June 2009

Nars Makeover Event: Sugarland Duo Eyeshadow Duo + Luster Blush

June 7, 2009

This NARS makeover was done at a Bloomingdales event by one of the National Artists, but unfortunately I do not remember his name! I told him about a few items from Nars that I love (like the Luster Blush and Maldives Multiple) and he then picked out some new items to compliment what I already owned into a new fresh glowing look.

If you love neutrals, but are looking for something a bit different than your regular champagnes or beigey colors, this is a gorgeous look to try out. I’ll include descriptions of each product according to the Nars Website.

FACE:
* Oil Free Foundation in Budapest (equivalent to Chanel Teint Innocence Beige 2.0/MAC NC35/Armani LSF 5.5 or 6)
* Concealer Stick in Custard
* Sparkling Pressed Powder in Machu Picchu (Eden pressed powder with gold shimmer, not pictured)

CHEEKS:
* Multiple Stick in Maldives on apples and temples to highlight (pink champagne with shimmer – although to me this is more of a golden champagne peachy shimmer with a hint of pink)
* Blushes in Luster (sheer golden apricot) mixed together with Gina (tangerine)

EYES:
* Cream Eyeshadow in Corfu as a base (shimmering taupe)
* Eyeshadow Duo in Sugarland mixed onto lids (sparkling apricot & gilded orchid pink)
* Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon (dense black – the one swatched is MAC Smolder though)
* Eyeshadow Single in Bali on top of liner for a softer look, also used on brows (neutral taupe)

LIPS:
* Lipliner pencil in Papua (cinnamon – this is a great neutral)
* Lipgloss in Orgasm (sheer warm pink with golden shimmer – but goes on a peachy gold)

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Neiman Marcus Exclusive: Dior Pearly Lilac Quint

June 6, 2009

This year Dior released some beautiful bright colors for summer, however their summer launch seemed disorganized and extremely confusing since each retail store received different products for summer. It took a bit of researching online and in-store to figure out that each store did not receive the same items! For details on what was released where, visit Karlasugar’s Post on the summer collection HERE. For some excellent nail polish swatches and details, visit Steph’s Closet HERE.

One particular item I fell in love with and felt should have been launched/distributed through all Dior retail stores was the Pearly Lilac Quint. This was exclusive to Neiman Marcus in the US, but appears to have been part of the Dior Lilas collection available in Asia, France and some duty free locations.

Here is the picture of the Pearly Lilac Quint (#129):

Petal Shine (#809) versus Pearly Lilac (#129):

There was a limited distribution of this quint, each Neiman Marcus store only received a few items in their stock and it was never made available for sale online. Missed out on the quint? Not to worry as it can easily be replicated with some duplicate shades in other lines, my suggestions are as follows:

Top left shimmery pale white gold shade is similar to:
1) MAC Pigment in Quick Frost
MAC Eyeshadow in Nylon (not pictured)

Bottom left shimmery cool rose pink shade is similar to:
2) Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Eyecolor in Bahamas
3) Chantecaille Eye Shadow in Quartz (this is now available in the iridescent formula)
4) MAC Eyeshadow in Wintersky

Center iridescent eggplant is similar to:
5) MAC Pigment in Grape
MAC Eyeshadow in Fertile (not pictured)

Bottom right frosty pale whitish pink is similar to:
6) MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof

An in-between shade of the two right shades is:
7) Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in Dusk

Top right iridescent lilac is similar in effect to:
8) MAC Eyeshadow in Crystal (looks different in pan, but when swatched, almost identical)

Any other suggestions for dupes?

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Bobbi Brown Sheer Color Cheek Tints: Hit or Miss?

June 6, 2009

Bobbi Brown launched her Nautical Look Collection this past spring and released a few new products including her Sheer Color Cheek Tints and Sheer Color Glosses.

These tints come in 6 different shades, retailed at $22 for 3.8 grams of product:

* Sheer Blackberry is a deep berry tint
* Sheer Coral is a bright warm pink tint with golden shimmer
* Sheer Lilac is light pink tint
* Sheer Mauve is pink mauve tint
* Sheer Pink is pink tint
* Sheer Raspberry is deep rose tint

There was a pamphlet sent out from Neimans for a mini preview:

I’m usually a huge fan of Bobbi Brown for the universally flattering colors she releases in her collections. I love how she can take simple color themes and turn them into a fresh modern look. This season’s Nautical Look was somewhat disappointing, especially these new Cheek Tints. Instead of fresh and modern, the look she created appears dated and the blue eyeshadow featured on the look appears to make the model look older. I love her Pot Rouges and if she had released these in the same formula and packaging, I think they would have been a bigger hit.

Even though I was underwhelmed, I still managed to get sucked in and purchased 3 from the Saks Friends and Family event, here they are photographed next to Clinique’s GWP size cheek tints.

From left to right:
1) Bobbi Brown Sheer Pink
2) Sheer Lilac
3) Sheer Coral
4) Clinique Rosy Blush
5) Glow Blush

At $22 per product, I expected a lot more. Even with the FF discount, I still feel ripped-off. What are your thoughts about these sticks? Hit or miss? Did you end up purchasing any? How are you liking them?

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Lips of the Day: Perfect Baby Pink Lips

June 5, 2009

Today’s lips are a baby pink shimmery look:

* Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Soiree (see previous D&G feature here)
* Trish McEvoy Lipliner in Bare
* Jouer Moisturizing Lipgloss in Blush (see previous Jouer feature here)

The products:

The look:

What are your favorite products for baby-pink or natural pink lips? I’m always on the search for my HG baby pink glosses, lipsticks, lipliners and would LOVE to hear yours!!!

(For reference, I have medium olive-toned skin, in between MAC NC30-35, Chanel Teint Innocence Liquid Shell 1.5, Stila D/E, Armani Luminous Skin Foundation in 5.5)

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Rescue Beauty Lounge

June 5, 2009

I’ve been a huge fan of Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes ever since I first saw them in a little beauty boutique in Boston for their range or pretty nude and pink nail polishes. The line was created by Ji Baek who has also opened up two Rescue Beauty Lounge luxury salons in New York.

I ordered a few shades online, two gorgeous reds and two pretty lighter shimmers. It appears the Rescue Beauty website has recently been revamped a bit so the pictures of the nail lacquers make it easier for you to see what they really look like. She has cute descriptions of each shade as well. They each retail for $18.

Left to right: Killa Red, Cherry Love, Ani, Leila

Swatches are here:

Killa Red is described as “This is the cool blue-toned red worn by those dangerous blondes in Hitchcock films (while they reach for the gun in their slim kelly green alligator clutch.)”

Cherry Love is described as “Popsicle-fuschia, the love child of hot pink and sizzling red. When pink is too tame and red is too expected, give this glamorous shade a try.” To me, Cherry Love is just more cool/blue toned than Killa Red.

Ani is described as “A shimmery, semi-transparent golden beige . . . Slightly bohemian, so pile on a stack of jangly bracelets.”

Leila is a soft shimmery pale lavender color (note: the website description has been removed, they are probably still updating the website).

I ordered these shades online and am very happy with the quality and finish. I can’t wait to try out more shades!

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Laura Mercier Lip Glosses: Lip Glace & Lip Plumper

June 4, 2009

Laura Mercier is one of my favorite brands for high quality and naturally pretty makeup products. I was lucky enough to have met her at a Nordstrom event while getting my makeup done. She did not have time to do my makeup since the event was packed and super busy, but did make time to stop by each customer to say hello and ask us if we had anything to ask of her. She was very sweet and genuinely warm.

Anyhow, one of my favorite products are her Lip Glace and Lip Plumper glosses. Both are smooth and non-sticky. They come in a wide variety of pretty colors, most are natural and very wearable. I think out of all the lines out there, her lip gloss packaging is my favorite because of the sleek classic design and see-through tube which allows you to see the colors clearly.

Her Lip Glace contains a “Lip Complex” which is composed of ingredients that moisturize, anti-age, anti-oxidize and plump all at once. She has a few different formulas and finishes in her lip glace line which are available in a variety of coverages (sheer, medium and full) and finishes (shine, sheen and shimmer). Laura Mercier’s website does an excellent job at describing the colors and finishes of each shade. She recently repackaged all her Lip Glaces about a year ago into a a different tube and also reformulated some of the colors giving them a new sweet vanilla-candy-like scent. I personally prefer her old lip-gloss scent, but still love her new ones. In addition to the repackaging, she also released quite a few new colors, but kept most of her original shades.

Left to right: Platinum, Gold, Bronze, Petal, Ambre Rose

Left to right: Pink Diamond, Lilac, Opal, Baby Doll, Bonbon

(NOTE: Pink Diamond was Limited Edition when originally released, but has been seen in a few holiday sets in the mini size)

Her Lip Plumpers are a slightly smaller tube and retail for $30. They have a slight minty scent which gives a A refreshing, cooling effect that is supposed to build up over 20 minutes to plump lips. Her site also claims that the effect should last up to two hours. I usually don’t keep track of how long my lipstick/lipgloss lasts, but these do have a nice cooling effect. I can’t say that it really does plump-up my lips significantly, but the shades are pretty and do enhance my lips.

Left to right: Lychee, Peach Glow, Pink Pearl, Wildberry, Rose Flush, Bronzed Berry

Plus my first swatch post on MAC NC30 skin
Left to right: Lychee, Peach Glow, Pink Pearl, Wildberry, Rose Flush, Bronzed Berry

I find most of her colors are true to what you see in the tube. With some of the brighter colors, you can get a sheerer application, but for the most part, what you see in the tube is how it goes on your lips!

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Chanel Makeover Event Holiday 2008

June 3, 2009

This look was done right after the Chanel Holiday 2008 collection release. Even though it was based on their holiday colors, I find this look to be flattering for all seasons since it featured some neutral vanilla shimmery lips and pretty gold eyes with neutral tawny cheeks. These are the products that were used:

FACE:
* Le Blanc De Chanel Illuminating Base
* Mat Lumiere in Beige 2.0
* Double Perfection Compact in Tender Bisque 2.0

CHEEKS:
* Tweed Ambre Blush

EYES:
* Ombre D’Eau Fluid Eyeshadow in Riviera #737 (gorgeous shimmery pale gold)
* Quadra Eyeshadow in Spices
* Smokey Violet Mascara (forget which formula this was, but I believe it was LE)