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Dior Diablotine

Posted on 10 November, 201310 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Hi everyone! I hope that you’re enjoying your Sunday and that you’re getting ready for Monday! Work was pretty slow today so I got to just chill out, and I hope that tomorrow is slow as well since it is Veteran’s Day. I won’t hold my breath, though. This weekend has been pretty exciting because my beautiful nephew was born a little past midnight on Saturday and I can tell you that I am completely in love with the little man. I am definitely a proud auntie! Before I start sounding like a lunatic about how excited I am about my nephew, let me tell you what polish I have for you today. I bought Dior Diablotine sometime last year, maybe, but I hadn’t reviewed it which surprised me because I’m always excited about my Dior purchases. Well, once I tried to photographed it, I remembered why I hadn’t blogged about it: I couldn’t get a good picture of it for the life of me! Let’s take a look at my bad swatches below.

Dior Diablotine is a crazy shimmery orangey-red-coral beauty that refuses to photograph accurately. My pictures make it look more orange than it is in real life. The shimmer in this polish makes the formula feel kind of grainy but that also gives you a lot of control. I also felt that the formula was rather sheer so it looked uneven at two coats, but a third coat fixed that. Overall, I do like this color but to formula was a little…interesting. I’d also like to note that removal was challenging because the shimmer got EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere.

And just because I can’t help showing him off, here is a picture of my nephew. Isn’t he adorable? I just want to snuggle him!!

Well, that’s all that I have for you today. I hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend, and I will talk to you soon.

Zoya MatteVelvet Polishes: Here’s Your Chance!

Posted on 9 November, 20138 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Did you miss out on the Zoya MatteVelvet polishes in the past? Well guess, what? Some of the shades are being re-released so you can get your hands on them! I had to dig in my stash for the four that I purchased when they first came out and swatched the three that are part of the ones they are re-issuing. I don’t remember being that crazy excited about these polishes when I first got them, but now I’m trying to figure out what was wrong with me back then because they are goygeous. The formula on these polishes is a little tricky to work with because, since they are mattes, they tend to dry quickly so you can’t overwork the polish or else you will get a streaky, lumpy, and uneven result. There are polishes that don’t deserve being babied…these totally do.

Zoya Dovima

Zoya Posh

Zoya Savita

I’m telling you…don’t miss out on these again. I will be getting my hands on Veruschuka because I didn’t previously purchase it. Here are some details regarding the colors that will be available:

Zoya MATTEVELVET* Jewels LE Gift Set Trio
Showcased in a luxury black trio box containing three Zoya MATTEVELVET colors: Veruschuka (emerald green matte shimmer), Savita (amethyst purple matte shimmer) and Posh (ruby red matte shimmer). $27 (US).

Jewels MATTEVELVET LE Trio Gift Set (ZPHOL1304)SPECIAL PRE-ORDER (now through 11.20.2013) PRICING: $24, plus free shipping on Zoya.com

MATTEVELVET LE Individual Gifts
Four to choose from each in a luxury black gift box. $10 ea. (US).

Veruschuka MATTEVELVET* LE Gift Set (ZPHOL1306)
Savita MATTEVELVET* LE Gift Set (ZPHOL1307)
Posh MATTEVELVET* LE Gift Set (ZPHOL1308)
Dovima MATTEVELVET* LE Gift Set: Contains one bottle of Dovima (onyx black matte shimmer – ZPHOL1305)SPECIAL PRE-ORDER (now through 11.20.2013) PRICING: $9, Zoya.com

So, will you be picking up any of these?

Dior Minuit – Holiday 2013

Posted on 8 November, 2013 by Cynthia

This is going to turn out to be the week of Dior on my blog because I am going to have a few Dior posts. I think that out of all the luxury polish brands I buy, Dior is my favorite because the formula is always great and I love the regular Dior brush. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a chance to post this today because I hadn’t gotten a chance to write up any posts in advance, and I thought I would be busy with the impending birth of my nephew. Oh yeah…remember I’m about to become an auntie? I’m so excited, and can’t wait for him to get here so I can have someone to totally spoil rotten. Anyway, let’s get back on track with the polish. Today I have the other pretty from Dior’s Holiday Collection for 2013: Dior Minuit. Are you ready for some swatches?

Dior Minuit is impossible to photograph: it’s just too pretty and refuses to cooperate. Ugh, it’s like those bitchy girls in high school that are too pretty for their own good and make you feel inadequate. Anyway, this polish is gorgeous. The base is very dark but that shimmer really comes through–especially in sunlight. The formula is good–kind of thick and with a grainy texture because of all the shimmer. I applied two coats for my swatches above.

And because I immediately thought of Taboo when I first got my hands on Minuit, I decided to do some comparison swatches.

As you can see, these are not dupes at all. They could be cousins, but the base colors and shimmer are totally different. While I really love Taboo, Chanel polishes don’t seem to wear very well on me.

So what do you think about Dior Minuit? Worth the hefty price tag? Let me know! Thanks so much for catching up with me today, and I will talk to you soon!

Dior Frimas – Holiday 2013

Posted on 7 November, 20137 November, 2013 by Cynthia

It is such a beautiful day today! It’s not that hot, it’s sunny and just beautiful. I woke up today with the intention to swatch a bunch of polishes, but I ended up getting stuck watching a bunch of dumb movies. Instead, I have only swatched one polish and boy is it pretty. Let me show you Dior Frimas from the Limited Edition Holiday Collection.

Get a load of the beautiful packaging. I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging and containers so I was drooling over these pretty bottles.

Dior Frimas is a limited edition polish from this year’s Holiday Collection. This polish is basically a neutral on crack. That beautiful gold shimmer really takes it up a notch and keeps it from being just plain old beige. The formula on this polish felt a little strange because the shimmer makes it feel grainy. The graininess of the polish makes the formula a little thick but also easy to control. Despite the thickness of the formula, it feels a little sheer so I had to apply three thin coats for full coverage. As far as dupes, I think that China Glaze Fast Track is a similar polish because of the gold shimmer and neutral base, but Frimas is a little more golden/rose.

Overall, I really like this polish but what really kills me about this polish is the beautiful bottle. The curse of the Limited Edition status always gets me too. Is it worth $26 for a .4oz bottle? To most people, probably not, but it’s worth it to me because 1) I am a polish collector/hoarder 2) It’s LE!!! 3) I love Dior! One thing I do want to mention is that if you love the Dior rounded brush, you will be disappointed because the brush on this polish is thin and square. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great. I did manage to super splurge and also purchased Minuit so that one will be on the blog tomorrow. Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

OPI Mariah Carey 18K White Gold & Silver Leaf Top Coat

Posted on 6 November, 20136 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Oh my glob, you guys…I am exhausted. I woke up at 7 am and I just finished doing laundry and completely cleaning my apartment. You see, my parents arrive tonight and my mom is a major clean freak (where do you think I get it from?) so I don’t want her to look around and be all disgusted. The last time my mom visited, the following words came out of her mouth: “I know you work and must get home tired. Don’t worry…I understand why your place looks like this.” Uhm, thanks mom! The funny thing is that she was trying to be nice and didn’t really mean for it to sound that bad even though it did. hahaha How do mothers have that way of making you cringe with one small comment? I’m enjoying the last couple of hours of peace and quiet because my little apartment is going to be come a crazy house. I haven’t seen my mom in over a year so I’m pretty excited to have them here for the holidays so I’ll gladly put up with the craziness. You know what else their visit means? ALL THE HOMECOOKED MEXICAN FOOD I CAN EAT. Oh boy…there goes my diet…

So, I am glad I got a few minutes to write up this post because I totally flaked on posting this yesterday. I ended up going out with a friend to celebrate some good news and we ended up going to a yummy restaurant and then we watched Before Midnight. Have you guys seen it? I love Before Sunrise and Before Sunset so this was a great third installment, and I highly recommend it. Ok, ok…let’s get to the polish. Today I have the OPI Mariah Carey 18K White Gold & Silver Leaf Top Coat to share with you so let’s take a look at my swatches below.

There have been quite a few gold/silver leaf top coats in the last year or so and this is my first experience with them. I decided to take the plunge and try it out because I love the luxe-looking bottle. To be honest, I do like how this looks but I won’t be purchasing anything similar–maybe at a lower price point because this baby retails for $30!!! As far as application is concerned, it applied beautifully at one coat.

Well, I hope you’re all doing well and wish me luck with the rents. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Nicole by OPI Modern Family Holiday Collection 2013

Posted on 4 November, 20134 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Can you believe that it’s November already? Thanksgiving is just around the corner and suddenly Christmas will be here. Personally, I hate how crazy people get around the holidays so I don’t even care about it all except for the food, of course, because my favorite food is beautifully showcased: CARBS. Don’t fight me on this…carbs is totally my favorite food in every way, shape and form. Yesterday I filed down my nails big time because they were starting to bug me, but I did some swatching before that happened. Today I have the Nicole by OPI Modern Family Holiday Collection to share with you so let’s take a look at the swatches.

I kind of liked this icy blue polish even though it is slightly brush stroke-y. Nicole by OPI Late Blu-mer had a pretty good formula and needed 2 coats for full coverage. Is it just me or does this look a lot like OPI Dining Al Frisco? here is a swatch of Dining Al Frisco:

Pretty darn close, right? The lighting is a bit different, but I think they can be called dupes.

Nicole by OPI Spark the Conversation is a holographic top coat which I found very difficult to apply because it was impossible to get a lot of the holo squares on the brush and get them to transfer onto my nails. I ended up getting TONS of clear polish on my nails and very little glitter so the next time I use this, I will try to pick out some of the glitter with a dotting tool.

Nicole by OPI Aren’t Families Grape? doesn’t really seem like a very holiday-type shade to me, but it’s nice. The formula seemed very thin to me so I applied 3 coats for full opacity.

Nicole by OPI You’re My Treasure is interesting, but I don’t really like it because the diamond shaped glitter is kind of random looking. I had no problems with picking up enough glitter–in fact at times I had too much on the brush! This mani totally came out looking very Lakers-esque.

And lastly we have Nicole by OPI Who Red My Journal??? This is an orange toned red with a lot of shimmer to it. It’s a nice hue, but totally not that interesting to me. The formula was nice: thin but not too sheer so I applied two coats for my swatches above.

Overall, I would give this collection a mild “meh.” For a holiday collection, I was expecting brighter, more jovial colors. These Limited Edition shades should be available now for $7.99 each at select CVS locations nationwide. For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you later.

Perlier Imperial Honey Body Butter

Posted on 3 November, 20133 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Believe it or not, the weather has turned a bit here in Southern California and the nights are starting to get a bit chilly. One of the first signs that it’s getting a bit cold is the way my skin freaks out. Basically my skin gets so dry that it itches like crazy and moisturizers become my best friends. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find a super mild moisturizer that won’t make my skin freak out even more. When I saw the Perlier Imperial Honey Body Butter at the iFabbo shop, I decided to give this a chance since it sounded so incredibly luxurious. Just take a look at the luxe look of the container:

I am a huge fan of beautiful packaging so I definitely liked the appearance of the container. This body butter is made from the honey of Black Bees and Royal Jelly and is scented with Honey and Oriental Woods.

The product inside is incredibly soft and buttery and melts into your skin leaving it soft and not super greasy. I wish I had other positive things to say about this product, but I found it unusable. The problem is that I have a serious problem with scents. This product has a sweet smell that is overpowering and it made me sick. You know what I liken the scent to? Raisinets…kind of fruity and chocolatey. I do have to say that I am much more sensitive to scents than the average person because a lot of different scents make me sick. If it wasn’t for the scent, I probably would be enjoying this body butter this Winter, but sadly it did not work for me.

If you are familiar with Perlier products and enjoy them, you might want to check this out on HSN, I have a coupon code to share with you should you want to purchase this product: the code iFabbo5 will get you $5 off your Perlier purchase. I’ve seen a lot of people give this product great reviews so maybe it’s something you might like.

Have you tried any Perlier products? Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have had a nice weekend.

Cirque Baptisia

Posted on 2 November, 20132 November, 2013 by Cynthia

So far, my Saturday has gone by in a blur because I have been cleaning and getting my place ready for my parents’ arrival. I haven’t seen my mom in over a year so I’m super excited that they are coming for the holidays and for the arrival of my nephew. I can’t wait for all of them to get here later next week! I hope that work tomorrow is slow so that I can get a few posts written and scheduled because I think I’m going to be way too busy to write up any posts for the next week or so. Luckily, I have a lot of swatches done and edited so now all I have to do is write up the post and schedule it. Personally, I find that writing the post is the hardest part of the whole process, and that is what usually takes the longest for me. The polish I have for you today is the lovely Cirque Baptisia from the newest Cirque collection: Alchemy.

Cirque Baptisia is called a “shimmery midnight indigo” and I find that is a good description. It’s definitely one of those blurple-type colors that can look different depending on the angle. The formula on this polish seemed a little thin at first, but it definitely built up nicely. Since the finish on this polish was a little dull, I applied a coat of Seche to make it nice and shiny.

I changed my lighting a bit for these swatches so you can definitely see more of that gorgeous shimmer!

This gorgeous polish was a gift from the always awesome Amy from The Fancy Side. She recently moved from Kansas to NYC so she had the awesome opportunity to pick these up in person and she generously snagged some lovely presents. Amy has a review for the entire Alchemy Collection on her blog, so make sure that you check it out here. This was my very first Cirque polish and I kind of want to punch Amy for making me want the whole collection now. Let me know what you think of Baptisia! Are you a Cirque fan? What other pretties from the brand can you recommend? Thanks so much for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Nubar Wild West Collection For Fall 2013

Posted on 1 November, 2013 by Cynthia

Hi there! Today I have another Nubar collection to share with you and this one takes us back to the Wild West! Any time that I think about westerns, I think of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.

They are so dreamy. I still remember seeing Robert Redford in The Way We Were when I was a kid and I was hopelessly infatuated with him. Anyway, enough of my childhood crushes and let’s move on to the Nubar Wild West Collection.

Nubar Spirit Walker

Nubar Paint Pony

Nubar Go Native

Nubar Brothel

Nubar Cactus

Nubar Texas Sky

Nubar Never Take Off The Mask

The formula on all of these is pretty decent. All of them took 2 coats for full opacity and they applied fairly smooth. I’m just not that excited about this collection overall. I really like Spirit Walker, Texas Sky and Never Take Off The Mask. Other than that, I can leave the rest. I decided not to purchase one of the polishes from this collection because it was a metallic silver that was just barf central. It should come as no surprise that these are going up on on my blog sale so make sure you check them out there if you’re interested in trying out some Nubar polishes.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a great weekend!

Nubar Alter Ego Collection – Winter 2013

Posted on 30 October, 2013 by Cynthia

Are you guys ready for Halloween? I’m not planning to do anything so I’m not going to dress up nor am I going to give out candy. I’m probably just going to watch a whole bunch of scary movies at home. We are having a Halloween potluck at work so I’m making my much requested red velvet cupcakes. People at work are always talking about them so I’m happy to oblige since I love baking. I’ve had such a busy day today because I’ve been doing laundry and just general cleaning along with other errands. It makes me kinda mad because I can never seem to just enjoy a day off. Anyway, I also ended up finishing up my swatches of the Nubar Alter Ego Collection which is what I have for you today. This collection is made up of 8 glitter top coats in lightly tinted bases. I layered 2 coats of each glitter top coat over a corresponding solid color, and I got a pretty effect. The formula on all of the polishes is exactly the same: a little goopy but I think it helps you control the glitter application. Let’s take a look at the Nubar Alter Ego Collection, shall we?

Nubar Kristal (over Color Club Silver Lake)

Nubar Trixie (over Color Club Age Of Aquarius)

Nubar Blondie (over Color Club Neon Orange Sunset)

Nubar Vixen (over Color Club Endless)

Nubar Elektra (over Color Club Neon Sunrise)

Nubar Gipsy (over Color Club Abyss)

Nubar Satine (over Color Club Red Rocks)

Nubar Roxy (over Color Club Factory Girl)

Overall, I think that these top coats are pretty but for a lacquerhead like me, they are so boring. I mean, these are not anything that we haven’t seen before so I’m not excited about them at all. I feel that Nubar has been striking out lately and to be honest, so have a lot of other brands. I wasn’t that impressed with Nubar’s Summer and Fall collections either so I hope they get over this slump. The last Nubar collection that I loved was My Sweet Escape for Spring which I reviewed here. Nubar can be a little hard to come buy since I’ve only seen it at independent beauty supply stores, but you can purchase them online where they retail for $8. If you’re interested in any of these, they are going on my blog sale so make sure that you check them out there along with a lot of other goodies. Let me know what you think of this collection–I’d love to hear from you. Are you a Nubar fan? Thanks so much for the visit, and I’ll talk to you soon.

P.S. My giveway is ending in a few hours. Have you entered?? If not, click on the image below and enter for your chance to win some Mariah Carey Holiday Liquid Sand Minis.