Thakoon for NARS Nail Polish: Kutki

It seems like I can never get sick of blue polish, but who's complaining? 

I've tried two of the six Thakoon for NARS nail polishes, but only photographed the baby blue Kutki because my feet are in a horrible state. I always wonder how models keep their feet so unblemished, especially with the amount of heels they have to wear on a regular basis. 

Anyway, I'm not sure if I can give Kutki a fair review. My bottle was a castaway from a photo shoot and by the time I used it the polish had thickened. It applied streaky for the first two coats and only evened out on the third when I piled it on. 

On the other hand, I applied an unsullied bottle of Anardana on my toes and it was perfect in two coats, so I think it's just my bottle.

The Thakoon for NARS Nail Polish lineup features an array of six bright creme shades perfect for summer. If I had my way, I'll have one of each.

Thakoon for NARS Nail Polishes retail for $18 and is available at narscosmetics.com.

Guerlain Shine Automatique Swatches

I guerrilla swatched Guerlain's (relatively) new Shine Automatiques last weekend and now I'm itching to try one. I was initially turned away because the lipsticks looked frosty and glittery and wouldn't be a good look on my lips, but after swatching it and seeing it on a few bloggers, it's not as scary as I thought it would be.

I haven't tried it on, so I can't give any impressions. My photos were taken in Sephora – one day I hope to find a Sephora run by associates who are OCD about cleanliness and neatness and it will be a happy place. These testers were smushed.

L-R: 200 Sous le Vent, 202 Mi-Mai, 240 Pamplelune, 260 Jardin de Bagatelle, 261 Rose Imperial, 262 Extrait de Rose, 263 A La Parisienne, 264 Rose Pompon, 265 Pao Rosa

I am missing swatches of 201, 220, and 221. So far, 263 A La Parisienne seems to be most popular shade among the reviews I've read. I personally would like to try 202 Mi-Mai and 264 Rose Pompon. A girl can't have too many nudes!

Exclusive: Le Métier de Beauté Red Hot Tango Nail Lacquer

Continuing the coral barrage: Le Métier de Beauté Red Hot Tango Nail Lacquer is like having Coral Confection on fingertips. 

Red Hot Tango is a dazzling coral red. With a polish as bright as this, it's almost a given that it is a one-coater (though I did two, as usual). The polish has an excellent consistency that allows the color to glide on to your nails.

For those who have been following Le Métier de Beauté for a long time, you might be wondering how similar Red Hot Tango might be with Kontagious Koral from their first collaboration with Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing last summer. I whipped out my bottle for a comparison (it's raining so fiercely outside right now I'll have to get back to you on the actual picture) and I can say it's not entirely the same. I cannot tell you what's different – to my eye it's the pink/orange ratio, but I... don't know which is more pink/more orange. They can easily pass for dupes, so if you have Kontagious Koral I'd say you can safely skip this one.

Le Métier de Beauté Red Hot Tango Nail Lacquer will be released concurrently with Coral Confection later this month, though as of right now I don't know if they'll be available individually or as a set.

Red Hot Tango was provided by the company for consideration.

Exclusive: Le Métier de Beauté Coral Confection Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss

CORALS.

When I see corals everywhere, I know summer is finally here. (Though it really should step up its game. It's rainy and cold and miserable outside right now. I need a good excuse to slather on sunscreen, hey?)

While I've been covering corals a fair amount recently (see Chanel Calypso and LMdB Riviera), I haven't seen anything quite as bright as Le Métier de Beauté Coral Confection Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss among the new releases.

Coral Confection is a bold, bright coral red with no shimmer. In the tube, it looked similar to Red Velvet (less blue) and Hibiskiss (less pink, no shimmer), even though I knew the color was very different applied. I decided to show and swatch them side by side anyway:

L-R: Coral Confection, Red Velvet, Hibiskiss

L-R: Coral Confection, Red Velvet, Hibiskiss

When applied, Coral Confection is blindingly bright. Even though it features the Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss formula (less creamy compared to Lip Crème formula), which sometimes swatches pigmented and ends up sheer on the lips, make no mistake – Coral Confection will show up. 

When the gloss dries down, it becomes a lovely stain that lasts forever on the lips (seven hours in, the pigment was still there), which I actually prefer. The stain is a flattering muted coral shade. Do note that Coral Confection does bleed a little so I highly recommend lining/concealing around the lip area when wearing it. It's an extra step, but the color, comfort of the formula, and general happiness this gloss gives me makes it well worth it.

Le Métier de Beauté Coral Confection Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss (most probably $32) should reach stores later this month.

Coral Confection and Hibiskiss were provided to me by the company for consideration, while Red Velvet was a Neiman Marcus GWP

Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick 03 Tsuyazakura

Once upon a time I thought pinks were the easiest shade to tackle for lipsticks. Our lips are pink, how hard could it be? 

Well, I now have a newfound loathing toward searching for natural-looking pink lipsticks. I just confirmed for the umpteenth time a few days ago (why I need to do this more than once is beyond me) that despite my non-adherence to the warm/cool color theory, I absolutely cannot pull off warm pinks. While doing inventory for my blog sale, I realized I should have known this long ago – I have so many barely used warm pinks in my stash. Such wanton wastage! 

That said, I'm naturally attracted to warm pinks in the tube (alas, always to the things I cannot have). When I saw Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick 03 Tsuyazakura alarm bells went off. It wasn't going to work, I told myself, especially after seeing the swatch. But I was at a counter and if there's anything you do there it's trying on the things you cannot get.

On my lips, Tsuyazakura turned out to be much less warmer, a neutral natural rose pink shade, so of course I got it. Lipsticks never cease to amaze me on how different they can look once actually applied. 

Eyes: Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope

I've already discussed the Suqqu lipstick formula in depth (see here) and it remains to be one of the best lipsticks I've ever tried. The Creamy Glow formula delivers a rich, opaque finish that works very well especially with nude/natural shades.

Unfortunately, Suqqu products are not available for retail in the States. I purchased mine at Selfridges in London when I visited some months ago. For those who absolutely have to get their hands on it, there's ichibankao.com, but at highly marked up rates.

Le Métier de Beauté Splendid Frost

I learned this past weekend that the tiring bit about moving lies more in unpacking than the actual shifting of things. I'm beginning to realize that I have way too much stuff but they're good stuff so I'm reluctant to throw them out, and the result is a sort of despair at all these nice but useless things I have piled up around me. 

But I know if I don't start getting rid of things my apartment would be just one step away from an episode of Hoarders, so I'm in the midst of taking photos for a blog sale. I have plenty of very gently used makeup waiting for new homes.

In the meantime, here's a quick peek at my all time favorite Le Métier de Beauté eye kaleidoscope. I talk about Splendid Frost very often but I've never featured it here. I'm quite aware that a lot of you might hate me after this, because this is absolutely sold out everywhere. But pretty makeup is pretty makeup, and though it's from a couple of years ago, it still deserves to be seen.

The colors from top to bottom are a taupe, a matte gray, a light pink, and a shimmering midnight blue. When combined, it's a soft smokey eye that works for any occasion imaginable. I've worn it to work, school, photo shoots, dates, interviews, and most recently, my graduation. (Also, it is a testament to the stellar pigmentation of Le Métier de Beauté eye shadows that my most-used eye kit still looks barely touched.)

Lips: Guerlain Porto Ercole

I've been asked if I could recommend dupes from the permanent line to recreate the kit, but sadly I couldn't think of anything similar. I also forgot what I wore on my cheeks, which is unfortunate because I'm kind of obsessed with it.

Lipstick Bandits: Summer Brights

The happiest of days are Lipstick Bandit days, and today we are tackling summer brights. It's a topic Larie and I have been raving about since our last post and of course by now I've already blogged about most of my favorite brights of the season (NARS Mexican Rose and Moscow, for example).

But if there's anything to be expected from lipstick, it's that you can never run out of great ones!

My pick is more about formula than color, though it's pretty amazing on that front too. I first tried Shiseido's 'Perfect Rouge' Lipstick line a few weeks ago, and I believe I exclaimed (to myself, because I talk about makeup to myself that way) "why did I wait so long?!" and shook my head laughing. I love getting pleasant surprises. 

L-R: Shiseido Perfect Rouge PK417, OR418

I think the Japanese has lips down pat when it comes to formula. These remind me of Suqqu lipsticks (less creamy) but are infinitely more accessible. It goes on with the feel of a sheer lipstick but is actually opaque and lasts way longer. If there is any consolation to falling asleep with my makeup on, it's knowing that the lipstick I applied six hours before is still completely intact when I wake up (yay involuntary makeup testing!). The formula is scent-free, taste-free, and moisturizing as well. I don't remember the last time I found so much win in one lipstick.

Below I'm showing you the two colors I mysteriously found in my stash. PK417 is a neutral light pink and OR418 is an orange with strong yellow undertone.

PK417

OR418

The best part? Shiseido 'Perfect Rouge' Lipsticks retail for $25, which is not inexpensive by itself, but less of a shocker compared to half the things I rave about.

As usual, the best part of Lipstick Bandit posts is finding out what everyone else picked, so mosey on over:

• Bloomin' Beauty Blog
• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Makeup Morsels
• Musing on Beauty
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