Tag Archives: review

If you’re anything like me, then you are perpetually in search of the perfect lip balm. When I heard that Elizabeth Arden was launching not one, but two lip products based on their best-selling Eight Hour line, I knew I had to try them!

Some background from Elizabeth Arden:

Since its introduction in 1930, Elizabeth Arden’s original Eight Hour® Skin Protectant has been an international sensation that’s passed down from generation to generation. While the formula for the iconic “miracle” cream has remained virtually unchanged, the Eight Hour® collection has expanded to include multiple products for the face and body. Both Eight Hour® Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm and Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20 leverage Elizabeth Arden’s spa science, the brand’s unique approach to beauty that merges 100 years of hands-on spa experience and product innovation with the latest scientific innovations.

The first product:

Eight Hour® Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm delivers intense, long-lasting moisture. The rich gel formula also helps strengthen lip’s delicate moisture barrier, leaving lips healthier-looking and more beautiful than ever before. Packaged in a portable jar with a twist off lid, Eight Hour® Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm imparts lips with subtle sheen and a refreshing eucalyptus-based fragrance. This balm’s ingredients and benefits include:

Petrolatum, Shea Butter, Palm Tree Butter, Essential Fatty Acids complex and Honey Extract — high level mixture of emollients and moisturizers helps seal in moisture as it smoothes and softens lips
Petrolatum and Arnica Flower Oil —helps heal dry, chapped lips and create a protective film to protect against future damage
Vitamin E Acetate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Honey Extract and Watercress Extract replenish essential nutrients lost over time
Menthol and Menthol Lactate– cooling agents provide immediate soothing relief
Cardiospermum Halicacabum – botanical extract which help soothe and calm skin

Source

The Eight Hour® Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm is the one I was most excited about trying as our Canadian winter wreaks havoc on the delicate lip skin. I use lip balms religiously, throughout the day and before bed, and even then, I sometimes end up with wind- or winter-chapped lips. I cannot bear having chapped lips, yikes! So in order to bring you a valuable review, I decided to give the Eight Hour Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm a month-long trial, using it daily at least once, in addition to every single night before bed. My findings:

The product is buttery soft, the consistency of whipped, near-room-temperature butter.
It is not greasy though: the gel-formula applies a barrier over your lips without being like petroleum jelly.
It has the slightest scent of eucalyptus and honey, and leaves a hint of a cooling sensation when applied. I found this cooling effect to be more noticeable when your lips are chapped or dry, eg from wearing matte, drying lipstick.
It leaves a delicious soft feeling on your lips when you go to bed with it, and also makes a wonderful base for your lipstick when heading out.
While using this product, I have had softer lips every morning when I wake up. Even after a day of wearing lipstick or gloss, my lips are not dry.

I am absolutely obsessed with this Intensive Lip Repair Balm!! I was actually away, without my Lip Repair Balm for a couple of days, and came back with wind-burned lips. I don’t think I can go to bed wearing anything else.

For your day-to-day use, the Eight Hour® Cream Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20 provides lips with the essential, daily moisture they need. This luxurious gloss is enriched with 8 vitamins, minerals and nutrients and minerals, and includes UVA and UVB broad-spectrum sun protection. Housed in a portable squeeze tube with a slanted lip applicator, Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20 indulges lips with sheer shine and a neutral scent. This nourishing treatment’s ingredients and benefits include:

Petrolatum, Lanolin, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Palm Tree Butter, Essential Fatty Acids complex and Honey Extract — high level mixture of emollients and moisturizers helps seal in moisture, as it smoothes and softens lips
Petrolatum and Lanolin — creates a protective film to protect against future damage
UVA and UVB Filters — provides broad spectrum sun protection
Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Omega 6, Omega 3, Calcium, Zinc and Iron — replenishes 8 essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients lost over time

Source

Working hand-in-hand with the Intensive Lip Repair Balm, the Nourishing Lip Balm with SPF 20 provides daily protection from the elements. I love the tube applicator that you can toss in your purse and carry with you! Here is what I found with this product:

Has a nearly undetectable scent, and comes out in a pale pink cream that applies invisibly on your lips.
Wore this daily under both lip gloss and lipstick. Used it under one of my favourite red matte lipsticks and it created a moisturizing canvas for the product. My new trick is to apply this over the matte lipstick as well, in order to prevent the drying, cracking effect of that lipstick. Works like a charm!
The Nourishing Lip Balm is extremely nourishing, providing long-lasting relief from dryness.
I decided to test this product’s moisture delivery by actually wearing it to bed, and even with its SPF, I woke up with incredibly soft lips the next morning!

Needless to say, Elizabeth Arden blew me away with this addition to their Eight Hour product line, and I am obsessed. I love the texture, the scent, and most importantly, the result of both these products.

In Canada, they are both available for purchase at The Bay, Sears, Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs and Pharma Plus Ltd. The Eight Hour® Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm 15ml jar retails for $28.00 Cdn, and the Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20 15ml tube is $23.00 Cdn.

Check out ElizabethArden.com for purchasing in the US.

(Products provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

piCture pOlish Majesty

April 18, 2013

Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, piCture pOlish

Nubar – My Sweet Escape Part 2

April 14, 2013

Jelly, Nailpolish, nubar, Obsessed

4 Comments

I recently shared with you part 1 of Nubar’s My Sweet Escape collection, a gorgeous set of eight luxe and summery shades for Spring/Summer 2013. The collection includes bright cremes and creme pastels. I love the span of shades in this grouping, and have broken it up into two posts for you: the brights (here), and the blue/greens which I have for you today!

Here is the cool “travel bag” the collection arrived in:

Here are the gorgeous blues and greens of the collection for you to drool over!

Let’s start with Jaded, a light turquoise, reminding me of the colour of the ocean on a tropical beach, and one of my ultimate favourites of this set. Like the other Nubars I’ve experienced, the formula was leaning towards a crelly – a cream jelly – and I simply adore jellies. On the first coat it was a little sheer, as jellies tend to be, but the second coat levelled easily and provided perfect coverage. Enough reading; look at this polish that transports me to Bora Bora (well, in my mind anyway):

That is two easy coats over base. I had not even applied top coat as I ended up using Jaded for another look – and look at this shine!

Here is a shade picture that leans more blue:

And see what I did with Jaded and Ozotic here – simply gorgeous!

A close relative of Jaded is My New Obsession, though I think my two bottles were mislabeled and mine was labeled Dusk Till Dawn. 🙂 My New Obsession is a shade darker and a hint bluer than Jaded, making it a medium turquoise-blue. Formula on this was fantastic, and here are 2 coats over base coat, before adding top coat:

The above sun photo really emphasizes the teal in My New Obsession, whereas in artificial light it leans even bluer:

Is that not a perfect shade?? So wearable, and perfect for the rising temps!! And I love how Nubar included two “related” shades in this collection.

The final blue polish from My Sweet Escape is Dusk Till Dawn (which is the other mislabeled bottle so I was calling this the wrong name in my previous Ozotic post!). Dusk Till Dawn is a royal blue, though I hesitate to call it either bright or dark – in reality it is a perfect cerulean, and a touch darker than my camera insisted on capturing it. Here are two gorgeous, shiny coats over base coat:

Here is a picture of Dusk Till Dawn in sunlight:

Yet another wearable, gorgeous blue!! And best part of all? NON-staining!! (When I find blues or greens that do not stain, I jump for joy. Just today I was cringing at staining from another blue!)

And check out my Dusk Till Dawn/Ozotic manicure here.

Last but not least, Into the Wild, a muted emerald green. I am not always a green fan… I like certain greens and in small doses, but I think Into the Wild may be the polish to convince me to wear green on my tips! It’s a pretty Kelly Green, and now (oddly) I think of Grace Kelly whenever I see these swatches. Regal, beautiful, lady-like, just like Princess Grace. It truly is a spectacular colour, and like the others, was an amazing consistency. Here are two generous coats, pre-top coat, and this shade picture is extremely colour-accurate:

Is that not a pretty, summery green?

One more picture, this time direct light so it leans a touch lighter:

Check out my last combo utilizing the My Sweet Escape beauties here, Into the Wild with piCture pOlish Ariel’s Tale! (I am loving these Nubars, alone or as bases!)

Once again, I was quite impressed with Nubar. In my experience, their polishes have consistently delivered amazing shine and wearability, and this entire collection was the same. I love the variety of shades My Sweet Escape delivers, screaming summer, sun, and beach. If you are looking for summer and bright colours, you need My Sweet Escape.

Like all nubar products, “My Sweet Escape” Collection is free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (phthalate), and is vegan and cruelty free. Nubar is available directly from Nubar’s online shop, from Nail Polish Canada, Harlow & Co. and other fine retailers.

So which one do you like best?

~xo

Ozotic Sugar 903

April 3, 2013

Nailpolish, nubar, Obsessed, Ozotic

7 Comments

Happy piCture pOlish Thursday!!

Today I bring you my second Ozotic Sugar, the first of which was Sugar 901, reviewed here. piCture pOlish added the Ozotic brand to their portfolio, and late last year, introduced the Ozotic Sugars, four polishes numbered 901 through 904, each inspired by “adding a tiny drop of food coloring to icing sugar – hence the sugary sweet looking colours.” A family of topcoat-type polishes, they range in shades from pink to yellow-green, and really are sweet-looking!

While Sugar 901 was a sugary pink duochrome, Ozotic Sugar 903 is an azure blue that shifts to a pinkish purple. The sparkling tiny duochrome glass flecks are what create the wow in the Sugar series, reflecting light in every direction possible, dancing in gorgeous harmony on your nails.

While I layered Sugar 901 over a blackened base, I wanted to play with 903. I finally settled on this beautiful cerulean base, Dusk Till Dawn, one of Nubar’s new My Sweet Escape collection. (And can that name be any more perfect??) If you know me, you know that blue is one of my favourite colours, even though I often shy away from it on my nails.

I think this may be the manicure to change my mind!!! Look at the incredible beauty of Ozotic Sugar 903 over Nubar’s Dusk Till Dawn!

That is just one coat of Sugar 903 over 2 coats of Dusk TIll Dawn.

Please tell me that is not dreamy?

Here is one more shot, this time in artificial light:

I am totally obsessed with the Ozotic Sugars, and can’t wait to get my hands on the other two! I think this combination may be my new obsession. 😉

To get your very own Ozotic Sugar, visit piCture pOlish on-line and or visit any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada.

And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

OPI Euro Centrale Dotticure

March 30, 2013

Matte, Nail Art, Nailpolish, Nicole by OPI, Obsessed, OPI

8 Comments

Happy Easter weekend everyone!!

Though I simply adore the cute pastels associated with Easter – pale yellow, baby pink and blue – I was planning on wearing a pastel yellow, I was hit by a bolt of inspiration when I saw this gorgeous manicure on the the Lacquerheads of Oz Instagram. And let me tell you, I had never attempted a dotticure! I always mention this, but I’m not big on doing nail art myself… (I love seeing everyone else’s!) Jelly sandwiches, yes. French manicures… love. But actual nail art is a bit foreign to me.

However, I decided to give it a try, without dotting tools, no less! So out came the bobby pins, the gorgeous OPI Euro Centrale collection, and a new go-to polish from Nicole by OPI: Am I Making Myself Claire? from the Modern Family collection!

I decided to use the beautiful vanilla shade My Vampire is Buff as my base, which I previously reviewed here. This is the perfect bisque shade, one that I haven’t tired of. Here is our canvas at 2 coats:

Since this was a first for me, I decided to document the process (for both you and for me). 🙂 I added some random dots using Nicole by OPI’s Am I Making Myself Claire?, a dusty, greyed lilac that is perfection in both formula and application, and OPI You’re Such a Budapest, a pretty and soft periwinkle/pale lilac shade. Budapest actually has a hint of a shimmer that is more visible when it’s used as a regular polish on the full nail. Here is what it looked like:

The combination of these colours was gorgeous – soft, pastel and very spring-like! The finishing touch was OPI…Eurso Euro, a dark blue creme, leaning slightly purple, with a vibrancy that would make this manicure pop:

In the above bright sun photo, the bottle looks a bit brighter than the colour is in real life.

The same manicure, with the bottle of You’re Such a Budapest, and a layer of top coat:

What do you think?

I fell in love with this manicure, and just loved the gradient-dotticure look. This was one of those manicures that received some oohs and aahs, mainly due to the beautiful colour selection. OPI really has outdone themselves with their Euro Centrale collection!

And finally, a new day, a new look. Layering a coat of OPI’s new Matte Top Coat on this mani gave it an artsy, edgy look:

OPI’s new Matte Top Coat dries in seconds, to a satiny, matte, velvety finish. It actually makes the polish feel buffed – a very natural-nails feel. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that OPI finally launched this product, because there was a period of time last year that I searched high and low for a matte-maker… only to find a lone product that was accessible on the market. I’ve also tried this with glitter and it does not disappoint!!

So which is your favourite look, and what did you think of my first dotticure?

~xo

(Some product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Picture Polish Ariel’s Tale!

March 27, 2013

A-England, Nailpolish, nubar, Obsessed, piCture pOlish

5 Comments

Happy Thursday!! I am so thrilled this is a shortened week and I get to have a long weekend… just what I need. I hope some of you get to enjoy a day off as well…or at least a beautiful weekend!

Today I have for you one of my favourite boutique brands, piCture pOlish, made in Australia! I have worn quite a few piCture pOlishes, some that I should probably still share on this blog, but I do have another first for you: my first piCture pOlish glitter polish. And a polish with such a cute name: Ariel’s Tale! I keep hearing “Under the Sea” in my head when I see the bottle. 🙂 Ariel’s Tale is a gorgeous turquoise glitter top coat in a clear base, composed of monochromatic tiny square and medium hex glitters. Simple and gorgeous!

I wanted to wear it over a dark base, so I headed for my A-England Lancelot, my go-to “black” (it’s actually a blackened red but I often use it in place of black due to its beauty and shine). This combo did not disappoint! I wore it as a slight glitter gradient. Here are two coats of Lancelot topped with Ariel on the tips:

I received so many compliments on this manicure!! The aqua of Ariel’s Tale is soft enough for an elegant, work-appropriate manicure, even on such a stark background. And it sparkled like diamonds on my tips!

For a completely different look, I paired Ariel’s Tale with Nubar’s Into the Wild, a beautiful muted emerald green (with its own post coming soon!).

And Ariel’s Tale looked spectacular!! Judge for yourself:

Look at the gorgeous turquoise slightly contrasting against the emerald green backdrop in the sun…

And here it is in the shade:

I just adore the way it sparkles like the ocean… twinkling under the sun…

I already have some more ideas for Ariel’s Tale, maybe wearing it over a light base… but which of today’s looks is your favourite?

To get your very own Ariel’s Tale, visit piCture pOlish on-line and or visit any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada.

And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Nicole by OPI New for 2013 Part 1

March 24, 2013

Nailpolish, Nicole by OPI, Obsessed

9 Comments

I’m so excited about today’s post, partly because I don’t often post “nail art,” and partly because I was so impressed with today’s polishes!

Nicole by OPI recently launched a sweet, small and trendy collection, New for 2013, made up of four gorgeous shades. I love that they launched a mini-collection like this, totally different, not at all typical for spring. And today I bring you the first two, Totally in the Dark and Still into Pink.

Check out Still into Pink, an almost-neon pink that had a huge surprise up its sleeve: it’s a matte hot pink lacquer! As if that weren’t enough, Still into Pink has a mesmerizing ultra-fine silver shimmer:

(Click on the pic to see the gorgeous shimmer.) That is two gorgeous, easy, quick-drying coats. All I kept thinking when I wore this was, where’s the beach, where’s the sun! This is going to be one hot summer polish! (And there is absolutely nothing easier or quicker than applying a matte polish when in a rush… you know, to the beach bar!)

Wait until you see Totally in the Dark, another polish with a twist: a black crelly (creme-jelly) base with tiny silver glass flecks, that to me, reflected a hint of pink and aqua. Totally in the Dark dried to a smooth high-shine finish, brought out even more with a finishing layer of top coat. Absolutely surprising and definitely gorgeous! Here are two coats with base and top coat:

(Click the pic to see the glass flecks!)

I was so obsessed with these two polishes that I decided to pair them up – how hot are pink and black together? 🙂

And the simple and elegant result (if I do say so myself):

If you follow my blog, you know that I don’t venture into nail art territory too often… mainly it’s not something I wear often, and there are so many talented artists out there that do it so much better. However, I loved this look: the contrast of matte and shiny, black and bright. What do you think?

And of course, I could not wrap this look up without a finishing touch for another look. A touch of top coat, and the high shine brought to life the shimmer in Still into Pink:

I absolutely LOVED this!!! I love that Still into Pink looks almost like two completely different polishes!! And that subtle, hidden shimmer is suddenly spectacular with top coat!!

With both this and the Modern Family collection, it feels as though Nicole by OPI is venturing towards widening their audience beyond the younger crowd of tweens and teens, which I have always perceived to be their main target. These edgy colours and finishes are both fun and elegant, and I can see a huge range of polish-lovers flocking to these collections.

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. These lacquers retail for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, ULTA, H-E-B, Meijer and Duane Reade locations. In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug.

Hope you enjoyed my fun post as much as I did… which is your favourite look?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Shimmer Marilyn!

February 27, 2013

Nailpolish, Shimmer Polish

3 Comments

I adore Shimmer Polish. You can read all about how pretty and glittery and delicate they are all over my blog, but today I bring you a beautiful siren named Marilyn. I have been eying this stunner since I saw it on Shimmer Polish’s Facebook page. It is so beautiful and deep, described as a “dark burgundy glitter” and as being a darker version of Eva & Karina.

A vampy blood red jelly base surrounds a ton of tiny deep red glitter, creating an opaque glitter bomb. This polish is so dense that it took only two coats to reach nice opacity!

I wore 2 coats of Marilyn with a coat of Gelous and another coat of top coat to smooth it out and give it a glass-like finish. Look at this beauty!