Browsing Tag

Eyeshadow

Eye Makeup Sephora

Viseart Petite Pro Palette

April 17, 2017

Viseart Petite Pro Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

Earlier in the year Viseart launched a new eyeshadow palette called the Petite Pro Palette ($30 for 8 x 0.026 oz/ powder-based shades). The packaging is similar to that of the Theory Palettes (reviewed here) with the magnetic cardboard casing and removable magnetic pans. The Petite Pro has mini pans of eyeshadow with a mix of matte and shimmer shades. I received in a gift bag at The Makeup Show Orlando last month and literally squealed when I saw this inside because I die for minis. I had passed on it when it first came out because I felt Minx and Honeymoon would be too similar to justify purchasing. After swatching it and playing with it, I confirmed these thoughts so if you own either of those you may want to shop your stash. (On the nails above is OPI Be There in a Prosecco.)

Viseart Petite Pro Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

The Petite Pro Palette has four mattes and four shimmers. The quality, texture and pigment is excellent. I normally don’t gravitate towards really warm coppers or reddish purples because they tend to pull too warm on my olive skin, but the color mix in the Petite Pro is really good. Part of me looks at the palette and thinks this is really similar to what I already own, another part of me thinks it’s just really good for the color selection and convenience. If I had purchased it I don’t think I would have regretted it.

Colors inside the palette include a matte bone, matte medium brown, matte warm reddish plum brown, matte bark brown with grey tones, shimmering taupe, shimmering warm gold, shimmering copper, shimmering red plum. I think every color in the palette is wearable and gorgeous.

Viseart Petite Pro Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book Viseart Petite Pro Palette Review | The Beauty Look Book

A look a the Petite Pro Palette compared to the Theory Palette in Minx below. The packaging is the same style, but the shape and dimensions are slightly different:

Viseart Petite Pro vs Theory Palette in Minx | The Beauty Look Book

Petite Pro Palette on the left vs. Theory Palette in Minx on the right:Viseart Petite Pro vs Theory Palette in Minx | The Beauty Look Book

Swatch comparisons: Viseart Petite Pro vs Minx vs Honeymoon (previous reviews linked)

Viseart Petite Pro vs Theory Palette in Minx vs Tom Ford Honeymoon | The Beauty Look Book

As you can see above I don’t really have exact dupes but both Minx and Honeymoon have very similar vibes. My heart belongs to Tom Ford Honeymoon although I do think either of the Viseart Palettes are nice because they have the matte options which offer more combinations.

Quick take on the Viseart Petite Pro is that it’s an excellent palette you can use for any occasion. It’s versatile and has a good mix of neutrals and some brighter/warmer shades to be more interesting than something like Urban Decay Naked2 (which I still really adore). That being said if you can’t do warm shades on the eyes because of your skintone or color preference, I would say opt for something like Viseart Cashmere Palette (swatched here), Urban Decay Naked2 (review here) or the MAC In the Flesh Palette (swatched here). I really like it but based on the number of palettes and shadows I own, I do think it’s similar to other palettes I have.

You can find the Viseart Petite Pro Palette at Sephora. Have you tried this yet or the Theory Palettes? What did you think?

Palette gifted from The Makeup Show.

Bronzer + Blush Fragrance Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Paradiso Eye and Cheek, Sole di Positano, Soleil Blanc and Fleur de Portofino

April 12, 2017

Tom Ford Sole Di Positano, Fleur de Portofino, Soleil Blanc, Paradiso Eye and Cheek | The Beauty Look Book

I have some more Tom Ford Beauty newness to review in makeup and fragrance. I had already featured a large portion of the Summer Soleil collection last month and am still enjoying everything very much. After a bit of browsing online I noticed a few other products pop up called Paradiso in the Cream and Powder Eye Duo, Cream Cheek Color, Moisturecore Lip Color and Lip Color Sheer. Some other new launches includes a new perfume called Sole di Positano (already shown in this roundup here), Private Blend All Over Body Spray extensions to include Fleur de Portofino and an Dry Oil Spray in Soleil Blanc.

Up first are the scent and body extensions. I’m a huge fan of Tom Ford perfumes even though are on the expensive side. The Private Blends are my favorite and the best one I’ve bought include the Soleil Blanc and Fleur de Portofino. The latest is Sole di Positano which I’m obsessed with for spring. It’s fresh, green, bright different from anything I’ve tried before. Of course when I saw the body sprays and a dry oil spray I was intrigued. They are priced significantly lower so I had to investigate. I bought the Fleur de Portofino All Over Body Spray and the Soleil Blanc Dry Oil Spray and I have to say that the perfumes are the better buy for lasting power and strength. The Body Spray lasts a long time on me if I’m indoors but fades quickly on me if I go outside. Something with the Florida air, heat and my body chemistry doesn’t seem to want to hold the scent. The Dry Oil Spray has a very faint Soleil Blanc scent with a raw oil kind of scent if that makes sense. This one was a disappointment to me in terms of smell – I had expected it to be all kinds of amazing as I love the perfume, but I can barely smell it on me. That being said I had it on all over and my husband walked by me and said “wow you smell really good” which surprised me as I feel like the perfume version is more noticeable.

Tom Ford Sole Di Positano, Fleur de Portofino, Soleil Blanc | The Beauty Look Book

For color there’s a new Paradiso Cream and Powder Eye Duo. The cream side is lighter and more pink compared to Golden Peach while the glitter side is darker than Golden Peach. I love the cream from Paradiso and the powder from Golden Peach (go figure). I do think they’re different enough to justify both but you might disagree. I swatched them side by side so you can decide for yourself in the event you don’t have a counter near you.

Tom Ford Paradiso vs Golden Peach | The Beauty Look Book

Swatched below Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Rose Gold + Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Opale (also reviewed here) as a reference for what I consider more champagne/neutrals next to Paradiso and Golden Peach.

Tom Ford Paradiso vs Golden Peach | The Beauty Look Book

For the cheeks there’s also a new Paradiso Cream Cheek Color which at first glance I thought was Pink Sand. If you put them side by side you’ll see the difference. Paradiso has the same gorgeous luminous glowy quality that Pink Sand does. Right now that I’ve gotten more color Pink Sand is almost highlighter material for me while Paradiso is more like a blush. I love this. I’ve only had a chance to test it for one day as it’s something I had to put on immediately – lasting power is quite good for a cream blush. I can’t say how it will perform in super hot humid weather yet but will keep testing it in the upcoming months as the season shifts.

Tom Ford Pink Sand v Paradiso Cream Cheek Color | The Beauty Look Book

Swatch comparisons to MAC Quiktrick Stick in Miss Cupcake/Tomato, Tom Ford Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand, Paradiso and Pieno Sole, Tom Ford Sheer Cheek Duo in Paradise Lust. The cheek duo has more pigment and is less dewy than the cream cheek color.

Tom Ford Pink Sand v Paradiso Cream Cheek Color comparisons | The Beauty Look Book

A quick look with Tom Ford Cream and Eye Powder Duo in Paradiso, Waterproof Extreme Mascara, MAC Next to Nothing Foundation in Medium Plus (review soon), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus, Tom Ford Cream Cheek Color in Paradiso, Tom Ford Moisturecore Lip Color in Carriacou (also reviewed here), top by Rag and Bone.

TF Paradiso Cream Cheek Color and Cream Eye Duo | The Beauty Look Book

TF Paradiso Cream Cheek Color and Cream Eye Duo | The Beauty Look Book

For those curious, I did not buy the Paradiso Lip Color Sheer (I already own it, review here) or the Paradiso Moisturecore Lip Color – they are pretty much identical. I get a quick swatch of them at the counter.

Tom Ford Paradiso Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line, I love the Paradiso eye and cheek items. I do think they’re worth owning even if you have Pink Sand or Golden Peach. For the body and fragrance, I wanted to love the body spray and oil spray – I just think the perfumes are the better buy, although I do like the body spray. I would entirely skip the oil. It added a nice sheen to the skin but I didn’t notice a lot of added hydration my skin other than a light oil. Brands like Caudalie, Moroccanoil or Nuxe have better body oils in my opinion. If you try one new fragrance this spring, I think it should be Soleil Blanc, Fleur de Portofino or Sole di Positano.

You can find all the items at counters now. Available online at Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Beautylish and Tom Ford Beauty.

 

Sole di Positano Provided for review consideration.

Bronzer + Blush Chanel Eye Makeup Highlighters

Chanel Energies Et Puretes Makeup Collection – Spring 2017

March 14, 2017

Chanel Energies Et Puretes Collection | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel lovers have probably had the new Chanel Energies Et Puretes Makeup Collection on their radar for months and it has finally arrived in the US. The collection features a mix of colors Chanel calls “the harmony of opposites” – we have a mix of soft and subtle colors combined with some vibrant bright shades. The collection is exclusive to Chanel.com (like previous years Le Blanc collections). I have some pieces I’ve been playing with which include:

Chanel Energies Et Puretes Collection | The Beauty Look Book

Every color above is listed as limited-edition according to the Chanel website with the exception of Energie and Bleu Pastel. There are additional colors and some other products repromoted in the collection as well – so be sure to check the Energies Et Puretes page to see the full list of what’s in the collection.

Up first is the Illuminating Powder in Plisse Lumiere de Chanel. This is absolutely stunning and has a soft finely milled texture. It is shimmery and comes in a soft champagne kind of color. It has a stunning embossed texture and has a metallic sheen that has a luminous effect on the skin. The Camelia de Chanel powder by comparison is a lot more sparkly with more visible sparkles. It’s also the slightest bit more rosy. I prefer the newest Plisse Lumiere de Chanel because it has a little less glitz making it easier to wear. The texture of this new one is smooth, easy to blend, well pigmented and you can layer it for a sheer wash or a more intense kind of sheen. The Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 is a bit warmer in color.

Chanel Plisse Lumiere de Chanel | The Beauty Look Book Chanel Plisse Lumiere de Chanel swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Swatch comparisons:

Chanel Plisse Lumiere de Chanel Comparisons | The Beauty Look Book

Next are the blushes which are the Les Tissages de Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect. These are ultra pigmented and on the bright side so a tiny bit really goes a long way. The intensity is almost too much to swipe your brush into the pan. I found it best to lightly tap the brush into the product and tap off the excess. Tweed Coralline is my favorite. For my complexion color right now (I’m usually around a Chanel 30) Tweed Cherry Blossom can easily give me a sunburned look because it’s so bright. One is a bright orange peach, the other is a deep pink.

Left is Tweed Cherry Blossom, right is Tweed Coralline:

Chanel Les Tissages de Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Cherry Blossom and Coralline | The Beauty Look Book

 

Left is Tweed Cherry Blossom, right is Tweed Coralline:

Chanel Tweed Cherry Blossom and Tweed Coralline Swatch | The Beauty Look Book

The lip color options are also extremely bright. The Rouge Coco Shine in Rose Ravissant is a bright sheer hot pink. This one is pretty sheer but still has visible color. The Rouge Allure Gloss in Energie is a bright pigmented coral. It’s too bright for my comfort zone but coverage is smooth and flawless. I really love the formulas of the Rouge Allure Gloss because they stay put and apply beautifully.

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss Energie and Rouge Coco Shine Rose Ravissant | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss Energie and Rouge Coco Shine Rose Ravissant Swatch | The Beauty Look Book

The eyeshadow quads Les 4 Ombres come with excellent texture and pigment. Even though they are the round pans they are not the baked format (at least in the US). I love the look of Jardins Eclatants because it’s more wearable for me – although the colors can probably be duped with other brands. It has a soft pink shimmer, a cream shimmer, a golden sand shimmer and a bronzey color. Jardins de Lumieres has colors I really don’t know how to wear – I just layered all of them as I couldn’t really decide where to place each color or what order to apply them in. This has a soft green, a soft washed faded blue, a bright purple and a pale pink.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Jardins Elclatants and Jardins de Lumieres | The Beauty Look Book Chanel Les 4 Ombres Jardins Elclatants and Jardins de Lumieres | The Beauty Look Book

Two looks with the blushes, eyeshadow quads and lip products. Also both photos have the Plisse Lumiere de Chanel highlighter on the cheeks layered on top of the blushes.Chanel Energies et Puretes Look | The Beauty Look Book

Last but not least are two of the Le Vernis colors in Bleu Pastel and Resplendissant. Bleu Pastel is a semi sheer baby blue. The pigment on many pastel colors can be tricky to apply and that’s what I found with this one. It took three coats to get smooth coverage but it’s a really pretty baby blue on the fingers so I don’t mind. I think it will be fun on the toes as well for summer. Resplendissant is a bright coral pink. This one has flawless perfect coverage. I still prefer two coats but the pigment is good you can get by with one. Of course this has a similar effect to many other bright coral pinks but I still love it.

Chanel Le Vernis Resplendissant and Bleu Pastel | The Beauty Look Book Chanel Le Vernis Resplendissant Swatch | The Beauty Look Book Chanel Le Vernis Bleu Pastel | The Beauty Look Book

Comparisons below show that Riva is more aqua and warmer while Blue Pastel is more of a baby blue. Pigment-wise you I found there is more coverage with the Bleu Pastel even though I need 3 coats.

Nail Polish Comparisons Chanel Riva vs Bleu Pastel | The Beauty Look Book

Overall a beautiful collection with some lovely additions to update your look for spring. If you’re one who finds Chanel blushes too light or too sheer I think you’ll really like the pigmented Tweed options this round. I suspect I’ll find them more suitable for my skintone when I get a tan. The winners for me in this collection are the nail polishes – both are really pretty. The Plisee Lumiere de Chanel is a beautiful highlighter. Given the large number of highlighters I own I wouldn’t call it a must-have as the color is similar in effect to others. Still it’s very pretty and I don’t mind having similar colors. Jardins Eclantes eyeshadow palette is another gorgeous option that you can easily wear for daily looks – it’s not the most unique but having a palette where I love all the colors is always a plus and it’s one that I think I’ll be traveling with a lot.

You can find the Energies Et Puretes Makeup Collection online at Chanel.com. Have you checked out the collection yet? What did you think?

Press samples include the Plisse Lumiere de Chanel highlighter, Tweed Cherry Blossom Blush, Bleu Pastel Le Vernis, Energie Rouge Allure Gloss, Rose Ravissant Rouge Coco Shine. Other items purchased by me.

Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel for Holiday 2016

November 23, 2016

Chanel Ombres Lamees de Chanel

For holiday Chanel is releasing a special limited-edition palette called Ombres Lamées de Chanel ($105 for 14 g/0.49 oz, made in Italy). It launches officially on Chanel.com November 28th but I’m thrilled to share that Beauty Look Book readers are getting an exclusive to shop it early starting today through this specific link. In addition they’ve offered a special overnight shipping code (details at bottom of post)! The Ombres Lamées de Chanel is, “Inspired by the meticulous craftsmanship and rich textures of iconic Chanel Ready-to-Wear creations, this exclusive palette reveals a harmony of exquisite shadows in three shades laced with gold. The soft, silky texture leaves an even, luminous finish.” The palette is exactly as described – soft, silky and luminous.

Chanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel

The Ombres Lamées de Chanel comes cased in a small black box which also contains a little black pouch and two brushes. The brushes are small for detail application and blending but extremely well made. The design of the palette is simply exquisite – like a work of art in a small compact. It’s almost too pretty to use with the gold overspray accents and gorgeous embossed surface patterns. There’s a chart online at Chanel which gives a how-to application guide, but I tried it by swirling all the colors together for a soft luminous golden eye look with slight smoky tones. First a closer look at the palette:

Chanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel

Chanel Ombres Lamees de Chanel

It’s truly a sight to behold:

Chanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel

The surface does have some gold overspray which is just beautiful. A look at the palette below once the overspray has been removed:

Chanel Ombres Lamees de Chanel

There are three colors in the palette: yellow warm gold shimmer, soft taupe shimmer, satiny brown-black. The texture is very soft and colors are sheer-to-medium but can be applied slightly damp for more color. The overall effect is soft and luminous.

Swatches:

Chanel Ombres Lamees de Chanel

Look below wearing with the Chanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel:

Chanel Ombres Lamées de ChanelChanel Ombres Lamées de Chanel

The colors are easy to layer but since the stripes of color are on the small side you will need to use a detail or smaller brush to pick up individual colors. The brushes that come with the palette are the perfect size for picking up shades individually, but most likely some swirling between colors will occur.

Chanel Ombres Lamees de Chanel

If you haven’t yet seen the palette I hope this review helps give you an idea of the texture and colors. I think the effect of the shades swirled together is really pretty and makes for a soft smoky gold and almost olive-tinged eye that is great for holiday. The palette launches officially online at Chanel.com November 28th. Beauty Look Book readers get early access by shopping through this Ombres Lamées de Chanel link. In addition you can receive overnight shipping with code GOLDEN at checkout, valid 11/23 at 12:01am – 11/28 at 5pm.

Many thanks to Chanel for sending me this palette and for offering my readers early access!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Eye Makeup Highlighters Holiday Gift Guide Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil Eye and Cheek Palettes and Lip Foil Picks – Holiday 2016

November 12, 2016
Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 - The Beauty Look Book

The Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil collection has been on my radar for weeks now and I finally caved and splurged on the Soleil Eye and Cheek Palettes in Warm and Cool ($155 each for 0.45 oz / 12.8 g) and four of the Lip Foils ($53 each for 0.1 oz / 3 g). I’m getting this post up quickly for those who are Sephora VIBs in case you want swatches to help you decide on purchasing decisions for the sale so I haven’t been able to do extensive testing. This is going to be more of a first impressions post but having used Tom Ford beauty products for years I can pretty much tell how they will perform right away. Everything is cased in the white and gold packaging with a glowy shimmery feel for holiday. 

Up first are the Lip Foils which are ultra shimmery lipsticks. They have ultra fine mica to give them a reflective look and feel making them almost like foil. If you don’t like frost I’d recommend you try to see if you can swatch before buying sight unseen as these are pricey. I find adding a clear gloss or balm on top helps soften the foiled look (I do it with a lot of MAC Frost Lipsticks). I swatched these at the counter and wanted all six of the colors but limited myself to four.

Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 - The Beauty Look Book

Private Life is stunning warm gold foil, Spanish Flame is a peachy metallic, Venus Rising is a cool pink frost, Seadragon is the most stunning metallic plum I’ve ever seen. Pigment is excellent and smooth with easy to build color. Texture is smooth but since these are very metallic they look frosty on the lips. They have a comforting smooth feel on the lips and while they aren’t hydrating they don’t dry out the lips. My heart belongs to Venus Rising and Seadragon but as I know shimmer might not be your thing these won’t be everyone.

Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 Lip Foils - The Beauty Look Book

Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 - The Beauty Look Book

All four shown on my bare lips, for foundation I’m wearing the Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation in Bisque reviewed and swatched in this post here.

Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 Lip Foils - The Beauty Look Book

Two sets of comparisons, note that the Lips and Boys I have were from previous years so some of the shades you might not be available anymore.

Set 1:
Dior Diorific Matte Lipstick in Golden (review here)
Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Rory (from 2014, review here)
Tom Ford Lip Foil in Private Life
Tom Ford Lip Color in Guilty Pleasure (review here)
Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Skinnydip (review here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Spanish Pink
Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in First Time (review here)

Set 2:
Tom Ford Lip Color Shine in Quiver (on lips here)
Tom Ford Lip Foil Venus Rising
Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Ansel, Jake, Jude, Drake, Daniel (from 2015, on lips here)
MAC Frost Lipstick in Plum Dandy
MAC Frost Lipstick in “O”

Tom Ford Winter Soleil 2016 - The Beauty Look Book

Up next are the Soleil Eye and Cheek Palettes which I completely love – 100%! It’s hard to pick a favorite as both are very good. The texture of the blush and highlighters are silky smooth and buttery soft. The blushes have a lovely natural looking glow on the complexion while I find the highlighters to be more shimmery. The pigment is soft but impressive. Eyeshadows have a mix of shimmer and glitters and are also incredibly soft and well pigmented. They apply on the lids effortlessly for a lovely glow. Both are on the glowy shimmery side.

Both are cased in white and gold rectangular compacts that have an almost clutch-like look to them. They are well made even though they are plastic and have a magnetic closure – for some reason I really like the way the compacts close.

The Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette in Cool has a cool pink blush, cool light pink highlighter, glitter light pink, glitter light lilac, shimmery violet grey, deep plum shimmer. If I were forced to pick just one I would pick this one which surprised me as I usually prefer warmer tones.

Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil 2016 Eye Cheek Palette Cool - The Beauty Look Book

Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil 2016 Eye Cheek Palette Cool - The Beauty Look Book

The Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette in Warm is simply stunning. It only has 1 glitter eyeshadow color. Shades in this are a yellow gold, warm tan gold glitter, soft sandy champagne tan, satiny brown and a soft champagne highlighter.

Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil 2016 Eye Cheek Palette Warm - The Beauty Look Book

Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil 2016 Eye Cheek Palette Warm - The Beauty Look Book

Palettes next to each other so you can see the undertone difference:
Tom Ford Beauty Winter Soleil 2016 Eye Cheek Palettes - The Beauty Look Book

As many of you might be wondering how the shadows in these holiday palettes might compare to existing Tom Ford Eye Color Quads I pulled three to compare including Orchid Haze, Seductive Rose and Nude Dip.

Tom Ford Orchid Haze, Soleil Eye/Cheek Cool, Seductive Rose, Soleil Warm, Nude Dip

All of these made a significant dent in my wallet but I’m thrilled with everything. If I had to narrow down my picks I would skip two of the lip foils in Private Life and Spanish Flame simply because I have similar shimmery colors in my current stash.

I think both palettes are must haves but I am a die hard Tom Ford Beauty fan and love all things glowy that come in pretty packages. These fulfill all of my makeup dreams in terms of palettes and while I do think they should be priced at lower price points, given the price tag of their quads I think it does make sense. I think my readers are split in how they feel about shimmer. I do think everything in this collection is more on the shimmery and glowy side, but I really love the palettes and the lip foils can be toned down easily with clear gloss.

There are a few more items in the Winter Soleil Collection including 2 more Lip Foils in Creme Conque (gorgeous light pink) and Aperture (stunning bronze), Soleil Blanc Dry Oil Spray, Face Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and a Soleil Brush Kit. All are very spendy and as I already have the Soleil Blanc perfume I decided to stick with it (although I haven’t tried the spray, I forgot to check at the counter).

The Winter Soleil collection is limited-edition. You can find all items at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Net-A-Porter, Sephora, Selfridges and other Tom Ford Beauty locations. If you’re a Sephora VIB don’t forget you can save 20% off your orders with code 20VIB through 11/14.

These have been out for a few weeks now, did you check out anything yet?

Eye Makeup NARS

NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Picks: Give In Take, Indes Galantes, Impudique and Isadora

November 7, 2016
NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Picks: Give In Take, Indes Galantes, Impudique and Isadora

NARS partnered with French fashion photographer Sarah Moon to create his holiday 2016 collection. There are a lot of beautiful limited-edition palettes and sets. I bought four of the items:

Up first are the Sarah Moon Collection items. There are individual colors for eyes, lips and cheeks. The lips are all in the Matte Lipstick Formula so I passed. Indes Galantes Eyeshadow Duo is a shimmering gunmetal and matte cranberry plum shade. Together they make for an interesting smoky eye but I can’t wear them alone. I need an additional color like a light neutral such as NARS Himalia or any of the lighter neutral duos to help blend and create a full eye look. Pigment and texture wise both shades are excellent.

For the Sarah Moon Blushes I bought them as an impulse buy at the counter. I have an extensive blush stash and probably did not need either of these but I was really impressed with the lovely soft rose almost mauve tone of Isadora. It’s rare for me to find pink mauve blushes with that kind of sheen/shimmer. It has some warmth in the shimmers so it doesn’t pull muddy on my complexion. Impudique is a brighter warm raspberry shimmer which I tried at the counter and fell in love with as well. Both are smooth and have a natural sheen and are not overly shimmery. Pigment is rich but easy to blend and apply on the skin.

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Picks

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Picks

The Give In Take Dual-Intensity Eye and Cheek Palette is a Sephora exclusive. It has six Dual-Intensity Shadows and three Dual-Intensity Cheek products. All the colors are exclusive to the palette and are different from the existing full size color options. This is a beautiful soft and smoky kind of palette but it turned out to be completely different from what I expected. I ordered this sight unseen online (as of last week I still haven’t seen it at my Sephora stores). I expected full pigment rich colors and shimmers as I experience with most of the dual-intensity products. The colors in this palette are a lot softer with a more muted finish that isn’t really intense as the product name implies. The blushes are extremely sheer – I can build them for a soft natural glow but on my medium olive skin it’s very very soft.

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Give In Take

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Give In Take
I had to swatch with a very heavy hand to get the colors to show up on my arm. I hope this shows how you can build and layer the colors. These were applied with a dry brush, to get more intense color apply with a dense damp brush.

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Give In Take swatches

For the eyes you have a soft grey ivory shimmer, a dove grey satin, a gunmetal shimmer, white opal, soft grey taupe satin, warm black satin.

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Give In Take

For the cheeks you have a shimmery ivory, a super soft peach and a soft baby pink shimmer.

The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016 Give In Take

Here’s a look with the Dual Intensity Eyeshadows used from the top row, Indes Galantes Duo, all three  Dual-Intensity palette blushes swirled and applied on cheeks. Lips are Louboutin Altareva (reviewed here). Foundation is NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Groenland and concealer is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Macadamia.

Shop the look below:


One last look:
The Beauty Look Book NARS Sarah Moon Holiday 2016
Overall some lovely items for holiday that are nice but not must-haves. If I were to narrow down my pick to 1 item it would most likely be just the Isadora Blush. All the colors are made extremely well with high quality and with good color payoff. The palette is a very good one – it was just different from what I expected. If you like soft looking glowy makeup and find most shimmers too shimmery you will absolutely love this one. I like the looks it can create – I just expected something more intense and dramatic for holiday.

You can find the Sarah Moon collection items now at all NARS counters. The items are limited-editino. Online at NARS Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Don’t forget today 11/7 is the last day for Sephora VIB Rouge Members to receive 20% off purchases with code 20ROUGE at checkout.

If you hauled anything let me know in the comments!
Eye Makeup Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

November 1, 2016
The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

Marc Jacobs Beauty launched their About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette ($99 for 20 x 0.03 oz/ 0.85 g) earlier this past fall. I ordered mine back in August and this review has been on my to-do list for ages. If you haven’t had a chance to try it out I recommend you do and that you put it on your wishlist or Sephora shopping list because it is amazing. It’s a huge palette that contains 20 eyeshadows, all with amazing textures, smooth finish, rich easy to layer pigment, no fall out even when you apply on the eyes, long lasting power and basically endless combinations. I was really blown away by the quality and colors. There is only 1 shade I’m not crazy about which is the yellow gold shimmer, but the rest of the colors are top notch and ones I can actually wear.

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

I ordered sight unseen and had no idea how large it would be even though Marc Jacobs Beauty launched a Style Eye Con No 20 last year. When I ordered it I also had no idea that it was $99. I’m usually pretty good at assessing prices when I shop, but it was one of those busy weeks. I added to my cart and purchased. I didn’t realize until it arrived and I looked at my receipt and my jaw dropped. There’s no question it is an expensive purchase but it’s 100% worth every penny (even that one yellow color I didn’t think I’d wear). A quick size comparison and look at how large the palette is:

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

The Style Eye Con No. 7 in The Lolita reviewed here
The #Instamarc Light Filtering Contour Duo reviewed here

A closer look at the palette and swatches. Each of the shades have names but they aren’t labeled on the palette so I’ve split it into the top half and bottom half. The shimmers are absolutely stunning and buttery soft. There are a few mattes with sparkle flecks – they perform really well with no fall out. The mattes are among the best mattes I’ve tried. Often times super pigmented mattes can either be chalky unless you apply with a detail brush. These mattes apply well with a loose fluffy brush or dense brush equally well and it’s a huge plus that I experienced no fall out.

Top half has:
Matte ivory
Satin warm tan brown
Matte cream
Matte baby pink
Shimmering ivory
Shimmering yellow gold
Shimmering peachy tan
White cool snow shimmer
Shimmering tan taupe
Matte pink mauve with sparkle flecks

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

Bottom half has:
Shimmering warm gold
Matte brown with gold flecks
Shimmery violet purple
Matte grey
Shimmering purple
Deep matte eggplant
Satiny cool brown
Satiny gunmetal black grey
Deep cool black with silver flecks
Matte brown with plum red tones

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

If you need something simpler and with a lower price point, I’d recommend either the Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye Con No. 7 in Social Butterfly or either of the Dior 5 Couleurs Splendor Eyeshadow Palettes for holiday. Both can give you a similar effect depending on your color preferences and are just as good in quality.

The Beauty Look Book - Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette

Bottom line is I don’t know how else to describe this except as “amazing.” As soon as I realized what the price point was, I thought to myself there was no way I could love it at that price. I was wrong. Every single color has an A+ texture, finish and pigment. However as always I’d only recommend you buy an eyeshadow palette if you think you’ll use most of the colors. My take is that it’s a great buy and well worth the splurge. If I could only have one new eyeshadow palette for the holiday this would be it. It’s one I think I could travel with and have everything I need for the eyes in a single palette – base, highlight, color, blending colors and liner shades.

If you’re a Sephora VIB Rouge Member, the 20% off sale starts online and in stores on Thursday the 4th. By now you should have received a card in the mail with a coupon that you can use. Online the code will be 20ROUGE from 11/4 to 11/7 so if you’ve reached that tier I recommend waiting for the sale if you have this on your list. 

Have you checked out this palette yet? If not do you have any other Marc Jacobs Beauty eyeshadow palettes that you liked? I’ve reviewed several which I’ll link below.

A few others from Marc Jacobs:

You can find the Marc Jacobs Beauty About Last Night Style Eye Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette exclusively at Sephora and Marc Jacobs Beauty. It is limited-edition.