Currently Coveting: Dior Crazy Tie-Dye Blush

It's been a couple years since I've done a Currently Coveting, but I'm bringing it back for an encore for this most beautiful of beauties:

via

That's the Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder Tye Dye Edition 001 Pink Sunrise. (Also, Dior, WHAT THE FUCK WITH THE NAMES.) The 002 Coral Sunset is equally stunning, but I would get much more wear out of this pink. It was released a few weeks ago, but not at Sephora, so I didn't pick it up during the sale, but now I see that it's on the Sephora website (I buy stuff from there when I can because if I'm gonna spend the money, it might as well go towards my points [not that there's often anything I actually want to use my points on, but you know, just in case there ever is]) and you guys, I NEED IT. (I also need to learn how to have sentences that don't consist of 8 separate clauses, but one thing at a time, folks.) I come from Eugene, for God's sake. I grew up surrounded by tie-dye, though my mother is no fan of the look, so the only tie-dye I ever owned was stuff I made at friends' birthday parties. I feel like it's ridiculous to even consider spending $57 on a blush––the hippies that actually wear tie-dye would be appalled at the price (and likely, the entire concept of cosmetics)––but YOU GUYS. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I won't buy it, because I do not have that kind of money right now, but ... maybe someone will give it to me for my birthday. Or someones, since $57 for a gift is a lot. Of course, it might not still be available by the end of July. Have I mentioned it's $57? I'm hoping the madness will pass if I remind myself of that enough. But then I look at it, and...le sigh. DAMNIT, DIOR.

The crazy tie-dye blush beauties are available from Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, and Dior at $57.00 ($57!!) for 0.35 oz. Give me strength, my friends.

What have you been lusting after lately?

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper Review and Pictures

I'm not really sure what inspired me to purchase this. I don't tend to have need for lip plumpers (a decent lippie formula provides enough moisture to even out any lines), and I'm not really a gloss girl. But still, upon returning my Chanel and Armani lip glosses to Nordstrom (last July, as in 2013. Because I am super behind.) and being asked if I wanted to pick up something else instead, I asked for this, the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper. Which is an utterly absurd name, and shall henceforth be referred to as "it" or "this".

Pretty! That brown in the background is the ruins of the Acropolis
at Pergamon, where I discovered that it is a very bad idea to
wear lip gloss in a dusty place on a windy day.

Dior Addict Gloss in 783 Atout Coeur Review and Swatches

OH HI GUYS. I'm not even going to try and give excuses for my long absence––at this point, y'all are probably used to it, eh? Suffice it to say, it involved stomach problems and a conference in San Diego (where I got to see my girl V!). I originally wrote this post as a back-to-school thing, as that was why I purchased this gloss, but since it's been 7 weeks since school started, I probably should change it. But I'm not gonna, because I have grant essays to finish, and, well, whatever. BJB, bringing you timely posts since 2011! Ha. haha. ha.

Some people buy a nice new pair of shoes or a coat at the beginning of a new school year; I buy a new lippie. Before starting my first year of grad school, I bought Clinique High Impact in After Party (which is a beautiful color, but the shimmer is a bit much for my taste, and I've become too lazy to apply it sheerly over balm, as I did back in the day), and last year I picked up Rouge Dior in Rouge Favori, a combo wedding/back-to-school present to myself. This year, I wanted to try the new Dior gloss formula after Larie raved about it, and since it's $29.50 a tube, I decided to get something that I could see myself wearing all the time. For me, that means something pinky-plum without glitter. Fortunately, Dior had just such a shade in 783 Atout Coeur.

Hello, beautiful.

A Tale of Two Reds: Rouge Dior in Rouge Favori 752 and Lipstick Queen Chinatown Gloss Stick in Thriller

I've had Rouge Favori for months now and never gotten around to reviewing it, and since I recently picked up another red lippie, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and review them together! Because I am lazy. I mean, because it made thematic sense. Obviously. (Also, a prefatory note: The Rouge Dior photos were taken in September, when there was still abundant sunshine, while the Thriller photos were taken in November, after the rain killed the sun and peed on it. What I'm trying to say is that the photos are not in the same style, and for that I apologize.)

Post-rain Lipstick Queen Thriller, pre-rain Dior Rouge Favori

Fragrance Friday

I've been inspired by the Muse in Wooden Shoes' Scent Diary, and have decided that it may be a suitable compromise for Fragrance Friday: I can talk about perfumes, but I don't have to worry about writing a Real Review for which I am wildly unqualified. Let me know what you think! I'm happy to adjust as is appropriate.

Friday, June 1
Morning: Overcast but warm and humid, my least favorite kind of weather. Transferred Bond No. 9 Washington Square (Floral Woody Musk: rose [um, if you say so], tarragon, leather, vetiver) into a spray vial; dabbed the emptied vial onto my arm and spritzed once down my cleavage. I quite dislike the opening, though it's better dabbed than sprayed; it smells a lot like bug spray, and if I had Clinique Aromatics Elixir, I would compare them. It gets a lot better after ~half an hour, though, and turns into a "floral woody musk" with awesome longevity, managing to survive my sweatiness.

Evening: Finally started raining and cooled down some. Took a shower post-nap, because I felt gross and sticky. Sprayed Guerlain Nahéma (Oriental Floral: rose, peach, bergamot, green, aldehyde, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, jasmine, lilac, lily of the valley, vanilla, passion flower, Peru balsam, vetiver, sandalwood) down my shirt twice (equivalent of one big spray) to wear out to BFL; smells like "virtual rose" (LT, in Perfumes: The Guide), but I apparently do not want to smell like rose, virtual or otherwise. It's fine, it's just not love. Good sillage and longevity, though.

Saturday, June 2
Morning: Cooler and still overcast, had been raining; sprayed Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle (Floral: jasmine, orange blossom [blessedly absent to my nose], hyacinth, tuberose, nutmeg, clove, styrax, musk, vanilla) down my shirt. Really unpleasant opening that reminds me of L'Heure Bleue (camphor and menthol galore), but after half an hour the tuberose starts to come out to play. Remains somewhat icy, which makes it nice for cool, damp weather, but the tuberose keeps it from being unfriendly (unlike Après l'Ondée, which is an ice queen through-and-through). Weather ended up warming up and the sun came out, and TC remained lovely. Great sillage.

Evening: Wasn't really feeling any of my perfumes, so decided to burn a Pacifica candle instead (Mexican Cocoa [Oriental Spicy: nutmeg, cinnamon, almond, vanilla, mexican chocolate], a chocolate-y, warm oriental). I think the soy candles release more scent than the votives, but it still made my office smell nice. Took MM's advice and picked up a $1 long-handled lighter at the Dollar Tree, which means I can now light candles with impunity! (I am very afraid of fire.)

Fragrance Friday: Some Mini Reviews (Miniviews?)

I've been entirely too busy with life stuff lately and haven't really had the chance to write up full reviews for perfume, not to mention I am so unqualified to do so. And so, I've decided to post "miniviews" of things I've smelled, with links to more substantial reviews from other legit perfume bloggers where warranted. These are basically just the notes I took on my phone when I went perfume hunting with L at the Eugene mall (which has a truly paltry selection of perfume, so don't be expecting anything niche here), so some are very brief and uninformative, though I've added some extra comments in parentheses. Hopefully they're witty enough for you to forgive me their lack of content! (Also, if you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway! It closes Monday.)

Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs: Nope, smells outdated. (Classified as a floral by Fragrantica, where it received not great reviews. I think the vintage was better, but am not about to try and hunt it down.)

Chanel No. 5: Yes, aldehydes, but I like it much better in edt than edp form, because the underlying floralcy can come out. Worth smelling, should probably try on skin. (Aldehydes and I don't get along particularly well, so I don't actually plan on getting a sample of this. I know, cue perfumista horror. See Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This's reviews.)

Clinique Aromatics Elixir: L described it as bug spray. I cannot put it better myself. Perhaps it's better when worn, but I don't really feel a burning desire to find out. (This is a classic, polarizing chypre, so I really should try it on skin sometime. Maybe I'll try the next time I'm at the mall. See Bois de Jasmin's review.)

Dior Hypnotic Poison: Okay, smells like vanilla and licorice to me. Maybe the woods come out when you wear it, but I'm not willing to find out. Too strong, too sweet. (See Now Smell This's review for a more flattering opinion.)

Dior Poison: Smelled this years ago and hated it; still holds true today. Way too big, couldn't even try and find the notes. Just no. ("Poison" is an accurate name, at least! This is arguably THE perfume of the 80s, with everything that comes with that. Should stay in the 80s, thank you very much, along with shoulder pads, big perms, and the Berlin Wall.)

Currently Coveting: Bronzers and Highlighters

Currently Coveting is an intermittent feature on products that catch my attention, whether new, cult classics, or something in between!


I'm pretty pale, much like French is pretty nasal. I've never been matched to MAC's main line of foundations, but Matchmaster 1 is just a little bit dark for me, so I'd guess I'm in the NW 5-10 range depending on season. Most of the time, I'm just fine with that; sure, I have to wear sunscreen like whoa, and gigantic sun hats are my best friend (after bunnies, I mean), but I am just way too lazy to try to fake a tan. I'm also pretty oily, much like cheese is pretty delicious. I use multiple products daily to try and keep my shine to a minimum, and still am not entirely pleased with my results.

And yet. And yet. Lately, I've been finding myself feeling like picking up a bronzer and/or highlighter. I already have a bronzer, Benefit Hoola, and almost never wear it, and a luminizer, theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, which I can't even tell is there after application, so I justify considering buying new ones by saying I'll use it them contouring, since, while the Meow Skinny Dipper is the perfect color for contouring, I am always far too lazy (notice a trend?) to bother with loose powder in the morning, and Hoola is too dark to be a foolproof contour. Really, though, I just want them because they're pretty. Fortunately, I have more restraint than that (barely), but here are some that have particularly caught my eye:

Combos

Korres Magic Light Contouring Trio Santorini, $28 for 0.30 oz

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terra Azzurra Bronzing Powder & Blush, $75 for 0.56 oz

Fragrance Friday: Dior Dune

Dior Dune has been around since 1991, and it's quite beloved by the fragrance community, though less so by the general perfume-buying public. After trying it myself, I can see why: it's really, really weird, a boon for perfumistas and somewhat of a burden for those just wanting to smell pleasant.

image via Dior

Dune is a really complex, intelligent scent. Yeah, I know, "intelligent" applied to a scent? Puhlease. But it's true! It's the kind of fragrance you can't just smell and enjoy; its beauty is in its contradictions, weirdness, and complexity.

Currently Coveting: Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Party Garden Roses and Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palettes

Currently Coveting is a near-daily feature on products that look interesting, whether new releases, cult classics, or anything in between!

Dior Garden Pastels (left) and Garden Roses (right), image via Nordstrom

Dior's new spring collection contains two beautiful limited edition eyeshadow quints, Garden Roses and Garden Pastels. From the swatches and reviews I've seen online, these have medium pigmentation, lovely shimmer, and good wear––not to mention luxe packaging and gorgeous presentation. Look at the embossing! I'm most drawn to Garden Roses, with its mix of pinks and purples, as I think they would look best with my cool complexion, but there's no denying the visual appeal of Garden Pastels, and the novelty factor––most high-end brands wouldn't touch such bright colors with a ten foot pole!

For swatches and pictures of:

Garden Pastels, see The RAEviewer, Makeup and Beauty Blog, and Cafe Makeup

Garden Roses, see Blushing Noir, Getting Cheeky, and Cafe Makeup

Both palettes are $59 and available at Nordstrom

Which palette do you prefer? If price were no object, would you pick up either?

Fragrance Friday: Gucci Flora and Dior Miss Dior Cherie L'Eau Mini Reviews

For a link to the overview for this series, click here.  Today's offerings are both florals, but not really very similar beyond that.

Gucci Flora

image from here
This fragrance came out in 2009 and has been pretty popular since then.  I don't know when I got my sample vial, but it was awhile back.  After spritzing it on for this review, I realized why I still have an almost-full vial: it smells horrible on me.  Sickeningly sweet and overbearing, it's like a bad fragrance spray that people keep in their bathrooms to cut down on stinkiness (this is an observation made by my mother, and I wholeheartedly agree).  I hated it so much that I tried to wash it off after half an hour, but was left with the pungent remnants on my arm for the rest of the evening, thanks to it being an eau de parfum.  I can't say if it changed or mellowed any over time, since the soap and water undoubtedly messed with that, but I can say it didn't really change from the opening to the heart (unfortunately).  Given its popularity, though, I think I'm in the minority here, so don't let my opinion stop you from giving it a sniff!  Here's the fragrance pyramid should you wish to see it.
$60 for 1 oz, $85 for 1.6 oz, $100 for 2.5 oz, available from Sephora and Amazon (cheaper from the latter)