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Summer 2010

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Paul & Joe Nail Enamel Oasis 006

June 8, 2010
I’m not much for blues but one swatch of Paul & Joe’s summer blue nail polish in Oasis 006 and I was sold. It’s a lovely shade of soft iridescent blue and if you like Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague you will like this one too. I purchased this at the Paul & Joe boutique on Robertson Blvd and it was wrapped in a pretty white bag with ribbon.




All the Paul & Joe Sahara Collection Summer Nail Polishes, l to r:
Marrakesh 004, Mirage 005, Oasis 006
(see swatches of Marrakesh/Mirage here)

Comparisons to a few other blues, l to r:
Chanel Azur, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, Paul & Joe Oasis, Chanel Blue Wish

Paul & Joe Oasis vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague
(the other 2 are really sheer and show up basically clear)



Paul & Joe nail polishes usually retail for $14 each, however I think the one I purchased was priced slightly higher for some reason. I am trying to find my receipt to find the exact price – will update when I find it!

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Les Pop-Up De Chanel Summer 2010 Picks

April 9, 2010
*Updated with a few swatches + descriptions* Les Pop-Up De Chanel has hit counters with a very bright and summery collection. The damage from Saks:
  • Mistral Le Vernis – soft pink with tiny micro multi-glitters (very subtle)
  • Nouvelle Vague Le Vernis – surf blue with a subtle pearl
  • Riviera Le Vernis – hot fuschia
  • Bondi Aqualumiere Sheer Color Lipshine – soft peachy coral shimmer
  • Bondi Beach Aqualumiere Gloss – gorgeous iridescent peach-gold-glow
  • Bikini Peach Glossimer – soft pinky-peach with shimmer

Close Ups of the Nail Polishes:


My fingers feel like the came from the 80’s or like they belong in a gumball machine.

Comparisons to some other Chanel colors: Ming, Jade, Azur, Melrose



Lipstick + Lipglosses:


Summer Gloss Comparisons to MAC Love Nectar, MAC Sublime Shine, Armani #1, and Chanel Sesame:

Lipstick comparisons to: Como, Lily Beige, Cancun


Overall thoughts: You all know I’m a die-hard Chanel fan, but this collection seemed a bit lacking. The collection seemed a bit uncoordinated. There weren’t any new blushes or eyeshadows which I was hoping for. The bronzers seemed a bit unoriginal. The lips had a good balance of bright and neutral, of course I picked up the neutrals and I am completely obsessed with both Bondi Lipstick and Bondi Beach Gloss!

Bikini Peach Glossimer is nice, but is similar to Sesame Glossimer, just a bit deeper in color.

The nail polishes are not must-haves in my opinion, although I do love Riviera which I think will be cute on the toes. Of course I got them because I collect Chanel nail polishes. The formula of these 3 summer colors are incredible and applied like a dream. I didn’t really need 2 coats, but decided to do it anyways because my application was sloppy. At this time, I don’t have any idea how or when I will be pulling off the Nouvelle Vague. I still have yet to brave the Jade color on tips or toes. But at least they both look nice in my vanity.


Being the Chanel fan that I am, I was still able to find some items I liked. The collection as a whole just didn’t wow me as much as past seasons have. The sheer glosses were interesting – I already had a few Fluo Glosses from a previous collection and haven’t used those much because they were just so sheer. However, the new ones seemed to have more color due to their brightness.

If Neimans has a good Incircle GWP, I might consider picking the other glosses up. Saks’ Triple Points GWP was less than thrilling with a mini lifting cream, No 5 body cream mini and a mini mascara. Hardly worth the $150 minimum. Thankfully my SA threw in a few other goodies and extras that she could gather, but this time I had to actually ask.

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Dior Summer Quints Part 2: Swatches + Comparisons

April 8, 2010
I was able to play around with my new Dior Summer Quints a bit more and find them amazing! Please note the swatches don’t do the actual product justice, these were swatched on a bare arm so the color on the lighter shades don’t show up as well with the flash washing it out a bit.
If I had to pick 1 quint for the summer, it would definitely be Ready-To-Glow, it just seems more unique to me. Although Crush Glow is equally gorgeous, I know I will get good use out of both! The pigment is medium-to-rich, texture easily blendable, finish is glowy and shimmery. The frost is definitely on the higher end, but I don’t find these overly frosty. That being said, I typically only use 3 shades at a time from a Dior Quint. Using all 5 just isn’t very practical for my eyeshape and skintone, although the concept is quite appealing. I simply cannot pull off that many shades at once on my small eyelid area.

Dior Ready-To-Glow 649 + Comparisons:





Dior Crush Glow 659 + Comparisons:




* Note for Lexi – I know you wanted a dupe for the center shade, I compared it to MAC at the counter today, it’s most similar to Paradisco, but the Dior is a lot more pigmented, and a bit lighter – I tried to save my hand swatch, but it didn’t last the car ride home



I won’t be swatching the comparisons. It took a great deal of effort to find dupes because the colors just seemed so unique to me. The Dior Summer Quints all have a multi-dimentional quality which creates a “glow” like the names imply. YMMV depending on your screen, but I couldn’t find exact dupes for any of the Summer Quints, so I pulled what I thought was the closest in color family to provide a comparison and help you gauge the colors depending on your computer screen.

While $58 USD is pricey for an eyeshadow palette, if you factor in the convenience , quality, pigment and price per eyeshadow, it comes to about $11.60 for 1.2 grams. My MAC Eyeshadows range from 1.3 to 1.5 grams for $11.00 (pro-palette form) or $14.50 so if you think about the price in those terms, Dior isn’t really too bad. Overpriced, yes, but RIDICULOUSLY overpriced, no. (Then again, this is only my opinion.)

I didn’t see much else featured in this collection – they are featuring 3 of the Lip Polishes 001, 002 and 003 (which were a Sephora exclusive before) along with some of the new Addict Glosses. There is also a liptint/lipgloss charm in a heavy silver compact with chain. The tester unit wasn’t set up fully, and it seemed to have random testers put in the empty slots. My SA at Nordstrom said she hadn’t received everything yet and wasn’t sure when the rest would be arriving, so I’m not sure if there are any nail polishes or blushes featured with this collection.

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Get Your Glow On with Dior Summer Quints: Ready-To-Glow 649 & Crush Glow 659

April 6, 2010
Dior Summer 2010 has arrived in-store with two stunning quints, Ready-To-Glow 649 and Crush Glow 659. This is only a preview, I don’t have swatches, comparisons, or a full review yet, but stay tuned for an update in the next day or so. Both come in the Iridescent Eyeshadow formula and retail for $58 each. Indeed the names are suitable for both palettes because they radiate pure lovely glowiness when you open the compacts.

Ready-To-Glow 649 is a neutral-cool palette. It seems like a more neutral variation of Smoky Crystal 089, which I’m completely in love with, but the new summer quint has less intense-contrasts in colors and softer more muted shades.

Crush Glow 659 is the warmer variation, which I am happy to report isn’t too warm as I had initially thought it would be based on preview pictures. Still, it’s on the warm side, but lovely and very wearable.

I haven’t had a chance to test these on my eyes, but the testers at Nordies were extremely soft and pigmented. It seems that the summer collections come out earlier every year. This collection seems suitable for spring, although their Spring Lace Collection was equally stunning and suitable for spring. I’m just happy they released a mini collection that seems to be well suited for year round – at least in Southern California.

Again, note that my work is copyrighted, please do not republish or hotlink my photos. Thanks!

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