pastels

Dolce & Gabbana Mint nail polish for spring and summer 2012 review

 in Beauty / Nail Polish  tagged dolce and gabbana / green / pastels / reviews / summer 2012 by

Dolce & Gabbana released their beautiful, runway inspired, “Bouquet” beauty collection for the spring and summer 2012 season. This fabulous collection of vivid colors includes several shades of nail polish which I could not pass up. Since “mint” is one of the hot colors of the season, and a shade I have not used in the past for nail polish, I decided to give the polish a whirl. Here is my review:

Dolce & Gabbana’s “Bouquet Collection” mint nail polish was my first test of the designing duo’s beauty products. I have always been in love with Dolce & Gabbana’s apparel and accessories collection, in fact, I have purchased several of their designs over the years. So, it was only natural for me to try their line of cosmetics.

Dolce & Gabbana’s mint nail polish is packaged in the designing duo’s classic long nail polish bottle. The applicator brush holds a lot of polish and as I began to apply the first coat I discovered right away that the brush needs to be rubbed along the side of the bottle opening a few times before brushing the polish onto my nails. After the first coat, I realized the polish was matte and found it dried nice and quick. Love that!

After my nails were ready, I applied the second coat and it went on smoothly and evenly. There was absolutely no streaking and the color was even. The matte nature of the color was intriguing and gave the otherwise feminine mint hue a little bit of an edge; which I love!

The polish has been wearing well and is extremely chip resistant. I have washed a few dishes by hand without gloves and the polish didn’t chip or crack; showing the high quality finish of Dolce & Gabbana’s nail polish. Fabulous!

I am giving Dolce & Gabbana’s mint nail polish from the “Bouquet Collection” five out of five stars.

Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics can be found at Saks Fifth Avenue and also at Dolce & Gabbana boutiques. The nail polish is priced at $20.

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Photo credits: Top photo of Dolce & Gabbana’s “Bouquet Collection” is courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana beauty. Bottom photo of mint nail polish and nails was taken by Cathy at Bay Area Fashionista.

Laura Mercier Lavender Cloud nail polish review

 in Beauty / Nail Polish  tagged laura mercier / pastels / purple / reviews / spring 2012 / summer 2012 by

Laura Mercier’s hot new nail polish, Lavender Cloud, will arrive on store shelves on May 1, 2012 and the hot hue is sure to have nail polish enthusiasts running for the Laura Mercier beauty counter! Lavender Cloud by Laura Mercier is a limited edition nail polish color which is part of the new, limited edition summer collection, “Belle Nouveau Collection.”

Lavender Cloud by Laura Mercier is a vibrant shade of lavender which offers opaque nail coverage without streaking. The overall finish offers beautiful color saturation, and without a top coat, leaves a shiny, luxurious look on nails.

Laura Mercier’s Lavender Cloud is the perfect shade of lavender. The color saturation and vibrancy of the hue allows the nail polish to blend well with both bright colors and pastels; which is important for nail polish! This allows a Fashionista to wear her favorite Paris pastels one day, and then wear bright, New York runway hues the next without having to worry about her nail polish clashing with her ensemble. Love that!

Lavender Cloud by Laura Mercier will be available starting on May 1, 2012 and will remain on store shelves until June 30, 2012 or until supplies last. Lavender Cloud is priced at $18 and can be found at Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and select Belk, Blue Mercury, Lord & Taylor and Macy’s stores. Of course, Lavender Cloud will also be available online at Laura Mercier’s website lauramercier.com

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Photo credit: Bay Area Fashionista/Cathy

*We received a sample of Laura Mercier’s Lavender Cloud for consideration. Receipt of this sample did not require a review or article. We have been fans and avid consumers of Laura Mercier products for the past ten years; including her nail lacquer, therefore, receipt of this sample did not influence our review or opinion stated in this article. For more information, please read our discloser.

Pastel jewelry for the spring 2012 season

 in General Fashion / Jewelry / Trends  tagged pastels / runway trends / spring 2012 / summer 2012 by

Paris designers, and select designers from around the globe, gave the fashion world a pastel color palette for the spring 2012 season. This has made pastels the hottest alternative to bright colors for the spring 2012 season. One of the easiest ways to incorporate pastels into your daily wardrobe is through pastel colored gemstones and jewelry. With pastel purple and pink continuing from spring 2012 into the fall season, this is the perfect time to invest in pastel gems to wear now and into next year.

There are so many pastel gemstones on the market. Almost any pastel hue can be found in natural gemstones including pale green amethyst, baby blue chalcedony, lavender chalcedony, light green chalcedony, rose quartz, opals and more.

What makes pastel gemstones fabulous is that they are an investment and can be worn for generations; making pastel jewelry a smart way to invest in the current “Paris Pastel” trend for spring. Pastel gemstones can be found set in sterling silver, gold and many different types of metal; making the gemstones accessible at any price point.

Designers have been showing colorful and bold jewelry on the runways in New York for fall 2012, so this is not the time to be afraid of adding colorful jewelry to your collection. We found a few pastel gems around the web through Polyvore and assembled them into the set below. Hope you love it!

Happy shopping and stay fabulous

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