Posts Tagged Swatches
OPI New Orleans Spring | Summer 2016 Collection – and something a little different
Posted by Latoya in Motherhood, Musings, Nail Polish, OPI on March 13, 2016
Well hello to those of you who still stop by my blog! It’s been quite a while, no? It’s true that a lot has gone on in the past month (Elena started at a day home and I returned back to work – eek!) but I’ve had opportunity to post, I just haven’t been feeling like it. I’m pretty much over READING beauty blogs let alone write one! It’s just the same old, you know? I’m so not interested in reading/writing reviews, and as I’m being particularly restrictive with my purchases (as usual, in an effort to reduce/streamline), I’m not too keen on reading about the new NBT (Next Big Thing) because that just creates WANT feelings and that’s not going to help my cause. But there’s always this desire to write, and to connect with people – and I’m still obsessed with beauty, as always – so even though I’m not feeling like doing the usual ‘thang’ I have been thinking a lot about writing *something*, so here I am 🙂
I realized a few weeks ago that I haven’t given you guys any details on our upcoming wedding (which will be in September!). So I thought maybe I’d give you an update on that and maybe add in an update about Elena as well because hey, she’s cute! Since I happen to have the new Spring/Summer collection from OPI, the theme of which is New Orleans, I figured I’d throw in some swatches of the shades for some visual interest and to kill two birds with one stone. Multitasking: it’s the way to go!
*Note: If you have any questions about a particular shade, such as it’s formula or on possible comparisons, let me know! I will gladly accommodate 🙂
Planning a wedding while on maternity leave was quite fortuitous, because I was able to get all my vendors in place without any hassle – phone calls and day meetings were a cinch, so I was able to methodically research (which, admittedly, aside from the photographer, was minimal – I am SO not a bridezilla!) and meet with each service provider to ensure it was a good fit. Also, because I started securing people early (we set the wedding date 15 months in advance from when we got engaged), I had no issues getting each vendor that I wanted, so YAY!
OPI Let Me Bayou a Drink – so pretty!
In August, I went wedding dress shopping with my mom, Elena and 2 of my bridesmaids (the 3rd lives in Ottawa). I though I’d found the dress at a popular shop in the valley called Tatum’s (it seems to be where the majority of my friends have purchased their dresses), but then I truly found THE dress when we spent the better part of the afternoon at Chester & Felicity, a bridal shop here in Halifax. I can’t go into detail – I want it to be a surprise! – but OMG guys. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DRESS EVER!!!! I knew it when I first tried it on, but of course it was the most expensive dress of all of them so I held off. I came back a 2nd time with my mother and aunt to try it on again, and was instantly smitten all over again. My aunt, being like a 2nd mother to me my whole life, was gracious enough to offer to pay, so even though it’s still beyond what I think is reasonable to pay for a dress you’ll only wear once, I just had to have it. Seriously, just WAIT until you see this baby. SO. DAMN. AMAZING.
Of course, once the dress was picked, it was time to make sure my bridesmaids looked fabulous too! I did a wedding makeup in December, and the bridesmaid dresses were STUNNING and totally unlike your usual bridesmaid offerings. When I asked where they were from, I was told David’s Bridal, so that’s where we decided to look. My maid of honour had twins in October, so of course we waited a bit before going dress shopping, but by January she was (already!) looking great and we wanted to make sure the dresses were ordered in plenty time, so off we went to David’s to look at the selection. While they had a lot of your standard bridesmaid dresses, they also had several that were much more sophisticated and stylish, and we found the perfect choice – a long, Grecian-style one-shoulder dress with a defined waist and a sultry yet tasteful slit up the side. I really wanted the girls to have different color dresses, mimicking the colors of the sunset, and we lucked out – the dress comes in gorgeous shades of fuchsia, berry and plum. SO excited – they are going to look H.O.T.!
One of the last vendors I hired was the florist – we just met at the end of February. The company, Barefoot Blooms, is a florist and flower farm that embraces organic and sustainable farming practices, with flowers and greenery coming from their own garden and greenhouse. I really like the idea of utilizing local flora, being someone who prefers organic and local where possible anyway, so this seemed like the perfect fit. My visual for the bouquets is unstructured and a bit wild, so I think this also works with the kind of arrangements they specialize in. The reliance on local flowers also mean that the bouquets and arrangements won’t be finalized till close to the wedding, because our unpredictable weather means that the season for a certain type of flower may be affected. So, aside from the sole flower I know I want (dahlias), the rest is a bit up to chance! Which I kind of like (because I’m haphazard like that).
OPI Crawfishin’ for a Compliment
So, thus far, stress levels have been very low while planning the wedding. I’ve only recently felt a bit of pressure to get our invites out – with 6 months to go, according to etiquette I actually have plenty of time, but since we didn’t send Save the Dates, I feel like sending the invites earlier is appropriate. We’ve opted to utilize a wedding website to track RSVPs, so I had to put in some effort to get that set up (finding photos of Ryan and me is HARD! Since he’s away 2/3rd of the year, we have hardly any to account for our years together). But finally I think it’s ready to go, so once we get the last of our addresses, we can move forward and send the invites out! THEN I think things will really start to ramp up.
OPI Got Myself into a Jam-balaya – love this shade!
Wait! There is one thing I’ve been dropping the ball on that it’s kind of important – the HONEYMOON! We are planning to go to Iceland for the ‘moon, right after the wedding, but aside from knowing the location I haven’t done much to plan it. This needs to get done! Once I get the invites out this will be at the top of the to do list 🙂
OPI She’s a Bad Muffuletta! Gorg. See it here with matching lips!
On the Elena front: she’s learning new things all the time and it’s just so fun to watch 🙂 She’s not walking yet, but she’s doing a lot of standing up and peering over the coffee table at me or pulling herself up to cling to my legs lol.
I’m in no panic, she already leaves a path of destruction wherever she goes, and I know that’ll only increase tenfold once she’s walking! I didn’t walk till 15 months myself so I can’t judge anyway. Ryan, on the other hand, walked at 9 months (!) – must have been much more motivated that Elena and me haha.
OPI Spare Me a French Quarter?
As I mentioned, I started back to work, on March 1st. I wasn’t feeling stressed out about the return, but I wasn’t sure what to expect once I got back and how I’d feel. Perhaps because of that, it’s ended up being totally fine! The transition couldn’t have been easier – I started a new (acting) assignment right away, so I’ve been busy learning the ropes, and it’s been really nice to see all the old faces. I really like my colleagues and I know most of the people in our building since, as you know, I’m kind of a social butterfly, so it’s been nice to be back. Ryan happened to be home from work the first week I was back too, so that helped – he drove me to and from work and though I tried to handle the routine with Elena on my own (since I have to do it when he’s away), it was helpful in case I needed just a bit of assistance for those first few days.
I miss Elena and spending our days together, but it just makes the time we DO have that much more precious. She’s adapted to the new routine (she goes to a day home) pretty well too, so that helps. And I think it’s a great opportunity for her to spend time around other babies/toddlers and gain a bit of independence. We have to let them grow up, even if we don’t want to sometimes!
OPI I Manicure for Beads – sorry, I slept on this mani (as I wore it for a few days); the color is actually really pretty!
She’s had a doozy of a cold this week (classic kid who goes to day care), so it’s been a bit of a tiring week (Ryan went back to work Wednesday am), but she’s finally starting to get better and seem like herself again. It wasn’t all bad though – I got to get in some major snuggles, which I miss a lot!
This kind of thing happened all the time when she was much younger, but after about 6-7 months she just always slept better in her crib. While I’m thankful for that overall, I do still wish she napped on me here and there – it’s one of my favourite things to do 🙂
OPI Show Us Your Tips! – beautiful shade, but needs so many coats!
I’m not sure if you can tell in the previous photos or not, but Elena is still small – like, less than 14lbs small. She was truckin’ right along and gaining weight for quite awhile, but in the fall it slowed down to almost nothing, and she’s been hovering between the 13-15lb mark for months now.
That’s Elena with my friend’s 4 month old baby (!!), who is essentially the same size.
I try not to stress about it too much, because she seems like a very happy, healthy baby, and she has a great appetite, but of course as a mom you can’t help but worry a bit. So we’re seeing a paediatrician on April 1st to get her checked out to make sure there isn’t anything going on. Apparently there is a term they use for babies like Elena, called ‘Failure to Thrive’ which just means they aren’t growing as fast as your typical baby. A woman from work said her daughter (who is now 25) was only 18lbs when she was 2 years old, and I think that’ll be Elena – she’s just wee. That’s all (I hope) there is to it. It does make her extra cute!
OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys – another fave!
I think that’s the update on Elena in a nutshell – I mean she learns a new skill what feels like every day, but overall nothing major has happened lately (like learning to walk or starting to really talk). She’s just a joy, really, and I am just trying to be present with her every day and take it all in because it goes by so fast!
I mean c’mon – how cute is this kid!!?!
So there you have it – a bit of a life update plus a bit of polish fun! I’ve been pretty impressed with the OPI collections lately, I will say – there’s always a few shades I end up loving, and the formula is often on point, with a lot of cream shades being that creme-jelly hybrid that is such a pleasure to apply and wear. It makes it hard to keep my polish collection in check – though I have to tell you that I managed to get the number down to 50 this week!!! I’m quite impressed with myself, especially considering that every few months I receive another 24+ bottles from OPI that I have to weed through. You should SEE the giveaway pile!
So now – what’s new with everyone else!?
OPI Hello Kitty collection
Ok. It’s 9:01pm and I try to end my screen time at 9, but I am determined to get a post up so I’m going to make this snappy! [Edit: I went to bed before this was finished…what’s a couple more hours?] I received the Hello Kitty collection from OPI last week and it’s quite good! I know absolutely NOTHING about Hello Kitty and it’s popularity (not really into cutesy stuff as a general rule) but almost all of the polishes in this collection have a great formula and the shades are on point for spring. I’m not a fan of the cheap white ‘Hello Kitty’ print labels they’ve stuck over the regular OPI bottle tops, but it’s not a deal breaker either.
I’ve gotten all fancy today and thrown in some quick comparisons for you guys as well as the swatches. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Let’s Be Friends! & Charmmy & Sugar
Let’s Be Friends! is a pale lilac-pink. The first coat was patchy and I worried it would be a typical pastel cream, but by the second coat it evened out beautifully – with a little care you could get away with 2 coats (I used 3 as I slept on it before taking these photos, oops). In the end this is a lovely color with a glossy finish. I wore Charmmy & Sugar (a sheer lilac shimmer with violet, blue and silver glitter and a slight greenish duo chrome) on my index finger alone (3 coats) and over Let’s Be Friends (ring finger), because let’s get real, no one wants to remove more glitter polish than necessary. It’s a great layering shade, though I prefer the ethereal look it gives on it’s own. I kind of wish this had no glitter as I love the shimmering base color but the glitter takes away from it IMO. Fairly smooth glitter and easy to apply.
OPI Beyond the Pale Pink, Let’s Be Friends!, OPI Patience Pays Off
OPI Charmmy & Sugar, Nicole for OPI DC Lover
Small + Cute = ❤
A light pink cream. I love this color, but the formula is a PITA – the first coat was very streaky, the second a bit better, but it really requires 3 coats (or a very steady hand) if you want it to look flawless. A shame as this was one of my fave shades of the bunch! The formula is also a bit on the thicker side to give yourself time for it to dry (aka not before bed). Due to all the coats required and the thick formula I found this chipped within days.
OPI Suzi Shops & Island Hops, Small + Cute = <3, RBL Oh Slap!
Look at My Bow!
A soft orchid pink cream. This only needed 2 coats to opacity but its not 100% perfect – it’s a touch streaky. Beautiful color but not really for me, I think it’s a bit too saturated or something. I prefer the more muted look of Chanel Sweet Lilac (below).
OPI Look at My Bow!, Chanel Sweet Lilac
Again I paired up to avoid glitter removal. Super Cute in Pink is a medium-deep orchid crelly (creme/jelly formula). Gorgeous! You can see very slight VNL with two coats but I like it this way to preserve it’s squishy-ness. This is a perfect spring shade and was effortless to apply. Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel is a semi-sheer orchid shimmer with violet, pink, blue and silver micro glitter. It required 3 coats to opacity on the index finger (worn alone) and 2 layered (ring finger). It’s grittier to the touch than ‘Charmmy’ but not terribly so. While I liked ‘Charmmy’ on it’s own, I prefered ‘Starry-Eyed’ layered, as it gives it more depth and punch in color.
Essie Splash of Grenadine, OPI Super Cute in Pink, Mark Cupcake
Zoya Kissy, OPI Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel
Kitty White
A sheer white shimmer. Sorry for the change in lighting, I found this needed sunlight to show off it’s pearlescent quality. These kind of shades aren’t really my bag, though it is pretty. Not much to say about this one, depending on your nail length you could get away with 2 coats (or if you don’t mind VNL) as I’ve done here. I’d think 3 would still not have it entirely opaque though.
OPI Chiffon My Mind, OPI Go to Grayt Lengths, OPI Kitty White, OPI Make Light of the Situation
Though ‘Grayt Lengths‘ looks a lot more gray than ‘Kitty White’, when held up to the light they’re VERY similar:
OPI Go to Grayt Lengths, OPI Kitty White
Never Have Too Mani Friends
I’m not much of a black nail polish wearer except for layering purposes, but this is a great black nonetheless – another crelly finish, super shiny, super easy to apply (all of the crelly-type shades in this collection are a dream to apply). This is just 2 coats. It would be a great choice for anyone in the market for a black polish (or anyone who loves a good black polish).
a-England Camelot, OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends
My Pal Joey
A saturated cobalt blue. It’s not as in-your-face as some other cobalt shades (think YSL Bleu Majorelle, Nails Inc Baker St.) – it’s a bit lighter and because of the crelly texture it’s not so bold in finish. I really like this – it’s playful and eye-catching, and these textures are seriously out of this world. 2 coats for opacity (no VNL in sight here). LOVE!
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, YSL Bleu Majorelle, OPI My Pal Joey, OPI Wild Blue Yonder
5 Apples Tall
Some of these shade names I don’t get at all…ANYWAY, this is a gorgeous coral red that has a crelly finish but is fairly pigmented – if you were in a serious rush you could damn near get away with 1 coat (though I prefer the density of 2, as usual). Love the look of this! I don’t always like reds on me but this looks really flattering on my skintone (I think). So easy to apply with zero issues. It’s extremely close in color to Essie ‘Come Here!’ and I like the formula better, so I’ll be swapping this in for that!
Essie Come Here!, OPI 5 Apples Tall, OPI Love is In My Cards
Spoken from the Heart
A lovely saturated warm pink. I love this one as well! Again, it has that crelly texture though it’s not as pigmented as ‘5 Apples’ so I’d suggest 2 coats for sure. Even then it gives a hint of VNL but as mentioned I don’t mind that with formulas like this, the slight translucency is what gives it that squishy finish. Again, super shiny on it’s own and a cinch to apply.
Lippmann Daytripper, OPI Spoken from the Heart, butter London Snog
My Twim Mimmy
Again, WTF with the names? Anyway, this is a saturated medium yellow, very primary color-stuff (this along with the blue and red are like the most true representations of primary colors I’ve ever seen in a polish collection together). This doesn’t have the crelly texture (which would probably be a feat with yellow anyway since they’re the most annoying polish shades to work with) and is a touch streaky (I think 3 coats probably would be best so it looks flawless, but I was lazy and did 2), but as far as yellows go it’s actually not half bad. I don’t love it on my skintone especially as it’s so dense in color, but it might look better when I’m tanned.
OPI My Twin Mimmy, Bee Mine Forever
Overall, I thought this collection was really well-done and even not knowing a lick about Hello Kitty, I could enjoy all the shades. These are all without base coat as well and the majority are SO SHINY! Pretty, pretty, pretty.
What are your thoughts about this collection / about Hello Kitty? What is the DEAL?
Arbonne’s Smoothed Over Lipstick is making me swoon!
I have to admit, I have a bit of a bias when it comes to Arbonne…my experiences with the Associates who work for the brand has been nothing but ABSOLUTE BOMBARDMENT – any of my friends who have started selling Arbonne have been VERY intense about it, and truth be told the pyramid scheme feels a little cult-y to me. But hey, the perks must be rockin’ for people to go from laid back and chill to total pushers! So, maybe I’m just missing out?
In any case, it’s kind of a conflict for me because I have tried a handful of things from the line and I’ve pretty much enjoyed them all. I think the two lippies I have to show you today come out on absolute TOP though; these are AMAZEBALLS, guys! Let me break it down for ya:
Arbonne’s Smoothed Over Lipstick ($34CAD) is an über creamy formula with a satin-glossy finish, that soothes and moisturizes the lips with fruit extracts and helps lips look more plump and smooth. I know matte lips are still pretty trendy, but I’ve realized in the past few weeks that my lips don’t really love mattes – and not in the way you’d think. I mean, my lips can be dry, yes, so matte lipsticks don’t always feel (or look) so glorious over my flake-prone lips. But this winter season my lips have actually been more hydrated than usual, and yet some matte lipsticks still look a little craptacular. It’s all the lines, dudes! Though I have full lips, I never realized how many lines they have until recently, which is why certain matte lipsticks make my lips look super old 😥 I remember Kate talking about this and I couldn’t figure out what the heck she meant – I GET IT NOW, KATE, will you come back and blog again plz? ~sigh~
Anyway, since realizing this I’ve been keeping clear of the Offending Lipsticks (those that make my lips look crypt-like), and trying to wear ones that minimize the cragginess. These two Smoothed Over shades, Guava (a bright coral) and Currant (a bold red), couldn’t be more perfect in helping me achieve a better looking pout. Not only do they keep the lines at bay, but HOLY HECK these feel fantabulous! These are so comfortable and hydrating and lovely to wear, they truly feel like the best lip balm you’ve ever tried – except they’re a LIPSTICK! KA-BOOM. I’m 110% sold
Though I don’t wear red lipstick too often (for no good reason – I LOVE a red lip!), Currant might change that because it just ticks all the boxes: fabulous color (a true red I think would look great on everyone), flawless formula, and the shape of the bullet makes it really easy to draw on the perfect lip without the need for a brush (at least, until the tip is worn down some). I have two shots below, both in different lighting – the sun was setting as I was taking these photos – and you can see that it would look great in both the summer (the first shot with the sun still above the horizon) and winter (once the sun had set). GOR-GE-OUS.
The second shade, Guava, is still lovely, though perhaps a hint too bright for my deeper skintone – or perhaps, just for this time of year when my skin is more sallow. Nevertheless, I think this is a lovely spring shade and if you’re into corals – you NEED this in your life.
I have to tell you guys, I *just* received these lipsticks today and the moment I put them on I just had to write a post about them ASAP. I can’t get over how amazing this formula is, easily the nicest I’ve ever tried. Considering Givenchy Le Rouge (till now probably the nicest lipstick formula I’ve used) are $40 a pop, I feel like the Smoothed Over lippies are a steal for how great they are. Oh, and did I mentioned they smell delicious!? I can’t pick out the scent is but YUM – it’s some kind of fruity smell that isn’t overpowering, sickly or chemical-like. SO good.
Smoothed Over Lipsticks are vegan and formulated without gluten or parabens. BAM!
OPI Starlight collection for Holiday 2015, Part I: The Moody Hues
Ugh, you GUYZ. I’ve had these swatches done for a few days but Elena is keeping me on my toes, as usual! She’s been waking up at 4am for the past few weeks and is ready to PAR-TAY, she thinks it’s time to get up for the day and I’m DANG tired. Today she also thought resisting nap time was a great idea, so I’m just plain worn out. BUT I did finally get her down (I keep checking the monitor with fingers crossed that she’ll stay asleep for awhile) so what better time than to get these pics & post up?
I am extremely surprised at how much I’m enjoying the Starlight holiday collection from OPI – metallics and glitters are generally NOT my jam, but these are really doing it for me so far! The sparkle on a lot of these really is ‘out of this world’ (cue the cheese) and they look so pretty and festive in the dim light cast by the fire and/or Christmas tree. I keep wanting to change my mani every day to try them all fully (but ain’t nobody in THIS house got time for that, sadly). I’m working my way through the swatches though so I will have them all up before Christmas, I promise! Today I’m bringing you the first 6 which are the more moody, mysterious hues of the 18 shades in the collection (which, if I’m being honest, is INSANE – 18 colors!? When did polish collections get so HUGE?).
All swatches were taken in natural light unless otherwise specified.
Guys & Galaxies – a deep dark brown-red. It looks a touch streaky in the swatch above, but IRL it’s not, though you do need 3 coats to reach full opacity. It’s very glossy on it’s own – the shot above is with no top coat. It’s an easy formula to work with overall, despite needing that extra coat (though it’s a *touch* staining). I think this is a very sexy shade – and it’s NOT near black, which makes me happy.
I’m in the Moon for Love – this is a medium plum shimmer with golden micro-shimmer. Every time OPI comes out with a shade like this (Dutch’ya Love OPI?, Lost My Bikini in Molokini, Purpletual Emotion…), I’m like ‘eh’ – even though they all look flattering on my skintone, I just can’t get into these types of purples. There is a depth and richness to this shade that appeals to me (you can see it better in the 2nd photo, taken under artificial light), but I know it’ll just be another purple that I keep NOT wearing regardless. Good formula though, two coats to opacity, with no application issues at all.
Cosmo With a Twist – a royal blue with lighter blue shimmer that looks purple in some light due to a duo chrome finish. This SHADE, you guys!!! So, so gorgeous – it really looks like Outer Space to me. It needs 3-4 coats to reach full opacity, but it’s totally worth it. I would have never picked up this shade if left to my own devices, but I’m SO happy I got to try it out. Perfect holiday shade that’s not your typical red/silver/gold.
Give Me Space – a bold, medium blue with silver shimmer. This has a VERY slight prismatic effect that’s really only visible in sunlight – so don’t let that be a reason you pick it up! The first coat went on sheer but it managed full opacity in two coats. I found this shade a touch fussy to apply, it can pull in spots if not applied with a relatively quick hand. I suggest loading up the brush and applying coats in one go, versus dipping back into the bottle. This is a beautifully rich shade, but along with the shimmer being a let down it didn’t wow me.
No More Mr. Night Sky – a sparkling gunmetal. This is quite sheer; it requires at least 3 coats and looks best with 4. Despite that: he-LLO, gorgeous! This is another polish I would have never picked up as I don’t gravitate toward shimmers, but holy smokes – this is so pretty!! It’s the most beautifully sparkly, twinkly polish I think I’ve ever seen. It looks particularly amazing in low lighting (the 2nd photo), so it’s PERFECT for the holiday seasons parties and hanging out by the Christmas tree.
Centre of the You-niverse – a charcoal with silver shimmer and black glitter bits. This is 2 coats, though depending on how thickly you apply your coats you may need a 3rd. Even though it’s got minimal glitter, they’re so tiny they’re a pain to remove entirely. For black polish lovers though this is a great shade; top coat makes it really gleam.
Sooo, basically I want to keep 4 of the 6 shades shown…that does NOT help me decrease my polish collection! Dang it. I just think these are so lovely for the holiday season or for any time you want a bit of sparkle that’s a little understated (re: not a full-on glitter) but still fabulous. Well done so far, OPI!
Photo outtakes: Last night when I took the bottle shots Elena hightailed it to where I was and got her grabby hands in there lol…at least I got one good shot (above) before the destruction!
YSL La Laque Carmin D’Or: Christmas in a bottle
Posted by Latoya in Holiday, Holiday 2015, Nail Polish, Red, YSL on December 1, 2015
You know you’re a beauty junkie when you buy things and forget about them. During the Sephora sale, I kept thinking I should buy something festive from one of the holiday collections, since I didn’t pick anything up from any of them….OH WAIT, YES I DID – the YSL Carmin D’Or polish from the ‘Kiss & Love‘ holiday collection, a gor-ge-ous scarlet with fiery golden shimmer throughout. Oops. I forgot. (I also bought Dior’s insanely beautiful Gris-Or from the ‘State of Gold’ holiday collection, which I ALSO forgot about….eeks. Review to come!) Right. But! Now it’s December, and it’s time to wear all my pretty festive nail polishes! So, we’re starting with this beauty:
It’s actually got a significant blue lean that I had a hard time capturing on camera – meaning it’s not a true red at all but more of a pink-red. I didn’t realize that when I swatched it in store, but I kind of like that because it makes it different than your standard golden red polish. The shimmer is incredible, it absolutely GLOWS no matter what light you’re in (although my outdoor pic doesn’t show that). The formula is also wonderful, with a thin-to-medium viscosity to allow easy application – two coats to full opacity, no fuss. This is my second YSL polish and so far I’m very impressed. It hurts to pay $27CAD (although it pleases me that it’s the same price in the US) but the upside to buying less polish overall is that when you do, you don’t feel so bad spending the big $$ on a shade you love. And that squared off bottle? SEX-AY.
I just received the OPI Starlight Collection yesterday so I have a bunch of holiday polish shades coming your way. I may do a countdown with a different shade each day…I’ll try my best! I’m in a major holiday spirit, we put up our lights on the house last night and it looks fab! I’m working on the inside now – we went to Homes for the Holidays here in Halifax on the weekend and looking at all the decorations makes me feel so festive! And also brings out my inner Martha. Check out this wreath I made!:
Yahooooooo!! Let the holiday season truly begin! 🙂
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation in Y405 and Y415 {review & swatches}
Posted by Latoya in Foundation, Make Up For Ever on November 10, 2015
Sometimes I just can’t come up with a snappy title, my apologies ~bor-ing!~
I’ve been sitting on this review for too long, for no good reason other than I wanted to get full face shots and kept forgetting to take them, or just not wearing foundation half the time. I finally got my butt in gear and took a few this week – the weather (and so, the lighting) has been gorgeous this fall! We (meaning Ryan) even got a bit of yard work done yesterday because it was so beautiful outside.
Make Up For Ever’s newest foundation, the Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($50CAD), is a step-up from their original HD foundation in that it looks flawless and undetectable even under a 4k lense, which apparently is the highest definition on camera these days [blah blah technical jargon blah]. Essentially what that means to me is that if you can’t see it under a super-microscopic lense, you probably can’t see it in person either. SWEET. As someone who definitely favours the no-makeup makeup look (at least where skin is concerned), this PLEASES ME GREATLY.
I wasn’t actually a huge fan of the original HD foundation – I found that I *could* detect it on my skin and it felt a bit heavier than I prefer. The Ultra HD foundation however, is so totally up my alley – it’s insanely lightweight, blends seamlessly into my skin, and covers beautifully with only the smallest amount (no more than a pea-size for the entire face, if that!). The stick version (also $50CAD) works similarly in that it blends in easily – and is made even more efficient as you can just swipe it on, blend and and I’m ready to go. Both are buildable to a medium-full coverage if desired. Many have noted that the stick is better suited to drier skins, and I did find in the summer it was a bit too hydrating for my normal-oily skin (my t-zone got quite shiny). But in this cooler weather I’m actually having no issues with it, especially after lightly powdering around my nose and the centre of my forehead, and I prefer the ease of use of the stick for day to day – I can just spot conceal, blend and go!
Swatches, left to right: Ultra HD (liquid) foundation in Y415, Ultra HD (liquid) foundation in Y405 and Ultra HD (stick) foundation in Y405
Swatches (blended), left to right: Ultra HD (liquid) foundation in Y415, Ultra HD (liquid) foundation in Y405 and Ultra HD (stick) foundation in Y405
As usual, MUFE has a HUGE shade range to choose from, and if you used the original HD foundation you can find your match that route – for example, I was 153 in the original HD which corresponds to Y405 Golden Honey in the Ultra HD. I’ve still got a hint of a tan from the summer so this shade is a hair too light but if I blend well and don’t use it all over I can get away with it no problem. Interestingly, Y415 Almond, the other shade I have, is similar in ‘darkness’ but it’s more cool-toned as you can see in swatches above. It matched my skin better when I was more tan in the summertime.
Overall I’m really happy with these foundations, I adore the finish more than any other foundation I’ve tried (really!). The only caveat is that it does contain fragrance – and while sometimes fragrance in products doesn’t cause any issues for me when used in small amounts as it is here (I don’t even notice a smell), I have found that this irritates the skin around my mouth significantly if I apply it there. I have periodontal dermatitis off and on so I have to be very careful what I use in that area as it is – so that’s kind of a bummer, but not a deal breaker as it looks so good and wears so well everywhere else.
Have you tried the new Ultra HD foundation? What are your thoughts?