Dior Spring 2014 Trianon Collection (Part II-Nails): Bloom, Bouquet, Pampille, Porcelaine)

This is Part II of my look at my selections from Dior's Spring 2014 Trianon Collection.  There are actually six polishes, scattered across several retailers. I picked up four of the six.  Look for proper NOTD posts for each with full manis over the next month or so.

First, the two that I didn't buy.  I did so with a lot of research:

Blossom (#132)- A sheer peach with gold glitter that swatches on the nail similar in tone to Chanel June.  It is priced $24, and available via Nordstrom. See swatches and reviews from Temptalia, The Beauty Look Book, Pointless Cafe, and The RAEviewer.

Perle(#187)- A matte pink topcoat.  Available via Dior, Nordstrom, Sephora, and Macys.  See reviews and swatches from Temptalia, The Beauty Look Book, and Blushing Noir.

I did manage to track down the other four shades.
 

Bloom (#777)- a saturated, cool-toned fuschia.  See today's NOTD.  This is available via Saks and Macy's.  I normally love Dior's formula, but Bloom might be the nicest nail polish I've ever dealt with, period.  Its essentially a one-coat polish that self-levels.

Bouquet (#457)- A light coral creme.  This is available via Sephora and Macys.  It corresponds well with Rouge Dior Rose Crinoline for Dior's matchy-matchy lips and tips.  Its formula is what you would expect from Dior, an excellent creme that is full coverage in two coats. Like Bloom, its not a terribly original shade to have in a spring collections, but still nice to have.  It lacks the uber-formula of Bloom, but is still a nice coral.

Pampille (#192)- A pale, sheer, minty shimmer.  This is a Nordstrom exclusive.  This is tricky to work with, but I happen to enjoy it (unlike many other reviewers). On its own, you need 3-4 thin coats for coverage, although some VNL will still be present.  It's also lovely as a topper on top of Porcelaine.

Porcelaine (#204) A light blue creme available at all Dior retailers.  It has a thin creme formula, and requires 3 thin coats to achieve close to opacity.  I struggled with this one- if I built it up enough to be opaque, I dented my nails within an hour. Still, this color is a standout and might be worth the struggle.

These are with 3 coats:

This completes my selections from Dior's Spring 2014 collection.  Clearly, I went a bit crazy. Tomorrow, I bring you my selection from Guerlain's Spring 2014 collection.

NOTD: Dior Bloom

Today's NOTD comes from Dior's Spring 2014 Trianon Collection.  Bloom, a saturated fuschia, is available in the US via Dior, Saks, and Macys.

These photos are with two coats, plus Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab top coat.  This mani lasted me about 5 days, and I felt like it cheered my hands up while I wore it.

Photo was taken indoors, with flash on my camera. Unfortunately, the weather dictates the poor lighting.  Consider this a teaser for today's look at the Dior polishes!

Dior Spring 2014 Trianon Collection (Part I): Lips and Eyes

Today is the first of two posts of my selections from Dior's Spring 2014 Trianon Collection.  According to Dior, this collection was inspired by Marie Antoinette- think the macaroons scene. Overall, the color story is mostly beautiful pastels, with bright, vivrant pink as an accent.

First, a quick peek at my many purchases from this collection.  I've got eyes, lips, and nails.

Sorry for the dark photo, but I'm trying to make do.  For the sake of post length, I'm going to split this overview into two. Tomorrow, I'll bring you through the 4 nail polishes.

Eyes:

In lieu of the quints (one, a Nordstrom exclusive, one available elsewhere) and the mono matte Diorshow Fusion Mono eyeshadows, my only selection is Rosee, a Nordstrom exclusive.

Rosee (#141), a Nordstrom exclusive, is a light, sparkling lilac shade. It's somewhat sheer but buildable. This requires a primer.  I use the NARS Eye Primer, although Dior has introduced an eye primer with this collection that I'm really anxious to try out.

I had minimal problems with creasing with Rosee after about six hours, which is quite low wear time for a cream like this. However, I find the color light and unique enough to continue to work with.

Here is is, swatched:

Left: one thin coat.  Right: Built up (3 coats)






Lips:

If there's one thing that I think of when I hear Dior, it's lip products.  With the Trianon Collection, we're treated to two shades of Rouge Dior (Europe/Asia got 4!), two new Addict glosses (Europe/Asia got 4!), and a LE shade of the Lip Glow.  I purchased one of each.

First, the Lip Glow.  This is one of Dior's Hero Products. The regular Lip Glow provides the perfect shade of pink for every woman.  This spring's LE Lip Glow is Coral. I absolutely love it, and wish it were a permanent addition to the line.  It's been a hard item to find since it's such a great idea! I can see this being my go-to in the summer when I don't want a lot on my lips.

Here it is, swatched heavily:

This limited edition version of Lip Glow retails for $32.  I purchased mine from Sephora, but it's also available on Dior's website.


The Trianon Collection also features two limited edition shades of the reformulated Rouge Dior lipsticks.  I almost wish I hadn't looked at international blogs because I wish the US had received all four!  I passed on Allegresse, a vivid fuchsia, simply because I knew I could wear it and had other bright lipsticks in my collection.

I went out on a limb with my selection.  I purchased Rose Crinoline (#531), a beautiful creamy light coral.  It's the lipstick that the model has on in the stunning promo photos.  It's also the harder of the two shades to find in the US.  It's a stretch for me because I have very pigmented lips.  I'm still experimenting with ways to make it work.

Here it is, swatched (with flash):

Formula-wise, it's fantastic.  I've heard Rouge Dior referred to as the BMW of luxury lipstick, and I believe it.  This is such a dreamy color with wonderful formula that I'm happy to mess with concealer on my lips in order to make the color show up. It's a soft, utterly feminine color.

Rouge Dior lipsticks retail for $34.  Rose Crinoline is a limited edition, although it's still available via Dior. I found mine at a local Macy's counter.

To match the two new Rouge Dior shades, Dior has also introduced two new limited edition shades of Dior Addict lipgloss, both retailing at $29.50 and widely available across Dior retailers.  Petillante (#442) and Exquise (#772).  I'll address both below.

To match my Rouge Dior and also because I felt it was the more versatile shade, I purchased Petillante (#442).  It's a lovely light coral, shimmering gloss.  For comparison, it's slightly pinker than Spring Ball.  If you have Spring Ball already, this is similar enough that I feel comfortable advising you to skip it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the swatches in-store.  However, the Dior SA was even surprised how close the two shades are.

Petillante had standard wear-time for a Dior Addict gloss, 2-3 hours. I like this because I can either wear it as a nude lip or on top of any number of lipsticks as an added umph.

Here it is, swatched alone.  Left- one coat. Right- 2

Just to show how lovely it is with Rose Crinoline, here's a swatch:

Just lovely!  A feminine, peach, shimmering lip perfect for spring.  In terms of Dior's matchy-matchy trend, this goes well with Bouquet.

I promised to address the other Dior Addict gloss, Exquise (#772) earlier.  It's a lovely, sheer hot fuchsia that looks hot and matches Bloom. I wanted to buy it right away, but decided to shop my stash instead.  I came up with a possible substitute- Chanel Glossimer #169- Jalousie, originally released in the Roses Ultimes de Chanel Collection from 2012.  I happened to be going to the mall in order to get my computer fixed, so I stopped by Sephora and swatched a quick comparison. Bottom line: if hot pink gloss is your jam, you'll be able to justify both.  Otherwise, I'd argue that Jalousie is a plausible subsititute.

Left: Exquise  Right: Jalousie

There are slight differences in terms of formula.  Jalousie has more obvious shimmer, whereas Exquise is more of a straight-up clear tinted gloss. Both are amazing, but since I'm trying to fill in holes in my collection these days rather than collect duplicates, it's a pass for me. As a bonus, I've been rocking Jalousie the past couple of days, remembering how much I love it!

I think you can tell why I broke up this overview into two.  Tomorrow, the nails from Dior Spring 2014.

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann Let's Hear It For the Boy

Today's NOTD is another Deborah Lippmann selection that's a one-coat wonder!

Let's Hear It For the Boy is a sky blue creme that looks this amazing with just one coat.

This polish is the reason that I neglected to pick up the blue from Deborah Lippmann's spring 2014 collection. Having seen both in person, this is slightly lighter than the new release.

Deborah Lippmann Spring 2014 Spring Reveries Collection- La Vie en Rose + Flowers in Her Hair

Today, I'm sharing my selections from Deborah Lippmann's Spring 2014 Collection, Spring Reveries.


Deborah Lippmann is my favorite polish-only line (I conveniently overlook the few attempts to lippies).  When I'm not wearing Chanel or Dior, it's likely that you'll find Deborah Lippmann polish on my nails.  Why mess with something that just works?

The Spring 2014 collection, Spring Reveries, is comprised of six gorgeous pastels that make you think instantly of spring.  There are five cremes and one shimmer in the group.  I selected two of the six:  La Vie en Rose, a milky pink shimmer, and Flowers in Her Hair, a minty creme.  All shades in this collection are listed as limited edition, so grab them quickly!

La Vie en Rose ($18) is described by the brand's site as "pastel petal pink (shimmer)".  I'd agree with that characterization. When I saw the formula, I hoped that it would be the milky pink cousin to last year's Careless Whisper.

Flowers in Her Hair ($18) is described as "magnificent mint medley (creme).  I couldn't pass up this shade when I saw it creep online on Nordstrom.com.  I have a problem with collecting mint polishes but rarely actually wearing them!  I have a feeling I'll wear this often, though.

I don't have nail wheels, and the light has been awful outside. So, please excuse these swatches. I'll do a real NOTD soon with these.

Inside, with flash:

They're both lovely, but totally different. I can see La Vie en Rose becoming one of my neutral staples.


Deborah Lippmann's Spring Reveries Collection is available via the brand's website, Sephora, and Nordstrom.

Next up: Dior Spring 2014 (Part 1).  Yes, I went crazy over this one so I'm going to break it into two pieces.

NOTD: Lancome Gris Angora

Today's NOTD is an old favorite of mine- Lancome Gris Angora.  It's a beautiful grey-purple creme.  It was supposed to be a spring color, but I like it any time of the year.  Swatches are two coats, no top coat.

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.