Mini Review: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Fluid SPF 15

Today I'd like to share the tinted moisturizer that served me well all of this summer. It's still available online, and I highly recommend trying it. Consider this a mini review and me starting to clean up some of the summer photos still lingering on my computer.

Although this was a summer product, It's still in rotation as the final bits of summer heat hang around: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid ($45, 1oz). On another note, I'm planning a quick post soon to share my current foundation rotation.

This is a lovely plastic squeeze tube:

Color-wise, it initially appears that it's too dark for my super-light skin (This is No 10, the lightest shade):

Sheered out, it's still a bit dark, but it impairs a lovely, glowing finish. It's like a mini tan in a bottle. It's also more appropriate when I'm a little darker. (Think: self-tanner.)

I like the overall glow that this imparts more than the self-tanner that I used last summer (Bobbi Brown Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer), and it's far less yellow- a major complaint that I had all summer. Finish is lightweight, and coverage is buildable.

There's a faint scent, but it's not unpleasant. This was my go-to during the hot and humid months, and for those "no-makeup" days.

Burberry Orange Poppy Nail Polish & Lip Glow Balm

Today's post is a bit late since Summer 2014 has come and gone, but I'd still like to share some of my selections from the Burberry Summer Showers collection with you. Although I wanted to purchase the entire collection, I ultimately passed on the blushes and concentrated on one of the three Lip Glow Balms and two of the three nail polishes.  I have the matching Lip Glow Balm and Nail Polishes in Orange Poppy to share today.

Burberry Nail Polish in Orange Poppy is a deceptive polish. It looks quite red in the direct morning sunshine, but it's really a stunning red-orange deep fiery shimmer. You can get a bit of that in the lower left part of the bottle in this photo.

I have three coats plus topcoat on my nails in this shot:

I find this to be an incredibly lovely shade, and I wore it frequently this summer. Burberry Nail Polishes retail for $22 and contain 8ml/0.27fl of polish. These shades are listed as limited edition.

I picked up one of the three Lip Glow Balms to try the formula, and I felt that Orange Poppy was the most unique of the three shades. The Lip Glow Balms are limited edition, retail for $28, and contain 4g/0.14oz of product.

It contains the same iconic Burberry check on the balm like other Burberry lip products.

Orange Poppy appears to be a neon orange balm and almost unwearable. It's not what it seems, just bear with me. I adore Orange Poppy.

Just look how lovely it is!

One of the reasons why I only chose Orange Poppy was because I wanted a shade that wasn't easily dupeable in my stash. I love balms, and the Burberry Lip Glow Balm is one of the best I've seen. It's a hydrating balm that does highlight any flaws in texture, so make sure to exfoliate.

Just to show how much of a balm this really is, here's a representative swatch, outside:

It's so lovely on my pigmented lips as well. It's actually wearable three seasons of the year.

Bottom line: Burberry hit it out of the park with this formula. The only reason that I didn't pick up the others is that I have similar shades in my stash. As long as they're available, I do recommend them.

Burberry Nail Polish & the Lip Glow Balms are still available at Burberry.com, Net-a-Porter.com, and Nordstrom.com

NOTD: OPI Hotter Than You Pink

Today's NOTD was my only selection from the OPI 2014 Neons Collection- Hotter than You Pink.  It's the most traditional hue of the collection, a pearly neon pink. I have three coats topping one coat of Butter London Cotton Buds (to pull out the true color) here, topped with topcoat. To me, this is a shade that screams summer vacation. Ah, a blogger can only dream, right?

NOTD: Zoya Wendy

Today's NOTD is one of the most perfect coral cremes I've ever had the pleasure of putting on my nails: Zoya Wendy.

Wendy was my only selection from the Summer 2014 collection. It's a gorgeous coral creme with a perfect, non-streaky formula. I thought about drawing a heart over my hand here, but that would be overkill. I have 2 coats plus topcoat on my nails.

NOTD: OPI Coca-Cola Red

Today's NOTD was a shade that literally stopped me in my tracks: OPI Coca-Cola Red.

I actually wore this on the 4th of July because it is, by my criteria, the perfect red creme.  It's a blue-based red (OPI Race Red looks downright orange next to it!). Formula-wise, it's nearly a one-coat wonder. There are two coats plus topcoat on my nails here.

I'm a sucker for a perfect red creme, but I was shocked that this was my only selection from the July 2014 OPI Coca-Cola Collection. I mulled both the mini 10-pack and a few of the shades, but I felt like I had close enough dupes for most. A classic red with a great formula, on the other hand, is always worth the investment.

Here's a comparison between Coca-Cola Red and Race Red. It's even more pronounced in real life.

 Overall, I think this is a can't miss.

NOTD: Essie Urban Jungle

Today's NOTD is one of my favorite new releases in quite some time: Essie Urban Jungle.

Normally, I don't go for these off-white cremes. However, I love the formula on this (buildable, fast-drying), and it is a dream to work with. I have three coats plus topcoat on my nails in this photo.  I've reached for this polish many times already- it's an instant favorite!

OPI Ford Mustang Collection

I've somewhat shied away from reviewing nail collections in separate posts since I do a daily NOTD, but I'm happy to make an exception for the OPI Ford Mustang Collection.

I have a confession to make: I've always had a soft spot for Ford Mustangs. I can pinpoint when I fell in love with the classic American muscle car: when I was in high school. I grew up in a town with a university. When I was in high school, I worked at a local establishment part-time, and got to interact with the college students who seemed oh-so-cool to a 16-year-old.  One of the coolest of them all was a college guy (who could've been a male model) who owned a Ford Mustang. And there the infatuation with Mustangs began.  I've never owned (or even driven) one, but I do love the roar of a Mustang engine. When I ran into the collection at my local Ulta, I was forced into a quick decision. As you can see from the photo, they only received 2 of each shade. Thus, I bought the collection in one fell swoop. It feels right to review them all in one post.

The OPI Ford Mustang Collection ($9 each, 0.5oz, via Ulta and salons) is comprised of six shades: Girls Like Ponies, Race Red, 50 Years of Style, Sky's the Limit, Angel with a Leadfoot, and Queen of the Road.

This wheel is in direct sunshine.

Overall, this is an outstanding collection. I forgot just how wonderful OPI's formula is.  I'll get into each shade individually.

Girls Like Ponies

Girls Like Ponies is a saturated hot pink creme. Formula and pigmentation are outstanding; I have two coats plus Sally Hansen Triple Shine topcoat on my nails in this photo. This is probably a dupeable shade in most stashes, but I still find it to be lovely and perfect for summer.  I was inspired when I noticed my tree had bloomed:

Although hot pinks are the standard nail color for summer, I find this to be a lovely addition to my stash. It's almost a one-coater.

Race Red

When I first learned of this collection, I knew Race Red would be coming home with me. When I finally saw it in store, it was the first shade that I grabbed from the display.  There's something about the shade and its name that sent my heart aflutter. Race Red is the perfect summer red- a flawless tomato red creme that's almost a one-coater. I have two coats plus topcoat on my nails here. It's hard to tell in this photo, but it really is quite orange-leaning. I'll be able to show a better comparison vs Coca-Cola Red (coming soon).

50 Years of Style

50 Years of Style is a shiny metallic gold hue with surprisingly excellent formula. I did need three coats to achieve the desired effect, but brushstrokes were not an issue. For a metallic, this was a lovely surprise. I can see myself playing around with this since I instinctively reach for cremes by default.


Sky's the Limit

Sky's the Limit is a glitter-packed blue with (naturally) the trickiest formula of the bunch. It requires three coats to achieve the color in the bottle, and is a bit of a bear to remove. I initially thought about not purchasing it, but knew I'd be looking for it at a later date to round out the collection.

Angel with a Leadfoot

Call it a reaction to the sweltering heat lately, but I've been digging white nails the past few weeks.  Angel with a Leadfoot is a lovely white creme, with probably the best formula I've ever seen from a white. There are three coats plus topcoat on my nails in this photo, but it doesn't tell the story. This is buildable and has the best formula I've seen. It self-levels and dries quickly. I could've almost gotten away with two coats, which is unheard of for a white. I highly recommend this shade.

Queen of the Road

Queen of the Road is the shade meant to recall the classic Mustang black. It's not a true black, but rather an ultra-dark grey shimmer. It really looks like the finish on a new car. Like every other shade in the collection, formula was great, needing only two coats to achieve the perfect finish.


Overall, I highly recommend this collection. I've reached for three of the shades more than once already, and can see these classic shades being a part of my rotation for years to come.

Although I loved writing this collection up, I promise that tomorrow's feature will be something other than nails!

NOTD: Burberry Daffodill

Today's NOTD (the first of about 100 I swatched while computer-less) is one that I've been waiting to share for quite awhile.  Burberry Daffodill was part of the English Festival micro-collection; in Burberry boutiques last month.

I am so very happy that I picked up this shade.

There are three coats plus Butter London Hardware on my nails in this shot. The formula is the absolute best yellow creme that I've tried, and that includes Chanel and Butter London as direct comparison. Like all yellows, it was slightly streaky but leveled out flawlessly after three thin coats.  This shade restored my faith in Burberry nail polish.

Yellow is one of those nail shades I like in photos and in theory. I love that photo.  In person, I feel like it just doesn't look right on my hands. Still, for the faith it restored in me with this brand, it's so worthwhile.

NOTD: Essie Vices Versa (2014 Neons Collection)

Today's NOTD is the other shade from the 2014 Essie Neons Collection that I couldn't stop thinking about. Vices Versa looks approximately to be slime green, something way outside my comfort zone but one I'd like to see if I can get away with at work.

The formula was even worse than Chills & Thrills. This shade is one that will require significant effort to make it work. My swatches have one coat of Butter London Cotton Buds plus 3 coats, topped with Butter London Hardware.  This takes significant drying time between each coat as well.

If I had an inkling of the poor formula and thought it's unlikely that I could pull it off at work, why buy it?

Take a look at this combo:

It's easy to see, right? Just lovely.

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann She Drives Me Crazy

Today's NOTD is Deborah Lippmann She Drives Me Crazy, from the Summer 2014 80's Rewind Collection. It was just recently that I swore that Maniac was going to be my only selection from the collection. So, what happened?

I got an itch for a teal nail polish and was debating between this and YSL Vert D'Orient. Since the YSL retails for $27 and is permanent, I went for this shade instead.  There are two coats plus Butter London Hardware on my nails. It's flawless as usual.

While this isn't a work-friendly color, I'm determined to figure out a way to make this work!

MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection: Extra Dimension Eyeshadows Silver Sun & Lorelei

Today I'm happy to share with you my two color selections from MAC's Alluring Aquatic Collection: Extra Dimension Eye Shadows in Silver Sun and Lorelei.  Admittedly, it's been awhile since I bought LE items from MAC (Spring's lipstick is a notable exception), so I wasn't prepared at the number of stores I had to call before tracking both of these down.

They're both relatively small (1.3g/0.04oz), and retail for $19.50 each.  Each eyeshadow comes in the fantastic LE teal packaging.  The two shadows couldn't be any more different, yet it turns out that they're perfectly suited to one another (and the matching 233 brush).

According to MAC's website, these are "A liquid-powder Eye Shadow with prismatic reflections in six shimmering tints. Impact ranges from sheer crystallized light to a highly polished metallic effect. Lasts up to six hours. Limited-edition teal packaging, dramatically accented with sheer water droplets."

There were/are six shadows in this range, but just these two stood out to me. While Silver Sun's dirty metallic edge made me think of shades I've loved in the past, I had a feeling that Lorelei's understated warmth would be a perfect match for so many looks this summer.

First, let's talk about Lorelei.  MAC's description of "golden beige" sells this short. It's a shimmering, light rose gold tone that lightens up any eye.

 

One quick note on the stamping- after a few days of testing, the MAC imprint is gone, and I'm working on the waves.

It's hard to see this on my light skin, but it's the perfect summertime shimmer. It warms up my eye area brilliantly.

Outside, in the sun:

Outside, not in the sun:

I've tested Lorelei in two different ways. First, as an all-over color with a colorful eyeliner it's lovely but not terribly unique. I've found the other way of wearing it (up to the socket, paired with Silver Sun) to be the winner.  It's warm and adds luminosity to the eye without drag-queen or club-like sparkle.  The MAC 217 was the best brush for maximizing performance, in my opinion.

Now, let's talk about Silver Sun. It was the shade that literally stopped me in my tracks when Temptalia posted swatch photos.  MAC's description of "Midtone dirty seafoam green" fits but again undersells the beauty of this shade.

 
It's a classic summer hue for me- greenish yet wearable. I've worn this on the lid, both working with Lorelei and alone. This is what I was hoping MAC Malacca would be.  It's a shimmering wonder that somehow isn't frosty. Yet somehow it's distinctly and apologetically metallic.

A few swatches:

Outside, in the sun:

Outside:

Inside with flash:

Once I brought it home, I thought that I might have some similar shades in my stash.  I've swatched a couple of comparisons:

It's dirtier but just as metallic as Stila Mystic, and much darker than Chanel Jade Shore. It somewhat surprised me that I owned at least two other similar shades!



Finally, a word on wear.  I typically wear NARS eyeshadow base, so that's what I tested these with.  I couldn't get 8 hours of wear out of either shade, no matter how hard I tried. If you're going to wear these to the office (as shockingly I will), make sure you bring them in your bag for mid-day touch-ups.  Yet they're beautiful enough to warrant the extra work.

And yes, I actually wore this combination to work (I'm actually wearing it today). It's that versatile, which is another reason why I'm so happy.

Overall, I'm pleased with these shades. This is the type of collection and items that bring me back to MAC- I just wish I hadn't had to call so many places to find them!  The collection is almost sold out everywhere online, but call your local counters- they probably still have stock since this was only released last Thursday.

NOTD: Essie Chills & Thrills (2014 Neons Collection)

Today's NOTD is one of my selections from Essie's 2014 Neons Collection.  Chills & Thrills is a saturated indigo shade that's one of the more understated in the collection.

It reminds me of a poor man's Butter London Giddy Kipper (note to self: need to swatch Giddy Kipper a a NOTD!).

You're seeing 3-4 coats of Chills & Thrills over one coat of Butter London Cotton Buds. See this blogger's explanation of why white is an important undercoat. Like others, I'm having a hard time recommending this collection. The formula is horrific and patchy, and doesn't last. I managed to chip one of my nails over the 6 hours of sleep that I got!  The whole look is topped with Butter London Hardware.

As much as I disliked the formula, I couldn't stop looking at my nails. It's a bold, vibrant look.

There's one other shade that I can't stop thinking about, otherwise the rest of this collection is a huge pass for me.

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann Maniac

Today's NOTD is my sole selection to date from Deborah Lippmann's Summer 2014 80's Rewind Collection, Maniac.

Maniac is the deepest and most work-friendly in the neon collection.  It's a lovely deepened purple electric creme that's surprisingly unique in my collection.  This was with two coats, plus Butter London Hardware on my nails.

I liked the other shades in the collection, but recently purchased a bright pink I love (Scream and Shout) and couldn't see myself wearing any of the other shades on my nails, no matter how fun they were.

NOTD: Yves Saint Laurent Bleu Celadon (Summer 2014)

Today's NOTD is my only selection from YSL's Summer 2014 Collection.  Bleu Celadon is a light blue creme that leans slightly teal. It has decent coverage for a light shade.  I went with my default of three thin coats, with Butter London Hardware.

I pulled a few shades from my collection to swatch, but I honestly don't have anything even remotely close to this. It's greener than Dior Saint Tropez (2012).

I've actually worn this several times- it's a bright for summer but totally doable.

NARS Summer 2014 Eyeshadow- Malacca

Although I've got one more lovely lippie in the coral family to share, I wanted to take a break from the lip-heavy reviews this week.

I've passed on the last few NARS collections, but there was one item from the Summer 2014 Adult Swim collection that immediately caught my attention- the Malacca eyeshadow single.

NARS eyeshadow singles contain 0.07oz/2.2g of product and retail for $24.

Malacca is described as "iridescent peacock." It's a complex mix of teal, green, purple, and brown that's actually somewhat sheer but buildable.  The sheer nature of the shadow saves it as an everyday product for me.

I tested this over the course of three days in three different ways.  If you're willing to think outside the box, it's applicable in a variety of situations.  I always use NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base- regardless of the eyeshadow brand.  I get a full day's wear- around 12 hours from Malacca.

I find it easiest to work with Malacca in a nighttime setting, as part of a smoky eye.  Alternatively, it works with an overall colorful look.  The most difficult look for me was finding a way to make it work for an office setting.  I did, eventually (tip: sheer application, tightlined with grey eyeliner but no additional liner at the lash line, Tom Ford Indian Rose on my lips).  Still, I'm glad that I worked and figured a way to make this a multi-setting product.  I'm more likely to take it with me this summer on trips now.

Let me share a few swatches with you:

In the sun:

Outside, indirect light, no flash:

Outside, with flash:

Inside, no flash:

Inside, with flash:

Bottom Line: This is a unique shade that's a real standout from recent collections.