Favourite Fall Nail Polishes

top: I'm Not Really a Waitress
middle: Lincoln Park After Dark
bottom row (l to r): Bahama Mama, Angora Cardi, Over the Edge

Like most of us with large nail polish collections, I like to change up what I'm wearing as the seasons change. I'm trying to avoid purchasing any new colours this year as I feel my current collection is enough to last me for several more years, so I went through to find my top picks for fall. I believe all of these have been included in permanent collections and are still available.

I think that OPI's I'm Not Really a Waitress is one of those classic shades that everyone should have in their collection. It's a go-to for me as I love the deep red shade it gives. In the summer, you would most likely find this on my toes. But for fall, I definitely love this on my fingers.

OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark is a great deep purple that is nearly black. Honestly, I think this is another classic, at least if you have a large OPI collection. I'm sure most nail polish lovers already have a bottle of this! 

Essie's Bahama Mama is a gorgeous rich plum shade that is not quite as dramatic as the above two shades. I would wear this all year round, but I especially love it for fall.

I've been wearing this non-stop for the past two weeks. Essie's Angora Cardi is one of my all-time favourites, but it works especially well in fall. It's almost a neutral to me - a sort of dusty mauve berry colour. It really looks good with any colour of clothing, which makes it extremely wearable.

I have not worn Essie's Over the Edge yet this fall, but I'll probably select it next. It's a bit more edgy, not quite black but a very dark charcoal grey. Very nice.

What are your fall polish picks?

Thanks for reading!

I've Got the Monday Blues

In celebration of everyone's favourite day of the week, I went looking for all things blue in my makeup collection. I actually found a lot more than I expected. Not surprisingly, my blue items are some of my least used products, but I love having them on days when I'm feeling a little more adventurous.

top row l to r: Deep Night from the Laura Mercier Artists' Palette, Zoya Pixie Dust in Nyx, Cargo Swimmables Eye Pencil in Blue, MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Hint of Sapphire
second row l to r: OPI I Have a Herring Problem, Wet n Wild Color Icon Palette in Blue Had Me at Hello, Ciate Mini Paint Pot in Power Dressing, Bare Minerals Loose Liner Shadow in Jade
third row l to r: Lorac Baked Matte Satin Eyeshadow in Insider, Pur Minerals Dusty Sapphire Loose Eyeshadow, Chaos from the Urban Decay Vice Palette, Essie Blue Rhapsody
bottom row l to r: Essie Butler Please, Bossy Bobbi from theBalm Shady Lady vol. 2, Zoya in Blu, MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

Happy Monday and thanks for reading!

Nail I'm Loving

This polish is from OPI's James Bond Skyfall collection. It is called Casino Royale. This a gorgeous deep berry creme polish. This is after two coats, with Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat. I have such a hard time with the application of creme polishes, but the payoff is great - this colour looks so pretty. I love it!

Nail I'm Loving

Today's nail I'm loving is Chicago Champagne Toast by OPI. I believe this is quite an old shade, but I recently picked it up on a flash sale on Beyond the Rack. 

This is a champagne toned rosy mauve colour that is just beautiful and extremely opaque. The picture is showing up a bit more peachy than it actually appears in real life. I would say it leans towards mauve, rather than peach. This is two coats, but I could have gotten away with a single coat. I applied the second coat as I had some visible brush strokes. I also topped with Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I love this nail because it is a very wearable neutral everyday colour, but still has a metallic shine. It is also quite flattering on my skin tone. I have a hard time with nudes, so I find this is a good substitute when I don't want to wear a bright. 

What nail are you loving these days?

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Favourites - January 2013

Here are my favourite / most-used products for the month of January.

• theBalm Nudetude Palette - I got this on Hautelook about 6 - 8 months ago, but I have recently started using it a lot more often. You can create so many great looks and a lot of people even like it better than their Urban Decay Naked palettes. Personally, I think they are quite different, so I wouldn't say you should choose one or the other. There is room for both Naked palettes as well as theBalm Nudetude in my collection! As theBalm is featured on a fairly regular basis on Hautelook, I normally wait to make a purchase. If you are in the USA, it really is a great deal as the cost is $18 (this deal is available today in fact), however, in Canada, it is not as great. Once you add in shipping as well as import duties, the final price is $32.55. Still cheaper, as I believe the regular price is $38, but if you are buying this from Hautelook, I would recommend to pick up a few items to make the shipping cost more worthwhile :) Any excuse to buy more products right?

• Cover FX Clear FX matte primer - love, love, love this. Helps with mattifying, and of course, my foundation glides on smoother and lasts longer. I always like to try and have some kind of layer between my face and makeup that actually helps my skin be healthier in the long run, and I think this does just that. I've only had it since early January, so hopefully I love it for a long time.

• Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Serum - according to the Juice Beauty website, this serum will "reduce breakouts, unclog pores, and even skin tone", contains CoQ10 (which is great for anti-aging), and is hydrating. Basically, this is everything I look for in a serum, and so far, I love it. Also, I think it will last quite awhile - look how much is still in the bottle, after using it for about three weeks! Just to be safe however, I have already re-ordered so that I will not have to go even a day without applying before bed.

• Mariah Carey by OPI nail polish in Sprung - such a pretty sparkly color, without the grittiness of glitter polishes. I can't stop staring at my nails when I have this on. It's actually kind of embarrassing when I get caught gazing down at them! This happened twice last week.

• OPI nail polish in Meet Me On the Star Ferry - gorgeous deep, dusty mauve with a bit of a golden shimmer in it. I think this was from the Hong Kong collection. This shade almost feels like a neutral to me as it doesn't particularly scream for attention. It is just a nice wearable colour and I've been loving it this month.

• Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush in Rose - I mentioned this in my drugstore haul the other day, and it definitely deserves a spot in my January favourites, even though it is new. I've been wearing it a lot ever since I bought it as it provides a natural, pretty flush to the cheeks. Just very natural and pretty (said that already, but it really is). 

• Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Chocolate - this pencil liner glides on so smooth and with so much dark chocolatey brown colour. I love it! I'm always looking for deep brown eyeliners and this one is pretty perfect. I find that there are so many great bronzy brown liners, but not as many really great dark browns. Anyways, this one is a twist-up (no sharpener required!) and has a smudger on the end. This is great of course for lining the upper lashline, but also great for smudging under the lower lashline. I keep meaning to check if these are sold in other colours.

• Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in Frisky - this is a sheer bright pink colour and looks natural, but also perks up your look a bit. It is definitely shiny, but not overly glossy. Also, there is a slight peppermint tingle to it. I've really been loving a lot of Tarte products lately. They always feel like great, quality items. You will probably see me talk about a lot of them in the future.

So there you have it! This was my January in beauty products in a nutshell. I'm excited to see what February brings. Tell me, what were your faves for the month?

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