Dr.'s REMEDY Fall & Holiday Collections

Today I have swatches and a review of the Dr.'s REMEDY fall colors as well as some information about their holiday release, which includes glitters!

I've tried and reviewed Dr.'s REMEDY products before. The polishes are big three-free and are enriched with natural ingredients like tea tree oil, garlic bulb extract and wheat protein. These substances are naturally occurring, antibacterial and healthier for nails. Dr.'s REMEDY states that the polish is especially suited for people who suffer from nail fungus, brittle or discolored nails, those who are allergic to chemicals in commercial nail polish, for pregnant women and kids.

My experience with the Dr.'s REMEDY line has been great. A lot of nail polish lovers, me included, often think about our older, chemical-laden polishes when we think of lacquers that have a great formula. For something so specifically targeted toward people who want a polish that's free of irritants, I find the Dr.'s REMEDY formula to be excellent. The Fall Fever 2011 collection includes:

Defense Deep Red - "a rich bordeaux with a mystifying matte finish"

Noble Navy - "a sea-at-dusk shade that reflects light and brings dimension to tips and toes alike"

Balance Brick - "a modern maroon with body and balance"

Dr.'s REMEDY polishes are packaged in square bottles with square, slightly rubberized-feeling caps. The square overcaps are removable, revealing a narrow ribbed cap that is more convenient to hold while polishing.

I really like the brushes, too - they're like a slightly narrower version of the OPI ProWide brush.

I did get one wonky brush - it looks like it has its hands on its hips - but this didn't affect my application in any way, so I just left it alone.

I was supremely, incredibly impressed with the formula of Noble Navy. Really, it could have been a one-coater. I did two out of habit but now I wish I'd left it at one for the purposes of showing you just how awesome it is.

This is such a gorgeous color - I guess it's partly psychological because these deep blues are on trend right now, but I adored wearing this as a full manicure. Very chic. I compared Noble Navy with Wet'n'Wild Nocturnal and Chanel Blue Rebel. It's not a dupe for either - Noble Navy is darker than Blue Rebel and not quite as dark as Nocturnal. It's also very evident that Nocturnal is a jelly.

Balance Brick is probably not a color I'd choose very often - it's certainly not unique but for someone with very specific requirements about the content of their nail polish, this is a good go-to shade. Very conservative. I found this one to be easy to apply, but the coverage was not as even as Noble Navy. I applied three thin coats.

Initially I wasn't all that jazzed about Defense Deep Red, but you know what? It looks great. It's a classic vamp, very chic. I got a number of unsolicited compliments while wearing this. Defense Deep Red was also a bit streaky - nothing serious, but I did need three coats. For some reason I had a hard time applying this one and made more of a mess than I usually do. That could be chalked up to operator error, however. Thank goodness for acetone and a concealer brush!

Overall, these were great. Noble Navy is by far my favorite in terms of formula and color. Sometimes a shade just speaks to you and this is one of those times. I also liked Defense Deep Red - I'd say this type of color is a must-have in any collection and if you're looking for a healthier nail polish alternative, this would definitely be worth a look. Balance Brick is not a must-have for me, but again, this type of standard shade undoubtedly has many fans. I wore all three colors as full manicures with Palladio Fuse base coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat and got great wear out of them.

Dr.'s REMEDY also has a holiday collection called Jolly & Joy. I didn't review these, but I do have pictures! It includes five shades, two of which are GLITTERS and we all know how the nail polish ladies love themselves some glitter. At least one of these shades, Revive Ruby Red, is from the Dr.'s REMEDY core collection (I reviewed it in the post linked above).

Jolly & Joy includes:
Revive Ruby Red - "a shimmer-infused, Wizard of Oz-inspired shade of crimson"
Passion Purple - "a bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout"
Essential Emerald - "a take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade, with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour"
Serene Silver Glitter - "a seasonal sizzler like no other: shine, chic, totally unique in the metallic scene"
Resolution Red Glitter - "a red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden with high-shine and sparkle"

You can purchase Dr.'s REMEDY polish for $17 each at www.remedynails.com. To keep up with product releases and other information, you can also find the company on Facebook and Twitter.

These were sent to me for review.

Birchbox!

My pal Cookbook referred me to Birchbox and I finally joined up last month. I've had a few days to tinker with a couple of the products so I'll share my thoughts.

Avene Cleanance Soap-Free Gel Cleanser

I was actually very pleased to get this, because I've been considering a different face wash (currently I use Cetaphil, which works fine but I'm not married to it). I think this smells wonderful, like clean water and fresh air.

Thymes Body Lotion in Kimono Rose and Eucalyptus

 I got a small bottle of the Eucalyptus scent but just a little packet of the Kimono Rose scent. I wish it was the other way around, because I really like the Kimono Rose. The Eucalyptus is...fine? I guess? It just smells like hotel lotion, which is to say, like nothing specific. I'm not a big fan of scented body lotions usually, but I'd love to try the Kimono Rose cologne or even the candle.

Minerologie Ultimate Cream Concealer

I'm a sucker for a good concealer so this was a nice perk. The product information states this can double as an eyeshadow primer. I'm running out of my Urban Decay Primer Potion so this seemed well-timed. I do like this as a concealer but this far I'm not blown away with it vs. my usual, which is Maybelline Dream Mousse (though this has sadly been discontinued and I'll need to find something else). I tried this as an eyeshadow primer on one eye with the UD primer on the other eye as a sort of comparison test. I used UD shadow because I know how it performs over the primer. After eight hours of wear, the Mineralogie held up well, though with slightly more creasing than the UD Primer Potion.

Anyway, I started using the Maybelline as a less expensive alternative to my favorite Laura Mercier concealer, so switching back to another expensive product seems annoying. 

Zoya Noel from the Gems & Jewels Collection

Finally, I got a mini bottle of Noel from the Zoya Gems & Jewels holiday collection. It's not a color I would have gone out of my way to buy, but I'm delighted with the sample and I'll certainly wear it during the holidays. It's a very pretty blue shot through with silver - it even looks great in the bottle.

There were also a couple of cute letterpress coasters in the box, which is fine, but I would probably buy something like that locally, if I were going to buy it. (Not to sound twee or anything.)

In any case, I think I'll stay signed on for another couple of months at least. It's fun to get presents in the mail.

I have a couple of nail product reviews coming up for you, so stay tuned!

Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter

I just had to take a moment to rave about the new Revlon Color Burst Lip Butters.

I'm not what you'd call a lipstick junkie, I tend to stick to the few colors/products that really work for me, but I am a bit antsy about always having a lip balm close at hand. In the past few months I've tried Maybelline Baby Lips (not my favorite, although I did replace mine when I ran it through the washer and dryer recently) and I finally treated myself to a full-size version of the Murad Energizing Pomegranate Lip Protector that I received as a sample from Sephora a while back. (Trust and believe no one has ever wrung as much product out of a sample tube as I did in this case.)

Because I'm so hyper about lip balm, I really like my lip color to be as moisturizing as possible, too. Finding a lipstick that is moisturizing enough for me has been a bit of a challenge. I am very picky about this. I don't want the product to be too dry, but I want it to hold its color for a decent amount of time without bleeding or being all sticky.

So I was excited to try the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters and wow am I impressed.

Tutti Frutti

These are packaged very nicely in slender silver tubes with a frosted overcap that matches the color of the product inside. There's a clear viewing window on the top of the tube, which is nice, because trying to judge the color by the little sticker on the bottom can be tricky.

These have a very faint vanilla - almost cake - scent to them, but not as strong as MAC lipsticks. The scent doesn't really stick with the product one it's on your lips, either.

Thus far I've picked up Pink Truffle, Red Velvet and Tutti Frutti, and I love all of them. Red Velvet, for me, is a more dramatic special occasion look but the other two are super flattering and wearable. All three of the shades I bought are cremes, but there are some shimmers in the range as well.

These wear amazingly well and feel very moisturizing and smooth on the lips. They're not overly sticky, goopy or at all like a gloss, but they're also not drying like a typical lipstick or stain. For a balm-type product, they are quite pigmented (particularly Red Velvet). I'm not actually sure what to call this product...it's too pigmented to call it a straight-up balm but it's more comfortable to wear than any lipstick I've ever tried.

My one - ONE - complaint is that the base of the tube is so narrow that it's a little clumsy getting the lid off. But that's a nitpick, because I love these so much.

I purchased Pink Truffle and Red Velvet at Rite Aid, where they rang up as $4.29 each, but when I bought Tutti Frutti at CVS they were marked $7.49, which is closer to what I've seen other people report. I guess I just lucked out at Rite Aid.

I love these. Love them. I will be incredibly sad when/if they're discontinued and I have frequently considered getting a backup of Pink Truffle, because that shade is wonderfully neutral and wearable for me and I've been wearing it a lot. More than my Cover Girl Hipster even, which is saying quite a bit.

Anyway, if it wasn't clear already: RECOMMEND.