Temptalia

Dior Czarina Gold Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:12:16 +0000

Dior Czarina Gold Nail Lacquer

Hard to Find: Dior Czarina Gold Nail Lacquer

Dior Czarina Gold Nail Lacquer ($21.00 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is a deep, dark molten chocolate brown with flecks of green, antique gold, and gold shimmer. The shimmer comes in various sizes, so it has more depth and interest in the color. Two coats was perfect, though it was almost opaque in just one pass. Dior polish wears a full week on me (with a base/top coat) with minimal tip wear. The closest dupe I can come up with is China Glaze’s Wagon Trail, which seems to have more uniformly sized shimmer.

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Product: 28/30
Value: 6/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: I can see why this sold out–the quality is lovely, but the shade itself is gorgeous on both cool and warm skin tones, and the combination itself is very winter and holiday-esque without being the traditional bling-tastic gold.

WHERE TO BUY: Dior Counters… if they have any in stock

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Dior Czarina Gold Nail Lacquer

Dior Five Golds Eyeshadow Quint Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:00:40 +0000

Dior Five Golds Eyeshadow Quint

Metallics Done Right!

Dior Five Golds Eyeshadow Quint ($58.00 for 0.21 oz.) is one of two new and limited edition holiday quints. As indicated, it includes five shades of eyeshadow, and this is a palette with a rather metallic feel and look. I purchased this as part of my Sephora Friends & Family haul!

It has a similar theme as MAC’s Rockers & Reelers Eyeshadow Palette, because both have a lot of metallic-like finishes, but the colors themselves are a bit different. Dior’s metallic quint is closer to neutral, while MAC’s is on the warmer side.

Five Golds includes a dark charcoal gray with a soft silver sparkle; subdued copper-gold with a metallic finish; semi-sheer icy white-gold with a bright shimmer-shine; chocolate bronze with a metallic finish; and a bright, light silver with a high metallic shine. Every shade had rich pigmentation except the lightest white-gold shade, which was on the sheer side, and it also had more of a glittery feel compared to the smoother texture of the other four shades. It looks a lot yellower in the pan than when used, though. The other four shades were true-to-pan in terms of color.

This is probably one of my favorite Dior quints in terms of quality; the shades are smooth, soft without being powdery, and really rich in color. Dior’s eyeshadow quints are always a better value than their singles or duos, though it is still more expensive than Chanel’s eyeshadow quads (but less than Guerlain’s!). Even though the shades are dupeable by other brands, the finish and texture really hit home.

FYI, Sephora lists this as “001″ while the back of it does list the name as Five Golds alongside the 001 number.

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Product: 29/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you love your metallics, this may be something to add to your holiday wish list.

AVAILABILITY: Sephora

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Dior Five Golds Eyeshadow Quint

Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches (Holiday 2010)

Christine — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:50:28 +0000

Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer

Dior Holiday: Timeless Gold

Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer ($21.00 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is a light, tarnished gold with a glittery-shimmery finish. It reminded me of China Glaze’s Midnight Kiss, but it’s nowhere near as gold. It does, however, have a similar finish–it’s almost a foil but not quite, and brush strokes are nearly invisible despite the slight metallic sheen. The drying time is faster than average, but it does dry to more of a semi-matte finish so you may want to use a shiny top coat for more oomph (swatches are shown without a top coat).

It took two coats to get opaque coverage, and it was actually incredibly easy to apply and to achieve no pesky brush strokes because of Dior’s brush. This is the first Dior polish I’ve owned that has a wide, tapered brush. I haven’t seen a brush like this before, and I thought it would be too wide to be practical, but it worked really well for me. I do think if you have smaller nail beds, though, it may be more difficult (I know I have longer fingers than proportional to my body–thanks piano!).

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 29/30
Value: 7/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: I love the color, but it’s definitely a personal preference. The formula is very easy to work with and surprisingly opaque–I thought it would end up being rather sheer, but two coats worked beautifully.

AVAILABILITY: Nordstrom

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Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer

Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

Dior Timeless Gold Nail Lacquer (Flash)

Dior Minaudiere Collection for Holiday 2010

Christine — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 10:00:22 +0000

Dior Minaudiere Collection for Holiday 2010

“Black is the most elegant and surprising color,” Christian Dior said. Mixed with gold, it brings life to the most outrageous creations. From yellow gold to bronze gold and silver black, the new Christmas trend displays a range of dramatic shades to create a universe where gold becomes light, and black becomes sparkle. Prestige and radiance are the key words of the holiday makeup collection, a grandiose look featuring transcendent eyes, a luminous complexion and shimmering lips.

Dior Minaudiere ($80.00) (Limited Edition)

Paying tribute to the evening purse of the moment, the Dior Minaudiere features couture details like a vintage kiss clasp, a gold plaque engraved with the Dior logo and a black patent leather finish embossed in the iconic Dior houndstooth pattern. Available in two color harmonies: Grey or Pink tones. (Grey Golds is Saks Exclusive, Pink Golds available at all other retailers.)

The Collection (Limited Edition)

Five Golds (001) 5-Colour Eyeshadow ($58.00)
Endless Shine (529) 5-Colour Iridescent (except at Sephora) ($58.00)
Gold Edition Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen ($36.00)
Pink Stiletto (234) Ultra Gloss (except at Sephora) ($26.50)
Black Lame (992) Ultra Gloss (Sephora exclusive) ($26.50)
Czarina Gold (916) Vernis (except at Sephora) ($21.00)
Timeless Gold (226) Vernis ($21.00)

Red Cannage Travel Eye Palette ($44.00) (Limited Edition)

This deluxe holiday palette features four versatile eyeshadow shades: gunmetal silver, smoky brown, shimmering taupe and light pink. Availability: Department stores, Nordstrom & Bloomingdale’s

Red Cannage Travel Lip Palette ($44.00) (Limited Edition)

This chic red patent palette makes the perfect holiday beauty accessory. Featuring burgundy and berry lipstick shades and a light pink gloss, lips go easily (and stylishly) from day to night. Availability: Department stores, Nordstrom & Bloomingdale’s

Black Cannage Eye Palette ($44.00) (Limited Edition)

Create smoky, show-stopping eyes with this must-have palette. Featuring shades of midnight blue, gunmetal silver, shimmering taupe and white highlighter in Dior’s silky iridescent eyeshadow formula. Sephora Exclusive

Dior Deluxe Travel Palette ($75.00) (Limited Edition)

Travel in style with this sleek red patent cannage palette, featuring a mini Diorshow Extase Mascara, a mini pink Ultra-Gloss, a medium pressed powder, a blush and six eyeshadows. An inside mirror makes application and touchups easy. Availability: Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Sephora

Dior Mini Brush Set ($60.00) (Limited Edition)

This elegant, couture-designed travel case contains four miniature, must-have brushes for cheeks, eyes, lips and foundation.

Availability: October 2010; spotted most things up at Nordstrom!