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!

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

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 :)

Chanel Bronzer - Soleil Tan De Chanel in 537, Bronze Corail

 Since we've already started discussing bronzers today, I want to show you a product that I'm currently loving and using every day - it's from Chanel's summer collection, and it's 4 products in 1. This is a true, high-end product - it's as much fun to look at it as it is to actually wear it.

I use an angled contour brush (I don't like the one that comes with the compacte) which is too big to fit into the "stripes" really - but that's actually what I like, since it gives me more than one colour at a time, which makes everything look more natural.

 

 As always with Chanel, the packaging is stylish, classy, luxurious.

The compacte comes in a little velvet pouch, perfect for protecting it if you throw it in your purse for touch-ups, or are travelling with it (what a great travel companion!).

 Here you have the four colours - on top is a light brown bronzer, then there's a highlighter, followed by a dark bronzer and finally a coral blush. All colours are slightly shimmery.
I actually chose this compacte because of the dark bronzer - I figured it would look gorgeous as a contour colour. Which is does, but I was amazed to see how well the colours work together as well.

I use the dark bronzer for contouring cheekbones, the lighter one for my temples and jawline. The highlighter goes on top of my cheekbones, and the blush on the apples of my cheeks, blended up.

The swatches! If you enlarge the picture, you should be able to see the absolutely stunning shimmer in the colours - it's not enough to make you look like a disco ball (far from it), but enough to bring life and dimension to your face.

L-R: Light brown bronzer, highlighter, dark bronzer, blush.

xox,
Miss Diorista

Bronzing with The Body Shop

I've been searching for the perfect bronzer for about a year now, and during summer, my quest for the perfect colour, the perfect texture and so on, has had no end!

As a part of this quest of mine, I recently visited The Body Shop, which has launched a whole new collection of bronzy products. Two things particularly caught my attention - the fact that they have a liquid bronzer (those things aren't lying around these days...) and how fair and almost grey-looking their powder bronzers were. As a result, I bought the liquid bronzer, called Honey Bronze (they only have one shade) and Bronzing Powder in No. 02, Fair Matte.

I love how soft and smooth the powder is. It's definitely buildable, but you can also wear it really lightly.

L-R: Sheered out liquid bronzer, heavily swatched liquid bronzer, bronzing powder in No. 02. The liquid bronzer is light, but buildable like the powder, and extremely natural looking.

 Here you can see how fair the bronzing powder is. On the left is Benefit's Hoola, which seems really dark and muddy compared to The Body Shop's bronzing powder.

L-R: Hoola, Bronzing Powder in No. 02. You can barely see the latter compared to Hoola!

I'm extremely happy with those two products, especially the liquid bronzer, which looks so natural and glowy (it has small sparkles in it - nothing too obvious but it really makes you glow!).

Love,

Miss Diorista

Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri in Mint Sprint

On the hunt for a perfect minty polish, I picked this up. Fell in love with it the moment I put it on, but heavens, that's not minty! Or is it? Do you think this is minty? I don't. To me, this is the most perfect "sea-blue" creme I've ever seen. It is a little more green and minty in real life than in my photographs, but it's still not minty. Not by far.

This is the third Insta-Dri I've bought, and it's my favourite of the three. They all have great application, dry in a matter of minutes. The weartime of this one was about 4 days, and removing it was average. It only needed two coats to be completely opaque.

This polish looks even better with nice rings - here I'm sporting the ring from my Summer Trend post on big, bold rings.

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 9/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 8/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

P.S. Any nice minty polishes out there that I should try out? Please spill the juice on the mint :D

OPI - Aceton-Free Polish Remover

The past year or so, I've been wearing nail polish almost every day, every week, every month... which definitely takes a toll on your nails. In an attempt to help them cope, I've been using aceton-free nail polish remover, since aceton really dries out your nails and just isn't good for them at all.



OPI's Aceton-Free Polish Remover is quite a nice nail polish remover - it has a nicer and not-so-strong scent as regular removers (although I don't recommend smelling it the whole day long, not at all!) and it also leaves a nice rose scent on my nails after removal of nail polish. As for the actual removing, it does a decent job. It maybe isn't quite as effective as an aceton-remover, but I think spending two minutes or so more on removing my polish is worth it, as opposed to having dry and brittle nails.

And yes, I do notice a difference in my nails since I stopped using aceton loaded polish removers - they feel more moisturized, less brittle and thicker. I will continue using aceton-free removing substances.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9/10
Packaging (10%) - 6/10 (it has a screw-cap, and it's easy to get way too much product)

Overall - 8/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

The Body Shop - Coconut Body Scrub

Coconutty goodness! I just want to eat this scrub, it looks and smells so good.
I love this scrub, mostly because how moisturizing it is - it feels like body butter with exfoliating grains, rather than an actual scrub - yet it exfoliates so nicely. Because of the moisturizing aspects to this scrub, I don't feel the need for a body lotion or body butter after I come of the shower, and as yet another plus, the scrub leaves a lingering coconut scent on my skin. Lovely!

A closer look at the granules - the scrub has more than one size of grains, which helps exfoliating, without feeling harsh.

I don't know what more to say about this amazing scrub, other than I love it and use it every week!

Product (65%) - 9.5/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 10/10
Packaging (10%) - 7.5/10 (can be slightly difficult to screw when you're in the shower!)
Overall - 9/10

xox,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Lucky Lucky Lavender

I rarely wear polishes two times in a row. I have a rather large nail polish collection and like to try as many polishes as I can, and change things up, but this nail polish had me a bit bananas, so to speak, and I wore it two, if not three times in a row :)
It is a lovely lavender cream, but it gave me troubles when photographing. It's not so warm as on the top picture, and not so cool as on the lower picture. I guess it's somewhere in between, but the pictures give you a pretty good idea.

Pretty, right? The application is dreamy, the wear time is about 4 to 5 days, and removing is easy. You do need about 3 coats (I'm only sporting 2 in the pictures), but it's worth it in my opinion.

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

OPI - Italian Love Affair

Italian Love Affair is a beautiful milky pink polish with shimmer. It takes a bit for me to love a light polish shade like this one, but this particular shade has that extra factor that made me fall for it - not to mention that I would probably wear it even though I didn't like the shade, just because of the name! I wore this for just a little less than a week, and every time I met someone who showed interest in my polish, I would ask: "Wanna guess the name?"  :) Nobody got it right, and people loved hearing the cute shade name (the name sounds even more "out there" in Icelandic!).



You can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you want to see the beautiful shimmer.

The application was nice, but since this is on the sheerer side, I used three coats. Weartime was about five days before chipping, which has to be considered quite nice.

So, if you're looking for a nice light shade, I say go for an Italian Love Affair!

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 8.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8.5/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure in Naked Ambition, 210

Ugh. Not a success. I initially bought this bottle of polish for French manis, but now I think it's a little too peachy for that. However, I fell for the unique peachy nude colour with the silver sparkle flecks, and though it would be a gorgeous nude polish.

Nope. How wrong I was. The application was horrible (as you can see from my pictures), the colour was just "blah" and don't even get me started on removing this! The silver flecks where a nightmare to remove, I still haven't got some of them away.

This is 3 coats. The only "not-so-horrible" thing about this polish was the weartime, which was approx. average. As you can probably imagine, I won't be wearing this again anytime soon. Even though the polish was gorgeous (which it isn't), I doubt I would put my nails through the removing process again.

Product (65%) - 3.5/10

Value (10%) - 7/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 2/10
Packaging (10%) - 7.5/10 (I don't like the look of the rubber ring...)

Overall - 4/10

xox,

Miss Diorista



OPI - Don't Mess With OPI

OPI Don't Mess With OPI is a strange shade of green creme that came out with the Texas Collection (2011). When I say "strange", I mean "I can't find a word to describe the colour"... it's not moss green, not bright green, not dark green... I guess the closest match would be gray green, but with a hint of grass green... Photographing this colour was not easy, let me tell you! For example, the colour below is way too dark.

The formula was the usual with OPI, pretty nice. Weartime was about four days and drying time was average. However, I didn't really fall in love with the shade. Maybe I just have to try it again in fall/winter, since this kind of green doesn't really shout "summer".

Here you can see the gray green to it...

...and there is the grass green.

So, do you like strange colours like this? Did you try this polish? Share!

Product (65%) - 8.5/10

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 5.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

xox,
Miss Diorista

P.S. Don't you just love OPI shade names?!?

OPI - Austin-Tatious Turquoise

Austin-Tatious Turquiose came out with the Texas collection (2011), and it is a rather-super glittery teal polish... like my description?  :)

It looks so pretty in the bottle, but sadly, something about it didn't make me smile... the formula was sheer, but I could have put up with that... it was simply the colour itself that I didn't like. As I said, I love it in the bottle, and I really wanted to love it on my nails too, but it just doesn't match my skintone in the right way.

That being said, the drying time was alright and the weartime too. What do you think about this polish? Or just glittery polishes altogether? Like'em? I usually do, I don't know what's wrong with me when it comes to this particular colour!

Product (65%) - 8/10 (so sheer...)

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 4.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10


Overall - 7.5/10

xox,
Miss Diorista