1/01/2021

Smell The Thrill in The Air, Christmas Eve!

I want to say I discovered Yankee Candle's Christmas Eve around 8 or 9 years ago, and it's been one of my favorite holiday candles ever since. 

Christmas Eve's fragrance notes are:

Top: Orange, Almond, Lime, Lemon

Mid:Red Berry, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

Base: Violet, Amber, Creamy Praline, Vanilla 

I wish Yankee would go back to their larger labels instead of these cropped images. Just seeing all the vacant space on the jar is esthetically unappealing.  

On the website, Yankee Candle describes the candle as a, "Traditional holiday scent of a warm hearth, sugared plums, and candied fruits." 

To me, Christmas Eve smells of candied fruit, cinnamon, with a swirl of vanilla and amaretto as well as a smidgen of citrus zest and smoky wood. 

The only downside to the candle (and this can be said about most of Yankee Candles) is the inconsistency of their throw. Some batches can fill up a room where others have a faint aroma that can only be detected when in close proximity.  I just remedy this by purchasing two of the same candle and place them on opposite sides of the room. 

Anyway, I love this candle, and it smells just like Christmas to me, like one of those Christmas specialty stores to be exact. The cozy, sweet and mild spicy fragrance of Christmas Eve is a nice departure from the pine notes usually found in most holiday candles (which I love as well). 

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1/01/2021

I'm Not Red-y For The Holidays to be Over! O.P.I Nail Lacquer

O.P.I and red nail polish are synonymous with one another. The brand has an extensive shade range within its catalog, and they are all beautiful! 

From the 2020 Shine Bright Collection, Red-y For The Holidays is a candied-cherry red creme with a glass-like shine. O.P.I has truly mastered their red creme formula, and this polish exemplifies it. I was able to get complete opacity in one coat, and solely did a second layer out of my sheer enjoyment of the application. I wore Red-y For The Holidays for four days before switching it out for my Christmas Eve Mani and it was just as flawless and lovely as the first day. 

Red-y For The Holidays is a classic Christmas red that truly does live up to its name, and it instantly gets me in the holiday spirit. Yes, it may not be the newest, most unique shade, but one can never have too many red polishes, cosmetics, or shoes.

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12/29/2020

Guess Who's on the Naughty List

 

Oh my gosh. Apparently, I didn't hit the publish button during the early morning of the 25th (that's what I get for trying to multitask) because this was sitting in my draft section. 

Technically, I'm not late in my Christmas wishes because the Christmas season starts on December 25th. 

Therefore, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! 

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12/28/2020

Reading is Fundamental...Sassy Pants Polish

Sassy Pants Polish, The Bookish Girl, was its contribution to Hella Handmade Creations September. The polish is Inspired by The Magicians and, after some online investigation, I discovered The Magicians is a young-adult fantasy book trilogy and was adapted into a television series on Syfy. 

The Bookish Girl is described as a silver ultra-holographic with assorted fire red holographic glitters and microshreds. The polish also features red sparks, and red-gold microflakies. The abundance of red elements in the polish appears to have altered the silver holographic base, giving it a pinkish hue, especially in person. 

I was able to get the perfect amount of glitter and holographic effect in two coats. As with other polishes that are chock-full of glitter, The Bookish Girl lost most of its sparkle and is textured when it dried. Therefore, two layers of a good top coat is recommended. Also, removal of the polish was difficult.

When I saw The bookish Girl, I immediately thought it would make for a gorgeous holiday manicure, and it was the polish I wore on Christmas Eve.

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11/29/2020

The Bee's Knees...Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Duo Swatches

Like bees to honey, the blush fiend in me was immediately attracted to Melt Cosmetics' Digital Dust Duo Blushers.

I LOVE the tan exterior packaging. Part of me likes that the shade is exclusive to these duos, giving them an air of uniqueness. However, the other half wishes Melt would revamp their packing and switch to the tan. 

Embossed with a comely pattern of a bee atop a honeycomb, the Digital Dust's come in three gorgeous duos: Buzz Kill, Raw Honey, and Queen Bee. 

From left to right: Buzz Kill, Raw Honey, Queen Bee. 

Buzz Kill: a medium, pinkish-coral nectar with a golden sheen/ a light, orange leaning peach champagne with silver sparkle. 

Raw Honey: a deep, bronzed rosy-mauve/ a medium, rose gold. 

Queen Bee: a medium, golden bronze/ medium, golden amber-honey. 

Of the three Digital Dusts, the shade Kill from the Buzz Kill duo has the most pronounced specs of sparkle. 

These blushers have a baked, gelee-like formula that is intensely pigmented, blends and buffs into the skin seamlessly, and imparts a beautiful luminous finish. Also, the Duos look as pretty on the lids as they do on the cheeks. 

Whether each shade is worn individually, layered over one another, or blended together, the Digital Dust Duo blushes are lovely. I wish Melt Cosmetics would expand on the shade range because I definitely want more. 

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11/24/2020

Turned into a Polish...Chirality Narcissus Immortal

Back in 2019, during Polish Pickup's April Famous Works of Arts theme, I purchased. This is a polish I love to wear during the fall.

The polish is inspired by Salvador Dali's (one of my favorite artists) Metamorphosis of Narcissus, which happens to be one of my favorite Dali paintings. 

Narcissus Immortal is an orange blossom-honey jelly. The polish is loaded with various brown, orange, and caramel glitters, as well as a gorgeous contrasting green to aqua shimmer that runs throughout. Also, the polish glows in the dark. I don't really get the purpose of glow in the dark polishes. I mean, unless you're clubbing or are committed to carrying a portable black light with you, I don't understand the function. 

The formula is sheer, so the number of coats needed depends on how much of your nail line you want to peek through. After four layers, I was able to mask enough of my nail line as well as get my preferred amount of glitter and shimmer. As with most glitter-filled polishes, Narcissus Immortal had a great wear time, but was a force to be reckoned with during removal.

The influence of the surrealist painting is visible in the polish. However, I also get an image of honey dripping from a honeycomb, or the photograph by Simon Fraser, View of Honeycomb of the Honey Bee (seen in the photos above). Regardless, Chirality produced a work of art with Narcissus Immortal. 

What do you think of Narcissus Immortal?

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11/01/2020

The Ghost of You...

 Happy Halloween! 

In case we are not connected via Instagram, here's the look I did to scare those who came rapping at my chamber door this All Hallows' Eve.

List of products used: 

Face: 

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand in 02. 

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. 

Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette.

Eyes: 

B&C Browlash EX Water Strong W Eyebrow in Grey Brown.

Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer in Custard. 

Mac Eye Pencil in Ebony.

Kat Voon D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette.

Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Fatal Black WP Mascara.

Lips:

Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand in 02. 

What did you dress up as this Halloween? 

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