Essie Sand Tropez...In Which I Find Yet Another Perfect Nude

Oh how I love the nude nail polish. Makes hands look clean and neat, and also manages to elongate fingers and add a little bit of elegance to everything you do. My two faves to date are Deborah Lippmann Naked (probably the best nude nail polish in the world) and Fashion- they are what I would call warm nudes, each being perfect for medium and light skin tones. I have another Essie nude, Jazz, that, while not quite as warm as the Lippmanns, is warm as it has a slight pinkish tone.



In natural light. Pardon dry cuticles.



Sand Tropez is a true beige with a creamy (and I mean delicioulsy creamy) grey undertone. Loves it! I keep looking at my hands and wondering why it took me so long to get this. Nude nail polishes are like red nailpolishes. And shoes. And perfumes. You can never have too many....

This is me on the sand in St Tropez. Well, actually Brigitte Bardot.

Essie St Lucia Lilac is So Very Pretty

When were finally packing up to come home from holidays, it was time for a fresh mani. I'd been reading about pastels for spring over here so when I found this sweet little Essie double pack with sweet mini bottles of Essie St Lucia Lilac and Jazz. I knew it had to be mine. I've been obsessing about Essie Absolutely Shore for awhile, and seeing as how I have yet to find it in an actual store & it's not available online....If any of you know of a dupe for it let me know! Da Bush from Fall 2011 looks like a contender and my search continues. So pastel nails are my new thing. Not even halfway through January and I am already feeling Spring 2012....

St Lucia Lilac is a soft powdery lavender/lilac shade and Jazz is a nude shade. Although, different enough from my other nudes that I don't feel it is, ahem, redundant. I guess I'd say it has a grey tone to it vs pink. Can't wait to try it. I can't find these little boxed sets online anywhere but I found mine at Walgreens. There were a couple sets with two minis as "Essie's Favorites" or something similar...

Top right: Jazz, top left: St Lucia Lilac, Bottom: Jazz, DL Naked, DL Fashion

Subtle Beauty: Butter London Yummy Mummy

File this one under all things soft, subtle and neutral. Coco Chanel famously said “I take refuge in beige because it’s natural”. Here, here I say. As much as I love a pop of colour when it comes down to feeling comfy, cozy and at ease, neutrals are where I want to go. In cosmetics, neutrals are easy to wear, and in my opinion are the best way to compliment one’s beauty in a natural & subtle way. You can let “you” shine without the mask of too much colour. That said,  a fun bright lip or nail or a little glow or shine/ sparkle (key: A LITTLE) now and then or for special occasions is a great thing. You may have noticed there are not a lot of “make up” reviews here, ie eye shadows, liners, different blushes and foundations. That is because I am rather boring, in beauty terms, in that I loves me my neutrals, and I tend to keep buying the things I love, which are often the same. Not too much new and exciting neutrals come out (oxymoron, anyone?) and to be honest, as we age, the truth, when dealing with cosmetics, is, less. Is. More.

Ok back to my nails. One of my favourite looks is the Mannequin Hands nail. A step up from the sheer pinks, which are fab and I wear often but sometimes want a bit more. A great thing about sheers and neutrals is the low maintenance vibe. Tip wear hardly shows, so the mani lasts longer.

 

Butter London is a neat line whose products are formulated without the use of the harmful ingredients like Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP or Parabens- they call themselves “3 Free” based on this. Although, so are my usual faves, OPI, Chanel, Lippmann, Dior and Zoya. So it sorta bugs me that Butter London acts like they are the only ones, but, on the other hand, kudos to them for taking the concept and running with it. One thing we do know, is that green beauty is the smallest portion of the beauty market, so I can guarantee you that Butter London’s success is based on their awesome fashion-forward colours and cheeky names. The latest being the “sold out in days” No More Waitey, Katie which was released for the Royal Engagement. And, looks like a sweet colour! One of the other colours I WANT is All Hail The Queen, a gorgeous taupe with sparkle. It was originally called All Hail McQueen but was changed after his tragic death.

Yummy Mummy is a perfect taupe with a teensy bit of shimmer even if the name is gag-enducing. Please. Are we not over this term? Aaannywaaays. The shimmer is more visible in the bottle than on the nail but does add a little something. It is slightly more taupe than the pink-leaning OPI Tickle My Francey, which is my go-to Mannequin Hands shade.  It is lighter and more subtle than the divine Chanel Particuliere, which is super, because I don’t always want to make a dramatic beige statement. If that is possible. Application was a breeze, and with two coats it is opaque but I think three coats might be ideal. All Hail McQueen seems to be YM with super subtle glitter. Hard to describe but gorgeous. I love YM and it is officially added to my rotation. 

I got my Butter London nailpolish at a boutique in Ottawa, GreenTree, for around $15, and I have seen the line at Holt Renfrew as well. I'm sure there are many boutiques or spas selling this line, or it can be purchased online at the Butter London website (which also has a Canadian site!) and B-Glowing.