Hello darlings! I am back after my two-week hiatus. Well, I am still not completely back on track, but I will be, soon. As you all know, I recently moved and the whole process felt really stressful, but I’m happy to report that I survived this difficult move amidst all this pandemic scare. Now, I am surrounded by what seems like endless numbers of unopened boxes and a ton of stuff to arrange. The whole idea of self-care to me nowadays has been thrown out of the window, lol. Oh, how I miss my sheet mask, hair mask, lip mask, hand mask, foot mask, eye mask, and all kinds of masks, hahaha! Yes, nowadays, there’s a mask for everything! I even miss you all my Masking Monday, Pink Wednesday, and Tower Thursday friends! On top of that, I really miss my old home. I feel like I’ve left a part of me in every home I’ve lived in, and moving feels like having a void I can never fill. Only time can mollify the whole thing. On the bright side, I am really enjoying where I am. Even though we’re in the middle of this pandemic, I’ve managed to visit a couple of furniture stores and I’ve hit two antique shops! So, expect to see some exciting photos here in the blog soon, or as soon as I get my stuff in order, hmmp!
Anyway, I will try not to make this post too long. Before my move, I’ve collected a few Chanel nail colors released last Spring and this Summer and I’m showing you their swatches in this post. I’ve also included a beautiful red shade, also from Chanel, but it’s an old release, because as you all know, I love a good red nail polish, but this season’s red has not appealed to me much, so I’m sharing with you my favorite red this season.
Chanel Emblรฉmatique – released last Spring 2017, this is my favorite red shade of the moment. I love the richness of the red tone in this nail color. Though easily dupable, there is something gorgeous and elegant about this kind of red in a Chanel nail color bottle.
For a tutorial on how to do your manicure at home and what products I like to use for nail care, please click HERE. To sum it up, all these gorgeous new nail color releases from Chanel are totally stunning. I’m a big fan of Daydream which at first I thought would not fit for my skintone, but it blew me away. I also love the uniqueness of the Mirage shade and who doesn’t love the rich turquoise tone of Melody?
That’s it for now darlings, I will be back soon for more reviews and photos. What are the nail polishes you’ve been loving lately?
Today’s review, we’ll talk about my favorite nail colors from this posh brand.
The Tom Ford Nail Lacquers don’t seem to have a lot of color lineup to choose from, and in contrast to Chanel or Dior, Tom Ford doesn’t seem to release many colors every season, or none at all. In total, there are about 11 shades of the Tom Ford Nail Lacquers available (as of the moment), and though limited in color range, you will still find the perfect true red nail color, a beautiful vamp, a nice neutral cream shade, and the prettiest pink. The quality of these nail lacquers and the beauty of the packaging with the gorgeous sleek tube are just drool-worthy. They’re definitely the most beautiful nail polish I’ve ever owned, just staring at them will really make your heart skip a beat, LOL. Formula-wise, I find that I always need to apply two coats on my nails in order to get a good color payoff, and the first application always seems to be a bit patchy, but once you apply the second coat, then you’ll get true vivid rich colors that will last for two weeks without almost any chipping. I do think that the patchiness of the first application is due to the brush applicator which I think could be improved because it’s a little too thin or too skinny and a little too long for my taste. I would have loved it to be like Dior’s or Essie’s Gel Couture brush that is wide and thick which applies nail colors quickly and easily. But anyway, that’s just a minor thing, because once you apply any of these nail polishes, you’re definitely going to be amazed at how nice, glossy, and beautiful your hands and fingers look especially if you use any of the darker shades.
Mink Brule – This is probably the best neutral I could find out of all the TF nail lacquers, and I like that this fits my complexion well without making my skin look too dark or too pale. On me, this looks like a medium beige creamy nude.
Smoke Red – This is a blue-toned red that delivers super rich pigment and one that my skin can pull off because it’s a deep rich red and not one that is too bright or tinged with orange or coral.
Bitter Bitch – Bought this because of the name, I must admit, and it still cracks me up whenever I see this particular nail polish. I think this color has an attitude, LOL, it’s like eating chocolate and having it all over your nails while not giving a care, hmmm!
Bordeaux Lust – As always, I’m a big fan of vampy or red-wine nails, so a nice blood-red color from Tom Ford like this is a perfect must-have for me. Just can’t go wrong with this shade.
Plum Noir– A surprisingly beautiful dark purple-violet color that may look vampy in the shade, but can also look like a beautiful glossy berry-wine under the sun. This is a dramatic beautiful color that is perfect for Fall or Winter and the best berry-violet-purple nail polish I’ve ever tried.
Bottom line, lots of love for these gorgeous nails lacquers. I may not like their brush applicators and their sort of patchy application at first, or the fact that there’s not a lot of shades to choose from, especially if you’re looking for more neutral colors, but I do love how long-wearing the formula of these nails colors are, and the fact that they don’t chip as much compared to most nail polishes out there. They also don’t have a very strong pungent scent and they set in pretty well, though you will still need a fast drying top coat to seal the colors in quickly. These nail lacquers are pricey but its good to have a few of them in the colors that you really like.
Brace yourselves guys! Dior recently released six new shades of their iconic and ever-famous Lip Glow (0.12 oz for $34). Now, there are more choices of pink tones you can choose from. Two are from their new Holographic/Shimmery finish, another two are Mattes, while the other last two have their usual Glowy/Satiny textures. If you’re a long time fan of these beautiful and hydrating balms like I do, I know you’re gonna be jumping in excitement because the new shades are to-die-for. It was only about a year ago when Dior released the Berry shade and the Lip Sugar Scrub (reviewed HERE) which are both so cute and I still carry them in my purse even to this day. In fact, if you’re gonna ask me what is one of the constant lip products in my bag, you can bet there’s always a Dior Lip Glow in there. As even more fact, I always have one or two with me whenever I’m traveling or when the cold temp starts.
I’ve been kinda taking a break from matte lipsticks lately because the air is just so dry from where I am. I need some real moisturization or else I’m gonna turn into a stone and I might crack. Oh no, LOL. Seriously, my skin’s been really dry lately and I need all the lotions, creams, and balms that I can get. So yeah, my lip’s best friend nowadays are these Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver Balms. They’re so much hydrating and they keep your lips well-moisturized for a long period of time. On top of that, the added tints are really gorgeous. They might be balms, and yes they’re on the sheer side, but the tints are complementing to the skin tone and they give a nice flush or glow to the face. Not to mention the fact that these balms are really lightweight.
Before these new six shades were released, I’ve been in love with Coral and Berry. Especially the Berry shade, because it’s the right muted-rose tint for my skin. But, the six shades below are so heart-stoppingly gorgeous, it’s gonna be hard to decide which one I’ll keep in my purse.
HOLOGRAPHIC/SHIMMERS:
HOLO PINK (Light Pink Holographic) – This looks like the coral shade but with a whole lotta shimmers in it. The pink tint didn’t really show on my pigmented lips, but the holographic effect is there. I would say that this is great if you have a very fair to light skin tone, which is basically lighter than mine so that the pinky tint would show. For me, this is the perfect plain shimmery balm on my lips.
HOLO PURPLE (Light Purple Holographic) – My heart skipped bazillion beats when I first swatched this on my lips. Oh my, that perfect Unicorn shade! who wouldn’t want to be a Unicorn? even if it’s not really the ideal shade for the lips, or even for most makeups. But hey, we all love Unicorns shades, don’t we? This shade is really pretty, the light purple tint showed on my lips, and it’s not over-the-top. It’s also packed in shimmers and sugar and spice and everything nice. This color makes me happy and I bet it will for you too. On the other hand, this shade reminds me of Rihanna’s Fenty Match Stix Shimmer in Confetti (not so much the Unicorn shade) and the Starlit Hyper-Glitz in $upanova.
MATTE:
MATTE RASPBERRY (Magenta) – I wouldn’t call this a true magenta shade, but more like true bubblegum raspberry pink in a soft matte texture. The moment I saw this shade I thought of the many ways I could create the perfect ombre lips with this. It’s even great for layering under a liquid matte lipstick. This shade looks fresh and it gives a really nice pop of color on the face. Like a true winterized lip flush. Being matte, this is not really drying and it doesn’t really settle into the lip’s fine lines, instead, this feels cushiony and comfortable and it has a really nice long-wearing pigment to it.
MATTE PINK – A matte version of the original Pink Glow. This is probably my least favorite of all the new Lip Glow shade released this year because I find the color to be too sheer, and it doesn’t have a lot of pigment to it. It also takes a while for the shade to adapt to my skin tone, but once it does, it gives me a nice faint shade of pink on my light-medium skin. It’s also a bit more drying compared to the Matte Raspberry above. But it’s also quite cushiony to the feel. So I think this would look really great if you have a fair to light complexion.
GLOW/SATIN:
RASPBERRY (Magenta) – This the satiny/glossy version of the matte shade above. This has the same original texture/finish as the Berry, Coral Glow, Lilac and Pink Glow, etc., which are all very comforting and very hydrating at the same time. The pigment of this is not as saturated as the Matte one but they both have the same pink raspberry tint.
ULTRA-PINK – ย A juiciliciousย pink that’s a shade deeper than the original Pink Glow shade and a shade lighter than the Raspberry shade. In other words, something in between Pink and Raspberry. It’s not neon-ish, but it has a nice midtone of pink that is simply stunning, cute, and irresistible. I like this shade of pink because it doesn’t make you look washed out, and it’s also not over the top, and the dewy glow texture makes it even look more gorgeous.
Honestly, I like the Satin and Matte shades both. The matte is ideal if you’re a die-hard wearer of matte lipsticks all year round, or if you can’t wear true mattes in winter and want a hydrating matte-effect balm instead. For me, a lip balm with a matte finish is perfect and I’ve been looking for one, thank goodness I found the Dior Matte Raspberry this winter, it would be so helpful for my dry chapped unrevived lips. LOL. As for the satin one, it’s a no-brainer pretty and super-hydrating balm and I recommend it for everybody. On the other hand, the Holos or the Shimmery finishes are magical and simply mesmerizing. You gotta dry at least one or two of them.
