Thursday, April 21, 2016

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 in Damier Azur Review

Hello my lovelies!

I wanted to give a full and honest review on my Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 in Damier Azur!

I know luxury items such as hand bags and accessories are the sort of topic that people either absolutely love or hate. So with that in mind know that luxury items are something that I choose to spend my hard earned money on.

I wanted to give my opinion on the item and brand to give those of you an idea of whether this item is one you should splurge on or maybe pass up if you're in the market for a new hand bag.

So i have had my bag for a little bit now i purchased it from Louis Vuitton in August of 2015 at the Nashville, Tn. 

I did alot of research before purchasing this bag as this would be my very first item from Louis Vuitton. I went in knowing i wanted something other than the monogram print that was so common. I just could not decide if i wanted the Damier Azur (white/grey canvas) or the Damier Ebene ( light/dark brown canvas). Each had their own pros and cons with the canvas colors.

The Ebene print does not come with the Vachetta handles ( type of leather on most high quality bags that initially is very light but will patina or darken over time). Many people prefer the Ebene canvas for this reason because there is less to worry about. Vachetta does have a certain set of limitations that comes with it. First you don't want to take the bag out in the rain is it has any sort of vachetta on it. Rain can leave permanent water stains on vachetta leather that result in an uneven patina and staining on the leather. Natural oils from your hands can also stain the underside of the handles as well as any lotions or perfumes. This issue scares some people away from purchasing new items that have that type of leather for the fact that they are scared to ruin it. That being said Damier Ebene is becoming a favorite among people because it does come with treated leather that is already a beautiful brown color. The Damier Ebene also comes with a beautiful red interior opposed to post Louis Vuitton handbags that comes with the standard beige interior.

The Azur is a beautiful white/ gray canvas with a light beige interior. It does feature the vachetta handles and will eventually patina over time.

When i was deciding on which bag i wanted i thought about the patina and i knew i wanted a brand new bag with the vachetta handles because i wanted to be able to watch my bag patina over time. I love the look of vintage bags with the gorgeous honey patina and i knew i wanted to have one for my self.
What i absolutely love about vintage Louis Vuittons with the aged patina is that you can tell that bag has a story. I love that the quality of these purses is so great that you will literally have the purse for a life time and be able to pass it down generations and generations. I love that when i see a vintage purse i know it was bought so long ago and cherished by the person that purchased it and that it may have been passed down for many other people to love and enjoy. Its the history that i love.

That being said i knew i wanted to created my own history with my own purse so while the Damier Ebene was stunning i knew i wanted the vachetta leather.

Now for the actual review.

I love my purse. I chose the size 30 because the 25 was so small that it looked like a child's purse but the 35 was just too big for daily use. The size 30 is absolutely perfect for me in the long run. It fits every thing that i carry with me on a daily basis and does not get too heavy. Th purse is made of light weight canvas and alone is very light so you won't have issues carrying this bag around if you don't carry much any way. I love how bright the canvas is! its perfect for the spring and summer months but its not too bright that it can't be used in fall and winter. I personally use mine all year round and have no issues.
I did not opt for the Bandouliere model as crossbody that large tend to hurt my shoulders so i knew i needed a top handle version.
The speedy does only feature on pocket on the inside and feature a top zipper and a lock and key to keep your valuables safe. The only down fall with this type of bag is the lack of pockets and the lack of structure to the bottom of the bag. This bag will sag once you put items inside but if you do not mind that it wont damage the bag in any way. Personally i don't mind that it sags but i do use a bag organizer that adds more pockets and also eliminates the bag sag.

Over all i absolutely love my Speedy 30 and would repurchase this bag in a heart beat. Its so beautiful and really makes a statement. I love the quality of the bag itself! I have had no issues with it and hove not needed to have anything replaced at all.

That is my full review thank you for reading!
Love always,
Miranda

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Dior Nude Air Serum Foundation Review

Hey all!

So I have been testing out the Dior Nude Air Serum Foundation for a few months now and I am ready to give a full review on this baby!

So lets start with the claims!
Dior claims this foundation is:
  • weightless
  • natural finish and natural-looking glow
  • sun protection
  • even-looking complexion
  • enhances complexion
  • radiant sheer finish
Dior states that the foundation is formulated with soft-focus agents and glazed pigments to even the complexion. It is also formulated with hyper oxygenated oil, cranberry oil, vitamin and minerals.

Fist let me say that I LOVE this foundation.
I completely disagree with the claim of a "sheer coverage" this foundation is the BOMB and the coverage is too!!
It is completely weightless and very buildable! I am the kind of person where my concealer is reserved for my under eyes and highlighting only. I just don't see the point in spending money on a foundation that can't cover blemishes and imperfections without concealer. That being said I understand sometimes we ladies have that huge blemish that can only be concealed with copious amounts of concealer, foundation, and powder but generally speaking I don't use concealer for things like that.
To preface the rest of the review I have dry to normal skin with no "dry or flaky patches."

That being said I was a little skeptical about this foundation being that it claimed to have sheer coverage and its a serum foundation. I just had to pick this up because I am a sucker for dior and it had great reviews online so I gave it a try.
So my first impression of the foundation is Wow! This is freaking cool!
So this is a very liquidy foundation as you would expect from a  serum foundation BUT it dries to a powder finish while still giving a very natural finish to the skin. It features a dropper which I love because I feel its more sanitary and less messy. I generally use about two drops of this foundation to cover my entire face and maybe half another drop to go over any pesky blemishes. That being said this will last you a long time.
The foundation is extremely buildable and no matter how many layers you put on this will look like skin. It never looks cakey or greasy on my skin either. I do not set this foundation seeing as I have dry skin an di never have any issues with transfer or it disappearing by the end of the day.

Seeing as I don't set this foundation powders such as blush, bronzer, and highlighters blend beautifully over it also. I use concealer under my eyes and around my face to highlight and it blends beautifully on top of the foundation also.

I love this foundation so much that I chose this for my wedding day! It lasted all day through the hugs, kisses, laughs, and eating. I knew I wanted a foundation with high coverage to where I didn't have to cake my face with multiple layers of products to cover my moderate acne and I also wanted to have a natural finish.
(this was me after all the festivities of my wedding day :) of course I had a tshirt to commemorate the day)
This foundation was absolutely perfect for my big day! I got so many compliments on my skin and my makeup that day and I felt radiant.

My favorite way to apply this is actually with a small poder brush. I love the real Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
 
 
This brush is perfect for applying this foundation. Its not expensive either which is a plus! its dense and small enough to get right near your hair line or around your eyes. It gives you a streak- free finish and is just perfect! Side note: I love real technique brushes they are very affordable and also high quality!
 
 
 
To recap:
 
Pros:
  • Weightless
  • medium buildable coverage
  • natural finish
  • SPF 20 (Wooh for sun protection)
  • lit from within glow :)
Cons:
limited shade range
 
 
The only bad thing I can say about this foundation is that they have a very limited shade range. If you normally wear the lightest shade in a foundation range im afraid dior doesn't have a foundation to match you, same goes for my dark skinned ladies. I feel like they skipped and entire shade range of women which is disappointing because that's an entire range of women that cant use the foundation!
Dior you need to get with it and expand your shade range!
 
Other than the lack of shades i would have to say the foundation is completely worth the $53 US that I paid for this foundation! I love it so much I have it in my winter (vampire pail ) shade and my summer ( glorious tan) shade :)
 
 
Thank you all so much for reading my review :) check out my other reviews if you can!
Love always,
Miranda