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2010

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Lancome Pop N’ Cheeks in Coral Flirt from Spring 2010

January 3, 2010

I haven’t tried much from Lancome with the exception of their blushes and Bifacil makeup remover, so I’m not really familiar with the line. I assume their product launches are similar to Dior where they release different items in different countries. I know for holiday, Asia got that pretty pink cherub highlighter while the US only got the golden bronzey one. It appears there are 2 versions of the Pop N’Cheeks Gentle & Lasting Color Powder Blush as well, I only saw 01 Coral Flirt at Nordstrom, but the Asian catalogs show another pretty peach/pink blush 02. I believe I saw a few different glosses that are not shown in these previews as well (the ones in the round tubes).



Someone please correct me if I’m am wrong. I would be THRILLED to know if the 02 blush is available in the US anywhere! (There’s one more scan a few posts down from January 1.)

The new tester unit caught my eye as I was browsing through Nordstrom. I am sorry to say I can’t remember anything else I saw, although I wish I had paid more attention. I only remember looking at the glosses thinking they were too sparkley for my taste and then moved on.

The Coral Flirt Blush is designed in an abstract rose pattern. The gold is only an overspray. The tester I saw had no gold left on the product, so I got to swirl it with my fingers. It gives a very sheer soft peach blush. If you’re familiar with Benefit Coralista & Georgia, I would say the new Lancome is in between those 2 shades once brushed on your cheeks.

Close up with flash

Close up in natural sunlight
Since I know many of you insist on swatches, even though I hate mine, here it is swatched on three fingers. The first finger has the gold sparkle, the second and third have progressively less overspray-sparkle, but it’s a bit hard to see. I highly recommend testing in person.


Overall a nice soft and sheer peach. You’d probably get more pigment with MAC Pinch O Peach (also more pink) or Laura Mercier Orange Blossom blush. It’s good for a natural cheek and the bonus for me is that there is no detectable scent on the product.

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What Products Have You Purchased From Samples You Loved?

January 3, 2010

I rarely need an incentive to purchase something pretty, but I am always thrilled to get extra samples whether it’s with a gift-with-purchase or a voluntary throw-in from a friendly sales associate. It allows me to try something out before purchasing to see if it works for me and also opens me up to a number of lines and products I never would have given a second thought.


My favorite discovery was for Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara. I have tried a few other GA mascaras in the past and was not at all impressed. After a few pricey splurges with mediocre results I thought I had sworn off buying any mascara launched by the brand. This was until I got a mini size from a GWP at Neimans and I was immediately smitten. I’ve also come to love Diorshow’s Mascara as well because of a mini size. I just got a YSL Faux Cils miniature and am excited to try that one out as well since it seems to have been very difficult to come by.

I made a list of my favorite items that I’ve purchased from an actual sample I received and was surprised to find how many there were (in alphabetical order, not necessarily included in the photo above):

  • Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
  • Chanel Imaginaire Glossimer
  • Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser
  • Dior Diorshow Mascara
  • Kiehl’s Shower Gel (Grapefruit, Cucumber, Mango) & Body Scrubs
  • Laura Mercier Brown Copper Kohl Eye Pencil
  • Laura Mercier Pink Champagne Lipstick
  • Laura Mercier Secret Concealer
  • Nars Mud Mask
  • Paul & Joe Refreshing Skin Toner

Sometimes I find a sample isn’t large enough to test the actual results. I am still on the hunt for a good eye cream – but at this point in my life, no sample will be large enough to see the “full effect.” I’m in my late 20’s and am lucky to not have any wrinkles yet, so I can’t really see what difference an eye cream makes since at this point it’s more of a preventative treatment than a corrective one. I have been told by just about every woman over 30 that they wish they had started using eye cream sooner – sales associates put on the heavy-duty sales tactics when trying to sell me scientific eye creams and being the skeptic I am, I’m convinced they are simply trying to get me hooked for life.

Given this perspective, I find it both understandable and somewhat justified that so many bloggers receive free “press samples” from a number of cosmetic companies. It opens up doors to new products and lines that don’t get much press and allows people to try new things and tell others about their thoughts and experiences.

I still find the whole concept of free press samples a bit touchy and controversial at times. I have my own personal concerns and thoughts about this issue, but I think it’s an ingenious way of advertising socially, and blogging or showing things on YouTube in any form is hard work and time consuming. I personally don’t always need a review of a product to find a post or article interesting, sometimes just the info is enough to make me happy to have something to look forward to.

To get back on subject of samples/freebies/GWPs:

Tell me what samples or product minis have you loved so much it made you go out and purchase the full size?

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Trish McEvoy Little Black Card Champagne Truffles

January 2, 2010

I was sold on this simply by the name “Champagne Truffles.” The box and the blue python pouch are to die for. The box says it all with adorable glossy product photos and fun-to-read description and how-to instructions. (Click the photo for larger viewing to read.)

Cute box and python case
Top Deck: Natural Blush, Champagne Shimmer Powder, Shell Eyeshadow (light pink), Truffles Eyeshadow (brown), Charcoal Diamond Eyeshadow (charcoal)

Swatches of the top deck, the blush/shimmer powder didn’t show up in the photo, it doesn’t go on as sheer on the face
Bottom Deck (no swatches yet)

I found this at Saks, but I believe it has arrived at Nordstrom and Neimans too. The kit is $58 USD which is pricey considering the double decker cards were $38 when she first released these. Various counters at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales or Saks often have GWPs to make the purchase a bit more worthwhile by spending a certain amount. Inspite of the high price tag, I still love these cards because I think they look cute, especially since you can just stick it in your purse and have everything in one compact.

One more view:


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My Dior Picks from Spring 2010

January 2, 2010

The spring theme this year seems to be all about pretty packaging & embossed designs through many of the different lines. Dior is the winner for the prettiest and most feminine designs from what I’ve seen so far.

I found the Dior Spring collection at Bloomingdales and the Coquette quint, Pink Lace shimmer powder, Pink Embroidery lipstick and Silver Pearl nail polish won me over.

The sweet sales associate at Bloomies was kind enough to let me snap a photo with my camera phone even though it didn’t turn out to have the best quality:


Here’s a recap of what’s being released, although in the US, we are getting 3 different lipsticks and at this time I’m not sure if we’re getting the Peach Lace 02 Highlighter (I’m still keeping my fingers crossed).


PLEASE DO NOT REPUBLISH MY PHOTOS WITHOUT PERMISSION. I’ve noticed these have already been uploaded on a few other websites. All my photos are copyrighted, republishing them is stealing and illegal, please remove them immediately.

Pink Lace Poudrier (001)

Coquette Quint (743)

Coquette Quint (743) Swatches

Pink Embroidery Addict Lipstick (663) & Silver Pearl Nail Polish (604)

Silver Pearl Swatch (1 coat)



Initial thoughts: I swatched the Pink Lace highlighter but my camera wasn’t cooperating, but it’s a lovely iridescent pale highlighter, similar in finish to Nars Luxor, but more sparkley. I can’t really tell if the white is overspray, but I love the finish and it comes in a heavy metal compact with a lace design on the outside. The Coquette Quint is lovely and highlight pigmented. The pinks look very similar, but I rarely wear all 5 shades in Dior quints anyways. I passed on the Iridescent Quint because they just weren’t me. The Silver Pearl nail polish is surprisingly pigmented for a Dior nail polish, I only needed one coat. It’s very metallic and while I think it’s pretty, I prefer less-foiled looking shades for the fingers. I think this will look good on the toes. I have yet to swatch the Pink Embroidery lipstick but it looks like a pretty neutral cool rose.

While there was a tester unit out in the case, the Dior rep was off for the day and the sales associate who helped me wasn’t sure if the items could be touched (even though it’s clear they are in the tester packaging). I decided to wait on the other items when I could actually test them. The blush looked absolutely gorgeous, but my experience with DiorBlushes have been so-so, they all seem really sheer and I didn’t want to buy the one from spring without testing it.

Overall a lovely collection with beautiful lace designs. I was a bit sad after swatching these because part of the imprint faded away – but I know it’s bound to happen with use anyways.

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Spring Collection Scans from Maquia February 2010 Issue

January 1, 2010

Happy New Year to everyone! Per reader request, scans of the spring collections. These are from Maquia & Voce which I thought had the best photos/layout. I didn’t scan all the lines, these are mostly the ones in the US and there are a few that I’ve never heard of that are on the same scanned pages.

Chanel

Lancome & Estee Lauder

Christian Dior

Givenchy, Clinique, Shu Uemura

Maquillage

Shiseido, Cle de Peau, Majolica Majorca

Beaute de Kose Esprique Precious, Beaute de Kose, Addiction, Jill Stuart

Align Center

Helena Rubinstein, Suqqu

RMK & Lunasol

YSL, Clarins, Guerlain

Nars and Paul & Joe
Kesalan Patharan, Paul & Joe, Maybelline NY

Anna Sui & MAC

Giorgio Armani

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New Laura Mercier Crystal Pink Lip Shine & Barely Nude Satin Lipstick

January 1, 2010

The spring collection from Laura Mercier this year is very simple and polished looking with neutrals in the pinky-brown color family. Most of the collection was actually a bit too neutral for me but I really liked the new Lip Shine in Crystal Pink which is a potted rich-pigment gloss (bronzey peachy pink) and Barely Nude Satin Lipstick (creamy beige).

L to R: Crystal Pink Lip Shine & Barely Nude Satin Lipstick

Swatches in the same order (with flash)

Swatches by the window, natural light


The other lipsticks are in the brown and pink-brown family similar to MAC Spirit and Twig but more wearable. If you liked the Renaissance Eye Color Duo from Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale last July, you will probably like the new eyeshadow duos as well since they are all very natural and light.

Also in the collection is a cream highlighter with 3 different colors (pale pink, rose, bronze) placed into layers in the compact. It seemed a bit too messy for me, but was really pretty – it’s something I might go back and look at again.

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