Dior Apparat Swatches and Review

Back in September, I reviewed Dior Mervielle and  Dior Exquis but for some reason, I didn't feel the need to buy the other two polishes in Dior's 2011 Les Rouges Or  Holiday Collection, Apparat and Or Divin. Since then, I decided I needed Apparat and now can't for the life of me remember why it didn't call my name the first time around. Or the 2nd or 3rd, for that matter. (If I had to guess what finally made me buy it, though, my money would be on PeachPorn. For those of you not familiar with the term, there's a blogger, à la peach, who has THE most perfect hands/nails for modeling polish AND significant photographic ability to capture each color at its best with the perfect lighting, etc. Looking at her photos is like looking at porn. Hence "peachporn." Yes, I think I'm going to blame her.)

I always wonder how polishes get their names, and judging from the name of the collection, Les Rouges Or, and Dior itself, I assumed French and looked up Apparat. It means pageantry: grand or flashy display. Perfect! This is a medium burgundy with lots of brown undertones and is brought to life by the red and gold micro-shimmer packed within and if you look really closely, I think there's also some pink micro-shimmer too! It's a glowy, burgundy red that's perfect for the holidays.

As with all Dior polishes I've tried so far, the application was perfect and smooth. This one took two coats for full opacity. Actually, some could probably do it in one coat, but I use a second to even things out/wrap my tips. And I do love the cut of Dior brushes.

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

I am still learning and making friends with my camera so I still need to take more photos than someone more skilled would, but I do my best to capture the color and shimmer as they actually appear. Lighting is what I need to work on most. And I am working on it, I promise!

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

Dior Apparat

That just leaves one in the collection that I don't have and I'll probably leave it at that. As gorgeous as it is on some people, Or Divin isn't really "my" color.

Have you tried all 4 in the collection? Which is your favorite?

The Versatile Blogger Award?

Wait. WHAT?

I was chosen by the lovely and talented Glazed Talons for this. Wow. Well, I'm not particularly interesting, though I am a bit peculiar. =) I just saw her post. Been battling pleurisy and sinus/ear infections and didn't even feel like changing my nail polish! That's pretty sick for me. LOL!

Here are the rules:

1) List Seven Things About Yourself

2) Pass This on to Fifteen Other Bloggers

Well the 2nd rule will be easy, but I'll have trouble with the first one. But here goes...

* I love the forest and hate the beach.

* I think Scotland is the most gorgeous place on the planet and I plan on moving there someday - maybe when I retire?

* Dogs are the best "people" on earth.

* I'm a voracious reader. Fiction, non-fiction, doesn't really matter as long as it's not a users' manual. (I don't read those nearly enough!)

* I am a painter. Mostly acrylics, some mixed media. Never oils. (Too lazy for the clean up - ring a bell? LOL!)

* Love to travel. So far I've visited 11 countries and I haven't even gotten started yet!

* I'm a VERY picky eater. Like over the top picky.

* I'm an old movie and old music buff - like 1930s and 1940s stuff. 

And I'm passing this award on to some of my favorite bloggers...

The Gore Princess

Nightly Nails

The Trace Face Philes

Macnunu

The Lacquer Lounge

Polish Jinx

Nails and Noms

Scholarly Nails

Polish Galore

Polished Ponderings

Carinae L'etoile

A La Peach

Blue Collar Red Lipstick

Boar Bear

Hermetic's Polish Blog

Chanel Dragon - I Found My Perfect Red!

Finally!!! I was so disappointed in the formula, despite all the hype, of Chanel Pirate. Not because it was bad, but because it was a "crelly." I guess I'm a straight creme kinda gal. It took way too many coats for me and I still didn't get the opacity I craved. But it was a gorgeous red.

Then I found Chanel Dragon. I don't know how many times I passed right by this one before I finally bought it on a whim. And it's just perfection in a bottle.

It's a lovely pure red creme with the perfect formula. It could probably be a one-coater, but two is perfect for me. Even my man said he loved it - with NO prompting or asking! He said a woman only needs one bottle of polish and THAT is the one. Well, I had to stifle my giggles on that one. If he only KNEW!

Chanel Dragon

Chanel Dragon

Chanel Dragon

Chanel Dragon

Now tell me you don't adore that red!  I think the ease of application and the total opacity reeled me in.

Essie Starry Starry Night - Franken/Dupe

No, I STILL haven't managed to get my paws on Essie Starry Starry Night. And I can't even catch it on eBay for what I am sure would be exorbitant prices.

So I set about trying to get a close enough dupe to satisfy me. Will it satisfy everyone? Probably not. But I'm happy with it.

I started out with about 2/3rds of a bottle of Orchid Royal Engagement. Then I added 5 drops of each of the following:

*Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Black Heart
*Orchid Starry Night
*OPI DS Magic
*China Glaze Dorothy Who?

Then I added some Sterling Silver micro glitter (SuperNail brand from Sally Beauty Supply NOT the holo one) - about the size of 2 grains of rice.

This was the result, which I still wasn't completely happy with...

Used Essie Matte About You on accent nail

So...I layered over a coat of the top coat I had made last month using Seche Vite and the same Sterling Silver micro glitter and VOILA!

No, it's probably not an exact dupe, but I don't have the Essie one to compare and I'm actually totally happy with it! It's completely smooth - no "glitter feel" at all.

What do you think?

Those of you who have Essie Starry Starry Night, is it close at all?

My Thanksgiving Mani

You guys pretty much know I'm kind of tame (NO, I did NOT say lame!) and don't typically do nail art or glitter. And this will be no exception. But I did want to do a little something.

So I'm wearing Revlon Ignite, which is a shimmery, rusty orange that just appeared at my local Walgreen. Now, "just appeared" could mean that it's brand spanking new, or it could mean that they found an old box in the back. Walgreen stores in Po-Dunk operate a little differently than most. =) It was in a new display right next to the remnants of the collection that featured Mistletoe, though.

The application was actually fantastic and took only one medium coat!

First, Revlon Ignite on its own...

Revlon Ignite

Revlon Ignite

Revlon Ignite

See how it shimmers???

Then I layered on Barielle Elle's Spell, which is a great multi-chrome flaky that flashes green, red, gold and orange. Everything's better with Barielle Elle's Spell.

A close-up showing the flaky goodness...

Revlon Ignite with Barielle Elle's Spell

In the sunlight, it's STUNNING, but the sun's not cooperating right now.

And indoors, it's pretty inocuous, but still gorgeous.

Revlon Ignite with Barielle Elle's Spell

Revlon Ignite with Barielle Elle's Spell

I've been really impressed lately with the "drug store" polishes. Revlon and L'Oreal have both stepped up their games in the nail polish arena tremendously, as has Nicole by OPI. Either that or I'm just lucking out with the ones I'm choosing.

Tony Bennett Makes Me Feel Normal!

Photo from ScrapeTV.com

Tony Bennett has long been one of my favorite singers and thankfully I am not alone in this. For once in my life (my favorite of his, by the way) I can mention someone I love without the next word being "Who?"

I can't tell you how frustrating it has been my entire life to be "a few generations behind." I love films from the 30s and 40s. Music from the 40s and 50s. As someone who communicates in analogies way too much, often the analogies are lost on anyone who isn't over the age of 60. My cultural references are outdated. Even as a teenager, swooning over Gregory Peck or Perry Como, I was constantly asked "Who's that?" Apparently, Peter Frampton and Shaun Cassidy were hot back then? Ha!

Well, Tony Bennett is the master at staying current. When I express how much I love Tony, no one has to ask "Who?" They all know him whether they're nine or ninety.

With the release of his latest, *Duets II, he proves once again that he is relevant and I'm beginning to see yet another reason why. We all know his voice is incomparable, timeless. That's a given. But there's something else that I'd never been able to put my finger on. He's totally adorable, intelligent, amiable, multi-talented. Still, it's more than that. Just what is it? This is a man with a voice that clearly outshines all the rest and still he has the unique talent of making anyone who sings with him sound good. Do you know how HARD it is to be head and shoulders above anyone else in your field and still be able to make THEM sound good next to you? I can't imagine how he does it, but he definitely does it. He has the ability to adapt his voice to go with anyone else's.

As I mentioned previously in another post, You're Never Too Old To Learn,  I'd always been sort of a "music snob." And until I bought *Duets II, I'd honestly never heard Lady Gaga sing. Probably the most famous person on the planet right now and I'd never heard her sing! I just assumed, seeing all of the gimmicky crap, that she couldn't really sing and I wasn't about to waste my time on such ridiculousness. I mean after all, if you can really sing, you don't need all of that, right? Tony didn't need that. Perry didn't need that. Dean didn't need that. But that was a different world.

So I hear Lady Gaga singing Lady is a Tramp with him and I sit and listen in stunned silence. She can actually sing! And Amy Winehouse! And even Mariah Carey. Now I realize these people are hugely popular and don't need the likes of me to validate them. But how many people like me are out there, writing them off willy nilly because the type of music that's popular today doesn't showcase the actual voice? If you can scream and be over the top ridiculous, you can become a star, whether or not you have singing talent. I know a lot of people who are going to be pleasantly surprised, as I was, to know they have actual tangible talent. And that can only help them and their careers.

And they can thank Tony Bennett for that.

What I can thank Tony Bennett for, in addition to all the years I spent listening to his music, in addition to that voice being with me through tough times and good times, is that he has continued to make himself relevant and by extension, make me feel "normal."  And that's no small feat.


*Duets II, columbiarecords.com, tonybennett.com, 2011 release from the legendary crooner. Duets II is the follow-up to Tony Bennett's multi-platinum CD, Duets

Nicole by OPI - Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

Okay, so the Kardashian Collection popped up in my local Walmart and in spite of the names and inspiration behind them, I did buy a few. *shrugs* They were pretty colors! As I figured, most of the ones I got were "inspired" or "created by" Kris Jenner. Figures since I'm not into glitter and I am closer to HER age than I am the girls'.

But Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam really stood out. It's a beautiful, deep teal creme. And a one-coater!

Photos shown are with a base, one coat of color and a coat of Seche Vite.

Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam

What do you think? Will you be getting any of the Kardashian Collection?
If so is it because of or in spite of? =)

Ozotic 533 - A Linear Holo Multi-Chrome?

When I received Ozotic 533 from Llarowe today, I was stunned! First, that I received it so quickly, although that shouldn't be a surprise. Leah Ann has AWESOME customer service and second, I guess I was expecting a blue-ish linear holo, but I wasn't really expecting it to also be a multi-chrome! I should have done more research. This is part of Ozotic's Mish Mash Collection and the only one I have...so far.

I put on a dark navy blue as a base and Ozotic 533 applied perfectly, easily and with just one coat coverage. Not only is it a linear holo that doesn't disappoint, but it's a multi-chrome that shifts from blue to silver to purple to green.  There are so many "looks" to it that I'd have had to post about 30 photos to capture most of them! But I am not going to do that.  I've picked out a few that show it off best.

Ozotic 533

Ozotic 533 Bottle Shot

Ozotic 533

Ozotic 533

Ozotic 533

Ozotic 533

And I just realized I didn't post any that show the green.  But trust me, it, among many other color shifts, is there with each tilt of the hand and shift of the light.

Love.

Cult Nails Gives Back

Those of us who've ordered nail polish from Maria at Cult Nails or follow her blog R3 Daily, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter know what an amazing person she is. We've followed her as she started to develop her own nail polishes and grew her business.

And now we follow along as she gives back.


She is donating approximately 40 turkeys towards Thanksgiving meal baskets for those in need that she will be putting together & delivering tomorrow. Maria says, "That means that the polish you have all bought is helping give back to those in need! Who knew a bottle of polish could be so powerful! You didn't even know you were helping others! Thank you all! I look forward to being able to do even more in the future."


And we look forward to doing even more business with YOU in the future, Maria.


This Thanksgiving, among many other wonderful blessings in my life, I am thankful for small business people like Maria who give back. 

China Glaze IDK - From the Spring 2008 OMG Collection

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK is a dusty purple linear holographic polish and I ADORE it. It's the only one of the OMG Collection I've been able to get my grubby paws on, so it's the one I'm wearing today.

I sprained my thumb the other day and didn't change my mani for DAYS! Thankfully I was wearing Nubar Wild at Heart - it's my favorite purple and after several days I barely even had any tip wear. My thumb is better now, which helps immensely for nail polish removal, so I decided to treat myself to a really strong linear holo.

I've left some of the photos with orange hands and some really blurry, just so you can see how awesome and strong the linear holo is in this polish.  The first photo, however, is the true color.

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK

China Glaze IDK

Now...how to get my hands on the OTHERS from the OMG Collection?  LOL.

LOVE!

L'Oreal 2011 Winter Nail Polish Collection (now with comparison shots)

So, I was at the grocery store, checking the nail polish aisle before checking out...just in case. My Walgreens and CVS stores never seem to get any of the new stuff from the "drug store" brands, but this HEB Plus seems to get everything. It's where I scored L'Oreal Owl's Night and the rest of that collection, the new Revlons, including Facets of Fuchsia, Mistletoe, etc.

So tonight, I see a brand new display of 4 new L'Oreal polishes. These have a round cap, thank goodness, those odd square caps never lined up right after they were opened! The OCD in me hated that.

I didn't notice the name of the collection on the display, sadly. If anyone knows it, please comment!

They are:

Breaking Curfew is a deep, vampy eggplant creme. Actually this one could be a crelly, but not quite sure. The formula is much like a jelly/creme, but it appears to be a one-coater.

Violet Vixen is just that - a pure pink/magenta violet creme.

Stroke of Midnight is a blue-hued steel  shimmer.

Because You're Worth It is a gold shimmer/frost. (this frost isn't streaky!)

I'll be reviewing them soon, but I can already tell by the one swatch of each I did on a nail wheel that they are one-coaters and the formula, brush and cap are good.  So glad L'Oreal stepped up and improved their nail polish line!

I'll leave you with just bottle shots for now.

Breaking Curfew

Violet Vixen

Stroke of Midnight

Because You're Worth It

L'Oreal

L'Oreal

L'Oreal Violet Vixen

Edited to add comparison shots with the last L'Oreal Collection...