It’s been a very busy month for me. I haven’t had time to respond to many comments or personal request emails. Many have asked for my thoughts on a number of new products – some I have been testing, some I have not. Here is a sneak peek of what I have been testing recently. I will do my best to gather my thoughts and write up my reviews as soon as possible.
What’s coming soon? Dolce & Gabbana’s new Cream Foundation and Brush, Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks, Dolce & Gabbana Holiday Picks, Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Skincare, Koh Gen Do Skincare Loves, Trish McEvoy’s Delicate Beauty Voyager Card Set, Edward Bess Quad Royale in Summer in Capri, Dior’s Couture Golds 554 Quint (finally spotted in-store at Nordstrom).
This is the year of new foundations and I love all the different formulas, textures and finishes companies have developed and released this year. After my trusty Teint Innocence was discontinued I’ve been searching for my new holy grail replacement for a liquid/cream formula. I don’t know that I’ve found a replacement for it, but I have fallen in love with different formulas, textures and brands. What I’ve discovered this year: Koh Gen Do’s Aqua Foundation, Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation (review coming soon), Edward Bess Compact Sheer Satin Cream Compact Foundation (review coming soon, but I’ve already used up one compact), Guerlain Lingerie de Peau and the latest, Chanel’s new Perfection Lumière.
Perfection Lumière ($55) is a long-wear fluid foundation with SPF10. It applies beautifully with a brush or a sponge with a medium-to-full coverage flawless satin-matte finish. Originally I thought it would be replacing the recently discontinued Pro Lumière but Perfection Lumière is actually quite different (it’s not as moist or heavy-feeling on the skin). I found the detailed reviews from RaeViewer and Cafe Makeup to be tremendously useful and I urge you to visit their blogs. I am darker in skintone than Cafe Makeup but lighter than RaeViewer. Here are my personal thoughts:
Application: Perfection Lumière comes with a convenient pump and applies with smooth even coverage. I found application with the Chanel Foundation Brushes (Original and New Versions in the US) was easy and goof-proof. I do however prefer a sponge, but since sponges soak up more foundation product faster, I’ve started to apply foundation with the brush and then smooth out any streaks or uneven areas with the sponge.
Finish: The finish of Perfection Lumière is matte but not quite a full matte. I find it a bit more satiny with a dry finish. Powder is not needed at all. I still always finish with a powder or powder foundation, but I did wear the new Perfection Lumière without powder on several occasions and it lasted all day. I agree with others that as your skin warms up and the foundation sets that it becomes slightly less matte compared to when you first apply.
Coverage: I would rate this as a medium-full coverage foundation, leaning more towards the full side. It really evens out the skin completely – it’s like magic. It’s not quite as thick as concealer, but the closest thing I think I’ve found – without looking too fake or cakey. I feel that I need a bit more of a moisturized base to get the best application. I actually like layering it over Koh Gen Do’s Aqua Foundation for areas that need a bit more coverage.
Color Selection: I’m always in the Beige range for Chanel. I swiped Beige 30 and 40 on the back of my hand and felt there was a bit of a gap. If I were to pick my perfect shade I would be right in between. I went with Beige 30 because as my skin warms up it adjusts and darkens slightly. Also with summer over I know my skin will lighten in the next few months. Beige 30 seemed to be the best choice for me.
Overall thoughts: Even though I couldn’t get an exact match, Beige 30 is still very close to my skintone. Overall I give this a huge thumbs up. I love that you don’t need powder to set and that it truly lasts all day while still feeling weightless on the skin. Even though the coverage is full your skin can still breathe. I didn’t experience any breakouts, irritation or sliding off the face. I love that Chanel released three different color families this time. I think more women will have a better chance of finding a good match.
A few packaging and shade comparisons within the Chanel Foundation line. Although the shades look quite different, they all are good matches once blended out on the skin. I do feel that Teint Innocence in Shell is a bit dark for me these days though so I’ve been mixing it with Cameo.
Have you tried the new Chanel Perfection Lumière Foundation? Did you find that your usual Chanel shade was a good choice in this formula?
The latest from Le Métier de Beauté includes two new Lip Crèmes named In the Know Bordeaux and Purple Haze. These are exclusive to Neiman Marcus and designed by Fashion Director Ken Downing to go in conjunction with his Bordeaux Lip/Nail duos that were released earlier this fall. The two new Lip Crèmes are all the rage right now, and rightly so. Bordeaux and plum are both key colors this year for fall. You can see raves on Messy Wands, Café Makeup, The Non-Blonde and swatches on Karla Sugar. While the price at $36 is rather steep for a lipgloss, Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crèmes are among the best in formula, color and quality that I’ve tried from all brands. There is full coverage with this hybrid lipstick/gloss formula and no color bleeding. Most lip cremes can be drying or too opaque because of the semi-matte finish. Not with Le Métier de Beauté. The shimmer and pigment give depth to the lips with full coverage.
The two colors from Ken Downing’s Bordeaux Collection:
In the Know Bordeaux is a deep wine red with shimmer, this one is highly pigmented and requires precise application, I needed a lip brush to evenly cover the edges of my lip
Purple Haze is a beautiful light mauve plum-pink shimmer, this shade is easier to apply and more forgiving with a less precise swipe, goof-proof and naturally flattering
Swatched:
Comparisons to other glosses:
Bottom line: I need a back up of Purple Haze, it’s such a lovely mauvey pink-plum. which I find very unique. I don’t own anything quite like it. In the Know Bordeaux is a color I find difficult to wear for everyday. The intensity of the color made it difficult to apply in one quick swipe. As you can see from the lip swatch even with a lip brush I still smudged it a bit on the outside rim of my lips. It’s gorgeous for evenings or dates, but I’m still scared of highly pigmented red-plums. Most plums tend to pull more red on me, as you can see from the lip swatch, it’s quite bright on my lips/skintone. Darker-bright-reds tend to age me unless they have a more transparent glossy finish or some hint of pale shimmer. Still I found both stayed put relatively well for a gloss.
Have you checked these out at Neimans?
These glosses were kindly sent to me courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté for review.
Dior Exquis #611 ($22) is one of four nail colors in the Dior Vernis d’Or Collection this year for the holiday season. The theme this year for Dior is gold and each of the nail lacquers are infused with gold powder. Exquis has the complexity of colors like Chanel Peridot and Dior Bronze Libertine but I find that Exquis is softer & slightly less edgy making it easier to pull off for everyday. It is an intriguing color of taupe and brown mixed with gold shimmers. Depending on how the light hits your hands sometimes it looks taupe, sometimes it looks dark brown, other times a golden fawn. The finish is smooth and glossy. It requires two coats for full coverage. I’ve grown to love the chiseled tapered brush – it makes application so much easier.
Pretty gold veins:
I could not find a dupe in my stash. I have seen dupe attempts pop up online though some look quite close. The closest I have is Dior’s Bronze Libertine (Neiman Marcus exclusive from last year), but it’s not quite the same.
Some more comparisons on the nail wheel, L to R: Chanel Khaki Rose, Dior Aztec Chocolate, Exquis, Underground, Czarina Gold, OPI Melody in Mocha, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Sephora by OPI Already Famous, Dior Bronze Libertine.
Coming eventually, each shade from Dior’s Holiday 2011 collection but for now, here are the four lined up (all are limited edition so I recommend you act fast if these are on your wishlist):
The last two items I will be featuring from the Chanel Holiday 2011 collection include Noir-Ivoire Eyeshadow Duo ($42) & Féérie Natural Finish Loose Powder ($52).
Noir-Ivoire Eyeshadow Duo ($42) is a beautiful classic duo of a soft luminous ivory shimmer and a complex semi-satin soft black. In the compact it looks very basic, unoriginal, almost bland. However I found on the eyes it looks quite lovely. The ivory shade is not quite as yellow as the promotional photos show but it does have a yellowish tinge. It’s similar to the Lumière Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder but the powder is more beigey-pink and the shadow is more yellow. The black shade looks matte in the compact but after brushing it on the skin I found that it’s actually not really matte. It’s not really a shimmer either, but I would describe it as a having a satiny finish. I love the complexity of the colors in this because it prevents it from looking too harsh or ashy.
Féérie Natural Finish Loose Powder ($52) is a pinkish-beige soft sheer matte powder with tons of pink and white shimmery flecks. It comes in the finishing powder formula which I found a bit odd. The base is very sheer and light and the shimmer is not quite the glitter size but bigger than a shimmer. It seems too sparkly to use all over the face in my opinion and even as a highlighter seems a bit too glitzy. I think it would make a lovely dusting powder for going out on the cheeks. I don’t think I will be using this on the eyes – I’m worried about the glittery fallout but I haven’t tested this on the eyes yet. It’s simply gorgeous in the tub but too much for me for everyday. I recommend reading reviews from Best Things in Beauty and Fruity Lashes – they both love this powder.
Swatches:
With High Flash:
Comparisons (I apologize for the mis-spellings):
I really love the duo in this collection even though it’s fairly basic. The powder is something I’ll have to play with more. Thanks to alice for pointing out I spelled Noir-Ivoire incorrectly. I hope it’s now updated everywhere in the post (except for the labeling).
Enivrée Rouge Allure – a healthy glowing sparkly pink (applies true to the tube, but the arm swatch below looks sheerer than in person)
Sparkle d’Or Glossimer – a transparent gloss infused with gold flecks
Sweet Beige Glossimer – pink nude beige with gold shimmers
When I was at the counter there were no testers so I picked the colors I felt were safe. Enivrée Rouge Allure gives a beautiful healthy flushed pink glow. The texture of the Rouge Allures are pure luxury – creamy and moisturizing. The shimmer is a stunner with multi-colored flecks but without frost or grittiness. The glossimers are beautiful neutrals. Sweet Beige covered my entire lip to give a nude-pink glossy pout. The pigment is medium. Sparkle d’Or is a sheer almost clear color that gives a hint of golden sparkle. It’s a good layering gloss. I love that the glosses matched the eye shadow single theme of beige and gold. I did not get good lip swatches but here are a few more close ups.
I do believe Enivrée Rouge Allure is unique and a must-have for the holiday season – it’s not similar to any of the Rouge Cocos, except it’s perhaps similar to the Rose Dentelle Rouge Coco with added complex shimmers. The glossimers are lovely but fairly standard in my opinion. They are stunners but I think there have been better shades released in past seasons by Chanel.
Les Tissages de Chanel in Tweed Brun Rosé 70 ($45) is the newest release for the tweed effect blushes inspired by Chanel’s tweed fabric. These blushes come in a rectangular pan in the classic black Chanel compact woven with two different shades with an overlay of gold shimmers. When applied on the face Tweed Brun Rosé 70 is a warm peachy shade with a hint of brown. I found it very similar to other Chanel Tweed blushes. The undertone is different and appears to be a mix of Corail and Ambre. It’s a more intense version of Tweed Corail – tan ladies who found it a bit too light for their skintone will love the new Brun Rose for holiday.
For me, the color isn’t a must-have simply because of my overload on the peachy colors. It is a beautiful color and the Chanel Tweed blushes are known for giving that subtle but noticeable glow to the cheeks. The finish of Brun Rose is true to the Tweed formula – natural, elegant and refined and easy to apply (practically goof-proof). I think those who are concerned with warmer shades turning orangey need not worry with this color. It didn’t darken on my skin at all, but I definitely recommend trying in person if you have any hesitation.
