Yearly Archives

2012

Uncategorized

Deborah Lippmann Modern Love

August 19, 2012

Deborah Lippmann’s latest release for fall is a mauve shade called Modern Love ($16 for 0.5 oz). This comes in a full-coverage crème with a hint of nude. I found mine at Nordstrom in store. For those wondering whether this is more mauve, nude or taupe, I feel Modern Love has strong mauve tones. I found the stock photos online at Nordstrom.com extremely accurate.

This color applied smoothly with full coverage in two coats. I would say the pigment/finish/intensity is similar to that of Waking Up in Vegas (for comparison). Here it is with two coats and CND’s top coat. It makes my skin look darker and more tan. A few different views below. It appears to be a dusty mauve nude. I think it’s perfectly suited for fall … perhaps in September though. The color is lovely and polished, but I feel it would look better on either fairer skintones or more tanned skintones.

A few other Deborah Lippmann comparisons: Naked is the most beige/nude, Fashion is more brown, Waking Up In Vegas is clearly more grey. For the swatches, Naked/Fashion are swatched with 3 coats. Modern Love/Waking Up in Vegas only needed 2.

I’m still out of nail wheels so I pulled what I could fit on one hand. Other comparisons to a few other purples and taupes: Dolce & Gabbana Drama, OPI Tickle My Francey, Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge and Chanel Particuliere.

I found Deborah Lippman’s Modern Love to be quite unique in my collection. I thought it would be similar to a number of shades, but it has the right mix of mauve and nude to make it different from other mauvey shades I own. If you felt Chanel’s Frenzy was too subtle for your taste and are looking for something with more punch but still natural/demure, I highly recommend you check out Deborah Lippman Modern Love.
24 Comments
Uncategorized

Burberry Mulberry No. 24 Sheer Eyeshadow Comparisons

August 18, 2012
By request, a few comparisons of various burgundy-plum-brown shimmer eyeshadows. Included shades: Le Métier de Beauté Silk Road Kalidescope (2 shades), Le Métier de Beauté Alexandrite (from Persephone Kit that was discontinued), Le Métier de Beauté Bordeaux, Guerlain Les Bois de Rose, MAC Trax and Chanel Magic Night.

Swatches, same set/order, just two different views:

I found Burberry Mulberry to be the most similar to Chanel Magic Night in color. There is only a slight difference: Chanel Magic Night has the slightest bit more plum while Burberry Mulberry has more wine/red. I hope this helps with your purchasing decisions!
On a side note, thank you everyone for your continued support and understanding with my recent blog slow down. I really appreciate your patience, comments, emails, tweets and links! To give you a brief update without going into too much detail, I’ve just been busy with projects from my regular full-time job. I’ve tried to snap a few pictures here and there when I can for the blog. Thank you again for your support. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!
18 Comments
Uncategorized

Burberry Autumn/Winter 2012 Sheer Eyeshadow: Dark Sable, Mulberry and Porcelain White

August 12, 2012

Burberry Beauty has released a beautiful well-edited collection for fall consisting of:

  • three new eyeshadows Dark Sable No. 23, Mulberry No. 24, Porcelain White No. 25 ($29 each for 2.5 g/ .088 oz, made in Italy)
  • two new lip cover lipsticks Sepia Pink No. 32 and Mocha Glow No. 37 ($30 each)
  • a new velvet-finish foundation plus a few repromoted items ($54 each, 8 shades available)
Adina from Nordstrom San Francisco at the Burberry Counter just received the fall items last week and kindly emailed me swatches of the new items. I was drawn to the three new eyeshadows and immediately ordered them. Burberry continues to release high-quality products with beautiful pigments, textures and colors. I am very impressed and pleased with these three new beauties.
  • Dark Sable No. 23 is a matte dark brown. It’s similar to Taupe Brown No. 07 but slightly warmer and deeper. It has a smooth finish that is easy to apply. It does require a bit of layering and smoothing out with a brush but stays put for a long time on the eyes without budging.
  • Mulberry No. 24 is a beautiful complex deep dark wine plum shimmer with a reddish base. I am still experimenting with this color but so far love it. I’ve found that my favorite way to wear this so far is to layer it over Dark Sable along the upper lash line blended slightly for an intense non-traditional smokey eye. This combination creates a well defined eye that stands out without looking too harsh. It’s has enough plum pearl to prevent it from being a too auburn or red.
  • Porcelain White No. 25 is a soft white shimmer with a blueish flash. It has the same intensity as Pearl White No. 01 however Porcelain White No. 25 has a slightly sheerer base with more shimmer and more blue. I find this color a bit too sharp for my skin to wear by itself (I’m darker now this summer) but mixing/layering it with a color like Trench or Gold Trench gives a nice glow.
Some more photos and swatches:

Under artificial light:

Comparisons to other Burberry Beauty Eyeshadows:

Thoughts on the other new items available for fall:

  • Sepia Pink lipstick looked absolutely gorgeous but similar to Rosewood, I decided to wait and try in person (the closest counter is over an hour away so this might not be for a while)
  • Mocha Glow lipstick was tempting but I know it will be too brown/nude for me
  • Velvet foundation is something I will probably not try since my skin did not work well with the other Burberry foundation or glow product (both caused a bad allergic reaction for me)

A few other lovely blogs to check out with Burberry Fall 2012 features: A Lipstick a Day, Indigo Kir Royal and Lina’s Beauty Diary.

These three eyeshadows are my favorites out of all that I’ve seen released for fall this year. Dark Sable is probably too close to Taupe Brown to justify owning both, but I like that it’s warmer. Mulberry is a beautiful color that requires layering to work for me, but I love it. Porcelain White is a different kind of white. I like that it’s not a pure white or cream. The blue flashes are subtle enough to not look too blue and the texture layers well with other shades to add a unique touch. Overall Burberry continues to impress me with the high quality and beautiful colors.

I found the fall collection at Nordstrom in San Francisco. You can call the counter (415) 243-8500 ext. 1421. Ask for Adina 🙂

Have you checked out Burberry’s fall offerings? Thoughts?

24 Comments
Uncategorized

Dior Vernis Bengale #615

August 5, 2012

Dior’s Golden Jungle collection for fall has been out on counters in the US for about a month now with the exception of one nail color called Bengale #615 ($23 for 10 ml/0.33 fl oz). This shade is a medium brown cream and currently exclusive to Neiman Marcus and Dior.com in the US. It just arrived last week in stores at the Neimans counter near me. The coverage is smooth with a naturally glossy finish. If you look closely at the bottle under the light you will see tiny bits of silver shimmers suspended. Most of my non-shimmer Dior shades have the tiniest bit of micro shimmer infused in the colors. Unfortunately these aren’t visible on the nail but it does help give the colors a bit more depth. I had hoped Bengale would be a warm soft brown with pink tones like the promotional photos. In real life it’s a darker brown with the slightest hint of green undertones on my skin. It’s still lovely for fall, just not quite what I had expected. 

Here you can see the sparkle:

Here it is with two coats (no base or top coat):

Many have been wondering how this compares to other browns such as Chanel Khaki Rose and Dior Underground. I’ve pulled out a few colors to swatch side by side: Chanel Particuliere, Chanel Khaki Rose, Chanel Khaki Brun and Dior Underground.

Although Dior Bengale wasn’t quite what I expected, I still find it very unique in the sense that it’s a true medium brown on me, something I was lacking in my collection. It gives a nicely polished look that can be easily incorporated into my work wardrobe for fall. It’s conservative, polished and neutral. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me, I give it a thumbs up (although I can’t say I think it’s a must-have).
Did you check out anything from Dior Fall? Thoughts?
14 Comments
Uncategorized

NARS American Dream Eyeshadow Palette

July 29, 2012

This fall NARS has released two new variations of their 6-color eyeshadow palettes. Product Girl gave us a sneak peek from an event she attended in July. I, of course fell in love with the neutral option, American Dream 9976 ($55 for .31 oz/9g, made in Canada) which contains Bellisima, Alhambra, Silk Road, Galapagos, Bali and Tzarine.

When I ordered mine from Saks online I couldn’t find a listing of the colors. Knowing that most NARS palettes contain existing shades, I knew there was a chance that I would already own half the colors. Turns out, I already own all of them, but I still find most NARS palettes extremely convenient for ideas and also for travel (my other NARS eyeshadow palettes here and here, still wishing I had purchased last year’s Nordstrom Anniversary NARS palette though).
Four of the shades come from some duos and two are available in single format. The shades with descriptions:
  • Bellisima is a pale ivory matte base loaded with tiny gold glitters
  • Alhambra is a warm champagne peachy metallic
  • Silk Road is a soft pinkish shell with pink and gold glitter chunks
  • Galapagos is a dark chocolate brown with tiny gold glitter flecks
  • Bali is a matte cool brown
  • Tzarine is a beautiful complex grey-blue shimmer with gold and silver flecks
More photos and swatches:

Under artificial light:

NARS American Dream has proved to be extremely versatile. I used it all last week and found that the shades fit nicely into any look, for both day and night, and worked well with a variety of shades from my wardrobe (last week I wore shades of black, aubergine, grey, pale mint and navy). I did have a bit of trouble with Silk Road’s glitter particles. I already own this duo and most of the time I feel the glitter is conservative enough to wear on the eyes for everyday, however there can be fallout issues. With the warm weather this week, the glitter fell onto my face and would not budge.
When using this palette, I’ve found the colors work well over Edward Bess’s Illuminating Eye Bases. I do like using a liner under the darker shades for added intensity in color, but I find it’s not always necessary. I’ve used 3-4 shades at one time (at most) from the palette.
Two looks I did last week, which I hope will give you an idea on how to coordinate the shades with lip and cheek colors.
Look 1 with peachy cheeks and light pink lips: Armani Blush #2 and NARS Deep Throat Blushes layered, NARS Rosebud Lipliner with Chanel Imaginaire Gloss on top, four eyeshadow shades in Alhambra and Silk Road mixed all over the lid, Bali and Tzarine blended along lash lines smoked upwards.
Look 2 with pinky-bronze cheeks and a sheer glossy bronze gloss: Shadows in Bellisima and Alhambra mixed together, Bali and Galapagos layered (slightly damp) as a liner, NARS Lovejoy blush with a swipe of Desire on top for a healthy glow, NARS Hopi Velvet Gloss Pencil with a bit of Dior Addict gloss on top.
I believe this palette may be available in some stores now, however my Nordstrom associates told me they were not allowed to sell until August 1st. I purchased mine online from Saks.com, I think it’s also available at Barneys online too, it should be available at most NARS counters starting this Wedesday August 1st. I’m fairly certain the palette is limited-edition, but I’m not 100% sure.
Have you seen or tried NARS American Dream? Do you already own most of the shades? I personally love it.
28 Comments
Uncategorized

NARS Multiple Comparisons: Luxor, Undress Me and Copacabana

July 23, 2012

This season, there is a new NARS Multiple this fall called Undress Me ($39). When I saw previews I wondered how it would compare to Luxor, another soft pale pink shimmer. Several bloggers kindly e-mailed me their thoughts after testing. I was warned about the glitter, yet when I saw this at the counter this past week, I could not resist. The official description by NARS for Undress me is a “ballerina pink with silver shimmer.” Like others have described, the shimmer is actually micro-glitter. It’s not the easiest to pull off with ease for everyday. The texture with the glitter is a bit chunkier and I cannot simply swipe and blend on the cheeks like I do with other NARS Multiples. After experimenting a bit I found Undress Me worked best for me when dabbing and blending lightly with fingers on top of another cream blush. It is glitzier than I am used to, but still something I believe I can wear for going out. I will need to experiment more. I highly recommend checking out the reviews from Scrangie and Product-Girl.
So how does it compare to Luxor and Copacabana? These are my thoughts:
Luxor is paler and sheerer, but gives a more natural luminous glow. The shimmer is very fine making this more glowy rather than frosty/shimmer.
Undress Me is the darkest nude-pink of all three. The base is easy to blend and on my skin it looks very nude with only a slight hint of pink. I personally would love this as a nail polish (reminiscent of Chanel’s Pink Satin nail polish from many years ago).
Copacabana is the palest and most frosty on my skin. On my olive skin it gives a sharper contrast since it’s so pale. This is a classic shade that’s great for highlighting. It also makes a nice eyeshadow base (although I prefer St. Barts since it suits my olive/medium skin better).

Under artificial light: 

 Swatched on bare skin, straight from the tube:

A blurry swatch picture, but here you can see the glitter particles in Undress Me:

A few more comparisons (Le Metier Mystique is similar on me, but more pink and more dewy and also minus the glitter):

I hope these comparisons help. Did you try Undress Me Multiple? Thoughts? How are you using it?

25 Comments
Uncategorized

Davines OI/OIL Absolute Beautifying Potion

July 21, 2012

I recently discovered a new product called Davines OI/OIL Absolute Beautifying Potion at my local salon. Normally Phyto products are used by my stylist for shampoo, conditioning, treating and styling, but this time several different items were used. The product that caught my attention was the Davines OI/Oil mainly because of the scent (mixture of soft vanilla, freshness and powder) in which two pumps were used to coat my damp just-cut hair before blow drying. The OI/Oil is a multi-purpose styling treatment that can be used on both damp and dry hair. It comes in a small pump bottle (135 ml/4.56 fl oz). I can’t recall the retail price, but I believe it was around $36-39 US.

Davines is a new brand to me. In researching a bit about the company, I found out they were founded in 1983 in Italy and began as a research lab for high-end hair and skin care products. You can find more information about their philosophy on Davines.com.

A bit of background on my haircare: When it comes to haircare, I’m
low-to-medium maintenance. I have thick hair that has a slight natural
wave that frizzes without blow-drying or straightening (which I usually
do both almost every day). I don’t color treat my hair and usually get
it cut 3 times a year. My staple products include: my Super Solano
hairdryer, HAI ceramic flat iron, Phyto’s Phytojoba Shampoo, Phyto 7
Cream, Neutrogena Body Wash (yes, as shampoo), and occasionally various
Pantene shampoos. I’ve used a number of Frederic Fekkai and Kiehl’s hair
products in past years, but prefer Phyto. There is one photo I’ve
posted of my hair from a Dry Bar visit (here) but this might help give you an idea of my hair type.

This is my first experience with a styling oil. I’ve use other styling sprays and conditioners before but never an oil. I was really surprised that this was able to deliver a sleek soft shine. I personally have used this for a few weeks on damp hair before blow drying. One pump is sufficient to cover most of my shoulder-length hair. A little goes a long way and I use this at most every other day (usually every other other day). It leaves the hair feeling soft and smooth and also works wonders to detangle hair after it is washed. I find it keeps the hair looking nice all day without getting a greasy or heavy look/feel. I do find that you definitely need to wash your hair at the end of the day though when using this (especially in the summer months). The ingredients:

I found this YouTube tutorial very helpful: Tutorial OI/OIL by Davines with Angelo Seminara.

Since purchasing this, I’ve stopped using all other styling creams (even my Phyto 7). I do think everyday use will be a bit too heavy for me but it works wonders when used sparingly. Given my love for this new discovery, I’m anxious to try more products from Davines. Since I’m new to the brand I’m not sure where this item is carried online. I noticed Barneys.com carries a few select Davines products. You can try using the Davines US Salon Locator to find a salon near you that carries this too.
Have you tried anything from Davines? Any recommendations or thoughts?
20 Comments