Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Rainbow Honey: November Mystery Bag swatches and sniffs

Here it is, darlings!!  This mystery bag is a most perfect ensemble of hue, scent, and product "to get ready to face the colder months!"  I succumbed to the flu this weekend { :( }, and receiving this on the other end felt like a care package curated with get-well vibes!  I also am loving this mystery bag because it reminds me very much of my beloved Copenhagen, which is fitting as it was inspired by "modern life and our planet's natural light show".  Yellow bricks, black lacquer roofs, cozy sweaters, warm tea, the many harbors and canals, the purity of Nordic architecture, and of course, the golden candlelight so emblematic of hyggeJeg elsker dig, København.


Rainbow Honey November Mystery Bag

Rainbow Honey "Aurora" + "Mint Flavor"


Grayscale


"Grayscale" is described as "a modern graphite lacquer packed with white crushed diamond and silver glitters."  The metallic glass-fleck shimmers swimming in the cool stormy gray base flicker both silver and gold, a soft gold, as though bathed in candlelight.  I am reminded of Essie "Cashmere Bathrobe", and in its own right "Grayscale" has a decadence that reminds me of my own deep gray cashmere bathrobe, long ago lost but the memory of lush sensation still a nostalgic note on my skin.  Yet "Grayscale" also carries the crystallized elegance of Danish style and design, which manages to be light, natural, sleek, and cozy all in one.  It might also be liked to a mica-flecked polished granite.  It's just a gorgeous polish, and applies like a dream in two coats with a diamond-hard, fast-drying, glossy finish that hardly needs a topcoat.



Rainbow Honey "Grayscale"

Aurora

"Aurora" is described as a "gleaming glitter polish with green and blue fluorescent hues, packed with silver, gold, diamond dust, shimmers, and pigments!"  With a name like that, I was bound to love this one, and oh my, it did not disappoint.  Metallic and iridescent glass-fleck shimmers undulate with shades of precious metals and prismatic icicle hues, in a softly contemplative base of muted blue-green, the precise color of the North Sea.  "Aurora" is inspired by the shivering Northern Lights, though I imagine that Den Lille Havfrue, the Little Mermaid, would also approve.  It suits her pensive vigil over the Øresund Strait, and the quiet patina hue feathering over her bronze figure, the blue-gray sea lapping against her stalwart rock.

I layered it over Rainbow Honey "Mint Flavor" from the Summer of 199X collection, and I loved how the bright aqua and golden shimmer of "Mint Flavor" glowed through "Aurora" like glacial ice.  Together they are highly luminous and charismatic, and received much admiration.  However, after painting on two coats of "Aurora" over two coats of "Mint Flavor" I was thinking that "Aurora" was certainly not limited to serving as a shimmer effect only, and could probably be built up in 3-4 coats for opacity.  Careful nudging them when you have all of your coats on, "Aurora" takes a moment to dry.  While you're waiting, take a few cherished moments to breathe deeply, and maybe meditate on the serene beauty of this twinkling polish.



Rainbow Honey "Aurora" + "Mint Flavor"

Frozen Flame: hand sanitizer gel, cuticle oil, and eau de parfum rollerball


"Frozen Flame" is described as "a warm and exotic blend of hibiscus, plumeria, aloe vera, and glistening cassis petals!"  I about melted when I rolled this fragrance on.  The soft, feminine florals are frosted with a sparkling brightness that I can only describe as pristine snow!  I am obsessed with how "Frozen Flame" evokes crystalline winter with such delicate romanticism, like a rose lightly sheathed in ice.  Winter scents are often rich and dark, and perhaps a little cloying, so this scintillating floral fragrance, somewhat like a gentle, frosted version of Juicy Couture "Viva la Juicy: La Fleur", will be just the thing for when you wish to feel more like a snowflake than a cupcake.  This is an Elsa fragrance if there ever was one!!!

I'm usually not one for hand sanitizer, but I'm quite liking this one for its lovely scent and sleek, non-tacky or stripping formula.  And what a great idea for cold and flu season!!  I always love Rainbow Honey cuticle oils and this one is no exception, with its nail polish bottle applicator.  The eau de parfum has a new oil-based formula, which is supposed to be "perfect for winter"!  (Moisturizing, I think?)  I haven't noticed a dramatic difference, which is good because I was almost thinking that it might be, well, oilier, but it appears we get to benefit from the new element without any change in performance.




Lemon Honey: lip balm


"Lemon Honey" is described as "a soothing blend of essential oil and honey to shield your lips from the cold".  Happy citrus and cuddly sweetness, this fragrance makes me think of healing tea, and curling up with a plush blanket and good book while white frost crystallizes the late autumn landscape outside.  It's an unexpectedly effervescent scent for winter, but totally makes sense as a little pick-me-up that is also very comforting.  Rainbow Honey makes such soft, silky balms, for a nourished kisser all winter long! :)




Rainbow Honey mystery bags are available both as a monthly subscription purchase or as a standalone purchase.  We've been looking at the large mystery bag, which I highly recommend as you get all of these brand-new never-before-seen products for the unprecedented price of $25, though there is also a mini mystery bag for $10 which is incredibly adorable for those who just love to dabble.  The Rainbow Honey Lab is just such a warm wonderful bunch of sensory wizards, you can't help but smile with their creations in hand :)

What do you think, do you feel better already??

XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff

5 comments:

  1. Grayscale is simply stunning! Ok, now you've done it, Marisa. I went to the Rainbow Honey website and searched for that polish but it seems it's only available in the November Mystery Bag so I got it. *points finger* Enabler! ;)

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    1. HA-HA, HOORAY!!! :D Is this going to be your first RH mystery bag, Liz??!! How exciting!!! "Grayscale" is actually going to be part of a collection NEXT YEAR, so says my informational letter. Isn't that awesome?? That's why I love these mystery bags: they're not random old stuff, they are surprise previews of upcoming products and collections! The hand sanitizer, for example, is a new product as well. I estimate this bag to have a value of $57; at no time in the future will you get such a good deal!! That's why I advocate the large :) Regardless, I can't WAIT to see your swatches, Liz! I think you're going to really love "Aurora" as well <3 In short, I am so happy to have been the enabler on this one!! It really is worth it :D

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    2. I got my November Mystery Bag and Marisa I'm so impressed! Every product is so well done and the packaging is first-class. The Frozen Flame edp is gentle and sweet, I swear I smell vanilla in there although it's not listed as an ingrediant. As I prefer spicier scents with plenty of sillage, I gifted it to my niece who adored it and wore it all through her Thanksgiving visit here. My significant other, a hand sanitizer aficianado, immediately co-opted the Frozen Flame hand sanitizer. Who knew the fragrance would appeal equally to men? I've got the lip balm, which I love, esconced by my bed, but it may have to go in my bag now that it's finally getting cold here.

      I've got Grayscale and Aurora in my swatching chute but couldn't resist swatching Aurora on a swatch palette. OMG! This is a WONDERFUL polish, especially in the sun. So sparkly and delicate, but the blend of winter colors is rich. I'm going to wear it tomorrow for my weekly hypertension check with my gp. The nurse/tech who takes my vitals loves checking out my nail polish -- this will knock her socks off. I can't wait to wear it!

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  2. GRAYSCALE!! Oh my that color is gorgeous. I love that it's got more flecks in it than most other graphite polishes I've seen so it's not so asphalt-looking. I'm getting so tempted to resubscribe!

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    1. Sheri it is SO PRETTY- and the formula was really sublime!! You can still pick up this month's bag...!!! And if you love purple this month's limited edition is TO DIE FOR :) I'm so addicted to the Rainbow Honey mysteries. I'd never have thought that I would love all the random products, colors, and scents, but I invariably end up won over! They're just a must for me anymore haha.

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