Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: December 2018

Favorite Essie Gel Couture Nail Colors

favorite essie gel couture nail polish

 

Hello! Happy Holidays to each and everyone! I hope you guys are having a great time this holiday season. Me? I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family and friends. In fact, I’ve reunited with some friends I haven’t seen in years! I miss them a lot and there hasn’t been a day where I stopped thinking about them, yet for some reason, life has its uncanny ways of drawing distance and when you finally see each other, it’s like you’ve never really been apart for so long. OMG! I just love reunions and I wish it won’t take me a very long time to see these friends again.

 

Anyhow, even though I’ve been busy with all the events for the holidays, I managed to finally sort out my top favorite shades of the Essie Gel Couture nail polish. In my previous Essie nail color roundup review (seen HERE), I posted my favorite Essie colors in Enamel and Gel formulation. However, in that post, I was just starting to try out some of the Essie Gel colors, but I haven’t really made up my mind when it comes to my top fave shades until recently. So, finally, in this post, I’ll be talking about my personal favorite colors in the Essie Gel Couture line. Now, keep in mind that this particular Essie Nail Color line still doesn’t have a lot of color varieties. As much as I love the lasting power and overall formula of this gel lacquer, I find that the shade range is still quite basic – reds, pinks, some blues, greens, and purples.

 

I’m a big red nail polish lover because that’s what looks good on me, so you’re still gonna be seeing a lot of reds here, but I also have a few nudes, a dark violet/purple hue, as well as a few bright pinks, along with my opinion of the Essie Top Coat and how it compares to some other top coats in the market.

 

 

Reds

 

essie gala-vanting

 

Paint The Gown Red – ruby red

Spiked With Style – wine red

Bubbles Only – cream burgundy

Gala-Vanting – deep maroon red

 

Nudes

 

Take Me To Thread – plush taupe, looks greige with a nude mauve undertone, reminds me a lot of Chanel Particuliere (HERE)

Pinned Up – nude pink rose

Sew Me – cream caramel

All Dressed Up – swatched HERE, medium rose pink

 

essie signature smile

 

Pinks

 

Signature Smile – bright coral pink

Stitch By Stitch – light nude pink

 

Purple

 

essie turn 'n' pose, essie model clicks

 

Turn ‘N’ Pose – deep plum/purple

Model Clicks – wine purplish red

 

essie top coat

 

Top Coat – I’m really amazed at how good this top coat is. It sets not only the gel nail polishes but also the enamel ones, at least in my experience, and it does set fast. It keeps the nails hard as a rock, chip-free, and without any tip wear for at least two weeks and a bit more. It also has a flat wide brush just like the Essie Gel Couture nail colors. When compared to the other Top Coats out there, I find this particular Top Coat to be way better than Seche Vite, and it’s neck and neck with Chanel Le Gel Top Coat as well as the Smith & Cult Above It All Top Coat. Speaking of brushes, I am definitely in love with the Essie Gel Couture line because the brush itself is just so easy and quick to use. See the comparison of the original Essie Enamel brush versus the new Gel Couture brush HERE.

 

essie gel couture nail polish review

 

Bottom line, these Essie Gel Couture nail colors are as good as the high-end brands. I noticed that there’s barely any chipping on my nails after almost two weeks of wear, and the colors remained vivid. I hope that Essie will play with some trendy shades to add on this Gel Couture line soon.

 

Are you an Essie fan? What’s your fave nail polish brand? Do you also prefer the Gel formulas over the Enamel ones?

 

The Essie Gel Couture Nail Colors are currently available at most drugstores and grocery stores nationwide and atย Amazon, Ulta, Target, Walgreens, andย Macy’s

 

Merry Christmas Again and Have a Prosperous New Year!

 

 

Favorite Body Cleansers And Body Scrubs

favorite body wash and shower gels

 

Hi guys, I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas soon and I’ve been busy prepping my home and doing some last minute gift wrapping for my friends and families. This year, I’m playing Santa so I’ve got several presents to hand to. Oh, the joys of the holidays! Anyhow, as promised on my Insta, I’m sharing you now my personal favorites in body scrubs, cleansers and shower gels.

 

This post is a continuation of my roundup review of some of my favorite body lotions and body butters, seen HERE, as well as my fave dry body oils, HERE.

 

I love body cleansers and body scrubs. I always look forward to using them everytime I shower instead of the using the good ‘ol soap bars which are kinda messy to use. I not only like the convenience of using shower gels, but I also love to buy them in different scents so I could alternately use them depending on my mood, the season, or what my skin currently needs.

 

These are my faves so far.

 

Korres Shower Gel review

 

Korres Shower Gel (13.53 oz: $21 Korres site, $38 Amazon) – These have been my favorite go-tos because they come in several scents and they remind me of that nice fresh Mediterranean shower. My favorite scent so far is the Japanese Rose, Cassis Fig, Yogurt, and I still want to try the Guava one. These shower gels don’t foam as much but each bottle is large enough and can last a month or two. I love how these don’t dry my skin and it’s great to use everyday.

 

Philosophy Falling In Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel (16 oz: $26) – My newest love from Philosophy and it has a sweet warm vanilla scent. The bottle is huge and the cleanser itself has a light lavender shade which looks cute with its message of Falling in Love with yourself. This lathers well and it leaves my skin thoroughly cleansed.

 

Philosophy Falling In Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel, Kiehl's Creme de Corps Smoothing Oil-To-Foam Body Cleanser

 

Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Smoothing Oil-To-Foam Body Cleanser (2.5 oz: $12.50, 8.4 oz: $29) – If you love the Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Nourishing Dry Body Oil reviewed HERE, then you’re gonna enjoy this unique body wash. It first starts as oil then it transforms into a foamy body cleanser as soon as you rub it a few times on the skin. It is so moisturizing and perfect for those with dry skin. I tend to use this around this cold winter season to protect my skin from dryness.

 

Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Bath & Shower Gel (10 oz: $20) – This is one of my most favorite body washes of all time. This smells so fresh, so invigorating and just so good. I also have the body lotion version of this cleanser, reviewed HERE. I like using this shower gel all year round even though this has a Summer-vibe scent. I just love how this awakens the senses and it’s definitely foamy, energizing and just perfect in every way.

 

Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Body Cleanser (8.5 oz: $20) –ย  Another personal fave of mine and one of the first few body washes I’ve ever loved and even keep using up to this day. This smells like fresh bursts of oranges and clementines. The only drawback is that this doesn’t foam much, so it’s costly to use without using a scrub or a loofah.

 

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

 

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash (18 oz: $8.99) – My favorite drugstore body wash along with the other Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Yogurt Body Wash with Apricot & Honey. This is inexpensive, easy to find anywhere and this has a nice clean mild scent that lathers well. The texture of this is gel-like and it’s super moisturizing for daily use.

 

Scrubs

 

I haven’t experimented on several body scrubs since I tend to use them once or twice a week at most just so my skin won’t dry as much. Currently, there’s only two that I keep coming back to and these are from Aesop and Dove.

 

Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub

 

Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub (6.1 oz: $35) – This is a pricey body scrub that is super grainy and totally exfoliating. I love the fresh green scent of this that’s just spa-like and it leaves the skin soft and smooth after every wash. Further reviewed HERE.

 

Dove Exfoliating Body Polish (10.5 oz: $5.99) – A well-made inexpensive body scrub that is loaded with moisturizing ingredients and it leaves the skin supple with a nice variety of fruity milky scents. My fave one is pomegranate. See some of the other scents reviewed HERE.

 

 

Have you tried any of these body cleansers yet? What’s your go-to body wash?

 

 

Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick Review And Swatches

stila matte'ificent lipstick

 

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my cousin and couldn’t help but compliment her alluring lip color. Just like me, she’s a makeup junkie and she mentioned that the Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is her favorite matte lipstick of the moment and possibly one of her faves ever. She told me that she’s so in love with this particular lipstick that she keeps repurchasing them to keep in her stash. Her favorite shades from this lipstick are the darker tones like Framboise and Bordeaux. Meanwhile, I, her perpetual partner in making silly jokes, listened to her attentively and paid attention to her suggestion of me trying this lipstick. I’ve seen and heard about this Stila lipstick before and I’m a big fan of their products, especially their cult-favorite liquid eyeliners and of course their Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick which I reviewed HERE on the blog. However, for some reason, this Stila Matte’ificent lipstick had slipped through the cracks of my radar and I had simply forgotten to test it.

 

stila matte'ificent lipstick review

 

Thanks to my cousin, my love for Stila lipsticks have been renewed and boy, I’m so impressed with this lipstick so far. The Stila Matte’ificent is a comfortable lightweight matte lipstick with strong pigments that can last up to 5 or 6 hours on me sans reapplication. Contrary to some reviews, it isn’t drying on me and it has no annoying scent, just a regular buttery hint that you’d find typical in most lipsticks. It is slimmer than most lipsticks which is great since it allows for a precise application and speaking of how it applies, it does glide easily on the lips and it doesn’t emphasize the lips’ fine lines that much.

 

Here are my top four favorite shades

 

stila matte'ificent lipstick swatch

 

Bonbon – terracotta nude, this looks really great on my light-medium skin tone.

Brulee – caramel nude but looks greige on me

Framboise – dark raspberry, almost dark wine red

Mon Ami – rose nude, looks bright nude pink on me

stila matteificent lipstick swatches in mon ami, brulee, bonbon and framboise

Just like my cousin’s rec, I too am now in love with this lipstick. I find the shades to be very flattering and they wear very well on me. Unfortunately, for some reason, it looks like Stila might discontinue this lipstick soon (God, I hope not) since it’s getting harder and harder to find this lipstick everywhere. So far, it’s no longer available at Ulta or Sephora, but Stilacosmetics.com still carries some shades of this particular lipstick line and it’s on sale for $8.00. Nordys has some of the shades too.

Not really sure what the fuss is all about, heard an issue about this lipstick’s packaging, but so far, I haven’t had any, so I hope Stila would reissue this lipstick soon with more shades because, for me, this is a very good reliable matte lipstick and one that I highly recommend.

 

stila matte lipstick review

 

The Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is currently available at Stilacosmetics.com, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Amazon, and Dermstore.