"Wax-based pencils can harden and be tough to apply when the weather gets cold. Give the tip a short blast (approx 5 seconds) with a blowdryer to warm it up— it’ll apply creamy and the pigmentation will be better too!"

Posted 11.05.11

Friday Favorite 5

My Friday Favorite 5 list is a list of five things that I’m currently into, both beauty-wise and otherwise.  I would love to hear what your favorites are as well each week!  Feel free to leave me your comments :)

This week’s 5:

Favorite foundation: Right now it’s D&G’s cream foundation … I love this stuff!  It makes my skin look incredible, and has good staying power.  Plus, it doesn’t dry out my skin in the cold weather.  I’ve been using this daily for about a month, so look for an upcoming review ;P

Top food craving: I’m really craving some dim sum right now.  When I go home over Thanksgiving to visit my family, I’ll definitely ask them to take me to my favorite dim sum restaurant in Cleveland, Lee Wah.  Is it strange that I’m scared to go to dim sum places in Chinatown?  Whatever, I’ll stick to making my own shumai at home for now.

Best new discovery: My electric toothbrush is the best thing since sliced bread.  It’s like the Clarisonic, but for your teeth.  My teeth feel like I just went to the dentist for a cleaning each time, but with almost zero effort required from me!

Favorite thing to wear: I bought a necklace recently that’s three little pearls inside a peapod.  I love how delicate and pretty it is, but also that it’s unusual.  Plus, it was $2.80 from Forever 21, but looks like a little handmade piece from a boutique.

Cheap thrill: I’ve been using Jordana Easyliner for Eyes in “Eggplant,” a deep, rich aubergine shade that applies surprisingly well for a $2.49 (Times Square price, haha) retractable pencil.  I rarely wear colored liner, but I want to pick up a few more!

Posted 11.04.11

New Chanel

Here are some new additions to my Chanel family that I’ve picked up in the last few months:

• Navy enamel temple oversized Wayfarers
• Red caviar CC card holder
• CC turnlock necklace

Since it’ll be a little while before my next bag purchase (hint: it’s most likely going to be the small “Boy”!), I’m getting my fix via accessories and small leather goods :)  I love how the navy, red, and gold work together for a very French, nautical feel.

Posted 11.03.11

Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish

About 2 months ago, I saw a little something from Sephora advertising a new “magnetic” nail polish.  I went down to my local Sephora, and was told that only a handful of locations carry the UK-based Nails Inc. brand.  I trekked down to said Sephora, and was told that although it was available online, it wouldn’t hit stores for a few weeks.

Despite my initial excitement, life got in the way, and I wasn’t able to pick this up until about 3 weeks ago.  I ended up picking up both colors— the purple shade called “Houses of Parliament,” and the steel-grey “Trafalgar Square.”

Let me tell you … this stuff is as awesome as it sounds.  It works in a scifi-ish way— you hold the magnet-embedded cap over your nail, and it pulls the iron particles in the polish towards the magnet in a nifty design.  When you remove the magnet— tada!  Nails that look like you had them done at some kind of avant-garde salon.  If you’re looking for attention-grabbing nails, this is the stuff!  I had no less than 10 people coming up to me asking to see my nails the week I did this :)

I love the effect that this polish gives— especially on the purple.  It reads as some kind of opalescent cat-eye, and looks really cool when it flashes in the light.  In these photos it looks more high-contrast than it really is, but the overall effect is not quite so stripey.

After using this polish on myself and a couple of friends, here are some tips for best results:

• You must put on a base coat of the color, or it will be too sheer.  Let the first coat dry before applying the second (it dries really quickly!)
• The grey shade is much sheerer and thinner in texture than the purple.  I suggest using a different grey polish to do a base coat for that shade.
• Once the base coat is dry, paint on a thick coat of color on one nail, and then do the magnet process one nail at a time.  Thickness is key!
• The trick is to hold the magnet as close as possible to the nail without touching it.  Because the polish is magnetic, if you hold it TOO close, it will actually draw up some of the polish to touch the magnet.  Just fix it and try again.
• If you don’t like the result the first time, paint on another coat and try it again!
• The instructions recommend holding the magnet in place for 10-15 seconds, but I prefer to count to 30 for the most dramatic results.
• Holding the magnet directly above the nail creates a horizontal pattern.  Holding it differently will result in a different pattern.  Experiment!
• For the prettiest finish, use a high-gloss topcoat to really amplify the shine and iridescence of the polish.

I love this stuff, but I wish it came in more colors.  I remember seeing a gold shade online about 2 months ago, but it has since sold out.  Give it a try and have fun!

Buy online from Sephora, $16

Posted 11.02.11

Beauty News: Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet

Chanel’s new Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick is now featured on their website.  This lipstick comes in 8 shades in the rose-pink-beige range, and comes in the standard Rouge Allure packaging of black and gold.

Rouge Allure Velvet is supposed to give a soft velvety matte finish that’s nondrying.  I wasn’t crazy about this idea at first, but since I hate overly-glossy lips, I kind of want to give this a try.  I love the rose beige shades (first two pictured above), as I think they will make a really pretty holiday lip.  Can’t wait to go to counters this weekend and give it a try!

Rouge Allure Velvet retails for $32, same as other Rouge Allures.

There are also 3 shades of Le Vernis posted, as well as a matte topcoat:

• Pirate (repromote)
• Rose Exubérant
• Rose Caché

I believe the last two are LE, but I’m not 100% positive.  I would’ve loved to see some kind of beautiful gold glitter to tie in with the theme of the rest of the holiday collection, but these shades are nice as well, though I wouldn’t say they are terribly unique.

I haven’t seen any of these items pop up on Neiman Marcus, Saks, or Nordstrom, so it does seem that they are available first directly from Chanel.  Will you be the first to try Rouge Allure Velvet, or the new polish shades?

All items are available from Chanel.com

Posted 11.01.11

"Keep your skin hydrated in dry weather by layering your moisturizers! First, apply moisturizer or lotion to damp skin. Then, lock in the moisture by applying a thin layer of facial or body oil after the lotion has had a chance to absorb. The moisturizer/lotion will hydrate your skin, and the oil will protect the moisture from evaporating by forming a barrier. This works for both face and body when your skin is dry— just be sure to use a light hand with the oil on your face, and stick to a type that won’t cause you breakouts."

Posted 10.31.11