Fingers in the Cold

It is a happy coincidence that I took a picture of myself holding this bottle of Nails Inc Porchester Square a few months ago in my DKNY Cashmere Pop Top Gloves, because at this point of time I wouldn't be caught dead outside without those tops fully closed. Sometimes, it's hard to stomach the price of cashmere (these gloves are $95), but I've experienced enough winters that I can't deny its efficacy. That and Uniqlo Heattech are my two saving graces this frigid season.

But we were talking about protecting the fingers of those who are untenable toward the cold, so consider this a PSA to get these gloves. It keeps you warm while enabling you to show off your manicure (if you so wish) and use a smart phone with minimal exposure. I'm kind of jealous that it's now on sale at dkny.com.

As for the polish, it's now in a bigger, heavier bottle with the same ol' stuff inside. Porchester Square is a beige mauve shade that would serve as a great nude for most.

R29 + Rescue Beauty Lounge: Better Than Boyfriend Jeans

I'm a sucker for baby blues, so when Rescue Beauty Lounge unveiled its latest collaboration with Refinery29, I ordered Better Than Boyfriend Jeans without skipping a beat. It is such a pretty icy blue – it reminds me of Dior Glacier (less blue and more silver, shimmery) which I missed out on years ago. BTBJ is a different polish under varying light. It picks up more blue when indoors, and takes on a glacial quality when under sunlight. I needed three layers to get it to full opacity (apply with a light hand to avoid streaks). I think it'll be beautiful peeking out of gloves when the snow hits.

The only other color I purchased from the collection was another in-between shade, the green/blue called Sunny Skies.

It's a pity that my mind was an auto-mode when I ordered the two shades, because now I'm regretting not getting Pretty Gritty, a purple with fine gold shimmer. I own the original IKB, which is why I didn't spring for All About Yves, though I've heard that the latter has a superior formula. You can enjoy swatches of the rest of the collection at Makeup Withdrawal.

The R29 + Rescue Beauty Lounge collection is exclusively available on rescuebeauty.com. Each polish retails for $20.

Chanel Eastern Light

White polish came back in vogue in a huge way when Chanel Eastern Light was first released (Hong Kong collection last year). The white polish, which was once associated with Wite-Out and forbidden, hastily splattered on nails in high school (I wasn't allowed to wear polish to school), suddenly became the shade du jour. I'm always skeptical when this happens. Why does it only become cool when Chanel chooses to pick up a trend?

(I mean, I know why. But I'm not happy about how perceived prestige causes us to so easily change our minds.)

But I did swoon over Eastern Light. I remember ordering it as soon as it was available on chanel.com last year, and barely agonizing over the fact that I paid $27 for white polish (though why should we be any less picky about white than say, red?). As white polishes go, this one is decidedly less streaky than most – with two thick coats or three thin coats to achieve opacity. The trick is to not apply too much pressure during application, otherwise you'll get a shadowy spot on the base of your nails.

Chanel Eastern Light is currently a repromote in the Reflets D'Été de Chanel Summer Collection, so for those who missed out the first time, here's your chance! Available for $27 at Nordstrom.

also good on toes!

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 Moss Green
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 08
Addiction Sandbar Eyeshadow
Lancome Star Bronzer Palette in Bronze Essence
Chanel Joues Contraste Rose Initiale
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never

An Ode to NYFW

An ode to creativity. I hesitate to use the word trend, but there were a few shows this season (and last) that featured the floating crease line look. I know I have lopsided eyes and all but I've been itching to try it, so I did.

Since the emphasis was on the eyes, everything else was left (mostly) bare. I applied foundation and powdered myself down, then set to highlighting: all over eyelids, above cheekbones, down the nose, above cupid's bow.

For the eyes, I used a thin, firm blending/application brush (Shu Uemura Kolinsky Brush 5r. Honestly, I'm not sure what category this falls under) and swept the light blue shade (MAC Parisian Skies) just above my crease line. I lightly dipped the brush into the darker blue (Shu Uemura ME Blue 650, old formula) and with the first point of the contact from the outer corner, went over the line again. With a black liquid liner, I lined just the bottom of my lashes. It's a little hard to explain – it's not really visible, but it makes a difference.

A light sweep of soft peach blush and swipe of nude lip, and that's it!

The above was one of my first attempts at nail art. Let's just say it gets better. Base nails were painted in RGB Pink.

Products Used:
Chantecaille 'Future Skin' Foundation in Camomile
Guerlain 'Meteorites' Illuminating and Mattifying Face Powder 02 Teint Beige
Shu Uemura P Light Pink 315
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
MAC Parisian Skies Eyeshadow
Shu Uemura ME Blue 650
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Chanel Joues Contraste Tempting Beige
NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Buenos Aires
RGB Pink

YSL Spring 2013: Jade Imperial La Laque Couture

You know how you lose something precious and there is a hole in your heart that cannot be filled and it's a little hard to admit because jeez, it's just nail polish, but it's still true? That's how I feel about Rescue Beauty Lounge Diddy Mow. I've only ever lost two beauty products in my life and one of it had to be a limited edition, sold out indie nail polish of the most dreamy green ever. It's frivolous and #firstworldproblem of me, but I want to weep when I think about it.

Anyway, I impulse bought YSL La Laque Couture in Jade Imperial from their spring collection because it looked similar to Diddy Mow in the bottle. Pictured below with Essie Luxeffects Shine of the Times because that's what I applied to the tips of my left hand (shown in top picture) and right ring finger.

Jade Imperial is a cloudy jade green creme. Application was smooth and could easily have been a one coater, though I did two. The formula is just a tad thicker than I would've liked, but in no way does it impede or mar application.

While there is no right or wrong when it comes to nail polish pairing, I think Jade Imperial serves well as a complement to this spring's palette of punchy pinks (I am willfully ignoring its dainty counterparts). I purchased mine for $25 from Nordstrom.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Paradis
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Eye Pencil in Tamarack
Dolce & Gabbana Femme Fatale Smooth Eye Color Quad
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Suqqu Balancing Cheeks in 02 Mukuge
Paul & Joe Lipstick Case CS 006 and Lipstick Refill CS 080 Manège
Le Métier de Beauté Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss
YSL La Laque Couture in Jade Imperial

Accessories:
Jennifer Zeuner Mini Bar Necklace
Catbird Alphabet Ring

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 & Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy Nail Lacquer

We are talking about these two very different things in one post because I happened to photograph them together. Before we dive in, let's have moment to appreciate that nail color. Isn't that such a magnificent nude?

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 Terra

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #200 Terra ($32) is a browned-red, but what's more interesting is the formula. As you probably know, this year's beauty market has seen an onslaught of liquid lips (I predict cream sticks to be next year's thing... again) but each are markedly different from the next. I've tried virtually every one of those new formulas and Armani's is my favorite by far. It applies wet and dries down to a velvet matte. It is incredibly pigmented and long-lasting, though it has a lot of slip. I use that to my advantage especially after some of the color has disappeared after meals, as all I have to do is press my lips together; the pigment from the top lip will transfer and lips will be fully painted again.

For swatches of the entire Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro line, visit here.

Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy Nail Lacquer

The beautiful nude is courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté Cocoa Me Crazy ($18). I couldn't figure out how to describe this, but Nordstrom saved me. The polish is a "vanilla bean creme with cocoa flecks." It's not apparent in the picture (much more evident in the bottle), but after application you'll see little specks of brown on your nails. It is reminiscent of cement and I mean that in the best possible way. It's beautiful, and possibly already inched toward the top of my favorite nudes list.

The Look

Eyes: Suqqu EX-08 Hanamari Blend Colour Eyeshadow

MAC Grey Friday Lipstick And Nail Lacquer Duo

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I am currently an intern at Lifestyle Mirror. I produce beauty content for them (such as this Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals post!), so one of the perks of my job is getting to play with new stuff companies send over to the beauty editor. As soon as I walked in yesterday he brandished MAC's Black Friday exclusive Grey Friday Lipstick and Nail Lacquer Duo at me. As one would expect, I tried it on then and there.

MAC Grey Friday Lipstick is a black-silver, almost metallic color. It can be applied sheer or layered to an intense sooty shade. I was wondering why MAC chose to release this as their sole online Black Friday exclusive. I can't imagine too many people wanting to buy a grey lipstick. But I suppose we could say the same about Chanel Notorious and look how that turned out.

Anyway, I tried it on and understood that this lipstick can be less scary than it looks. It barely shows up on the first layer as it only tints the lips to a grayish plum, which I suppose is a perfectly "societally acceptable" shade and thus commercially viable.

But knowing me, if a lipstick bullet is gray, it better look the same on my lips. I was pleased to find that Grey Friday could be layered on till it resembled what I saw in the tube. It took three or more swipes, but it didn't feel heavy on the lips, and would last till speech, food, or water wore it off. This lipstick had a lot of slip (or maybe it was my lip balm base) but didn't bleed throughout the day.

The Grey Friday Nail Lacquer is also a black-silver. I think this color is nice, but nothing special. Plenty of other brands have certainly offered similar, if not exact hues. That said, it is a nice complement to the lipstick.

MAC Grey Friday Lipstick and Nail Lacquer Duo will be available exclusively on maccosmetics.com on Black Friday, November 23 only.

Products Used:
Face -
Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Liquid Foundation in Bisque #75
Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating & Mattifying Pressed Powder in Teint Beige 02
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Benefit Dandelion Blush

Eyes -
Suqqu Kakitsubata 01 Eyeshadow Quad
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Shu Uemura Retractable Eye Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil in Eye On 08

Lips -
MAC Grey Friday Lipstick

Nails -
MAC Grey Friday Nail Lacquer

Le Métier de Beauté Hot n' Saucy Nail Lacquer

I almost forgot that Le Métier de Beauté doled out four nail polishes for their fall collection. I was sent Hot n' Saucy and have been so smitten with this blend of brown and red that I've worn it three times in two weeks. You can't see it clearly below (I didn't apply top coat) but on your nails it looks exactly like what you see in the bottle above – a deep cocoa base with red undertone infused with fine red shimmer.

Click here to find out how to get the makeup look

Le Métier de Beauté Hot n' Saucy retails for $18 and is available for pre-order at Neiman Marcus. If you would like to get yours immediately, I believe I saw it displayed at the Bergdorf Goodman counter. You can reach them at 212.872.8612.

Full disclosure: This entry contains a sample product(s) sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Butter London Fall 2012: Dodgy Barnett

Butter London Dodgy Barnett is part of their Fall 2012 collection, and while I may be a little late to the party (the holiday collection is already on their website), it's still well worth a look-see.

I wouldn't have done this polish post justice without a close-up of the holographic goodness in the bottle. Dodgy Barnett is a holographic confection of gray and silver suspended in a clear base. The shimmer is very packed, so two coats will cover most of the nail. 

Lips: Becca Ultimate Colour Gloss in Berry Twist

Truth be told, Dodgy Barnett feels more like a holiday shade to me, but that's a tiny detail that doesn't really matter as long as it's available for purchase! It was easy to apply and the end result is smooth. In the pictures above, I am wearing two coats, which if you hold your hands against the light and squint, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of barely visible nail line. Why you'd want to do that instead of admiring the holographic rainbow, I will never know.

So far, I'm happy to report impressive wear – four days in and nary a chip, and the bonus of indescribable, irrational happiness from staring at my fingers.

Butter London Dodgy Barnett retails for $14 and is available at butterlondon.com and Nordstrom.

This post features product(s) sent by the company for editorial consideration

JINsoon Auspicious Nail Lacquer

After painting on the third coat of JINsoon Auspicious, I felt the kind of excitement – the kind that makes you want to jump out of your bed and whoop for joy like Charlie Bucket's grandfather – that's become increasingly rare with every new beauty product I acquire. At first glance, Auspicious is but a light milky gray, but stare at it a little longer and you start to see the lavender peek through, then you realize it's the perfect in-betweener. It's Addiction Concrete Jungle (one of my absolute favorite eye shadows) in polish form. 

The formula for this particular color is thinner compared to the other JINsoon creations I've tried (Rhapsody and Risque, which will appear on the blog in due time), but based on how the color looks by layer, I think that was intended. I applied the polish in thin strokes, thus required three coats to reach complete opacity. It was fast drying, and hasn't chipped after a rigorous round of dishwashing and dinner making. In my book, it's a complete win.

JINsoon Auspicious Nail Lacquer retails for $18 and is available at Sephora and Space NK, as well as JINsoon nail salons. If you're interested in purchasing, I consider it my duty to inform you that the Sephora Friends & Family Sale will commence in two days, so hold on to those pursestrings just a little longer!

Dior Vernis Poison #966

Since the general revamp of Messy Wands, I've been thinking of ways to spice up my nail polish posts. I've tried the regular swatch and snap, but my pictures just didn't look as good as those from dedicated nail blogs, and that just makes me want to scrap the whole operation.

So, I thought of doing it like backstage fashion models, because at least with face makeup I can offer a color story of sorts...

Hand modeling turned out to be such a difficult and awkward job (as opposed to plain staring into the camera). There is just no feasible way to place your hands around your face with your fingernails facing front and still look "natural." 

That said, it was fun to play around, even if the outtakes looked ridiculous. The polish I used was Dior Vernis Poison #996, part of the Les Violets Hypnotiques collection that debuted earlier this year. The color is a deep eggplant with creme finish. Formula was smooth and I applied two coats to ensure an opaque, even finish. Oxblood may be the color du jour this fall, but one should never underestimate the power of a good rich purple.

Dior Vernis Poison ($23) is probably sold out at most locations, but remains available for purchase at dior.com.

Sneak Peek: Guerlain Holiday 2012 Swatches

Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette

I was very tempted by the Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette, which surprised me because I don't like palettes that houses both lip and eye products. The three lighter eyeshadow shades are what I've come to expect from Guerlain - smooth, pigmented, exquisitely shimmery. The black shade is more on the matte side and thus didn't swatch as well, but eyeliner shades are usually that way.

The standout, in my opinion, is the texture of the two reds in the palette. When I touched it it was actually smooth, as in it didn't feel like usual cream-type lipsticks. I imagine this would be how all those lip velvet formulas would feel if they were in pot form. The swatches were made using one finger swipe, and I know I said I shouldn't get any more reds, but just look at that.

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot 

The Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot is so, so beautiful, except I know I definitely won't be able to pull off such warm colors. 

L-R: Meteorites Wulong, Shine Automatique #700 Altoum, #760 Lou-Ling

I hope you can see the very layered swatch of the Meteorites Wulong on the left. When swirled together, the powder is a pale, faintly shimmering pink. The two Shine Automatiques are quite sheer but can be layered for more intensity (do remember that Shine Automatiques are not made to be uber pigmented). Altoum is the perennial holiday gold, while Lou-Ling is a bright berry.

Edit: I took down my swatch picture for the nail lacquers because of the ugly horrid smudge on Lou-Ling, as I personally would hate to see it on any blog myself. You can proceed to Temptalia's site for her review of both Altoum and Lou-Ling.

I found the collection at Saks Fifth Avenue New York, which means it should reach Guerlain counters nationwide soon, if not already.