Review: Parlez-Vous OPI Vs Nature Republic

Parlez-Vous OPI is part of the La Collection de France 2008, if i am not wrong the collection includes You Don't Know Jacques, Tickle My France-y, Lourve me Lourve me Not, Baguette me Not, Crepes Suzi-ette, I'm Fondue of you, A Oui Bit of Red, Bastille My heart, Yes i Can-can..., We'll always have Paris and Eiffiel for this colour. 

I was never into Purple of any sort for polishes.....and since i was in a friend's shop doing my first manicure in years (i seldom go for manicures as my line of work is a conservative one plus my manicure will not survive for long). I brace myself and decided to be bold, so there, i picked Parlez-Vous OPI which i would describe as a creamy dusty purple.  

Under bright light-literally under my lights in the room. 

 Naturé Republic and my hand.

A closer look at the bottle and my nails for comparison.

I had this sense of deja-va when my manicurist was doing my nails, its as if i have seen this colour somewhere in my stash... and the minute i reached home i went through my humble stash of nail polishes.... so there you are..... its one of my haul from Taiwan- Nature Republic's nail polish.

Looking at the bottle itself and my nails, these 2 colours look like possible dupes for each other. However, we all know that what looks like it in the bottle might not necessary be so in reality, thus a sacrifical is required- i swatched on my sister's big toe (which silly me forgot to take a picture : ( but i will post it up again when i have the chance to.)

Basically, these 2 are not exact dupes for each other.... they are cousins by relation if i were to put it. Why? Because Parlez-Vous OPI has more colour intensity whereas NP is slightly of a lighter tone (which resembles the faded version of Parlez-Vous OPI) and secondly the underlying tone is different. Parlez-Vous is like smoky purple (muted version) while NP is like dusty violet (even more muted). So both are not that similar afterall, just that the first impression i get is that they are (if i were to have Parlez-Vous OPI side by side with Nature Republic's polish, the difference would have been more prounouced, pity i don't have it.)

Now, how does Parlez-Vous OPI wear on me?

Judging from the wear and tear on the 3rd day, it holds up quite well, a little chipping at the side for the last finger other than that so far so good (that was 2 coats of Parlez-Vous and a top coat to protect it).

Application wise, OPI's formula is superior than Nature Republic's which is smoother, NP's brush is a much wider than OPI's which makes application a skilled task (to me, maybe i am just used to OPI's brush width).

In terms of colour, i think this is a colour that suits most skin tones, i am a RMK 104 and sometimes a little darker if i do get a tan, it doesn't look dirty or awkward on me. In fact i get compliments. The fact is Parlez-Vous is a unique colour and i don't recall having seen any dupes or colours close to it, so i am drawn to it.

The colour just look like it is a colour that is more suited for winter/Fall (where i stay, Summer is here to stay 365 days- so i just heck it.)

Hm... yes, this is a colour that i am interested in acquiring it provided it is still available. It would be an interesting addition to my collection.

Priced at S$23.55 for 14ml, might be available at Metro Paragon or any Nail salons.

Haul and Review: Lunasol, Coffret Dór and Kate Eye Palettes

Remember my griping about the way Cozycot holds their Kanebo markdown sale..... i really couldn't bring myself to go through the trauma of another pair of hands turning stuffs in my bag, thus hauling from this markdown sale is not possible.

Well, it was impossible until my friend decided to drop by on the last day of the sale (after hearing of my encounter, she remains insistent on bringing her big bag there), strangely she was undisturbed and managed to snag some of the stuff that i had asked her to keep a lookout for me.

I thank her for that. Thanks Ms M. : )

This is a very late post but this is a post that i would like to share with you people even though you might have seen reviews of the following goodies like a zillion times in cyberspace already.

Nevertheless, i present my humble haul from Kanebo......

The humble hauling done.

4 eyeshadow palettes and 1 eyeshadow gel.

Eyeshadow palette No.1.

The shiny metallic cover is a thumbprint magnet.

A sweet eyeshadow palette.

A closer look.

L-R: colour Top left clockwise in the eyeshadow palette.

 Eyeshadow palette No.2.

 A neutral beige palette.

 

 Swatches L-R: Top left, top right, bottom left, centre and bottom right.

 A closer look.

 Coffret Dór eyeshadow palette- heard they have been pulled out of Singapore.

 Sleek and lightweight packaging.

 My first green themed eyeshadow palette.

 Swatches L-R: clockwise from the palette.

 My first Kate Brown Collection- BR4.

 Another neutral eyeshadow palette.

 Swatches L-R: Left to right as shown on the eyeshadows and eyebrown palette.

 Eyeshadow Gel-GY-1 ( a nice pewter brown).

 Swatch of the gel.

 The small family once more.

Basically, i felt that this is a rather decent haul considering that i am not there to handpick them personally, so i would say that again "Thank you, my friend". I would think i would have done more damage myself if it weren't for the unpleasant incident, well just as well since i don't think i would be able to control myself well enough since i heard there were alot of good stuffs there. Guess the money saved here are funds for the Christmas goodies that various brands will be churning out anytime soon now.

The Lunasol eyeshadow palette cost S$35.00  each (usual price is about S$77.00 per eyeshadow palette), Coffret Dór's cost S$17.00 (usual price is S$54.00), while Kate's Brown Collection cost a mere S$8.00 (usual price is about S$23.00) and the gel eyeshadow is only S$5.00 (i don't spot it in Watson anymore, so i guess they are getting rid of discontinued stuffs).

The overall quality (pigmentation, texture and colour scheme, wearing time) of the eyeshadow palettes are excellent in general, they are smooth, silky, long wearing (they don't seems to crease, i have tried both with and without my Urban Decay eye primer, not much different i say). The colours remains true to the pan when swatched and are vibrant, not mute or dull, even the neutral palette contrast variation No.5 is never dull with the beautiful sparkle in the eyeshadow.

I have always thought that i would not be able to carry off palettes with soft and sweet colour scheme but Nature Colourful No.5 proved me wrong, the colours actually soften my look, yes i looked sweet with it : ) So that's definitely a keeper.

Contrast Variation No.5- the neutral beige palette is a no- brainer to me, i am especially happy with the shimmer that is reflected under the light. Love it.

The Coffret Dór green palette is the one that surprises me most as the colours are unique (among my stash) and the pigmentation is incredible. Nice.

Kate's Brown Collection is my go-to when and if i am travelling ( i just came back from Taiwan and that is the only palette i brought along with me). It weighs almost nothing and its a eyeshadow plus eyebrow palette in one. Decent colour payoffs and wear time too.

The Gel eyeshadow is something i have not tried before, the swatching is a first. It is sparkly yet not too loud, it should be easy to wear as it is a nice pewter brown and the colour seemed to be able to adhere to the skin quite well. A little goes a long way and the colour intensity is buildable with layering. Not bad.

All in all, its a decent haul (quality pick from my friend : ) ) with prices slashed from 50% off onwards. I look forward to the next sale if there is any and hopefully security measures would have been improved then.

Promotion: Kenzo Flower Tag at Metro Paragon

Metro Paragon will be having a promotion and exclusive launch for Kenzo's latest fragrance Flower Tag at Paragon Lobby from 23rd September to 29th September 2011 which coincides with their 20% storewide promotion from 23rd September to 25th September.

The Flower fragrance line has been rather popular (while Flower by Kenzo is still Kenzo's bestselling fragrance), and has spurn off quite a few other fragrances such as Flower Le Parfum, Flower Oriental and Flower by Kenzo Fleurs d'Hiver.

While Flower by Kenzo is what i seem to be wearing quite often nowadays, i am rather intrigued by this latest addition to the Flower line. According to the introduction of the fragrance on the leaflet i received, it looks like Flower Tag would be a Fruity Floral which is very different from the Woody powdery Flower by Kenzo that i have. I might check it out this Friday on the launch if time permits.

 Description of the composition of the fragrance.

 Free gifts for purchase of the fragrance at the launch at Metro Paragon.

The bottle looks interesting and the gifts with purchase is quite attractive too to those who are fans of Kenzo's fragrance line.

Will catch of whiff of the scent this Friday, hopefully Flower Tag doesn't disappoint.

Review: Laneige Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes Eyecream

Okie, so the search for the perfect eye cream continues for like.... a few years ...

This time round, i will be review the Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes Eye cream from Laneige. I have tried their Perfect Renew Skin Refiner (deluxe travel size, it was part of a set that i purchase sometime ago when they are having a promotion at Isetan) and i quite like the product itself thus i decided to give the rest of the Perfect Renew skincare line (which is supposed to be their anti-aging range) a try.

What attracted me to the Dual Touch Eye cream was that there are actually 2 eye creams, 1 for day use which contains SPF 25/ PA++ and there is 1 for night use as well. Its quite a refreshing change for the "öh, you can use the same jar of eye cream for day and night as well.". This Korean brand separates the eye cream for day and night usage.

                                                 The snowflake inspired packaging.

                                                   List of ingredients for the day cream.


                                                   List of ingredients for the night cream.

                      The actual packaging for the eyecream which comes with a spatula attached.

In terms of packaging, i do like the fact that they take into consideration of the needs of the skin at different time of the day and thus, the eye cream for day and night are contained in separate jars plus there is a spatula attached (so that you don't have to stick your fingers into the jar and contaminate the product- please wash the spatula after each use), the packaging is quite thoughtful, the hefty weight of the product (glass jar concealed) makes one feel that it is more luxurious than other eye creams in the market.

The Perfect Renew eye cream is not fragrance-free, having said that girls who are allergic to scent laced skincare products might want to proceed with caution. I am not allergic to fragranced products, so i don't really condemn them unless its really too much for me to take it. There is a subtle, very light scent to both the day and night cream which i can't describe exactly how it smell like, except that it is rather refreshing and could possibility be marketed as a light fragrance by itself.

Know what? I like the scent, in fact i look forward to using it so that i could smell it again (yeah sick, i know).

                                  Left: Day use with SPF 25/ PA++ and Right: Night use.

                                Left: Eye cream for the day and Right: Eye cream for the Night.


                                 A swab of both on the skin (L-R: Day cream and Night cream)

                                                                  Texture of the both.


                                                          Both spreaded onto the skin.

Texture-wise, there is a vast difference between the 2. The day cream which contains SPF is considerably thicker and heavier which can be seen in the pictures above, so some patting is definitely required to make sure that the eye cream is nicely absorbed into the skin. Well, that does not necessarily mean that the day cream is oily as that is what terrifies me in the case of eye cream, it isn't. It doesn't feel heavy to me throughout the day at all even beneath makeup.

Now the night cream is a different thing all together, it is very light and almost gel lotion-like which is quite therapeutic to use as part of my night time skincare routine. It absorbs into the skin much faster than its daytime counterpart and well, at times i wonder if i am applying enough of it. It is very light in texture and i do like it alot especially since i live in a country that is very humid and hot.

I like every aspect of the product, from the packaging to the function to the scent, the texture... the only thing that will probably hinder my decision to repurchase it again might be the fact that it not not hydrating enough or it is not strong enough to reap anti-wrinkle effects on my skin. However, it could be due to the fact that my eye areas are quite dry nowadays, other than that if my eye areas aren't that dry, this could very well be my HG for eye cream and  at a rather nice price point too.

I would very much preferred this if it aren't for my dry eye areas. Pity.

Priced at S$99.00 for 15ml each for day and night eye cream. Available at all Laneige counters.

Note: You can get them at 20% off during Metro sales or at a better price during promtions at Isetan.