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  1. POLICE FILES: And our Chanel wish list keeps getting longer

    January 27, 2012 by pam

    Karl Lagerfeld, you freaking rock.

    Because the Air Chanel concept? Brilliant. Bril-effing-liant.

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    Seriously, who doesn’t want to board this beautiful aircraft?

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    The Chanel Hate Couture Spring/Summer 2012 show was an explosion of blue. Blue and crazy awesomeness.

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    And when I spotted the pretty metallic blue shade on the model’s fingers, I had to stifle a scream. What is that gorgeousness?

    And here’s the answer: Chanel Sky Line.

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    This shade will be released in July. And you know what’s going to happen. I will hunt it down.

    Speaking of Chanel shades that are high on our wish lists, Chanel Gold Fingers is now available at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I don’t know how but I intend to add it to my collection too.

    Chanel is also coming out with seven other shades in the next few months and a rerelease of a beloved trio.

    The Chanel fan in me is incredibly happy.

    Category police files | Tags: ,, | 7 Comments

  2. MUG SHOT: Misa’s Hip To My Jive Collection

    by pam

    I have said this before and I will say this again – as much as I love my Chanels and Diors, polish doesn’t have to be expensive to be good.

    Case in point: Misa.

    I’ve had great experience with this brand. The colors are pretty and the formula is fantastic. You can check out my swatches HERE and HERE.

    Today, we’re going to see more Misa goodness.

    The super sweet Des of Beauty Blends Inc. sent me the six colors from the brand’s Hip To My Jive collection.

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    This collection, which is a throwback to the ’50s, includes six retro-inspired colors. Poodle skirt not required.

    I had a lot of fun playing with these six colors.

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    Let’s start with Peachy Keen.

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    Misa describes this shade as a champagne-hued taupe.

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    I don’t wear neutrals very often but this one is just universally flattering.

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    And I love that the formula was super smooth – it’s a perfect two-coater.

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    This is Got It Made In The Shade.

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    Misa describes this as “a unique olive green.”

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    I love this edgy neutral. It reminds me of another big love – OPI Stranger Tides.

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    Again, fantastic formula.

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    Hello, Catch A Flick.

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    Misa describes this as a “cool mint green.”

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    You know I can’t resist a good mint green. So yes, I love Catch A Flick.

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    And I love its formula too.

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    This is Pop The Clutch.

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    Most of the colors in this collection are cremes but not this one. Pop The Clutch is a rosy brown shimmer.

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    This is the most retro-looking shade of the six. I can totally imagine my grandma rocking this when she started dating my grandpa in the 50s.

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    It’s pretty.

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    And again, great problem-free formula.

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    This is Go For Pinks.

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    What a pretty pink.

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    Misa describes this as a muted rose.

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    I love this pink.

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    And again, the formula was flawless.

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    Another perfect two-coater.

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    And finally, this is Bop Til You Drop.

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    Misa describes as an “orangey coral.”

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    This is my favorite from this collection. It’s a surprise I know – give me a bunch of colors and I will always go for unusual ones. But not this time. Bop Til You Drop just made me fall in love.

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    It’s not just the pretty color.

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    I love that this is a creme-jelly hybrid. And that it’s crazy glossy. And that again, the formula is perfect.

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    I love Misa. And these six shades just made me love it more.

    If you’re in the Philippines and you want a Misa fix, order from Beauty Blends Inc., the exclusive distributor. Visit their website, call (632)363-6736, (632)363-6739, +63922-8BEAUTY (8232889) or e-mail inquiry@beautyblends.com.ph.

    Category mug shot | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  3. MUG SHOT: Crashing the Dior Garden Party (swatches and comparisons)

    January 25, 2012 by pam

    We don’t have four seasons in the Philippines. We have summer. And summer. And summer. Yeah, it’s always hot. And we have rain. A lot of rain. No spring, no winter, no autumn. But that doesn’t matter. Because it feels like spring has landed.

    Say hello to Dior’s Garden Party Collection for Spring 2012.

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    The collection, which was inspired by flowers and Christian Dior’s love of parties, includes two scented nail lacquers.

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    Tatin found the two bottles for me in Taipei. She was sick while she was on her trip and I’m incredibly touched that she still went polish-shopping for me even though she wasn’t feeling well.

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    Waterlily is a soft shimmery green.

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    I hate how the artificial light makes this green appear much brighter than it really is.

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    It’s much softer in real life.

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    Much softer.

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    Waterlily is a really pretty green.

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    I love the shimmer in it.

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    Waterlily’s formula is fantastic.

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    No streaking, no pastel headaches.

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    It was smooth and perfectly opaque after two coats.

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    The polish did have a powdery rose scent.

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    I’m not in love with it but it doesn’t bother me. It’s not that strong anyway and I don’t go around sniffing my nails.

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    I go around staring at my nails. But you already know that.

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    When promo pics of this collection started to surface, a lot of nail polish fans started speculating that Waterlily might be a Chanel Jade dupe.

    But it’s not.

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    I pulled out Miss Bun‘s Chanel Jade, a bottle of polish that has been racking up miles going back and forth between us (Read about it HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. And yes, Jade will be going home soon. Jade’s been missing Bun.)

    I also pulled out a few other soft greens for comparison.

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    Chanel Jade is lighter, has more blue in it and its shimmer is less obvious. Milani Dressmaker, an aspiring Jade dupe, is different too. The Mint Green from YSL’s Duo No. 7 is much brighter than Waterlily. Barry M Mint Green is exactly what it says it is – mint green. Apart from the color, there’s one big thing that sets Waterlily apart from these other shades – its formula. It is rich and perfectly smooth and opaque after two coats. YSL’s Mint Green is opaque after two coats too but I had issues with streaking.

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    And now, Forget-Me-Not.

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    Dior describes this as “light mauve.”

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    That’s what it is.

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    And since the color mauve was named after the mallow flower, I thought it was perfect that Dior included this shade in a collection that was inspired by flora.

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    I like Forget-Me-Not.

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    It’s really pretty.

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    And I love its dustiness – I think that makes this color even more interesting.

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    The formula was fantastic too.

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    Smooth and perfectly opaque and two coats.

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    It also has a powdery rose scent and like Waterlily, I’m not crazy about it but I don’t mind it.

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    Now let me compare some of my favorite purples with Forget-Me-Not.

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    As you can see, Dior’s Purple Mix is much darker, RBL’s Purple Haze is much lighter, OPI’s Planks a Lot is even lighter and NARS Pokerface is a crazy bright lilac.

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    I love all these shades a lot. I could totally wear them all together.

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    One last look at Forget-Me-Not vs. other purples.

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    Dior’s Garden Party Collection is still available on Dior.com.

    Category mug shot | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 20 Comments

  4. POLICE FILES: Petah my Polish Elf to the rescue! (Again!)

    January 22, 2012 by pam

    Dior’s collaboration with German artist Anselm Reyle is pure insanity.

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    The minute I saw the nail polish shades in the collection, I knew I needed them.

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    But given the overwhelming amount of releases Dior was churning out, I decided to pick three colors first. Pink Graffiti, Ultra Violet, Electric Blue. Let me admit, however, that at the back of my mind I knew I’d eventually get them all.

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    Tatin my shopping partner helped me place the order online but Saks screwed up. They cancelled the order twice and didn’t even notify her. She was so annoyed that she told them on live chat, “Forget it. I’m ordering from Neiman Marcus.”

    But there was a problem.

    You can’t find the Anselm Reyle Diors at Neiman Marcus. They’re a Saks Fifth Avenue exclusive.

    Instantly, I knew who could come to my rescue.

    Petah. Petah my incredible incredible polish elf who lives in New York.

    I sent him an SOS. Luckily, he was planning to go to Barney’s and said he could swing by Saks after. I asked him to buy Pink Graffiti, Ultra Violet and Electric Blue.

    A couple of days later, he sent me a fantastic e-mail with this subject:

    YOUR BABIES ARE HERE

    I clicked on it eagerly and my jaw dropped.

    Because this is what it said:

    Pammy,

    Got the Dior Alselm Reyle BOX SET instead of the three bottles you wanted.

    I scrolled down and saw these beautiful pictures.

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    Holy crap!

    I read the rest of Petah’s e-mail and it made me laugh.

    … I kinda panicked coz they look so pretty together and they just popped up at Saks. Not sure if I did the right thing but you be the judge. I can also return and exchange it for your original request. Let me know.

    your polish elf

    P.S. They are 22 each but 100 for the set. Worth it?

    Hell yes, they are worth it! I didn’t even know there was a box set!

    The universe and my beloved polish elf have spoken. I have to have the entire Anselm Reyle set right now. No way am I going to argue with that.

    And now, before I rush off to get ready for Katy Perry’s concert (I still have to paint my nails with her polish!), let me leave you with more awesome photos from Petah.

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    So pretty!

    I can’t wait to swatch and wear them.

    Thank you, Petah. You are the best polish elf in the world.

    Category police files | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 6 Comments

  5. MUG SHOT: Reconnecting with Lynnderella’s Connect the Dots

    January 20, 2012 by pam

    You all witnessed my heartbreak over my broken bottle of Lynnderella’s Connect the Dots.

    My heartache lasted a couple of days but stopped because Lynnderella came to my rescue.

    Thanks to my glittery hero, Connect the Dots is back in my life.

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    And I’ve spent time happily playing with it.

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    Here’s what Lynnderella said about Connect the Dots: “Black and white hexagon, square and bar glitter with slight sparkle in clear base. Looks best on cremes. Instant nail art and very easy application. A treat from Halloween 2010 Collection.”

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    I brought out some of my favorite creme polishes to see if they wanted to play with Connect the Dots.

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    Of course they did.

    This is Zoya Pippa.

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    Pippa is a bright – but not neon – yellow. Like most yellows it can be a pain to apply but I make the effort because it’s so pretty.

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    This is Pippa with two coats of Connect the Dots.

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    I love that this is such a fun and bright mani.

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    This is Barry M Pure Turquoise. I love this pretty blue so much.

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    Connect the Dots over Pure Turquoise.

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    This is one of my favorite combinations.

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    Connect the Dots looks fab over a light blue – the color just makes the black and white pieces of glitter pop.

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    This is Four Leaf Clover from China Glaze. I love this bright green so much. It’s one of my favorites from the brand.

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    This is Four Leaf Clover with two coats of Connect the Dots.

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    I love it too.

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    Although I think I put too much glitter on my ring finger.

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    Another favorite from China Glaze – Recycle. This is my first gray polish and it kicked off my undying obsession with grays.

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    Recyle + Connect the Dots = Love.

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    Serious love.

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    And now, a hot pick from OPI. A Good Man-darin is Hard To Find.

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    This bright orange-red is from the brand’s Hong Kong Collection.

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    That remains to be one of my two all-time favorite OPI collections. The other one is the Pirates of the Caribbean collection which I should have added to my Top 11 for 2011 list except I didn’t have any more slots left.

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    I like Connect the Dots over A Good Man-darin is Hard To Find too.

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    Such a fun mani.

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    The black and white glitter looks great over this bright color.

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    And the sparkle in the base makes the mani even more interesting.

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    This is Cobalt Blue from Barry M.

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    Let me pause the Connect the Dots love for a second to tell you how much I love Barry M.

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    I seriously seriously seriously love this brand.

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    Not only is it affordable, the colors are fun and the formula is fantastic. It is my dream to one day own all the colors from this line.

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    And now, Connect the Dots over Cobalt Blue.

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    As you can see, I went a little crazy on my middle finger.

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    But that’s what makes glitter so much fun.

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    This is Bright Red, also from Barry M.

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    Bright Red is a creme-jelly hybrid.

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    It reminds me of Chanel Pirate.

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    This is Connect the Dots over Bright Red.

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    And yes, I like this combination too.

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    It’s crazy in a good way.

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    Welcome home, Connect the Dots. We’re going to have so much fun together.

    You can find Lynnderella HERE. For non-US polish fans, you can order your Lynnderellas from Leah Ann LaRowe’s shop. And if you are in the Philippines and you want a dose of Barry M, Digital Traincase still has some in stock.

    Category mug shot | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 20 Comments

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