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Sabrina

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Le Métier de Beauté Pink Berry Crème and Coral Rose

March 10, 2013
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Le Métier de Beauté has released five new glosses (see line up with comparisons on The Ultimate Makeup and a snapshot of all shades on Twitter @BeautyGypsy). I purchased several from Neiman Marcus during their Beauty Event last month. My top two picks are Pink Berry Crème (a lip crème $36 for 0.22 fl oz/6.5 ml) and Coral Rose (sheer brilliance formula $32 for 0.22 fl oz/6.5 ml). Both are gorgeous spring colors.

Pink Berry Crème is a stunning rose gold in a pigmented creme formula. According to numerous sources, this is a re-launch of Cebu (formerly a Tyson’s Galleria exclusive) under a new name. I don’t have it to compare, but online reviews seem to show that these are indeed the same color. It has a gorgeous shimmery finish that isn’t frosty. Lasting power is average like most lipglosses. A few readers have e-mailed me about the scent of some newer glosses. Most I’ve tried have a lovely slightly burnt dusty vanilla smell. There are a few duo sets and also some exclusive releases that have a slightly different scent which is sweeter and a bit artificial smelling. However it’s not overpowering and fades within a few minutes. I’m not sure if it’s the same across all batches or just a few. 
Coral Rose is a high gloss coral peach. On me it’s surprisingly pigmented even though it’s on the sheerer side. There’s not really a plumping aspect to the formula but for some reason this one makes my lips look full. This one has no scent that I can detect. The finish has a high shine. I love it.
More photos below:


Lip swatches:

A few comparisons below show that there are similar shades, but both Pink Berry Creme and Coral Rose have a pretty sophisticated shimmer that I couldn’t find in any other gloss. Below glosses are from Le Metier unless indicated.

I found both Pink Berry Crème and Coral Rose to be lovely additions for spring. The colors are naturally flattering without being too natural. The colors are perfect to wear alone or over lipsticks and are versatile enough to incorporate into any look. Both should be available at all Le Metier de Beaute counters by now. For online shoppers I’ll include a few links below. Note that Pink Berry Creme is a lip creme formula which is more pigmented and slightly more expensive. Coral Rose is the sheer brilliance gloss formula which is sheerer more glossy and a bit cheaper.
  • Pink Berry Creme can be found at Neimans (I would try calling your local counter to help you locate, it’s not showing up online right now at many locations)
  • Coral Rose can also be found at Nordstrom, Neimans and Saks

Did you try any of the new glosses from Le Metier? Thoughts? Which one is your favorite?

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Tom Ford Ginger Fire Nail Lacquer

March 6, 2013

Tom Ford Ginger Fire Nail Lacquer is my nail pick for the week. It’s a luscious vibrant tangerine with subtle shimmer. I feel like I have summer on my fingers with this shade. It’s the perfect amount of bright, orange and red mixed together. Ginger Fire retails at $30 for 0.41 fl oz/12 ml and is available online at Nordstroms, Neimans, Saks and select counters. I purchased mine from Neiman Marcus Fashion Island in store.
To date I’ve purchased several Tom Ford Nail Lacquers and my feelings are mixed. The regular line consists of sheers and creams, most of which are on the sheerer side, requiring three coats. I haven’t been a huge fan of the creams mainly because they require three coats for full coverage and also don’t last long on me (chips occur on day 3 with major tip-wear). I’ve found that the limited-edition releases (metallics) wear much better in terms of pigment, coverage and lasting power. Ginger Fire seems to last like the metallics from Tom Ford’s beauty line. I only started to see tip wear on day 4 and only one finger had chipping by the evening. With two coats there is still a slight transparent look. You can still see the whites of the nails underneath. I think a third coat would cover the nail fully. Still the color is gorgeous. I love that the shimmer shows up on the nail if you look closely. It’s not quite as invisible as Chanel’s can be.

Swatched with two coats, this was on day two of my manicure:

I love the color, the formula is almost as good as Chanel/Dior/OPI, but not quite (in my book). The price is quite steep and although it may be difficult to get to a Tom Ford counter, I think more stores carry the nail polish and lipsticks versus the full lineup. The nail polishes may be easier to find. Given the fact that this costs $30 and has a semi-sheer formula, I can’t say that I’m 100% in love. Perhaps I need to experiment with different base and top coats to make it last longer. (I’ve been using Deborah Lippmann’s base coat and Rescue Beauty Lounge’s top coat.)
This past weekend I wasn’t able to do comparisons. I would say this is most similar to Chanel Holiday, except the Chanel is more reddish, while the Tom Ford is clearly tangerine.
Have you tried Tom Ford’s nail lacquers? Thoughts?


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Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

March 2, 2013
My latest skin/foundation/primer discovery is Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Beauty Balm ($34 for 35 ml/1.18 fl oz). I had been saving my Sephora Beauty Insider Points for months but as soon as I saw the Naked Skin minis available in-store, I redeemed some points for two mini 3.7 ml samples to try. I liked it so much after using a few days that I immediately ordered a full size tube from Urbandecay.com when they had their Friends and Family Sale.

After reading numerous reviews on this product, I decided to try this as a primer, over moisturizer but under foundation. I found that the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm has a peachy beige color but applies to an almost transparent finish. Since it comes in only one shade I was concerned about the way it would look on my skin. I have light-medium olive skin and right now use NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska and Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere in B30 along with Dolce & Gabbana’s Warm 100 in the Powder and Cream. I think I’m at the right skintone where the Urban Decay Naked Balm is perfect for my skin. I’ve been using it two ways:

1) Apply moisturizer, then layer Urban Decay’s Naked Beauty Balm, then dust powder foundation on top (I like Dolce & Gabbana’s and Chanel’s): the beauty balm helps to even out and prime the skin to help the powder adhere better but apply evenly, sometimes layering powder foundation over foundation can be too heavy, but applying powder foundation over moisturizer only doesn’t give enough coverage, the UD beauty balm helps give a good in-between
2) Apply moisturizer, layer Urban Decay’s Naked Beauty Balm, then feather in liquid foundation on areas that need coverage: the beauty balm helped the overall application of foundation and also helped it last longer on my skin throughout the day

I have normal but sensitive skin, I don’t typically use primers or beauty balms. When it comes to foundation, I like to keep the layering as minimal as possible: moisturizer, foundation then powder. Adding anything else usually ends up feeling too heavy for me although I have used and loved Guerlain Meteorites Perles Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer, Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel and Chanel Base Lumiere. The results of the Urban Decay Beauty Balm surprised me. I haven’t used it a full eight weeks to test out everything such as improvement of lines, lift, smoothness. After using it for a little over two weeks now, I can say that the overall look of my skin with foundation added has improved tremendously. There is a soft slightly minty fresh scent to the balm, it seems odd, but it’s really subtle and rather refreshing. The scent disappears on me after a few minutes of wear.

Right now, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska is a good match for me, you can see side-by-side the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm is warmer/peachier, it does blend out to an almost transparent finish.

 
Here are the ingredients from the sample package:


For me, I was lucky to try a sample (thanks to Sephora VIB points) long enough to see how it worked. This allowed me to decide whether or not to buy. I give it a huge thumbs up. However, given the fact that it comes in only one shade, I don’t think it will work for everyone. Also note that I like it as a primer which I don’t think is the intended purpose of this, so your mileage may vary. Hundreds of people have written reviews on Sephora.com and Urbandecay.com – I found them helpful.

Did you try Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Beauty Balm? What did you think? Did it work for your skin tone or skin type? Do you have any favorite primers or beauty balms?

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Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick

February 25, 2013

Bobbi Brown has released a gorgeous new limited-edition Shimmer Brick called Lilac Rose ($42 for .4 oz/ 10.3 g, made in Italy). I’ve been a long time fan of her shimmer bricks even though the frost/shimmer factor is on the higher side (for me). A light swipe across the cheeks can make any blush glow. Lilac Rose has five shimmering shades of pink, gold and lilac. Blended all together creates a light pale frosted cool-toned pink. On me it goes on paler than what you see in the compact. These are designed to be worn on both eyes and cheeks, but for this one I prefer on the cheeks only. I’ll show each shade swatched individually and blended down below.

Individual swatches (left side is from the top of the shimmer brick to the right for the bottom of the shimmer brick)

All shades blended together, light then heavy:

I found that Lilac Rose applied quite frosty on the arm but not so much on the face. I’m a Chanel B30 right now and am at the skin-tone shade where this color looks very natural. On me I can’t say that it works as a blush, it’s much too light for me. It does add a lovely glow when layered over any pink blush. I love it – but you may find it has a similar effect compared to other frosty pinks. I pulled a few to compare for you:

Swatches, same set twice (in different light):

If you have Wild Rose from Bobbi’s last collection or Dior’s Pop Diamond (I think it was also limited), then I don’t think you need Lilac Rose. However, if you’re anything like me then you know how hard it can be to resist a pretty feminine pink shimmery highlighter. I give Lilac Rose a huge thumbs up, but since it is on the lighter side, I do recommend you try in person before buying.

I purchased mine from Neiman Marcus to take advantage of the beauty week gift with purchase (classic cheek/eye palette with minis). Saks is also having a gift this week as well (lip palette with minis). For the moment both gifts are available online. I suggest you order soon or call your local counters to secure the a gift before they are gone. Also sometimes stores will have step up gifts that aren’t available online.

Did you check out the Lilac Rose collection and bring anything home with you?

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Chanel Western Light Le Vernis

February 18, 2013

Chanel has released a small beauty collection of three limited-edition items to celebrate the opening of a new fashion boutique in Hysan Place in Hong Kong. The three items include a 5-pan eyeshadow palette called Pearl River ($80) and two nail polishes in Eastern Light and Western Light ($30). It’s my understanding these will arrive in most Chanel Boutiques and select Studio Counters (Saks NY, Nordstrom Seattle, boutiques like the Wynn in Vegas). I ordered mine from Saks NY, however last week they did not have Eastern Light.
First up is Western Light Le Vernis, a dark vampy chocolate. Like some other classic Chanel colors, this one has a beautiful complex but subtle shimmer in the bottle. Unfortunately on the nail none of the pretty shimmer shows up. On me it applies like a very dark cream that looks like a pure black. The color has a thin slightly streaky finish with one coat, but with two thin coats transforms into a rich opaque blackened-brown. I have mixed feelings about this one. The quality and finish is stunning, but the color seems unoriginal to me. I can’t say it’s love simply because it’s so so basic for a $30 nail polish.

Close up of the shimmers:

A few more swatches:

In comparison to other vamps, you can see there are a lot of others that are more unique. Below are some Chanel bottles to compare. Further down there are a few more swatches from other brands.

Two wheels, same set of colors, just different lighting. First set is what the colors look like applied, very dark and vampy.

Second set in full sun with full flash to show the undertone a bit better.

I’m still undecided. Perhaps it’s the original Rouge Noir reincarnated? I don’t have the original to compare. But for now, I feel that it would have been so much better had they included some visible sparkle like the gold from Haute Chocolat or the silver from shades like Pink Satin.
Did you pick up anything from the Hong Kong Chanel collection? Thoughts? I’m debating whether or not to track down the white shade.
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YSL Rouge Volupté Shines

February 15, 2013

YSL’s latest is a new formula of lipstick called Rouge Volupté Shine ($34 each Nordstrom). I ordered mine direct from YSL a few months ago and have fallen head over heels in love with the shades I’ve tried.
  • No 07 Rose Infinite is a natural semi-deep rose plum. It has semi-sheer coverage but you can adjust the intensity. On the lips the intensity of the color increases if you swipe it back and forth 3 times. Applying a similar-toned lip liner first will help the color last.
  • No 08 Pink in Confidence is a soft neutral pink but leans slightly cool on my lips. It has a Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Boy feel in color but the YSL is more pigmented and slightly lighter on me.
  • No 09 Nude in Private is a warm peach. As with all the shades there are subtle sparkles in the tube but on the lips the shimmer and sparkle isn’t very visible.
  • No 11 Beige Instinct is a neutral nude shimmer. In the photo below it looks warm because of the lighting, in real life it’s really more flesh toned.
  • No 15 Corail Intuitive is a shade I picked up at a later date, it’s similar to No 08 Nude in Private but more peach with a brighter look.

Swatched on my arm you can see for a sheer lipstick there is quite a bit of color payoff. Since these are sheer they are still slightly transparent. These have a shiny glossy finish.

Here are swatches in direct sunlight without a flash so you can see the base color better:

I’ve been dragging my feet on reviewing these mainly because of lip swatches. These are difficult for me to capture accurately and it’s hard for me to get consistent lighting but here’s my best attempt. As always note your mileage will vary. I have pigmented lips and olive skin, so these will most likely look different on you.

Right now I’m short on time so I can’t do swatch comparisons to other shades or brands. I would say these are a huge improvement from the Rouge Volupté Perles in texture (less gritty) and formula (smoother) and finish (more natural). These are much easier to apply compared to the original Rouge Volupté formula and the sheer/glossy/shimmer makes it more naturally flattering to the lips. Compared to Chanel Rouge Coco Shines I think these have a similar finish in terms of the shine and gloss but with a bit more pigment (very slight). I haven’t tried other shades like the brights or darks but I can’t wait to experiment.

After searching online it appears most of the shades are online at YSL, but some retailers have select shades (I haven’t confirmed instore though). Nordstrom’s exclusive is No 17 Rose in Tension. Saks’ exclusive is No 18 Prune in Fire. Neiman’s exclusive is No 16 Orange Impertinent.

For quick reference, see a few shades swatched at Best Things in Beauty and all the shades swatched on Kais Obsessions.

Have you tried the Rouge Volupté Shines? What’s your favorite Rouge Volupté formula or color?

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