Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas pics on Sodahead

"Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes." 

~ Joan Winmill Brown

I just wanted to wish everyone who celebrates it a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I'm so grateful for all of you, and I hope you had a fabulous day and I hope you all have an amazing year.  I appreciate each and every one of you that reads my blog, follows me, and leaves encouraging comments on my posts.  You're truly the reason that I do what i do here on misscouture17.

Just a quick update on January 26 2012, i'll be up and blogging next week guys, I have lots of great posts just waiting to get published, so, get pumped! :)  

NOTN: Sephora by OPI 'Never Enough Shoes'

Sephora by OPI 'Never Enough Shoes' - 3 coats, OPI top coat. (starting to chip!)

 Hey Everyone,
On Thursday I went to an event where i wore a medium blue dress and silver heels.  I spent hours pouring over my nail polish collection trying to find the perfect shade to wear that would work with my somewhat sweet, cool toned outfit.  I decided to go with something a little edgy, and the shade chosen for my Nail of the Night (NOTN)? Never Enough Shoes from Sephora by OPI.

This is definitely not your average black nail polish!  It has gold and silver micro glitter in it which is definitely very visible when it's on your fingers.  My only problem with this polish is the horrible formulation!  The first coat was extremely streaky, sheer, watery, and looked more like a mucky brown colour.  It took 3 coats to make this black shimmer opaque.  So, bad formulation but love the colour!

Get The Look: Kristen Stewart - chic and glamorous

Hey Everyone!
If there's one celebrity I am not a fan of, it's K Stew; however, I love her makeup look in this picture, it's very glamorous and dramatic. so today's get the look is going for a look along these lines, including dramatic brows and eyes and a subtle pinky-nude lip.

Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara

The Yves Saint Lauren Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara in Noir Radical is an award winning mascara which promises voluminous false lash like lashes.

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Christmas List 2011!

Hey everyone!
So, a few days ago I wrote my December wish list, and you all asked to see my Christmas list for this year.  I didn't need anything too big, so I mainly asked for small things, but I hope this post helps all of you trying to make up your own Christmas lists!

Benefit's New Boxed Powder: Hervana

Hey everyone!
Benefit is famous for their fun packaging and creative names, innovative products, and of course, their boxed blushes.

33 Questions Get to Know Me tag!

Hey everyone!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I wrote my last tag post, but I recently found this post and thought it was just so fun, I couldn't pass it up!

1. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead? Of course! I think it's the sweetest thing ever!
2. A big poofy dress or a short party dress? Depends on the occasion, but usually a short party dress
3. Are diamonds a girl's best friend? Definitely
4. Is your hair up or down today? up in a top knot, currently!
5. Do you straighten your hair? Pretty much all the time.  I still haven't found the perfect curling wand for me.

December Wishlist

Hey Everyone,
So this months wish list isn't my Christmas list, this is a list of products that I want to personally purchase some time in December, if you'd like to see my personal Christmas Wish List leave a comment below and let me know!

 TFNC Bandeau Sweetheart Sequin Dress - £50.00

This dress is from asos.com, and can someone seriously tell me if they ship to Canada

because i am IN LOVE with this dress!!!  I've been looking for the perfect gold

dress for a New Years party, and I think this is it.  It's absolutely beautiful

and sparkly and just all kinds of perfect.  I would pair this with a black

blazer and heels.  

Holiday Gift Guide for Her 2011

As we head into the Christmas season, i'd like to share a few of my top gift choices for females.  This list will include both beauty and non beauty related items, and includes both high end gifts and gifts for the person on a budget, and I made sure to add a lot of different options. So, let's get started...

Beauty Rescue: Running a Little Late?

 Hey Everyone!
Do you ever have those days where you sleep through your alarm and find yourself rushing around in the morning with absolutely no time to spare?  Yeah, me too.  Just because you're running late does not mean you have to look like it, so this beauty rescue post will teach you a few easy tips and tricks for getting ready super quickly. 

Dior 500 Point Reward at Sephora!

From the e-mail I received, so the source is sephora.com

 Hey Everyone!
One of the things I love best about Sephora is their beauty insider program.  This is free to join, and basically where for every dollar you spend you get a point, once you've reached 100 points you can redeem your points for a gift, and once you reach 500 points you can redeem your points for a better gift, and you achieve VIB (very important beauty insider) status.

Today, I just wanted to share my excitement for the new 500 point gift.  Everyone who's read my blog knows that I have a slight obsession with all things Dior, so you can imagine my delight when I received an e-mail telling me that the latest 500 point gift is an exclusive couture-inspired charm bracelet and mini Addict To Life fragrance, which I've been meaning to try.  I happen to have over 500 points in my 'beauty bank' right now, so i can't wait to head down to Sephora and cash in my points for this awesome gift!  Stay tuned for a more in depth review on both the perfume and the bracelet in the next couple weeks!

Benefit 'The POREfessional' Review

Hey Everyone!

 Benefit ‘The POREfessional’ is a balm formulated to reduce the size of pores.  This balm is oil-free, lightweight, and translucent and can be applied over or under makeup.  Benefit recommends patting it over your t-zone and lightly blending it.  

Guess One Love Charity Bracelet

Hey Everyone
In an effort to give a little, one of my favorite jeans brands, Guess, has come out with a limited edition bracelet which will donate over half it's proceeds to charity.

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Fragrance Preview: Vera Wang - Princess Night

Hey Everyone!
Good news for all of you 'Princess' fans out there! Vera Wang is set to debut a new edition of the popular scent this January.

Black vs. White eyeliner

Hey Everyone,
Something that I've been really into lately is defining my lower water line with a nude eye liner.  While applying my eye liner the other day I started thinking about the phases I've gone through with eye liner.  From rimming it corner to corner with rich black pencils, to adding a little pop of color, and now my latest phase in lining, white or nude liner.  Something I've noticed over the years is how black and white eye liner leave such different effects on your eyes, and today I thought i'd compare the two styles of lining for you.

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Sephora Makeup Studio Blockbuster

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 Hey everyone,
While shopping at Sephora the other day I came across the Sephora brand Makeup Studio Blockbuster palette.  This set contains:

• 96 Eye shadow shades
• 84 lip glosses
• 6 cream eye liners
• 2 eye liner pencils
• 3 blushes
• 1 bronzer
• 1 mascara
• 4 makeup applicator brushes

I purchased this for my sister as her christmas present because she's just starting to use makeup and I thought that this would be perfect for her as it includes almost everything she'll need.  It includes both neutral and bright, fun shades and is perfect to create a large array of looks.  It's surprisingly compact, and opens to reveal a vanity type set up, including a mirror.  This retails for $49.50 US and $59.00 CND.  Although the pots are a little small, it's definitely a great value.

If you like this palette, i definitely recommend putting it on your Christmas list, or purchasing it for a family member or friend aged 12+ just starting out with makeup.

UPDATE! I recently published a REVIEW and SWATCH post for this product, so check that out by clicking HERE.

NOTD: Sephora by OPI - 'New Years Red-Solution'

Hey Everyone,
Today's NOTD is 'New Years Red-Solution' from the Sephora by OPI 'Glimmer Wonderland' collection.  This varnish is a metallic golden red with gold micro glitter.  The varnish in the bottle has gold veining, which refused to be captured on camera and doesn't show up on the nails! This nail polish is very opaque, I only applied one coat in the above picture.  I love this color as i've never owned anything similar, and it's absolutely perfect for the holidays!

Are you looking to pick up anything from the 'Glimmer Wonderland' collection?

 

Ralph Lauren - Romance fragrance review

Hey Everyone!

Romance by Ralph Lauren…A beautiful, timeless scent that really does remind you of romance and elegance.  I recently rediscovered this perfume after years of not touching it, and so today I’ve decided to review it for all of you!

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EOS lip balm - Summer Fruit review

Hey Everyone!

EOS lip balm comes from the brand ‘Evolution of Smooth’.  EOS is a spherical shaped lip balm which comes in a variety of different flavours.  EOS claims to be 95% organic and 100% natural.  Each lip balm is formulated differently and therefore offers different benefits.  In today’s post, I’m going to be reviewing the flavour ‘Summer Fruit’.  

November 2011 Wishlist

Hey Everyone!
You may remember last month when I wrote my 'October Wishlist' post.  I've decided to make this a monthly post, so without further a due, here's MissCouture17's November 2011 Wishlist!

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Holiday Lust: Fresh Sugar Lust Set overview

Hey Everyone!
Encased in a beautiful, festive red satin bag, the Fresh Sugar Lust Set is the perfect set for this winter season!

Photo via Sephora.com

Sephora Brand Waterproof Eyeliner in 01 Black review and swatches!

Hey Everyone!
The Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner is a water proof eyeliner which comes in a wide variety of gorgeous colors and delivers amazing results for a price of $12 US...so cheap for a high end product like this.  Two months ago I picked up the shade ’01 black’ so today I’m going to review it for you.  

Vera Wang: Lovestruck review

Hey Everyone!

A fragrance inspired by young romance and fronted by the beautiful Leighton Meester, Vera Wang’s ‘Lovestruck’ has definitely struck my fancy.  After an entire month of lusting after it, I finally went out and purchased this fragrance in September and today I’m going to review it for you.

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Lancôme 'Electric Pink' La Laque Fever review

Hey Everyone!
Lancôme’s La Laque Fever is described as a long lasting, full color lip shine that lasts on your lips for 6 whole hours before needing to be touched up.  These lip shines come in 15 beautiful shades, but today I’m going to be reviewing the bright, sparkly delight that is ‘Electric Pink’.  

Happy Halloween!!!

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Hey everyone!
I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Halloween for those who celebrate it. Don't eat too much candy, be safe, and most of all have a ton of fun!


What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

Dior 'The Style Empress' Collection 2011

Hey Everyone!
"Inspired by Christian Dior's beloved muse, Mitzah Bricard, The Style Empress echoes her distinguished taste and mysterious personality. Legend has it that Mitzah wore a jungle-pattered fabric around her wrist to hide a scar, and Monsieur Dior was fascinated by this elegant touch. So, he introduced the pattern into his fashion collection in 1947 and has reinterpreted it each season. Now, it's an entire beauty collection". - Sephora

NOTD: Ocean Love Potion + Gold Dust

Hey Everyone!
While going through a desk in my bedroom I found my old Sally Hansen Gold Dust glitter over coat.  I was ecstatic to find this because I had previously been contemplating purchasing a gold glitter over coat from OPI.  I decided to pair Gold Dust with 'Ocean Love Potion', a stunning cool 'Mediterranean turquoise' from the Sephora by OPI line.  What I love about 'Gold Dust' is that the chunks of glitter are small enough that Ocean Love Potion still shows through.  I think that the two of these paired together look really good.

Are you a fan of glitter polish?  Let me know below!

Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color: Fbomb Review and Swatches!

Hey Everyone!
The Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss lip colors is described as UD's first ever creamy, very pigmented chubby lip pencil.  The line offers a range of 5 bright, fun lip colors that deliver rich, opaque coverage like a lipstick, while having a glossy finish like a lip gloss.  A couple months ago I went out to my local Sephora to check these pencils out.  Amazed by the bright hues and sparkles, I opted for the classic and epically named red shade, Fbomb.

TAG! What's Your Fragrance?

 Hey Everyone!
Usually I don't do tags on this blog but today I received an e-mail blast from elleandblair titled 'What's your fragrance'.  Curious, I clicked on it and read through the questions.  You all know that I love perfume, and scents in general, so I thought this would be a cute little tag to do, I also added 7 questions to this tag because I thought it was kind of short, and I like answering questions, so the first 5 are the original tag.

NOTD: Essie Sugar Daddy

Hey Everyone!
Today's NOTD is a very interesting one.  The formulation for this varnish is very sheer and very thin.  What that means is that when you apply the first coat is looks like a milky top coat, providing absolutely no color, only shine.  Due to that fact, Sugar Daddy was a polish in my collection which never got much use.  Tonight, I realized that Sugar Daddy is a  milky very neutral pink on the nails if several coats are applied.  On my nails below i've applied a base coat, and 6...yes 6 coats of Sugar Daddy.  I like how it's really subtle on the nails, yet very feminine looking.  I think I'll definitely be wearing this previously neglected varnish more often.

What do you think of 'Sugar Daddy'?  Let me know below!

Christian Dior Miss Dior Cherie fragrance review

Hey Everyone
So today I'm going to be reviewing Miss Dior Cherie.  Initially, i wasn't planning on purchasing this fragrance ever.  I had only smelled it in the bottle and in my opinion it did not smell like it was worth purchasing.  It was only last month, when i actually sprayed it on my skin that i fell in love...

Picture via sephora.com 

My Every Day Hair Routine + How to get perfectly straight hair

Hey everyone!
Today I thought it would be fun to do an every day hair routine post to show you what I do in the morning to get my hair ready for the day ahead.  Also, my hair is really curly and thick naturally, and I always have people who know this fact coming up to me and asking how i get my hair so perfectly straight and thin, so i thought I'd include a kind of tutorial on how to getting perfectly straight hair that STAYS straight throughout the day.

OPI Muppets Holiday 2011 Collection

Hey Everyone!
So, when I was a kid, i absolutely adored The Muppets.  Disney's 'The Muppets' movie is coming out shortly, and as a tie in, OPI is releasing 12 limited edition nail varnishes in November to pay homage to the movie's fun and lively characters.  The collection includes 2 neutrals, 4 purple-red shades, and 6 glittery polishes.

Benefit Cosmetics: High Beam review

Highlighters, in my opinion, are one of the greatest makeup items ever invented. It has a way of lighting up your face and making you look more youthful and healthy.  The first highlighter I ever purchased was 'Benefit High Beam'.  If you have read my blog for a long time then you know that I am and always have been a huge benefit cosmetics fan, so obviously the first highlighter I decided to try was High Beam.

Picture has been cropped, and is via www.makeup4all.com

GTL: Nicki Minaj

Hey Everyone!
Today's 'Get the Look' is for the iconic Nicki Minaj.  I got the idea to do this particular GTL today when my friend mentioned that they intended to go as Nicki Minaj for Halloween.  The look we're going for today is basically the one pictured below, which includes bright fun eyes, a bubble gum pink cheek, and bright fuchsia lips.  So let's get started!

How to: Keep Denim From Fading

Hey everyone,
Have you  ever invested in a really cute pair of black or even medium to dark blue jeans and had to throw them out due to extreme fading? me too.  I've had a few people mention to me that after one to several wash cycles their jeans have faded from black to a kind of faded black-charcoal, or from rich dark blue to a faded kind of muddy unattractive blue.  I've experienced this with 4 pairs of jeans so far, and i finally decided that enough was enough.  So I did a little research and thought that today I'd share with you some tips and tricks for keeping your denim true to color.

NOTD: Essie Russian Roulette

Hey Everyone!
Today's NOTD is Essie Russian Roulette, a bright creamy orange toned red.  I absolutely love wearing this color.  I feel like it's the type of varnish that you can get away with wearing year long.  With this particular color, you can get away with applying one coat if you're in a rush since it is fairly opaque and dries quickly.  For full opacity, i would recommend 2 coats which is what I've applied in the below photo (along with OPI top coat).   The formula on Russian Roulette is fantastic and it doesn't streak.  My only problem with it is that it chips very easily. 

What do you think of Russian Roulette? What's your favorite red nail varnish? Let me know below, and have a great day!

October Wishlist!

Hey Everyone!  Lately, all of my favorite stores and brands have been coming out with some pretty awesome things, and my wish list is growing longer, and longer.  Today I thought I would share said wish list with you all!

Picture via www.toms.com

Black Glitter Toms

For the longest time I have been contemplating buying these shoes.  I love all things sparkly, and since they're simple and black the glitter doesn't look really tacky.  Toms are the perfect casual shoe for school, a casual outing, and for Autumn.  Plus, they're super duper cute with a cherry on top. ;)

NARS Dolce Vita blush: review and swatches!

Hey Everyone!
Ever since the first moment I swatched it on my hand at my local Sephora, I've been in love with NARS Dolce Vita blush.  The color, pigmentation, and over all finish make it the perfect every day Autumn blush color, and has quickly become a staple blush in my collection. 

Dolce Vita - Flash

NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette - over view and dimensions

Via Sephora

Hey Everyone!
If you have read my blog from the beginning, then you know that I have a huge obsession with all things NARS cosmetics, especially their range of blushes.  Well, NARS came out with a new palette today called the Danmari All About Cheeks palette, and trust me when i say that this is a long time coming, and i am super excited about it!

This palette comes with 4 blushes, a highlighter, and a bronzer.  From left to right the shades are:
     TOP:
Hungry Heart highlighter (a gold ivory)
Super Orgasm (a beautiful peach with lots of gold glitter)
Desire (a fun cotton candy pink)
     BOTTOM:
Casino bronzer (a dark brown with gold shimmer)
Orgasm (peachy pink with gold shimmer)
Sin (berry with gold shimmer) - The PERFECT Fall blush!

Each blush 'pot' is the size of a single NARS eye shadow, but deeper so you get more product than you do with the single eye shadows.  

This palette retails for $65 US, and $70 CND.  Although that might look kind of expensive, each blush is .12 OZ, and the single blushes are .16 OZ, this means that you're getting 6 blushes 3/4 the weight of a regular blush for $65-70!  Whether you're a makeup artist, or blush enthusiast such as myself this is the perfect palette for you as it contains blushes for every occasion, PLUS a gorgeous bronzer and highlighter.

This palette has been released just in time for the holiday season, but is limited edition so pick up yours quickly as these are sure to sell out fast, and add it to your holiday wish list.

What do you think of this palette?  Let me know below.

If you want to read my reviews for two other NARS blushes:
Dolce Vita
Deep Throat

Victoria's Secret Desire Perfume & Body Mist Review!

 Hey Everyone!

The majority of my perfumes are floral, fruity, and all around very girly.  However, I like to have a little variety in my perfume collection, which is why I purchased Dream Angels Desire body mist by Victoria's Secret.  (That and the fact that the eau de parfum was my mother's go to night time perfume, and i thought it smelled delicious)!  Two years ago, i received the 2.5 OZ eau de parfum as a Christmas present, so today i'm going to review and compare the body mist and perfume.  So let's just get right into it.  

Autumn Beauty Essentials

Hey Everyone!
Now that Autumn is officially here, the makeup, hair products and perfume that I use on a daily basis have changed drastically from what i was using during the Summer.  You may recall the post i published in July which listed the products that i found myself reaching for during the Summer, well, that post received pretty good feedback, so i decided to write another 'Beauty Essentials' post for Autumn!  Let's get started!

Urban Decay Super Saturated high gloss lip color - Fbomb, Buxom big and healthy lipstick - Amsterdam, Chanel lèvres scintillantes glossimer - 107

Benefit The Porefessional, MAC Studio Fix, Smashbox camera ready concealer