I first learned about Dior Golden Era 207 ($22) when Dior first launched their new nail polishes in the revamped formula online at Dior.com. I instantly googled trying to find swatches. I found some via The Purse Forum from sweetart and peach. (who I just found out has a blog called à la peach) and caved when I ordered Silver Lake last month. At this time I’m not sure if it’s just out of stock or is a limited edition – I checked Dior.com and can’t find it listed anywhere.
Golden Era 207 is a luminous sparkling sandy gold with beautiful multi-colored shimmers. There are glimmering particles of silver, gold, red and transparent tiny glitters suspended in a sheer golden-beige base. The finish is rather sheer but layerable. I needed 4 coats to achieve full coverage so I could actually see the gold color (just my preference). With 3 or less the nail polish makes the fingers glow with a soft sheen. I loved how à la peach showed the layering effect with multiple layers (be sure to visit her blog).
Here are some more shots and close ups:
If you look closely you can see the red shimmers:
I looked through my stash and didn’t see anything quite like it. The red shimmers add that extra oomph to make Golden Era truly unique. I think we need more nail polishes like this. (The red shimmer in this is like the flecks of teal in Chanel Quartz – they add extra depth, dimension and sparkle.) I pulled out my other Diors, no dupes to be found from Timeless Gold, Or Divin, City of Gold or Camel.
Swatch comparisons plus two more golds: Chanel Beige d’Or and Estee Lauder Extravagant Pearl.
I really hope this is just temporarily sold out on Dior.com. Golden Era is such a lovely color and being more of a neutral gold, I feel it would be more universally flattering than the Or Divin from holiday this year. Now if I could only find an eyeshadow like this …
One last shot of Silver Lake and Golden Era side by side:
Many thanks to the NY bloggers who gave us sneak peeks, swatches, and even a few eye-looks of Bergdorf Goodman’s latest holiday Kaleidoscope from Le Métier de Beauté, Antiquité Poupée ($95, limited edition, exclusive to BG). I was hesitant to buy for several reasons, mainly because it contained a warm matte rust shade and also because it was not available for sale online. The Black Panties and Josie pushed me over the edge though, both assuring me that the reddish color warmed up the eye look and was easy to pull off. It looked stunning on Messy Wands as well. I typically try to avoid any eyeshadows and liners that contain red but decided to give this a try and ordered two kits (one as a gift). The colors and descriptions are as follows (thanks to The Black Panties for providing the names for us):
Dusty Rose – a soft shimmery pink with a subtle gold shimmery sheen
Burlap Sorrel – a warm shimmering taupe
Tarnished Russet – matte rust brick
Ember Ash – a deep shimmering blue-grey
Close ups of the shades #1 Dusty Rose and #3 Tarnished Russet
Close ups of the shades #2 Burlap Sorrel and #4 Ember Ash
I applied it the second I received it using the Couches de Couleur layering technique, starting with the top shade all over the lids, then working my way down, applying the remaining shades in a gradient towards the lashline. The result: a truly stunning smokey eye. I was really amazed at how wearable the rust shade was when layered over the pink and taupe (although I dusted it with a loose fluffy brush to apply sheerly). I’ve tried to show it layered in a few swatches here. The pigment is rich but easily blendable. The shimmer is exquisite. Texture is soft, luxurious and easy to blend.
When I reviewed the Come One, Come All Kit, one of my readers mentioned she purchased the new Antiquité Poupée and said the taupey shimmer was the same as the taupe in Come One, Come All and Splendid Frost. I pulled out all my Le Métier kits and singles to do the comparison myself. Unfortunately, to my dismay, I discovered that my reader was right, the Antiquité Poupée has a repeat taupey shade compared to other previously released kits. I now have 3 of the same shade among 3 different kits. Not a complete deal-breaker for me, but still, I had hoped for something truly unique and different, something more silvery/grey. Here are comparisons for all four shades.
The more I wear this kit, the more I fall in love with it. The color combination is pure genius, especially considering the fact that I have never been able to pull off warm reddish colors. It’s suitable for a daytime look to wear to the office yet also perfect for night by adding a bit more of the darker shades to give a smokier effect. Yes, this kit contains colors that are similar to other existing shades from Le Métier (including the one true dupe in the taupe color), but I still like it. I am now no longer afraid to wear reddish eyeshadows, but my heart still belongs to neutrals and I am hoping that future Kaleidoscopes from Le Métier will include more neutral or cool toned shades.
Bottom line: Was this worth another $95 (times two for two kits)? Almost. One of the two kits I received had a packaging flaw. The glue used for the pans seems to have been so hot it melted the plastic bottoms causing it to shrink which made the actual shadow pans pop up (they were uneven). I was worried that I would damage the product if I didn’t open super carefully so I proceeded to spend over an hour using my blow dryer, flat iron, screw driver and scissors to try and depot/melt/flatten the plastic casing. (This is something I do not recommend, thank goodness there were no shadow casualties. Hours later it was fixed with only a few melted spots on the sides. FYI, the one photographed was the kit that was perfectly intact, the swatches were from the one I fixed.)
Overall I am pleased with this kit. I would have never thought to layer these four colors together and the convenience of having all four shades in one kit is a huge plus. I am really astounded at how beautifully these colors layer together for a pretty smokey eye. The texture of Le Metier’s shadows is hard to beat (in my opinion). If the taupe been different and unique and if the packaging hadn’t been flawed for 1 of the kits, I would have been 100% in love, but I am still one happy girl to be able to own Antiquité Poupée.
From what I’ve read on Twitter and Facebook, I understand this kit sold out immediately, but BG still might have a few more left coming in. If you’re considering this at all, I recommend calling the BG counter ASAP. If you missed out, the upside is that I believe you can achieve a similar effect with other shades from Le Métier de Beauté.
Did you purchase Antiquité Poupée? What were your thoughts?
Chanel Rose Caché looks similar to OPI Tickle My France-y, do you know how close they are? They are very close on the nails. Chanel Rose Caché has more warmth and more pink while OPI Tickle My France-y has more grey tones. I don’t have a preference for either color, I think they are both lovely.
I can’t see full posts or photos in my Google Reader or subscription emails. Did you change your feed? Yes, I did. Like many other bloggers I have had my content stolen through my RSS feed to download into a number of spam blogs. Stolen content can be removed via Google forms and by sending out DMCA notices, but it is extremely time consuming and not always effective. Thanks to London Makeup Girl who wrote a helpful article to help prevent content being stolen through spam blogs. I have changed my feed to “short” to only include the first paragraph. I realize this may be an inconvenience for some of my readers, but it is heartbreaking to have my hard work stolen – especially when most of the photographs on this blog are my own (ie they are not stock/promo photos). At this time I do not generate any revenue from ads, affiliate links etc. and it bothers me when others try to benefit from my work to generate traffic/hits/revenue for themselves by stealing. I apologize for any inconvenience to readers who prefer the full feed but I will not be changing it back in the near future. Shortening my feed is one thing I can do to try and protect my content. I could change my format to restricted access but I feel that would be more of an inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.
If you were to only pick one, which would it be? Chanel Noir-Ivoire or Dior Couture Golds? If I didn’t have Endless Shine from last year then I would have just picked the Chanel. Both options are very different though – Chanel duos offer a simple polished refined look while Dior quints give more variety but are usually more shimmery and festive.
What’s the best new highlighter this holiday season? This year is the season of the uber-subtle glow. I would say tied between Edward Bess South of France and Giorgio Armani Madre Perla 1 for the new items this holiday season. Personally I prefer the more visible highlighters of past seasons a bit more but this season offers some lovely options.
There are so many new foundation options out there now. In your mind what is the best one? The right foundation for you will depend on your skintype. Mine is normal, sensitive, small pores. Right now, my top 2 favorites are Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Creamy Foundation and Powder Foundation (sorry Chanel, my long time favorites were discontinued, so I found a replacement). I cannot pick between the two. Both are fine on their own. The cream works just fine without any powder and the powder foundation works well by itself, but I prefer to layer them both. The finish is smooth with natural but full coverage.
What’s the best skincare out there? The right skincare will depend on a variety of things like skin-type, sensitivity issues, age among a number of other things. I’ve always felt less is more when it comes to skincare but as I age, my perceptions have changed. These days I use a mixture of Cle de Peau (gentle cleanser and eye cream), Koh Gen Do (masks, cleansing water, massage milk, gommage) Le Metier (peau vierge day cream and cleanser) and La Mer (toner). I would never tell anyone that this is the mixture of things to use – skincare is so personal, no two people are alike. What works for me most likely won’t work the same for you. Some people like gel cleansers, others like ones that foam up. My only advice is that finding the right skincare will take time: lots of research, trial and error, if samples are available then the testing will be easier.
What did you think of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvets Collection? Will you be reviewing anything? I passed on all the Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks. I’m not a fan of matte or semi-matte lips. I think it can be hard for me to pull off since I have full lips.
How do the top two shades in Le Métier de Beauté Le Cirque compare to the taupey shades in Splendid Frost/Come One, Come All? I find the shades from Le Cirque to be very different from Splendid Frost/Come One, Come All. Here they are below.
This year, the Eyes to Kill Silk Eyeshadows from Armani for holiday are all about the sparkle. Three new shades in the small twist-off cap pots are $32 each for 4 g/0.14 oz:
17 a highly metallic silver sparkle
18 an intense sparkling pale gold
19 hybrid silver-gold shimmer
I’ve been a huge fan of these cream-powder shadows and loved the other Eyes to Kill shades (see Holiday 2010 here and the March release here) and did not find them too intense with the sparkle factor on the eyes. The newest colors this year are much more sparkly and more appropriate for going out or holiday parties. For the other shades I own, I use both fingers and brushes to apply. With the new holiday shades, I found that regardless of how light I tried to apply, all the shades were extremely sparkly. Blending or patting softtly still resulted in sparkle overload.
In terms of colors, I found that #19 was the most wearable with a slightly more subtle shimmer (but still intense). I would not feel comfortable wearing any of the holiday shades to the office. Perhaps the Gold #18 if I muted the sparkle with a satiny shadow on top. (Note the finish isn’t creamy at all so I wouldn’t recommend using these as a base. The texture is slightly creamy but they act more like a powder.) If you’re looking for a subtle refined glow, I would recommend you opt for Laura Mercier’s Metallic Creme Shadows or Bobbi Brown’s Cream Shadows instead. Here are close ups of the shades plus swatches:
Swatches with two different views, these were all applied with a cream shadow brush (Bobbi Brown and Becca brushes were used to swatch):
Overall lovely and perfect for going out, but the shades are intensely sparkly and might be too much for some. For me, these definitely are not everyday products to wear. #8 looks chunky and loaded with sparkles in the swatches but for some reason it’s quite a bit easier for me to pull off compared to the new holiday shades. If I could only pick 1 shade it would be #19 because the mix of the silver and gold make it more wearable (less contrasted to the skin/eyes). I personally prefer the palettes that were released with the collection because they are more wearable. If you need intense sparkle that lasts, you will love these. The lasting power is very strong. If you’re not a huge fan of a super sparkly (borderline glittery) eye, then I would recommend you pass and opt for the MadrePerla palettes (reviewed here) or something like LM’s Metallic Eye Creams.
Here are comparisons to a few other shades. No dupes to be found from what I own, but here is what is in the same color family L to R: Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, Rescue Beauty Lounge Decorous, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Chanel Particuliere, Dolce & Gabbana Grey Pearl, Dolce & Gabbana Amethyst, Dior Purple Mix, Chanel Rodeo Drive, Chanel Paradoxal, Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant.
The holiday collection this year by Dolce & Gabbana is called Precious Stones. You can see the entire collection lineup on Dolce & Gabbana’s Digital Magazine website Swide. The color theme of this collection is primarily mauve and purple – not typical of most holiday collections, but still beautiful. Being one who is scared of pure purples for both eyes and lips, I ordered a few things I felt were safe based on over-the-phone descriptions from Saks. My picks, descriptions and thoughts:
Grey Pearl 230 Nail Lacquer ($20 for 11 ml/0.37 fl oz) is a cream blue-mauve grey (more blue-based than Chanel Particuliere). The formula seems a bit thick in texture but sheer in finish (if that makes any sense). I found it more difficult to apply evenly because it was hard to get the right amount of product on the brush to get good smooth coverage. The color is reminiscent of Chanel’s Particuliere but with less brown. Although the name has the word “pearl” in it, there is no visible shimmer. I love the color but the formula isn’t my favorite – a surprise for me since I’ve had luck with other Dolce & Gabbana colors.
Amethyst 168 Nail Lacquer ($20 for 11 ml/0.37 fl oz) is a bright blue amethyst cream. It’s the brightest purple I own and a stunner. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable wearing this to the office on the fingers. I had applied this for a pedicure and was amazed at the lasting power – probably 2 weeks without any chips or tip wear. The formula is easier to work with compared to Grey Pearl. It does need 2 thin coats for full coverage. The first coat will look a bit streaky but it evens out with the second coat.
Mauve Diamond 38 Blush ($44 for 5g/0.17 oz) is a medium dusty mauve with hint of plum. I thought it looked similar to Delight, but when put side by side, I found Mauve Diamond to be several shades darker. It does not go on muddy and it’s a lovely color. Tanned skin ladies will love this shade.
Pink Sapphire 139 Lipgloss ($29 for 4 ml/0.13 fl oz) is a sparkling blue pink. Initially I wanted to pass on all the lips, but Nikki from Saks Houston assured me it was wearable and more pinky. I still find it very blue-based but the sheer glossy sparkles make this wearable. It is scented with a slight rose scent but it’s not too heavy and the smell fades within a few minutes. I find it to be a bluer, glossier more sparkly version of Le Metier Purple Haze, but the shimmer/texture makes the Dolce & Gabbana more easy to pull off.
Some more photos and swatches below:
Although I was slightly disappointed with the options for eyes this season (too purple for me based on preview photos so I passed), I am overall happy with the items I picked. Dolce & Gabbana makes beautiful blushes and Mauve Diamond is no exception. The purply Pink Sapphire gloss turned out to be more wearable than I thought from looking at the tube. The nail polishes are good colors, not really must-haves, but I will get quite a bit of use out of these even throughout the spring season next year. Note that Delight was not part of the holiday collection but I swatched it for comparisons. Nail polish comparisons to come tomorrow. Bottom line – although not really inline with the holiday color theme (either red, gold, classic silvers, or wintery theme), I think the blush is a winner and I am overall pleased with the items I ordered.
Rose Caché 521 Le Vernis is one of three nail polishes released in the Rouge Allure Velvet Collection this year. I had high hopes for the three new shades (as you may know I have problems with restraint when it comes to Chanel nail polish). Rose Caché, Pirate and Rose Exhubérant are all indeed beautiful classics, but seemed like uninspired repeats of past collections. After a few swipes of testing I was pleasantly surprised. The colors are beautiful even though not the most unique. The first shade I put on for a full manicure was Rose Caché 521, a sheer pale neutral nude rose-pink. There is a slight iridescent glow in the bottle similar to what you see in colors Paradoxal and Jade Rose but when applied on the nail you get a creamy non-shimmery finish.
The formula is very sheer and natural, I had to use three coats to get decent coverage and the tips of my nails still showed through slightly. The shimmer does not show up on the nails once applied. Some shimmer will show up when the sun hits the nails directly but it’s very subtle. For my skintone, the color of Rose Caché is very nude and almost mannequin-like. It’s more pink and more visible on the nail compared to Jade Rose, but Rose Caché is still extremely sheer. All swatches below are with 3 coats. I do like that it is non-streaky (it has better coverage than Riva or Jade Rose).
Since Rose Caché is classic and neutral, I think it could be easily duped with other brands, but I don’t think others can replicate the fine iridescent quality Chanel has that give their nail polishes depth and dimension. It’s been quite a while since I stopped looking at neutral creamy pinks from brands like Zoya, OPI or Essie – all the ones I’ve tried are either too pale or too warm. I do have comparisons to some other Chanel neutral pinks as shown below Mica Rose, Magnolia Rose, Rose Satin, Jade Rose, Perle Roseé and Rose Confidentiel. I didn’t think Rose Caché was very unique, but after comparing to other pinks, I found that there’s not really anything quite like it. (Below the angle/flash shows the iridescent shimmer of some of the shades.)
Overall nice to own, but not a must-have. There are some Chanel colors I really wish the shimmer was more visible. Rose Caché is one of them. If what you see in the bottle appeared the same on the nails (plus if it were a bit more pigmented/less sheer) I would have been completely head over heels. Prior to the US release I had googled “Rose Caché” on a weekly basis. I especially loved the features from A Lipstick a Day, Polish Police, Makeup Magpie and Elevensixone’s Flickr Page – all of which I highly recommend you check out.
Did you check out the Rouge Allure Velvet collection? I’m not a fan of the matte or velvet look for makeup so I passed on all the lipsticks and the matte topcoat. I think looking back on the past year, the Soho Collection, along with Spring (Black Pearl Le Vernis) and Fall (Illusion d’Ombres) blew us away in such a way that anything new is hard to top. What did you think of the new Chanel items?
