Where will it take you?
The Road Ahead
Archives for April 2012
Banana of the Day
A Quick Look at the New Laura Mercier Belle Nouveau Collection
Wearing Sheer Crème Eye Colour in Aqua Pastel and Long Lash Mascara in Bleu on my eyes and Lip Glacè in Orange Tulip on my lips
Just a few pics of the new Laura Mercier Belle Nouveau collection I snapped before heading out to my hair appointment this afternoon.
I’m actually back home now … with my new hair! 🙂 The new ‘do will make its blogging debut soon. Right now, though, I’m not in any condition for pictures (I’m already in my jammies).
Laura’s new limited edition collection, which arrives on counters and online next month, was inspired by her background as a painter and her love for the Art Nouveau era.
Here are five of the 14 pieces from the release, including Laura’s first-ever tinted mascara, Long Lash Mascara in Bleu.
Clockwise from the burble bottle of polish on the left: Nail Lacquer in Lavender Cloud, Crème Lip Print in Nude Pink, Long Lash Mascara in Bleu, Lip Glacè in Orange Tulip and Sheer Crème Eye Colour in Aqua Pastel
Swatches from the left: Crème Lip Print in Nude Pink, Lip Glacè in Orange Tulip, Sheer Crème Eye Colour in Aqua Pastel (unblended and blended) and Long Lash Mascara in Bleu
Nail Lacquer in Lavender Cloud
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This Garden’s a Trip! The Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Garden Collection for Spring and Summer 2012
Lip Tars from the left: Pennyroyal, Kava Kava, Ophelia, Digitalis, Belladonna and Chlorophyll
There’s something wicked out in the garden, and it’s cosmetics!
“A different shade of floral” — that’s how Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics describes their new spring/summer Garden collection of colors inspired by psychotropic and poisonous plants.
Yep, these aren’t your usual pastels and dainty florals. The color palette, with its nearly-neon hues and earthy neutrals, reminds me of the time I unwittingly ate one of my brother’s “special” brownies before going grocery shopping (he left them out on the counter at home without a warning/explanation).
I must have stood in the Safeway veggie aisle for 15 minutes, just fondling the eggplants and oranges, and marveling at how smooth and shiny everything was.
Man, what a weird day…
An indie makeup line out of New York, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) carries a pretty wide range of makeup, tools and nail polishes, but they’re probably best known for their lightweight Lip Tars — intensely pigmented lip products with the texture of a gloss and the longevity of a lipstick.
The company also prides itself on their 100% vegan pledge and cruelty-free formulas that steer clear of parabens and artificial preservatives.
The Garden collection features six Lip Tars ($14 each), five Loose Colour Concentrate pigments ($12 each), six Nail Lacquers ($8 each) and one Cosmetic Glitter ($12), and all of them are bound for OCC’s permanent line.
I’m still getting to know the products, but I’m already intrigued by the Lip Tars and Nail Lacquers, in particular Ophelia Lip Tar and Chlorophyll Lacquer.
The brand isn’t widely available yet, but it looks like they’re expanding (here’s a list of places that carry it).
Lip Tars from the left: Ophelia, Digitalis and Belladonna
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Nails Are Making Waves With the Zoya Beach & Surf Collection
What I wouldn’t give to be somewhere with a warm ocean right now… And baby waves! Because I can’t remember the last time I went surfing.
Soon… Soon, I say, but until then, the Zoya Beach & Surf collection will just have to do.
Available now in stores and online, Beach and Surf are actually two different sub-collections of six full-size polishes each. Twelve shades total, all new for summer, for $8 each.
There are also two $48 kits available — one called the Beach Surf Collection Sampler, with Regan, Lara, Shelby, Arizona, Tracie and Wednesday; and the other called the Surf Collection Sampler, with Rory, Carly, Kimber, Myrta, Meg and Zuza.
I’ve been wearing Kimber on my toes for going on 10 days now, and it still looks pretty great! Very shiny, and I hardly see any chips (just a couple at the edges of a few toenails). Not bad at all. For the record, I’m also wearing it with a base and top coat.
Like all Zoya polishes, these are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP (phthalates). Oh, and also camphor.
The Zoya Beach Collection: Surf’s Up!
Shelby
Arizona
Tracie
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Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics: The Garden Nail Lacquers
The six Nail Lacquer shades from the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics S/S 2012 Colour Collection, $8 each.
From the left: Phantasm, Chimera, Chlorophyll, Copperhead, Kava Kava and Arsenic.
See anything ya like?
Random Acts of iPhone Photography, 04.10.12
Running, food, friends and flowers. 🙂
Mauve Over, Heavy Makeup, and Make Room for Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism
Lately, like a good love song, Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism ($24) has been my weekend jam! Since I haven’t been in the mood to wear a full eye look on Saturdays and Sundays, I’ve been turning to this creamy eye tint in a tube.
A lightly tinted mauve with silver shimmer and a finish with a glint of gloss, this cream-to-powder eyeshadow from Becca’s Balearic Love collection may not be flashy, but I sure do like how it looks. I love that when I stand a few feet away from a mirror, I can tell that I’m wearing a little color on my lids, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing a ton of makeup.
For more on the Becca Balearic Love collection, check out…
It’s one of those products that doesn’t broadcast itself over the loudspeakers, if you catch my drift. People will think to themselves, “Pretty! She did something different with her look today, but I’m not sure exactly what…” Like getting highlights a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural hair color, Romanticism might not be obvious at first, but it’s easy to spot upon closer inspection.
With a dewy finish, it looks a little bit wet to me, like a raven-haired mermaid’s lids when she pokes her head above the water.
And speaking of water, that’s something Romanticism was designed to resist. It does a decent job, too, holding up fine to rainy days and light workouts. Now, I wouldn’t wear it to spend the day at the beach or pool, but it can stand a little water (for a full day of frolicking in the surf, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams might be a better bet).
Romanticism unblended (left) and blended (right)
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