Revlon: Divine

Although I bought this nail polish leading up to Christmas 2013 it just didn't feel appropriate to wear a shade like this until now - that's what happens with our upside down seasons!

 

Divine was released in Revlon's Evening Opulence collection and a deep metallic burgundy like this is just meant for cold weather and long dark evenings. It is truly beautiful at first but dammit this polish bubbled like a b**** just after I took my pictures - my subsequent online research tells me this is a common problem with this polish too.  I was so disappointed as even applying two layers of top coat couldn't completely disguise the issue. 

 

I'm pretty sure this is a dupe for OPI's Germanicure - which doesn't bubble - so if you fell in love with the colour like I did then don't go past the OPI option if you see it!

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Until next time.

 



Christmas Day mani: OPI - Underneath The Mistletoe

Now for what's likely to be my last post for 2013!

Continuing with the traditional red and gold theme for Christmas season manicures I chose another variation for my Christmas Day mani using a combination of something new and something old from OPI, who always manage to bring out something to blow me away in their annual holiday collections.

 

The new shade I used on most of my nails is Underneath The Mistletoe from OPI's latest collaboration with Mariah Carey for their 2013 holiday collection.  Underneath The Mistletoe is a deep cranberry jelly polish swimming with fine silver glitter giving it a multidimensional sparkle.  I used three coats for an opaque coverage.  For my accent nail I chose an old OPI holiday glitter, the slightly greenish gold Glow Up Already (from OPI's 2010 Burlesque collection) to add yet more sparkle and voila!

Shade

Sun - the camera's freaking out here...

Until next year!

 

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer: Bordeaux Lust

Sorry for the break between posts.  It's just the general busy-ness in my life getting in the way of my creativity again. I haven't lost my blogging mojo, I just haven't had the time to let it get out! 

Now for the first of my Tom Ford Nail Lacquer swatches.  I was delightedly overwhelmed to receive a boxed set of TF nail lacquers for my birthday (see here) and the hardest decision was what to wear first! I ended up basing my decision on my husband's favourite pick - the vampy Bordeaux Lust.  This shade is the colour of dried blood or deep wine.  I was a little surprised to find a dark shade like this took three coats to build to full opacity but I think the end result was worth it.  I understand why these nail colours are called nail lacquers because the finish totally reminded me of lacquered Japanese boxes.  This polish is almost a jelly in its sheerness but definitely a lacquer in its finish.

Sun

Shade

That's all for now.

OPI: Casino Royale

I've really been getting into the OPI Skyfall shades of late because I think they're the epitome of autumn.

The rather classy Casino Royale was a bit of a sleeper shade for me and I initially overlooked it as I was typically distracted by all the other complex shimmers and metallics in the Skyfall collection.  Of course, once I saw Casino Royale gracing someone else's hands I saw the understated beauty of this deep, glossy polish and finally decided I had to have it.  This polish didn't disappoint either once I applied it - two coats and it really is a "magnificant maroon" on the nails as the OPI site describes it, rather like a deep wine.  I do genuinely love this colour even if it got lost in the crowd at the beginning...

All pictures were taken in cloudy daylight conditions:

That's it for now.

NOTD: Wet n Wild - Ferguson Crest Syrah

A quick Friday night mani post for you lovelies!

Ferguson Crest Syrah from Wet n Wild's recent Fergie collection is a polish with different personalities.  In the bottle this glass fleck burgundy polish has a distinctly warm golden duochrome shift: 

However when I wore it the gold was not as visible and the polish looked a lot more sombre and understated and rather more of a plum than a burgundy.  Was I disappointed?  Perhaps a little because the duochrome did not translate to the nail, but on the other hand the colour that resulted was beautiful in its own right.  Two coats of polish created a deep, classy plum nail with a subtle burgundy fleck which comes to life in strong light.  This polish was durable too and stayed chip free for the working week.  To sum up - this polish is unexpectedly understated but still a stunner. 

All pictures taken in (unfortunately) cloudy conditions:

What do you think?

That's it for tonight.

Vita :)

OPI: German-icure By OPI

The polish I'm posting today feeds my hunger for all things burgundy!

German-icure By OPI is one of the stars of the Germany collection in my very humble opinion and I don't know why I didn't swatch this one first.  It's a beautiful, photogenic mix of red/brown sparkly shimmer in a blackened base.  It's truly, deeply stunning and I've tried my best to capture the velvety glowing beauty.  Less words, more pictures...

Full sun

 

 Outdoors shade

 

What a shame we're heading into spring down south

 although it's such a sexy, after dark polish!

Until next time.

Vita :)

And now for some burgundy nails...OPI - Bogota Blackberry

Bogota Blackberry featured in my winter palette post last month (here) and I'd been looking for an excuse to wear it (I mean, really, do I need an excuse? Anyway...) ever since I dug it out and reacquainted myself with this lovely classic colour.

Not surprisingly Bogota Blackberry is one of the shades from OPI's Classic Collection and part of their core line.  I've read it described as a traditional red shimmer.  To my eye it's a blackened ruby red or certainly a blackberry shimmer.  This polish applied super smoothly and offered a wonderful depth of colour in two coats.  The shimmer glows from within in the light and I love the blackened edges.  I've worn these sorts of colours for years and never tire of them.

All pictures were taken outdoors on a suitably dismal winter day and this polish is still pretty photogenic - it reminds me of ruby red silk ribbon:

That's all for now.

Vita :)

YSL Rouge Volupte - 12 Forbidden Burgundy

Finally I'm free to buy lipstick again after finishing my quota of 5 lippies since January - no more beauty bans for me this year!

I was always going to choose a luxe lipstick as a reward for completing my lipstick ban.  I've been on a berry kick all winter and YSL's Forbidden Burgundy seemed the perfect choice (thanks to Larie at Eye Heart It  again - I really should call you 'Lemming Larie'!).  I actually had to wait a little while to get this lipstick shade because it was out of stock when I originally went to buy it.  The YSL sales assistant tried to steer me to a similar shade but after another swatch I was more sure than ever and decided I was prepared to hold out - I knew I'd only buy it later anyway, even if I took up SA's suggested alternative.

And here it is, my first lipstick purchase in many months.  I've always loved the luxuriously ornate gilt packaging of the Rouge Voluptes.  I also like the visibility of the shade inlaid on the central band around the tube.  I now have three of these lovely lipsticks in my lip wardrobe...

12 Forbidden Burgundy

Rouge Volupte lipsticks are referred to as "Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick" and I agree they glide on very easily.  They're well pigmented, feel weightless on my lips, and have a lovely luminous sheen.  They don't bleed (a big yay from me on this point!), don't dry out my lips, and fade evenly without any flaking.   Wear time is pretty good too, and the colour easily lasts me from first thing in the morning until lunch without the need for a touch up.  The one issue I have - and this is unique to this particular colour - is the pigmentation is so intense it stains my lips and won't budge without a bit of effort.  However the stain it leaves behind is quite a nice shade of beet!

For those interested I've included the full ingredients list from YSL's website:

OCTINOXATE (ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE) . AVOBENZONE (BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE) (OTHER): PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE . HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE . BUTYL STEARATE . BUTYLOCTYL SALICYLATE . BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2 . POLYETHYLENE . HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL . DIMETHICONE . TITANIUM DIOXIDE . CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX) . CERA ALBA (BEESWAX) . DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER . ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN OIL EXTRACT . SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE . STEARYL STEARATE . ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE . CAPRYLYL GLYCOL . TOCOPHERYL ACETATE . ORYZANOL . AMMONIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE . PARFUM (FRAGRANCE) . BEHENIC ACID . PARAFFIN . GLYCERYL STEARATE . LECITHIN . TOCOPHEROL . ASCORBYL PALMITATE . BUTYLENE GLYCOL . ROSEMARY (ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS) EXTRACT . PHENOXYETHANOL . HEXYLENE GLYCOL . SODIUM HYALURONATE . CITRIC ACID . LIMONENE.[+/- MAY CONTAIN : CI 77491 (IRON OXIDE) . CI 15850 (RED 7) . CI 15850 (RED 6) . CI 45410 (RED 28 LAKE) . CI 77499 (IRON OXIDE) . CI 77492 (IRON OXIDE) . CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE) . CI 17200 (RED 33 LAKE) . CI 73360 (RED 30) . CI 75470 (CARMINE) . CI 12085 (RED 36) . CI 15985 (YELLOW 6 LAKE) . CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE) . CI 77019 (MICA) . CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET) . CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE) . CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE . CI 77002 (ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE) . SILICA . SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE . TALC. ] "6YL03-1 "

Swatched in direct and indirect daylight...

...and swiped onto my bare lips

Aside from the shiny finish, Forbidden Burgundy looks scarily close to my MAC Rebel lipstick (see here ).  Ah well, just means I can't get enough of these shades!

YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks retail at $55AUD at Myer, and David Jones stores nationally.

Until next time

Vita :)

My winter palette: Plums, berries and wine

I'm a fan of classic makeup shades and I'm really embracing the wine and burgundy lips that are trending at the moment.  I'm not much of a bronzer wearer - I embrace the pale! - so I've always turned to the darker lip shades in winter because I find they're a flattering contrast to my paler winter complexion.   And of course that translates to the nail colours I choose too.

Blackened reds, berries and plums just look so right in winter worn everywhere really so this post is dedicated to my love of these shades.  I've had a little fun diving into my own collection and I'm sure I could have posted even more but these are the makeup items I found whilst doing a 'power shop' of my stash! Stand by for lots of swatching...

Lips

Presented and swatched from left to right:

• MAC Satin Lipstick (Rebel) - Is it berry? Is it plum? Is it beet? MAC has described it as a midtonal cream plum.  I don't know how to best describe it but I love this deep but vibrant shade of lipstick so much this is my second tube.  Click here for my original rave.
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (Wine With Everything) - A classic deep wine creme finish lippy.  I've had it for ages and just rediscovered it when I was going through my stash a few months back. A good shade to replicate the burgundy thing happening with lips at the moment.
• Revlon Colorburst Lipstick (Raspberry) - A semi-sheer raspberry shade.  A nice light daytime red for winter with its cool undertones.
• Bloom Lip Gloss (Tint) - Looks burgundy in the tube but translates as a sheer berry on the lips.
• L'Oreal Glam Shine Reflexion Gloss (Sheer Cassis) - Not very sheer really, but a rather opaque plum gloss with a hint of shimmer and sparkle.  I like it layered over lipstick for added impact with an evening look.

Eyes

Presented clockwise from bottom left and swatched from left to right:

• MAC Shale - I've been using this eyeshadow so much this winter I'm surprised I haven't yet hit pan.  It's such a versatile, almost neutral mauvey-plum which I'll use subtly as a crease accent or more dramatically all over my lids.  Definitely on high rotation at the moment and I can see myself getting a backup in future.
• MAC Cranberry - One of my newer MAC's and I bought it when I was going through a complete berry obsession at the end of autumn/fall. It's described by MAC as a reddish plum with a pink shimmer but it looks more warm toned to me, with a tendency towards copper rather than pink.  It's an after dark eye colour for me, and I'll wear it toned down so I don't look red eyed anchored with a strong black liner, some dark shadow and a truckload of mascara!
• L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow (Burning Black) - Wow! A blackened burgundy eyeshadow and another one for daring after dark looks or it can be used as an eyeliner. Very pigmented so a light hand is needed or it can be a nightmare to blend out.
• MAC Powerpoint Eyeliner pencil (Bordeauxline) - My go to plum eyeliner pencil because it contrasts with the green in my eyes.  I use it every other day as an alternative to brown or black.  Looks great partnered with Shale.

Cheeks

• NYX Mosaic Powder Blush (Plummy) - This is the sole plum blush I own and probably only because it's not too plummy or dark!  I swirl all of the colours in the pan together for a very natural flushed cheek look.  However, and this is a significant however, the powder has a really strong "chalky" smell which makes me want to look a bit closer at the composition of it. 

Nails

Presented and swatched (terribly, sorry due to bad lighting) from left to right:

•  Revlon Autumn Berry - Deep plum/burgundy with a subtle gold shimmer.  Even though it's a very dark shade the gold shimmer lifts it out of being too vampy.  It was one of the first ever polishes I swatched on this blog (see some cute amateur swatching here ) and I think it's worthy of a reswatch once my nails grow out of their current nubbin stage.
• OPI Bogota Blackberry - A rich blackened berry shimmer. I'm pretty sure it's in OPI's core line.  My idea of the perfect deep red polish.  So, why the hell haven't I swatched this one on my nails???
• OPI Bastille My Heart - From one of OPI's chicest collections, La Collection De France.  It's a dark berry red creme with a very subtle shimmer.  Again, I NEED to wear this one!!
• Australis Vampy - Another berry shade.  Vampy is a bit of a peculiar name for this shade because it's a pretty berry red creme, with a hint of glitter.  I'll need to wear this one on a sunny day to show you how cute it actually is, but still seasonally appropriate for colder weather!

Is there anything here that takes your fancy?

Until next time.

Vita :)

What my nails wore to work: Rokk 96 - I'll be Frank

This is my office manicure from last week and yet another polish from my vacation mega-haul (see the original post here to refresh your memory)...

I'll be Frank is a deep, vampy polish which has that glow from within quality.  It's a burgundy/plum base with gold micro-glitter which gives it an insane warm glow in the sun and under incandescent light. The formula was easy to control, with smooth application and full opacity in two coats.  My manicure held up for four days before I got some minor chipping so I was also satisfied with the wear of this.

I loved wearing this shade although it probably doesn't flatter my hands so much,  making them look a little on the pasty side.  See what you think - I've put up a lot of pictures in this post to admire the beauty of this polish:

Full sun

Outdoors shade

 

Lamplight

I've one last shade from the Rokk 96 to try, which is the polar opposite of this - a soft pink creme!

That's all for now.

Vita :)