GlitterDaze Essence of a Unicorn (aka WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS)

  A few years ago I bought a pair of shoes I fell head over heels in love with on first sight-- black patent leather BCBG slingback pumps with pearlized red, yellow, blue, and green color blocking on the toes.  I didn't stop to think about what I'd wear them with because I had every confidence I'd figure it out; but there's just something about them that causes me to reach for something else every time.  Maybe it's that they're a little on the too fancy for jeans side and my dress slacks require a heel just a little bit higher.  Maybe everything I tried them with looked either too matchy-matchy or completely clashed.  Whatever it is, it's been at least two years since I've even attempted to wear them but I hold out hope that they'll get their proper weartime and so they sit in my closet, looking cute as always, with no place to go.

GlitterDaze Essence of a Unicorn

Fall Favorites and Happy Caturday Poll!!

  Hi all!!  With autumn's changing leaves and falling temps, comfort food and delicious hot drinks, and cozy sweaters, boots, and scarves, comes a rich palette of classic colors and an even richer array of fragrances.  I feel my prettiest when the cool hits.  Here are a few of my perennial fall cosmetic and perfume loves.

Femme Fatale The Fallen Kingdom (on semi-nubs)

Morning, friends :) How was your weekend?  Mine was largely unproductive.  Long, late naps were taken and chores ignored.  C had to work so I bacheloretted it up for the better part of it, lol.  Kinda glad it's over.

Sooo I have super short nails for the moment (comparitively speaking).  I had a surface crack in my left index that was starting to drive me batty so I just decided to file.  I had about a week's worth of posts lined up but now it's time to get real, lol.  I hate filing, it makes me super nervous, so I'll let my nails get as long as they can and that's not always a good thing.  I feel like they were just starting to push the limits of actually looking good, so this might be for the best.  And so, without further ado, I present to you my semi-nubs.  I don't think they've been this short since this past spring.

The past few weeks have been filled with Celestial Cosmetics/Color4Nails collaborative collection commemorating the tv show Game of Thrones, but the C4N excitement doesn't stop there.  They've also got an exclusive limited edition polish collab with another Aussie indie maker, Femme Fatale.  Also based on the aforementioned popular series, this polish is called The Fallen Kingdom.

The Fallen Kingdom is a murky grey base packed with pink and mauve shimmer, tiny, small, and medium sized peach, mauve, and magenta round glitters, and small and medium peach and mauve hex glitters.  All sizes of mauve glitters flash holographic.  It's a chunky glitter, so I opted to layer one coat over NARS Storm Bird, a medium toned shark grey creme.

  The Fallen Kingdom is a pretty complex polish.  I adore anything with that violet holographic flash and it was kind of surprising in this mix.  It's such a warm and cozy blend of colors and the shimmer is just beautiful.  It's very similar to one of my favorite big brand colors this fall, Essie Sable Collar, but festive.  So pretty.  The formula is spot on, too-- the glitters are plentifully deposited onto each nail with no fuss whatsoever, and all are small enough that they lay perfectly flat with no trouble.  In one coat, The Fallen Kingdom isn't topcoat hungry, either-- one layer of a nice, thick topcoat smooths this out perfectly.

Femme Fatale The Fallen Kingdom is available internationally exclusively through color4nails.com.
Like color4nails on facebook to stay up to date on specials, contests, and new releases.

Thank you for reading and have yourselves a fantastic day ♥♥

Not-So-Random Sunday Swatches

*BadAss Polish press sample

It's a cool and stormy Sunday here and I've got black tea with cream in hand and a purring baby Beau on my lap.  Life is good.  

I love pulling out old pretties and reshowing them and I've been particularly excited to have carte blanche the past few days and shop my stash a little.  NARS Storm Bird is one of my very favorites.   Its classic yet edgy nimbus grey is just perfect for this time of year and its formula is impeccable.  I used two coats.

I did this layering combo a few weeks ago and loved it.  I don't know why I didn't post about it then but I really felt like wearing it again, so here it is, lol.  BadAss Polish looks to be making a resurgence, if the rumblings on their facebook page is any indication.  Dusk was one of their first releases, a cerulean blue and gold glitter in a clear base that jazzes up whatever blue toned polish it touches.  My friend Christine at Polished Marvels gifted me with Max Factor Graffiti (from the same collection as Fantasy Fire, incidentally) a while back and its shimmery, watery teal foil is a gorgeous backdrop to Dusk.  I used two coats of Graffiti and one of Dusk, plus two thin layers of topcoat.

I love this duo so much!  I could stare at it all day (and I likely will, lol).  And with that, my creative juices are about tapped out and I'm going to go squeeze in a workout, get some chores done, and take a nap.

Have a cozy day and thank you for reading. ♥♥

*BadAss Polish press sample

NARS Euphrate Eyeshadow

I don't read many of the really big blogs but I do like Pink Sith for lots of reasons.  She introduced me to my holy grail eyeshadow of all time, NARS Lhasa, and now she's done it again here, with NARS' summer 2013 single shadow, the gorgeous Euphrate.

Euphrate is a shimmery, silvery mint shadow.  I'm not extremely well-versed in eyeshadows, so this light non-neutral was a little outside the box for me.  NARS's formula is so temptingly silky though, and the color so lovely, that I had to take a chance on this.

Euphrate has what I'm learning is typical NARS good quality formula with minimal fallout, even as I used it to line my lower lashline.

It's a light, subtle color and a nice introduction to non-neutrals without being too far outside those parameters.  Having said that, because Euphrate is shimmery it will be the highlight of any look you create.  I initially tried it with one of my red lippies I've been loving so and that was too much.  There's a video of that look that will never see the light of day... you're just going to have to trust me on this... bright red lips plus frosty mint shadow is no bueno.  This eye is best done with matte and sheer peaches everywhere else.

 Top to bottom: NARS Euphrate eyeshadow, Revlon Matte Powder Blush in Perfectly Peach, and Estee Lauder All Day Lipstick in Mocha Pink

Here's a shot of the colors in action.  A pal in one of my facebook groups described it as ethereal and I like that description.  I love how light and pretty these look together.  While Euphrate isn't as versatile as my beloved Lhasa, it's a beautiful and summery alternative and a good way for a novice to play with different colors and textures.

Euphrate retails for $24 and is available on the NARS website and at Sephora.

One more thing.  I have a new blogging partner in crime who hangs out while I paint my nails and while I type out my posts.  She doesn't have a name yet so if something comes to mind, feel free to make a suggestion, lol.  For the time being she's my new velociraptor.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend, free from the wrath of hungry dinosaurs ♥

LLPT's Best of 2012

Hello!!  As the new year approaches, lots of us blogger types are doing Best Of posts or polls.  Here's my offering.  I present to you Liesl Loves Pretty Things' favorites of the past year, in chronological (I think, lol) order.  Enjoy! ;)

Julep's Resort Collection and January Maven box

Julep's collection of shimmering pearls and foils amidst bright, saturated cremes was exciting, surprising, and sheer genius for the coldest and dreariest of months.  When the Maven boxes were announced it was hard to choose among the five.  I kept with my American Beauty box, and these are the two I received-- Anne, the ultraviolet creme, and Maria, the rose gold foil.  I'd later receive Maya as a gift from the lovely Candice at Mommy Does Her Nails... but more on that later.  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Fan Collection 

Cuprum

You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate the coolness behind this creation-- a blue inspired by the reaction that occurs when ammonia meets copper.  This polish is a true work of polish art.  The energy surrounding it is fantastic and though it is notoriously difficult to capture on camera, it is an absolute pleasure and beauty to wear and officially made me a ReBeL.

OPI NYC Ballet Collection

Yes, this one made my short list.  Shocker!  I've not felt it necessary to own a whole collection before or since this one.  The collection contains five absolutely gorgeous pale jellies, each with a distinctly different feel-- from the pristine milky white Don't Touch My Tutu (thumb, top left photo) to the macabre My Pointe Exactly (ring, top and bottom left)-- and one beautiful, subtle, and versatile glitter.  My favorites of my favorite are the ones that exude health-- the natural nude of Barre My Soul (top right) and the tantalizing peachy pink of You Callin' Me A Lyre? (bottom right).  They are completely forgiven their terrible names. 

Butter London Lippies

 Long-lasting, gorgeously pigmented lipglosses that match my favorite polish colors?  Um, yes, please!  I fell in love with the lips and tips idea when these first arrived on the scene this spring, and since then they've helped me become bolder in my makeup choices.  All I need's that clear lipliner to keep them from getting all over my face and I'll be in lippy heaven.


BB Creams

I told you all about L'Oreal's bb cream here sometime this summer and I thought it was the be-all, end all of skincare.  The Garnier is so far superior that I doubt I'll use the L'Oreal again.  Experiment and find what works best for you.  Both are light and moisturizing, provide adequate coverage, even skin tone, and don't look or feel anything like traditional foundation, or mineral makeup, of which I'd been a devotee for years.  These bb creams kind of stormed the scene here in the US and though the word is they're nothing like their Asian counterparts, I hope they're here to stay.


NARS Storm Bird

I've had a small obsession with grey in fashion for the past couple years, and as soon as the first swatches of NARS Storm Bird came out, I knew it must be mine.  The glossy, sophisticated shade of blue tinged dark grey didn't disappoint, and kickstarted my love affair with all things NARS.  More on that later.


The Many Iterations of Chanel Peridot

I mean, come on.
I know some of you are sick and tired of it, but every major polish company who didn't put out a Peridot dupe this year could have and I would have still salivated over each and every swatch.  I picked up China Glaze's dupe, Rare and Radiant; bonus points for being named for a line in The Raven.  Extra bonus points for being part of a collection containing excellent dupes of Deborah Lippmann's Mirrored Chromes.  Thanks, ChG, for keeping my wallet happy and my nails pretty! <3


Zoya FeiFei

Zoya's fall collections were outstanding in my book, all three of them, Diva, Designer, and Gloss.  FeiFei was the standout of the whole lot, though.  All the big gals fawned over this color when it came out, but the fact is, no photo compares to the gorgeousness in real life.  FeiFei became a fast favorite of mine because of its surprising versatility.  With its steely, cadet blue base and shimmers of every color under the sun, it's a neutral while being anything but. 


NARS Andy Warhol Collection

My general knowledge of Andy Warhol doesn't extend too far beyond the soup can painting, the 15 minutes of fame thing, and Jim Morrison and Nico's affair.  Maybe that's part of the reason why I found NARS' holiday Andy Warhol collection so fascinating, because I know virtually nothing about the artist.  The more I saw and the more I read, though, the more I realize the brilliance of the inspiration.  I went conservative with my makeup choices and stuck with the Sephora exclusive Walk On the Wild Side gift set, which includes the inky violet-black polish called It.  In addition, I picked up the most gorgeously saturated, true to NARS form glossy dark teal, Superstar.


...and finally,
You Kids <3

I tried to figure out a way to cut and paste the GFC widget here so that could be my final picture, but either I'm not tech savvy enough or it violates some sort of law, lolol.  Either is very possible. ;)  But the point is, you ALL make this so darn much fun, you truly are the best of the best :)  I love that you take the time to read what I have to say and I absolutely love your comments and our interactions, the relationships I've made, how supportive and honest and real you guys are.  

So, there you have it!  You probably know that I'm one of those who strictly prohibits links in comments, but if you've got a blog and are doing a Best Of post, gimme the link and I'll go check it out.  And, as always, comments on how much you agree with my choices, or how completely and utterly off base you think I am, are most welcome.

Either way... thanks for reading. <3

Editing to add honorable mentions to a couple products.  First is NARS Lhasa eyeshadow, which has easily become my go-to shadow for casual and dressup.  I forgot it was a 2012 release, and besides, if I added it in now, this post might start to look like a NARS shill.
Second is Duri Rejuvacote, the best basecoat in the world which IS amazing and has restored my confidence in my natural nails again.  Not a 2012 release, but it is the year I discovered it. ;)

BadAss Polish America's Team

Hello!!  Today I've got the second of BadAss Polish's football themed glitters on.  This one is America's Team, named for-- who else?-- the Dallas Cowboys.  

America's Team is a very cool polish-- it's got small and medium sized silver glitters and large blue stars packed into a clear base, so very DCC (Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, fyi, which I may or may not know more about than the actual team...).  It's super sparkly and the stars, which I just love, are not as difficult to apply as other large glitter polishes I've worn.  They do have to be placed, for the most part, but I did not have to work to get a few onto my brush.  This might be because of how plentiful they are in this polish, or it might be because the BadAss base is thinner and less gloppy than other brands.  Either way, this is an awesome glitter and a great choice if you're looking for something festive and versatile.  I wore one coat over Milani White on the Spot and NARS Storm Bird, in trying to keep with the spirit of the glitter.

BadAss Polish is available for sale here and you can also like them on facebook.

Thanks for reading, and have a happy Saint Nicholas Day! ;)

This item was sent for review.

  

NARS Walk On the Wild Side-- It

Good morning!!  Today's notd is NARS It, a mini (0.25 fl oz, to be exact) from the Andy Warhol Walk On the Wild Side gift set, a Sephora exclusive I had to have as soon as I saw the previews.  Here's the box.

Here's the polish.

I just love colors like this.  It is a shimmery, blackened purple in the bottle, one of those colors that translates to inky blue on the nail.  This one is a bit more purple leaning, kind of like an exploded blue BIC ballpoint pen, with red and blue shimmers.  I used two coats.  This formula's on the thick side, as it's more pigmented than other similar colors I've got.

The Walk On the Wild Side gift set also contains an Orgasm mini lipgloss and a Silver Factory Skin Illuminator, and is available at Sephora. 

NARS Superstar-- Andy Warhol Collection

Good morning!!  I've been really excited about the NARS Andy Warhol collection since I first heard about it back at the end of August.  While I'm not a huge fan of the artist's work, his bright, punchy color palette makes for an absolutely brilliant makeup collection.  And I love the fact that NARS, a brand I'm totally in love with at the moment, was the one to come up with it.

There are five full size nail polishes in this collection.  The one that really grabbed my in real life is what I've been sporting on my nails the past few days-- Superstar.

Superstar is an ultra saturated deep teal creme, so dark that one of the Sephora gals called it navy.  It's much greener than that.  Superstar stains like the dickens but it ridiculously glossy, sophisticated, and spot-on elegant for fall.  This one's really pigmented, so the formula is thick, and a careful, light application is needed.  Two coats will give you perfect, even coverage.

Superstar is currently available at select Sephora stores.

For fun, I decided to Warhol-ize one of my photos...

Here's the site I used if you want to play around with it, yourselves :)  Send me your results if you do!  I'd love to feature some of your Warhol-ized portraits in an upcoming post.

Thanks for reading!  Go check out this fabulous new collection, and seize your 15 minutes, tastefully, of course. :)

LLPT's Fall Favorites and an Empty!

Good morning!!  The highly unpleasant cold bug thingie that was toying with me all last week hit me hard this weekend and I did nothing and went nowhere for three days, until Sunday afternoon, when I thought some retail therapy and a good sale might perk me up.  "Must... get... to... Ulta...."   It's October 1, and I've got two different Breast Cancer Awareness events I'm taking part in (see the adorable pink buttons to the right) and I wanted to stock up on some pinks.  Nothing was speaking to me, though, or maybe I was just too tired to think straight, and I left empty handed.  I should have something pretty and pink ready to go for today, but I don't. :(  Instead, I've got a couple things I've seen around the beauty blogosphere. 

First up is a special empty, because it's the first perfume bottle I've actually drained since I was a kid, and it's my favorite perfume.  Fortunately, I have a brand new 100ml bottle waiting in the wings.

Caron Tabac Blond edp.  I used to belong to a few perfume blogs and forums, where we'd discuss fumes and swap decants.  I was fairly active until I decided I was happier inhabiting a few specific scents than always trying out the newest (or most sought after vintage) thing.  I discovered this, my "soul scent," through kindness and stellar writing, and the rest is history.  I actually had my own blog on one of the forums (my first foray into this world, as it were).  Check it out here if you're bored. :)

Lots o' gals have been doing posts on their favorite fall polishes, and I wanted to jump on that bandwagon.  I thought I'd do something slightly different, though.  There are some absolutely fabulous collections out this season, so I decided to choose my favorites from my favorite collections.  The best of the best, imo.  

First up is NARS Storm Bird. 

Ever since a certain big blogger whose name starts with S and ends with E posted about this I knew I had to have it, and it didn't disappoint on the nail.  Storm Bird's the lone polish from NARS's fall collection and I LOVE it.  It is the perfect dark, stormy grey creme.

L'Oreal The Muse's Attitude from the Project Runway/Electric Fantasie collection.  I've gone on about this one recently so I won't bore you with the details again.  Dark, gorgeous peacock teal.

Butter London Shag, from BL's fall/winter collection.  Another I've posted about recently.  Dodgy Barnett is rockin' too, but Shag's very specifically, gorgeously, fall.  So this one gets the vote.

Zoya Fei Fei, from the Diva collection.  Cadet blue jelly packed with every color shimmer under the sun.  All those shimmers are perfect for a warm, Indian summer sun, but the base is autumn cool. 

Zoya Rekha, from the Designer collection.  Dark, femme fatale, poison apple, blood-red.  Believe me when I say there's nothing classy about this one.  Swatches coming soon.

So there you have it!  Time to Day-quil myself up and trudge on into work.  Thoughts on any of these?  Favorite collection this fall?  Emptied anything lately?  Got a signature scent?  

NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow

Good morning, friends!!  Let me introduce you to my new favorite eyeshadow, NARS Lhasa, brand new from their fall collection.

Holy SMOKES, it is not easy taking pictures of your own eyes, especially when you've been so abundantly blessed with German bags/circles... but anyhoo.  Lhasa is a soft greyed out taupe shimmer with the subtlest hint of lavender.  It's said to be easily buildable and when it comes to makeup, I'm all about simplicity.  Until Lhasa, I'd yet to find a single color I was happy wearing all on its own.  But this is lovely and subtle in one layer.  It's great at staying in one place throughout the day, too, even without primer (which I never wear).

Lhasa is available for $24 at Sephora and on NARS' website.

Thanks for reading!! :)

Edit: Karen called to my attention the fact that Lhasa might have been around for a while, and she's right.  It was a Spring 2012 release, not fall.  Thanks, Karen :)

L'Oreal Stroke of Midnight + NARS Storm Bird

Morning.  I had a rough night's sleep right off a four day weekend, and get to be at work in an hour and fifteen.  Saweet, man.  I'm kind of stoked about my nails today, though.  I'm on the letter X of Gosia's ABC challenge.  I'm one of the last to do this letter, and it's been fun seeing how creative the other participants have gotten in making X work.  I don't think there's a commercial polish out there whose name actually starts with that letter.  

I chose L'Oreal Stroke of Midnight, a perfectly viable X polish because the Roman numerals for 12 are xx, of course.  I decided to pair it with my favorite polish for fall so far, NARS Storm Bird.   

I love grey.  It makes the prettiest, coziest looking clothes and looks exciting but subtle on nails.  And grey kitties are some of the most adorable. ;) Grey makes me happy.  Stroke of Midnight's on my index and middle, Storm Bird's on my ring and pinkie.

Stroke of Midnight is a steely blue grey metallic with microscopic, multicolored shimmer.  L'Oreals apply like a dream but their formulas are usually on the thin side.  You could get away with two coats of this one, but three really richens it up.  It reminds me of New Year's Eve in Times Square, dark, cold, and clear, illuminated by the shimmery disco ball.  I think the two different textured greys next to each other just look neat.  Here's what I had to say about Storm Bird, in case you're interested. 

Alright, off to work.  Thanks for reading. <3