Chanel Spring 2014 Collection Notes de Printemps- Nails + Eyes

Rather than stretch out all of my purchases from the Spring 2014 collections individually, I'm going to feature my acquisitions as of today by collection over the next week or so.

First up: Chanel Spring 2014 Collection Notes de Printemps

Confession: I purchased these before Christmas. They were my "one for you, one for me" purchases while I was finishing my holiday shopping.  Although Chanel's spring collection is quite moody in tone, it's only been in the past couple of weeks that I've felt ready to pull these shades out.

I purchased three items from the collection: both Le Vernis shades, and one of the two Illusion d'Ombres.

My selections should be no surprise, as I'm an avowed Le Vernis collector and enjoyed my other adventure with Illusion d'Ombre from the Holiday 2013 collection.

First, the 2 shades of Le Vernis.

Tapage (#605), $27,  is a bright and cheery red-pink. The promo pictures make it look far more pink than it is in real life.  It's listed under the permanent shades on Chanel's site, so it appears that it will be joining the permanent lineup.  I looked through my collection and couldn't find a good dupe.  However, the real story is the formula.  Tapage is essentially a one-coat polish with flawless formula.  The mani is with two coats, no top coat.  It's a beautiful, shiny, opaque color that self-levels and honestly is one of the easiest I've ever worked with.  Of the two polishes in this collection, I've worn Tapage at least three times so far. It's a perfect pick-me-up color in this pre-spring time of year.

Charivari (#603), $27, seems like an unlikely color for a spring collection when pastels normally rule the nails.  Charivari seemed to be the color I was likely to reach for first out of the two, but Tapage has stolen my heart.  Swatches are with two coats, no top coat.  This is a muted purple creme, significantly darker than Paradoxical.


My other choice from the collection was Illusion d'Ombre in Diapson (#92).  Both it and the other release (Impulsion, #93, a beautiful pink) are joining the permanent lineup.  Since I've been having major pink lemmings lately, I may pick up Impulsion at a later time.

Diapson (#92), $36, is a shimmering purple with blue undertones which can be worn sheered out or built up to its full drama, as seen in the pot.  I've found that it's perfect to set off my blue eyes sheered out with one coat and perfectly appropriate both for day and night.  The Illusion d'Ombre formula gives me 16+ hour coverage (my usual weekday requirement) with NARS eye primer without creasing.  This is a great value in my opinion simply for the number of looks that one can get with one shade.

Luckily, I photographed this before the weather went south for two months!

Outside, in natural light:

Inside, with flash:

The full Spring 2014 Collection Notes de Printemps is available via Chanel.

Next up: My selections from Deborah Lippmann Spring 2014.

Sunday Dreaming

I have a few things on my radar lately, some replenishments and some new purchases from Spring 2014.

1. Tom Ford Sugar Dune ($32)

I've already picked up one polish from the Spring 2014 collection, but this nude has stolen my heart.  I can point directly to swatches from the RAEviewer, The Beauty Look Book, and Lily Pebbles for this sudden obsession.  I've become obsessed with finding the perfect nude as of late.

(Stock photo via Nordstrom)

2. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Color SPF 15 #10 ($57.50)

This is one of my HG items, and I can see pan in the middle of my compact (purchased in September, if I recall).  I'm going to try to hold out until the Nordstrom Spring Beauty Trend Show, which is coming up soon in my area (usually one of the first in the country).  I'll refer you to my review of Les Beiges for the love.)

(Stock photo via Nordstrom)

3. Deborah Lippmann Careless Whisper

This nail polish was a LE from Spring 2013, and I've used over half of my bottle. It's one of my go-tos, and now I'm on the hunt for a backup bottle.  Which is easier said than done!

4. Burberry Beauty Complete Eye Palette No 10 Rose Pink ($59)

I've been on the hunt for a pink eye palette and have also been wanting to try Burberry's eyeshadows for quite awhile. It was Sabrina's review on The Beauty Look Book which has pushed me over the edge.  I have a hard time wearing pinks on my eyes, but I think this quad might be just what I'm looking for.

I'm back (sort of)

Lovelies,

I had to take  a break from blogging. It started out to be something meant for fun, a way to share my passion for beauty with the world.  It quickly turned into a monster, with me buying products I otherwise wouldn't have just for  the purposes of making a blog post out of it.  It turned into "I can't enjoy my new goodies unless I swatch them first, and there's no daylight! Oh no!".  It turned into every weekend spent swatching nail polish until my cuticles were dried out.

That's not what any of it was meant to be.  So I took a step back.  From the blog, from all of the online beauty communities I frequent.

And I enjoyed.  I enjoyed life, I enjoyed new products (when I felt like it), and I enjoyed freedom.

However, in the last little bit, there have been some questions that I wish someone had answered- such as "What's the best dupe for the new Dior Addict Gloss Exquise (#772)?  Is it even somewhat close in tone to Chanel Glossimer Jalousie (#169)? Do you need both if you're not a big gloss person like me?  These are the questions that the internet doesn't seem to have the answer to!

It's not like I haven't been buying, but I need to slow my roll and not try to create new posts every day.  In terms of Spring 2014 collections, all of the snow is making me want to burst out wearing bright colors, and I'm stretching myself in terms of colors I wouldn't normally buy.  Right now, for instance, I'm trying to make a very expensive experiment work with my super pigmented lips.  I'm wearing Rouge Dior in Rose Crinoline, topped with Dior Addict Petillante- both LE from Spring 2014. And I've got Bloom on my nails, my latest pickup from the collection (I passed on Blossom due to the similarities to Chanel June in terms of shade since I rarely wear June and hate sheer polish, and Perle is pretty but not for me. I've got the rest).

I've got a bunch of NOTD posts saved, which will have to do until the days get longer. I'm also currently out of nail wheels and the local Sally's no longer stocks them.

In short, expect to see some infrequent updates here, especially as new collections drop and I've had time to play with things. I'm not looking to be the first one to review things. I'm also not about to remove a mani I'm rocking just to swatch!

NOTD: Tom Ford African Violet

Today's NOTD is another amazing Tom Ford nail polish.  Although I don't see myself ever collecting all of the Tom Fords (like I am wish Chanel), I enjoy collecting classics and unique colors due to the incredibly long wear time I get from these polishes.  Today's polish, African Violet, is unique in my collection.

This is two coats, no top coat.  For comparison's sake, it's about the same color as Laura Mercier Gel Lipstick- Berry Sorbet!

Just lovely.

NOTD: Chanel Peridot

Today's NOTD is the stunning Chanel duochrome that launched 10,001 knock-offs (none of which hold a candle to the original).

Chanel Peridot was originally released with Quartz and Graphite for Fall 2011 (looking back, what a collection!).

Swatches are two coats, no topcoat.

NOTD: Dior Apparat

Today's NOTD is Dior Apparat, the darkest color in the Diorific Golden Coffret, a trio released for Holiday 2013. This is a dark red with gold flecks.

Nails were painted with two coats, no top coat.

Photo was also taken with flash.

NOTD: Dior Almee

Today's NOTD is Dior Almee, one of three shades from the 2013 Diorific Golden Coffret. Almee is the lightest and sheerest shade of the trio.

Nails were painted with three thin coats, no top coat. My apologies for the rectangle, but the bottle was acting as a mirror.

NOTD: Dior Aladin

Today's NOTD is Dior Diorific Aladin, one of three shades released with the Holiday 2013 Diorific Golden Coffret.

Aladin is the mid-tone shade in the coffret.

This is three thin coats and no top coat.  It's a beautiful, festive shade.  Sorry to obscure part of the bottle, but it acted as a mirror!

NOTD: Chanel Cosmic

It's not often that the mere sight of a nail polish bottle makes me gasp.  Well, dear readers, that's exactly what happened to your Quirky Beauty at the mall on Monday night. I stopped in to pick up a new pink-based neutral shade for my nails and came home with a polish I've been stalking for four months instead. The neutral can wait until Friday (payday).

Chanel Cosmic is one of two limited edition polishes released exclusively to Chanel.com and Macys on Cyber Monday.  Early rumors placed the release on Black Friday; they turned out to be just a bit off.  I was under the impression that this was a web exclusive, but my local store received 3 of each (Cosmic and Magic).  For international readers, these are the Fashion's Night Out shades you all had access to back in September.  Since the US FNO was cancelled, we had to wait nearly three months to get these!

These swatches are with 2 coats, 1 coat of Formula X top coat.  I struggled to photograph the shimmer, but it's there in real life. It's unique from Chanel (if I ever get a light box, I'll do a blacks comparison post), but doesn't read glitter the way that say, Dior Diva does.

Cosmic is a black base with silver glitter suspended in it.  The glitter is finely milled and shows up well in the bottle.  On the nail, it reads as a black creme unless you're looking very closely at your fingers. I have to remove this polish because of an important work function, so I'll have time to play with the mani again soon.

This picture is a bit out of focus, but it gives you a sense of the glitter in the base:

Pricing/Availability: $27, limited-edition via Chanel.com or Macys

FOTD: Lazy Weekend

Today, I bring you something different- a FOTD (face of the day).  Although this particular look was actually worn last Saturday, this is perfect for a casual weekend doing some holiday shopping with loved ones and a cozy dinner for two.

Here's what I used to create the look:

Skincare/Primers (outside of the shower):

• Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Eye Cream
• Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Day Emulsion
• Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
• Diorshow Lash Maximizer
• NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Brushes:

• Sephora Professional Complexion Brush
• MAC #188
• Tarte Blush Brush
• Sephora I.T. Collection Fan Brush
• Anastasia Beverly Hills #7 Angle/Spooley
• Tarte Concealer Blush
• Ulta Eye Shadow Brush #2

Makeup:

• Chanel Les Beiges No. 10
• Marc Jacobs Beauty Genius Gel Foundation- 10 Ivory Light
• Benefit Boi-ing Concealer- Light
• Chanel Le Vernis- Magic
• Marc Jacobs Beauty Magic Marc'er Liquid Eyeliner
• Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara
• Dior Addict Eau Delice
• Diorshow Shimmer Star- 002 Amber Diamond
• Diorshow Shimmer Star- 001 Rose Diamond
• Chanel Illusion D'Ombre- 827 Initiation
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder- Caramel
• Le Metier de Beaute Hydra Creme Lipstick- Rose Garnet
• Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes- 25L
• Diorshow Liner Waterproof- 738 Rosy Gold
• NARS Creamy Concealer- Chantilly
• Anastasia Beverly Hills- Brow Gel

It seems like so many products, but my routine only runs 10-15 minutes, including time for products to set in and to clean the brushes.