I already posted a few comparisons of the new NARS Douceur Blush for fall, (see my comparisons here) but many of you are curious for even more comparisons to Zen and Madly. Here are pics of the blush comparisons you requested. They are all different in my opinion. Douceur is a dusty pink-brown. Madly is a beige with slight shimmer and pink tones (on my face at least). Zen is a straight nude-beige-brown. Ninotchka goes on me a brownish color.
Swatched heavily over Chanel Teint Innocence Liquid Formula in Shell 1.5 to pick up the color more: Douceur, Madly, Zen, Ninotchka.
I’m not the biggest YSL fan but I do love their Rouge Volupté Lipsticks (see previous review here) and Golden Glosses (see review here and here). YSL has released a collection of 6 new Rouge Volupté Perle Lipsticks ($34) and they are literally to-die-for. The colors are gorgeous and are easier to wear on the lips than the regular non-shimmer colors. As much as I love the regular YSL RVs, I find the lighter colors high maintenance. I need to do a lot of tweaking in order for them to not look like concealer on my lips. Do note that the swatches on the YSL website are horribly off so don’t let that deter you from checking them out. I picked up 101 Beige Caress (a soft pinky-beige shimmer). At $34 these are pricey! Also those familiar with the Rouge Volupté formula know they are super creamy and soft. I wanted to test out one of the new Rouge Volupté Perles to see how it felt with the shimmer etc. The lipstick is slightly textured with the shimmer but not gritty. The finish is glossy with a super creamy moist finish.
Peach lip lovers will love 102 Coral Sun. It’s not nearly as bright as the website swatch shows, but is a soft pale coral shimmer. 103 Sparkling Pink and 104 Stellar Pink were also pretty and unique in my opinion. If you like shades like MAC Lame, Sequin and Chic but found them too frosty and/or slightly off key on your lips, you will love the 103 and 104.
After testing 101 out for a day, I think it’s just too glossy for my taste with this warm weather. In the heat it feels like it will just melt right off. I know it will last longer if I blotted my lips with a dusting of powder first. Of course these are new for “fall” even though it’s mid-summer. I think once the fall season officially arrives and the weather cools down these will be perfect.
Yesterday, Diane from OrangeToLA and I met up at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza to check out the new Burberry Beauty line. Ever since we saw the previews in magazines and reviews start to pop up on various blogs, we knew were interested, but weren’t sure what to expect. We were however ecstatic to find that South Coast Plaza was one of the few launch locations for the new beauty line. For me, Karen’s preview (Makeup and Beauty Blog) had me uber-excited. Lisa’s video tutorial (Lisa Eldridge Makeup) added to my anticipation. Amy’s review (Café Makeup) of Rosewood Lipstick had me sold.
*Please do not republish or hotlink photos.*
*All work is copyrighted.*
Still, we were just not sure what to expect. The products definitely looked natural, very much along the lines of what I love. But was it going to be too natural? We discussed the prices: $29 for a “sheer” eyeshadow? We were a bit skeptical. The promotional images I had seen in magazines left me thinking “boring.” However, after an morning of swatching, testing, comparing and browsing, I’m pleased to report that the line exceeded my expectations (especially the eyeshadows). The packaging is simply stunning. Classic and modern both at the same time. The etching of the Burberry print on the packaging and the actual product is done with exquisite detail. I like that the lipsticks have a magnetic click to keep them shut. We each did some major damage and had so much fun. The products are definitely more special and pretty in person than what you see in photos (mine included).
I’ll separate my reviews into different sections, starting with the eyeshadows. We were not brave enough to go in and out of the store to swatch & photograph everything, but both verbally acknowledged and admired Karla’s bravery for doing so every week. How amazing is she?
The Sheer Eyeshadows come in 20 different shades and appeared to have 3 different types of finishes from what we looked at: full matte (such as Taupe Brown), glowy (semi-matte and semi-iridescent such as Trench, Almond, Gold Trench), and iridescent (such as Rosewood, Midnight Blue and Midnight Plum). NOTE that these are my own observations. There was no distinguishing label on any of the colors.
The gorgeous packaging:
The colors are a bit deceiving in two ways:
1) First they look incredibly boring and ordinary in the compact. But don’t be deceived by what you see in the testers or the compact. When you swipe the colors on your skin, you will see a beautiful glow. It’s hard to describe, but they are all very beautiful. Even the matte shades glow on the skin. Even photographs cannot capture the true gorgeousness. On the skin the colors transform into stunners with a soft but complex iridescent glow.
2) The name “Sheer Eyeshadow” is not really descriptive of these eyeshadows. Both Diane and I were surprised. I didn’t expect to be wowed, but one swipe and you get full pigment. They blend beautifully for a soft but not-too-natural eye. They are truely eye enhancers. There are some beautiful blues, rose colors and plums. All have amazing pigment. Don’t let the name fool you. Even the pale shades are very pigmented. I had my eye on Trench which appeared to be a boring eggshell-nude color. It was absolutely stunning on my skin.
I wanted to get virtually every color but limited myself to pick out 3 shades and came home with Porcelain 03, Gold Trench 04 and Almond 06. Yes, I picked boring neutrals, but it was so hard to decide. I wanted to try out a few safety colors to experiment. Also, the line is so new to Nordstrom at this time they didn’t have any information on possible launch events or GWPs. I decided to wait and save more purchases for later dates.
I haven’t had a chance to wear these for a full day to see how long they last. They are incredibly smooth and soft, but not too powdery like some soft shadows can be (like NYX in my experience, which I love, but tend to break easily on me). In my experience, Urban Decay has the smoothest most pigmented shadows out of all the brands I’ve tried. The Burberry has a similar texture and pigment. They’re just a lot more natural and less frosty.
Swatches don’t do these shadows justice:
Are the eyeshadows worth $29 + tax? In my opinion, most definitely yes. I think there is a color for everyone. Even girls who don’t like neutrals will find one shade that will suit their likes. I will say the line is more for the woman who prefers natural and polished makeup. But there are pretty non-neutral colors that are still very wearable. In addition, there are shades that darker-skinned ladies will like. The lipstick range is pretty diverse from light to bright to dark in my opinion – but all classic types of colors.
What else did we get? I got a few lipsticks, glosses and a blush which will be reviewed soon. Check out Diane’s blog Orange2LA.com for her take. Her review is now up on her blog here. After our Burberry adventure, we went to look for the new Guerlain Fall palettes. Some of you have already asked me if I’ll be getting one. We found them at Saks and our wallets are extremely happy to report that we both passed and weren’t the slightest bit tempted. They are pretty. Just not worth the price. We both agreed there’s a limit, even for beauty junkies like us. $84 could be stretched a lot farther with other brands. We would both rather buy more Paul & Joe or Burberry instead.
*Please do not republish or hotlink photos.* *All work is copyrighted.*
You’ve heard me sing praises about Edward Bess’s Bronzer in Daydream. It’s the most versatile and natural bronzer I have that gives a soft tanned luminous glow. Many have wondered about the other Ultra Luminous Bronzer shade offered called Desert Sun. I too was curious about it and recently acquired this so I can now give you a comparison.
The girls from the Edward Bess counter at Bergdorf Goodman suggested using Daydream and then layering Desert Sun on the apples of the cheeks to intensify the bronzed look. They assured me that it wouldn’t be too dark. I don’t mind a more dramatic bronzer (such as NARS Casino, the darker counterpart to NARS Laguna) so I decided to give it a try. Both have a soft natural and blendable texture. The finish is in-between a matte and shimmer which gives a luminous tanned finish. They also have that signature Edward Bess fig scent which is subtle.
Left to Right: Daydream & Desert Sun
The difference between the two shades is noticeable but not drastic. Depending on the lighting, the difference between the colors in the compact is subtle. Daydream and Desert Sun are both brown-based without orange tones and give an effect that mimics a natural tan. Daydream gives me a luminous tanned glow. Desert Sun is more dramatic, borderline too dark on me. I can pull both off, but right now Daydream is perfect for me.
Swatches are done heavily. They don’t apply this way on the face, I don’t think anyone should apply blush or bronzer the same way most of us swatch items. This should give you a good idea of the color comparison so take it with a grain of salt. The colors are similar, the difference is in how dark they are. I highly recommend checking out KarlaSugar’s swatch comparison too (see her review here).
Left to Right: Daydream & Desert Sun
After testing both, I have to say my heart still belongs to Daydream. I can’t emphasize enough how versatile it is. I wear it alone, layered with different blushes, layered with cream highlighters, etc. To recap about Daydream, you can read about how I’ve used it in the following posts:
Those not familiar with the line, Edward Bess is a cosmetic line currently exclusive in the U.S. to Bergdorf Goodman in New York and his website. The products are designed by Edward Bess and you can read more about him on his website EdwardBess.com.
I’ve been excited about NARS Fall ever since Karen at Makeup & Beauty Blog featured a sneak peek of the collection. Imagine my surprise to see the collection display up today when I went to Nordstrom to pick up my pre-sale items from the Anniversary Sale. The NARS summer collection left me unimpressed but the fall collection seems to be right on track for the typical stunning, inspirational and unique releases they normally do. I picked up three items:
Rajastan Eyeshadow Duo – shimmering sandy beige & deep smokey blue-green
Tzarine Eyeshadow Duo – lovely cool sparkley champagne & cool-toned dove grey with gold microglitter sparkles
Douceur Blush – a neutral dusty pink with slight brownish tones
Top: Rajasthan & Tzarine Eyeshadow Duos
Bottom: Douceur Blush
* Labels corrected, thanks Stephanie!
I couldn’t find any dupes for Tzarine Eyeshadow Duo. For Rajastan, I couldn’t find any dupes either, but the golden shade is similar to Cyprus Single Eyeshadow. I compared the smokey blue-green to MAC Club and Forest Green Pigment (discontinued) and Rajastan has more blueish tones. For Douceur Blush, I thought in my mind “perhaps it’s a powder version of Penny Lane.” I was way off. It is pink, but has more brown and is darker. Douceur seems most similar in finish to Cubic. Compared to Blushbaby, Douceur has more dusty pink where Blushbaby is more brownish. I haven’t tried them on the face to see how the colors look though. Below are the close ups, comparisons and more swatches.
NARS Tzarine
NARS Rajasthan
Compared to NARS Cyprus, MAC Club, MAC Forest Green Pigment (discontinued, pro)
NARS Douceur Blush (Limited Edition)
Comparisons to NARS Penny Lane, MAC Blushbaby, MAC Cubic
These were the three standouts to me. I didn’t check the lip products or single shadows. I have to say I was extremely surprised to find Douceur Blush is limited edition. I didn’t ask the specialist about the other items in the collection, but I one of the things I love about NARS is that he typically doesn’t do “limited edition” colors. I have noticed that in the past couple years a number of beautiful shades such as Mogambo Duo, Galaxy Girl Lipstick, Cannes Multiple, Antibes Multiple have been discontinued and retired to the “vintage” section of the NARS website. I have found similar colors for these and understand they probably can’t keep everything, but still am very sad about Cannes being discontinued.
Perhaps it is the California girl in me that is obsessed with bronzers, but I’ve always been one who prefers to be tan rather than fair. Right now I am a Chanel Teint Innocence Shell (equivalent to what’s in between MAC NC30 and NC35, neither is an exact match for me), hardly “tan” but luckily I have bronzers to help me feel not-so-pale since I have little patience for tanning in the sun.
There are so many different effects one can achieve with bronzers. One’s skintone and skintype will also affect one’s preference for formula and finish. A bit of information about my skin & personal bronzer preferences: I have normal skin with olive tones. I get a bit oily in the T-zone only when it’s really humid. I prefer something that gives noticeable tanned look. My top 3 requirements for bronzer:
Don’t turn orangey as my skin
Don’t make me look dirty/muddy
Too much shimmer = copper bronze statue
Powder Bronzers:
Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer – Daydream $48 This is my favorite bronzer ever! Not being able to see this in person, I purchased it based on the recommendations of Leslie (see her guest review on the EB line here). Her description was right on. It’s neither shimmery nor matte but somewhere in between. It’s a goof-proof bronzer that I can never go wrong with and makes the skin glow. I like it alone or layered over a luminizer like NARS Multiples or Edward Bess’s All Over Seduction. I recently bought the other bronzer shade shade from EB, Desert Sun, and will be reviewing it soon.
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder – Bali Brown $33 Part of her Illuminating Bronzer formula, I don’t find this one all that “illuminating” even though there are sparkles in this one. For some reason it applies more matte and I find the sparkle/shimmers don’t show up on my skin. This one is more pigmented so I have to apply it with a light hand in layers or else I get an intense brown streak across my face. I would say this gives a more earthy-brown look rather than illuminating glow.
NARS Bronzing Powder – Laguna & Irresistiblement $32 NARS Laguna has achieved cult status as the most well-known and popular bronzer. It was one of my first bronzers and I used it every single day while I was in college because I found it so versatile. It worked well alone and when layered with other blushes. Irresistiblement is the newest powder bronzer from NARS. It looks rather orange in the compact and when I saw it I immediately wrote it off. However, I saw it featured on Em from Too Much Blush and it looked so good on her pale skin I had to try it. See her review here. See it on her lovely face here. She’s done a few looks with it and her review is extremely helpful. I highly recommend searching through her archives for inspiration on how to use this. I tried this at Nordstrom and fell in love.
MAC Bronzing Powder – Golden & Bronze $22 I find these to be the most natural and sheer bronzing powders. Golden is very subtle on me because it’s close to my natural skintone (when applied) so I like to use it as a contouring powder or over powder blushes to add a bit of warmth. I’ve hit pan on this one twice. Bronze is similar just a few shades darker and warmer. These give a soft bronzed glow. I like the simple mirrored compact. If you find these too sheer, try MAC’s Refined Golden instead.
Armani Sheer Bronzer #1 & #5 $49 #1 is the most brown-based bronzer I have. Looks like it would be too brown in the compact but goes on a nice tanned bronze. I would call #5 my most glowy bronzer. It on the shimmery side but doesn’t apply frosty. It’s a warm golden bronze that makes the skin glow. Darker skinned girls will find this less dramatic and more glowy than bronzey.
Cream Bronzers:
Chanel Soleil de Tan Bronzing Makeup Base $48 This replaced the Bronze Universel de Chanel Sun Illuminator. Comes in the same tub and compact. Looks virtually identical to the original. I believe it was simply reformulated and given a new name. My favorite cream bronzer for a natural contour. The tub is huge and lasts forever. This is my second tub. Looks brown but blends out naturally.
Armani Fluid Sheer #11 $59 This is more of a peachy bronze shade. I like Fluid Sheer #3 as well but find it extremely sheer. The Fluid Sheer #11 is one of the shades that shows up better. It has enough color on me to wear alone as a blush. I apply this over powder and foundation with a foundation brush and it doesn’t cake or get greasy.
NARS Multiple – South Beach $38 Another pretty peachy-bronze shimmer. More shimmery than the Armani. I like this with a powder bronzer (like MAC Golden or Bronze) layered on top. Love how this can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks. The challenge for me with this is making it last. It’s so emollient I find it hard to make last throughout the day. Still, the color is so pretty, the non-existent lasting power won’t stop me from wearing it.
MAC To the Beach Cream Bronzer – Weekend $25 I didn’t think I would like this because it looked so reddish in the container, but it works well as a subtle bronzer with warmth. Fair skinned girls will probably find this too red. If I were slightly paler this would turn orangey on me.
Discontinued Loves:
Chanel Irreelle Soleil Silky Bronzing Powder in Sierra 22 This was the best bronzer Chanel made. Then they discontinued the formula and came out with something I feel is chalky which just sits on the skin instead of blending in with it.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – So Ceylon, Sunny by Nature, Global Glow I find these can be a bit intense so I like these with a skunk brush.
Shu Uemura Loose Powder in Luster Bronze I don’t remember which year this came out, I think back in the summer of 2005? I got this at Bergdorf Goodman when I was in New York summers ago. I use it only for special occasions because I love the color so much I’m afraid to use this up.
Tools:
I like brushes that are more on the fluffy side for bronzer to get a sheerer application. These are my most frequently used brushes. For the creams, most of the time I use my fingers but my staple is the Prescriptives Foundation brush which is no longer available. Listed left to right:
Prescriptives Foundation Brush
MAC 129 Powder/Blush Brush $34
MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush $42
MAC 138 Tapered $52
Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush $50
My Top Bronzer Picks:
Best Bronzer Hands Down – Edward Bess Daydream
Best Bronzer For the Price – MAC Golden or Bronze
Most Natural Bronzer – MAC Golden & Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base
Best Bronzer Brush – MAC 129 (because it’s the most versatile)
A Side Note: I do have a number of other bronzers from the same brands listed above and other brands like Guerlain, Laura Mercier, Le Metier de Beaute, Dolce & Gabbana, Becca and Dior. The ones listed above are just my favorites for the formula and price. Also, I just got a new computer which I am trying to get used to. You may see a slight difference in the photos from my normal posting. Please bear with me as I am trying to figure out all the new settings with a new version of photoshop as well.
A Note About These Swatches: Please take these with a grain of salt. These were swatched on a bare arm without primer or moisturizer. Bronzers apply better over foundation + powder for me, so these swatches aren’t really true to life. I put as many as I could fit on my arm. There might be a few missing. Please don’t be alarmed by the furry thing at the bottom, he’s my kitty.
The Nordstrom near me recently had a National Artist Event for Chanel and they used a mix of the new fall 2010 shades with a couple other items from the regular line. There were two different artists who worked with me. Typically with the National Artist events one makeup artist from the Chanel team will cleanse and prep the skin with moisturizers, primers, foundation, concealer and powder. Once the face is prepped, then the National Artist will come by to apply the makeup and work their magic. I would say about 1/2 the events I’ve been to, the National Artist has been able to do my makeup. The other 1/2 were so busy the artist never made it to my chair (in that case one of the regular artists will do your makeup).
I brought in a photo of one of the latest Burberry Beauty ads and asked them to recreate the look using Chanel products. The final result didn’t really resemble the look but I was still pleased with the look and the items they picked out.
Face:
Teint Innocence Compact in Shell 30
Poudre Universelle Libre in Naturel 30
Pink Explosion 64 Blush
Lips:
Nude Lipliner
Rose Dentelle 37 Rouge Coco
Rose Dilemma 144 Glossimer
Products are linked to the Chanel & Nordstrom websites for your convenience in case you want to read more about the products through their descriptions, check prices, see other color options etc.
Cristal-Dusk Duo + Cassis Eyeliner
L to R: Nude Lipliner, Rose Dentelle Rouge Coco,
Rose Dilemma Glossimer, Pink Explosion Blush
Skin: Skin was cleansed and then prepped with the Ultra Correction Lift line. For the skin the focus was on preventing the effects of aging. Looking at my skin, they said they thought I would have the type of skin that would sag instead of wrinkle as I aged. I’m not sure which one is better, lol. They used the Sculpting Firming Concentrate, Lifing Firming Day Fluid, and the Total Eye Life Eye Cream. I’ve never really liked Chanel skincare (except their Age Delay line which has long been discontinued) but they gave me samples to try.
Face: The artist who prepped my skin had done my makeup before on numerous occasions, so she used my regular foundation in Teint Innocence in Shell 30. I asked to try the loose powder, and she applied the Poudre Universelle Libre in Naturel 30. I was surprised no concealer was used since they almost always push their concealers during these events. However, the Teint Innocence Compact Foundation is a heavier coverage foundation on my skin, so perhaps that is why they skipped it (much to my delight).
Cheeks: This is where the National Artist stepped in and picked out Pink Explosion 64 Joues Contraste (previously reviewed here). Much to his surprise, I mentioned that I noticed the formulas for the fall collection were different and came in the baked formula like the European and Asian releases. His face just lit up as he said, “I’m so proud you know that, half of these ladies (waved his hand at the team) don’t even know that and they should.” I asked if he by chance knew if they were going to change the formula going forward. He wasn’t sure but thought it would be for certain collections only, not all, but couldn’t confirm.
Eyes: He gave me a more subtle eye look than what was on the Burberry photo and used Cristal-Dusk Irreelle Duo 77 which will soon be discontinued. The white side was applied with the finger and smudged on the eyes. The taupe-grey was blended over with a brush. The goal was a subtle smokey eye. Next he applied the new Cassis Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner 83 (a deep plum) along the waterline on upper and lower lash lines and finished with the Smoky Violine Exceptionnel Mascara.
Close up of the lips, but this is a few hours after the event so it’s a bit faded. Also within a few hours, my skin felt extremely greasy despite the cloudy-cool and slightly windy weather we’ve been having here in Southern California. I think the skincare items I tried will be a no-go. I hate to admit this, but for the eyes, I took the makeup off as soon as I got home. I liked the colors they used, they just applied way too much. Even my husband asked, “why do you have so much makeup on today?”
There wasn’t a gift with purchase offered. I feel this is sometimes better because then there is less pressure to spend a lot of money. They did however give out samples to everyone who attended: A mini look-card, mini perfume sample, eyemakeup remover, Rouge Coco sample card.
Those new to my blog, you can click the “Makeover” tag below to see other products used at past events I’ve attended (including Chanel, MAC and NARS). My last one from Chanel was back in March (click here).
