NOTD: Chanel Bengal

Today's NOTD is another rare Chanel polish.  Bengal is a sheer orange with heavy glitter- it's quite similar to NARS Orgasm, only buildable.

These swatches are with 3 coats, no top coat.

Chanel Le Vernis 615 Sweet Lilac- Collection Reflets d'Ete de Chanel Summer 2014

I was waiting for Collection Reflets d'Ete de Chanel Summer 2014 with baited breath just for the new Le Vernis shades.  Let's be honest, when was the last time that there were 5 new Le Vernis (ok, 1 repromote which was never available outside of Asia and Chanel.com)? Chanel has been rather stingy with Le Vernis releases as of late.  There was 1 for Collection Variation, 0 with the online collection, 2 for spring, and 1 for holiday.  I've been wanting some new Le Vernis in my life!

I'll bring you the five polishes from Collection Reflets d'Ete de Chanel Summer 2014 over a total of four posts (I combined Tutti Frutti and Pink Tonic on one nail wheel).  I've chosen Sweet Lilac to start because I have a soft spot for purple polishes, and because I haven't seen an in-depth review of it online yet.

Sweet Lilac is a lovely Lilac shimmer with hints of red shimmer in the bottle that doesn't translate to the bottle. It appears to be the creme cousin of the discontinued Lilac Sky, which I've had such a lemming for lately (and have been restraining myself from using). Of the 5 Le Vernis, it feels spot-on at this moment. I probably will actually wear it to Easter services next week!

It looks lovely and perfect for spring on the nails (3 coats, with Butter London Nail Foundation and Hardware top coat):

The red shimmer and undertones really popped when I turned on the camera's flash:

For obvious reasons, I can't speak to longevity and wear time with this shade. I will note that it's more like the Le Vernis releases we've seen in the past seasons rather than Tutti Frutti, Mirabella, and Pink Tonic from this collection (I'll touch on their formula in the next few days). I get several days' wear from Chanel Le Vernis in general.

The big question is: How does this compare to Lilac Sky?  Simply put, it's more of a creme where Lilac Sky had a frosty/metallic edge to it.  Here are the two bottles, side-by-side.

They're even closer when they're swatched.  I've purposely put them side by side in the overall comparison. This was the year of Radiant Orchid, so I have plenty of other light purples to compare. I've swatched a few that I thought were probably the closest.

Unsurprisingly, Chanel Lilac Sky is the closest. They're both red-based purples.  Laura Mercier Reckless was more opaque and deeper from the first coat, Butter London Molly Coddled is too blue-toned, and Dior Lilac Colorvision is too light and blue compared with the two Chanels.

Overall, I find this shade perfectly on-trend (as usual, for Chanel), and it's a great addition to my collection. I have 50+ bottles of purple nail polish, and it's unique.

Chanel Le Vernis retails for $27, and Collection Reflets d'Ete de Chanel Summer 2014 is due to be released by 1 May.  I spotted the collection early at Neiman Marcus.

Spotted in the Wild: Chanel Collection Reflets d'Ete de Chanel Summer 2014!

Another weekend, another crazy Saturday packed with local beauty events. I swear, I've been getting my fill of beauty products over the past month or so. Aside from last weekend, when I was too ill to leave my house, it's been all beauty all the time.  Today was event #4 in the past 5 weekends! Oh, and I had a preview at Burberry within this time, too. Phew!

This has been terrible for my wallet, but great for my knowledge base and for spotting new collections the instant that they hit stores! Today I spotted the very first display for Chanel Summer 2014 and I beelined to the display.

Please excuse the cell pic, but I had to be quick as a bunny to grab a photo of this display!

In case you were wondering, it's missing a few items. The purple mascara and IdO were being tested on a customer at the time.  I didn't see any signs of the orange mascara.

The pigmented Glossimer I suspect was simply taking up space in the display. It's my old faithful, Jalousie.

I was able to snap an ultra-quick swatch pic:

I don't know which Glossimer is which- and to be perfectly honest, I don't really care because they're all passes for me.

I'll probably be going back for seconds with this collection- those IdOs, the eyeliner, and purple mascara are all calling out for me.

So, what did I buy? The 5 Le Vernis, naturally.  You all should know me by now!

I did a very quick swatch on a nail wheel for you.  Look for a series of posts in the next day or so with full reviews and comparison shots. I love these!

Yes, I know. I just put the shade numbers, which seems evil.  Don't worry, here's a better shot:

I spent my afternoon swatching and jotting down my initial thoughts.  As soon as I get photos edited, I'll start posting about these since I know that they're highly anticipated.

Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush- 01 Russet

Today's bit of Burberry Beauty is the second of three Light Glow Natural Blushes I'll be featuring this month. Ironically, all three are natural/beige/orange tones; there's not a pink blush to be found in the group.

Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush #01 Russet is a warm red-bronzy shade that sheers out nicely. It's far more red than I normally would gravitate towards.

Unlike the name, Burberry Light Glow Natural Blushes are incredibly pigmented. They're blendable and beautiful. I get all-day wear with this formula.  I find Russet to be more of a contouring shade than anything else. My very red cheeks will make it necessary to use only the lightest of hands. Still, it's a lovely shade.

I have a few swatches to share.  I used MAC 130SE in order to pick up as much pigment as possible.

Outside, no flash:

Outside, with flash:

Inside, no flash:

Inside, with flash:

This is a perfect fall shade for me, so I'll be putting it away with a few other recent Burberry discoveries (Antique Rose, Rosewood, etc) for later this year.  I consider this pre-purchasing for fall!

NOTD: Essie My Better Half

Today's NOTD is another selection from Essie's 2013 Wedding set.  My Better Half is a mid-color pink with shimmer.

Swatches are two coats, no top coat.

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No 17 Pearl Grey

Today's bit of Burberry Beauty is one of my new favorite items, Sheer Eyeshadow #17 Pearl Grey. Greys have always been my soft spot, and my go-to shade for a simple eye.  I'm not sure why this wasn't my first purchase from the line. Just look at it!

Like the other Sheer Eyeshadows, Pearl Grey is easily blendable and buildable.

Sorry that I keep adding photos of this eyeshadow, but it's so beautiful.

I have the same experience as far as wear time- all day, with a primer.  This is a shade that I can trust in any circumstance, without fail.  I've got some swatches to share:

Outside, without flash:

Inside, with flash:

Inside, without flash:

I pulled a few comparisons.

I purposely swatched Pearl Grey next to Laura Mercier Pewter, my prior HG grey.  They're quite similar, but Pearl Grey has more of a metallic edge. That, in my book, makes it my new HG grey.  One of the best parts of exploring a new brand is finding new HG items. I recommend this for everyone.

NOTD: Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Today's NOTD is another beautiful shade from Butter London.  Two Fingered Salute, a Nordstrom exclusive, is a totally unexpected but amazing combination: greyed light teal blue with rose gold glitter.  I don't know why others haven't thought of it before.

This is generally a spring shade, but I find the muted color and the rose gold appropriate for fall, too.  Butter London has amazing shades, and this is yet another example.

Burberry Lip Cover 04 Rosewood

Today's bit of Burberry Beauty is Lip Cover #4, Rosewood. It's one of the signature colors for the line, with Rosewood Sheer Eyeshadow, Lip Cover, Lip Glow, Lip Mist, and Lip Definer Pencil.  This was actually the first lipstick that I purchased from Burberry, but I held off on a review because I had so many mixed feelings.

I previously blogged about one of the Lip Mists, Burberry's sheer lipstick formula.  Today's post is regarding the Lip Cover formula.  Of the three lipstick lines, this is the most full-coverage. Saks' website describes Burberry Lip Cover as  "The superlight "second skin" texture of Burberry Lip Cover provides intense moisture immediately after application with a combination of oils and light waxes that deliver easy application and extreme comfort. Pigments are dispersed in a clear gelled structure to ensure high colour fidelity, while shiny polymers offer perfect luminosity. Anti-ageing ceramides help create fuller lips, and UV filters protect from damaging environmental exposure."

Rosewood is a beautiful rosy shade with brown undertones, like the eyeshadow.

Like the other lipstick lines, Lip Covers retail for $30 and 3.8g/0.13oz.  This is the same shade with flash.

I've got mixed emotions about this shade.  It has nice wear time and is mostly opaque.  Your natural lip pigmentation acts as a base for this formula, but it's not totally sheer. This is also pearly, unlike the Lip Mist formula.

I think my swatches will show my mixed emotions about this shade. On my hand, and in person, it has an almost jarring amount of brown undertones.

Outside, without flash:

Outside, with flash:

Inside, without flash:

Inside, with flash:

And then I put it on my lips and photographed it.  In real life, it looked really brown.  But then when I looked at the photos, something incredible happened:

Flash:

No flash:

I'm trying to reconcile the brown I see with the eye with this stunning shade I see on my lips in photos. I can see myself putting this away until fall, then giving it another shot.

NOTD: NARS Blue Lagoon

Today's NOTD is one of my favorite NARS polishes.  It's long since discontinued, and I picked it up online.

NARS Blue Lagoon is a sheer light blue with some purple undertones on the nail.  Swatches are with 3 coats, no top coat.

Burberry Oxblood Nail Polish Revisited

Burberry Oxblood was my first encounter with the brand that I've come to know and love.  I first discussed this shade in this post. I've mentioned that the nail polishes seem to be the weak link in the beauty lineup in the past, but it's been a couple of months since I gave the polishes a shot.

There's no denying that Oxblood is a stunning shade. That was never the issue for me with Burberry's nail polish.

After 8 hours (1 work day) at a computer work station, this was part of the result:

I also had substantial tip wear on every nail.  Although Burberry's nail polishes are less expensive by a few dollars ($20 vs $24-32) compared to Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Tom Ford, etc, the lower price simply doesn't excuse that type of wear after less than 24 hours.

Perhaps I'll give Burberry a final shot in the future with their nail polishes, but for now I'm concentrating on the other products.