Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Just wanted to do a quick post to show you what's been on my tips this past week.

Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy is a gorgeous deep grape color, interspersed with multicolor glitter. The base color has a sheer jelly finish.

I read a few reviews of this polish which said the formula was a bit thick but I had absolutely zero problem with it. The glitter applied pretty evenly, and the polish was opaque with two coats. And, even better, it lasted on me a week with barely any tip wear. That's unheard of for me!

I have to say, this is definitely a winner for me. I loved wearing it! However, this definitely needs to be removed with the foil method (you wrap your nails with a cotton pad and foil and leave for a few minutes - the polish and glitter comes right off!)

Have a great rest of the weekend! Hope your weather is as nice as ours!

Finally, the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 06 Rosewood Shimmer

I say finally, because I've been meaning to (re)try the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector for a long long time.

See, the story starts about 4 years ago, when Clarins first came out with the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector (or some version of it). I, being a budding beauty addict, decided to purchase this delicious smelling product only to find myself having an allergic reaction to the product. I was so upset because it was one of my favorite products at the time - but my swollen, peeling lips were or the opinion that it just wasn't going to work.

Fast forward to today: my lips are no longer sensitive to products. Sure, once in a while, I get a flare up, but it seems to be simply because my lips are too dry to handle pigmented lip products. And I get the feeling that because I didn't apply much balm 4 years ago, the flare up was probably caused by my lips' dry condition.

So when I was given the opportunity to try out the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in their new shade 06 Rosewood Shimmer, I was really excited to give it another go!

Let me just say it: this product is amazing. I think most of you already suspected this since it is usually well reviewed by beauty bloggers.

For me, the Lip Perfector was very moisturizing. My lips are very finicky and most lipsticks or glosses dry them up. When I applied the Lip Perfector before work in the morning, by lunch time, my lips were soft and moisturized. Usually, I'd be dealing with a dry lips situation at lunch, no matter what product I applied. That gets huge points from me.

I also really like the smell of this balm. It might be too much for some people, but for me, it has a pleasant caramelly scent. And fortunately, it tastes just like what it smells like - not plasticky at all. Not that I eat my lip products or anything, but it's never pleasant to accidentally lick your lips and taste your lip product. You know what I mean.

I chose #06 Rosewood Shimmer of Clarins' newly released shades (the other two are Petal Shimmer and Candy Shimmer) because it seemed like the perfect "my lips but better" shade. My lips aren't very pigmented, so I usually tend to go for beige-nudes when I look for a "my lips but better" lip product. Anything pink just doesn't look natural on me. Well, my predictions were right. This is truly the best looking "my lips but better" I have ever found. See the comparison below!

Rosewood #06, on my hand. From the swatch, you can't tell that there is micro fine shimmer in the gloss. I had to really look for it to find it - it's not visible when applied.

See? It looks so natural!

Of course, this being a non-sticky balm/gloss type product, it doesn't last very long on the lips. I'm not too bothered by this fact because I can re-apply this product easily without a mirror, sitting at my work desk. However, if you absolutely hate to re-apply, this might not be for you.

I'm very happy with this product. Finding a product that doesn't dry up my lips is hard enough, but the Clarins Lip Perfector get bonus points for being my perfect "my lips but better" shade. I know I'll be using this one a lot.

Have you tried the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector? What do you think of it? 

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

On Trend with Joe Fresh White Nail Polish!

Does this new "white nail polish trend" remind anyone of painting your nails with white-out when you were a kid? The bumpy white-out nail look of middle school was not very pretty and the fumes were definitely not healthy either. Oh, the early days of a beauty addict!

Still, in these backstage pictures from the Rag & Bone Spring 2013 runway show, I can't help but think of how elegant the white nails look. It's clean, dainty, and feminine.

 (source // source)

I was starting to get pretty curious with this white nail polish trend and thought I'd finally give it a try. I figured a pretty risk-free way (in case it looked horrible on me) was to find a pretty cheap white color, and I ended up falling on Joe Fresh's polish named, you guessed it, White.

And you know what? It really grew on me!

The polish isn't too stark against my skin tone, and it wore surprisingly well! It helped that the formula was quite nice, and opaque in two coats. And as a bonus, it made my hands look quite tanned.

I'm kind of sold on white nail polish because 1) it goes with everything 2) it's quite feminine and 3) hello tanned hands.

If you'd like something less stark, you could always try a white polish with shimmer as it tends to soften the bright white look.

Are you going to be trying out this trend?

Maybelline's ColorSensational Vivid in Vivid Mandarin

I've been obsessed with orange this spring. Blazers, shoes, lips, blush, nails - I'm loving the bright and cheerful color! So it felt natural picking up Maybelline's Vivid Mandarin lipstick to update my makeup wardrobe for spring!

Fair warning: this baby is BRIGHT.

The Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids has been causing quite a stir among us beauty lovers. They promise to deliver intense color, while still nourishing your lips with honey nectar.

Swatched on my hand.

I like this lipstick! For the price, you really cannot find anything like it. However, I do find the lipstick a bit drying. Perhaps it was only because my lips were dry when I wore it, butI found the lipstick to wear well, yet suck the moisture out of my lips. It was very creamy upon application though!

Even if it's a bit drying, I definitely recommend Vivid Mandarin, especially if you're, like me, looking to update your makeup bag for spring on the cheap. I haven't tried the other colors from the new Maybelline Vivid line, but if orange isn't your thing, you might want to try any of the other amazing looking shades!

Best of: 5 Pinks Great Pink Nail Polishes You Need

I'm not too big on pink polishes. Don't get me wrong, I like pink polishes, but unless they are absolutely amazing, I usually forget about them, give them away, or they wither in the back of my stash. These 5 polishes however truly some of my favorites. All of these were worn several times (hands & feet alike) and have truly stood the test of time since I've had them all for over a year and are still amazing polishes in my eyes.

From left to right: China Glaze Pink Plumeria (reviewed here), OPI Japanese Rose Garden (reviewed here - apologies for my poor photography skills at the time), Butter London Snog (reviewed here), Essie Eternal Optimist (reviewed here - wow, I guess I didn't understand the concept of "natural light" back then) , Deborah Lippmann Pop Life (reviewed here)

Left to right again: China Glaze Pink Plumeria, OPI Japanese Rose Garden, Butter London Snog, Essie Eternal Optimist, Deborah Lippmann Pop Life

Pink Plumeria is one of those colors I had to have as soon as I saw swatches of it online last summer. It's bright, summery, and quite unique in color. I wore this color a lot last summer and plan on wearing it plenty this summer again. OPI's Japanese Rose Garden is one of those muted pinks for when you want to wear something feminine but subtle. Its formula is excellent and the color is so easy to wear. It's especially great for those of you who don't like bright polish. Butter London's Snog is hands down my favorite pink polish ever. It's bright, cheerful, and wearing it just makes me happy. The brush in my bottle of Snog is wonky, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it over and over (especially on my toes!).  It is very similar to Essie's Watermelon in case you are looking for a slightly a cheaper option. Essie's Eternal Optimist was one of those colors I kept seeing at my local Shoppers Drug Mart, unsure of whether I'd like it or not. When I finally took the plunge, I was really happy I did. Eternal Optimist is a great neutral and is a great option for when you're looking for something a little bit more interesting than a nude nail. I've owned Deborah Lippmann's Pop Life for many years now, and when I think of the most classic pink in my collection, Pop Life is definitely it. Pop Life's pink color is clean and vibrant without being neon. I love it and plan to apply it to my toes in the next couple hours!

Of these, my favorites are Pink Plumeria, Snog and Pop Life - perhaps I'm partial to brights even if I'm not a "pink" girl?

I'd love to know what YOUR favorite pink polishes are? List them below!