Dupe Alert: Le Métier de Beauté Chrome Passion vs. Soulstice Spa Troy Nail Polish.

October 3, 2011 | 17 Responses

Back in July, a black holographic nail polish made this beauty blogger go gaga, and it was called Le Métier de Beauté Chrome Passion Nail Polish from the Nordstrom-exclusive Rock ‘n’ Romance nail polish set (US$25 for 4 minis). I was so crazy about this little nail polish that I even asked sweet Danielle of Bloomin’ Beauty to custom purchase a set for me (thanks again girl!). In real life it doesn’t disappoint, and it was the definite star of the set.

Recently, Soulstice Spa Troy Nail Polish ($8.50 at NailPolishCanada.com) came into my life. Hmm, Troy sure looked familar. As luck would have it, it’s a dead on dupe of my beloved Chrome Passion.

Le Métier de Beauté Chrome Passion / Soulstice Spa Troy

Wearing Soulstice Spa Troy (and LMdB Chrome Passion on ring finger) – natural light

This is the first time I tried the Soulstice Spa brand, and honestly I am blown away. The products are free of the toxic trio — toluene, formaldehyde and DBP (click here to read more information), and are also vegan. I have pathetic, sensitive eczema hands and constantly wearing and taking off nail polish makes them itch and burn, so I appreciate that these do not contain nasty chemicals.

Can I also talk about the smell? As in, there is none. I always get a little light headed when I paint my nails, but Soulstice Spa’s nail polish is scent-free. Great for someone whose boyfriend/husband/brother/father usually complains about the room smelling like a cheap nail salon. Here’s another photo, just so you can appreciate the holo glitter that just blows my mind.

Wearing Soulstice Spa Troy (and LMdB Chrome Passion on ring finger) – with flash

I have to say that Soulstice Spa Troy is even better Le Métier de Beauté Chrome Passion. In the photos, I’m wearing two coats of Troy and three coats of Chrome Passion. Incredible, right? Now you can have your own bottle of Troy for 50% off courtesy of NailPolishCanada.com. Just enter the code TROYGEEK on checkout (one per customer; valid until October 10). You’re totally welcome.

Disclosure: Product was sent by Nail Polish Canada for consideration only.

Avoid Eye Makeupocalypse with Mary Kay Creme Eye Colors.

February 19, 2011 | 22 Responses

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make•u•poc•a•lyp•tic |mākəˈpäkəliptik|
adjective
describing the complete destruction of a makeup look, usually due to a product that fails to deliver on its promises: yes, girlfriend, the amount of grease mixed in with your eye makeup has reached makeupocalyptic proportions.

Fact: my eyelids are a greasy mess without a spectacular base. I’ve tried probably the two most popular eye primers in existence — Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance. They work well, but my recent experience has been… hmm, how shall I put it… a disaster. These primers don’t last me an entire workday anymore. That’s just not okay in my books!

Mary Kay Creme Eye Colors (clockwise from top left): Beach Blonde, Pale Blush, Apricot Twist, Iced Cocoa, Glacier Gray

Lately I’ve been using Mary Kay Creme Eye Colors ($16) as my eyeshadow bases. These are very sheer, coloured eyeshadow primers that boost colour and finish of eyeshadows layered on top of them. They also work as standalone eyeshadows.

Beach Blonde is a shimmery champagne.
Pale Blush is a matte pale cool pink.
Apricot Twist is a shimmery orange gold.
Iced Cocoa is a shimmery copper bronze.
Glacier Gray is a shimmery pewter.

Swatches of Beach Blonde, Pale Blush, Apricot Twist, Iced Cocoa, Glacier Gray

Do you love the uber popular MAC Paint Pots? I swear, these are just like MAC Paint Pots. They apply evenly as a cream, and dry down to a silky smooth finish of a powder. They are quite sheer, but as shown in the swatches above, they can get pretty opaque after 2 or 3 layers. In terms of value, you will get 0.26g per dollar with Mary Kay, and 0.25g per dollar with MAC. So Mary Kay provides better value, but it’s not a big difference.

My eye makeup with layered over Creme Eye Colors lasts about 8 hours, with just a little bit of creasing on the inner corners of my eyes. To put that into perspective, Urban Decay Primer Potion keeps my makeup perfect for 5 hours, and total makeupocalypse happens around hour number 6. However, if you have very oily lids, do not expect these to keep you grease-free for a 10 to 12 hour day. Again, maquillageddon. Ooh, another new word!

The Creme Colors are housed in light, tightly sealed plastic pots, which make them really easy to travel with. I’ve really been enjoying these a lot, and they’ve become a staple in my makeup bag for sure. They’re brand spankin’ new, and I just wish they’d come up with more punchy colours for the warmer months. Bright turquoise or vibrant purple, anyone?

I’m Always On the Hunt for Good Eye Primers!

Do you have a favourite eye primer? I’m currently testing out Laura Mercier and LORAC samples that I brought home from Sephora. They’re not too bad so far. I’d love to hear what’s working for you, and what was a total fail.

Disclosure: The products mentioned were sent by the manufacturer for consideration only.

The Poor Girl’s Chanel Paradoxal Nail Polish.

September 8, 2010 | 15 Responses

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It seems that everyone and their kittens are obsessing over Chanel Paradoxal nail polish from the Fall 2010 collection. I, too, think it’s gorgeous but sadly I am on a self-imposed Chanel counter ban. So instead of forking over $20+ (likely $30) dollars for the Chanel, I thought I would mix two inexpensive colours that I already have to see if I can get close enough to Paradoxal.

If you’re not familiar with Chanel Paradoxal, have a look-see over at All Lacquered Up for swatches.

Rimmel Lycra Wear in 405 Fantasy, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in 207 Steel Gray

Wearing 1 part Rimmel Fantasy, 1 part Rimmel Steel Gray
(I realize that I’m probably never gonna be a nail blogger in this lifetime.)

This was my first time mixing two nail colours together and I was pretty pleased. I didn’t really know what to mix them in, so I just mixed them over a sheet of wax paper and it worked out well.

I think I have a pretty good dupe here, judging by the swatches I found all over the Internet. It might be a tad bit too purple, so I’ll probably go 2 parts gray, 1 part purple next time. It just takes a little bit of elbow grease to mix the colours, and some nail polish remover to clean off the brush to not contaminate the colour in the original bottle. And for $0, that’s a pretty sweet deal.