Champagne Wishes and Caviar Nails

{Ciaté Caviar Manicure in Mother of Pearl, $25}

For the past month, I've basically done nothing but sit and wait for the Ciaté Caviar manicure kit to hit stores. It's priorities like these that have me pretty convinced I'm next in line for the Humanitarian of The Year award. But look, whatever. The point is, the hottest trend emerging from the A/W 2012 NYFW runways wasn't actually an item of clothing--it was these caviar nails.

 European nail polish brand Ciaté has put all the pieces you need to recreate the look at home in one kit, replete with the "caviar" beads themselves:

...and the corresponding base color:

...who could forget the adorable-albeit-over-the-top miniature bow adorning each bottle???

 ...and even this small funnel and tray to recollect the tiny beads post-manicure:

The manicure itself is pretty easy, given the kit comes with instructions, but in case it seems to elude you, first apply the base color. One coat, then a second. While it's wet, hold your finger over the tray, then pour the beads onto the nail, and gently press the beads into the paint to help them stick. 

When you're done, pour the beads back into the bottle, using the funnel and tray. 

I only did one nail because I'd read that the beads start to fall off almost immediately and don't really last for more than a day or so. To that I'm happy to inform you that it's entirely true! But look, like I said earlier, whatever.

I mean, I'm going to work tomorrow, not the reunion show of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4. Although, dammit, that sounds amazing.

 So, in the end I just swiped on a complementary shade of slightly sparkly lavender. Cue obligatory "holding the nail polish bottle" pictures:

For what it's worth, I actually kinda love the caviar nails. I mean, yes, absolutely, this is not meant to be worn for days on end, so if you're the kind of person who lets their nail polish chip off in a slow, slow death like that of a Midwestern crack whore, then yeah, maybe this isn't the look for you, but if you have a special event and want to look fucking awesome, then go for it!

Anyone else tried out the caviar manicure? What do you think??

La Mer: Navigating the Waters

You've probably heard of La Mer. If you haven't heard of La Mer specifically, you've heard of face creams that cost $150+ for one ounce, right? Yeah, that's La Mer. It's a line of creams and lotions with some "miracle broth" that designed to rejuvenate your skin. Or something. I'm not entirely sure what its accomplishments are supposed to be. All I know is that it's a cult favorite. And at $150 a pop, there's got to be something to it, right? At least, there ought to be. But the fact remains that, despite being a bit of a shopaholic, I can't justify spending that kind of a money on a cream I can't verbalize a need for.

Luckily, Allison at Tartan & Sequins let me in on a little secret: you get two samples when you purchase anything on La Mer's website. Even more brilliant?! La Mer usually has a promo code of some kind (right now it's POWER) that will score you a deluxe sample. Since I already had my eye on the lip balm, I bit the bullet on the $50 price tag and scored about $100 worth of free product. So the way I look at it, I made $50. That's how I do math, anyway.

I actually am surprised at how much I like the lip balm:

Supposedly it too contains the "miracle broth" but all I know is that my scaly lips were completely smooth after just one night! The only thing I don't love about it is that it's in a pot. I prefer a stick for easy application, but whatevs. It's special.

The hydrating infusion is designed to go on your face first to prep for the other treatments:

It felt nice going on, but I wouldn't buy this if it were the only thing I was getting. But it's a great sample.

My deluxe sample was the Gel de la Mer, a gel cream version of their eponymous Creme de la Mer:

 You can use this all over your face and neck if you wanted to.

Here's the tiniest little sample of  Creme de la Mer:

It's thicker than the gel and has a pleasant, fresh smell. You do the same thing with it you would with the gel version.

I've only had this collection for a day, but after using it the first night, the next morning I woke up feeling like my skin was smoother and softer than it had been. I know that sounds crazy, and it could just be a coincidence, but what if it's not???

Look, I realize spending $150 on a tiny jar of face cream is ridiculous, but that's why I'm telling you about this whole "order one thing, get three samples of other things" thing. It's the only way to try this stuff out, man.

Anyone else using La Mer products? What do you think? Did you buy yours or get them as samples??

A Sample Sampler

When I was a kid, I was basically obsessed with miniatures: dollhouses, travel-sized shampoo, room service ketchup bottles, humans, etc. If it came a mini form of a larger, original size, I had to have it.

Similarly, when I was a kid, I was also obsessed with playing dress up and wearing make-up, which my mom allowed me to do on school picture day. To this day, it remains a mystery to me why I never entered a child beauty pageant.

So it should come as little to no surprise that, when I discovered there was a whole business specializing in sample sized beauty products, I happily shelled out the $10/month membership cost to promptly begin receiving my own samples in the mail.

Look, I get it. You're probably saying "Melissa, take a step back. You can get free samples from pretty much any department store." To which I'd say, "yeah, you're probably right." But riddle me this: how can you know to ask for samples of things like eyeliner stickers and powdered mouthwash when you DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY EXIST???

When you sign up for Birchbox, you fill out a beauty profile with information about your skin type, make up routine (I chose "painted like a drag queen"), and hair color. Based on your results, they'll customize what they send you each month. This month, I got:

 This neat powdered exfoliant, which is just so clever for traveling...

 ...This SPF 20 tinted moisurizer from a brand I've never heard of/tried before...

 ...these ah-mazing eyeliner stickers that I literally can not wait to slap on my face...

 ...this organic zit cream (we all know what blemish means, okay?)...

 ...and this duo of powdered mouthwash, which is also cool, just because it is.

I really like this concept because I'm totally up for trying new beauty products, but not for $50 an ounce, especially if I have no idea I'm going to like it. Birchbox allows me to try a variety of things I'd otherwise never try for a relatively nominal fee. If I end up spending a far less "nominal" fee on a full sized version of a sample I like, well, then, so be it.

Has anyone else signed up for Birchbox? How do you like it? Which products have been your favorite??