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Monday, September 30, 2013

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Get Ready to See Pink!

October is Brest Cancer Awareness month and this means that starting tomorrow, we'll be flooded by pink!

The first use of the pink ribbons goes back to fall of 1991 by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, when they where handed out to the participants of a race for breast cancer survivors in New York City. It was officially adopted the next year in 1992, as the symbol for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Evelyn Lauder a breast cancer survivor herself, senior corporate vice president of Estée Lauder then created a ribbon to be distributed in stores in New York. The movement took off!

Have you ever seen the pink and blue ribbon? This one was created in 1996 to bring awareness to the fact that both women and men are afflicted by this. It is more rare in men but it does happen, I have a brother in law who is a survivor. Both he and his wife fought the disease and won.

Along with Estée Lauder there are now a countless number of companies that produce pink colored products to be promoted and sold during the month of October to remind us to give to the cause. How much are these companies contributing? It's hard to say but one thing is certain, it makes us feel good when we purchase something pink!

Just imagine if all companies gave 100% of all the proceeds these products brought in to the cause like M.A.C does with it's Viva Glam campaign for AIDS, what a difference it would make!

Estée Lauder...

Evelyn Lauder & Elizabeth Hurley Dream Lip Collection, includes a Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Rubellite and a Pure Color Sheer RollerGloss in Hot Pink along with a two tone clutch. $35,00. Clinique and Bobbi Brown will also have special promotional items to offer.

Avon...

Silver tone necklace with the word Love or Amour, $5.00 with all proceeds going to benefit breast cancer research, awareness and support programs. Through a representative or avon.com.ca


O.P.I Pink of Hearts...

From what I've read, O.P.I will donate $25,000 to the Susan G.Komen Foundation and $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer Canada. This is one of the most popular items in the blogosphere but honestly I think O.P.I  could give a little more...

There will be countless pink offerings in stores, from kitchen appliances to snow removing brushes. It's hard to tell how much those companies contribute so one has to be selective. If you really want to give to the cause...


On this site you can find a list of products from brands recognised by the Foundation, here.






Every province as several associations with special events worthy of getting your pennies so again, given the fact we don't know exactly how much of our money goes to the cause, this could be the way to go but at the same time, giving one something pink to a breast cancer survivor can be a very nice touch.



Sunday, September 29, 2013

Notable Reads, Vol. 23...

Adding a new tag...

Some entries will now have an extra tag, Catherine. The reason for this is quite simple. As you may have noticed I sometimes tap into memories, recent or not, where some are about her father while others have been or will be about me. Just like the food blog I started back in August where I intend to write down some of our favorite recipes for if/when she starts to cook, these anecdotes are for her. With the tag she'll be able to go directly to the posts where something personal is mentioned.

Fear not, I'm not transforming this blog into a personal journal and so I will try to make sure the memories are beauty related as is the case with what follows...


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Fall is barely a few days old and yes, I have a cold!

At the end of last week Catherine got home from school and it was clear she was starting a cold. I did all I could to avoid it, wiping every surfaces (especially my lap top which she prefers to hers), washing my hands almost every thirty minutes or so, in fact I thought I was going to be the stronger one...

The cold won!


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Diorshow Iconic Mascara / Review...

Most of you already know that my absolute favorite mascara so far is, Benefit They're Real! mascara. I would, if I could, repost my original review everytime I repurchase but it would end up being redundent and boring to you so, I just have to move on and try others!

Diorshow Iconic Mascara in 090 Black...

Originally I wanted to get Diorshow Iconic Overcurl but was told this newest member of Dior's mascara line up had a slightly dryer formula and looking at the tester, it did seem quite creamy and stable so I figured why not?


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Notable Reads, Vol. 22...

When I don't do my homework!

I recently realised that although I started this blog in January of last year I've been writing/posting on a regular basis since August of 2012 which means a little over a year now and as for this weekly feature of Notable Reads, well I think it was started last January. I've skipped some weeks here and there but whenever this happened I must admit that I felt a little guilty because it is, and I thank you all for this, quite popular.


Saturday, September 21, 2013

L'Oréal Spice Things Up Nail Color no 340 / Review...

Recently I mentioned I was slowly developing a nail polish addiction and this week seems to reflect this but I swear this was totally not planned and no, this blog is not turning into a nail blog, promise!

Stepping out of my comfort zone...

Some colors we are drawn to and other we steer clear of usually due to our personal preferences but also I believe due to past experiences, memories good or bad, some coming from as far as our early childhood. Now in my case the same can be said about smells and weirdly enough I've almost always associated fragrances with colors but that's for another day...


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Dior Vernis, Nuit 1947 / Review...

It's not unique, in fact there are many similar colors out there and the first that comes to my mind is the one that started it all, Chanel Le Vernis in Rouge Noir a nail polish I've repurchases several times through the years.

Nuit 1947...

February 1947 Christian Dior launched his new collection with much fanfare in his Avenue Montaigne salon. Seen as a breath of fresh air barely two years out of WWII, his New Look helped with the rebirth of French Couture. Although applauded by most there was some controversy surrounding the outrageous amount of fabric required to create the fabulous skirts for there was still rationing in effect in France. Despite this, for that year, Dior's creations accounted for 75% of all French fashion exports.*

Obviously the name, Nuit 1947, relates to the launching of Dior's New Look but ever since I purchased it I keep thinking about a book I read long ago, Night Over Water by Ken Follett (1991).**

Imagine this, Southampton September 1939, with war just declared a Pan American Clipper, the most luxurious airplane of its day, takes off one last time for America. On board an English Lord, a notorious fascist with his family, a Russian Princess, a couple of lovers and a handsome jewel thief... The crossing will take thirty hours with a storm raging both outside and inside of the plane. Suspense, humour, romance...

The title of this book in French is La nuit de tous les dangers (The Night of All Dangers) and yes, Nuit 1947 is a dangerous color! It's dangerously gorgeous, seductive and wow is it vampy!

Years ago Dior nail polishes where my favorites and I owned many of them. I could just kick myself for having thrown them away two years ago when I did a major purge. They were the originals with the white top that was a little awkward to work with but Dior has improved it with a silver cap that once removed reveals a smaller one that is much easier to hold.


Dior nail polishes first appeared in 1962,
Original ad created by René Gruau


Dior has also modified the brush and personally I hate it! I have no idea when they did this (I was away for a bit) but now it's flat which is a good thing, but it's way too big! While Chanel's Le Vernis' could be a little bigger, Dior's (and Guerlain's) could definitely be a little smaller.

I'm not a nail polish "applicationer" expert, never been and never will be. This big brush makes the process of applying the color a pain and I've had to re do both index and ring fingers on my right hand. Now this is something I rarely have to do coz even if I'm not an expert, I usually get it right the first time.

*Le Sigh*

Fortunately the formula makes up for this annoying detail, I guess I'll just have to get used to the brush since this will not be my last Dior nail polish. Their colors are just too gorgeous to pass and again, the formula is excellent.

Nuit 1947...

Since it's such a dark vampy red it requires a steady hand to apply. The first coat was just horrible since I put the emphasis on the edges to make sure they looked even. Unless you are an "applicationer" expert, I doubt you could get away with just one coat since I had only two nails that looked good. With the second everything fell into place but make sure you wait for the first coat to be totally dry otherwise the brush will pick some of the color up and you'll end up seeing the surface of your nails.

I did good by the cuticles but the size of the brush made it hard to avoid going over the sides. Fortunately, the formula is thick and so it kind of stayed put. Dior is a little harder to remove from skin than Guerlain so a good quality nail polish remover is required for cleaning up.

About the color...

Again, no mysteries, dark sexy, vampy red, but and this is a big but, there seems to be two different formulas. Sunny from Mostly Sunny has already written an entry about Nuit 1947 with beautiful pictures (as usual and I'm sooo jealous...). On one of them she spotlights the gentle shimmer... Mine has none! Like hers, the finish is super glossy and almost jelly like but even looking at it with a magnifying glass there is no shimmer whatsoever! Mine is pure cream and I must say, it seems a tiny bit darker. Could be that I applied heavier coats. You can see Sunny's pictures, here.

Since I was anxious to present you Nuit 1947 I ended up having no pictures of it in sunlight because last week was a cloudy one and the only worthy photo I have was instagrammed. Although the color is a little off you can still have a pretty decent idea of the finish. Shiny, shiny, shiny!


On the left, freshly applied and on the right, five days wear!

On the left the jelly like finish, even if my picture is not that great, is quite obvious. It's simply gorgeous! On the right, notice I do have some tip wear but no chips!!! I'm also quite impressed by the shine after so many days. It kind of looks like an ordinary nail polish would after two days on me. You see two coats with no top coat. I'd say this is a beautiful formula!

So, are there two different formulas? If you know the answer do this please leave a comment. I've tried to see the same color as the one on Sunny's pictures but under every light it looks darker and there definitely are no shiny specs in mine.

Nuit 1947 could be worn by a spy in a movie starring Rita Haworth with a look à la Gilda or how about one with Bogart and Bacall? With Nuit 1947 Dior has revisited a dangerous, elegant and sophisticated era in a verry classy way!


Do you like vampy colored nail polishes? Which is your favorite?



PS: I wanted to take a picture of Chanel Rouge Noir next to Nuit 1947, I've looked everywhere but it seems to have mysteriously disapeared! You can see the original bottle, here.

* To learn more about the beginings of Dior, see Voguepedia, here.

** To learn more about Ken Follet's Night Over Water, see the author's website, here.



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

YSL Nuits Fauves Manucure Couture Duos...

Hmm recently Dior launched a revamped nail care collection which includes an Instant French Manicure Pen. Honestly, I thought the french mani was out but apparently it's not the case. The formula of Dior's pen seems pretty good but has a bit of a Liquid Paper look if it's not covered by a light sheer beige or pink nail polish. I already own a few similar gadgets and since I wore that style on my nails for roughly ten years I can say I'm over it. A little before that in August, Dior had brought us a Magnetic Nail Lacquer with a magnet also a little too late in my opinion. This type of finish when it came out was kind of interesting but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Now enters YSL with another trend I thought we were over and done with, the crackle effect!


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Notable Reads, Vol. 21...

My Mini Quest...

Recently I've been wondering, what's up with people in Quebec and computers? More particularly, going online. One would think most are scared of the Web and It's almost like they are totally unaware of the amount of free information that's out there and that's on any subject. When I tell people I have a blog they look at me in almost amazement! Their mouths make the shape of a big "O" which sometimes leaves me wondering if they think I'm from another planet! Now this week I was more than pleased to bring to you a list of blogs worthy of following. Among my favorites, I could only nominate 15 for The Versatile Blogger but believe me, all the ones I follow are deserving of the same type of spotlight. Sadly, some of you may have noticed that there was only one written in French, Le Lapin qui Sautille so I figured I would try to find others.

Beauty blogging in Quebec... 


Saturday, September 14, 2013

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe NOTD & My New Nail Model...

Part of the For The Twill Of It Fall 2013 collection previously shown, here, Cashmere Bathrobe is a gorgeous medium/dark grey with just enough glitter to give it all the dimension this type of color deserves.

I do own a few greys but never feel comfortable wearing them and I guess the lack of shimmer is the reason. Then again, I'm not a shimmer nail polish kind of girl so don't expect me to go for any shiny silver any time soon. What I do like is when a formula shows "intelligent" dimension and Cashmere Bathrobe has that.

Introducing Catherine, my new nail model...


Friday, September 13, 2013

A Nice Accolade...

A nice accolade...

Recently I got a nice surprise, I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award! This is really a nice thought and so thank you Alice from Making Me Blush a new blog totally worth a look.

This means it's now my turn to nominate 15 blogs. Not an easy task since most of the ones I follow on a daily basis are quite established so I've decided to go with the ladies who have no awards listed on their pages. Some I follow through Bloglovin, some are on my blogroll and others I follow through Twitter. In fact several are Twitter buddies


Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Original Viva Glam Girl is Back!


Yessss! RuPaul is back!


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Mavala Minute Quick Finish Top Coat / Review...

Last spring, some of you may remember, I purchased three Mavala nail polishes which can be seen, here. As an update, I've ended up wearing Paris a few times this summer and really have nothing negative to say about it. Each time it applied easily and lasted a good five days with hardly any tip wear. My guess is that not all colors are created equal hence the bad reputation Mavala seems to have in some circles.

I don't recal if it was a review or a comment made by Gio from Beautiful With Brains but I remember her mentioning a Mavala top coat as being pretty good. At $3.49 a bottle I figured why not give it a try as I did with the nail polishes?


Remembering...





Tuesday, September 10, 2013

The Good Thing About Clear Lipliners...

I think the last time I wore a lip crayon was probably 15 years ago!

For a dark color it's almost a must if you want it to look it's best. A lip crayon helps define and correct the shape of the lips but also works as a barrier preventing the lipstick to bleed and look all smudgy.

Now as I've said I haven't use one in ages due in part to the fact that I don't wear dark colors anymore and I don't really have bleeding problems with the lipstick formulas I wear.

It's not the same with lip glosses! They make our lips shiny and pretty but wow can they bleed and this happens even on young firm lips.

The solution... A clear lip liner!


Monday, September 9, 2013

Dior Addict Gloss / Review...

To get myself more in a fall mood I figured I would get a deep plum/berry gloss and so Sunday while I was at the Dior counter I decided to pick up this little number...

Dior Addict Gloss in 973 Night Fantasy...

Described as a sparkling deep berry it truly complemented my Guerlain Madame Batifole nail polish but without being too matchy matchy. The color is beautiful!




How did it perform? Poorly!!!

This is truly breaking my heart and I'm so sorry but if possible this one is going back! Not thirty minutes after putting it on I already had sparkles all over the lower part of my face! Really not a look I go for.

I tried it on it's own and whether it was a light or thicker coat, sparkles all over.

I tried it over a lipstick. This was actually my plan from the get go, to gently deepen my NARS Tolède and wouldn't you know, sparkles all over, again!!!

Oh and don't blot it because if you do... Boom! Sparkle explosion!

I know, I know you're not suppose to blot a gloss but I did it only with the hope it would remove a bit of the glitter so less would end up on my skin.




I'm going to let you in on a little secret... I still have a few lip glosses from Avon Mark and they perform better than this Dior! The problem here seems to be that the sparkles are too big and fall off from the gloss if that makes sense. It's like they're too heavy for the formula even if they seem so fine. The same thing happened to me with a Chanel gloss last spring that I didn't review.

At $31.00 Dior Addict Gloss in Night Fantasy, although a gorgeous color, clearly isn't worth it for me so if it's at all possible, I'll be returning it and I don't think I'll exchange it for a non sparkling gloss since the wear was a little disappointing as well. After about an hour I could barely feel anything left on my lips and it didn't fade evenly. Instead, it accumulated on the contour of my lips with, you guessed it, sparkles stuck all over!


Ok you know I'm not the best for swatches but here goes anyway! See the glitter? 
It would have been gorgeous if only it had remained on my lips. :(

*cries*


Reviews:

Makeup Alley: 3.6 / 5 lippies for 77 reviews
Beauté-test: 4 / 5 stars for 90 reviews



Sunday, September 8, 2013

Notable Reads, Vol. 20...

A little personal update...

For some obscure reason these past few weeks I've been feeling a little out of it. Call it lack of inspiration, writers block or simply a lack on interest for Fall. I simply don't want to see Summer end.


Saturday, September 7, 2013

Nina L'Eau by Nina Ricci / Review...

A word of warning before you read what follows, I'm not the best at writing fragrance reviews for I find the process just plain intimidating. Writing about perfume requires a certain style, a certain finess mixed in with a little poetry. I don't have that but given this is a beauty blog and fragrance occupies a big part of the beauty industry I must dip my toe in and hope I won't fall in and drown... Ok maybe not to that point but please forgive the simplistic words.

Here goes...


Friday, September 6, 2013

Simple Eye Make-Up Remover / Review...

This little bottle has been under my radar for a bit now. Except for when I wear waterproof mascara I always use my micellar water for eye makeup but still wanted to try this one especially since it's my bloggerette friend Stacey's favorite. She swears by it and probably has three or four backups somewhere. :)

Just so you know, I don't have sensitive eyes. Most of the time I can use my facial cleanser on my eye area with no issues. Even recently with Nivea's highly fragranced foam cleanser there were no reactions whatsoever so I was sure this eye makeup remover would work like a charm.


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Ecotools Pencil Brush with Sharpener / Review

Warning, this is going to be a quickie!

At the drugstore today Ecotools brushes where on special and I stumbled on this little gem that I had never noticed before...


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Nivea Aqua Effect Refreshing Foaming Cleanser / Review

Almost out of my Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, the one I use in the shower, I had a decision to make...

To repurchase or to not repurchase...

Looking through past posts I realised that I had not reviewed this Caudalie cleanser! *facepalm*


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Hair Quest: The Results!

Last June was just horrible in Montreal! Rain, humidity, more rain!!! If only we could have a refund for it but apparently that's not the way it works. So now we're left with twenty days of Summer and we'll probably have a few more hot and sticky ones as was the case this past week.

Saturday I did my hair color and it was perfect! I mean the color was great and styling was a breeze. I ended up with beautiful sleek shiny hair. The weather was just amazing! Sunny, a bit of a breeze and most importantly, no humidity!


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Dior Homme The Film...

In case you missed it, here's a modified repost of what I brought you in June...

... Dior announced Robert Pattinson would become the New Face for Dior Homme. Unless you've been living in a cave for the past six years or so, you most likely know that he played Edward in the Twilight movies. Personally I much prefer to remember him for his role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter. Why did he have to die?

The 27 years old actor was chosen to be the new face of Dior Homme, replacing Jude Law who's popularity has slightly gone down in recent years. This could, in a way, make of the the fragrance a best seller considering the legions of fans Pattinson has, all the teenagers who grew up watching the vampire saga as well as those not so young admirers, the moms, the ones who where called Twimoms.

Dior has had a few good men to promote their fragrances. The most stunning in my opinion being Alain Delon. In 1966 he was the face for the new Eau Sauvage, the first men fragrance of Dior. The year of La Piscine, one of Delon's best movies, he was and still is by the way, so strikingly handsome. To me Pattinson doesn't have the same plastic masculine beauty Delon had but I believe, if done correctly, it should be a beautiful campaign.


 
Alain Delon in 1966. In the original picture the actor is holding 
a cigarette which was erased for the ad.


Johnny Hallyday in 2001. The French rocker with the American twist agrees 
to wear a turtle neck instead of his usual classic Perfecto leather jacket. 


Jude Law, 2010


From the get go, some have had fun imagining what the new campaign 
(image from Tumblr) with Robert Pattinson will look like. 


For some mysterious reason I had been waiting for this and will admit, I was a little anxious about it not because I'm a fan of Pattinson but because of all the publicity surrounding it. Would Dior flop like Chanel did with Brad Pitt? True that Angelina's beau wasn't selling us a man's fragrance. He was handsomely paid to let us know that Chanel N°5 was to way to go to seduce a man. A man like him? Hmm not really my style but I got the idea. For the first time a man was selling us a woman's fragrance. The idea was, in my opinion, excellent but the way it was presented, not so much. A beardy guy wearing jeans, all of Brad Pitt he may be but it just didn't do it for me. Too plain, not dreamy enough.

Here is Robert Pattinson's official interview about the ad where he describes the Dior man as...

"The kind of guy that fights in a tuxedo" ...




Dior Homme The Film... (Official Uncensored Director's Cut)




Dreamy? Yes
Sensual? Yes
The choice of Led Zeppelin? Brilliant!
Worthy of Dior? Yes


Dior Homme - Behind the scenes (Official)




They did do it correctly!


Has Robert Pattinson finally shed his Edward persona? What do you think?

Me I'm thinking, Edward who?



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