Red Carpet Manicure - Gel Polish Manicure at Home

Chanel, Dior, Esteé Lauder, and OPI are among my favourite nail polish brands. In the last few years I have experienced problems in keeping these polishes on for more than four days.

In the winter I had two shellac manicures and was very pleased to wear the colour for up to 14 days without problems. I did not like the removal process (soaking my nails in pure acetone for 20 minutes) or the increased cost.

The May 2013 issue of InStyle magazine’s 2013 165 Best Beauty Buys featured the Red Carpet Manicure Pro Kit. The at-home gel manicure system received favourable reviews, and I bought the kit from Canada’s The Shopping Channel, with the additional Accessories kit with the buffing stick and orange sticks. This promotion included a bonus nail polish in Candid Moment, a sheer pink similar to Essie's Ballet Slippers.

Red Carpet Manicure’s website has detailed instructions and videos on using the products. If you follow the instructions for application and removal it is a very easy process.

 

If you polish your own nails regularly, this process doesn't take much longer. Once used to the system, it's about 20 minutes from start to finish (I always file and prep my nails the night before). The advantage is not waiting for polish to dry; they are dry after the last curing.

I am very impressed with the product after three manicures. On average, I removed the polish after 11 days because my nails were getting too long. There was no tip wear, cracking, or peeling.

I bought three more colours from Nail Polish Canada and will feature quick reviews of these in the future. Note that the colours are close to the bottle colour, but not exact matches. Research swatches online or take a chance when ordering. Compared to the higher priced shellac and Gelish polish, Red Carpet Manicure polishes are $12.99 Canadian.

My manicures look professional with clean edges and a lasting brilliant shine. I hope the company widens their colour choices in the future.

Tips:

• Manicure your thumbs first as you cannot put the entire hand under the LED light at one time.
• The removal process is easy, but you need another person to help you wrap all the fingers. Otherwise, it is very difficult to wrap one hand with the other fingers covered in foil.
• Tighten the foil around the finger, relax for 15 minutes, then twist the foil and cotton ball lightly and remove. The polish should slide off easily.When all the nails are bare, I give them another light wipe with the remover.
• Use the Revitalize oil (in kit) after the manicure or your favourite cuticle oil.

The products are available in worldwide from different retailers. Visit the Red Carpet Manicure website for more information.


 

Red Carpet Manicure Pro Kit

Accessories Kit

 

Kit with LED light, Purify cleanser, prep cleaner, remover, base coat, top coat

Prep, Structure Base Coat, Brilliant Top Coat

Red Carpet Reddy (l), Candid Moment (c), Revitalize Nail Oil (r)

Bare nails



Finished nails with Candid Moment

 

 

 

Clarins Splendours Colour Quarter & Liner Eye Palette

A challenge for older women is finding eyeshadows suitable for a changing eye landscape. Many mature women are prone to fine lines on the eyelids. As I've discovered in the last two years, I need to search for shadows that have some shimmer, more of a sateen finish, to impart lightness on the lid, yet not settle into the fine lines on the upper eyelid.

In my search for a new spring/summer eye shadow I spotted the Clarins Splendours Colour Quarter & Liner Palette. I consulted with a Clarins SA, did extensive research (love beauty blog honest opinions), and happily bought the palette.

The quartet is enclosed in a mirrored case that includes two sponge-tip applicators that are quite decent for a palette.

I own two other Clarins single eyeshadows reviewed here. Therefore, I was familiar with the product and quality. However, experience has taught me that single eyeshadows can differ in quality from a palette and this Clarins palette is as splendid as the single shadows.

This palette has four shades: soft gold (upper left), champagne (upper right), brown/plum (lower left), soft rose gold (lower right) and an aubergine eyeliner (right long strip). All eyeshadow shades have the same silky texture that applies beautifully with a good makeup brush. It can be used wet for more intensity that sharpens the shimmer. The eyeliner is best used wet and applied with a flat liner brush.

In sunlight

Staying power is excellent with an eye primer. I wore it for more than 12 hours with both the Esteé Lauder Double Wear Primer and Laurier Mercier Eye Basics primer. It didn't budge or crease.

I played with different looks, but a favourite was the champagne and rose shadows on the lower lid, a touch of the plum brown in the crease and outer V, and a dot of gold blended out in the centre lower lid, and eyeliner on the upper lid. Another look was using the two lighter shades only with the plum brown wet as a liner, and a matte brown in the crease.

When compared to the single Clarins eyeshadow, the palette has more shimmer, but it was a subtle sheen as opposed to the more metallic finish of Esteé Lauder's Surreal Skies palette. This palette was more suitable for everyday wear.

With my fair skin and dark blue eyes I was afraid that the palette would be too warm, but it complimented my colouring.

This is a definite buy for the colours, quality, value, and ease of use and long wear.

In shade

In full sunlight with two light fingertip swipes
- note the aubergine (plum) eyeliner was applied dry

 

The Clarins summer collection is available at fine retailers and the eyeshadow is US$42.

 



Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour – Pink Pout

While on vacation in Florida, I ventured into Neiman Marcus and straight to the Laura Mercier counter. I was a woman on makeup mission. I purchased several Laura Mercier products last December and wanted to expand my collection.

One of the items I bought was the new spring lipstick, Pink Pout. The Laura Mercier sales rep was on site at Neiman Marcus and told me that the lipsticks had been revamped over the winter.

Compared to Antique Pink, I could feel the difference on the first wearing—the formula is slightly smoother, more moisturizing, and has better staying power. It lasts for several hours with only a light touch up after eating a meal.

Pink Pout is a blend of soft peach and pink, with just a touch of gold iridescence. Depending on the light, the colour can appear either to be more peach or light pink. It was a difficult colour to photograph accurately.

This is an excellent colour on me for spring and summer. I am fair with pink undertones, sometimes quite pink if my rosacea is more evident, and the colour adds brightness without being overwhelmingly bright. It also doesn’t wash me out as some light colours are wont to do. This is a permanent item, not a limited edition.

In the last year, I have gravitated towards cream or light shimmer lipsticks. Matte formulas are too harsh and aging for my mature complexion. My favourite Esteé Lauder lipsticks have more shimmer and need a lighter hand than the Laura Mercier lipsticks.

Pink Pout - Full sun

 

Pink Pout - Indoor lighting no flash

Pink Pout - in natural light

 

Pink Pout - Comparison swatches

 

Top Left - Shiseido Perfect Rouge RD732 - Blush

Top Right - Laura Mercier Pink Pout

Bottom Left - Chanel Rouge Coco 13 - Gardenia

Bottom Left - Le Métier de Beauté Color Core Lipstick - Palm Beach

 

 

Will I buy another Laura Mercier? Certainly—I have my eye on Royal Orchid, another new spring colour.

Laura Mercier is available at Laura Mercier, Sephora (at time of writing this review, Pink Pout was not one of the selections), Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and select Holt Renfrew stores.

Sidetracked blogger

When I started this blog in August 2012, I did so with the intention of posting every week or so. I took product photos, started to write reviews, then blam--real life happened and I was sidetracked.

The time away from blogging allowed me to reassess what I wanted to blog about. Most blogs provide reviews of the latest makeup trends and cosmetic innovations. I faithfully follow several blogs and appreciate all the excellent reviews that help me consider which product I may want to buy or just check out.

I realized that my blog is going to be a bit different from other blogs. I have a very sensitive, reactive complexion with rosacea. I am older, which means that I tend to be cautious about shimmer, shine, and trendy colours. Further, I am self-employed and work from home, which means that I spend my day in knits and lip gloss. A fully made-up face isn't needed for a home office. Therefore, I spend my cosmestic budget on what I need for daily use and what I like to wear for "out of office" days.

You're now thinking "so why bother with this blog." Well, here is what I'll do in the future:

• Feature products that work for my complexion.
• Feature colours that work for my colouring--fair skin, deep blue eyes, pink undertones, and brunette hair (a mix of two Paul Mitchell shades with a dollop of highlights).
• Feature older, yet still excellent, products that get lost in the world of "new, new, new"
• Feature lines that are not in the forefront of the cosmetic world

I do hope you'll drop by in the future.

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Eye Shadow

Elizabeth Arden cosmetics is a product line that rarely receives makeup blog reviews in favour of other high-end lines (e.g., Armani, Lancome, Dior). I believe the perception is that it is an "old ladies" brand and doesn't deserve recognition.

The Arden colour line has many hits, including their revamped eyeshadow collection. The company reduced the number of single and duo eye shadows, and eliminated the quad palettes.

Arden website: Over the years, the most consistent requests we’ve heard from women seeking new eye shadows were that the colours be long-lasting, crease-free and smoothing. They also wanted a shadow that could help their eyes look better over time. Beautiful Color Eye Shadows deliver all this and more by combining long-wearing colour with long-term skin care benefits.

Our crease-free formula also helps improve the appearance of signs of aging while protecting your skin from environmental damage. Each sleek, gold and silver mirrored compact includes a sponge-tip applicator.

The line has 31 single eye shadows and seven duos. Beautiful Color Eye Shadows are offered in 31 shades and I bought Seashell and Smolder. The shadows are a generous size of .09 oz or 2.7 g each.
Shadows are offered in matte or shimmer. I have a few fine lines in the eye crease and find that the shimmer does not accentuate them.

The texture is soft, with a fine pigment that can be layered for added colour. They apply easily with a sponge-tip applicator or brush with no fallout.

 

 

Seashell is a soft pearl with a pink tone that is not as pink as the photo. I like it for highlighter and lid since it opens my eyes and makes the dark blue pop.



Smolder is a deep mauve grey with a touch of taupe. I cannot wear many cool colours because they makes my eyes look older and tired, but this is a great crease and outer V colour. You can also blend it with Seashell to lighten it for a lid colour.

Overall, I am pleased with my purchases and have used these frequently since August. Do give them consideration if you are looking for a new line to add to your collection.

Elizabeth Arden products are available at The Bay, Sears, and select Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada. In the U.S., these can be purchased from Dillard's, Macy's, and Nordstrom.