A New Brand in Grape Swirl

Duri nail varnishes have long hung around the nail polish blogosphere. But I had never seen one in real life until a month or so ago. I decided to give this Grape Swirl color a go, since I didn't have anything similar in my collection.

Isn't this super pretty? I'm not really a purple kind of person, which is why this didn't stay on my nails for too long, but the color of the polish itself is so incredibly gorgeous! The shimmer in the polish is quite dense but very very fine.

The formula was a tad thick. It wasn't hard to apply and it did take a bit longer than my usual polishes to dry. It's not that bad though, so if this is a color for you, I wouldn't hold the formula against it.

For the funz:

 

Have I mentioned how much I hate this supposed Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air dupe? I don't own that one, sadly, but this Revlon Whimsical polish is so thick and hard to apply. And then the glitters stick to the brush so you almost have to "apply" them.Oh well, maybe it'll be worth the effort on the "right" polish. It's too sheer on it's own and looks like blubber on Duri's Grape Swirl. Oh well.

Also, I feel like my Clarisonic is CRAWLING through Canada. Like seriously, you're a Canadian store, shouldn't I have your parcel by now?

Aston (and Snog, which was sadly never posted!) by Butter London

I have professed my love for Butter London's nail polish previously with Snog in this blog.

Wait a minute.

UMMMM, I thought I had posted about Snog, I'm convinced of it, but I can't find the post! Whaaaat? I'm so confused. Anyway, I love the polish, it formula is amazing and I've worn it more than once, which is saying something. Here are the pictures that I apparently never posted! I did post these but that was with a CND Effects topcoat for fun! ! That's BAD blogging for ya!

I was so impressed with Snog. The polish was opaque in two coats and wore extremely well. Plus, the color was stunning. Not a Barbie pink at all - it pulls towards a coral. Very pretty for spring - I know I'll be wearing it again and again.

Aston on the other hand, has me scratching my head.

It's not that it's a bad color, it's just that Aston is a color I can't quite pin down. It's not pink, taupe or brown really. It's a combination of all of these things while still having pearly/silver shimmer in it. Makes for a confusing description. Why don't I let the pictures talk ya?

See? It's hard to explain. I don't find the color particularity flattering on me. I like it, but I'm not sure I'll reach for it a lot. Perhaps in the summer, when I have a bit more color on, it will look more flattering. The other problem I had with this polish, is that it chipped super easily on me. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of body chemistry with the polish, but it was chipped within a day.

Furthermore, one hand had a Seche Vite top coat and the other had Sally Hanson Diamond nails and both chipped pretty equally. By the by, this happened because I painted my nails at 11pm and I really wanted to go to bed - Seche Vite is the way to go in these cases. Seche Vite gave me some tip shrinkage as well. Perhaps it's the shimmer in the polish that caused the chipping? Snog never gave me any issues at all. I'm curious now - I know I definitely want to pick up more creme colors from Butter London. And now, it is available back home where my family lives, at 1.5 hours away! Success!

What's in my MAC Quad?

For practicality's sake, I decided to put my four favorite shadows in this palette. It was getting to be a hassle to open my 15 pans every morning. It was actually quite hard to pick four shadows to fit in this palettes. I opted for 1 brow shade, 2 eye shades that I could wear on their own, and one that I wanted to use more. I'm not the kind of person to fuss with eye makeup in the morning before work very much. I usually pop on my Two Faced Shadow Insurance (1 tube going on two years!), an eyeshadow, eyeliner (liquid or pencil interchangeably) and my favorite mascara and I'm good to go.

 Top left to bottom right: Sable, Shale, Brun and Patina. 

 

Again: Sable, Shale, Brun and Patina.

I must admit, Sable hasn't gotten much use in this palettes. I wish it suited me better but I can only make it work with a brown smokey eye - it pulls too orange/red on me on its own. Shale on the other hand, is a staple for me. I wear it all the time with a black liner and mascara. I love this shadow - even if it is purple. Brun is usually used in the crease or to fill in my eyebrows when I want a specifically sleek look. My eyebrows aren't sparse but they do have some patchy areas that look better when filled in. Patina, oh Patina, you are one of my favorite MAC shades. I wear this all the time when I don't have much time to blend. It's quick and simple and looks great with a brown liner to boot. I believe this is my most used eyeshadow. 

That's my current quad. I just purchased All That Glitters and I get the impression that Sable might get switched over to that! What are your most worn MAC shadows? Do you also hate opening your 15 Pro Pan? 

Shopping Trip Results

I went shopping last weekend. Out of town shopping. That means new stores, new products.

I did some damage.

I got another Tarte Amazonian Clay blush, this time in Blissful (I already have exposed), MAC Pro Pan eyeshadow in All That Glitters, Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Cream in Light (so excited about this one!), MAC liner in Teddy, Butter London nail polish in Aston, and some Lush products! I'm already in LOVE with the Jumpin Juniper shampoo bar. I forgot to include my Clinique Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey, which I've already worn a lot and now want all the other shades.

I got some clothing as well, including a skirt, a chunky knit cardigan/sweater, another cream cardigan and a tank. And these:

They are Pour La Victoire flats. And how much did I pay for them? Twelve effing bucks. I was so happy about this find! Hopefully they'll get loads of wear after the snow melts!

I meant to buy the Clarisonic on my shopping trip but found it at Sephora for more than a Canadian online retailer I'm familiar with. So I'm happy to announce that I finally have a Clarisonic coming my way. I ordered it from Spaboutique.ca where they do have a 10% coupon floating around, and free shipping. Woop! I shall update with a review soon, hopefully!

Life Preserver

Billie wanted to pop in and say hello.

Currently, she's doing one of her favorite things - kneading the bed while cuddling next to my leg. She's purring like crazy!

I don't know why, but I've been into orange a lot lately. I've just purchases a couple of orange nail polishes, bought a top that is a burnt orange color, and fell in love with an orange skirt at the store. So weird that orange is taking over my life! Sadly, I will not be sporting an orange face of makeup. Orange toned blushes make me look ill and orange lips are never flattering on my skin tone. Meanwhile, I'll be content with this polish.

China Glaze's Life Preserver came out with the Anchors Away collection for spring 2011. I'm very late to the party on this. This is a beautiful shade - which, weirdly enough, was flattering on my cool skintone. This polish applied flawlessly and I didn't have any drying issues with it. I know I'll be wearing this one again.

 

I've cleaned out some old nail polish from my drawer tonight. It's depressing to see so many beautiful shades I've only worn once. I'm hoping I can donate some duplicates to friends and/or family. My mom is quite picky unfortunately, so she almost never benefits from these clean ups. 

My week is looking quite packed! I had the day off yesterday, after spending the night enjoying the Oscars with the boy. We both pledged to take the Monday off so that we could sleep in after the show. It was really nice and relaxing. I also traveled last weekend and went a little shopping madness campaign. It was really fun though, and had a great time with my family. I want to do it again... now! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun traveling!

I am now off to bed. Cheers my friends - next post will be a haul!