Coco and Lulu by Cake {Spring Collection}

A few months back I discovered a great nail lacquer (perhaps the greatest)... in Chapters of all places.  I had never seen or heard of them before so after some quick Google magic I found it was created exclusively for Chapters by Canadian beauty brand Cake (woo hoo!) I had bought the shade Ma Belle, and after falling in love with both the color and the formula I ordered three more online from their most recent collection.  The collection available now is very Spring inspired with a selection of pastel colors; I chose a mint green in Call me L8R, a bubble gum pink in Omg I Love This Color, and a popcorn yellow in What RU Wearing?  How cute are those names?!

Side note: I always thought the best job in the world would be create cute names for beauty products.

OMG I Love This Color, Call Me L8R, What RU Wearing?

I am loving all three of these colors just as much as the first polish I bought; although they don't seem to be as long lasting as Ma Belle (which has more of a glossy finish)  These springtime colors have very creamy opaque color and last around two days before they begin to chip from everyday wear and tear.  

OMG I Love This Color:  I think I have every shade of pink in my small nail polish collection, and yet this color is unique.  It is a  very cool toned pink with lilac undertones.  While it's a beautiful bright color it's still pastel enough to be wearable on my fingernails (I like to chose brighter colors for my toes, while keeping it subtle on my hands)  

Call Me L8R:  Speaking of pedicures... I've been wearing this color on my toes every since I bought it!  It reminds me of colors that Essie has in their collection, like Mint Candy Apple and still I don't know how to describe it.  It's a beautiful creamy blue-y green minted color.  I get tons of compliments on it when I'm wearing sandals, and it looks beautiful with gold accents. 

What RU Wearing?: Once again, I can say that this polish is unlike anything I own. It's a buttery, ivory, creamy delicious yellow (my color descriptions are terrible today!)  It looks fantastic on my fingernails, especiall with a tan, and is a fun twist on a "nude" nail.  Once again, gold polishes and jewelry compliment this color beautifully.

Coco and Lulu polishes are quickly becoming my favorite formula.  In the past I've always had trouble applying lighter pastel polishes like these but these three give me no trouble and become completely opaque and smooth after two coats. Although they are more of a splurge; retailing for $8.50 each, I believe they're worth every penny.

Another note is that when you place an order from the Chapters website is you can ship to your local store for free and they will email you when your items are available for pickup. Shipping to store is a great option, especially if you're trying to save some $$$, but you can always chose to ship to your home if you'd prefer.

What do you think of these additions to my quickly growing Coco and Lulu collection? 
Have you entered my Coco and Lulu giveaway?!  Win your own bottle of Ma Belle here

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xoxo

Coco and Lulu by Cake {Review}

Where have you been all my life?

I stumbled across this nail lacquer in Chapters of all places and had to pick it up because of both the bright color and the cute bottle (of course).  When I went to check out with my polish and a few other items the cashier commented on how much she loved the line... and before I paid another employee walked by and commented "Oh! Great polish!" So I knew I was on to something good.  

The shade I picked up in Ma Belle, a true fuchsia.

2 coats of Ma Belle Nail Lacquer

I googled the product when I got home and I found out that Cake is a Canadian beauty brand (go Canada) that teamed up with Chapters/ Indigo to create an exclusive line of polishes that are on trend each season.  Now that I've found them I'm actually disappointed that I missed out on their winter collection because they are still pictured on the Chapters website.  They look fabulous but are all "Out of Stock". Wah.  Teasing me.  

Claims: "Specially formulated for a long-lasting, high gloss finish and free of dibutyl phthalate, toluene, and formaldehyde. 0.5ml/0.5 fl.oz."

Finish: Glossy

Lasting Power: About two days of chip-free wear and then another 3 days with minor chips. 

Packaging: Perfection.The glass bottle is substantial and sleek.  It looks beautiful displayed on top of a vanity.

Price/Availability: $8.50CDN both in stores and online.  

How I Used It:
I first applied OPI Nail Envy, which is technically a nail strengthener and not a base coat but I use it as one anyway. Then the first coat of Ma Belle was a little underwhelming however once I applied a second coat the color deepened beautifully.  I skipped applying a top coat because I don't actually have one at the moment!  If anyone knows of a great one, please leave any recommendations down below. 

Likes:

• Bright pigmentation 
• Smooth formula
• Buildable color
• Beautiful finish
• Cute packaging and label

Dislikes:

• Limited shades in store!  It's hit or miss if you're going to find them in stock but online they've just released their Spring line which 6 colors.  I've ordered Call  Me L8R that is described as an aqua green (but looks to me as more of a minty blue) and OMG I Love This Color which is a bubblegum pink.

Overall: ★★★★★

Even though I was somewhat disappointed after the first coat I know this color will be well loved this Spring/Summer. It's the perfect neon fuchsia, which isn't something I would normally wear on my hands but is everything I could ever want in a pedicure.  The formula applies smoothly and easily, and like I said before the bottle is so cute.  I own a lot of Nicole by OPI polishes and the application and formula of Coco and Lulu trumps them without a doubt.   

Have you tried Coco and Lulu or Cake before? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

#BLOGGERSDOITBETTER: Going Nude This Spring

You may have heard about (or seen) the "Bloggers Do it Better Challenge" recently that Gemma from Touch of Belle has so wonderfully orchestrated.  When I heard about it over Twitter I thought it was a great opportunity for a newbie like me to not only continue to be inspired and have motivation for my posts but also connect with like-minded bloggers.  

What's unique about this challenge is that Gemma provides us with very broad topics- for example, the first one (this one!) is "Bloggers Do Spring Better" which allows each participant to have a creative license and write about absolutely anything and everything.  As a result a network of  connected blog posts with the same theme is established. I love it!

I've been thinking about this post for a long time and I'm almost embarrassed about how late it is- considering it was supposed to be posted this past Monday.  However, since I've been so incredibly busy with a full time practicum and am just now finding the time to sit down and focus on myself for a second I figured it was better to be late than never! *drumroll*

Blogger Do Spring Better: Going Nude

A trend that I've noticed and loved this spring is nude which actually something that is a little new to me.  Is it not the constant struggle to find the perfect nude?  

Maybelline's Dare to Go Nude Limited Edition Spring Collection

Sephora's nude picks for Spring as seen on Instragram

This being said I think when the weather warms up everybody needs some color! Thus for my first even Bloggers Do it Better post I have decided to marry the nude Spring trend with beautiful shades of rose-y pink, and gold with my top Spring picks!

Lips:

A little while ago I was doing a "Lip Duo" tag on Instagram, in which I featured everyone of these little beauties while talking about Nudes.  I can't help it. I love them.  I think the one thing they share universally is how comfortable they are- which is really important to me!  

From left to right:

NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu: This gloss is perfection.  It's just light enough to wash over a dark color to lighten it up for day time and just dark enough to deepen a lighter color.  Plus, just as the name indicates the texture is butter.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry:  I found that this color is very similar to Mac Twig Satin lipstick (I have a comparison post in the mix) but much more of a rosey shade.  The earthy/brown undertones make it easy to wear day- to- day.  This is the closest I've come to a "my lips but better" color.

MAC Lustre lipstick in Naked Bud: This lipstick is limited edition from the Fantasy of Flowers collection released recently.  It's described as a "neutral sheer nude" on the Mac website.  Personally, I find it has just a hint peach undertones which is perfect and what I think makes it the only true nude lipstick I've ever purchased.  The lustre finish is so comfortable and honestly I have nothing negative to say. Well, actually, It wouldd be nice if it wore a little longer but I take beautiful color over longevity any day.  I like to pair it with either my NYX Tiramisu gloss or Mac Nymphette for more of a golden-peach color.

Tiramise, Sultry, Naked Bud

Cheeks:

From left to right:

MAC Warm Soul: This is the definition of the perfect blush.  It's universal.  I can reach for this color no matter what my lip/ eye color is and it never fails me.  It's a beige toned blush with the smallest flecks of gold shimmer.  In the winter I sometimes skip bronzer and just dust this along my cheeks for a healthy glow.  

MAC Superb:  Another limited edition MAC product from the Magnetic Nude collection and also the first ever Extra-Dimension Skin Finish I tried.  What I love about this is it's almost impossible to overdo when you apply it with a brush or like below you can apply it with your finger for a much more concentrated pigment-  both on the cheekbones or directly over blush you just glow. Its beige-y, it's peach-y, its even purple-y in some lights.  Whatever it is it I can't get enough.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil:  Not the first time I've mentioned this bronzer! (Read more about it here)  Well suited to the name it is a milk chocolate-y shade, soft, natural, blendable. Did I miss anything??  What I have been doing lately when I'm in a rush is taking my Real Techniques blush brush (any tulip shaped blush would work) and mixing both Warm Soul and Chocolate Soleil on my brush applying it in a tapered shape to my cheek bones.  Boom.  Instant fool-proof cheeks.

Warm Soul, Superb, Chocolate Soleil

Eyes:

From left to right:

Naked 3: The infamous naked palettes.  How can you talk about nudes without mentioning them?  I got my Naked 3 palette from my loving boyfriend at Christmas this year. I chose not to swatch it because you can find thousands and thousands of similar photos with a quick Google search.  The versatility of this palette is unreal.  The rose- gold theme makes it unique enough to be able to create a look exclusively with its colors or complement any other shadows in your collection. 

Urban Decay in Sin: When I think Spring and Summer I think cream products.  So I decided to chose two cream shadows and bases to include in my Spring picks.  This primer potion is actually the sample I received within my Naked palette but I've been keeping it in a sample pot to get the most use of it.  The color is so beautiful that I will sometimes just wear it alone with some mascara, but pair it under any of the Naked 3 shades and you've struck gold.     

Maybelline 24H Color Tattoo in Pure Nude: I heard alot about these color tattoos before I decided to finally go out and actually try one.  I picked the lightest color "Pure Nude" which may or may not be limited edition with their Dare to Go Nude collection I pictured above.  I think this shade is comparable but just a touch lighter to Mac's Paint Pot in Bare Study which my mum has used for years under her shadows.  The formula is super blendable so the only issue I took with this is I found if I wore it alone with no shadow on top it creases after a few hours.  What I love about any light cream shade like this is it is not only beautiful by itself but will also intensify the colors of any pigments you place on top.

Sin, Pure Nude

Nails:

Finally, my favorite manicure lately is Essie Eternal Optimist which is an oldie but a goodie.  I think of it as kind of a dusty rose shade. Which sound un-appealing but is actually really flattering on your nails (especially if you have more of a tan/olive undertone in your skin like moi) and since I'm a sucker for an accent nail Nicole OPI The Next CEO gives a pop of sparkle. 

Oh Spring, love love love.  Writing this has me so excited for the change of seasons.  Thank you again Gemma for organizing such a great project.  I look forward to the next one and I promise to be on time! If you are interested in seeing any of the other Spring interpretations (they range from cooking, to personal memories, to beauty, etc.) search #BloggersDoItBetter on Twitter and maybe even get involved yourself or if you have already published one send me your link below!

xoxo