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2010

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Edward Bess Pure Impulse + Soft Whisper = Nude Perfection

February 25, 2010

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Edward Bess. I’ve loved every single lipstick and lipgloss that I’ve purchased from the line and I have to say I’m surprised that I’ve had so many “yays” considering all the colors were purchased sight-unseen.

I’ve already featured some product photos and reviews on Pure Impulse Lipstick and Soft Whisper Lipgloss in previous posts, so today, I’ll bring you a lip swatch of the two used together.

For those who haven’t read those reviews, here is the run-down on Edward Bess Lipsticks & Lipglosses:

* Pure Impulse Lipstick – This is one of my holy grail nudes. Note that “nude” is subject to interpretation, but for me it’s a natural beigey-nude that enhances my natural lip color but better in a light-nude way. Edward Bess lipsticks are full coverage, rich and creamy. They blend on the lips like a dream. There is a slight fig scent which I don’t mind. Another surprising find, since my nose is ultra-sensitive. The lipsticks have a natural slightly glossy finish making them non-flat looking.

* Soft Whisper Lipgloss – This is equally pretty in my opinion. I find beauty in simplicity. It’s a pretty beige color without shimmer. It’s slightly warmer than Pure Impulse – but very close in color. Just not quite as nude. The pigment is medium with a slightly sticky finish, but not overly so. His lipglosses also have a fig-scent.

Granted, some may find these boring. But all I can say is that I love this lip combination. It’s simple, classic, easy to wear and coordinates well with other shades. Can they be easily replicated with other brands? Perhaps, but I love that I can wear Pure Impulse by itself without feeling the need to tweak the color with a different shade of liner or gloss. Soft Whisper compliments the lipstick perfectly adding shine and a bit more depth.

A few notes before you read on:
* I have received mixed reviews on swatches. Please take them with a grain of salt! I am not an expert at swatching or photographing swatches.
* Some of you like the swatches and some of you have asked me to stop swatching. There lies the blogger’s dilemma – what to do when you received mixed feedback?
* This lip-swatch article is my compromise-solution for requests on full-face photos.

Please bear with me while I try to figure out how to best photograph lip swatches. Thanks 🙂

*UPDATE* FYI: I am a Chanel Shell Teint Innocence which is light-medium right now. This is the equivalent of a MAC NC30 but a tad darker, not quite as deep as the NC35 color. YMMV depending on your natural lip tone. For some of my darker medium-skinned friends this isn’t quite as peachy as it looks on me and goes on more of a beige with nude/grey base.

Here is Pure Impulse applied alone, no lipliner or gloss:

The Lipstick + Lipgloss:


I used this today with Edward Bess’s Daydream Bronzer + Lancome’s Miel Glace Blush on the cheeks and it was a pretty natural look! Do note that the cheek products were added after I took these photos, which is why you can’t see anything but powder/foundation.

Edward Bess products can be purchased from Bergdorf Goodman or EdwardBess.com in the US.

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Dior Peach Lace Poudrier Dentelle from Spring 2010

February 25, 2010

Why does the UK and Asia get the prettier Dior product releases? When I saw the preview for Dior Spring, the Peach Lace highlighter was the first thing that jumped out to me. Of course the US only received the Pink Lace highlighter. Luckily, I was able to find Peach Lace 002 from a wonderful UK blogger (thank you again!!!). I just about died when I opened the compact. It’s even prettier than the pink one.


Here is the Pink Lace 001 that I purchased back in January compared to the Peach Lace 002 which I believe is exclusive to Asia and Europe.

Without flash:

Note that the swatches don’t photograph well, but this is the best I could get:



Here is the Peach Lace compared to a few other peachy highlighters including Dior Amber Diamond, Bobbi Brown Champagne Color Options (from a gazillion years ago), and MAC Drizzlegold Beauty Powder.



The Peach Lace Highlighter is gorgeous. I think it would have sold well in the US if it were released here. The swatch photos don’t do the product justice, but it has a lovely light beige-peach shimmer finish and glow that I find rare in many highlighters. Most lighter colored highlighters are too pale giving a whitish-cast on the skin because of the silvery pearl shimmers.

I love the Pink Lace Highlighter, but the Peach Lace is definitely the winner!

In case you missed it, I wrote about my Spring Picks from the Dior Collection back in January here.

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Lancome Pop Petrol Le Vernis Nail Polish

February 23, 2010

I just received a package from London, thanks to one of my favorite UK bloggers who was so kind to arrange a custom purchase for me. I was ecstatic to be able to get my hands on the Lancome Pop Petrol 014 Le Vernis Nail Color and immediately ran out to get a manicure.

How would I describe it? It’s not quite as teal as the promo pictures showed, but it’s still stunningly gorgeous. I’d describe it as a complex murky deep ocean blue-green. In natural light, it looks dark and almost black, but when the sunlight shines on it, the color flashes smokey greenish blue.

I took quite a few photos to try and show you how it looks at different angles and with different lighting. I hope this gives you an idea of how the color looks.

Please do not republish these photos, thanks!


With flash:

No flash:

With flash against Balenciaga First in Anthracite (2007 s/s):

Without flash against Balenciaga First (2007 s/s):


I did another post on some other teal-greenish nail polishes here. The closest color I have is Lippmann’s Don’t Tell Mama. They are extremely close to each other, the Lippmann is just greener and Lancome has a more smokey finish.



Overall thoughts: I love the color. It’s a beautiful unique smokey green. The formula itself isn’t easy to work with, but it’s no different from other dark greens which seem to have a very sheer/streaky blackish base. Like all the other greens I have, the first coat looks horrid, but after the 2nd and 3rd coats you get the full frost finish. The salon put on 2 thick coats which took really long for it to dry. I would have rather had her apply 3 thinner coats, but was in a rush for a meeting. Overall, huge thumbs up. I’ll try and update in a few days after I see how it wears.

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

February 21, 2010

  1. MAC Metal Rock Mineralized Skinfinish (From 2005 Gold Play Collection) – One of the prettiest complex coppery-deep bronzey colors. I like to use this for eyeshadow rather than on the face. For my skin it’s too dark to use on the cheeks. The closest I’ve found to this is NARS Fez.
  2. Bobbi Brown Penny Metallic Eyeshadow (From 2008 Bronzed Pink Collection) – Also limited edition. Gorgeous warm sandy copper shimmer. Highly pigmented. Blends like magic. Try Bobbi Brown Burnt Sugar as an alternative.
  3. Chantecaille Cheer Blush – Soft light peachy pink glow.
  4. Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
  5. MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
  6. YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
  7. Chanel Seashell Glossimer – The perfect sheer glowy pink. It’s better than topping lipsticks with clear gloss because it just makes everything look better with a subtle shimmery glow.
  8. March Issue of Lucky Magazine – This was a surprise for me, normally I don’t really find many things in this magazine that appeal to me, but in this issue there are so many cute outfit and shoe ideas in this issue. Definitely a good read!

  9. Pottery Barn Vintage Milk Bottles – Couldn’t find the individual ones online, but they have them instore. So cute to store pencils or small flowers. Online they have a set of 6 with the labels on the sides.

    These are the ones from Pottery Barn Online:

  10. Michael Bublé – I love his music. He has such a great voice. His songs Some Kind of Wonderful and Just Haven’t Met You Yet make my heart skip a beat.

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Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek Powder

February 18, 2010

Paul & Joe has expanded their blush line with a new product called Creamy Cheek Color. There are currently 5 shades: 01 Marionette, 02 Kitten, 03 Peaches, 04 Butterfly, 05 Dusk. Each come in a mirrored compact the same size as the Face Color Blushes. The shades are all beautiful and have a subtle shimmer infused for a pretty glow. These retail for $24 each USD.


Swatches on bare skin:

Comparisons to other brands/similar colors:






Initial thoughts: I haven’t worn any of these for a full day yet, but I did test out 01 Marionette on my face as soon as I got it. It has an easily blendable texture and slightly powdery finish. The pigment is medium-sheer which is about the same as NARS Multiples, just less shimmery and less dewey looking on the skin.

Being the P&J fan that I am, I love these. I think everyone can find at least 1 flattering color. I know a few of my tan olive-toned friends love 05 🙂

For those who are wondering about the finish – the shimmer is very subtle. Not overly frosty like NARS Multiples or even MAC Blushcremes Sweet William/Blossoming. They give a pretty natural glow and the shimmer makes it so it doesn’t look too heavy or flat on the skin.

These were purchased from Bergdorf Goodman and should also be available soon at other Paul & Joe retailers.

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Tarte Discoveries: Cheek Tint & Cheek Stains

February 15, 2010

I found some beauty buzz online about a new Flower Child palette and went to the Tarte website to investigate. I didn’t end up getting the palette, but a few other things caught my eye so I took advantage of the recent 40% code and got:

The Perfect Pink Cheek Tint – sheer baby pink cream
Dollface Cheek Stain – sheer cool baby pink shimmer
Flower Child Cheek Stain – rosy reddish brown shimmer





The Cheek Tint comes in one shade called “The Perfect Pink” and retails for $30. It comes in a mirrored compact and is supposed to contain a wrinkle-reverse technology. Even though I don’t have wrinkles or fine lines on my cheeks, the color looked pretty online so I decided to give it a try.

The texture is very creamy and easily blendable and non-sticky. The finish is a sheer natural pink which is great for a no-blush but natural pink look on the cheeks. If you’re looking for a lot of pigment – then this probably isn’t the blush for you. I wouldn’t recommend this for oily skin since this is more on the moist side. I have normal skin and I can definitely feel it on the face after it’s applied.

For the Cheek Stains, both are easily blendable and have a sweet scent. Both are on the moist side, but not too sticky. It does feel moist and slightly dewy on the face. I’ve been wearing one on each side of my face all day alone, over powder/foundation and I didn’t get oily or greasy – but today’s activity level was on the low side so I’ll have to play around with these more to see how long they last etc. Like the Cheek Tint, I can also feel this on the face after I apply/blend it.

Dollface is a pretty cool-toned light pink shimmer that gives a natural pink glow. It’s not too light for me right now and I think it will definitely be wearable in summer months for slightly tanned skin.

Flower Child is described as a “deep golden rose” – to me it’s a deeper rosey brownish shade. It’s different from what I normally pick, but it’s a pretty warm rosey color. When I swatched it I was worried it would be too warm, but on the cheeks, it gives a natural rosey flush.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day!

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Saks Pure Beauty Event Feb 25 – March 6

February 14, 2010

This is a scan from the latest Saks Catalog – you can see it online at Saks.com. The gift is a tote in brown, pink or yellow with 5 listed samples and coupons. I didn’t scan the picture of the totes, but if you click to Saks.com’s Beauty Catalog on Page 4-5, you can see what they look like and pics of the samples. The gifts and qualifiers for each individual line are listed below (click for larger viewing):


I already posted about this, but in case you missed it, exclusive to Saks is a Laura Mercier set with a Bold Berries Eyeshadow Quad, Mini Pink Rose Shimmer Block, Full Sized Babydoll lipgloss, mini mascara and face primer, and 2 mini brushes. I believe it retails for $65. Neimans and Nordstrom also have their own exclusive sets from Laura Mercier.

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