Limited Edition “Rough Luxury” by CATRICE

Ice and Fire. Abstract formations of icy landscapes meet upon soft and warm femininity. In view of the dropping temperatures and inspired by the breath taking nature of the arctic wilderness, the designer collections include coarse knits, delicate décor and trendy fake fur pieces. Interpreted in a modern way as oversized pullovers and combined with skirts, skinny jeans or culottes, the fashion items are sure to put you in the mood for the frosty time of year. The interplay of contrasting silhouettes, colours and structures creates a look that is translated into the language of beauty with the Limited Edition “Rough Luxury” by CATRICE. From December 2015 to mid January 2016, cool grey tones for a smokey eye make-up style are combined with soft lips in nude or gently contoured eyes in powder shades with lips in bold oxblood. Shades of Coolness – by CATRICE

SOFT BAKED EYE SHADOW

Game of Contrasts. The two eye shadow palettes with three perfectly aligned powder eye shadows each. One of the colour combinations convinces with soft powder shades in pink and brown for a subtle day look. The other is ideal for classic smokey eyes – two grey shades and a light base tone create an exciting eye make-up look for the evening. The silky texture of the baked eye shadow is slightly raised and blends wonderfully.

• C01 Rough Elegance
• C02 Arctic Shadows

LUMINOUS LIP COLOUR

Nude vs. Oxblood. Two Luminous Lip Colours provide the lips with colour and intensive shine. The creamy texture is guaranteed to feel pleasant on the lips. No matter whether soft nude or deep-red oxblood: this lipstick perfectly complements the style this winter season – with any outfit.

• C01 Natural Nude
• C02 Rustic Red

LIP OIL

Take care. Cold temperatures attack the sensitive skin around the lips – it can become chapped and prone to cracking. This oil-gloss is enriched with almond oil and shea butter to nourish the lips with beneficial ingredients and helps to keep them soft and supple. The lip oil offers a lovely fragrance with a light vanilla touch. For pampered-looking, glossy results.

• C01 Cozy Cashmere

GRADATION BLUSH

Facets of Beauty. The Gradation Blush with a fashionable colour gradient and unique embossment is a true eye-catcher. The colours range from reduced dark red to rosewood nuances to soft rosé shades. The ideal beauty helper for a visible boost of freshness on the cheeks.

• C01 Aurora Polaris

NAIL LACQUER

Colour Contrast. Nude-rosé, oxblood, ice grey and anthracite welcome the winter season and are an ideal match for the new designer collections. Multi-facetted colours – with and without shimmer -, high coverage and brilliant shine are the benefits of these four Nail Lacquers, which are simply a must towards the end of the year.

• C01 Natural Nude
• C02 Rustic Red
• C03 Call Of The Wild
• C04 Arctic Shadows

FROSTED MATT TOP COAT

Crystallized. The Frosted Matt Top Coat ensures a gorgeous, icy nail design. Applied on top of colour nail polish, it has a mattifying effect and leaves behind a subtle, silver shimmer. Melt your heart!

• C01 Frozen Flows

Stacy London x Epaulet Trainers

It started innocently enough. I was scrolling through my instagram feed. And a post from Stacy London caught my attention. She posted a picture of a pair of silver trainers by a brand called Epaulet and I was instantly obsessed. As much as I wanted the metallic silver sneakers I managed to talk myself out of them. I even ran in to the Epaulet store in Brooklyn to pick up a pair in a moment of weakness. But I realized I would probably never wear them. I LOVED them, but they really were not the most practical of shoes for me. Yes, I desperately needed some new casual sneakers, but they were just too shiny for me to ever actually reach for. And as much as I fully support spending insane amounts of money on shoes just because they look pretty, not for sneakers. I would BEHAVE!!

And then this happened. Stacy London posted this picture of a sneak peek of her new colab with the local NYC brand!

At that point I knew that I had to have them. I was fairly certain from the sneak peek that they would be the identical silver pair in a gorgeous blue leather and I thought the universe was rewarding me for passing on the less practical metallic silver pair. I think when Stacy London posted a pic of them the caption said something about using them as a mirror to apply lipstick? Something along those lines. They are THAT shiny! So blue leather? It was meant to be. Then the shoes went live. And if you know me, you know that the only colours I love more than blue are grey and purple. So to find out that these were not just blue leather, but GREY SUEDE?!! In my imaginary world Stacy London designed these kicks just for me as my great cosmic reward for being well behaved. And by the way, that silver pair I passed on? Well, there is a tiny patch of that silver on the heel just to remind me that sometimes, when you pass on something you really want, the universe rewards you with something you want even more! Even if you didn't quite know it yet!

They also come in one other high top style and are limited to a total 50 of each style.

And of course, the real life photos!

Limited Edition “Treasure Trove” by CATRICE

Sparkling Gems. Opulent jewellery, elaborate sequin embroidery and iridescent lurex materials crown the winter holiday season. The new designer collections are extremely glamorous with bejewelled and lavishly decorated clothing. A festive, feminine make-up look is the ideal match for the unique fashion highlights. The Limited Edition “Treasure Trove” by CATRICE presents the most important beauty pieces for this style from mid November 2015 until the beginning of January 2016. The limited must-haves are matt or shimmering and greet us in elegant champagne-gold, warm brown and beige shades as well as contrasting apricot or red. Celebrate Good Times – by CATRICE.

EYE SHADOW PALETTE

Jewel Case. Eight highly-pigmented powder eyeshadows are the treasures of this palette. The silky, smooth textures with a matt or shimmering finish are easy to apply and ideal for fine shading. The colours are perfectly aligned and offer a wide range of shades with soft champagne, warm brown tones and deep black for expressive eye make-up styles.

• C01 Blaze Of Glory

LIQUID LINER

New Years Eyes. The golden Liquid Liner - a dip eyeliner with a brush applicator -gives any eye make-up style a festive touch. Thanks to the fine bristles, the accurate application of eyeliner is as easy as child’s play. The liquid, metallic gold texture is long-lasting and a true eye-catcher for special occasions.

• C01 Golden Grace

POWDER BLUSH

La belle de nuit. This blush with a golden glow ensures a radiant complexion. Applied on the highest point of the cheekbones, it accentuates and contours the face. The soft texture combines warm rosewood tones and champagne highlights. The unique star-relief structure turns the blush into the must-have of the season.

• C01 Caviar And Champagne

GOLDEN POWDER

Golden Sparkle. A light shimmer in a soft champagne shade creates festive highlights on the face and neckline. Best applied with a powder brush, the pressed powder with a beautiful star embossment is ideal for setting gorgeous accents.

• C01 Golden Grace

PRECIOUS LIP COLOUR

Lips to Love. Three limited colours and the unique packaging turn the Precious Lip Colour into a product to fall in love with. The three lipsticks in soft nude, fresh apricot and elegant red offer intensive colour and have a convincing light texture. A subtle shine on the lips is the perfect finish for this look – ideal for heading straight into the festive season.

• C01 Jewel Daze
• C02 Caviar And Champagne
• C03 Treasured Twinkles

NAIL LACQUER

Joy to the World. The four Nail Lacquers offer a festive nail look in the colours of the Limited Edition: nude with a gold effect, light apricot, coral and dark red. All limited polishes have a glamorous pearl effect as well as an extraordinary packaging with a bottle-shaped golden lid.

• C01 Jewel Daze
• C02 Golden Grace
• C03 Caviar And Champagne
• C04 Treasured Twinkles

Laura Mercier Sleek & Chic Eye Colour Palette

Anyone who knows me KNOWS that I am 100% obsessed with the 2013 Artists Palette from Laura Mercier. I use it pretty much all the time. I tend to wear makeup 4 times a week. I tend to use that palette 3 times a week. I was 5 months in to the palette when I lost it. $200 on ebay replaced it (I know, I know!!) and I have since hit pan on multiple shades. It was re-released earlier in the year and I picked it up for the third time!! 

So with that said, its probably not a big surprise to you all that I am completely and utterly obsessed with this palette. I OBVIOUSLY need this. Yes I want it, but its not just a want. This is an absolute necessary requirement in my stash and I will have to pick it up shortly! Available at Nordstrom for $55 and on the Laura Mercier website!

And just because I love it so much, I have to show the Artist Palette from two years ago that has since become what I think is a permanent item (though not in the pretty leather casing!!)

A sweater for the JAP in all of us!!

This Chanukah sweater by the label Faux Real was for sale on the Nordstrom website until its Facebook page lit up with complaints of those finding it offensive. Being called offensive and even degrading by one, it was pulled from the website.

I have to say though, I WANT it! Chai Maintenance on top of the menorah, Hanukkah J.A.P on the bottom of it, this somehow was considered offensive enough to warrant being pulled from the site. Am I a JAP? I go back and forth between being offended and wanting to punch someone in the face when they call me one, to going "yeah, I kind of am!!". I think now that I am an adult who buys my own clothing, shoes, accessories and pays for my own lifestyle, I feel less offended by the title. Had you called me that at 20? I MIGHT have punched you. Ok, I would have imagined punching you.

Either way, if I can get my hands on this sweater, you can bet your ass I will be wearing it to any and every ugly holiday sweater party I ever attend!! Not sure why, but totally and completely OBSESSED with this!

BaBylissPRO™ MiraCurl™ Professional Curl Machine (Knock Off) Review

Let me start this review by saying, I have no idea what the fuck I am talking about when it comes to curling your hair. So why I am even bothering to write a review about a hair curler is a good question to ask. Why in the world are you reading this? Also a good question. But I have been asked and asked, and thought I would write up my thoughts and reviews on this curler. 

But to start off, my hair naturally:

So just to be clear, that is my NATURAL hair. No curler required. But I do often wonder what it would be like to be able to brush out my curls and have wavy or less curly hair. And if I brush out my NATURAL curls, well.... lets just say there is not a door wide enough to get my head through it if I try.

As you know if you read my blog years ago when the BaBylissPRO™ MiraCurl came out, I have been obsessed with trying it since it came out. But to spend $200 (American!!) on a machine to curl my hair seemed slightly insane. Insert this one from AliExpress. For $34 Canadian including shipping, I thought why not!

The one blaring flaw, and it is ANNOYING is that there are no labels on the buttons. They seem to have forgotten that part!

Aside from that, let me once more reiterate that I have no idea what I am doing or how to do it. A brief stint of crimping my hair in the 80s (for a good year or two I LIVED to have my hair crimped) I have never used heating tools on my hair other than a straightener!

I do think that once you get the hang of it, and "get it", the curler is easy to use.

And brushed out.

I actually can brush out my hair!

Overall, I am happy with it. For the amount I will use it (lets be honest, if I use it once every 3 months I will be impressed) I would not in a million years spend HUNDREDS on it. But for the $30 I paid, I am 100% sold!

If you want the link, feel free to email me (polishjinx at gmail dot com) but I don't want to post it blatantly and get the listing shut down!

Deborah Lippmann Empire Collection

I freaking LOVE Empire. Its a deep seeded visceral kind of love. Add Suits, Scandal, Wentworth and The Good Wife and you have my television obsessions pretty much summed up.

And I freaking LOVE Lippmann. So I REALLY wanted to love this set. But just like the Alexis Bittar collaboration that I equally wanted to love, I am left with an empty feeling inside. That feeling of being completely let down. Not because this set isn't  beautiful. And certainly not because the jewelry line isn't amazing. But because it is completely and entirely NOT my style and would never ever be worn. I can talk myself into and pretty much justify an Alexis Bittar or a Deborah Lippmann purchase anytime (I do both far to much). But neither of these collections are ones I can talk myself into. So my wallet is cheering while I am crying on the inside. Talk about first world problems!!!

Anyways, what do you guys think? And any comments related to how drop dead gorgeous and sexy Jussie Smollett is (I know, he likes boys, not girls. Reality is not going to stop my fantasizing!!) are fully acceptable here!