Essie: Sand Tropez

Sand Tropez - It's beige, it's bone, it's cream, it's sand...

 

I don't think I've run out of ways to describe this neutral have I?  Or have I? So how does Essie describe Sand Tropez? They refer to it as a "soft sandy beige" so I've definitely covered it.  In terms of application this cream pastel polish is a fiddly one because it's thick and almost too creamy so it's prone to leaving an uneven finish on the nail.  Here I've used two coats plus top coat which helped to smooth it all out.  Despite the tricky application I do love the colour and, yes, it's brought on a craving for summer!

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

Until next time!



My standalone eyeshadow picks

**This post was inspired by the YouTube video and associated blog post by the talented  emilynoel83**



It's always nice to know there are standalone eyeshadow options available for those "I'm in a hurry!!" times or the "I can't be bothered..." times.  Most days I will wear two or maybe three shades carefully (Ha!) blended on my eyes but I definitely have those moments when I don't want to have to bother too much but I still want some brightness or colour to accentuate my eyes. Voila! This is where these colours in my collection come into their own.  They're here to save me from any confusion or decisions when I really don't have the time or the inclination.  On those days I'm all about using the KISS principle:  Keep It Simple Stupid Sister!

Just to let you know I spent a week wearing these different shades to prove to myself they are true wear alones.

 

Taupe
The practical, workhorse eye shadow favourite loved by many including me because it is a true neutral and can be worn with anything.  Taupe adds easy depth to the eye with one sweep over the lid, blended out along the crease.  These are my go-to taupes for an all over the lid look.
 

Clockwise from top:
 

Annabelle (Moka Mirage)

The newest taupe in my collection courtesy of the Beauty Reductionista and the warmest variant in my taupe trio.  I have tried this as a base under powder shadow but I prefer it as a standalone and apply it either by drawing directly onto the lid or drawing it heavily onto my fingertip first to apply with my fingers like a cream. I like the satiny finish it gives to my lids.

  

Maybelline (Silken Taupe)

I've had this one for an age.  I periodically bring it out, then forget about it again. I don't know why because it's truly wonderful and I was happy to rediscover it when looking for shadows to showcase in this post! It looks very soft in the hand swatch below but is pigmented and silky enough on my pale lids to add dimension to my eyes.  Silken Taupe is truly the most neutral shade and sits nicely on the fence between pale brown and grey. 

 

Rimmel (Backstage)

This is a glitzy, high shimmer taupe - the glam one - Backstage is the perfect name for it.  It's a one step shade for getting my eyes noticed and I wore it for an evening look!

 

 Swatched Left - Right:

Silken Taupe, Moka Mirage, Backstage

 

 

Purple
My number one choice when I want a pop of colour to offset my green eyes. Generally I use purple as a crease shade when I'm using a few colours on my eyes (my favourite everyday choice for the crease is MAC's Shale) but these two shadows work perfectly well swept all over the lids.
 

 

 

 Left to Right:

 

MAC (Satellite Dreams)

This is a semi-vibrant medium purple with a hint of blue pearl shimmer.  It looks like a weird bruised shade when swatched on the back of my tanned hand (just goes to show that the hand is not always the best place to test colours!) but on my eyes it's a different, definitely more flattering story! It appears rather lighter and brighter and gives my eyes that pop I'm looking for.  Trust me, the colour definitely appears truer purple on my eyes. 

 

Laura Mercier (African Violet)

I've seen this beautiful shimmery golden violet raved on about in many blogs so it's no surprise I love it!  It looks like shot silk as the colour either appears more violet or more gold as the light hits it at different angles - definitely a beautiful shade to add dimension to my eyes and make it look like I've made a real effort.  Haha! I just love it!

 

Swatched as above:

Satellite Dreams, African Violet 

 

 

 

Beige

Beige is the perfect no-fuss weekend shade for me because it brightens my eyes and I don't feel I need anything else because I suddenly look more awake! It's my dash out the door, casual choice of colour.  The two I have here are both definitely, emphatically favourites because they are both repurchases!

 

 

Left to Right:

 

Essence (Cappuccino, Please!)

I've raved and raved about this little drugstore beauty because it does such a lovely satiny job of brightening my eyes and it's a close dupe to one of my favourite MAC shades, Shroom.  It's probably my number one everyday all over shade.  If I ever want a pop of colour it's a simple matter of adding any coloured liner I wish!

 

MAC (Vex)

Another pretty duo-chrome.  It's actually a very soft green eyeshadow shot with pale pink pearl but pale and neutral enough for me to consider it a beige.  Again it brightens my eyes beautifully - I love combining this with a soft coral or pink lip for an easy weekend look.



 

Swatched as above:

Cappuccino, Please!, Vex

 

 

This is not an exhaustive list - I'm sure I'll dig out more as I experiment!  I haven't touched green, or brown or grey or...

 

What are your favourite standalone eye shadows?

 



OPI: Don't Pretzel My Buttons

I saved the neutral creme Don't Pretzel My Buttons as the last swatch from OPI's Germany Collection.

There are three neutral creme shades in the collection and I guessed this warm caramel beige would be my best fit - Yep! This polish gives me the mannequin hands effect I've always been craving because it matches the yellow undertones in my skin.  I don't wear nude polishes very often because they always seem to look a little "off" against my skin (too pink, too grey...) so I'm completely happy with this particular nude.  OPI's description is very similar to mine as they call DPMY a "honey beige".  Coverage was excellent in two coats and this has been on my hands for the last 5 days with minimal chipping.  It's a great working week polish.

All pictures were taken in cloudy conditions:

Enjoy your weekend!

Vita :)

My picks from the OPI Germany Collection (bottle spam)

I was more excited than usual when I saw the recently released OPI Germany Collection promos and over the moon when I saw the colours IRL!  Now I never buy entire collections but with these rich metallic colours I was not going to hold back.  I got pretty close - well, I now own 7 of the 12 shades, and 4 of them are mini's so it's still a somewhat controlled indulgence...

Lined up on the windowsill - yes, another gloomy old day I need to apologise for.

(I didn't bother with any swatches for that very reason)

Let's take a slightly closer look at the bottles, starting with my full size picks.  I chose metallics - I love deep metallic shades!

L - R:

 German-icure by OPI

Every Month is Oktoberfest

Deutsche You Want Me Baby

German-icure and Every Month is Oktoberfest look indistinguishable in these pictures but German-icure is a warm brown shimmer while EMIO is more of a dark purple-red shimmer.  Lovely and different enough IRL to justify owning both.  Deutsche You Want Me Baby is something a little different in my collection so of course I had to have it!  It's a vivid burnt orange metallic - I'm sure this one's going to make an impact when I wear it.

Now, onto the minis.  Here are the shades in the Germinis collection.  A nice even mix of cremes and metallics.

L -R:

 Don't Pretzel My Buttons

Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!

Unfor-Greta-bly Blue

Suzi and the 7 Dusseldorfs

I can see myself wearing all of these.  Of the cremes Don't Pretzel My Buttons is a warm toned beige which works well against my skin tone and Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! is a cool dark grey which makes for an interestingly edgy neutral.  It was the metallics that caught my attention first of course:  Un-For-Greta-bly Blue is a medium-dark metallic blue, and Suzi and the 7 Dusseldorfs (my favourite) is a gorgeous red toned metallic purple.

The Germany Collection is one of my favourite OPI collections of late so I'm happy to have got my hands on these.

What's your favourite shade from this collection?

Until next time.

Vita :)