Blissful Things : Summer 2013 Edition

Wow, just realized I haven't been posting any Blissful Things lists since November last year! Without further ado, here goes the list, summer 2013 edition (from the far left, clockwise):

1. Dior Jelly Lip Pen in Carioca 636. This is from Dior Bird of Paradise Summer Look 2013 collection. Of all the chubby pens out there, I love this one the most. Moisturizing with a sheer color that surprisingly lasts (!).

2. Dejavu Fiberwig mascara. This is the so-called 'tubing' mascara that can't be removed by anything but warm water. Perfect for summer where skin tends to get more oily.

3. Fragile Eau de Toilette by Jean Paul Gaultier. A surprise appearance on this list considering this is considered as heavy fragrance for nighttime wear. The key is light hand when applying. Just two spritz will do or spray it onto the air and walk into the fume. It will leave you with the most delectable island smell because of the white flower base notes.

4. Diorsnow BB Creme SPF50 PA+++. Summer is not the time I want to have things piled on my face, nor do I want to spend that kind of time in front of the mirror. This product is like a tinted moisturizer, light enough but does a very decent job evening out skin tone. The SPF and PA levels seal the deal.

5. Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera. Described as rosy peachy pink on their US website, I'm not sure if this shade is still available in Singapore. Can't seem to find this shade at Sephora. There's a reason why Convertible Color is so popular. It's the creamiest cream blush I've ever tried but doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. On me, Gerbera turns out a beautiful soft pink, the peach tone seems to disappear into my olive skin.

6. Popsicles. Do you know that legally you cannot refer to the frozen sweet concoction on a stick as popsicle because the name is a registered trademark of Unilever? Don't believe me? Scroll down to the bottom of their website here. Legality aside, I can't wait to make my own this summer. Watch for the recipe soon!

I Heart Taupe: Chanel Safari's Dupe

I love taupe eye shadows, it's versatile and neutral enough for work and casual wear yet still has the twist to keep it interesting. I have two eye shadows that I use in heavy rotation for daily look and one of them is Safari by Chanel. It's a beautiful taupe color with slight shimmer, enough to add depth to the eye lid yet still subtle.

Recently I bought an eye shadow from Bobbi Brown called Heather Mauve (what a pretty name btw!) and when I compared it to Safari they were THIS close to being identical twins. I'd say they're like 98% similar. Take a look at the photos below:

If BB Heather Mauve looks a bit darker than Chanel Safari, it's because I was a bit heavy-handed when swatching it. It is really almost the perfect dupe, honestly you wouldn't be able to tell in real life. Here's the macro shot:

Here's how they look in the pan:

It looks more different in the pan than when swatched. I just don't understand the name 'Heather Mauve' when I really don't see the mauve in the color. Now, I can no longer find the Heather Mauve color on Bobbi Brown's website but they do have a shade called 'Heather', not sure if it's the same one only with different name.

Here are some looks I did with both eye shadows, I use the following for each look:

Look #1 (Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Burberry Eye Definer in Midnight Plum No. 05

Look #2 (Chanel Safari)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Chanel 45 Safari
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric

All looks feature Diorshow New Look mascara in 090 Black.

Bobbi Brown's eye shadows cost SGD34 while I don't have the latest Chanel's price at hand but I'm sure it's somewhere around SGD44.

Until next time!

Obsession Du Jour : Watermelon Nails

These past couple of months I've been craving watermelon shades like crazy. Coincidentally, watermelon is the featured color in this month's InStyle! What is watermelon shade, you ask? Well...it's a combination of pink and orange but it's got more pinks in it than coral, it's very bright but it's not neon. It is definitely very summer but for people with warm complexion such as yours truly, it's a year-round yummies! ^__^

So I was browsing the Dior counter the other day and came across this lovely polish called Lucky.

I believe this was released in the spring this year together with 3 other shades to color-coordinate a few shades of their lipsticks from the Addict Extreme line. I've been seeing them whenever I passed by any Dior counters but somehow it has never piqued my interest enough to actually check them out. Until recently.

The complete name of this shade is 659 Lucky.

 It's a creme finish and doesn't look that watermelon-y to me on the bottle. Here's a couple of shots with flash:

So GORGE! Here it is under white fluorescent light at night, no flash. I have no idea why it looks like it has some kind of shimmer in it:

My big problem with Dior Vernis is the brush applicator which is ironic because it's supposed to be one of their selling points. It is a flat brush with rounded edges in the same manner as the brush from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure polishes. It's supposed to assist better in getting the application done in a single stroke but the thing is, Dior's is thicker and too stiff. I always have a hard time filling up the edges of my nails because I worry the polish might smear onto the cuticles. And because the brush is too stiff, it doesn't flex enough when you run the brush vertically over your nails. It's uncomfortable and causes the polish to apply uneven sometimes. I still find OPI's Pro Wide brush to be the best type of applicators there is.

The formula on these is rather thick but workable. It is a one coater but I painted 2 coats on some of the nails because I have yet to master the application in one single stroke, so some of them came out uneven. It's not as shiny as Zoya on its own but it's decent. I'll top it off with a top coat anyway so this is not really an issue.

Here's a few more shots taken inside a room with natural sunlight:

 This showcases the watermelon shade best. Can you see how squishy and yummy this sorbet-like color is? As usual, I use OPI Original Nail Envy, Natural Base Coat, and Poshe Top Coat in all of the pictures, no clean ups. Oh, forgot to mention, this is a one day-old manicure.

I went to Dior again the other day to try the matching lipstick since I really love the polish. Here how it looks on its own, no liner or balm or gloss used. Pardon the poor quality as it was hastily swatched and photographed.

As you can see, the color is not as vivid as the nail polish but it is very pretty, and much louder in real life but it's got the gleaming sheen that makes it so yummy looking and wearable.

So to cap it all off, why watermelon? Because it's more youthful than red but just as intense, and the shade is still fresh, as in it is not yet overplayed like corals or shocking pink (NARS Schiap, anyone?)

Happy Weekend, Everyone!