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Sabrina

Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow | Poésie #234 and Tissé Rivoli #226

July 15, 2014

Chanel just released nine new Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadows in the US ($61 each for 2g/0.07 oz). I’ve been eagerly waiting for these quads to arrive in the US and am so happy they are finally here. I purchased two of the shades in Poésie #234 (limited-edition) and Tissé Rivoli #226. These come in the round pan format but the formula is different from most non-US quads that come with the round shapes. The texture is slightly creamy with amazing pigment and shimmer. They blend well on the lids without any base needed. The pigment is truly incredible and very easy to control. I’ve been a huge fan of the regular Les 4 Ombres (US versions) – I think the new ones are even better.

Poésie #234 is a limited-edition shade. It showed up online at Chanel.com and Macy’s for a limited time but currently isn’t listed. I contacted Nordstrom once the quads launched to see if Poésie would be listed and was told it is an in-store exclusive. I’m not sure if it will show up online again or not but you may need to track it down in stores like I did. It’s a stunning quad with a warm tan beige shimmer, an ivory shimmer, a dark blackened smokey brown-plum and a soft lilac shimmer. This is great for an everyday eye but the black shade is amazing for a smokey eye look.

Tissé Rivoli #226 is a neutral palette with warm neutral shades. It has a similar effect on me when I compare it to Poesie, but the Tisse Rivoli is slightly warmer and some of the shades are a tiny bit more sparkly. I don’t think you need both, but they are both really stunning.

Here they are swatched side by side, note that the shimmers are highly reflective so they look more shimmery in the photos than they are in real life. These were swatched with the sponge applicator:

I pulled a few other palettes to compare:

Fitting all the quads on one arm proved to be impossible so I have two sets of swatches. Comparisons show that Raffinement is very similar to Poesie and Tisse Rivoli:
Chanel Kaska Beige (discontinued)

Chanel Rives (discontinued)

Overall a huge thumbs up for both the new Les 4 Ombres in Poésie #234 and Tissé Rivoli #226. For those who like easy to use palettes with colors that are easy to combine these are perfect. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with larger palettes (although I do love them), having four coordinates shades makes life easier to create polished looks. I find both similar, Poesie gives me more of a smokey eye while Tisse Rivoli is more neutral but slightly more glitzy. I can’t choose between them.

Eight of the Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow are available now online at Nordstrom and Chanel.com. These should be arriving at your counters soon, I spotted these near me at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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Fresh Tinted Sugar Shine Lip Treatments – Rosé, Honey and Cherry

July 14, 2014

Fresh has extended their Sugar Shine Lip Treatment line with three tinted shades in Rosé, Honey and Cherry ($18.50 each for 6 ml/0.2 fl oz). I’ve been a huge fan of the Clear Sugar Shine Lip Treatment for its high shine finish and sweet lemon-sugar scent. I like it more as a clear gloss rather than a lip treatment but like the way it feels on my sensitive lips. I ordered the tinted version from Sephora the week they launched online. They apply smoothly just like the clear version with a high shine finish. Rosé is a soft rosy pink with a transparent finish. Honey is a warm honey shimmer color. Cherry is a super sheer cherry red gloss. My favorite of the three is Rosé because it gives the lips a healthy soft tint of pink color. They have a slight plumping factor but without any tingly feeling (huge plus for me).

These come with a sponge tip applicator:

Swatches of Rosé, Honey and Cherry:

Rosé is my favorite of the three, it’s a soft classic rose pink with flawless coverage.

Honey has a bit of shimmer in the tube but it’s very subtle on the lips. It’s a full-coverage kind of gloss on me but you can sheer it out.

Cherry settles into my fine lip lines if it’s not blended well, I suspect it will be better over a lipliner or chubby stick to intensify the red color and make application smoother-looking. You can see my natural lip underneath in the swatch below.

I pulled out the corresponding Lip Treatments with the same names (the ones that come in a twist up stick/tube form) and swatched them side by side. The colors of the Lip Treatments vs. Sugar Shine Lip Treatments is very similar on the lips. I prefer the texture of the tube/sticks but mine always break easily. The gloss/sticks are much more convenient and easier to apply for me.
For additional reference on how these look on the lips, you can see the Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment lip swatched here. Sugar Honey swatched on lips here.

Huge thumbs up for Rosé and Honey Sugar Shine Lip Treatments. Cherry is a gorgeous sheer glossy red but it’s not super flattering when the color settles into lip lines. It need something underneath to work for me. I like the smooth texture and glossy finish. The scent is absolutely delicious – sweet but not overly sweet which is a huge plus for me since I tend to be picky with the way lip products smell. 

I was at my local Sephora over the weekend and didn’t see these in store yet but I suspect they will be arriving soon. I ordered my Tinted Sugar Shine Lip Treatments online from Sephora.com. Currently available at Fresh.com too.

Are you a fan of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments or the Sugar Shine Lip Treatment? Which ones are your favorites?

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Chanel Dentelle Précieuse Illuminating Face Powder – Nordstrom Anniversary Beauty Exclusive

July 14, 2014
This year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Beauty Exclusive for Chanel is the stunning Dentelle Précieuse Illuminating Face Powder ($80 for 6 g/0.21 oz, made in Italy, limited-edition). It comes with an exquisite embossed lace detail. The powder is a gorgeous mix of beige, rose, and champagne. On the skin it has the prettiest beige glow with a hints of pink, champagne and bronze mixed in. At a glance it seems like it’s just another pretty beige highlighter with an expensive price tag. While you can get a similar effect with other illuminating powders, I do believe the mix of shimmers in Dentelle Précieuse gives it a truly amazing effect on the face. It gives the perfect glow from within that isn’t too subtle and isn’t too frosty. The mix of pink and bronze in the powder give the face a bit of color so it’s not just your standard beige frost.
It comes with a black soft pouch that holds both the powder compact and a small angled brush:
On the nails, Chanel Tapage

The color is difficult to capture in swatches but I found the photos on Color Me Loud and Indigo Kir Royale both demonstrate it’s complexity with swatches using different pressures in application. It also shows how it gives more color to fair skintones, while it acts as a highlighter for medium to darker skin. Here are a few photos at different angles to show how the light reflects on the shimmer. On my medium/olive Chanel B30 skin this is clearly a highlighter.

Here are a few comparisons to other highlighters, I have two sets to show you. On screen the effect is very similar between highlighters so I’ll share my thoughts on the differences.

Set one with Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Edward Bess and Burberry illuminating powders:

  • Chanel Mouche de Beaute (discontinued) has a more gel-like texture with a transparent quality, it has a lot more glitz and sparkle giving it a paler look since the shimmers are more on the silvery side
  • Chanel Pearl Glow Powder (discontinued) has a more matte base, it’s also more powdery and has more yellow with gold shimmers
  • Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Brick ($42) is significantly more frosted, the pale champagne shimmers give it a paler finish
  • Edward Bess South of France ($45) is a quad with soft pinks and pearls, it has a softer finish with less shimmer, it’s also more pink in tone
  • Burberry Golden Radiance ($48) has a lot more frost to it, it’s also darker with more taupe/tan/gold tones
Set two includes some from MAC, Hourglass and Estee Lauder:
  • MAC Shimpagne Mineralize Skinfinish (discontinued) has a high frost finish with pink/champagne tones, below you can see it pulls more pink
  • MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish (original) has a paler beige shimmer, it’s less complex compared to the Chanel Dentelle Precieuse
  • Hourglass Luminous Light is one of my favorite highlighters, it pulls more pink and a bit more shimmer on the skin, on me it’s more champagne vs beige
  • Hourglass Radiant Light is more golden compared to the Chanel, the hourglass also has a less complex finish and mix of shimmers
  • Estee Lauder Modern Mercury (discontinued) is significantly more pink with a metallic finish
I didn’t want to fall in love with an $80 powder but Chanel has created the perfect beige highlighter. On my olive skin many neutral highlighters tend to pull pink or almost white with the silvery shimmers they have. The Chanel Dentelle Precieuse has a stunning mix of bronze, peach, and rose that gives this more color giving a lively glow to the face. It’s still manages to be a true soft beige highlighter without going into the gold/tan zone. It’s pure love for me and I even bought one backup.

Various countries received the Chanel Dentelle Précieuse Illuminating Face Powder highlighter earlier in the year at certain retailers. In the US it is an exclusive to Nordstrom for this year’s Anniversary Sale (available now). On me it’s a stunning beige highlighting powder with a bit of color. If you search for other reviews you may find it looks almost bronzey on fairer skintones. It’s a splurge, but in my mind worth every penny. I love it and think it’s a definite must for Chanel lovers. It is limited-edition so if you’re interested I suggest acting sooner than later.

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Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquers in Daphne and Maia

July 13, 2014

This summer there are a few new lip and nail shades for Dolce & Gabbana Beauty. There are five new Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks ($36 each) in Lotus, Jasmine, Amaryllis, Lily and Orchid and three new Intense Nail Lacquers ($25 each) in Daphne, Maia and Gaia (you can see the details on Makeup4All). I purchased two of the nail lacquers from Nordstrom:

  • Daphne is a beige gold with multi-colored shimmer flecks of gold, silver, champagne, rose gold
  • Maia is a metallic shade that’s a rich a rose gold peach frost

Both shades apply very smoothly. The brush design of Dolce & Gabbana nail polishes has improved over the years. It’s shorter and more dense with a better tip for flawless application. Both of these applied nicely with a few strokes. They are two-coaters but the pigment is rich and smooth with the first coat. They both have removable gold caps.

Daphne has a nude-beige base that is similar to my skin tone. I found it naturally flattering for a conservative polished look that’s work-appropriate. I found it to be a slightly darker beige compared to most other neutral nudes I own. I suspect those with tan skin will really like this one as a perfect nude that doesn’t look too pale. The pigment and coverage is very good.

Maia is a rich cantaloupe-colored metallic. Metallics sometimes worry me since brush strokes can be very visible and streaky looking. Maia has a smooth finish with minimal brush strokes showing. It’s very warm on my skin but the hint of pink in the shimmer prevents it from being a pure orange.

Comparisons below (swatches on prior reviews linked below):
Laura Mercier Organza (discontinued)
Chanel Sahara Beige (discontinued)
Dior Spring Ball 343 (discontinued)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick
Rescue Beauty Lounge Nails and Noms

I wasn’t able to test these for an extended period of time, but based on my experience with recent releases like Oleandro, I’ve been able to get at least 5 days wear without any issues. I’m in love with Maia – the iridescent quality was impossible to capture with a camera, it has a lovely blueish pink shimmer that makes it really unique. Daphne is a lovely color as well – these days I’m preferring a bit more contrast and color but it’s a great everyday kind of nude with a gorgeous shimmer.

I found both Daphne and Maia at Nordstrom. Also available at Saks.
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Date Night Details

July 13, 2014

I have a quick moment to share a snapshot of some details for tonight’s date with my husband. It’s a warm summery evening which calls for a lightweight dress and open-toe sandals. I’m keeping everything simple with a few accessories as accents:

Dress – Iro (old)
Sandals – Banana Republic (sold out online but I’ve spotted them in stores)
Purse – Prada Saffiano (small)
Eyes – NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadows in Himalia and Subra
Cheeks – NARS Matte Multiple in Vientiane
Perfume – Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black (beauty insider mini)
Bracelet – Hermes
I spent a good part of the day swatching the new Fresh Sugar Shines, Dolce & Gabbana Nail Polish and Chanel highlighter. I hope to get some editing done tonight to have posts up soon. I’ve also received a lot of requests about the cute little Fujifilm that I have been featuring. I’ll work on a review on it as well and share the research I did to decide which brand/version to go with (there are quite a few options out there!).

I hope you are enjoying the weekend with some relaxation and fun!
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Eye Makeup NARS

NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows | Dione, Callisto, Himalia and Subra

July 11, 2014
I picked up four more NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows in Dione, Callisto, Himalia and Subra ($29 each). I’ve been using the more natural Europa and Andromeda on a regular basis for a natural glowy eye. The other shades in the line are more intense in color and sparkle. It was hard to narrow down my picks and I will probably pick up at least one more shade sometime in the future. All the colors are phenomenal in texture, pigment and lasting power. They have a sort of creamy finish but act like a powder. The texture makes these adheres well to to the skin and while I wouldn’t call them budge-proof, they last quite long without fading. 
  • Dione is a sparkly silvery taupe, it pulls very cool on my arm but on the lids it’s more neutral
  • Callisto is a very sparkly cool lilac champagne, it’s similar to Dione, but on me Callisto is more pinkish/lilac and paler in color
  • Himalia is a neutral warm and cool kind of gold, it has a warmish base but the shimmers are cool, on me it’s a neutral tan-nude golden color, it’s shimmery but not frosty
  • Subra is a dark purple, red, brown shimmer, it also has a subtle shimmer finish
Dione and Callisto are similar on my arm and in the pan but the difference is noticeable on the lids. Both have a high shimmer factor that borders on frost but aren’t too frosty. I was really happy to see that there was no fall out on the face during application or throughout the day. Himalia and Subra are shimmers as well but the shimmer is more subtle in finish.

Here they are swatched next to Europa and Andromeda. They are swatched dry with fingers.

Close ups of each shade show how they have a good base color and different colored shimmers. It gives these shadows a multi-dimensional look.

 
Some comparisons, two sets with:
MAC Coco Pigment (discontinued)
Tom Ford Platinum Cream Color (discontinued)

Chanel Magic Night Eyeshadow (discontinued)

Huge thumbs up. The Dual-Intensity shadows have a really smooth pigmented finish. They apply easily with fingers or a brush. I’ve found them extremely versatile – you can wear these alone with a liner, layered together, under or over powder shadows. The uses are really endless. Applying with a damp brush intensifies the color. Between Dione and Callisto, I prefer Dione because it has less contrast with my skin and therefore looks less frosty.
The Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows retail for $29 each. There are currently twelve color options and every color looks amazing. I bought mine from Nordstrom.
Have you purchased any yet? What are your favorite colors?
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On Instagram

July 11, 2014

I hope everyone had a great week. I can’t believe we’re already into the second week of July. I’m currently playing with the new NARS Dual Intensity Eye Shadows (in four more shades) and the new Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment Tints just arrived at my house yesterday (I can’t seem to stay away from Sephora, their emails keep getting me). I’ll have swatches up soon (check back this afternoon). I stopped by Nordstrom yesterday and picked up 2 of the Anniversary Beauty Exclusives, the Chanel Dentelle Precieuse Highlighter and the MAC Look in a Box – All About Coral lip and eye set (will photograph this weekend). Still debating a few other items. In the meantime here are a few snapshots from Instagram over the past few weeks.
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