a single one like Tease-y Does It. I love the glowy sparkles in the dark base and if you tilt your hand just right, you can see the smokey grey come through.

There are several other colors in the OPI Burlesque Collection, I just got the four. The collection is available at most beauty stores and retails for $8.50 per bottle.

Dior Black Ink Vernis

2010-11-09T18:29:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be honest, because, well, that's the point of this blog. This polish is let me down. I was hoping for a deep navy with glowing blue shimmers. Something along the lines of OPI Ink, but more navy and a bit less shimmery. The bottle is deceiving, because in the bottle, that is exactly what Black Ink looks like. On the nails, it's another story. Instead, Black Ink is a nearly black base with subtle blue shimmers. The base basically looks black and it pretty much obscures the shimmers unless you're in the sunlight.

Close ups after the jump.

The formula of Dior polishes is fantastic, and this is no exception. However, if you were hoping for a true navy blue, I'd keep looking.

Dior Aztec Chocolate Vernis

2010-11-04T18:20:00.001-05:00

Again, I am not so much with the words today. Work had drained most of them out of me, and what was left was banged out of my head with a fender-bender on my way home. Nothing serious, and I wasn't hurt (and even better it wasn't my fault), but my car's rear bumper looks just that much more worse for the wear.

So, on to the pictures...

More pictures and color commentary after the jump.

Aztec Chocolate. The name would have you believe it's brown, right? Well it isn't...really. It's a smokey brown-based plum loaded with gold shimmer (not frosty at all, in case that second picture had you worried). Raisin seems like a pretty apt description. It's mostly plum brown on me, but in some lights the brown undertone comes out. At any rate, I love these types of complex colors. I think two coats would do fine for opacity, but I used two thin coats and ended up having to do a third for full-coverage.

Find Dior Aztec Chocolate on Sephora.com for $21. It is listed as limited edition, so get it while you can.

Dior Czarina Gold Vernis

2010-10-29T18:36:00.000-05:00

What to say, what to say? I hate starting every. freaking. post. with, "OMGGGGG, this color is sooooo amazingggggg!!!!!!" But, well, see previous statement. I appear to be not so much with the words today, so instead, I'll just post lots of pretty pictures. That seems to work well.

More pictures and a description after the jump!

Czarina Gold has a deep taupe base with gold and copper sparkles. I love the fact that this isn't another "blackened gold". The taupe base keeps this color much more golden, rather than that greenish color that a gold+black base ends up. Do you NEED this polish if you have lots of gold+black bases? Nah, it's not that unique (especially at Dior's price point). But, Czarina Gold is a really pretty twist on the trend. It applies quite nicely, and two coats is enough for opacity.

BTW, Czarina Gold is not the same as Aztec Chocolate, as I predicted, so I am very happy to be wrong about that. Czarina Gold is available at Nordstrom, and probably also other luxury department stores.

Dior Timeless Gold Vernis

2010-10-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

No, I did not fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still adjusting to being back at work. And we're still painting the damn house!! That is what is really taking up all my time. Right now I have a fabulous work schedule that will actually work quite well for swatching and blogging, so if we could just finish that painting!

I did have an opportunity to paint my nails this weekend and, since so many of you were chomping at the bit like I was, I opted for one of my new pretty Diors, Timeless Gold.

More swatches and my idle musings after the jump.

I would categorize Timeless Gold as a neutral gold. In some lights it looks quite pale, and in others, it is more of that rich-toned gold. It is a metallic polish, but amazingly the brush strokes are absent (at least on me, with my careful application...no, I'm not joking, I was quite careful in painting my nails). I do wish it had been sunny so I could've captured the prettiness better, but I did what I could...that last pic was taken during a brief moment of sunshine. FYI, I did two coats to achieve opacity.

Timeless Gold does strike me as similar to OPI Glizterland (Fall 2010), but I do not think it is as blindingly shiny, nor does it have those multi-tonal flakies that Glitzerland has. If you're looking for a toned-down version of Glitzerland, then this is the color for you, and in the same vein, if you're looking to save cash, Glitzerland will do the trick for less than half the price. I do want to do comparison swatches, but again...the time-thing.

Oh, and one more thing (and this really pissed me off) Timeless Gold is THE EXACT SAME POLISH as Dior Gold Revolution that is listed on Sephora's website. Found this out when my bottle of "Gold Revolution" arrived as Timeless Gold. The numbers for GR and TG are both 266, but who pays attention to numbers? If the effing box says "Timeless Gold" then it should be listed as such online. I remember names of colors, not numbers. I'm fairly certain I will again be enraged when my bottle of "Aztec Chocolate" arrives as Czarina Gold. /rant

Congratulatory Haul

2010-10-18T18:47:00.000-05:00

Why might I be getting a congratulatory haul, you may ask? Because I got a job!! After many months of looking, I am employed! Great reason to celebrate, right?! Right! (Although, if I'm being honest, I'd have made the purchase anyway, and had I not gotten the job, it would've been a consolatory haul...but since I got the job, that's neither here nor there, so yay me!!) This is not the only haul I have coming my way, but these goodies were on my doorstep when I arrived home.

Burberry Taupe Brown (L) & Rosewood (R) Sheer Eye Shadows
Burberry Rosewood Lip Cover (Lipstick)
Burberry Nude Beige Lip Glow (Lipgloss)
Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis
Dior Timeless Gold (L) & Czarina Gold (R) Vernis
Chanel Enigma Quadra Eye Shadow

More hauls to come and swatches to follow (as soon as I get myself into a schedule).

As promised, the time-consuming project...

2010-10-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

...we are painting the exterior of our house! At long last, after 7 1/2 years of needing to paint, Mr. swatchcat and I are finally doing it!

Before, we had the ugly white house on the block. We were pretty certain the neighbors were getting ready to vote us off the island.

Click the jump to see the after!

See, pretty house!

We found our fabulous shutters (brand new!) at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore Outlet for a steal! But there was a little problem with one of the shutters for the bottom window, the outdoor electrical outlet was in the way!

Mr. swatchcat wanted to hack out a hole and screw the shutter to the exterior. I was not about to let him mar my pretty new shutter, so I came up with a genius shutter-saving plan. Hinges!

I first carved out a space on the side so the shutter would fit over the outlet. Then, I attached two hinges to the shutter, and then attached those hinges to the window trim. That's right, folks, I can use powertools!

Then, to keep the shutter closed until the outlet is needed, I attached two magnetic cabinet closures.

Problem solved and without destroying my shutter!

Stay tuned, as I have an exciting announcement, and a lot of swatching to catch up on, including goodies from the Chanel Holiday 2010 collection, some Dior polishes, and a few OPI Burlesque polishes, among other things.

Promises, promises...

2010-10-13T21:03:00.002-05:00

I promise I am not a lazy blogger. I promise that tomorrow I will post what has been keeping me so busy these past 10 days. I appreciate all my readers for sticking with me.

Chanel Rouge Allure - Naive

2010-10-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

I recently picked up Naive, which is in the Rouge Allure formula. If you haven't tried the Rouge Allure formula, it is very moisturizing and the colors go on opaque with just a couple of swipes. Naive is a natural, baby mauve-pink with a bit of golden shimmer. On me, Naive is just a bit lighter than my natural lip color, making it perfect to wear with most makeup, and especially for an easy-going, natural look.

I couldn't find Naive anywhere but on Chanel.com, so it may not be a permanent color. If you're looking for a light, natural pink, then you'd better get Naive while you can. Rouge Allures retail for $30, and through November 1st, you can get free shipping from Chanel online with code 0910GLOSS.

Chanel Soho Collection - Stunning Rouge Coco & Stupendous Quad

2010-10-05T12:00:00.045-05:00

After seeing all the swatches of Stunning Rouge Coco and the Stupendous Quad I was smitten. Uh, too bad they both were sold out when I order Star Glossimer. I was willing to wait until Soho launched at department store counters, but luckily, I didn't have to. Chanel online restocked! (yeah, yeah, it was the highlight of my day, what of it?) You want pretty swatches? Of course you do.

Stunning Rouge Coco is a gorgeous neutral pink with golden shimmer. It's a my lips, but better color...just a bit deeper, and I love it. It's so much prettier than I imagined. It is pigmented and the color just melts into my lips.

Check out Stupendous after the jump.

Stupendous contains a pale pink with golden shimmers, a satiny, slightly metallic beige, a sparkling chocolate burgundy, and a metallic silver. This quad does have great pigmentation and I had no issues with fall out. The reviews on this quad have been mixed, and although it should be obvious, I'm going to point it out anyway. "It" is the fact that two of the colors in this quad are pale pink and beige. On many skintones, including my own, the colors are barely there. In my mind, that is the genius of this quad. It is truly a daytime-to-nighttime quad. Three of the four colors are easily wearable on the eyelid for the daytime, and using those colors wet only intensifies them. In short, I would recommend this quad, but only if you can tolerate barely-there neutrals. Shadows are first swatched dry (swatch pics 1 & 2), then wet (top/left) versus dry (bottom/right). You can see how using the beige wet brings out a metallic finish. I've only done one look so far, but I can't wait to try others, including experimenting with layering colors.

The entire Soho Collection is available on chanel.com, and will be in department stores in November.

Rosy Brown and Khaki Brown Comparisons

2010-10-04T12:00:00.012-05:00

An exclusive release by Chanel means many people are looking for duplicates to avoid having to track down limited items. This last release of Les Khakis is no exception. Pretty, muted polishes just begging to be purchased. But, can you get the same look for cheaper? Ahh, yes, the $100,000 question. Let's see, shall we?

Up first, Khaki Brun. I dug out my two other deep taupey brown polishes, Barielle Cowl of the Wild and OPI You Don't Know Jacques, to see if they were a match.

Nope, not even close. You can really see the green undertones of Khaki Brun, and the purple undertones of You Don't Know Jacques also stand out. Cowl of the Wild stands out as a true neutral taupe, no warm or cool undertones whatsoever.

Next, Khaki Rose. I pulled out Barielle Cashmere or Loose Me and Zoya Dea since they are both warm, medium browns.

I thought Cashmere or Loose Me might be close, especially since the shimmer is pretty subtle. However it much more rosy than Khaki Rose. Same for Dea, which I had pegged as being a latte color. Sandwiched between Cashmere or Loose Me and Dea, Khaki Rose comes off a quite brown and well, khaki. Those rosy undertones just disappear.

That leaves Khaki Vert for last...and I've got nothin' for ya. Sorry!

Kitty Cat Post

2010-09-30T12:00:00.010-05:00

It's been a while since the furry owners of this blog have popped up, so here they are!

swatchcat C sits so pretty, waiting for a morsel from Mr. swatchcat.

"Thank you for the tasty morsel!"

swatchcat D (regularly) wants us to think he's dying of hunger (he so looks it, doesn't he?). This is his, "I can't go any further" pathetic pose. Admittedly, sometimes we toss him a kibble or two. Gotta reward him for the performance.

Charcoal and Plum Shimmer Comparisons

2010-09-29T12:00:00.071-05:00

With the Chanel Soho polishes being a limited release, and therefore, a little difficult to come by, many are wondering whether there are any dupes out there, especially at more reasonable prices. I have good news and I have bad news. I was able to find a dupe for Chanel Steel, but with a discontinued OPI. I found no duplicates in my stash for Chanel Strong.

Thumb to Pinkie: OPI Black Satin, OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, Chanel Steel, China Glaze Jitterbug, Zoya Freja

As you can see, Both OPI LLM and CG Jitterbug are far too silvery and have those large, flaky shimmer particles, and each are adequate substitutes for the other (i.e. unless you're a polish fiend, you don't need both). Zoya Freja is a little deeper, but still far too light. OPI Black Satin is right on the money.

Thumb, pointer and ring finger, OPI Black Satin; Third and pinkie, Chanel Steel. As you can see, Black Satin is just a teeny bit lighter than Chanel Steel. In the bottle, they're nearly the exact same color (look above the Chanel label, as it places a blue cast on the polish). So, if you're lucky enough to own Black Satin (or run across it at a reasonable price) it is a suitable dupe for Chanel Steel. If not, the crazy evilBay prices for OPI Black Satin place it nearly at the same price as Chanel Steel, and given that the Chanel is opaque in two coats, while it takes the OPI at least three, the Chanel winds up being the better buy. Who'd've thunk it?!

As I stated, I didn't find anything that would serve as an actual dupe for Chanel Strong. There is one that is close, but as the saying goes, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades". Well, at least if your a nail polish fanatic like I am. If not, close might be good enough for you.

Thumb to Pinkie: OPI Lincoln Park at Midnight, OPI Eiffel for this Color, Chanel Strong, China Glaze Bogie, Zoya Mikka

As you can see, OPI LPaM is much too purple, as is China Glaze Bogie (as well as being too light). Zoya Mikka is too plummy and also too light. OPI EftC is the one that is closest. It has that blackened base, but not quite as many shimmers as Chanel Strong. Also, the shimmers are more of a deep fuchsia and red-violet rather than red. Still, if you're looking to save cash and aren't too fussy about having the exact color, OPI Eiffel for this Color is a good substitute. Plus, it is still available for retail price (or cheaper at transdesign.com).

Barielle Nail Polishes - Part 2

2010-09-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

Here is the second half of my Barielle polish order. I really love all the colors I picked out, and with the exception of one, the online color representations are fairly accurate.

Misbehaving Mistress is a deep, metallic tapue or dirty, metallic charcoal. In some lights it is more silvery-charcoal, and in others, the taupe base shows through. Either way, it's a really interesting color. It's in line with the taupe trend, but the metallic finish makes it stand out. Plus, I really like that it applies non-streaky.

Hidden Hideaway is a metallic raisin color. This one was the interloper...see how pretty?! It's not as metallic as Misbehaving Mistress, but it still falls in that category. Indoors, it is nearly black. Outdoors, the slightly brown base is more evident, and in the sunlight the fuchsia shimmer really glows, giving it a lit-from-within look.

Blackened Bleu really lives up to it's name, as it is a sheer, black base chockful of sapphire blue glitter flakies. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I'm not a blue fanatic, but this one is drop-dead gorgeous. Indoor, it's a pretty navy sparkle, but out in the sunlight, that blue shimmer just glows! I'm shocked how much I love this color.

Glammed-Out Garnet has a sheer red base and is loaded with iridescent magenta flakies. This polish is basically the red sister to Blackened Bleu, except the sparkles are iridescent. You can see the lilac flash in the bottle and on the nails, too. You might also detect a gold flash, but that kinda disappears. It's the magenta and lilac flash that are most evident. This is a really pretty polish, and a nice alternative the the plain ol' red. It would make for a great holiday mani, too. This, and the one above were four coaters.

Pin Up pretty much describes itself. A creamy tomato red with pink shimmer that just screams 40's screen star. You can see there are gold flakies, but they just disappear. A bit of a shame, as I think the gold flakies would add just another pretty dimension to this polish.

Out-grey-geous is a sheer, grey shimmer with gold flakies that flash multi-color in the sunlight. This is the one that I think is misrepresented on Barielle's site. It is described as a silver shimmer, but in my mind, silver is much lighter and more metallic. I initially passed on it when I did my online order, but this polish caught my eye in Ulta, so I picked it up. This base is nearly a jelly, and took four coats to reach opacity, but I really love it. So many of the grey polishes have a blue cast to it, but this one doesn't. It is a true grey shimmer and the gold flakies (which are visible!) give it just a bit of a warm cast. As far as edgy, grey polishes go, this one is very wearable, thanks in part to the fine shimmer and gold flakies. (Please ignore the nail dents...I did the final coat before I went to bed. Yes, I should know better.)

Find Barielle online (buy two, get one going on right now!) and a small selection available in-store at Ulta.

Barielle Nail Polishes - Part 1

2010-09-27T13:53:00.001-05:00

First of all, I want to say Barielle has a great customer service department. I ordered a bunch of polishes with the buy two, get one free deal (still going on, btw) and when my order arrived, there was a polish in there I didn't order in place of one I did. I called Barielle, explained my problem, and they sent out my polish ASAP...and I got to keep the interloper. Extra bonus, it's a color I would actually wear! Score!

On to the polishes, they are 3-Free with a fairly decent formula. It is a little runny (like many 3-Frees are), but most colors I was able to achieve opacity in two coats (a couple took three, and a couple more took four). The brush is standard sized (not the prowide kind), and maybe just a tad bigger than the Chanel brush. I like the size since I have small and narrow nails.

As I mentioned, I purchased mine directly from Barielle, but great news, Ulta is carrying a selection from the brand in-store! I don't mind purchasing online, but I know some people like to see for themselves before handing over a wad of cash.

Now for the first batch of swatches.

Aura Angora is a brownish-yellow cream, and is part of the fall 2010 collection, Style in Argyle. I had a hard time figuring out how I would describe this color...until I picked up a jar of peanut butter. An exact match. Peanut butter nails. Me likey!

Cashmere or Loose Me is a rosy brown cream with fine copper and gold shimmers, and is also part of Style in Argyle. Even though the shimmer is nearly invisible unless you're in the light, it does lend a certain glowy-ness to the color. I'm not sure how close this is to Chanel Khaki Rose, but offhand, I'd say they're at least cousins.

Cowl of the Wild is a deep taupe cream from the Style in Argyle collection. Original? No, but I love these types of colors, so I really don't care. Again, this one is faintly reminiscent of a Chanel Khaki color, Khaki Brun, but it doesn't have that green tinge to it that Khaki Brun does. I will post comparisons with the Chanels (hopefully by the end of the week), and maybe save someone a few bucks.

Tight Knit is a plush, plummy cream with a touch of brown to it (from Style in Argyle). The plum tones in this one definitely come through, as compared with the brown-based colors from the collection. This one is a little more unique, as it is a plummy violet, rather than a greyed mauve. Plus, the stronger red-based purple makes it a little less edgy and wearable than a greyed mauve.

Belly Dance is a gorgeous nude with just the slightest hints of mauve, pink and taupe, and shot through with silver shimmer. I really, really love this color. It's one of those that transforms on your nails and brings out different hues on different skintones. The beautiful silver shimmer keeps the color from looking pasty and dead. Truly a favorite of mine.

Get Mauv-ing is a pretty mauve cream. Very much a color we've been seeing a lot, lately. This one does fall on the warmer side of the spectrum, but still not really unique. A pretty color nonetheless, and with the warm undertones, quite wearable.

These polishes are available on Barielle's website or at Ulta. As I mentioned above, Barielle is still doing the buy two, get one free promotion, and has free shipping for purchases over $50.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection - Fall 2010

2010-09-24T22:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it's taken me forever, but I've finally gotten around to getting the China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection swatched. No excuses, really. But, a few of the colors, I wanted the opportunity to enjoy wearing before I wiped the polish off and swatched another color (I'd like to have worn all of them for a few days, but then I'd never get anything posted in a timely manner). There are twelve colors in the collection, seven of which I purchased.

Classic Camel is a fairly apt description. It's a creamy, well camel, yellow, reminiscent of dijon mustard with gold microglitter. As I was applying it I couldn't help thinking, "Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with the Lead Pipe," and wondering why there hasn't been a "Clue" inspired nail polish collection. Can't you just see it? A divinely plush Professor Plum, a sensual, sassy Miss Scarlet. You could even throw in a creamy nude (maybe with a glint of golden shimmer) for Mr. Boddy. Let's make this happen...who do I call?

Ingrid is a warm taupe cream with gold microglitter. The base of this color is one we've been seeing a lot lately. The gold microglitter really warms up the usual cool taupe base and leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Taupe polish + glitter? Love.

Swing Baby is a metallic champagne-y, taupe-y color. Kinda hard to nail down exactly what to call this color. Up close, you can see the metallic champagne and copper flakes, and those meld together to create a beautiful, metallic neutral. It's definitely different than OPI's Glitzerland, which is more gold-toned. And like Glitzerland, it's one of those colors you can't stop staring at. Word of advice, don't stare at it in direct sunlight. You'll blind yourself.

More after the jump!

Jitterbug is a metallic charcoal. Very similar to OPI's Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous. Up close you can see the same silver and charcoal metallic flakes. Sparkly and a fun change from the black polishes of the past couple of years. It would be great for a night out.

Midnight Mission is a deep, metallic blue polish with tons of silver and blue glitter flakies, like little stars in the night sky. Unfortunately, I do not have the much lusted after Essie Starry, Starry Night for comparison purposes. This polish is a nice twist to the deep blue polish, but honestly, there's a bit too much silver glitter for my taste.

First Class Ticket is a deep blue-purple (blurple) with blue microglitters. The base is a near-frost, but thankfully, not quite. I apologize for the horrid quality of that first picture. I tried and tried to capture the color, but it kept photographing far more blue than it really is (I adjusted the pictures so that they are representative of the color in the bottle).

Bogie is a smokey, metallic plum. It's not straight-up plum-purple. There is a gorgeous smokey taupe cast to the plum. In the sunlight, you can see all these multi-color shimmers, too! For a metallic, it applies so nicely and without streaks. I love, love, love this color. Hands down, my favorite.

Most of the colors in this collection are nice, but maybe not terribly unique. Variations on colors we've seen before, and a couple are near dupes from other fall collections that are currently out. My top three picks would be Bogie, Classic Camel and Ingrid (Swing Baby is a close runner-up). The China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection is available at most beauty retailers (Ulta, Sally's, etc.) and online (head2toebeauty.com, transdesign.com).

Lots of swatch posts coming up!

2010-09-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

So y'all don't think I'm a bad blogger, I wanted to let you know what I have planned for my next few posts. I'm on a little trip, and brought my camera with to upload and edit swatch photos, and to take pictures if I purchased anything of interest, as well. Wouldn't you know it...I left the computer cable at home. Doh!!

So instead, I'll get you guys excited for what is coming up. I have a slew of polishes from Barielle, including a few of the fall ones. I also did comparison swatches for the Chanel Soho Polishes Steel and Strong. Plus, I finally swatched the China Glaze fall 2010 collection. That's just a little tidbit of what will be appearing soon. Thank you for staying with me!

Chanel Les Khakis Le Vernis - Swatches

2010-09-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

As promised! Not that any of you need any more nudging, but these are beautiful, subdued creams.

Khaki Rose is a browned rose. Perfect for anyone who's not into straight-up pink. It's still pink, but very subdued and muted. The strong brown undertones really keep this polish from veering into "grandma pink" territory.

Khaki Vert is a minted army green. Army-lite, if you will. Very unique color, and for a green, surprisingly wearable. Yes, it's green, but the grey undertones keep it from screaming, "GREEEEEN NAILSSSS".

Khaki Brun is a olive-tinged brown. You can definitely see the olive green undertones in this polish. I really like that it's not straight-up brown. I will caution, this is one of those colors that not all people will be able to wear because of the olive green undertones. If you know certain colors are unwearable because of your skintone, you may want to test this one out before you buy.

Are these polishes must haves? No, not really. They are beautiful creams, with the superior Chanel formula. If I had to choose just one, I'd pick Khaki Vert. Those of you wanting an all-around wearable color might want to stick with Khaki Rose. These are currently available online for $25 each, and are rumored to be released to luxury department stores later this fall.

Chanel Les Khakis Le Vernis

2010-09-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

Oh my! They're so much prettier in person!

Expect swatches tomorrow!

Kitty-themed Cosmetics

2010-09-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes near me knows I love cats. So, you can't at all be surprised that I have cosmetics that are kitty-themed. I'm not just talking named after cats, I'm talking visible felines. Fortunately, there are cosmetic purveyors who feel the same way about furry felines as I do. Am I crazy? Maybe a bit, but it's not like I have these enshrined somewhere for viewing purposes only. These are products that I will use...eventually.

Paul & Joe creator Sophie Albou shares my affinity for kitties, and she infuses kitty designs into the line's cosmetics. The Spring collection brought us this eye shadow with cute kitty packaging, and this Fall, she upped the ante with kitty-shaped lipsticks!

Chantecaille created a palette to raise awareness for tiger poaching. The company is donating five percent of all proceeds from the sale of the palette to TRAFFIC, which monitors the trade of wildlife. A palette with cute tigers etched in the shadows plus it's for a good cause? Count me in!

Paul & Joe is available at Beautyhabit and Urban Outfitters, and Chantecaille is available through most major luxury department stores (I purchased mine through Neiman Marcus) or on its website.

Chanel Soho Collection - Star Glossimer

2010-09-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here's another pretty from Chanel's Soho Collection, Star Glossimer. Star is a sheer pink loaded with silver microglitter. I know, I know...glitter doesn't exactly say, "Grown-up", but the glitter in this gloss is ultra-fine and really acts more as a shine enhancer. Unless someone is standing an inch from your lips, they're not going to notice the glitter. Given the sheerness of the color, it's great for those who just want to add shine to the lips, or for adding shine to any lipstick.

Once I got a good look at Star, it reminded me of Futile (from the Spring 2010 Collection), so I pulled it out for comparison. Turns out, Futile is more of a champagne pink with gold microglitter in much less quantities than in Star. However, given that both have that super sheer base, if you have Futile, you can easily skip Star, which is sold out in the U.S. online, anyway.

Now, I'm not posting this to torture anyone who missed out on Futile, and therefore, might want Star. Soho was released in Canada and at selected locations around the world. Furthermore, there are rumors on various discussion boards that the Soho Collection will filter down to the luxury department stores (Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman) in the October/November timeframe. Fingers crossed, because there are a couple of items that, after seeing the swatches, I now want.

OK, enough chit-chat, there are more pretty pictures after the jump!

Target Exclusive Nicole Polishes

2010-09-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

Nicole has a line of polishes available exclusively at Target. I believe there are 12 available, and I picked up three that caught my eye, and they're glitters! I'm lumping in one of the Gossip Girl polishes I picked up a while ago and never posted. I think that collections was also a Target exclusive, and they're on clearance now.

Nicole...Spotted! is from the Gossip Girl collection. This is a gorgeous aqua jelly with gold micro-glitter and iridescent hex glitter. This polish is really better suited for layering as it is pretty sheer. Two coats had my nails looking like I needed oxygen. Pictured above is five coats, which actually ends up a pretty sea green, rather than the aqua in the bottle. If you really want to bring out the aqua base, I'd suggest layering over a milky white french polish. The sea green pictured above would be best achieved using a milky natural french polish as a base.

The rest of the polishes after the jump!

Pitch-Black Glimmer is not what I expected. Looking in the bottle, I thought it would be a black base or black jelly base with the silver micro- and holo glitter. Nope, it's black glitter. Definitely a layering polish, unless you want dalmation nails (which is cool if that's what you want, I won't judge), or you want to apply a thousand layers. Ok, a thousand is an exaggeration, but that's five layers above, so you get the picture. Still, a pretty polish, and I'm already thinking of layering combos.

Such a Go-Glitter is also not what I expected. Again, I was thinking a blue jelly base loaded with blue and holo glitter. It is a clear base with the glitter, so also better for a layering polish, but this does have better coverage than PBG (five layers used). I kinda get this sassy Smurfette vibe with all that blue glitter. Normally I eschew blue, but this sapphire-hued one really sucked me in. I've got a couple of deep blue polishes I can't wait to try this over the top of. Oh, and the removal for this polish and the two above was surprisingly easy for glitter (just wash your hands afterward and dry them well on an old towel). No opinion on the last one, as it's my current mani.

Sensational Scarlet ended up being what I thought the other two would be. It has a gorgeous magenta base with silver micro-, red and iridescenty-holo hex glitter. The color in the second picture is most accurate, and look at that holo! This is a grown-up glitter. The sparkle is freaking amazing, and I can see this being a great polish for the holidays. Now, this isn't a smooth finish because of the glitter (as you can see in the pictures), so you're going to need to do a couple of thick layers of top coat (the jelly base in the other three allow for those polishes a have smooth finish). I really wish there was a royal violet version of this...actually, there needs to be a whole collection of polishes just like this one.

Chanel Soho Collection - Steel & Strong Le Vernis

2010-09-08T14:10:00.001-05:00

They're here!! I jumped on these two hot polishes the minute they hit the site, and they're finally here! I won't say much else other than these two polishes are GORGEOUS! Steel is a deep, metallic anthracite with silvery-aqua shimmer that appears to have a multi-color sparkle in the sunlight, and gives the polish an almost navy appearance in some light. Strong is a deep, blackened maroon with subtle fuchsia shimmer. A great vampy, fall color. Coverage on both Steel and Strong is great, two coats for each, and the formula for both is pretty consistent and standard Chanel. I did find Strong to be just a bit thicker than Steel, though. I really do love Chanel polishes. They really do nail polish very well. Now, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

See more pictures of Steel and Strong after the jump!

Steel

Strong

The weather here isn't exactly cooperating. The sun keeps disappearing and more clouds are rolling in. I assure you, these polishes are much more beautiful IRL (my apologies also for my hideous cuticles...these just arrived, and I swatched them as fast and neatly as I could). I love them both, but the stand out is Steel, so if you can only get one, get Steel! These polishes (along with the whole Soho Collection) are exclusively available at the Chanel Soho Boutique in NYC, and online.

A Beautiful Life S'Stains Lip Shine and Natural Nail Lacquer: Reviews and Swatches

2010-09-03T17:14:00.000-05:00

I'm always interested in trying new brands, and while perusing Urban Outfitter's beauty section, A Beautiful Life piqued my interest. A Beautiful Life products are all natural and petrochemical-free. Being the nail and lip junkie that I am, I selected one of the S'Stains Lip Shines and two of the Natural Nail Lacquers to try out.

S'Stains Long-Lasting Satin Lip Shines (from ABL): S'stains are 100% natural, paraben-and petrochemical-FREE satin-y lip glosses. Each color is packed with natural lip conditioners, like shea butter, vitamin E and the near-miraculous ARGAN OIL! It also packs a pleasantly plumping trio of essential oils (cassia, peppermint, and ginger) - JUST ENOUGH to smooth fine lines and give you the perfect pout without stinging (ouchies!).

I selected 80's Pink, which is a sheer, bright bubblegum pink with white and violet shimmers. The Lip Shine comes in a squeeze tube with a slant-tip applicator. Satin Lip Shine is quite an accurate descriptor. It's not a gloss, but there's more shine than a balm...the finish is satin. It gives the lips a nice, natural sheen. S'Stains are not sticky or tacky. The texture is reminscent of Burt's Bees Lip Shines, if you've ever tried those.

The plumping action, well, honestly it's hard to tell on me. I will say, no stinging, and just an ever-so-slight slight tingling, that didn't bother me at all. Usually, just the tingling sensation that is in most plumpers is enough to keep me away, but I'm totally fine with this. The scent is really pleasing and not overwhelming. I first thought, "Mmm, cinnamon!" But, after reading the description, I totally pick up the peppermint and ginger.

Wearability, well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's long-wearing. The sheen fades within an hour or so, and the color lasted about three hours (and yes, I ate and drank). Afterward, my lips did feel nice and soft, and with the shea butter, vitamin E, and Argan Oil, I can only imagine they'll feel even better with regular use of this lip shine.

Overall, I really like the Lip Shine, and I plan on getting a couple more. They're available through A Beautiful Life and are $14 each for 10mL (oddly enough, I can't find them on UO's website anymore). I give the S'Stains Lip Shine 4 paws up!

Keep reading for my review and swatches of the Natural Nail Lacquer.

Natural Nail Lacquer (from ABL): Going green does not mean sacrificing your style. A Beautiful Life Natural Nail Laquers offer amazing wear and incredible colors - WITHOUT any of the nasty chemicals. They're even safe for kids!

'Shroom is a gorgeous, near-metallic taupe, that has a smokey sheen to it at certain angles. Seriously, this color is so pretty it makes me want to cry. It is the PERFECT taupe, people. I took so many pictures so that you can see the beauteousness of 'Shroom. Just the right amount of grey and pink mixed in makes this a great taupe for every skintone. The only drawback is that you'll have to be careful with the application or you'll get brush strokes, thanks to the metallic-ness property of the polish.

Big Red is a gorgeous cherry-red cream. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I bought this polish purely because the name aligns with my college football team. That's right, folks. I'm a Nebraska Cornhusker fan (born and bred, baby! no haters, please!), and you better believe I will be rocking this polish as often as possible for gameday. Football allegiances aside, this polish is ultra-glossy and sexy, and deserves a place in any red-lover's stash. GO BIG RED! GO BIG RED!!

These polishes apply incredibly smooth, and they are far less drippy than other brands that are Big-3 Free. Coverage on the two that I tried is amazing. Opaque in just two coats (I always do a third just 'cause). I know there is some VNL showing in the Big Red photos, but it doesn't show IRL. I'm really rough on my nails (I peel stickers with them, I type with them, etc...), and EVERY polish chips on my within a couple of days, so I'm not a very good judge for wearability. However, I did get a couple days' wear without any chips (and really, that's a record for me). I plan on getting a couple more of these polishes because less chemicals is good right?! Plus, they really are great polishes. They are available through A Beautiful Life and Urban Outfitters, and retail for $12 each for 12.6mL (roughly the same as the standard .5oz polishes). I give the Natural Nail Lacquers 5 paws up!

Peeks-a-boo and Hugga-bear

2010-09-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

swatchcat C's latest antics involve playing peeks-a-boo in the curtains:

swatchcat D loves giving big ol' bear hugs (please excuse the hair, I'd just woken up and he really needed some love):

OPI Fall 2010 Swiss Collection

2010-08-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

OPI's latest collection is inspired by Switzerland. This collection is full of a lot of great colors, many of which I wanted to take home with me. But, in the interest of being ~~less of a hoarder~~ thrifty, I picked my three favorites: Glitzerland, Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, and William Tell Me About OPI.

Glitzerland is a sparkly champagne gold. You can see the different colors of shimmer. So sparkly!! Be warned, though, in direct sunlight, you will momentarily blind yourself if you stare right at your nails...I may or may not have first-hand knowledge of that.

Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous is a sparkly charcoal. Like Glitzerland, you can see the light and dark shimmers. The inner magpie in me is drooling over how sparkly! (That pink reflection...that's my shirt!)

William Tell Me About OPI is a deep, dark raisin-y eggplant. Very fall and vampy. I love these blackened colors for fall. Brings out my inner goth.

If I had to pick a fourth, I'd have gotten Ski Teal We Drop, which is a gorgeous dark teal cream.

While these colors are pretty, I think there may be some dupes in my stash (or at least from a couple other fall collections). Keep checking back as I will be doing comparison swatches for this collection to see if I can save you guys some dough!

The OPI Swiss Collection is available now at beauty retailers for $8.50 each.

NOTD Ruffian-inspired Moon Manicure

2010-08-27T16:40:00.002-05:00

I've been super excited to try out the "Moon Manicure", eclipse version, ever since its debut at Ruffian's Fall 2010 NYFW Show.

(Source: style.com)

I know I technically didn't have to wait until fall to do this mani, but I love the dark nails with the metallic, and that doesn't exactly read "summer" to me. I know it's not yet fall...but I'm antsy and it's close enough. My first attempt didn't pan out so well because I used nail guides...big mistake. It left my manicure all lumpy and the lines weren't really straight. This time, I freehanded it, and I think my results were much better. Check out my mani after the jump!

Love, love this dark wine with the bright, neutral gold.

Polishes Used:
OPI Glitzerland (eclipse moon)
OPI We'll Always Have Paris

Much easier freehanding this manicure. It does take a slow, steady hand, but practice makes perfect!

Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara: Review

2010-08-24T15:31:00.001-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for the best mascara. I want it all - curl, length, volume, with no smudging or flaking. Who doesn't?! I'm not opposed to playing guinea pig and buying various mascaras to try out, but if I can test for free, why not?

Recently, one of Sephora's weekly deals was an offer for a free sample of the new Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara. And, that offer *luckily* coincided with an order I *needed* to make...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum has an hourglass-shaped brush that gives volume, length, lift and separation. Plus the formula has an "intense concentration of ProVitamin B5" for a "reflective, jet-black sheen for dramatic impact".

Sounds promising. Does it deliver? Keep reading to find out!

Bare Lashes

One Coat

Two Coats

Bare Lashes

One Coat

Two Coats

Bare Lashes

One Coat

Two Coats

So there you have it. Length, volume, curl, and separation with virtually no flakies or smudgies! This mascara was tested over the course of a couple of the hottest and most humid days EVER and it still didn't smudge. Pretty much all mascaras smudge on me, so for a mascara NOT to smudge on me is a freakin' miracle, especially when the humidity makes my concealer slide right off. Dramatic impact? Eh, you're not going to look like you're wearing a set of falsies, but you'll get pretty, long, lush lashes. Yes, 'tis a bit pricey, but for a good mascara, I am willing to dig a little deep. Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum may actually replace my beloved Chanel Inimitable (though, I have yet to try the Inimitable Intense, so we'll see). swatchcat gives this mascara 4 paws up!

Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara is $28, and available at Sephora.

Oh, and swatchcats C & D poked their noses in to say, "Hi!"

Disclosure: this was a free sample, included with an order from Sephora, but the opinions are all mine. I wouldn't steer y'all wrong!

Sephora by OPI Rocker Chic Collection

2010-08-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen a ton reviews or swatches of OPI's line of polishes for Sephora, like there are for China Glaze, the regular OPI line, etc. Frankly, I think the colors OPI does for Sephora are wayyyyy better than those in its own regular line. I'll gladly pay the full $9 pricetag for these polishes, whereas I'm loathe to do so for OPI. I find that there are a lot of unique colors in the Sephora line, and the formula is pretty much the same as the regular OPI, minus the pro-wide brush...which is fine by me since I have little fingers and nails. Go figure, I'm five-nine, but with the hands of someone six inches shorter. That must be why I never became a concert pianist. Or, maybe because I couldn't sit still to practice for hours on end. We'll just blame it on the hands and move on...

I only picked up four out of the nine (I think) polishes in this collection: Just a Little Dangerous, Rock His World, Dating the Drummer, and Studs & Stilettos.

Swatches after the jump!

Just a Little Dangerous is described as a metallic amethyst. It's amethyst alright, I just don't see the metallic. I get amethyst with fine pink shimmer, which you really don't see unless flashes of unless you're in direct lighting. The depth of the color is more accurate in the second picture, only it's not quite that . This polish really reminds me of a purple version of OPI Ink.

Rock His World is a gorgeous cranberry cream. The quintessential fall color, very sophisticated, and it has me all ready to swaddle myself in a cozy sweater. It is similar to Zoya Riley which I featured in my Seasonal Selections, but not quite as pink.

Dating the Drummer is a warm mahogany with supposedly holographic glitter. The glitter is super pretty in this polish, but I don't think it's holographic. I'd say more iridescent, as it flashes teal/violet and there are gold flakies in there, too. The warm mahogany is spot on, though. Reminds me of root beer...yum!

If Dating the Drummer is root beer, then Studs & Stilettos is cola. It is a deep, dark brown with a smattering of silver shimmer. Again, this is supposed to be metallic, and this actually looks metallic in the bottle, but on the nails, the fine shimmer nearly disappears. Just enough shimmer peeks through and gives this brown a sophisticated touch. Studs & Stilettos is my favorite of the bunch, and makes me crave Diet Coke!

These polishes are available in-store and online, and are $9 each.