Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime Picks

May 15, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana’s latest release, the Italian Summertime collection, has arrived at Saks. Nikki from the Houston store called to let me know the new shades arrived just in time for their Saks Friends and Family. Her descriptions are always so helpful, but luckily I saw the items featured on Makeup Magpie the same week so knew what to expect before my package arrived.

A quick breakdown of the new colors in the collection plus over the phone descriptions:

Classic Cream Lipstick in Venere (vibrant cream orange red)
Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla (nude tan cream)
Shine Lipstick in Perla (pale frosted pink)
Shine Lipstick in Luna (pale gold champagne)
Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Acqua (clear with white frost shimmer)
Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Cannella (dark brown shimmer)
Precision Lipliner in Caramello (tan brown)
Smooth Eye Color Quad in Vulcano
Eyeliner in Bronzo (taupe bronze gold shimmer)
Eyeliner in Agave (deep forest green shimmer)
Mascara in Dahlia (dark plum)
Intense Nail Lacquer in Passione (rich fuchsia magenta mauve)
Luminous Cheek Color in Sole (vibrant red)

Based on Nikki’s recommendations, I ordered everything she thought I would love: Vulcano Quad, Sole Blush, Mandorla Lipstick, Perla Lipstick, Agave Eyeliner, Bronzo Eyeliner, Passione Nail Lacquer and the Dahlia Mascara (not featured).

Vulcano Quad:

Agave (top) and Bronzo (bottom) Eye Liners:

Sole Blush:

Top to bottom: Mandorla, Perla, Passione

I haven’t had time to play with anything yet except the Passione Nail Polish. I highly recommend you visit Makeup Magpie’s blog – she has done a lovely series on her picks complete with amazing swatches and comparisons. I will do a more detailed feature on each item in the upcoming week.

Many of you ask “where do you buy brand x?” You may notice I normally do not write about who I buy from mainly because I want you to go out and explore and discover makeup artists and sales associates on your own. I believe it’s best for you to develop a personal relationship with a brand expert who can see you in person to really know what you like and what looks good on you. After all makeup shopping is about more than just the product, it’s about the experience!

However, with hard-to-find brands, it’s a different story. I will help in any way I can. With HTF items, we often times end up ordering online. It’s definitely convenient and it’s hassle free from overzealous associates who overpromise and under-deliver (hate those). But online swatches are crummy and you often miss out on promotions, GWPs and sometimes great customer service.

I’ve written about Nikki before – she’s amazing (I didn’t tell her about my blog at first, but someone else spilled the beans and when she asked, I did tell her, yes, I have one). I’ve never met her in person, but she is friendly, upbeat, prompt in letting me know when new things arrive and never fails to give me super accurate descriptions over the phone. Her product knowledge is superb. She foundation-matched me over the phone twice (once when I was tan, and then recently when I got lighter). Both times were a perfect match. The GWPs she has with her store are generous and while the minimums might be higher than most brands, they are not ridiculously high (around $100 to $150) and they often include at least 2 full sized products plus a makeup bag. The items in Dolce & Gabbana GWPs are nice items that are usable. Bonus!

You can reach Nikki at Saks Houston at 713 627 0500 x5101. I’m not sure when their next event or GWP occurs, but she will give you the full 411.