Lime Crime Lipstick in Countessa Fluorescent - Photos, Review, Swatches

Lime Crime has been on my radar for quite some time but did not join my happy collection family until, funnily enough, I saw it in person, in Jaipur, India, thanks to a lovely Canadian fellow traveller we met! (Incidentally, the last photo in this entry was taken by her!) Typically I'm over the moon for sleek, modern packaging, but I dissolved into a puddle of cooing goo once I laid eyes on the shiny unicorn design and the girly pink. Take a look at how adorable it is -

:3 The color I purchased is called Countessa Fluorescent, and it's a bright neon pink -

Super awesome, no?!? It's a bit brighter in real life as my camera seemed to dampen the color a tad, but hopefully you can tell how lovely it is nevertheless. Besides the amazing, pigmented hue, the formula on this is wonderfully creamy, soft, and hydrating! Countessa Fluorescent smells of vanilla, similar to the MAC scent. 

You can purchase Lime Crime lipstick and other products from the site. Lipsticks are $15.99 each. 

PS - I mentioned Jaipur earlier and I must say, it's one of my favorite cities ever. Great people, beautiful architecture, and perfect weather in winter. We were bummed when we had to leave, and I can't wait to go back <3

MAC Fashion Sets Lipstick in Embrace Me, Silly, and Ablaze - Photos, Review, Swatches

I know people who are giant MAC fanatics, and others who wouldn't touch the brand if it were the last cosmetic company on earth; as with most things, I am not quite so polarized! I don't buy MAC products too too often but some collections do catch my eye, and I have a few staple items that I love and repurchase often. Additionally, MAC holds a special place in my heart for being one of the very very first brands from which I purchased makeup! 

So, today I have three lipsticks from the recent MAC Fashion Sets collection. I'm always looking for quality, bold mattes, so I knew I had to get these! Here's the typical MAC bullet, if you're unfamiliar:

First is Embrace Me, a deep, bright fuchsia -

Silly, a bright medium pink -

Ablaze, a medium orange-red with a hint of pink -

Top to Bottom - Ablaze, Silly, Embrace Me

As you’re able to tell, all three had amazing color payoff! The formula was very smooth and what I would deem just the tiniest bit moisturizing and certainly comfortable to wear. Like all MAC lipsticks, these had a mild vanilla scent. The most matte-like was Silly, though I would say the finish is more of a satin/matte hybrid – it still gives a mostly flat look but has just the smallest amount of sheen. Lovely shades overall, definite winners for those who like bright, bold colors and/or ‘matte’ finishes!

MAC lipsticks are available for $15 each. It seem that they are sold out on the MAC site and most places online but I would keep an eye on sites like Macy’s and Nordstrom, and check the counters as well!

What do you think? Are you a MAC girl or boy?

Spring Polishes! Essie Nail Lacquer in First Timer, Van D'Go, and Come Here! - Photos, Review, Swatches

I was looking through my Essie drawer and pulled out three random bright and beautiful polishes for spring/summer! Essie is pretty great brand overall, and these lacquers follow the trend. I'm excited to show you these!

L to R: Come Here!, Turquoise and Caicos, Smooth Sailing, First Timer, Van D'Go, First Dance

First Timer, a light seafoam green creme. Lovely color, very beach-y! Doesn't play well with my skin tone, though -

Essie Van D'Go, a pale coral cream. In real life it's more orange, a true coral, rather than the pink lean you see. Very flattering and gorgeous! I'm not great at judging what's an appropriate color, but I think this is still subdued enough to be work-friendly -

Come Here!, a slightly dusty, fiery orange-red. Makes me want to go salsa dancing! Perfect for hot summer nights ;) -

All these are great options for a playful pop of color for these warmer seasons! The formula was good, easily manageable, and I used three thin coats for each of the colors above. Van D'Go is one of my absolute favorite pastels - it's gorgeous and fresh but without that demure attitude of most pastels, you know? I'll have the rest of ones photographed probably next Monday.

Essie is available at Ulta for $8 and at various e-tailers.

Thanks for reading! Please follow if you enjoy this blog :)

Elevation Polish Pic de Sotllo, Street Side NYC - Review, Photos, Swatches

First, a bad joke (you've been warned!) -

Q: Why was Bob Marley disappointed with the donuts in heaven?
A: The didn't have any jammin'!

Get it, jam in? Jammin'? 8D Oh dear... I told this joke at a meeting at work today and was met with reluctant chuckles, face palms, and a chorus of groans. It can't be helped, though; I like my humor as pun-y and lame as possible!

Moving on.. I'm still catching up on both blog stuff and silly life stuff, so thank goodness for a fairly old stock of photos that have been gathering dust on my hard drive! Today I have two lovely lacquers by Elevation Polish. Like the artist, I very much share a love of all things outdoor and rugged. In fact, I just got back from doing some trekking in the Himalayas -

So, I love the inspiration behind this line, as well as the natural, gorgeous color story. First I have Street Side, NYC, a mustard with very fine, subtle gold shimmer -

Are you ready for this next one? It's totally, utterly, completely amazing - Pic de Sotllo, a vibrant blue with a cool semi-matte finish -

sdfahfikk283ulkjgadsfsdjkg. Guys, I can't even. Pic de Sotllo is just too awesome! I love blues in general but this one takes the cake, I think. While I think NYC could do with a topcoat, I'm loving the slightly rubberized finish of Sotllo on its own. Not much else to say, really, other than to recommend that you run, dance, or prance over to the Elevation Polish site to get your paws on this gem!

Don't get me wrong, NYC is really pretty too - such a unique color for which I have no dupe, and it's a yellow that I think is suitable for many skin tones due to its touch of dustiness. I suspect a topcoat would bring the shimmer out a tad more.

The photos show two coats each. The formula was smooth, easy to work with, and pretty darn perfect. I can't wait to purchase more Elevation lacquers!

Elevation Polish is available online here for about $6 to $10.50 each.

Thanks for reading! Please follow me if you like! :)

OPI Oz Glints of Glinda, Lights of Emerald City, Don't Burst My Bubble, I Theodora You - Photos, Review, Swatches

Yipes, guys! This weekend was so hectic it felt like no weekend at all D: I'm therefore behind on my self-imposed posting schedule, but hope to get back on track by this weekend. Hope everyone had a lovely, stress-free holiday!

Sooo, Oz! I haven't seen the movie (haven't even seen the original), but I did pick up some of OPI's lacquer releases for the film. I loved the ballet-themed Soft Shades OPI made recently so even though I normally don't fall in love with these kind of subtle shades, these are too squishy and jelly-like for me not to adore! I don't reach for sheer neutrals often but when I do, I reach for Dos Equis OPI Soft Shades!

I got Glints of Glinda, Don't Burst My Bubble, Lights of Emerald City, and I Theodora You:

All swatches are three coats. Here's Don't Burst My Bubble, a soft, warm white -

Glints of Glinda, a yellow-tinted nude beige -

I Theodora You, a milky cool pink -

I Theodora You with one coat of Lights of Emerald City -

The formula on the jellies was spectacular - smooth, easy to work with, and only showing minimal streaks on Don't Burst My Bubble. Theodora was most pigmented, completely opaque in three coats. So squishy, I want to poke them! There was some fishing involved with Lights of Emerald City, but I do love the look of this topcoat (especially the white squares!). Overall, I know these will be staples in my collection as either a base for a bolder look or on their own for something 'work-appropriate' and traditional.

These are available at Ulta stores for $9.

What do you think??