Reviews and Other Stuff

Nars Velvet Lip Glide Review

October 7, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

No one can stop me when I taste the feeling… Nothing could ever bring me down… Oh why hello there?!! Obviously, I had too much coca cola today, and obviously I’m elated because it’s Friyay! I just lurve the weekends… Another thing I’m excited about is today’s review.

Nars just released their Nars Velvet Lip Glide which a lot of people are excited about and I’ve been looking forward to testing ever since it was announced. It’s Nars’ own version of matte or semi-matte liquid lipsticks that’s been flooding the beauty counters nowadays.

These Nars Velvet Lip Glides are supposed to be highly saturated with semi-matte or velvet textures and are also long lasting. I couldn’t wait when I arrived to my local beauty store and was surprised to see a lot of these sitting in the Nars aisle section. I was wondering how come there’s not a lot of people picking up these, though I did see that there’s only one product left of a particular shade called Bound, which I picked up immediately because it seems to be the most wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide line. No wonder it became immediately popular.

Just like the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour that I reviewed a few days ago, (reviewed HERE) I also had a hard time picking up other colors that I like. These Nars Velvet Lip Glides don’t have a vast array of shades to choose from, plus most of the shades are either too dark, too red or too nude for me. There’s not many wearable colors for my medium NC30-35 skin tone. I was really getting disappointed, and much to my dismay, when I swatched them on the back of my hand, I noticed that they’re not really matte, semi-matte, velvet, semi-velvet or anything like that. They resembled like a creamy and thickly-whipped lip gloss. Reminds me a lot of Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in terms of texture.

See below:

Nars Velvet Lip Glide in Playpen : Pink Coral. A nude coral tone with a bit of pink that has a thick formulation but feels lightweight on the lips. Though I find this shade to be a little too bright for me and the formula to be too thick and a bit clumpy, I still like its slightly wearable hue, plus this would be a really great lip gloss.

Nars Velvet Lip Glide in Bound: Rose Pink. Probably the most favorite and the most wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide. It’s a nude-mauve tone that would really work for anyone with a medium skin tone and with pigmented lips. It’s a beautiful hydrating shade, just not a matte in terms of texture. Sigh…

As you can see in the photos above, these Nars Velvet Lip Glides are not so velvety, but more like a whipped gloss as I’ve said before. I’m really kinda disappointed because I thought they would be mattes or semi-mattes at least. I know some people thought of the same as well. When it comes to its lasting power, well, I could only get 3 hours of maximum wear on these. Then I would have to reapply and there’s also no stain left behind. Good news is there’s no strong scents on these Velvet Lip Glides. The packaging is of substantial size and is beautiful with a well-made brush for precise application.

If you haven’t tried these and are really interested in getting at least one, I suggest you purchase the shade in Bound, as I think it’s the most beautiful and wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide. If you want a similar formulation as the Velvet Lip Glides but with more wearable hues to choose from, I also suggest that you try Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipsticks, available HERE.

The Nars Velvet Lip Glides are availabe HERE as well.

Have you tried these lippies lately? What d’ya think?

Thanks for reading my review guys,

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Happy Weekend!

All The Light We Cannot See, Book Review

October 6, 2016 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

Let me tell about a book I’ve read last year that still pains me whenever I remember it. It’s not exactly the saddest book I’ve read, but for me, it’s quite a tearjerker. It’s hard for me to forget about this book because the story focuses during one of the hard times of our history. The story is about a blind French girl and a German boy with the plot set in occupied France during the World War II. The book’s title is “All The Light We Cannot See” by the American author, Anthony Doerr.

The book has won numerous awards, the biggest being the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has spent several weeks in the New York Times Best Seller.

The book is written in the third person, classic style that really describes the hardship of the people living during the World War II. It’s sad to read about it, and it’s even more sad when a blind French girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc had to flee Paris to seek refuge in a coastal town where her great-uncle lives. What would happen to her? Meanwhile, in Germany, an 8 year old orphan Werner Pfennig dreams of a much better life. But at what price he has to pay? Two kids from two different countries, from two different standpoints, they don’t know each other, but soon, their paths will cross.

I really like the story, it’s heartwarming yet sad, it’s melodramatic but somehow all’s well that ends well, but not so much because the characters have been through a lot and they’re never going be the same again. It’s quite a tough book to read, not only for its sad story, but also the first half of the book can be quite detailed that you might lose interest. I suggest that you stick with it because the book is an experience in itself. Also, if you listen to its audiobook via Amazon’s Audible, the experience is like complete immersion.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr indeed deserves all the awards it can get. Have read this? Did you like it?

You can buy the book HERE, or listen to its audiobook HERE.

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Chanel Le Gel Coat Longwear Top Coat Review

October 5, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

What’s up coconuts? For a long long time I’ve never really bought the Chanel Top Coats because I thought they’ll never be like my favorite holy grail top coat (clue: 2 words, starts with letter S and V). Well tahday, that belief proved me wrong. I think I’ve found my new HG top coat, at least for my gel nail polishes, specially for the new Chanel Le Vernis which was reformulated in gel form not a long time ago. It’s the newest Chanel Le Gel Coat Longwear Top Coat. It’s created to enhance and extend the life of the new Chanel Le Vernis, and is meant to create a glossy and strong nail polish that will last for 7 days. Now that’s what I want!

The moment I applied this, I knew it’s going to be a keeper. The top coat itself has a slight strong odor but it fades away immediately. It has a nice wide brush which was surprising for me because the brushes found in the Chanel Le Vernis are usually thin and rounded, which makes them kinda tricky to apply. But this Chanel Le Gel Coat is so easy to apply and the formula spreads evenly around the nail polish. Best thing about it, is that it dries immediately upon application. I highly recommend this.

When I was thinking whether I should purchase the old Chanel Top Coat or this new Chanel Le Gel Coat, the S.A. at the Chanel beauty counter said without hesitation that the Le Gel is the better choice to buy, and yes, she’s definitely right.

So, I really really recommend this Chanel Le Gel Top Coat. I get a real 7 days of wear on this with minimal chipping and tip wear, while my nails stayed glossy and rock hard. I suggest using this with your favorite New Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour (reviewed HERE) or any gel nail polishes. Not sure whether this top coat will work with the non-gel polish, haven’t really tried. But to be safe, just use it with your favorite gel nail polish. For the non-gel ones, I still like to use Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, which is also loved by a lot of beauty junkies.

To purchase this top coat, click HERE. For my review of the new Chanel Le Vernis, click HERE, and to purchase the new Chanel Le Vernis, please click HERE as well.

Happy Nail Painting!

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