2010

Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie

January 16, 2010

The recent Rescue Beauty Lounge VIP 5 Hour Sale was definitely the best deal of the holiday season. I’m thrilled with my new RBLs even though I ended up with a few too many light-neutrals. My latest project is to swatch my entire RBL family for you on a fully manicured hand in different lighting. I’ve already swatched Pink Shimmer, Revamp & Ani on full manis/pedis and my original mini family of 4 Killa Red, Cherry Love, Ani, & Leila on individual fingers.

My latest manicure is with Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie which I’d describe as a perfect ballerina pink. The photos on the RBL website are extremely accurate in my opinion (at least on my screen) which is something I find rare for many companies so I appreciate their accuracy!

Recently, my dear friend Miss L.J. and I were discussing our New Year’s Resolutions and she told me this year she was going to do her own manicures this year to save money from her expensive mani-maintenance habit. She said she was not going to give up no matter what and was determined that she would master the art of painting her own nails by the end of the year even if it killed her.

So in the spirit of DIY and also trying to save $, I tried a DIY manicure at home and ended up with the worst looking manicure – streaks, uneveness, goopy texture. I thought I could do it since my hands are incredibly steady with scissors and knives (for cooking) but alas, when it comes to painting my fingers, it’s another story.

I immediately rushed to my favorite nail salon and am happy to report that the texture and finish is perfect when applied by a professional: opaque, creamy and even. The result is featured below in a few different views. I wasn’t so thrilled with how the color looked on my skin at first, it seemed a bit too mauvey-ballet pink, but I think it’s growing on me the more I look at them.

Anyone else have this shade or tried it? Any dupes to recommend?

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Today’s Look: Tarnished Steel Silk Ribbon Tank + Grey Eyes + Pink Lips/Cheeks

January 15, 2010

So today I decided I would branch out a bit and show you more of my whole look – basically what makeup items I picked to coordinate with my outfit of the day. I didn’t have much on today’s agenda except for a lunch date with friends and a few errands to run (yes, I know it’s a rough life being on school break).

I know some of you prefer I stick to writing about makeup and after this post, I think I will. I suppose one benefit of this is that you can see a bit more of my style which you might say doesn’t exist. I tend to be very basic and simple with my clothing, not the most creative or fun, but it’s what I feel comfortable with so it works for me. My makeup tends to reflect my clothing style as well: simple and natural looking. For reference, I am petite at 5’3″. So much for trying to be a little creative, but here goes.

The outfit of the day:

Silk Ribbon Pleated Shell in Tarnished Steel from Banana Republic
Thin Cashmere White Cardigan from Jcrew (this is from over a year ago, so no link)
Paige Hollywood Hills Jeans
Quilted black purse/tote
Black strappy sandals from Banana Republic (from about 3 years ago, so no link)

The face of the day items used include:

Cheeks
MAC Golden Bronzer
Paul & Joe Face Color 001

Eyes
MAC Bare Study
Bobbi Brown Galaxy Cream Eyeshadow
Dolce & Gabbana Champagne Quad
Dolce & Gabban Stromboli Eyeliner
Diorshow mascara

Lips
Bobbi Brown Ballet Pink Lipliner
Chantecaille Camelia Lipchic
Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 06

The products against the steel grey tank
(not recommended since I almost dropped my lipstick on my dry-clean only tank)

Swatched on bare skin

One more view

I used all four shades in the Dolce & Gabbana Champagne quad and really liked the result. I applied MAC Bare Study Paint Pot first all over the lid, then dusted the light lilac-gold shade from lash line to the middle of the eyelid. I then put the dusty brown mixed with the black smudged along upper lash line blended upwards. Dolce & Gabbana Stromboli was lined and smudged over upper lash line as well with the black shadow reapplied on top for extra definition.

MAC Golden Bronzer was applied on the cheeks like blush with the Paul & Joe 001 Face Color dusted lightly as a highlighter and to give a bit of pink to the cheeks.

The lips were a neutral healthy pink. Overall, I was happy with the result. FYI the Dolce & Gabbana quads have the best pigment that I’ve tried, they just don’t swatch well on a bare arm without any moisturizer or makeup base. I hope the swatches won’t deter you from checking out their quads!

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

January 15, 2010

It was really hard for me to narrow my list down to only 10 things this month! Since I’ve already featured quite a bit of the new spring 2010 items, I decided to feature 10 non-new/non-spring releases that I’m loving right now.

1. MAC Sunny By Nature Mineralized Skin Finish – I’m a sucker for bronzers and MAC MSFs and fell in love with this one when it was released last July with the Color Craft Collection. Looks dark and almost muddy in the container, but on the skin it’s a nice natural satiny bronze. I love that it’s not too shimmery (which most MSFs are). I hope MAC makes more MSFs in this kind of finish! If you missed out, check your local CCOs, I saw this along with Cheeky Bronze at my local CCO a week ago.

2. Bobbi Brown Nude Beach Metallic Eyeshadow – This was released as an exclusive with the Nordstrom Anniversary Exclusives but is also in the (X Palette). You all know I’m obsessed with neutrals, Nude Beach is a pretty shimmery, but not overly frosty, nude shimmer with great pigment and lasting power.

3. MAC Eyeshadow Brush #239 – This is hands down the best MAC eyeshadow brush I own. I think it’s a must-have for everyone. It’s so versatile and soft which makes blending a no-brainer. I have a soft spot for all of MAC’s white-haired brushes, I wish they would make more shapes and sizes.

4. Nars Ondine Eyeshadow – This is one of the few eyeshadows I have ever hit pan on (the one pictured is my second one). I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone – those who can’t pull off plummy browns will probably find this looks bruisey on their skin. I really like this though because it has a complex combination of brown, plum and gold all mixed into one shadow. Those who wanted to love MAC Starviolet but found it too purpley will like Nars Ondine. The Nars is a more wearable, more brown, more grown-up and less trendy version of the MAC.

5. Edward Bess Bare Rose Lip Gloss – Not your typical milky pink, but still light enough to give a pretty natural pink lip. If you’re a fan of Nars Chihuahua, you will definitely like the EB Bare Rose which has a fig-scent, slightly sticky texture, long lasting, and high shine.

6. Dolce & Gabbana Sparkling Lipstick – I got this from the D&G Holiday Collection from Saks NY and it’s the most unique sparkling copper/nude/gold lipstick I’ve ever seen. It’s very pigmented and frosty, so those who don’t like metallic lips, you may not like it. The frosty-factor can be toned down with a cream colored gloss though.

7. Shu Uemura P Gold 94 Glow On – This is a blush I like to use as a highlighter for cheeks and eyes. It’s a light-medium shimmery flesh-toned gold with gold flecks. I like that it’s not completely gold or yellowy. It seems more pigmented than most of Shu Uemura’s Glow On Blushes, perhaps it’s the metallic aspect that gives it more pigment.

8. Paul & Joe Caramel 04 Lipliner – This is the creamiest lipliner I’ve ever tried. It glides on more smoothly than MAC Cremestick Liners (which I love) and the Caramel is the perfect YLBB nude-pink-brown. I bought this thanks to the recommendation of Hettie from Bergdorf Goodman. Lipliners were one of the few P&J items I hadn’t tried yet, so I asked her to pick out 2 colors for me, #04 Caramel was one of them and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it.

9. Chanel Glow Glossimer – Pretty soft glowiness that’s hard to describe. It has peach and pink and bronze in it, makes my lips look full and glowing. The lasting power isn’t the best on this one, but I don’t mind reapplying it.

10. Paul & Joe Canyon 16 Face Color – Soft light pink and cool-toned shimmery highlighter. I like this for a natural angelic-pink blush. It goes on very soft and natural. It might not show up on MAC NC40s or darker though because it’s on the lighter side.

What’s on your list this month?

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Le Metier de Beaute Maldives Magic, Sugar Eyeshadow & Sorbet Lip Creme

January 14, 2010

I’ve been wanting to get the Maldives Magic Bronzer for sometime now but it *always* seems to be out of stock, so decided to do a pre-order for it when they had a recent GWP online for a full sized lip creme. (FYI, the advertised lip creme was Gilded Joy, but Sorbet came in the mail instead.) I’ve been waiting for over 1 month to receive this bronzer and can say this was clearly worth the wait.

Maldives Magic, Sugar Eyeshadow, Sorbet Lip Creme (GWP)

Close Ups and Comparison Photos:

Maldives Magic Bronzer

Maldives Magic has to be the prettiest looking bronzer I have ever seen. It has the prettiest gold sparkles in it, but unfortunately the shimmer doesn’t really show up on the skin. I was worried it would be too dark, but when applied with a fluffy bronzer brush it gave a nice tanned look. It’s a few shades darker than Edward Bess Daydream and more brown than Bobbi Brown’s Bali Brown. Girls who are lighter than MAC NC30 might find this too dark.

Sugar Eyeshadow

Sugar Eyeshadow is a pretty pale white shimmer. Next to a pure white, it looks more like a cream, but on the skin it definitely shows up white. I compared it next to actual sugar (yes, call me silly) but it’s somewhere in between granulated white sugar and sugar-in-the-raw.

It’s not as cool-toned as Bobbi Brown Navajo Metallic, but pretty close. It’s not as white as Bobbi Brown Champagne Shimmer Wash.

Sorbet v Vanilla Rose

I don’t have a swatch of Sorbet because I’m saving it for when I use up Vanilla Rose, but you can see a swatch of Vanilla Rose here. It’s a soft milky pink shimmer that’s not too pale.

Overall thoughts: I wouldn’t say these are the most unique colors, there are definitely duplicates with less expensive lines (even with high end luxury brands too). I didn’t have access to the line in person, so I ordered these sight unseen. The quality and pigment are excellent – the texture of the products are finely milled and easily blendable. I find the quality superior to most other brands, but overall you can get a similar effect with other products at a fraction of the price.

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Today’s Look & What’s Inside My Bag

January 14, 2010

Today’s look featured neutral brown + sandy gold + plum eyes with peachy cheeks and lips (updated with swatches below).

Products Used

Cheeks: Dolce & Gabbana Caramel Blush
MAC Refined MSF

Eyes: Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Sunkissed (all over eyes)
Chanel Kaska Beige Quad
Bobbi Brown Cocoa Mauve Gel Liner

Lips: Laura Mercier Ambrosia
Estee Lauder Hollywood Gold Lipsheen
MAC Utterly Posh Dazzleglass

Today’s Purse Contents:

Paul & Joe makeup bag, Pocket Calendar, Iphone, Sharpie Pen, Mini L’Occitane Frangipani Hand Cream, Toblerone Candies + wallet.

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Korres Zea Mays Powder Blush & Shimmering Eyeshadow

January 13, 2010

Since I’ve recently fallen in love with the Jasmine Lip Butter & Guava Body Butter from Korres, I decided to order a few things from KorresUsa.com to take advantage of last month’s promotional codes and try out a few of their makeup items.

What I ordered:
* Zea Mays Powder Blush in Natural & Purple Brown
* Love Your Lips Set with Nude, Pink Beige, Light Pink Lipgloss & Pomegranate Lip Butter

I also checked out the line at Sephora and got 1 item:
* Grey Brown Eyeshadow, which I think is going to be discontinued since it was only $7

Purple Brown Blush, Grey Brown Eyeshadow (from Sephora), Natural Blush
*** note that Purple Brown is a bit darker in real life ***

18S Grey Brown comparisons

15 Natural Blush comparisons

32 Purple Brown blush comparisons

Love Your Lips Set $29 (no swatches because I’m splitting this set up with friends)

Overall thoughts: I haven’t tested the lipglosses so I can’t give a review for those. I do already have the Pomegranate Lip butter which I love for a soft cherry pink tint. It tastes really good too!

The 18S Grey Brown is a pretty medium-pigmented shimmery cool silver taupe. It’s not as pigmented as MAC Satin Taupe or Bobbi Brown Brown Stone Metallic, but not as sheer as MAC Clue. It’s good for $7 if you can still find it, but I think I prefer my Chanel Safari or Nars Ashes to Ashes for a light taupe shimmer.

The Zea Mays blushes are interesting in that they have shimmer in the pot which doesn’t really show up on the skin. Natural is a good nude with a hint of peach/bronze to it. What I like about this is that it doesn’t look muddy and it’s not too orange. The finish is very natural and has decent lasting power. It’s most similar to MAC Warm Soul, but not as frosty or shimmery and more natural looking. I didn’t compare it to Nars Silvana, but Korres Natural is a more wearable less brownish/orange version of the Nars.

Plum Brown also has shimmer, but it doesn’t really show up on the skin. It looks a bit muddy in the compact (it’s darker than the photos show, I think the camera flash picked up the shimmers more). On the skin, I was worried it would look dirty, but I used this today and it actually gives a very natural plummy-pink-brown cheek (hard to envision how this works, but it does). It has more brown than MAC Plum Foolery and Nars Sin. Compared to the new MAC All’s Good blush, it has more purple/plum.

Overall I’m happy with the products although I probably wouldn’t have purchased these at full price. The blushes range from $22 to $24 (depending on whether you purchase them through Korres or Sephora) which is pricey. It’s great that the products are made with natural ingredients, but unfortunately it’s not something I really pay much attention to.

I also ordered a bunch of Guava lotions & shower gel sets too. One of them came with an expiration date for THIS February which is was a bit disappointing. How do they expect one to use up an entire lotion in 2.5 weeks before it expires? I emailed customer service about it so we’ll see what they say.

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More Love For Paul & Joe

January 11, 2010

Paul & Joe and Bergdorf Goodman still remain at the top of my favorites list and I am super excited about the upcoming Wild Flowers, Alice In Wonderland, and new additions in cream blushes, eyeshadows and nail polishes for spring 2010.

Since my Paul & Joe series back in November, I have added a few more items to my collection thanks to the recommendations of the Bergdorf Goodman staff and think I have found my holy grail creamy lipliners!

The loot: