It’s a brand new month and this time of year summer beauty collections start to trickle in. So far I’ve been building a wish list that is primarily Chanel, Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs. Can’t wait to see what everyone has in store for the upcoming season. Right now there are a few new things that are on my beauty radar:
Edward Bess recently launched his Matte Artist Eyeshadow Palette (1) I’ll have a review on this in the upcoming weeks. This Friday Edward will be on the QVC Show at 5pm EST where he will be featuring some new product launches. One is his new Fully Defined Brow Duos (2). They will come in a choice of Neutral or Rich (on right) and both feature the same brightener shade to lift the arches.
Guerlain has a four new shades of the Terracotta Natural Healthy Glow Powder Duo (4). The compact is a stunning pearly color and the powders are super soft in texture. Review to come soon.
Nuxe fans will be happy to know they’ve expanded the Rêve de Miel line with a Gentle Shampoo (5). I’ve been testing this and have fallen head over heels. It’s an amazingly soft sweet honey scented shampoo that is gentle and leaves the hair soft. I’ll have a detailed review on this soon too.
Surratt Beauty (6) just launched online at Sephora.com. I’m thrilled there is a new place to buy Surratt items. For reference, three of his lip items previously swatched and reviewed here.
Last but not least, By Terry (10) has 5 new shades of Hyaluronic Sheer Nude Hydra-Balm and 4 shades of a new Cellularose Moisturizing CC Cream. I have the CC Cream in Shade 3 (review soon) but initial thoughts are that it offers good natural sheer to medium coverage that’s buildable and is very hydrating.
For spring Tom Ford released a collection of edgy deep and dramatic colors different from the typical spring beauty palette. I featured the Spring 2015 Cream Color for eyes last month which is a unique and stunning smokey mix of khaki, gold, brown and grey. Today I have the three Eye Color Duos ($60 each for 0.13 oz) to share swatches and thought on in Raw Jade, Crushed Indigo and Ripe Plum.
These duos are packaged in a mirrored compact the same size as the Tom Ford Blushes. Each duo contains one light iridescent color and one deep color. The texture is really interesting like a soft creamy powder similar to that of the Burberry Wet & Dry Glow formula and NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadows. You can apply these with a finger or a brush. In addition there is versatility with application in terms of wet and dry methods. Either way you apply them, the formula adheres really well to the lids and glides on effortlessly. Color and pigment is buildable dry. When you apply these with a damp brush, the duo chrome quality in the lighter colors shows through and deepens the color of the darker shades.
The colors themselves are very different from anything I own. Ripe Plum contains a light opal pink and a deep brown plum shimmer. Raw Jade includes an iridescent pale ivory that flashes green and a khaki sage shimmer. Crushed Indigo has a white that flashes violet and blue and a brighter deep navy. I’ve been testing these for the past couple of weeks and Ripe Plum is my favorite. If you’re a fan of plums this is a really good one. The deep plum brown is absolute perfection. I rarely wear khaki or greens because they tend to make my olive skin look sallow but Raw Jade has a good mix of different color options to make it look good on the eyes (even my husband approves). Crushed Indigo is way outside of my comfort zone. I find it rare that I can wear bright navy or blue shadows. The colors themselves are really quite stunning but on my neutral-loving makeup self, it’s good when mixed with a darker color shadow to deepen the color. Alone it’s too bright for me, perhaps one day I’ll be braver to wear it.
Swatches show the brightening glow of the lighter shades. When you layer them over the darker colors it shifts the overall look and tone in a very unique glowy way.
Close ups and swatches wet vs dry. Plus a couple of eye swatches. For more color reference, I highly recommend you check out The RaeViewer for her review, swatches and application tutorials. She has really good swatches that show how much layering and different application techniques can really change the color of these duos.
Crushed Indigo:
Raw Jade:
Ripe Plum:
One last shot together:
My favorite of the three is Ripe Plum. The duo-chrome opal pink color brightens the plum shade and gives it a soft pink tint. Even my husband approves and says I should wear color like this on the eyes more often. Raw Jade surprised me with how wearable it is for a khaki green duo. Adding more of the light color makes the color look more like a bright green. If you use more of the khaki shade it stays more neutral and wearable. Crushed Indigo is still something I’m not brave enough to keep on my lids for more than 2 minutes.
The formula is really good. I like that these glide on the eyes smoothly even over bare lids. They don’t require any primer to bring out the pigment or to make them stay put. They work well alone as is which is a huge plus for me. Lasting power is really good. Both Raw Jade and Ripe Plum managed to stay on the lids from morning until late evening when I removed all the color to wash my face. Even if you’re a neutral eyeshadow lover like me, I still think these are worth looking into. Especially Ripe Plum. You can always mix these into your current palette and these will give your eye look more depth and edge without looking overdone. At the same time if you like dramatic looks the wet/damp application method helps change the color into deeper tones if you want something edgier.
You can find the Eye Color Duos at Tom Ford counters now. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bloomingdales. (Stay tuned for a review of one of the mascaras and two nail colors, I ordered the nail polishes and I have one now, and another on it’s way to me now.)
Did you check out the Tom Ford Spring Collection? What did you think?
The Eye Color Duos were provided courtesy of Tom Ford for review consideration. All other items in the post purchased by me.
Shown above: macarons picked up from one of my favorites Bottega Louie, home-made Nespresso with the Pixie, mugs part of the VertuoLine set, on the nails Marc Jacobs Daisy (reviewed), Fresh Sugar Nude (swatched), March 2015 issue of Vogue
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I’ll be attending The Makeup Show LA today for the first time even though this year marks the 7th year they have been on the West Coat. Stay tuned for a full recap of my experience. In the meantime I have a few reads that I’ve been loving this past week that I wanted to share.
Café Makeup reviews and compares the new Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Powder in Indiscretion to the previously released Spellbound
British Beauty Blogger has a preview of Chanel Les Beiges coming out this summer, I need one of everything please!
I have major envy of this beautifully edited and well organized makeup desktop on Tamira Jarrel (formerly Lipstick With Some Sunshine)
The RaeViewer has a gorgeous tutorial on how to use the MAC Nordstrom Naturals x15 palette
It’s been a while since I bought something from Clinique but the Nude Pop Cheek Pop Blush looks utterly gorgeous on Temptalia
Beauty Professor has 6 shades of Burberry Kisses swatched and reviewed
I love using Instagram as a way to keep up with my favorite reads in beauty, fashion, travel and more. A few that I’ve been loving:
@theglowedit Kate Rooney has some of the most gorgeous beauty images filled with amazing marble backgrounds, Jo Malone, Tom Ford Byredo, and much more
Dior recently released their Eye Reviver Eyeshadow Palette ($62 for 9.4 g/0.33 oz, made in France). This is a new 6-pan palette featuring a mix of soft neutrals and one gel-cream eyeliner. It’s described as an illuminating eye palette that contains what Dior calls “Glow-Mimetics technology” which brighten the eyes with a radiance-boosting effect. I briefly featured this in my Trending Now: Spring Neutrals post earlier in the month. I’ve been playing with this for a weeks now, experimenting with different application techniques and layering methods.
The Eye Reviver Palette contains a mix of very soft neutrals. Although some of the colors look very shimmery in the pan, on the lids, the shimmer becomes diffused and very soft. Many have commented on my eyeshadow palette posts that the market has no options for the beauty lover looking for something in between pure mattes and high-frost shimmers. I personally like a good shimmer (as long as it’s not overly glitzy or glittery), but I know several do not like shimmer at all. This is a good in-between option.
The colors left to right include a soft light beige-peach cream, a light-to-medium beige, medium soft fawn satin, shimmery taupe-mauve, shimmery brown plum and a soft black gel liner. The gel liner is a good one, it’s a soft black that you can build easily and on my eyes it doesn’t smudge or bleed once you let it sit. It helps to go back over the gel liner with the darkest shadow to intensify the color and help it set on the eyes.
The first time I put this on my eyes, I was a bit disappointed with the sheerness of the colors but this is mainly because the first three colors are close to my natural skintone. After playing with this I found that it requires a bit of layering and a good creamy base (I am obsessed with Edward Bess Eye Illuminating Base). For me if palettes contain satiny light colors that are close to my skin tone, I usually need to start with the medium/middle shades first, then blend and layer the lighter ones on top. Sometimes layering light to dark works, but in this case, for me, I needed to mix things up. The result is a very soft neutral eye. You can layer the shimmery mauve and brown colors for more intensity to build up color. If you use a good base the colors layer nicely with medium but buildable pigment. The result is a soft and glowy eye look that you can intensify by applying the darker shimmery colors with a damp brush.
If you’re new to applying eyeshadow or need one that is difficult to overdo, this is it.
Here’s a quick comparison to the Urban Decay Naked2 Basics (one of the very few all-matte palettes I like and use, I liked it enough to get a backup even though I don’t think it’s limited-edition):
Bottom line: it’s a good basic palette that will define and illuminate the eyes in a natural way. Given the fact that the colors are neutrals, you may find it too similar to other colors, especially if you have the MAC x15 Cool Neutral Palette, Urban Decay Naked 2 (1, 2 or 3 swatched here) or a multitude of neutral single colors. That being said, there is a nice simplicity to this palette. Having an edited selection of shades makes it where you don’t have to worry about how to coordinate colors. Each color layered together will work to give you a soft gradient of an eye look with little to no effort.
After testing this for a few weeks, I personally don’t find this to be a must-have for me mainly because I already own a lot of eyeshadow palettes and also because I like a bit more contrast in my shadows. I think the MAC x15 palettes and Urban Decay Naked series will give you more bang for your buck in the sense that you will be able to create a wider range of eye looks. That being said this is a beautiful no-fuss set of neutrals that is soft enough for a conservative office environment.
The week is flying by so quickly, I can’t believe it’s almost Friday. I picked up a couple new fragrances that have been on my wish list for ages. I picked up the small bottle of the Les Exclusifs de Chanel in Beige and Byredo Black Saffron (reviews coming in the next few weeks). Also new acquisitions are MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks in Shanghai Spice and Peach Blossom, both repurchases of lipsticks I used up a while ago. MAC lipsticks usually dry out my lips but I still can’t stop using them because some of the neutrals are really good.
The Le Volume de Chanel Mascara is a long-time favorite. I just found out they released a waterproof version so I ordered it. So far I’m really liking it and I hope they release more colors in the waterproof or bring back the Navy Blue one because as far as colored mascaras go, that one was my favorite.
Also on the lips this week are Chanel Glossimer in Seashell and YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains (swatches and review here). For cheeks I still can’t get over how much I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light (also in a palette form). I’m going to call this one my never-ending bronzer. I use it a lot and still haven’t made a dent. It will probably last me forever.
Non-beauty related is my love for these rimless aviators (more colors here). It’s virtually impossible for me to find small sunglasses these days when oversized everything is in everywhere. Most of my sunglasses are several years old and it’s rare these days to find smaller frames to fit my face shape and size. These are 59mm and the perfect size for me. I bought them in multiple colors (three to be exact).
Last but not least, I’ve been really liking the Armani Eye Tints (#9 shown above). I am eager to see how the YSL Pop Water Full Metal Shadows compare (still waiting on these to ship, I have a few on backorder).
What are you loving this week? Any new beauty discoveries or staples you’re loving right now?
I think a good toner can make a world of difference in keeping the skin clear and refreshed. This time of year my skin typically goes crazy as the seasons change, however this year right now my skin has actually been getting better, clearer and feels smoother. I attribute this to a few things I’ve switched up in my skincare routine for day and night. I’ll have a roundup of cleansers and moisturizers I’ve been using, but for now today’s focus is on toner.
Today there are so many different types of facial toners on the market, each one has a different purpose. For me I have crazy sensitive skin that will react within seconds to many toners. Others will feel great upon application but then make my skin super oily within minutes. Five I have in rotation all have different purposes. You definitely don’t need more than one toner at a time although I typically have 2-3 toners on hand to rotate depending on how my skin feels.
Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Toning Lotion ($25 for 6.7 fl oz) is my most-repurchased toner. I’ve gone through a few bottles of this one. For me it’s the best everyday kind of toner if your skin is normal. It’s gentle but effective in helping clean the skin after your regular cleanser and there is a very soft exfoliating factor built in. I like that it’s good for my sensitive skin and doesn’t dry the face out or leave a film residue. If your skin is normal/combo or dry there are other toner options from Estee Lauder that you might want to check out. (There’s a gift with purchase online at Nordstrom right now in case you wanted to stock up on some items.)
Ingredients:
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The SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion ($70 for 5 fl oz) is my second most-repurchased toner. This one is on the pricey side but is another good everyday kind of toner. It contains a mix of AHA and Pitera™which is unique to the SK-II skincare products. These help clarify the skin and exfoliate dead skin cells to help prep your skin for moisturizers or serums. This one is very gentle on the face and really works to clear up the skin. I had tiny little bumps on the cheekbones and this helps keep them away. It’s refreshing and it leaves the skin feeling soft. There is a slight moisture feel left on the skin after you apply it but it doesn’t feel like residue. It’s gentle enough that it doesn’t sting the skin even on days when the face is a bit tender.
Chanel recently reformulated their Le Blanc line. I was at the counter buying the new Hydra Beauty Micro Serum and my go-to sales rep said she highly recommended the new Le Blanc Brightening Moisturizing Lotion ($67.50 for fl oz) for my sensitive skin. I have never been able to use any of the Chanel toners in the past without getting tiny little red bumps within minutes, another rep commented she too could not use any of the toners from Chanel but this one was worth trying. I gave it a shot and have been really impressed. I’ve been needing extra help in the brightening area, especially with some acne scars. This one is extremely gentle. It has a texture that is thicker than most traditional toners but still absorbs nicely into the skin with a cotton pad. It helps soothe the face and really does work to help with my acne scars. After using this for a few weeks my skin feels rebalanced and clearer. There is some hydration with this which is perfect for right now as my skin needs moisture and clarifying at the same time.
Ingredients:
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Kate Somerville Clarifying Treatment Toner ($26 for 5 fl oz) came highly recommended to me by a rep who doesn’t work for the line. We were discussing face masks and treatments to help with my acne scars. By now my chin and jawline breakouts have almost completely disappeared (it’s 97% there to clear skin) and what I have to fix next is the scars and dark marks. He said hands down the Kate Somerville toner is his favorite and that it’s designed for post-acne scars. I typically don’t like tones for acne-prone or oily skin because I find them too stripping and it ends up sending my skin into overdrive oiliness. This one is alcohol-free and has witch hazel to fight acne-causing bacteria, phytic acid to lighten skin for scars, and aloe to soothe and calm.
After testing this for several weeks I think the upsides are that it really works to calm down the skin, especially if you have redness from irritation. It helped soothe areas that were tender from dry patches and acne. I do think it’s a bit drying on the forehead for me, but it worked really well on other areas of the face. I’ve seen a difference on my cheeks and chin area with this. For toners that brighten the skin and help reduce irriration, I would say it’s a toss up between the Chanel Le Blanc and Kate Somerville Clarifying Toner. The Chanel is better suited for normal to dry skin while the Kate Somerville seems to be clearly for normal to oily skin.
Last but not least is the By Terry Cellularose Hydra-Toner ($65 for 6.8 fl oz). I had used a few samples of this in the past and it comes highly recommended by a few friends. I don’t consider myself a huge fan of rose scented products but I am a big fan of the Cellularose Brightening CC Lumi Serums (review here), Baume de Rose (for lips) and the Cellularose Nutri-Baume (for a face moisturizer on dry skin days). For me to fall in love with those items even with the rose scent says a lot about the products themselves. For me the rose scent in the By Terry line is a soft rose that is wearable and soothing (at least to me). The Cellularose Hydra-Toner is their Clarifying Comfort Toner and it’s the best one to soothe skin over the entire face (not just spots). It’s designed for all skin types and I would say formula-wise this is really truly good for all skin types. It leaves the skin feeling refreshed and glowing and also works to shrink pores and remove any signs of dryness. I do think the rose scent is stronger in this compared to other By Terry products. I cannot use this in the evening because the fragrance interferes with my sleep. This one leaves the skin looking the most dewy/glowy without feeling greasy or any residue.
Ingredients:
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Good toners have helped keep the skin clear and it’s an extra step to help make sure the face is truly clean with subtle exfoliation. All except the By Terry are almost fragrance free, each has a soft clean scent that is very subtle even for my super sensitive nose. If you’re in search of a new toner as we transition seasons, I hope this roundup is helpful. I think using a good toner can really help rebalance and readjust your skin as it reacts to weather changes. Sometimes my skin just gets used to something after using a product for an extended period of time and it becomes less effective so I like to switch things up every so often. For reference, I use all of these with a cotton pad (my favorites are Cle de Peau Beaute and Chanel). In summary:
My everyday go-to toners are Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean and SK-II, these are good for normal sensitive skin that needs daily balancing and clearing
For seasonal transition, brightening and hydration, the Chanel Le Blanc is amazing, I’ve been incorporating this one into my weekly routine and I’ve been really pleased with it, it seems to be suitable for dry skin days but also works to clarify and rebalance, the skin is brightened and looks softer
For acne scars and soothing, the Kate Somerville is really worth looking into, although if you have normal skin, you may not see as much of a difference with this one
For all skintypes, the By Terry Cellularose Hydra-Toner seems the best for oily, dry, and sensitive, it will leave your skin feeling truly refreshed and glowing
Do you have a favorite toner? I would love to hear about your favorites and skin type. Do you use the same one year round or do you switch things up as the seasons change, or even on a weekly basis?
After discovering beautyblenders last year I fell in love and have been using these sponges on a regular basis to blend my foundation and cream-based makeup products. The latest from beauty blender is a small duo called the micro.mini ($17.95 for a pack of 2). These are ultra cute baby-sized sponges designed for detail application like the inner eye corners, brow bones, sides of nose, and cheeks. According to beautyblender, the micro.mini is 1/4 the size of the original version and made of the exact same material. Online reviews are mixed on these, many state that it’s simply too small to even fit in the fingers, but I think the key to using these is to use them damp. When you get these wet they expand and double in size and become more bouncy. The expanded/damp application blends cream products flawlessly and smoothly versus a dry sponge.
I’ve been testing the micro.mini for a few days now and I’m a fan. I really like these for applying makeup under the eye or blending products around the nose. I’m always twisting the full size version when I blend concealer under the eyes to get a more precise blend, the mini is the perfect solution for those tiny areas you want to blend where a sponge is too big but a brush is too detailed. I’m one who doesn’t like to use the same tool for foundation and concealer (I just don’t like mixing two products on one tool), so the micro mini is perfect for me. I know many like tools that are multi-purpose. If you don’t mind using the same sponge for concealer and foundation then this won’t be a necessary tool.
When the micro.mini is dry it’s ultra tiny making it difficult to hold even in small hands or fingers. The best way to use these is damp where they expand to double the size. Below shows the size difference dry vs damp. Even when they are damp they are still small. If you find it slips out of your fingers try squeezing the excess water out with a paper towel. The first couple times I used it I found I needed to dry it more.
The uses are endless with the beautyblender sponges. You can apply product on the face and then blend with the sponge. Or you can mix products on the back of your hand (or makeup palette) and dip the sponge in and then apply to the face. There’s no one method I use for applying concealer. Sometimes I like to dab straight on the face. Other times I’ll apply it to the back of my hand first.
I really like the micro.mini. For someone who like to keep separate tools for concealer and foundation this is perfect. I’ve been one who usually blends concealer with fingers, a clean end of a sponge or a small makeup brush. I find if there is excess foundation on a sponge, the dewiness or luminous texture of the foundation will sometimes dilute or mess up the pigment of concealer if it’s mixed with the same tools. It’s not always a bad thing but sometimes I really want concealer to cover up areas, so using a clean tool is a must for me. The small size of the micro.mini works really well for me for concealer, although I don’t suspect it will be a must-have for all. Some will probably prefer a brush, fingers or just use a regular sponge. They are ultra tiny so I suspect they might be difficult to hold for some (it’s just the right size for me but I have smaller-than-average fingers).
There are multiple uses listed for the mini version which includes contouring and highlighting, but for me I think it’s too small for either of those purposes. I prefer powder for contour and for cream or liquid highlighters I prefer brushes. If you’ve tried these I’d love to hear how you use them.
You can find the micro.mini beautyblenders in packs of two for $17.95 now at Sephora and Nordstrom. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
The micro.minis were provided as press samples for review consideration.
