Dior - Cannage Couture Collection Brush Set

Talk about travelling in style! I bought this beautiful set of four travel-sized brushes when I was in Germany in March (at the airport, to be specific). I wanted to give it a good share of use before reviewing it, but quite frankly, I didn't have the time until I travelled to Edinburgh two weeks ago - I decided to bring only these brushes with me (I did take an eyeliner brush as well though, and an angled one for my brows) - so after a whole week of using almost only these brushes, I believe I have enough to tell you what I think of them.

As you can see, the travel set come in this beautiful purse (perfect for both travelling and , and to be honest, my favourite thing about it is the "D" on the zipper. So Dior-ish!

The purse has a mirror inside, a sleeve for each brush and a nice cover to protect the brushes and the mirror - it feels rubbery, so makeup won't stick to it.

As you can see, these brushes aren't going anywhere - they each have their own little pocket, an elastic band for holding them in place, and a plastic cover for protection. Very, very professional.

The set comes with four travel-sized brushes - (from L-R) a lip brush, an eyeshadow brush, a blush brush and a foundation brush.

The lip brush is nice to have, very precise and does a great job at applying lipstick. Personally, I would have picked another brush for a travel set  - an eyeliner brush for example, but I guess it's nice to have, especially if you like strong lip colours, which tend to need precise application.

The eyeshadow brush is a medium at density - meaning that it can be used for both packing on colour, as well as putting shadows in the crease and blending them out. I have to admit that I don't use this brush on an every day basis, but I did use it every day for a week when I was in Edinburgh, and it does work - I got beautiful looks from it, and even managed to use it for smudging shadow under my lower lashline. So yes, I will definitely use this for travelling in the future, although I don't use it at home.

The blush brush is my favourite from the set - although that may not come as a surprise, I'm a blush gal :) It's very soft, and I used it both for bronzing and blushing - it's small enough to work for contouring, yet big enough to give a blended look when working with blush or highlighter. I would say that it's on the smaller side, but it is a travel-sized brush after all, and I do like it.

The foundation brush is to me the least interesting brush of the set - but that being said, I really, really don't like classic foundation brushes at all, this one is no exception. I feel that they leave my face streaky, and I always have to re-do my makeup if I decide to give them "one more try". I just don't understand how people can use them, to be honest.

So, do I recommend this set? Well, if you are looking for a really nice travel brush set, I think you will like this, especially if you use classic foundation brushes. The brushes are really well made, the bristles are fantastic and the handles are so classy, with the Dior logo printed so nicely on them. I'm really happy with mine.

Love,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Houston We Have A Purple

I believe this is the second to last jelly polish from the OPI Texas Collection (2011) that I have yet to post about... I know, I know, this is taking me ages :)

This particular polish happens to be my favourite, not only from the collection, but also one of my favourite polishes in my collection... it's for sure the prettiest purple I've seen so far - the hint of wine red is gorgeous. I really have no words, which is why I gave in to the temptation of posting more pictures of this polish than I usually do. Please click on them to enlarge them, in order to enjoy the full beauty of this polish (although my pictures don't even do it justice).

My thoughts on the OPI "sorbet" (aka jelly) formula:The jellies which came out with the OPI Texas collection are very, very sheer, but other than that, they apply like a dream. They are buildable, but getting them completely opaque would take many, many coats. You can get away with three coats, but the true magic doesn't happen until the fourth, or even the fifth coat. I usually use four coats, and I get the most amazing jelly finish I've ever seen. No patchiness, just gorgeous shine and everything looks completely even, like a professional manicure.
As far as weartime goes, those jelly polishes wear much better than the average cream formula. I don't get any chipping until the sixth day, and tip wear is minimal. Removing the jelly polishes is relatively easy, but if you use a top coat (which I don't find necessary) you might find it a bit more difficult.
Really, there is only one real flaw to those polishes - they are completely addicting!

This polish is perfect for fall - deep, rich, purple... what more could I possibly ask for?

Product (65%) - 9.5/10 (would have been a straight 10 if it hadn't been so sheer)

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 10/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9.5/10

Love, Miss Diorista

P.S. Please tell me what polishes you are loving for fall!

Weekly Gratitude - Autumn, My Aunt and Ice Cream!

• Thank you for autumn coming upon us so gracefully - I almost don't want to say it, but I feel happy about summer coming to an end and fall taking over... I can't wait for rich, deep hues on lips and nails, the autumn leaves and school... there is something so oddly charming about school starting again.
• Thank you to my aunt for stopping by this evening - she made my day!
• Thank you for ice cream... the perfect food for extending summer into fall.
• Thank you for Barnaby - ever watched those movies? I don't know if they're aired in the US, but it's a British series of movies about the police man Barnaby, who lives and works in a small town in the countryside. Lovely!
• Thank you to my new followers - I hope you like what you signed up for ;)
• Thank you to my mom and niece - the three of us went for a long ride on our bikes today. The weather was as nice as the company, and the tour was lovely.
• Thank you to God, for letting us know that our loved ones are doing what fills their life with purpose and happiness - it's an unexplainable feeling, knowing that they're doing fine, that they're happy, that their life is the best it can be.

Love,
Miss Diorista

The Dior Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations, AnaMarija T! You won the Dior Giveaway, winning a Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss! I have already sent you an e-mail, so please reply to that one within a seven days, because I will be needing your address so that I can send you the lippie :) I hope you will enjoy it!

To those of you who participated - thank you so much for taking your time to post a comment! I wish I could give all 19 of you a prize, but stay tuned for more giveaways in the future - there will be more, I promise :)

Love,
Miss Diorista

Dior Giveaway Closed

The Dior Giveaway has now been closed. There are 19 comments, which I think is great (on my last giveaway we had 8 comments). And before I forget - thank you for sharing your favourite summer products with me, I loved reading about what you can't be without.
I will pick one winner completely randomly (by random.org) and announce with a blog post within the next three days - so if you commented, make sure that you stay tuned!

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Edinburgh

I just came back from Edinburgh, Scotland, and oh my. What a city! It's my third time there, but somehow, this time was different. I've loved the city since I first came there, but this time, it was like coming home. And leaving for the flight was like leaving home... strange :) I'll do a second post on it as I always do when I get back from travelling, with pictures and descriptions, and of course you will also be seeing a "haul from Edinburgh" in a few parts. But let's get into weekly gratitude! Oh, and on another note - I hope you liked the posts I posted the past week - I was trying the "scheduled" post system. I quite like it!

• Thank you to my mom, for being the best travel-companion in history!
• Thank you to Angela and her family, for running the best B&B I've been to... I think that was a big part of why we felt so at home in Scotland this time.
• Thank you to Scotland and Edinburgh, for welcoming us with great weather and great people - there was only one rainy day, which is quite special when it comes to Scotland!
• Thank you to Kári for taking care of my kitty while I was away...
• ...and thank you to her for being patient while mommy was away - I'm so glad I'm back with her :)
• Thank you to God for returning me home, safely...
• ...and for letting me know that my loved ones are safe and happy, and making the people they love happy - it means everything to me.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Smashbox - In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette

What a lovely, lovely palette. I know, I should have reviewed this months ago, and I'm not sure whether you can still get this palette, but if you can, definitely consider buying it. It has a great mix of neutrals and fun colours, and it's perfect for those of us (like myself) who like neutral shadows, but also like something a little different, without that "different" having to mean "bright blue"!

The beautiful box it came in.

The palette itself is very simple and stylish, completely black.

The ten shades and the eyeshadow brush which came with the palette - yes, the brush can actually be used. All of the shadows are very nice, some are matte, others are shimmery. You get a nice highlight, nice brown shades, and a great crease colour - my favourites include Iris Blue (the blue-grey shadow in the lower rack, second from the left) and Warm Taupe (upper rack, the second from the right). Iris Blue is the perfect colour for deepening your crease and outer corners, while Warm Taupe is this gorgeous mossy-green-goldish shade. So pretty.

The brush, which is dense and flat enough for layering on lid colours, but also fluffy enough for crease colours and blending.

Swatches, same order as in the palette itself. As you can see, the lighter ones are on the top, and the darker, more pigmented ones are on the bottom. The palette is actually organized in a duo-sort of way - the duos go in a vertical way. That being said, I also think that they play beautifully together diagonally... or just any way you like.

Same swatches, but here you can see the shimmer better (enlarge the picture). The left row is the upper rack in the palette, the right one is the lower one.

Again, sorry for posting this so late! I hope you can still get this though, it was released with Smashbox's spring collection.

Love,

Miss Diorista

Preven's - Make-Up Remover Wipes

My favourite makeup wipes to date. Period.

They are 100% biodegradable, contain vitamin C, E and B5, as well as shea butter, and they are dermatologically and opthalmologically tested. Doesn't all that sound good?

Although I don't use makeup wipes all that often in general, those are the ones I use when I do. They feel moisturizing, they take my makeup off nicely, and don't leave that feeling of a slimy residue on my skin after cleansing, which so many wipes do. I wouldn't recommend them for removing mascara, but I have tried it and it's ok in emergencies. That being said, they handle eye shadow quite well.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9/10

Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

xox,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Need Sunglasses?

What an incredibly fun polish! Yes thank you, I do need sunglasses!

I wore this on the 17th of June, as I showed you in my June 17th post, and I loved it! I originally bought it because I wanted a yellow polish for spring (remember Chanel Mimosa? What a huge trend-setter!), but now I'm really glad I have it, because it's the perfect yellow colour. Not too mustardy, not dull (definitely not!) and not too bright - yet very bright in a fun way.



Unfortunately, this polish is extremely sheer and needs at least 4 coats, which is what I have on, but as you can see, it still looks sheer. Weartime was good though, 4 to 5 days.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 7.5/10

Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

For that special person...

These are perfect for that one, special person - whoever that person is. Show someone how much you love them by baking for them!

I used my all-time favourite vanilla cupcake recipe from the Magnolia Bakery, and coloured the buttercream pink. The big sugar hearts are by Wilton, and the silvery sugar decorations are by Dr. Oetker. I can't remember where I bought the cupcake wrappers, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were by Wilton.

Now escape the heat outside and get baking!

Love,

Miss Diorista

OPI - My Chihuahua Bites!

Watch out, that one bites!   :)
My Chihuahua Bites is a lovely, bright coral red creme. I know it doesn't look especially bright in my pictures, but it really is. You're just going to have to take my word for it :)

This one was a true dream to apply (although I often shy away from those really pigmented cremes, since applying them can be difficult - but not with this one!). I only needed two coats, drying time was rather quick, weartime about 4 days. I got so many compliments on it!

As often with really bright, pigmented cremes, removing took slightly longer than usually. Wasn't difficult though.

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

P.S. Does your chihuahua bite? I've only met nice ones :)