Review: OPI New York Ballet Series.... Part I

Yes, this is what i have been wearing these days....

This series needs to further introduction from me, there are already tons of reviews on it in the beauty world.

Let's admire, shall we? ; )

                                         Star of the NYC Ballet series- Pirouette my Whistle.

                                                          Pirouette My Whistle NL T55.

                                                   The matte flakes immersed in shimmers.

I have been told that deep inside me i am a bling bling lover through and through though very much in denial. When this bottle first caught my eyes, it is surrounded by a sea of bling bling polishes and its subdued subtle matte flakes draw me to it immediately. The next minute i know, i am happily handing over money to the seller for this baby. Application is a breeze and usually one would expect the surface of such polishes to dry down to a rough surface, but not this baby. It is smooth and a little glass-like. The matte flakes stood out in the sea of fine shimmer. Very elegant, refined and sweet. I think it will work to compliment any polishes.

                                       The only lilac in the NYC Ballet series- Care to Danse?

                                                 Care to Danse?- a light cool toned lilac.

                                                       The jelly-like translucent colour.

Care to Danse? is one that pleasantly surprised me too.....if you are the kind that looks for total opacity in a nail polish, the NYC Ballet collection is obviously not for you. This collection is for jelly lovers.....and i am turning into one as i am tying now. So much so that i went back and hauled another few bottles in the collection, which i will feature if i can.

Care to Danse? is a very light cool tone lilac that seems to make my nails look whiter and neater... Haha, it did not clash with my skintone as i initially thought it would. Application is smooth, but it is a little streakily though it evens out itself eventually. Opacity would be an issue for some people (like i mentioned earlier), it took me 3 coats (with a base coat) for the colour to show up more obviously (the nail line is still visible). I like anything purple, so this is one that i am definitely going to wear more often. It has a romantic feel to it, yet not too in your face.

                                  3 coats of Care to Danse? and 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle.

A closer look.

For this manicure, i have used a base coat, 3 coats of Care to Danse?, 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle and 1 coat of Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat. It lasted me a good 1 week before it starts to peel and during this 1 week i have been doing all the packing, househouse chores, all the manual work you can think of.

Something interesting that i found in my stash.......

Twins? Dupes?

Did i finally lose it and bought doubles without realising?

Nah.

                                            Notice the difference in opacity in the bottle?

               Left: Steady as she rose (Pirates of the Carribean), Right: Care to Danse? (NYC Ballet).

                                        Steady as she rose (Pirates of the Carribean Collection).

                                                        Steady as she rose- NL P14.

The creamy light cool tone lilac.

Interestingly, the 2 shades shares the same shade of lilac, the difference is of course the formula. Steady as she rose is a nice dusty cream lilac while Care to Danse ? is a cool tone jelly.

Review: Ciate Wait Unitl Dark and possible dupes

This is a post that is way long overdue, i might have as well forgotten all about it until i was trying to reorganise my nail polish stash. I would like to take this opportunity to thank a friend, Mr J for updating me on beauty related news and for his generosity in gifting me stuffs from time to time.

Now, introducing Ciate Paint Pots in Wait Until Dark.....

Ciate Paint Pots- Wait Until Dark.

This is such a cute bottle, something totally different from the usual "OPI" kind of packaging, you know brands such as "China Glaze", "Orly" and well perhaps a few more others sport the similar roundish bottle and fat rounded cap. With a cute black bow attached (by glue) to the bottle, one can't help but be drawn to it (and yes, cute bow is a girl thing). The long handle makes it easier to twist the cap from the bottle, plus the rectangular packaging actually save space during storage (minimum storage wastage).

 Side view of the bottle.

 Wait Until Dark- 13.5ml. made in France.

Quantity-wise, Ciate nail enamel contains 13.5ml which is a little lesser than OPI's standard 15ml, but then again i have not known anybody who can finish her bottle of OPI yet. I am just halfway through my OPI's Tickle my Francey with my frequent usage. Personally, i am contented with the amount as i do try to rotate among my stash if i can help it.

It is a breeze applying Wait Unitl Dark, the formula is slightly thinner than the standard OPI's formula, yet application is smooth and it took 2 coats to obtain decent opacity and 3 coats for total opacity which is pretty much standard. Drying time for Ciate nail enamel is pretty fast, and no smudges once the color sets and dries.

Now, what wow me is the color..... when i cast my first glance upon it, i thought this is such a dupable color and i should have no problem spotting similar shades in my stash. I was wrong.

In the bottle, Wait Until Dark sports a resemblance to OPI's Eiffel for This Color from the France Collection 2008. However, the resemblance stops the minute i pulled EFTC out from my stash and placed them side by side each other.

Eiffel for This Color is a burgundy wine red while Wait Until Dark is a vampish dark blackish purple with subtle shimmer in it. Then, i thought maybe Lincoln Park after Dark might be its dupe, and so i pulled it out, only to realise that mine is the suede edition, which i applied a top coat after the nail color settled thinking that i might be able to create the dupe (as i have seen on several blogs, OPI suede's coloring does get darker and more beautiful if a top coat is applied to it, totally alter the look). Lincoln Park after Dark (suede with top coat) has visible shimmer and appears more purplish.

As one can see in the photos below, i have nothing in my stash that resembles WUD totally, at the most they are considered "distant cousins", not really "family".

Well, i would love to snag more of Ciate's nail enamel, if they are more widely available.

 Ciate Paint Pots Nail Enamel in Wait Until Dark- no chipping at all even when i am done doing the household chores.

 Love the color.

 OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark Sude.

 See the visible shimmer in the bottle.

OPI's Eiffel for this Color (France Collection,2008).

It's purplish red made me think that it might be a dupe for WUD.

 L-R: OPI Lincoln Park after Dark Suede (with top coat), Ciate Wait Unitl Dark, OPI Eiffel for this Color and Ciate Wait Until Dark (2 coats each).

 L-R: OPI Lincoln Park after Dark Suede (with top coat), Ciate Wait Unitl Dark, OPI Eiffel for this Color and Ciate Wait Until Dark (2 coats each).

Note: Ciate's Wait Until Dark is gifted by a friend, i doubt its available locally in the stores.



Haul:Hauling from my Taiwan Trip

Yes, i disappeared for quite a while...mainly for health reason which has been plaguing me to no end since Feb this year. Hope to recover from it real soon.. : )

I decided to take a break to go travelling and thus my humble hauling from Taiwan. : )

Without further ado, i introduce my haul.......

The "family"that just joined my stash.

A section of it.

My Naruko haul.

The Marjoram and Lavender Brightening Peeling Gel.

(1 for a BFF)

Naruko Narcissus Total Defence set (anti-aging and repair) which was available at a special price : )

Naruko Raw Job's Tear series- meant for whitening, repair and hydration. 

Naruko Raw Job's Tear Whitening Night Gelly- which i have been using for a week since i came back, will do a review of it soon.

Naruko Magnolia Brightening and Firming Night Eye Gelly.

The much-raved Albion Skin Conditioner.

Albion Exage Whitening Lotion I.

Albion facial cotton which is supposed to complement Albion products and i was amazed by it during the try out at the counter. Great customer service too, i say. : )

The free gift - 3 pcs of Exage Whitening Moisture masks.

Majolica Majorca Mascara Eye Gorgeous Wing Neo and Lash Enamel Glamour Volume On. Yes, they are much cheaper in Taiwan.

Lush's Karma.

Karma again (no pun intended here).

The list of ingredients -as the main composition of the fragrance are essential oils, so they must be used within 2 years (stated).

The Nail polishes- how can i forget them? : )

L-R: Fushia Pink, Lemony Yellow, Plum or something and Chanel's Peridot.

This is the only item not from Taiwan (from duty-free at Changi Airport).

A unique colour that i can't help but feel the need to show the pic again.

This is what i picked from Nature's Republic (i got 2 of it, 1 was for another BFF who eats nail polishes like nobody).

This Lemony sunny yellow just made my day, so gotta have it (from Face Shop).

The Pink caught my eye too.

The Nail Gang once again.

Swatches of the nail gang.

Nautical inspired hair accessory.

Fell in love with the detailing.

Handmade hair accessories.

Russian doll inspired hair clip. Caught my eye and seized my heart the moment i saw it.

Nautical hair accessory again. : )

That's all for now.

I will be doing some write ups on quite a number of products that i have been using for a month or so. So, keep visiting and do feel free to comment on things that i can improve on.

Until then, see you : )