Tag Archives: swatches

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

September 26, 2014

From the movie that spawned a nail polish colour (dark, blood red) that became a world-wide cult trend, Pulp Fiction celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and Urban Decay has recently released a capsule collection commemorating the event. Starring Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color, this shade will definitely help you channel your inner mob-girl vamp … or at least, your nails will.

The ingredients that are needed to create a ‘cult following’, are not obvious, but after decades of the same old/same old in the world of nail lacquer (read that as: neutrals, pinks & reds), the beauty world was ripe for something new, something avant-garde … something that would make us all sit up and take notice. What most people don’t know about the by now-iconic vampy hue worn in Pulp Fiction by Mrs. Mia Wallace (portrayed by Uma Thurman), was that it was actually inspired by black marker; CHANEL’s legendary #18 Rouge Noir that was worn in the film, was never seen on the fashion runway as most people believe – although the dark nail trend was born then just the same; at the last minute, models’ nails were quickly coloured in with black marker before hitting the catwalk, which subsequently sparked the birth of a deep & edgy nail shade, #18 Rouge Noir.

The year was 1994 when Pulp Fiction exploded onto our consciousness, and apart from making religious rhetoric combined with foul language fashionable, giving rise to an entire new beauty trend, and getting to see John Travolta dance on the big screen once more (for those of you too young to remember Saturday Night Fever, go rent it), something even more exciting happened to me: I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. Oh yeah, I also bought the first run of CHANEL’s #18 Rouge Noir, which I still have AND still wear to this day – 20 years later, but now Mrs. Mia Wallace will be sharing the spotlight with it.

Uma Thurman as Mrs. Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color, Limited Edition (CAN $18.00) | I am obsessed with details and this product pushes all the right buttons: for starters, there’s the instantly recognizable lettering on the box along with a [blood]red interior bearing a printed excerpt from the movie, followed by the bottle cap – adorned with a skull on top – that has been re-issued in a darkly shimmering jet black colour. The lacquer is a deep blood-red hue which bears a cool-leaning blue undertone in the base, and filled with ultra fine shimmer in shades of bronze, copper and oxidized gold to balance it all out, making it suitable for all skin tones. There’s an amazing overall depth of tone to Mrs. Mia Wallace, and the final look is as though nails are lit from beneath – the glow that emanates from the nail centres is mesmerizing, at other times giving off a look of lustrous moiré satin. The formula is medium-thick in consistency which works in this shade’s favour, helping it stay exactly where placed without any pooling along the cuticles or nail edges. Highly pigmented, the first coat shows the bluer base notes which darkens significantly by a second coat – all of it laying down in a completely self-levelling & brush stroke-free way, coming to a high gloss natural finish. Due to the intense colour saturation, do not skip applying base coat first, to avoid any possible staining. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

NOTE: The brush is long, tapered, and thinner than what we’ve seen lately (most brands seem to be heading to bushier, chiselled, and/or shorter brushes) and according to Urban Decay, is made with ‘a 400-strand brush to pick up & deposit more product’. There’s a flexibility to the brush that had me re-thinking the way I usually apply my polish and even though it felt a little floppier than what I’m used to, the pro is that it makes for a very precise application – something very good to have when dealing with a shade this pigmented.

In deference to Pulp Fiction‘s ‘Nail Polish Hall of Fame‘ status (yes, I made that up but seriously, I can’t think of any other movie that had such an impact on nail polish), I decided to show Mrs. Mia Wallace alongside CHANEL’s #18 Rouge Noir (reviewed here), and included CHANEL’s #637 Malice (reviewed here) due to the closer colour match (see last swatch). How they compared:

CHANEL #18 Rouge Noir (2 coats) Same base hue as Mrs. Mia Wallace, but without any shimmer and which appears browner beside the rest (more dried than fresh blood)
CHANEL #637 Malice (2 coats) Similar tone to Mrs. Mia Wallace, although several degrees deeper and with magenta ultra fine shimmer

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – skull detail on cap

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – raised logo detail

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – closer look at the brush

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection vs. CHANEL #18 Rouge Nior & #637 Malice

Deep red hues are not that rare anymore, but even in this colour family, Mrs. Mia Wallace stands out; I know that a lacquer is special, when I don’t want to remove it. There’s a pulsating intensity to this shade – a look of freshly spilled blood, if you will – which makes it all the more perfect when you consider the inspiration behind it. The fact that it’s drop-dead gorgeous, doesn’t hurt either. Plus, I love the little skull on the cap.

Available through select Shopper’s Drug Mart stores (Canada), Sephora, and Urban Decay. Find more information:

*Disclosure: Press sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

OPI | Pink of Hearts 2014

September 25, 2014

OPI has just released it’s 8th annual Pink of Hearts 2014 limited edition duo in support of breast cancer awareness, which features Mod About You (a pale pink hue, part of the core lineup), and The Power of Pink, LE (a pink confetti glitter hue). The set also includes a pink glitter nail file with a pink-ribbon charm (not shown here) and will retail for CAN $21.50. There isn’t one of us who hasn’t been touched in some way by this disease, but thanks in part to initiatives like this, progress is being made daily to eradicate it once and for all.

This year, OPI will donate $25,000 to the Susan G. Komen® Foundation (US) and $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer (Canada), in proud support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).

OPI | Pink of Hearts 2014

Mod About You | A cool-leaning opaque pale pink crème hue with a very distinctive ‘mod’ vibe (think: Twiggy or Andy Warhol’s Factory days). The formula is relatively streak-free even at the first coat – a surprise, considering the colour – and applies smoothly, dries relatively quick and leaves behind a glossy finish. There’s a brightness to Mod About You that almost has it bordering on neon – but only just. Coats applied: 2, no top coat

The Power of Pink | A pale milky base hue filled with white & metallic magenta hex glitter pieces in sizes ranging from tiny to medium-large. There’s an excellent amount of glitter per brush stroke for application – no ‘fishing’ needed (as in, fishing to get the glitter from the contents), and the surface becomes relatively smooth with the addition of a layer of top coat. Easiest when layered over another shade – as I’ve done here – because you’ll only need to apply just 1 coat, but The Power of Pink can also be worn alone, although you’ll probably need about 2-3 coats for a decent opacity; that gives a sort of diffused, soft effect to the nails. Coats applied: 1 (over a base of Mod About You)

For the last swatch (below), I added a coat of a translucent white on top (OPI’s Funny Bunny) to create a ‘glitter sandwich’ – I absolutely love the effect and how it seems to blur the entire look, as though seen under frosted glass (and for some reason, it makes me think of ice cream *shrugs*).

OPI | Pink of Hearts 2014 & Funny Bunny

Even if you don’t love glitter (or pink), tell me that this isn’t the most fun duo you’ve seen? Mod About You is one of those pale pinks that is so unlike traditional pastels, and will have people stopping you to ask what shade you’re wearing (it happened to me), while The Power of Pink has such a happy, lighthearted tone about it (and doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously either, if we assume that nail polish has personality. Or maybe that’s just me) that it’s made to have fun with – an ideology that’s just so perfectly in line with the inspiration behind The Pink of Hearts 2014 – embracing life.

Available September & October at professional salons and spas nation-wide. Find more information via:

*Disclosure: Press samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

NUDESTIX | Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil, Love Cheek + Lip Pencil, & Shimmer Eye Pencil

September 23, 2014

Question: what do you get when you cross a chemical engineer mom with 2 impossibly gorgeous teen daughters? Answer: why, makeup, of course. Introducing NUDESTIX™, a line of beauty pencils to help you achieve the ‘no makeup makeup’ look, or as the brand’s tagline says “go nude, but better”. With her daughters Ally & Taylor as muses, Jenny Frankel – a woman with over 20 years experience in the beauty industry (she was the creator behind M.A.C’s Lipglass), decided to streamline the everyday woman’s beauty routine. Observing how her daughters preferred minimal, neutral shades and used fingers instead of brushes for tools, evolved into a luxury beauty range comprised of portable ‘crayon’ style pencils (with the exception of their mascara, which comes in a usual format with a brush).

The collections consists of 2 types of eye pencils: the Magnetic Eye Color Pencils which come in 4 shades (Angel, Moon, Twilight, Night) – long wearing with a deep shine factor, 8 shades of Eye Pencils (Cream, Shimmer*, Stardust*, Golden*, Bronze*, Burnish* Pewter*, Smoke) – with all-in-one shadow, liner & highlighter properties for most hues (shades marked with * are soft metallics), 1 Mascara (in black), 8 shades of Concealer Pencil (from light to deep), and 8 shades of Lip + Cheek Pencils (Whisper, Love, Blush, Mystic, Ripe, Soul, Sin & Flesh) – that can be used just as effortlessly on the face as on the lips (you can also check out a few other shades, reviewed by Sabrina of The Beauty Look Book).

Each pencil (and the mascara) comes housed in an eco-friendly and reusable black tin that supports a full-sized mirror on the inner lid, an insert with easy & helpful instructions, as well as a total genius touch: a sharpener that not only fits snugly on one end of the pencil, but comes complete with its own cap to keep shavings (and messes) at bay (with the exception of the mascara that doesn’t need a sharpener *doh*). No more fighting with dull pencils when you’re on the go plus each unit has its own sharpener, so no sharing means no colours bleeding in to each other. Like I said, genius.

All NUDESTIX™ products are preservative and fragrance-free.

Ally & Taylor, the brain[children] behind NUDESTIX™

NUDESTIX™

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil, Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil & Love Lip + Cheek Pencil

NUDESTIX™

NUDESTIX™ | Open tin with insert

NUDESTIX™ | Inner cap holds a full-size mirror

NUDESTIX™ | Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil (ingredients list)

NUDESTIX™ | Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil + sharpener (included)

Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil (CAN $28.00) | A nude shimmer eye shadow with a warm peachy tint, in a waterproof pencil format. The texture is incredibly creamy and glides effortlessly along the skin, leaving behind a rich shimmery veil of colour that can be sheered out – although you do have to work quickly to do so, or layered for more depth & intensity. Once applied, you have just a couple of minutes to blend this out because once it sets, it’s there for the duration; a swatch test on my inner arm even lasted through showering. On my eyelids (prone to oiliness), I was able to wear Angel without any primer and experienced no visible creasing at all – a highly impressive feature of the staying power of this pencil. NOTE: You will need a dual-phase eye makeup remover to take this off (I swear by the one from Neutrogena).

NUDESTIX™ | Angel Magnetic Eye Color Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Love Lip + Cheek Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Love Lip + Cheek Pencil (ingredients list)

Love Lip + Cheek Pencil (CAN $28.00) | A petal pink hue without shimmer, in a highly emollient formula that can be worn either on the lips or cheeks. I love how easily this goes on and I experience no tugging or pulling in application, and even though this shade is just a touch too pale for my colouring, I am still able to pull it off for an easy daytime look. As a blush, I found it to be too sheer and it never really ‘set’ – especially on bare skin, unless I added a powder blusher on top for added longevity (which then defeats the purpose of using Love as a blush), although it did give a nice glow while it lasted. I had better luck wearing this shade over foundation, but again, the colour slides a bit too much to be built up. On the lips, this is an amazing pencil – soft, gliding and leaving a hydrated feel behind, with an average staying power of about 2.5 hours.

NUDESTIX™ | Love Lip + Cheek Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil (ingredients list)

Shimmer Eye Pencil (CAN $28.00) | An eye shadow pencil in a champagne hue that has an excellent mix of both cool & warm tones, making it wearable for basically all complexions. The smudger that is built in to one end, is of an excellent quality and soft enough to help you blend this shadow with ease. Not as long wearing as the Magnetic Eye Color Pencils, you may find you need to apply primer first for added staying power (especially for those with oily lids), although I didn’t see noticeable creasing until a few hours in – and that’s without primer. As an eye shadow applied to the mobile lid, Shimmer gives my eyes a nice ‘wide-awake’ shine that’s not overly blingy – just add a quick swipe of mascara and the look is done. This shade also works beautifully as an inner eye or brow bone highlighter, as well as to accentuate the cupid’s bow and even along the tops of cheekbones, although the latter means a bit more work to blend it out seamlessly there.

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil (smudger end)

NUDESTIX™ | Shimmer Eye Pencil

What can be easier than using a pencil to apply all your makeup needs? There are enough shade variances in the eye, lip/cheek & skin (concealer) pencils available, to accommodate basically all skin tones and colour preferences, and the pencil-cap sharpener is an addition that makes you wonder why no one has thought of this before. The quality of the 3 pencils I tried is amazing and I’m also a fan of all the little details that went into this entire range – from the reusable tin (perfect to store several of your NUDESTIX™ pencils in), to the simple & clean concept, making these pencils a truly on-the-go product. For anyone who’s a fan of a more minimal makeup look while still appearing ‘done’, I find the NUDESTIX range to be definitely worth looking – and investing – in. Personally, I’ll be checking out some of the darker hues available … there’s something very addictive about scribbling on one’s face, and it actually looking good!

Available through select Sephora stores (Canada & US), as well as Space.NK – Find more information via:

*Disclosure: Press samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex

September 22, 2014

You can change the colour of your hair to hide your age. You can even use makeup to erase years from your face, but the turning back the clock on the skin of your hands, has been almost impossible to do … until now. Finally on our shores from across the pond where it’s been literally selling off the shelves, is Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex, a hand cream that ‘targets the eight signs of hand ageing simultaneously for visibly younger looking hands in just 10 days‘. Forget waiting for 10 days; I saw results from the first application.

EDIT: Please note that the exterior of Intense Youth Complex has had a slight ‘face-lift’ (new design), although everything else remains the same – my product photos are shown with the original version.

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex (CAN $19.99) – I’m not a chemist, so I won’t try to explain exactly how all the ingredients in Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex work, but in a nutshell, the active components of this hand cream (such as the mushroom derivative Tremella Fuciformis, an algae ferment, Sacha Inchi oil and Maize Propanediol) work synergistically to supply longer-lasting and more moisture to the skin than Hyaluronic Acid, increase the moisture content (which translates to firmer and plumper looking skin) and finally form a protective barrier to keep this new-found moisture locked in.

The hand cream is white in colour with a medium consistency and smooth texture, bearing a pleasant and natural smelling citrus/herbal scent. Once applied, it takes a few minutes to become fully absorbed into the skin, but even at this stage, the change is clearly visible – lines become less pronounced and the the surface of the skin itself also seems magically smoother – nothing overt, but a noticeable change just the same. When applied to the palms, Intense Youth Complex leaves a slippery, silicone-like feel behind which takes several minutes to absorb on its own – something worth noting. The directions state to apply this cream morning and evening, but since I love the results so much, I find it very difficult sticking to that — I literally want to use it all day long. After about a week, I noticed a huge change in the skin of my hands as they appear significantly revived and well, refreshed-looking.

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex (unretouched)

I moisturize my hands A LOT and even though there are several brands that I have always sworn by, none of them have ever shown results as rapidly as the Intense Youth Complex. The fact that this hand cream isn’t priced out of the stratosphere, makes things even sweeter and with Winter just around the corner and the ensuing dryness my skin goes through every year, I’ll be ready for it. Or, at least my hands will … now Hand Chemistry needs to come out with a full-body version of this cream, and I’ll be set.

Available through Shopper’s Drug Mart/Murale stores (Canada) – find more information via:

*Disclosure: Product sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

NARS | Unlawful Blush, Night Caller Collection Fall 2014

September 19, 2014

The Fall 2014 Night Caller Collection from NARS, has some truly stand-out pieces, with Unlawful Blush leading the pack (my review on the eyeshadow duos will be coming soon). From the brand known for creating some of the most quixotic seasonal collections with the most exotic names at that, Unlawful seems rather, well … tame, by contrast. But appearances can be very deceiving. Very, very deceiving.

Unlawful Blush (CAN $35.00) | Described as “amber pink with silver pearls” might sound confusing, but also happens to be quite accurate; Unlawful is an incredibly finely-milled powder blush in a warm-toned (almost fleshy) pink hue with visible silver shimmer – as in shimmer bomb kind of visible. But one swatch, and you’ll see magic happen before your very eyes. Highly pigmented but not overly harsh in colour, this shade lays down on the skin like silk, with very minimal powdery kickback raised upon swirling my brush along the surface. The shimmer seen in the pan is not an overspray, but rather continues through all layers of product, with pink added to the silver bits. The size of the shimmer particles, however, is what makes this blush unique: visible though it may be, this sparkle does NOT translate as excessive when applied, but rather becomes this ultra-fine sheen that leaves a gorgeous glow to the skin. Even the colour of the blush – which can appear rather dark and even amber-hued in some lighting, morphs into the most beautiful pink/peach tone on the skin. Those with pale complexions will need to start with a light hand and build up gradually, but anyone with a light-medium skin tone or darker, can dive in as usual – it’s almost as though you literally can’t go wrong with this shade. Staying power, as with basically all NARS blushes in my experience, is excellent, going easily past the 9 hour mark before any fading starts to occur.

From the day I received Unlawful, I have found myself reaching for it over and over again. One favourite way of mine to wear it, is layered with other blushes for a multi-dimensional “natural” look; I start by using a matte brown-hued shade as light contour in the hollows of my cheeks (such as MAC’s Harmony), then I sweep Unlawful along the tops of the cheeks and upwards towards the temples, finishing off with a light touch of a bright pink (such as NARS New Attitude, reviewed here) on the ‘apples’ of the cheeks – the last touch is to lightly blend the three together to eliminate any possible demarcation lines. Sounds like a lot, although in reality it only takes a minute or so – but the end result is so totally worth it.

NARS | Unlawful Blush, detail seen with flash

Surprisingly for a beauty aficionado such as myself (sounds nicer than saying beauty addict), Unlawful happens to be a shade that was missing from my blush repertoire. Sitting halfway between the pink and peach families, with a touch of coral and tan somewhere in there as well, this shade is a definite must-have in my opinion – not only for the fact that it will suit most skin tones across the spectrum, but for the stunning glow it imparts which is in fact so hard to accurately describe; it’s like what you think your cheeks should look like after a workout, or a brisk outdoor walk in Autumn, or after a jog along the beach. But without the effort, thank you (I’m lazy like that).