Nail of the Day: OPI Skyfall

If you follow this blog regularly, you probably saw my OPI Skyfall collection sneak peak post a couple of weeks ago.  As promised, I am back to NOTD all of the polishes, and which better one to start with than Skyfall itself?  Skyfall is a deep red cream with a brown undertone to it... definitely very Bond girl-esque.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of brown toned reds in general, so this isn't going to be a favorite for me.  That being said, it is a beautiful color and a nice change for the coming season!

natural light, 2 coats

This polish is very opaque and the formulation is smooth.  It is one of those colors that you have to be really careful with because if you make any mistakes, it shows.

What do you think of brown toned reds?  Yay or nay?
xx, Allison

Monday Questionnaire: October 29th, 2012

I'm glued to my computer/television today watching Hurricane Sandy unfold, but I thought I would take a break to do a Monday Questionnaire!  I'm back in LA after my trip to NYC this last week, and I was lucky enough to be one of the last flights out of JFK yesterday before everything got cancelled.  Happy to be home, but worried about all of you over in that region... hope you are well prepared and in safe ground!!

I spent a few hours strolling through Central Park on Saturday.  Everything was so beautiful!  Fresh air, falling leaves, and adorable children in Halloween costumes for the Pumpkin Fest.  So much fun!

NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra: Review + Swatches!

One of my most-loved products lately has been the NARS Alhambra eyeshadow duo.  This is one of those compacts that I use on-and-off, but it contains some of my favorite shadows in my collection.

Nail of the Day: OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons

Today's Nail of the Day is another color from the OPI Germany collection: Don't Pretzel My Buttons.  This is a nude cream that is another one of those great everyday polish colors.  The formulation of this was good, and it was nice and opaque-- is it just me, or are we seeing more and more opaque nudes these days?  Yay!  It seems like it used to be so much harder to find something that didn't require 49 coats.

I can't think of an exact dupe for this, but the color isn't anything new.  This is warmer than Essie Sand Tropez (my favorite nude).  If I had to give a close comparison, I would say this is the same tone of neutral as OPI San Tan-tonio, but lighter.  If you already have some nude polishes, this probably won't be overly exciting, but nonetheless it is a nice neutral polish if you are in the market for one!

Do you wear nude polishes in the fall?  I find that nude is a year-round staple for me.  Especially when I want something that won't look horrendous the moment is starts to chip!

xx, Allison

Benefit She's So... Jetset! Kit for Holiday 2012: Review + Swatches!

I'm spending my day up in the air (off to NYC for a bit!), so I thought it would be perfectly appropriate to review Benefit's She's So... Jetset! kit for this holiday season.

"Upgrade your look in an instant! This posh and polished makeup kit for eyes, lips and cheeks will turn you into a high flyin’ head turner who looks effortlessly glamorous. Follow the 'in-flight' makeup manual, filled with tips and tricks, and lift off to lovely."

NARS Blush in Deep Throat: Review + Swatch!

I've finally photographed and reviewed most of my MAC blushes for this blog, so now I'm moving on to another one of my favorite blush brands, NARS.  Today I'm sharing my favorite NARS blush with you, Deep Throat.  Yes, the product names from this brand can be a little provocative, but it seems to work in their marketing platform because NARS blushes are some of the most raved about in the industry.

Monday Questionnaire: October 22nd, 2012

Once again, the weekend has flown by and we're back to Monday!  I haven't done a Monday Questionnaire for a little while now, so I thought I would do one today.

I whipped up a homemade pumpkin pie this last week to kick off the holiday baking season... it was delicious!  Didn't burn it either! *2 points for Allison*

MAC Lipstick in Syrup: Review + Swatches!

Today I'm sharing one of my go-to everyday lipsticks this season, MAC Syrup.  I've heard people talk about this color for years, but for some reason have completely ignored it during MAC visits until now.

OPI Skyfall Collection for Holiday 2012: Sneak Peak!

I am a huge James Bond fan, so when I heard OPI was releasing a 007 themed holiday collection I could hardly contain my excitement.  I'll be doing individual Nail of the Day posts of all of these polishes, but I wanted to do a preview post and share some collection photos with you!

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Leave in Conditioning Spray: Review!

After trying (and loving) the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Conditioner, I decided to try the Leave In Conditioning Spray from the same line.  I like using conditioning sprays when I get out of the shower because they make my hair a lot less tangled when I try to comb it out.

City of Hope Spirit of Life Gala: A Glam Night Out!

Hi everyone!  I wanted share some photos from an exciting night out I recently had at the City of Hope Spirit of Life Gala here in Los Angeles.  I got to get all dolled up (click here to watch my getting ready video!), and the party was so fun!

NYX Blush in Mocha: Review + Swatch!

As we get deeper into fall and closer to winter, I wanted to share with you one of the blushes in my collection that is great for the season.  NYX Mocha is a medium matte red pink, and I find this is great at giving the cheeks that fresh flushed look of having been caught out in the cold.

LUSH MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment Bath Melt: Photos + Review!

I like taking extremely hot baths, which can be very drying on my skin, so I love using LUSH Bath Melts to help add a little moisture while I'm in the tub.  Bath melts begin to-- you guessed it-- melt when put in hot water, and turn into a lotion-like block that you can rub over your skin, or simply melt into the water to make it a little more hydrating.  The bath melt I wanted to share in this post is MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment.

LUSH H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer: Photos + Review!

I love a good conditioning treatment on my hair, and today I wanted to share one I've been using recently.  LUSH H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer is a deep conditioner consisting of avocado, watercress, and olive oil.  You slather it into dry hair, wait 20 minutes, and rinse it out.

Nail of the Day: Butter London Muggins

Today's Nail of the Day is Butter London Muggins: a pastel grey-toned purple cream.  This is another one of the polishes I snagged during Ulta's recent Buy 1, Get 1 Free sale (yeah... I stocked up!), and while I already had a good number of pastel purples in my collection, I didn't have one quite like this.  I like Muggins because it definitely has a dusty tone to it, which makes it a little more subdued.

natural light, 2 coats

The formulation on this was really great, two coats was plenty and it didn't give me any trouble.  If this is your kind of shade, I recommend it!

Hope you all are having a great day! :)
Allison

MAC Lipstick in Dark Side: Review + Swatches!

I've been on a bit of a red lipstick kick lately, and found myself perusing the MAC counter for something vampy the other day.  I came across the color Dark Side, and as soon as I swatched it, I knew it was just the shade I had been looking for!

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Conditioner: Review!

I'm pretty picky when it comes to daily hair conditioners, so I thought I would share one with you today that I've really grown to love over the past couple of months.  The John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Conditioner has become a staple in my shower, and for the price, it's pretty hard to beat!

Nail of the Day: Butter London Cream Tea

I've never really been drawn to wearing white nail polish, but considering I love light sheer pinks, I thought a sheer white might be something I like as well.  Butter London Cream Tea is light, sheer, off-white shade that I quite like the look of.  

natural light, 3 coats

As you can see in the photo above, this is still a little sheer after 3 coats, so if you are someone who likes opaque colors, this isn't for you.  Otherwise, the formulation was nice.  I like that this color is white, but not stark white.  It is a casual cream color.

What do you think of white nail polish?
xx, Allison