Catrice nail polishes leaving soon (part 3): Luxury Nudes

With a bit of an interlude I'm back with the Catrice nail polishes that are leaving soon.  There are two shades of the Luxury Nudes collection that will be replaced with two new ones.  If you want to see an overview of the whole collection you can find that here with a little update here.   The colors that are leaving were definitely 2 of my favorite colors from the Luxury Nudes range so I have high expectations for the colors replacing them.

01 White & Bright

02 Fresh Love Affair

If you still want to get them you have to hurry up because the empty shelves aren't being restocked at this time.  You can also still get them online at Kruidvat.be but since the new colors are also available there, I'm guessing they will sell out soon.

NOTD: Marc Jacobs Beauty in Louise (160)

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that a lot of products hold a special memory or meaning to me.  This nail polish is no different.

Last year right before I went to New York I was busy making my wish list as usual.  I always bring back a Marc Jacobs nail polish, to me these scream luxury and they are my guilty pleasure.  So while making my wish list I was strolling through the colors and noticed this one, named Louise.

A few months before, my bestie had just given birth to a baby girl named Louise.  Needless to say I just had to get my hands on this one (not just for me but also for my bestie).  If I'm honest, I was a little bit jealous.  I mean, who gets a nail polish named after them after being in this world for around 3 months?  I've been here 38 years and I've never seen a nail polish called AN (if you know one, please let me know).

So I thought it would be easy, just stroll in to a Sephora and buy two bottles of nail polish.  Sounds simple right?  Wrong!  Apparently this polish was part of a range that just got out and after spending 3 days in New York I still hadn't been able to find it.

And then came the last full day and we decided to walk the high line.  We were just casually walking towards it when I noticed a Sephora, a really nice Sephora I must say.  It was just around opening time and by now my travel companions all know that I can never, and I really mean never, pass a Sephora without entering.  'Just a quick look' I said, and in we went.

Without hesitating I went to the Marc Jacobs display but unfortunately without much luck.  My friend was trying out polishes on the separate nail polish display when she called me and there it was: Louise.  I immediately grabbed 2 bottles and went for the cash register (after 3 days of New York, I just cannot afford to wander around a Sephora anymore, it's just dangerous for me).

It's a very wearable color, a soft nudish pink.  A bit of a baby nude pink I think.  I love Marc Jacobs polishes, they are good quality, have a good brush and apply without streaking.  But this one holds a special place: little Louise, this little bottle will always put a smile on my face.

Where to buy:

You can buy the Marc Jacobs Beauty range exclusively at Sephora.  Sephora.fr does sell the nail polishes (€19,90) but unfortunately Louise hasn't made it over here yet so for now, you can only get it at Sephora.com (they ship to a very limited amount of European countries) ($18).

NOTD: Michael Kors Impulse

I'm not one to buy a lot of fancy high end nail polish.  There are just too many drugstore brands out there that have good quality nail polish in their range.  But every now and then a girl just has to spoil herself.

2 years ago in Macy's New York I decided I was going to treat myself to a Michael Kors nail polish.  I'd already bought a red Marc Jacobs polish at Sephora so I wanted something different this time and Impulse was just that.  A bit different from the usual colors I buy but very wearable and just an overall great petrol like color.

As I was holding the bottle, still contemplating on whether or not to buy it, it was suddenly snatched out of my hand by my friends (because yes, it does take at least 2 persons to make me lose my grip on a bottle of nail polish).  They decided to give to me as part of my birthday present.  Fine by me! Just one problem here: my birthday was over a month away and I didn't want to wait that long to put this on.  So we compromised: they got me the nail polish, I could keep it right away but I had to choose a second part of the present and no matter what it was I had to wait on it until my birthday. Great deal, huh?  (The second part was the smoky palette by Urban Decay so the waiting was hard but I survived.)

The quality is great, it applies easily, has great coverage but I especially love the packaging.  It just radiates fanciness! 

I have worn this color quite often that fall but somehow I forgot about it last year.  I'm pretty sure it's not going to be ignored this fall/winter though. 

Where to buy:

Michael Kors make-up is available for al you Belgian/Dutch reader at Douglas.nl, the nail lacquers cost €19.

NOTD: HEMA Jelly Beans matt nail polish in Coral

Matt coral red nailpolish?  I think this is the only one I have.  Coral by Hema the Jelly Beans range. 

 

I put on 3 coats and it still didn't cover my nails fully but other than that it was an 'ok' formula.  

The matt finish is hard to photograph, I've tried many times and this is the best I could capture it.  Not super excited about this one but just ok.

The brush is a little too small for my liking but that's personal.

Where to buy:

You can buy these polishes at HEMA for €2,50.  There is currently a 2+1 promotion on nail polish at HEMA.

Catrice Luxury Nudes new colors for fall/winter

Well, you already saw I bought them so I might as well show them to you.  The new Catrice nail polish colors.  

I thought I bought all the new colors of the normal lacquers but apparently I missed one color (already a sign that I was getting sick) so you’ll have to wait for that post until I can get my hand on that color.  For now, here are the 2 new shades of the Luxury Nudes ranges: 09 Dreamin’ Bohemian and 10 Lily From Piccadilly.

Both new colors in this range have a satin shine finish, which takes a while to dry.  But that’s the only negative thing I can say about these.  You should know by now that I love Catrice polishes; the quality, the brush, the price … there’s a good reason I always go for this brand when buying nail polish.

left: 09 Dreamin' Bohemian, right: 10 Lily From Picadilly

The 2 new shades in this range are very much alike.  10 Lily From Picadilly is a light pink and 09 Dreamin’ Bohemian has more of a nude tint to it.

Both are easy to apply and give great coverage.

Where to buy:

You can buy Catrice at Kruidvat.  The Luxury Nudes range costs €2,89.

NOTD: L’Oreal Color Riche Midnight Mistress (701)

I plead guilty to having way too much nail polish.  And yet it’s hard for me to do these nail of the day posts.  I find myself gravitating towards the same colors over and over again.  Maybe it’s because it’s summer and the sun is out but I always seem to go for the pink and coral colors.  So I had to force myself to swatch something totally different today.

L’Oreal Color Riche Midnight Mistress (701) is a gorgeous dark blue color, something I would wear during the fall/winter but I wouldn’t really wear this when the sun is out.  But that’s just me.  The L’Oreal Color Riche polishes are great quality and have a great brush.

I do recommend to use a base coat with this type of color.  Well, I think you should always wear a base coat or at least a nail hardener but especially with colors that tend to stain your nails.  So red is a definite base coat color and so is this dark blue.

Where to buy:

You can buy L’Oreal Color Riche polishes at the drugstore for €6,49 or at bol.com for €5,99 (there’s a promotion right now buy 2 get 2 free on all L’Oreal Make-up an facial care products).

Catrice It Pieces highlight fall/winter 2015 nail polishes

As usual Catrice is updating their range for fall/winter, some products will have to leave and others will come in return.  The new products haven’t launched in Belgium yet but I think they have in The Netherlands and Germany.

from left to right: 

(95) For Some It's Plum, (98) No Coffee Without Toffee, 

(97) Love Affair In Bel Air, (94) It's A Very Berry Bash

To give us a little preview, Catrice did launch a ‚limited edition’ called It Pieces containing a few of the new products.  I got 4 polishes and 1 ultimate stay lipstick in 060 Floral Coral*.

left: (95) For Some It's Plum

 right: (94) It's A Very Berry Bash

Quality wise I don’t have anything bad to say about the polishes, it’s Catrice so the polishes are good and the brush is just the way I like it.  I just wonder why they chose those colors to launch as a preview.  At first sight there isn’t much of a difference between (94) It’s A Very Berry Bash and (95) For Some It’s Plum, I was a bit disappointed at that.  Looking at the new colors they are bringing into the nail polish range it doesn’t surprise me though.  I haven’t seen them for real but when you look at the new colors on their website there really isn’t a lot of exciting stuff going on there.  But I’ll have to wait until the new colors are out before I make a true judgement about that I suppose.  For now, these will have to do:

(95)For Some It's Plum, (98)No Coffee Without Toffee, (97)Love Affair In Bel Air, (94)It's A Very Berry Bash

Not a big fan of (98) No Coffee Without Toffee, it doesn’t go with my skin color.  I feel like I have no nails but skin instead.  I know that’s supposed to be the idea of a nude polish but this nude does not suit me.  I was pleasantly surprised by (97) Love Affair In Bel Air, I assumed this would be a sheer polish but it wasn’t at all.  I love the color and the formula.

*I still haven’t found a way to write a decent article on lipsticks, I’m not strong in the selfie department and my lips aren’t symmetrical but I’m going to try to make it work somehow, if and when I do you can expect a review of this lipstick

EDIT:
I wrote this article last Saturday and bought the polishes last Friday, the other new polishes weren't in yet but they were today.  So I did a bit of shopping (don't judge me, it's monday and I wasn't feeling too well so I needed a little pick me up).  More on these on the blog soon!

Where to buy:

Catrice polishes are available at Kruidvat in Belgium and The Netherlands and in drugstores in Germany.  Retailprice is €2.99.  Even though Catrice is available in the USA at Ulta, they only carry a small section of their range and currently no nail polishes (a shame really!).

Splurge vs Steal: Deborah Lippmann Rockin’Robin vs NYC Nolita’s Lolita

Sometimes I can just smack myself in the head for buying high end, more expensive nail polish.  And this is one of those times.

A few years ago I bought Deborah Lippmann’s Rockin’Robin when it just came out and I paid €22 for at (at Parfuma in Antwerp).  I loved the polish, it’s a a minty blue with black speckles in.  It reminded me of the chocolate easter eggs Hema brings out every year.  I loved the color, wore it plenty during the spring/summer and then forgot about it.  

Last week during my lunch break I was strolling through the local drugstore (because what else is there to do during lunch break right?) and passing the NYC display I noticed this polish called Fancy Dotty in Nolita’s Lolita.  Immediately I thought of Rockin’Robin and I just had to buy it so I could compare the two.  

That’s right, I bought it so I could compare it to something that’s quite possibly the same and that I already have.  Sounds crazy?  Maybe a bit but hey, I bought it so I might as well compare them.

I paid €2,49 for the NYC polish and to be honest I love it more than I do the Deborah Lippmann polish.  The biggest reason for this is the brush. I love nail polish brushes that are a bit wider and the Deborah Lippmann one’s are quite small.

There really isn’t a big difference between the polishes quality wise, the color is a bit different though.  Nolita’s Lolita is a light blue polish were as Rockin’Robin has a bit of mint in it.  It’s not really minty green, more minty blue if you get what I mean.

from top to bottom:

DL Rockin'Robin, NYC Nolita's Lolita, DL Rockin'Robin, NYC Nolita's Lolita

Even though I hardly ever buy nail polish that costs more than 10€ (which is already expensive enough I think), I am willing to pay more if it is something special*.  I will buy Deborah Lippmann glitter polishes because those are just a-ma-zing!!  But for a ‚normal’ polish that doesn’t have a special effect of finish to it, I just don’t see any reason any more.  Drugstore polishes have come a long way and are great quality wise.  

So comparing application, quality and prices there is no doubt in my mind that you should go for NYC Nolita’s Lolita (you do realize that for the price difference you can buy 7 more different NYC polishes right?)

*one exception to this: Marc Jacobs beauty nail polishes, just because it’s Marc Jacobs :-)

NOTD: OPI That's Hula-rious

I'm sorry it's been a few days.  Even though I thought it would be possible to post something every day, reality is proving me wrong.  Once again it's been a busy week, filled with a lot of quality time with friends and family but I have to say I'm absolutely exhausted right now.  It's 21h34 as I'm writing this and if I try my best I think I'll be able to stay awake for another hour.  An hour filled with lots of fun stuff like emptying the dishwasher, fold some laundry, do a bit of tidying around the house ... you know, all the thing no one ever talks about because they are  so exciting.

But in order to start the weekend off good, here's a swatch of OPI That's Hula-rious.  A really fun color that's just perfect for the summer.

I hope you all enjoy the weekend ahead.  I'm planning to do some writing for the blog (I'm always trying to make enough time sot that I can write ahead but so far time hasn't been on my side) and I have my parents in law 40th marriage anniversary to go to.  So weekend will probably be over before it has begun.

Where to buy:

OPI that's hula-rious is from the Hawaï collection that launched this summer.  You can buy OPI at feelunique.com , hqhair.com, beautybay.com ... 

NOTD: Maybelline Color Show in Urban Coral (110)

Feeling fierce ?  Than this is the color for you, a beautiful red orangy coral.  Applies easily and an overall good quality polish.

Where to buy:

You can buy Maybelline Color Show polishes at almost any drugstore.  Retails at €3,99.

Catrice Luxury Nudes collection

When Catrcice did an update of their range earlier this year, they brought in the Luxury Nudes.  It was a pain getting the whole collection together because some colors took forever to hit the store.  But eventually I managed to get them all and today you can find all 8 polishes in Kruidvat.  The polishes all have a soft matt or satin shine finish.  I’m no fan of satin shine or satin matt finishes simply because unlike matt nail polishes, they don’t dry fast and you can’t put a quick drying topcoat on them because that would ruin the finish.

The 8 polishes consist of 1 topcoat, 5 soft matt finishes and 2 satin shine finishes. 

The top row of swatches is without the topcoat 03 Way too beautiful, the bottom row are the same colors with the topcoat.

from left to right: 01 White & bright, 02 French love affair, 04 Your french appri-coat, 05 To the nude mood

The topcoat doesn’t really do anything for me, I really don’t understand why they brought that one in.

from left to right: 06 Magical nude, 07 Delight to pure light, 08 Little dose of rose

The quality is great, the colors are all natural/nude except for 04 Your french appri-coat.  

2 polishes will be leaving the range when they bring in the fall/winter range: 03 Way too beautiful (the topcoat) and 05 To the nude mood.  

Where to buy:

You can buy Catrice at Kruidvat, the luxury nudes range retails at €2,89 and this week there is a promotion on Catrice polishes: buy 2 for €5.

You can find all the products that are leaving here: http://www.catrice.eu/en/inspiration/leaving-soon.html 

NOTD: Catrice It’s Time For Lovender

As usual Catrice will be updating their range for Autumn/Winter.  One of the nail polishes that’s leaving is 64 It’s Time For Lovender.  I’m not usually in to purple/lavender colors but to my surprise I like this colors on my nails, maybe I should be trying this color more often.  The quality is good as usual and if you like the color now is the time to buy it!

Where to buy:

You can buy Catrice at Kruidvat for €2,99.  You can find the products that are leaving here:http://www.catrice.eu/en/inspiration/leaving-soon.html 

Essie Summer Collection 2015

Where in the midst of a heatwave in Belgium.  Staying inside where it’s cool and no heavy efforts is the best advice at the moment.  Sounds perfect for a new manicure to me!  

I don’t think I need to say it again but I love Essie nail polishes.  The substance of the polish and the brushes are just perfect, you don’t have to be an expert to paint your nails in a descent way.  There are some classic summer colors in this collection: bright pink and bright peach.  Every collection that hints at summer and sunshine needs these colors.  But there are also some surprises in there, the yellowish Chillato and the blue pret-a-surfer aren’t really your classic colors.

   from left to right: private weekend, salt water happy,peach side babe

      from left to right: chillato, sunset sneaks, pret-a-surfer

Personally I don’t think I’d wear Chillato and Pret-a-surfer on my hands, to me they are more 'feet' colors.  Not really the colors I’d wear to work either.  But nice and surprising nevertheless.

I love Peach side babe but then again, I always love a nice peach color on my nails.  You really can’t go wrong with that.

Overall it's a really nice collection.  As usual, Essie doesn't disappoint.

There are a few promo’s going on at the moment so it’s the perfect time to pick some of these up if you’re interested:

• at Kruidvat Belgium there’s a nail polish promo on a few brand including Essie: you get 15% off if you buy 2 and 30% off if you buy 3
• at DI you get 50% off from the 2nd Essie polish you buy
• at bol.com you can get 2 Essie polishes for €15 

Essie retails between €11,45 and 12,45 in Belgium depending where you buy it so the bol.com deal is a really good one (free shipping for orders above €20)