Friday, June 15, 2012

Messy Wands Blog Sale Now Live!

Update: Hi everyone! Thank you for shopping my blog sale (to those who haven't had a chance to look, there are still plenty of fabulous items up for grabs!). A few of you have emailed me wondering about your invoices, and I just wanted to let you know what's with the delay. Basically, I refuse to believe usps.com's quoted price for international deliveries, so I'm going to journey out to a physical location to see if there's any way to get it cheaper. Rest assured if I have not emailed you your invoice, you won't lose out on your items! I apologize for the delay but I'm just hoping to be able to keep shipping cost to the bare minimum for all of you. Thanks for understanding!

My fingers have not stopped moving since I posted the announcement yesterday, but I did it! The Messy Wands Blog Sale is now live. Please take a look to see if there's anything that strikes your fancy.

Below, some of the pretties included in the sale:









... and many many more.

The sale is open internationally. Click here to peruse, and happy shopping!

*I apologize if I don't respond immediately to your email. I'm updating the status of items as soon as I can and that takes precedence so I don't get too many repeat requests. 

Actually, if you don't get an immediate reply it's safe to say the item is yours ;)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Announcement: Blog Sale... Soon

I've been hinting at this sale for the past couple of weeks and I just need a final push to edit/price/write/link everything, and there's nothing like a self-imposed deadline, right?

The blog sale shall go live Friday 8PM EDT! Edit: Silly me, I confused EST and EDT.

Now, please excuse me while I go edit like a mad woman.

Below, a little teaser of what will be featured in the sale:





Wednesday, June 13, 2012

My Nail Routine

Inspired by Dain of Ars Aromatica's meticulous explanation of her manicure, and the fact that this is way overdue anyway, here's a post detailing my nail care routine. Most of what I learned was from Rescue Your Nails by Ji Baek of Rescue Beauty Lounge and observations from my few visits to nail salons.

The Routine

L-R: Zoya Remove+, cotton, cuticle stick, Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Remover, Buffing Block, Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail File

I file my nails using the Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail File ($65), my preferred shape being the squared oval (squoval?). I try to stay away from nail clippers since it usually chips my nails. 

Pardon the yellowness – as you might expect, I paint my nails too often and leave the polish on for too long at a time. Occupational hazards, I say.

Then, I buff my nails to ensure a smooth surface for the polish. Any buffing tool will do. I currently use the (discontinued) 4-Step Buffer from Sephora. 

I realized cuticle work is the second most important aspect of the manicure after polish application, and arguably the hardest to master. First, I apply a drop of Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Remover on each cuticle, then I use a disposable cuticle stick wrapped with loose cotton (with a smidgen of polish remover to help adherence) to push the cuticles in. 




I use the leftover bit of cotton with Zoya Remove+ to wipe off the excess product on the nail.

The Base


I use the Rescue Beauty Lounge Treatment System (Base Coat Prep, Base Coat, Top Coat) with all my nail polishes. The Base Coat Prep ensures the nail is completely dry (no oil residue) before I begin painting my nails. This makes the polish last longer. The Base and Top Coat are pretty self-explanatory.  So far, I've gone through two Base Coats and three Top Coats, and I foresee many more in the future.

The Result

Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge

An example from yore. I'm still very proud of this manicure

Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge

The Removal

I remove my nail polish with Zoya Remove+. Teen Vogue Beauty Director Eva Chen (whom I adore) suggested in a recent tumblr post to fold a piece of square cotton into quarters and only wipe on the nail during removal to avoid drying out cuticles, which I will begin to practice from now on.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Dior Summer Mix: Rose Bikini

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss 667 Rose Bikini is one of four gloss offerings from the Summer Mix Collection, and based on the comments on yesterday's post, seems to be the most loved. 




Rose Bikini is a delectable candy pink that brightens the lip. Dior Addict Ultra Glosses are scent and taste free and absolutely non-sticky, though it is exactly this comfort that necessitates a little sacrifice in longevity, as the gloss fades within a couple of hours of application. Thus, even though they are some of the most comfortable lip glosses I've ever tried, I rarely purchase them unless a color takes my breath away.



Rose Bikini feels very strawberry sorbet-ish, and I think that is exactly why I love it so much.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss 667 Rose Bikini retails for $28 and should be available at Dior.com soon. I purchased mine at Bloomingdale's.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Dior Summer Mix Collection Gloss Swatches

During a quick jaunt to Bloomingdale's in New York, I stumbled across a preppy, happy sight. The Dior Summer Mix Collection, which consists of four new nail lacquers and glosses (three new and one repromote), has arrived at the counter, and isn't it one of the most joyful mid-season offering you've ever seen?

L-R: Orange Pareo, Cosmo, Or Sunrise, Calypso, Rouge Crosière, Acapulco, Rose Bikini, Lagoon

L-R: Rose Bikini, Orange Pareo, Rouge Crosière, Or Sunrise

I realized just as I was editing my pictures that the sales associate replaced Calypso and Cosmo with substitutes from the permanent collection, presumably because the two polishes have not arrived at the store yet. I am livid that I was blatantly lied to at the counter – I pointed at the polishes and asked if they were from the Summer Mix collection and she said yes, never indicating that two of them were stand-ins. I purchased only Graphite Berry that day, and though I know it is a fabulous color, I can't help but feel miffed that it came with a huge slice of deception. Needless to say, I won't be visiting that Dior counter again.

L-R: Graphite Berry, Acapulco, unknown shade, Lagoon

That said, I still can't wait for the entire nail collection to hit Dior.com. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I really like these colors. Amazing swatches are available at Fruity Lashes.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Le Métier de Beauté Summer 2012: Chauvet Pont d'Arc Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Edit: It appears that there was an error in communication when I wrote the earlier post. It turns out that wasn't Chauvet Pont d'Arc, or any existing kaleidoscope at all. It was just a collection of shadows Dustin thought was approximate to the color shown on the press release and I erroneously took it for the real palette. I do apologize for the mistake and any confusion that has caused, and I promise it won't happen again.

That said, I kind of wish that was Chauvet Pont d'Arc. I don't see greens often enough in Le Métier de Beauté kaleidoscopes and that matcha green is particularly breathtaking. Below are pictures of the actual Chauvet Pont d'Arc Kaleidoscope Eye Kit.


The colors are as below:

  • Umber - umbre-toned satin mauve
  • Ocher - shimmering sandstone ochre
  • Madder - shimmering terracotta
  • Crystalline - silky desert matte teal

L-R: Crystalline, Madder, Ocher, Umber, first three shades/four shades blended

When blended together, Chauvet Pont d'Arc becomes a reddish brown true to its source of inspiration. While the first three colors are of its usual stellar quality, the fourth shade was less cooperative. It required a little more work to blend with the rest, and it also doesn't swatch as well. 

While the colors of this kaleidoscope are unique, I decided not to purchase it. Somehow, the blended result didn't complement my skin tone, and with so many kaleidoscopes already in my kit, I decided my heart wouldn't break if I missed out on this one. 

Le Métier de Beauté Chauvet Pont d'Arc retails for $95 and should be available at counters nationwide soon, if not already. My usual contacts are Dustin Lujan (212.872.8612) of Bergdorf Goodman and Traci Dastou (617536.3660 x2111) of Neiman Marcus Boston. When I visited Traci earlier today, she only had five left!




Note: I decided to leave the old post behind, if only for the memory of that matcha green.


I become unreasonably excited every time I get a sneak preview of a new Le Métier de Beauté release, and when I write the post I'm always trying to contain myself so I would sound like a rational human being. So, without further ado, here's the new summer release Chauvet Pont d'Arc Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. The inspiration for the kit is its namesake, the Chauvet Cave in southern France, where the earliest known paintings in the world are found.



The kit consists of a champagne cream, a matcha green (as in when applied it looks exactly like the color of matcha powder), an earthy brown, and a matte denim blue. While the first three tiers applied wonderfully, the blue (as expected from a matte shade) was a little chalky.



I was rushing to apply it on my eyes because I only got to the store around closing time, so these may look a little slapdash. I only managed to snap these pictures about four hours after application.




Eyes: Chauvet Pont d'Arc; Cheeks: Burberry Sheer Summer Glow; Lips: LMdB Cafe Crème


I'm not entirely pleased with the texture of the blue shade, but I have to admit the green color is a breath of fresh air. Le Métier de Beauté rarely features green in their kaleidoscopes, but in this case it is spectacularly done. 

Le Métier de Beauté Chauvet Pont d'Arc retails for $95 and will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and select Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue locations soon. While the palette has not reached counters, it is already available for pre-sale. In the past, the Bergdorf location receives new items slightly earlier than other counters. If you would like to pre-order one for yourself, do give Dustin a call at 212.872.8612, and let him know I sent you! 

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues: Indian Summer

More guerrilla swatches! This time of the latest Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues Indian Summer set (it's a mouthful, I know). Copper Leaf immediately reminded me of Silk Road nail polish from last fall, and while I don't have a comparison picture, it looks exactly the same in the tube. You can imagine how ecstatic that made me. Silk Road is my all-time favorite polish from the brand.

L-R: Ginger Snap, Copper Leaf, Chocolate Creme, Cocoa Creme

I was surprised to find that Ginger Snap features the Lip Creme formula. Since it was so sheer, it felt more like a Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss. It doesn't do much but add a bit of color and shimmer to the lips, but sometimes that's exactly what a girl wants.

In the pictures below, I applied Copper Leaf and layered it with Ginger Snap. 




I didn't manage to swatch the two orange nail polishes because my nails were freshly manicured when I went to the counter. Shawn (the Boston LMdB artist) sacrificed his fingers to show me how it looked and it turned out to be pumpkin-y, which I felt would accentuate every tinge of yellow in my skin. For those who are interested, theultimatemakeup provided swatches and comparison shots, as well as a detailed review.

Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues Indian Summer set retails for $65 and should be available at Bergdorf's and all Neiman Marcus counters. The Neiman Marcus Camp Gorgeous event began a couple of days ago, but there is still time (ends June 10) to stock up on beauty goods. The Le Métier de Beauté GWP is a discontinued Bella Bronzer and the cutest mini Traviata blush/bronzer duo, and will be yours with a purchase of $125 and above. If you don't have a Neiman Marcus counter near you, you can contact Traci Dastou at 617-536-3660 x2111 and she will definitely help you with your order. You can also contact Dustin Lujan of Bergdorf's at 212-872-8612 (though I don't think Bergdorf's offers the GWP). Do let them know I sent you!