Newspaper Nails. A first attempt.

I have no idea what rock i as hiding under, but I have never ever heard of newspaper nails before. How is that possible. I was surfing the net when i came across a mani that used this technique and i flipped out. I had to try it. NOW. So I ran upstairs and grabbed the following supplies:

My nail polish remover, cotton pads, my trusty base coat (julep nail therapy - the only base coat i use), and my polish of choice which was Illamasqua raindrops.

Next I watched an episode of One Tree Hill. Yes. Really. My 30 year old self is really a 14 year old girl at heart. Once an episode was over I figured my nails were sufficiently dry. Now remember. Ive never done this before! So no making fun of me!

I got out a bottle of vodka. This better work because otherwise, what a waste of vodka!! And I poured a small bowl of vodka and got a piece of newspaper.

Next I dipped my finger in vodka for 10-15 seconds. I at this point question myself. Really??? Im using vodka to soak my nails? But, whatever. Then you place a piece of newspaper against your finger for 5 or so seconds

So what I have clearly learned is the print needs to go horizontally and not vertically. This was definitely a lesson learned.

Then really all there is t do is top it with my trusty top coat. And the final result (remember, ive never ever done this before!!)

My new best friend - Penelope

So I just got a new eyeshadow palette in the mail. Le Metier De Beaute. I thought I would do a comprehensive review of the pros and cons of this palette. But I ran into a problem There isn't a con I can think of.

The colours are gorgeous. I am a scared little wimp when it comes to colour on my face. On my nails, there isn't a colour I'll avoid (other than pink). Glitter, a holo, a duochrome? BRING IT ON!! But on my face? Pass me my naked palette please! All my palettes, Chantecaille, Chanel, Urban Decay, or Lorac. ALL are neutrals (minus the lovely le metier de beaute runway palette which I only 2 of the colours from). But this one? It doesn't matter that i don't wear purples. or greens. I LOVE it!! It looks so beautiful and natural on and I wear everyone single one of the colours! Though the last one I use as an eyeliner.

All of these are just one swipe of the finger and as smooth as possible. Seriously. They feel like creme eyeshadows they are so soft. And see how intense the colour payoff was in just one swipe??? I am unsure if Penelope can still be found at any stores, but if I were you, I would start calling every counter you can looking for this gorgeous palette. Click on the pictures to enlarge. Check out the sparkle and detail in the colours. The beauty is beyond words!

Dior Fall 2011: The Mitzah Makeup Collection

So I was very underwhelmed when I saw the promo pics for this collection. I do NOT like animal print. I have never understood the joys of animal print and its a trend that will simply never ever go away. I found both colours utterly unexciting and had no plans of picking up either one. Then I walked in to sephora. And I fell IN LOVE with Camel. Seriously. This kicks Deborah Lippmann's Fashion and every other nude polishes butt. Its darker than the typical nude but not dark enough to be considered a brown. Its creamy and opaque in two coats, though one coat would probably suffice. And it has the dior brush. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

My Julep Collection with Swatches

Now for those of you who ARE julep mavens, or who are just interested in the colours, here are some swatches of their colours. They retail for 14.00 each and if you are a maven member you get 20% off everything and free shipping anywhere in Canada or in the United States.

1. lucy - described as a modern, dark burgundy. Elegance and excitement
2. demi - described as an elegant burgundy, like a fine wine. Transcends time and trends. So sexy on all ages.
3. catherine - described as THE classic, go-to red. Perfect for date night. Known to enhance the appearance of busty-ness. Wear with loose, sexy waves
4. helena - described as an ultra-saturated fuchsia. Looks great on all skin tones. A favorite of Seattle Magazine's beauty editors
5. gloria - described as a modern, coral rose. Transports you to the tropics
6. alicia - described as a sunny salmon, perfect for beach pedicures and fresh, modern manicures
7. jennifer - described as a beautiful, sheer polish with just a hint of pink. Effortless elegance. A manicure favorite in our parlors and a must-have for every woman, from brides to working girls. One coat does the trick when rushed for time
8. whitney - described as a mushroom grey-beige. The perfect neutral
9. anette - described as a subtle, dove grey. Ultra-chic as a manicure
10. dendrie - described as a modern, dove grey
11. alfre - described as a royal metropolitan purple with hint of shimmer
12. anne - described as an ultra-saturated violet. A tribute to one of our beautiful celebrity guests! Eye-catching on a pedicure and head-turning on a manicure--especially if your wardrobe is heavy on blacks and neutrals.
13. maggie - described as a frosty amethyst. Gemstone in a bottle. An alternative to red for the red carpet and date nights
14. jamie - described as an ultra-saturated, dark turquoise. Opulent jewel tone adds elegance to your manicure and pedicure
15. amy - described as a smoky turquoise

With the exception of alfre, lucy and jennifer these are all one coat. The other three are two coats. While I am thoroughly unimpressed with Julep service and organization, the polishes really are AMAZING and great quality. 

I'm a Julep Maven! Nope. Oops. I'm Not

I thought I was a Julep Maven. I got an email from an AMAZING girlfriend saying she had gifted me 12 months of beauty. I was so floored when I found out. I was stunned and excited. And I am still 100% floored by her generosity and will certainly enjoy the contents. But I would like to share my experiences with the program thus far and warn others about my experiences.

MONTH ONE
So it begins with my seeing reveal after reveal from my friends who have gotten these wonderful boxes. A week after i get confirmation my first box has been shipped I get my mom to sign up using my referral code. I also get a girlfriend to sign up. A few weeks later they have both gotten their boxes yet I have not. My moms however comes addressed to ME (not sure how or why since she used HER name and HER email address and HER credit card.) So I phone. They are wonderful about it, fix the weird mess up with our accounts and send me out a second box. 

MONTH TWO
I am still waiting to get my first box but I get the email about what is coming in my second box. But its my moms profile, not mine! Our accounts are still messed up. I never get an email about what is in my box. I do however get an email saying welcome to the Julep program and as a thank you, here is my 20% off code and I always get free shipping. But seeing others emails I know whats in our box, I call Julep once more. They once more assure us that our accounts are now properly fixed, and seeing as I have one of the items in the box I ask for a shelf pull. no problem! In the mean time I get my first box. It includes this:

Note the circled benefits. Aren't they great? Too bad I'm supposed to ignore it.

Now two days ago I called julep maven to let them know I was going to be in the hospital durring the time frame where the email comes out and the time I have to say shelf pull etc. Can I therefor just suspend the month? NOPE! Why? Because I'm not a maven member.

Now it seems that if you are gifted a gift of beauty you are not considered a maven and do not have the benefits or options of a maven. You get the box you get, period. They told me I was sent an email welcome by mistake and a maven code (my first name) also by mistake and sorry. Now I wouldnt be upset or bothered by it, but WHY DO YOU PUT THIS SHEET IN THE BOX THEN? The company sent me a welcome to the program email with all the benefits of the program and then took it back. They have added this letter in BOTH of my boxes, which I am apparently supposed to just ignore. I guess the person I spoke to last month didn't know this either when she processed my shelf pull.

Again, I love that I got a year of julep, I dont care that the rules for the gifts are different than a purchased account. I care that they have sent me both online and in print MULTIPLE times the benefits I get that i don't get. How difficult would it be to make a different sheet for the gifted boxes? Or just not stick this sheet in?

I wont get into the fact that I didn't get my referral credits until I contacted them to ask for them. Nope, I sure wasn't one of the ones who got the massive I'm sorry for the error with referral credits. That's been discussed enough on other blogs.

GET YOUR ACT IN GEAR JULEP! DON'T START A PROGRAM UNTIL YOU'VE WORKED OUT THE KINKS IN IT! ONE MISTAKE IS ONE THING, BUT WHEN EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AND EVERYONE IS HAVING MULTIPLE ISSUES, THERE'S AN ISSUE.

Chantecaille New Classic Palette

So I have been slightly obsessed with Chantecaille shadows for quite awhile. This is my fourth palette (though a girlfriend loved the Tiger palette so much I mailed it to her). When I saw this I just KNEW it had to be mine! I am normally a neutrals only girl and I am trying to branch out and I thought this would be such a lovely take on a classic.

The colours that come in this palette are eyeshadows in Valerian (top left), Thistle (top right) and Lavender (bottom left) and a cheek shade in Rose (bottom right).

L-R Valerian, Thistle,  Lavender and Rose

This was one finger swipe of each colour. i find the Lavender to be a little less soft and buttery as the others and if used as a shadow its a little patchy and uneven. But seeing as I use it as an eyeliner and eyeliner alone, it doesn't bother me at all. The blush is gorgeous on my NW15 skin (in the summer, in the winter I'm lighter than that. I use Diorskin Forever Foundation in 010) and is so soft and creamy, I have to remind myself its a powder.

My Illamasqua Collection

L-R Top Row - Gamma, Lament, Purity, Bacterium, Stagnate, Raindrops, DWS
L-R Middle Row - Glory, Snap, Harrsh, Prism, Velocity, Poke, Baptiste
L-R Bottom Row - Phallic, Untold, Scarab, Unnatural, Viridian, Muse, Strike, Force

As you may have figured it out, I LOVE ILLAMASQUA POLISHES!!!!! I feel like i need to scream that from the rooftops. I love everything about them. They are thick, but not gloopy; thin enough to flow evenly; most are opaque in one coat and better yet, the colours are all GORGEOUS!!!!! The new collection is killing me. I NEED the new rubber textured colours, but its insanely expensive to order from the european website, so i want to wait until i have more than 4 colours to buy. They are not sold here in Canada at all, and sephora.com wont ship any Illamasqua products here. Now normally 22.00 wouldn't turn me off of a polish, but the retail is 14.00 American, and our dollar is worth more. Yet they wont let us buy them!!

1. Gamma -Neon orange
2. Lament - Bright coral pink, glossy finish
3. Purity - Peach
4. Bacterium - Pearlescent ash ochre
5. Stagnate - Grey mauve
6. Raindrops - Sheer light grey, jelly finish
7. DWS - Cement grey créme, glossy finish
8. Glory - Molten silver, glossy finish
9. Snap - Rich pewter, shimmer finish
10. Harsh - Silver glitter, glossy finish
11. Prism - Sheer iridescent blue
12. Velocity - Dusky grey-purple, glossy finish
13. Poke - Bright violet purple, shimmer finish
14. Baptiste - Deep royal purple, shimmer finish
15. Phallic - Deep midnight blue, shimmer finish
16. Untold - Red glitter, glossy finish
17. Scarab - Deep ruby red, metallic finish
18. Unnatural - Rich burgundy wine, glossy finish

19. Viridian - Peacock green, metallic finish
20. Muse - Deep teal blue, glossy finish
21. Strike - Rich turquoise blue, shimmer finish
22. Force - Deep Electric Blue

Le Metier de Beaute Roopal Patel Runway Palette

This palette collection is from 2009, so its no longer available. But due to requests to see it, here it is!!
Copied from the Bergdorf Goodmans website:
It's Roopal Patel's job as Women's Fashion Accessory Senior Market Editor at Bergdorf Goodman to spot the most coveted "must-have" items each season. This fall she's turned her expertly trained eye to beauty with the Limited-Edition Roopal Patel Collection.

This Collection provides limitless possibilities, allowing you to express yourself and experiment with all of this season's key trends. The micro jet-milled pigments used to create these colors let you apply classically with brushes. But you can also mix colors with MAGIC, a cream glaze that transforms any color in the Collection, including powder shadows into sheer stains and glosses for the cheeks, lips or eyes. Experiment—there are no rules. Remember that your beauty look is your ultimate accessory.

I do hate the packaging. Its a rubberized kinda feel to it, and picks up every single mark and smudge possible. This palette is BIG if you cant tell! Standing upright its taller than my 17inch flat screen laptop monitor! But this is why:

Oops! The mirror isnt that dirty! I promise. Its the clear plastic cover that sits between the product and the mirror. Should have taken that out before talking pictures.
Top Row: Dangerous, Sparkle Dust, Purple Haze, Magic, Barely There
Bottom Row: Disco Ball, Hot Pants, Sunburst, Tangtini, Seduction

Then the lovely line at the bottom of the page when you go to buy this on the website is this lovely line that I FREAKING HATE. Seriously drives me up a wall: We're sorry, but at this time we are unable to ship this merchandise to Canada. GRR!!! This palette retailed for 225.00 which is actually not a bad deal at all when you consider its limited edition, AND its 10 items making each one 22.50. Le Metier De Beaute eyeshadows retail for 30.00 each.

Each swatch is one swipe of the colour. Pinky Dangerous, ring finger is Sparkle Dust and middle finger is Purple Haze. Next up in the palette is the Magic Lustre Creme which is described as A luxurious, cream glaze enriched with vitamin E, Magic Lustre Creme transforms any powder pigment into sheer stains and glosses for the cheeks, lips, or eyes. Then up is barely there which is I am not quite sure its specific purpose, its the same sticky feel as the Magic Lustre Creme. I use it as a shadow base

Next up is one swipe each of Tangtini, Sunburst, Hot Pants and then Disco Ball.

This is one finger swipe of Seduction which is a semi sheer, buildable lip colour.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless

Descend into the riotous scene of erotic adventure that is THE THEATRE OF THE NAMELESS, nocturnal den of the dissident leaders of underworld subcultures. Exotic dancers rub shoulders with expressionist actors and performers; nudists and Boot Girls openly compete for the Conférencier’s eye; and all participate in the Club’s endless, pleasure-seeking rituals, immersing themselves in a heady world of sensual delight …

Teased by the sweet, pungent tang of opium, the air throbs with the electric shock of lovers’ flesh. Dare to feel the intensity of the club’s intimate caress, and abandon yourself to the glorious wonders of unfettered night-time make-up.

“Theatre Of The Nameless is a heady mixture of opulent hues, decadent pigments and fearless application. A bruised and burnished pallet that gives a sensual slip that bleeds colour into colour, worn through and kissed off.” — Alex Box, Illamasqua Creative Director

Infused with the essence of self-expression that transformed 1920s Berlin, this rich and indulgent collection envelops the senses. Darkly sophisticated tones are accompanied by shocks of dazzling iridescence, creating a breathtakingly modern interpretation of the most illicit nightlife in history.

It’s time to cross the threshold and embrace a world of unadulterated decadence …

Nail Polish Colours Include

• Taint (Stone brown)
• Kink (Bottle green)
• Vice (Deep cerise)
• Faux Pas (Blue violet)

Juicy Couture with Deborah Lippmann Holiday 2011

Hand Warmer Gift Set (Retail $68.00)

Includes Jewel in the Crown (a shimmering pewter shade made for the modern matriarch) &  Believe (a glimmering gold beige inspired by the queen of glam, Cher)

Precious Metals (Retail $48.00)

Includes Here Comes the Queen (a sheer glaze infused with gold), Jewel in the Crown (shimmering pewter) & Believe (glimmering gold beige created with Cher)

Shimmer and Shine (Retail $48.00)

Includes Bring on the Bling (a shimmer containing virgin diamond powder), Whatever Lola Wants (a sparkling lavender) & Since I Fell For You (shining shiraz)