Le Metier de Beaute Purple Haze

So, earlier this year the fashion director for Neiman Marcus, Ken Downing, teamed up with Le Metier de Beaute and put out Ken's Koral Kollection (again, I'll forgive him gratuitous overuse of the Ks). I loved this polish. So, when Ken collaborated with lMdB again this past September and put out his Bordeaux collection, well I knew I would end up buying something from the collection (used the c that time, there...)

This time around I picked up the two lip cremes. The two that were released were Purple Haze (pictured above) which is a lovely shimmery lavender-pink, and In the Know Bordeaux (not pictured) which is a vibrant berry red. I initially bought both of the lip cremes, but the deeper berry color just wasn't my style. It is beautiful, but just not me. I passed it along to my mother, which was right up her alley.

Purple Haze, on the other hand, is most definitely right up my alley. This color is a very flattering color. A creamy lavender-pink with subtle shimmer. The shimmer is very evident in the tube and on the swatch, however it doesn't make my lips shimmery. Shiny, yes. Shimmery/frosty, no.

This is a very pigmented product. While it's glossy, it's not a lipgloss, but more of a liquid lipstick. And the staying power - well let's just say it sticks around for a long time. It will still be visible on my lips after snacking and a drink or two. The one thing I don't like about this is the scent. The scent of the creme is a very strong sweet smelling scent - coconut, maybe? It does fade quickly and it is tasteless, but it still throws me for a loop when I put it on.

I love this lip creme, and I'm very glad I splurged (and at $36 a tube, it is a splurge). I love the color, the formula and the staying power. And I think I love Ken Downing, too.

Dior Vernis 651 Merveille

*tap tap*

Is this thing on... hello... hello...

Yes, it's been quite awhile here. I've been, um, well, busy. After 6 years I very nearly forgot what it was like to have a newborn in the house. But I'm happy to say that spitfire2.0 is doing very well. In fact, we're getting into a nice routine that actually allows me some free time. For the first time in nearly 2 months I was able to give myself a manicure. Not only that, but she's allowing me to actually sit and have time to blog about it! Wee!

So, I picked Dior Vernis 651 - Merveille - from Dior's holiday 2011 line. Of the four released, this was the only one that I picked up. I really liked the slightly coraly red with gold shimmer. However, as prominent as the shimmer appears in the bottle, it doesn't translate well onto the actual nail. You really have to work the light to make the shimmer show up.

Either way, I really like this color. Maybe it's because I've had naked nails for the past two months, but I keep staring at this color. It is a perfect holiday color.

Dior has the same great wide, flat brush that I love so much, and the formula on this one was a bit on the thick side, but not so much so. Absolutely not like my bottle of Graphic Berry that I brought back, but not like last year's polishes, either, but still well within workable bounds.

I'm happy with this purchase. I'm still trying to decide if it will be my Christmas mani this year. Last year was a Dior mani, why not continue the trend?