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4.29.2012

Longchamp Spring/Summer 2012

Most of you probably have heard about the beloved Longchamp brand.

Every girl from every age is seen carrying Longchamp's Le Pliage handbag. Longchamp came out with LePliage handbag a couple of years ago, and it became an instant trend in France. But for the french girls, in 2012, ''it's passĂ©'', hence the amazing discounts you can get on Le Pliage handbags at stores in Paris such as Galerie LaFayettte, after each end of season. Trust me, if ever you are in Paris and you see the Longchamp sale, you better be fast, because they sell in a jiffy, at a ridiculous price.

Now, it's been a couple of seasons, that Longchamp has improved the LePliage handbag and they come up with limited edition version's of the handbag, at a limited edition price may I add !  

Last year, the french maison release the Darshan bags in beautiful bright colors, which I had the change to snag.
This year, Longchamp doesn't fail to impress.

When I saw this ad.........there are no words.

Here is Longchamp's limited edition Le Pliage handbag in Orchideal in Green and Deep Purple.

This collection will most probably hit stores in May, and for us late bloomer's in Mtl, maybe end of May.

K

4.28.2012

Spring Fling !




Casual Spring day around the city !
(Leather jacket Style Exchange, scarf H&M, sweater H&M, jeans Old Navy, booties Little Burgundy, handbag Aldo, watch Michael Kors, sunglasses RayBan.)
4.26.2012

BCBG Spring/Summer 2012


This season BCBG is busting out the moves ! Shoes are fab, jewelry is fabby and dresses are fabbylicious !
Here’s a quick view at what BCBG has to offer this season, "Bon Chic, Bon Genre".


Enjoy !
K

4.25.2012

Spring 2012 Beauty Wishlist !

Spring is here and the first thing we want to do is add some color in our wardrobe and in our beauty regimen. Here's a couple of things I've got my eyes on !

Starting from the top-left :

- Tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in Exposed ; this blush is known to be long-wearing, for 12 hours to be exact, and I kid you not it does stay a really really long time.

- LancĂ´me Rouge in Love Lipcolor in Rose Boudoir ; this radiant pink lipstick gives a glossy-look that is long-lasting.

- MAC blush in Melba ; oh! What can I say, I cannot wait to have this in my possession and to wear it everyday during the month of May. I feel like it's a May type of color !

- American Apparel nail polish in Butter ; I've been on the hunt for a baby yellow nail polish color for months now, but it seems that I always fall on the shearest shades of life, where you need 1000 coats for the color to ''seem'' opaque, ugh. Found this baby at AA and I already know I love the quality of their polishes.

- Chanel one and only Rouge Coco Shine Lipsticks in any color ! No words......I want any color or every color !

- Finally, LancĂ´me Hypnose Mascara which is an all time favorite of mine ; classic favorite mascara of all time.

Can't wait to snag these baby's up, one by one !
Let me know what your spring beauty wishlist is, it might inspire me to add some more !

K
4.24.2012

New Essie Summer 2012 Poppy-Razzi Collection

The minute I hear about a new nail polish collection, I’m on it! I wander the stores to find it as quickly as possible, because you all know that Essie nail polishes sell like little hot cakes.
This summer, Essie is coming out with many new collections such as this particular one called Poppy-Razzi and it consists of 4 neon colors. Honestly, Essie quickly became my all time favorite nail polish brand. They have a very wide range of colors from pastels to darks to flashy colors; their variety can please all of us.

The Poppy-Razzi collection offers us 4 colors starting with Light which is a beautiful bright pink. Then, we have Camera which is a nice bright-coral and Action that is a neon orange color. Finally, we have Bazooka, an orange-toned red. Surprisingly, this collection also provides a white polish, described as being used as "a top coat to get the most color and brightness out of your nail polish".
The Poppy-Razzi Collection is not out yet but should hit your drugstore counters during the month of may.
Go check it out, summer is the perfect opportunity to take out our bright colors !

K
4.23.2012

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted moisturizer SPF 30

First and foremost, I wanna start by saying that I am not one to wear foundation but I sometimes really need that extra bit of coverage to erase blemishes and redness. I used to always wear powder-form foundations such as the MAC studiofix or even the NARS powder foundation but the coverage did not last me throughout the whole day, for those yucky days.
I then discovered the world of tinted moisturizers. A tinted moisturizer is like having your moisturizer, your primer and your coverage all-in-one, but with letting your skin breathe, where as foundation usually clog up pores and can feel very heavy on the skin. The tinted moisturizer ultimately provides your skin with an almost bare effect but with still covering your tiny imperfections.
I present to you the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted moisturizer that contains an SPF 30 PA+++ providing great sun protection which is key for the upcomming summer months (which kind of sold me to be honest). This product is capable (so the description says) of reducing hyper pigmentation and acne scarring within 4 weeks.

I first started using the NARS tinted moisturizer about 1 ½ month ago when I attended the pre-release of this product at my TheBay counter. The makeup artist applied it and after a full day of shopping and running errands, my usually ''oily skin'' which consists of mostly an oily T-zone was now, not so oily. I went home with a pretty good size sample and used it for the following 2 weeks on a daily basis. I apply the NARS tinted moisturizer with the fabulous Real Techniques buffing brush which helps me create a wonderful non-streaky finish. I was very satisfied with this product because once applied it created a nice satin finish on my skin and also had a nice lemony smell. The satin finish effect was very important to me, because as one having an oily skin I do not want my skin appearing shiny like a mirror during the day. The oil-free formula is GREAT for combination to oily skin, since it does not oxidize throughout the day.

After my big size sample finished, I decided to go purchase this product full size at Sephora. NARS offers their tinted moisturizer in 9 different shades which covers a very wide spectrum of skin colors.  

In conclusion, this product works wonderful for me, it provides very quick application in the morning, which you may now know that I loooove hitting that snooze button in the AM. One thing I want to mention is that it did not necessarily eliminate completely my hyper pigmentation or acne scarring but it did reduce a tiny bit their appearance. The key element that really made me swipe the card and buy this product is the fact that it did not make my skin create excess oil throughout the day, On the contrary, it helped control my oiliness and keeps me fresh-faced, even during a full 10 hour day.
But the NARS tinted moisturizer is quite an expeez product retailing at 49$CAN, which is why I suggest for you to hit your nearest Sephora and ask the salesgirl to match your skin color and to give you a sample for you to try out. (Trust me Sephora-girls usually aren’t cheap with their samples, wink, wink !)
Hope this review helps.
K
4.22.2012

Lusting over : Rebecca Minkoff MAC clutch

I've been eyeing this bag since December and debating over and over again if I should get it, it seems perfect for an everyday bag. The Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag stands for morning-after-clutch which is quite hilarious, if you ask me !

I am the type of girl that carries her life in her bag and I wanna change that this summer !! But changing from a carry-your-life-in your-bag type of girl to a small bag girl is a big step and I don't know if I am ready for this !

K

The Battle of the Dry Shampoos

I never made anything of dry shampoos, but trust me sometimes they can help you out !

When you are having second or third day hair and you have to skip out of the house fast, the key to looking fabby and fresh is a dry shampoo.
Before discovering the world of dry shampoo’s, I use to apply baby powder to the roots of my hair to freshen up and to remove all the excess oil, but it took such a long time to blend out the white of the powder that I stopped doing it and would just tie my hair up in a bun. I was very hesitant of trying the dry shampoo technique because I had often heard that these products had funky smells and gave a weird "crispy" texture to your hair.
A couple of months ago, while I was exploring through the shampoo section at the pharmacy, I found the one and only dry shampoo. My first discovery was the Dove Dry shampoo. At the beginning I was so satisfied with this product; it has a wonderful smell that adds a nice touch and does what exactly it is suppose to do, remove the excess oil of your hair. Behold, this product has a horrible down side ; after two uses the bottle was completely empty. I only assumed this was a defect, so I went and repurchased it. Little did I know that it would happen again, the bottle was empty after the second use, I was so disappointed but I really couldn’t believe it was even possible for this to happen. I then decided to research online and finally came across the fact that a lot of other customers experienced the same problem. L

Many weeks passed and I was dry-shampoo-less, and so I gave up. But a couple of weeks ago, I found at my pharmacy, the Batiste dry shampoo. This product was the first dry shampoo I had heard about but I knew it wasn’t available in Canada so I didn’t make much of it.
I haven’t stopped using this product since, it comes in 3 different "smells", the original, blush and tropical. Of course, I picked up the tropical smell and it is perfect, it does not leave a residue on your hair, it smells really good and the bottle is NOT empty after 2 uses. I really recommend this product, it an easy way for freshening up your hair in an express-way.
The Batiste dry Shampoo retails at 8.99$ CAN and the Dove Dry Shampoo retails at 6.99$ CAN.
Obviously you can see a price difference between these two products, but 6.99$ CAN for just two uses, Ouch, no thanks, ill pass !
Go on and explore the world of dry shampoos !
K
4.21.2012

New Goodies !

Maybe I went a tad overboard at Dior.......Reviews soon !

K

Bobbi Brown corrector !

It’s been months now that I’ve been on the look-out for something to hide my horrendous dark circles. Most of us have them and all we want is to get rid of them or hide them and fast please !!!
I ventured first to drugstore brands such as Maybelline and L’OrĂ©al and then visited the higher end brands such as Chanel and MAC, but nobody gave me the same effect as Bobbi Brown.
Bobbi Brown is a very popular brand that is unfortunately only sold now at Holt Renfrew and at Sephora.com. Bobbi Brown is a makeup artist that started her own brand and with a goal to make simple and wearable makeup for the everyday gal.
I first heard about this product from fellow bloggers, they raved and raved about this following product and I didn’t understand what was so different from any other brands. Bobbi Brown actually came up with a corrector (not a concealer) that hides your very dear-to-your-heart dark circles. This corrector is either pink or peach based and these tones actually cancels and corrects the blueish or greenish undertones present in our dark circles, and that is Bobbi Brown’s secret. Most of us use a concealer that is close to our actual skin color or lighter for a bright effect to hide the dark circles, but most of these concealer’s have yellow undertones and do not cancel our dark circles.
The Bobbi Brown corrector is a total wake up call for your eyes. The minute the makeup artist applied it under my eye, my sister immediately saw a difference and told me my face was different, so I was sold.

The corrector is easily blendable ; I apply it with a concealer brush or even with my fingers as it helps to blend the product. Bobbi Brown advises to apply a concealer overtop the corrector, but trust me some days you won’t even need it, you can only apply the corrector and you are out the door. In the case where you want to apply the concealer just make sure you set these products with a face powder just so it can hold throughout your day.
The Bobbi Brown corrector retails at 30.00$ CAN on Sephora.com and at Holt Renfrew.
P.S. This corrector comes in 12 different shades, there's something for everybody !
Trust me just go try it on at the counter and you will see a difference.

K  
4.19.2012

Review : Real Techniques Brushes

A couple of months ago I was on a mission to find the perfect brushes, I browsed the MAC counter, the Sephora collection and I finally found my answer on You Tube.

I found the best - quality brushes - and with an even better price that won’t break the bank, the Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman.
Samantha Chapman is actually a makeup artist that has a channel on You Tube named Pixiwoo where she teaches different makeup tutorials. She teamed up with the Real Techniques company to offer the ladies affordable and good quality brushes that give a high-definition effect. The Real Techniques brushes range from foundation brushes to blush brush to eye precision brushes.
My first thought was : Are these made with synthetic hair ? As many of you don’t know, synthetic hair does not shed, or barely sheds compared to natural hair brushes such as the ones sold at MAC cosmetics. It’s kind of ironic because you pay an arm and a leg for a MAC brush and you end up finding parts of it on your makeup or on your face. Then and there, Real Techniques was an obvious choice for me.

The first pack of Real Techniques brushes that I ordered is the Core Collection. The Core Collection consists of 4 brushes : the buffing brush, the foundation brush, the contour brush and the detailer brush.
To be honest I ordered this collection for the buffing brush only. This brush is pure gold, it blends everything perfectly from your tinted moisturizer to your foundation to your mineral powder, and it’s a must for your collection. You may find this funny but it certainly also minimizes the time you allow to fixing your face in the morning, which means, you can hit the snooze button more often !!!
These brushes are not available in Canada just yet, but you can always place an order on Amazon.com or on Ebay,  The price differs from the sellers on Amazon and on Ebay but the Core Collection retails between 17.99$ to 19.99$ US dollars.

A bargain for what you get !

K
4.18.2012

Chanel Summer 2012

As many of you have already got a glimpse for my obsession for Chanel, I had to present to you the new Chanel summer 2012 collection.
This collection is a good size collection and has been long awaited, since Chanel’s collections are so limited, you need to be prepared and attack.

To start, this summer collection consists of 2 types of bronzers the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Beige and Sable Rose. Chanel does not release bronzer's too often, so you should definitely go check these out.
Chanel also adds two new Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Lipshine’s in the colors Empreinte and En Vogue, these Lipshines are a must in your makeup collection. I will post a review on the Rouge Coco Shine Lipshine’s in the upcoming weeks. Completing the lip section are two Lèvres scintillantes Glossimer in Calypso and Sirroco.

Also, three new nail polish shades in IslandDelight and Holiday.

The Chanel summer 2012 collection also includes a shimmery Eye Shadow Duo in Sable-Émouvant and two Eye pencils the first one in Brun Intense and the second one in Pêche cuivré.
On May 5th, I will have the chance to have a first look at this amazing collection and get a makeup look consisting of all these new products. I will keep you all posted with pictures and reviews.
The french maison's Summer 2012 collection should hit your counters around mid-may.

If you get a chance, take a look, Chanel never disappoints.
K
4.17.2012

The name behind the blog !

It wasn’t easy putting a name to the blog, but after many wishful days of thinking and scribbling on a note pad, and scratching it off and going back to brainstorming, my smart sister finally found it : Lapiz of luxury. She couldn’t have chosen a better name since it’s my all time favorite nail polish color.

As many of you may already know, since nail polishes have become the perfect accessory to every girl, this name is attached to a beautiful Essie nail polish, Lapiz of luxury.
I discovered this nail polish thanks to my D. The moment she described this polish to me, my eyes lit up and I had to put my hands on it, but there was only one problem, it was discontinued, so my search ended right there and then.

This story doesn’t end now, she already knew it was discontinued and had placed an order on Ebay for the both of us. Two weeks later, this fabulous polish was in my hands ready to be loved.
Lapiz of luxury is a lavender blue-ish shade that screams spring. It’s the perfect pastel color that can be worn all year long. I’ve never seen anything else like this color, let it be at Chanel, Revlon or even at OPI, to my knowledge this color does not own a dupe, it’s unique.
After many months of being scared to use this polish because it was discontinued, I saw it on a stand at Pharmaprix/Shopper’s Drug Mart. This may sound a tad overboard, but my jaw dropped, I was so excited to see that Lapiz of luxury was re-release and I was now comfortable to wear it weeks after weeks after weeks.
Go get your hands on it, you will not regret it !

K

4.15.2012

Essie Bridal 2012

Who said you can’t wear color on your nails the day you say I-do ? Well Essie is coming out with a special bridal collection this spring to satisfy all the brides-to-be.

This collection contains 4 new creamy colors that all have the pastel tones we love and adore.

The colors are from left to right : Love & acceptance, Who is the boss, Like to be bad and Instant Hot
Well you know he already likes it and he’s putting a ring on it, so why not put a ring on something cute and flirty. These Essie polishes retail at 9.99$ CAN at your nearest drugstore or at TradeSecrets.
Go and grab these colors before your big day.
K.




MK for travel !

As many of you travel for business or just for pleasure, it’s not always convenient to bring along a huge wallet that doesn’t fit into a satchel for day or a clutch for night. Behold, I found the perfect sturdy compact wallet that is still stylish and colorful.

I present to you the Michael Kors Saffiano Medium carryall in Pink.

After many trips to the mall to find the perfect compact wallet for a trip to DisneyWorld, I found this baby on a site most of you know called Beyondtherack.com. This site offers designer items at a discount price. At first thought, I presumed this site would carry only previous season’s products, but no, Beyond the Rack even carries products that are currently on the shelves of your favorite stores. When I first saw this wallet, I was hesitant because buying online is not always convenient, since you cannot visualize well the product you are interested in. And so, I passed and did not purchase it.

The sale ended and I was empty-handed.

In the meantime, I went to my local Michael Kors boutique to see if I could maybe find the wallet, and see for myself the pros and cons of it. To my surprise, the Michael Kors stores did not even have this wallet in stock, and when I asked the salesgirl, she told me it was part of the new collection and would arrive in a month or so, which gave me even more of an itch to have it.

Two weeks later, BeyondtheRack.com offered the same sale and the minute I saw it, it was in my cart and charged to my credit card.


The Michael Kors Saffiano medium carryall filled all my expectations and was more than perfect for my trip. It’s a very sturdy wallet that has enough space for many credit cards (we all know we love our cc’s) and enough space for cash and change. Never mind the travelling, I now use this wallet on a night out to slip into a nice clutch.

Michael Kors now offers different colors and sizes retailing between 100$ and 160$ CAN, but be sure to check out sites like Beyondtherack.com to find the perfect sale.

Enjoy.

K

MAC Tres Cheek and Reel Sexy

April 5th arrived and I was at my local MAC counter to pick up a couple of bits and pieces from the new collections hitting the stores that day.




3 collections came out that day, the Tres Cheek collection consisting of 6 wonderful blushes, the Reel Sexy collection and the Extra Dimension collection.

These past couple of months, I was infected with an obsession for blushes which has led me to numerous beauty counters. None the less, I found myself drawn to the blushes from the MAC Tres Cheek collection, but resisted and only picked one, the best one, Full of joy.
Never in a million years would have I been drawn to this purple colored blush, but the MAC makeup artist convinced me to try it and applied it to my checks and next thing I know, I was already at the cash paying for it. Full of joy is described as a pinkish-lavender with a frost finish that gives that instant glow.

Also, one thing that really pleased me is that Full of Joy does not accentuate pores or little imperfections like many other frost finish blushes, it just sits on your skin perfectly. I didn’t think this color could suit many skin tones, but indeed it does, this blush will instantly brighten up your cheeks. Can you just imagine this blush with a tan this summer……ouf !

The MAC Tres Cheek blushes retail for 24$ CAN at your local MAC store or counter.


Obviously being in a MAC stores involves me picking up new lipsticks, and so I did. I just can’t get enough of that vanilla scent the MAC lipsticks exude. I picked up 2 lipsticks from the Reel Sexy collection, Reel sexy and Watch me simmer.





The first one, Reel sexy is a peachy color that reflects abit on the neon side because of its amplified finish, but it appears perfectly on the lips.


Last but not least, Watch me simmer is a re-release since it was just released in February with the MAC Shop MAC Cook collection. Evidently, when the moment came for me to want to get this lipstick back in February, it was sold out, so I was pleased to pick it up this time around. Watch me simmer is a beautiful pink coral color that has an amplified finish. Add a lipliner to Watch me simmer and it can turn to a perfect bright lip for a fun night out.


These MAC lipsticks retail for 17.50$CAN.

Go on and get ready for summer.

K
4.14.2012

Zara : a Danger Zone !

If you’re ready to dish out some cashmoney, head on over to Zara. This season Zara brings us the best of the the best of the pastels and the colors for spring/summer.
As many of you have already seen in stores and magazines, pastels are the IT trend this summer, it can be displayed with t-shirts, blouses, jeans and dresses and Zara got you covered.
As you step foot in the store, the colors jump to your eyes and you will feel overwhelmed at the amount of stuff, because you don’t know where to start. But rest assured, be wise, control yourself, stay focused and you will exit the danger zone with fabulous pieces and a good conscience.

Here are some fabulous items that almost caught my wallet !
Zara pastel blazer. 79.90$ CAN

The Floral print trousers. 59.90$CAN & 79.90$CAN

The dresses.  99.90$CAN & 99.90$CAN

The blouse. 49.90$CAN
















Enjoy !

K
4.12.2012

Summer Jumpers !


So the minute I can smell summer in the air, I am taking out all my jumpsuits or as many of you call them, rompers. This piece of clothing is the perfect no fuss no muss summer essential, you throw it on and you’re out the door. VoilĂ  !

In order to be ready for my jumper/romper summer, I’ve been on the hunt…

Here are some cute little examples for any type of style.

For the daring fashionista (must get my hands on this).(Michael Kors)

For the girly girl (Forever21)

For the simple girl (Michael Kors)
 And.....





For JLO
Start your search for the perfect jumpsuit that fits your style and you'll be ready for the summer !

Enjoy

K


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