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Sabrina

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

April 23, 2010
I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of the month, where did the time go? This is April’s Edition of what I’m loving right now. As always, I’ve love to hear what you are loving right now too!

1. MAC Goldenaire Pigment – From MAC Lingerie 2006, a lovely pink with pearly shimmers. Goes well with almost everything for a neutral all-over wash.

2. Bobbi Brown Bronze Gel Liner – A nice soft but defined bronze shimmer. One of the few gel liners I’ve actually used up.

3. Diorshow Mascara – A mini one, but this is one of my holy grails. Love that the minis are just as good as the full sized ones. Can’t say that it really holds the curl, but it does give full lush lashes without clumping, smudging or flaking.

4. Dior Iridescent Leather Quint – Limited from Fall 2008. A gorgeous palette of neutrals and warm beigey taupes. The closest alternative is Earth Reflection which is cooler-toned. I read from Rouge Deluxe that this was re-released in Asia. If they brought this back in the US, I wouldn’t have to use this so sparingly.

5. Bobbi Brown Maui Illuminating Bronzer – A lovely natural pink glow. You can see it here compared to Antigua. Maui is the darker version with a bit more pigment.

6. Dolce & Gabbana Desert Bronzer – Lovely soft warm bronze with subtle shimmer. Those who find NARS Casino/Laguna too shimmery, this one is a nice option that is softer but not completely matte.

7. Chanel Pink Crystal Glossimer – Came out Holiday 2007, not the most unique pink shimmer. Chanel has released quite a few similar shades including the new Spring Futile. But I love this one over other lipsticks.

8. Chanel Bondi Beach Aqualumiere Gloss – New for Summer 2010. A soft peachy gold shimmer. I love the way this looks on the lips even though it’s medium-sheer. You can see an additional swatch here.

9. Chanel Stresa Aqualumiere – I’m not sure if they still make this shade, but it’s a sheer hot strawberry iridescent cool pink. I love this with Chanel’s Nude Lipliner and Bon-Bon Aqualumiere gloss on top for a healthy pink lip. Bright as it looks in the tube, on the lips it’s very wearable. See a makeover breakdown I had with it here.

10. NARS Mojave – I’ve been a longtime fan of NARS Viva Las Vegas. Mojave is it’s darker more pigmented sister which is like what I wanted MAC Plastique to be (still lovely, but too frosty for my taste without gloss on top).


Check back soon for my list of what I’m loving right now – the non-beauty edition!

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NARS Summer 2010: Love Devotion Lipstick + Versaillies Nail Polish

April 22, 2010

NARS Summer Collection has been spotted at Nordstrom along with the new Pure Sheer Lip Treatments. I stopped by to check everything out and left with only 2 items:

  • Love Devotion Lipstick ($24) – a bright peachy coral with a super sheer texture
  • Versailles Nail Polish ($16) – a light pale shimmery yellow gold

NARS Love Devotion actually reminds me a lot of MAC Blow Dry. Looks bright in the tube, but the sheerness makes it so it only gives you a sheer peachy tint to the lips. The main difference is that MAC Blow Dry has a slight pinkish tint while NARS Love Devotion is more of a straight peach.


NARS Versailles is a pretty shimmery light yellow. Not quite a baby-like yellow, but pretty close in my opinion. Here it is compared to some other golds: Chanel Gold Lame, Chanel Beige D’Or, NARS Adelita, and Chanel Antilope.


I was initially excited about the new Enchanted cream blush and Lamu multiple from promo photos, but unfortunately, they both have a sheer base with chunky glitter making them completely unwearable for me. Enchanted was too sheer for my liking. If it had been a powder formula, I think the finish on the skin would have been divine. Lamu is a more intense version of South Beach. It has a slightly deeper color and also contains micro-gold-sparkles. I tried it on my cheeks at the counter but it turned out to be a glittery mess.

I passed on the cream eyeshadows and lipgloss – they were just not me. I didn’t find them very “summery” either.

The Pure Sheer Lip Treatments were all incredibly sheer (just like the name implies). I could barely see a slight tint on my hands. So I didn’t bother to ask the sales associate to clean any for me to test on my lips.

I typically find NARS to be very inspirational for me. The collections are usually artistic and fun, but this one just wasn’t as impressive to me mainly because of the formula and finish of most of the new shades in this collection.

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Le Metier de Beaute Crème Fresh Tints: Tenné & Poppy

April 20, 2010
Le Metier de Beaute recently came out with a few new items and I couldn’t resist ordering their Crème Fresh Tints which are described as giving “a sheer wash of color to brighten cheeks and lips for a radiant glow.” The blush comes in two colors, Tenné (a nude pink brown) and Poppy (a brighter pink), and both retail for $28 for 5g/0.17oz each.
Le Metier de Beaute is one of those harder to find luxury brands. They were originally exclusive to select Neiman Marcus locations and Bergdorf Goodman, but have been expanding into various boutiques and other counters. I purchased these from Neiman Marcus. Check out Le Metier de Beaute‘s website for locations. I spotted the line at Fred Segal in Los Angeles as well.



Here they are compared to Whisper & Fresh blush:

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by these. The texture is smooth and blendable, but they have decent pigment. Similar to that of Stila Convertible colors in pigment, but a lot easier and smoother to blend without being too sticky, thick or dry like some other cream-lip-cheek products can be. For another swatch, London Makeup Girl has swatched Poppy here. The Non-Blonde has also written a fabulous review + has a great swatch on Tenne.

After wiping it off my arm, I did see a stain left – to me this is a good sign that since they stain a little the lasting power should be better than your average cream blush. I have on Poppy today on my lips and cheeks so we’ll see how well they last.

Le Metier actually had creme blushes available for their custom kaleidoscope kits in the past where you pick out a concealer, powder, bronzer and cream blush. This was not available online and I heard from a few that this was a limited edition thing and not permanent. Tenne seems similar to one of the other cream blush shades I have but the texture is slightly different. Both are fabulous though.

Overall another winner from Le Metier de Beaute! Those not familiar with the line or new to my blog – click on the Le Metier de Beaute tag/label beneath this post and you’ll find all the other posts and articles related to the brand. You’ll find more info about the items I’ve tried so far and more resources. My current favs are The Non-Blonde, London Makeup Girl, and Visionary Beauty.

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Mini Shu Uemura + Laura Mercier Haul

April 19, 2010

I had a $50 giftcard to Neimans that expired on the 18th and since Shu Uemura was going to be pulled from the store soon, I decided to look at the line to see if there was anything I could find. I found two shadows that I didn’t recognize in IR Brown 850 and P Purple 781, and to reach the $50 minimum for my gift card, I decided on one of the new Laura Mercier summer lipglosses in Glistening Sand. I also had a few cards I received in the mail for a mini Rouge Coco in Legende and a mini DiorShow. I had received the cards in the mail about a month ago – but they didn’t get their samples in until recently.



Laura Mercier has 3 featured glosses for the summer collection: Glistening Sand (a beige with gold sparkles), Bon Bon (repromote, a bright salmon coral pink), and another bright coral (forget the name). She reformulated her bronzers with a wave-like pattern, but as far as I could tell they looked the same as the older ones. There were also 3 new eyeshadows which I neglected to pay attention to, one was a teal, the others were golden. Glistening Sand seems pretty sheer unfortunately – but it will be pretty over other beigey-nude lipsticks. (I don’t test glosses at the counter for sanitary reasons.)

The Shu Uemura eyeshadows have good pigment when applied over a base or with a damp brush. IR Brown 850 is a taupe with a slight greenish tinge on my skin. P Purple 781 is a matte purple-brownish base with silver micro-sparkles.

Eyeshadows are swatched wet (with a damp brush) and dry:


Minis: DiorShow Mascara + Chanel Legende Rouge Coco

All in all, not bad for $15!
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Lunasol Cool Beige #19 Nail Finish

April 17, 2010
This was a present thanks to my sister who went to Japan about a year ago – I had given her a list of things to check out for me and asked her to pick out a pretty nail polish and this is what she brought home: Lunasol Nail Finish in Cool Beige #19, a pretty beige base with gold-silver complex sparkles and glitters.





This is the only Lunasol nail polish I have but I am really impressed with the formula. It’s rich and opaque and needs only 1 coat to get a full even finish. This mani is with 2 coats because that’s what the nail tech did. The color is chock-full of so many colors, I can’t even describe how complex it is. I’m not usually a huge fan of super-sparkles unless they are super sheer (ala Chanel Cry Baby or OPI Hollywood Blonde) but I really like this one and am glad my sister picked this one out.

Is this dupeable? I would say no. The finish is truly unique and so complex, I haven’t seen anything like it. Paul & Joe #27 Gilded is similar (check here), but slightly darker and has a similar finish but with a darker gold base. I am curious to find out how the new one from P&J coming out this summer will compare to it.

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Bobbi Brown Antigua Face Palette (Bloomingdales Exclusive)

April 16, 2010
Bobbi Brown has released a new palette in the U.S. exclusive to Bloomingdales called the Antigua Palette. It retails for $55 and has the following colors:
  • 3 eyeshadows in Navajo, Oat, Caviar (all matte)
  • 3 lipsticks in Ballet Pink (creamy), Kitten (creamy) and Azalea (metallic)
  • 1 illuminating bronzer in Antigua


The Bobbi Brown collections this year seemed to have been a slight digression from her typical Bobbi-style, but this palette seems to be right on track for her typical classic, feminine, natural sense of color. Four of the shades are repromotes, but the combination is convenient, simple and chic in an all-in-one compact. My only gripe I have is that it mixes powders and creams in the same level which can get messy for the lipcolors if you’re not careful – but the size for the price is great so I’m not complaining.

My descriptions:

  • Navajo is your basic matte bone white (but not stark white)
  • Oat is a medium oat-brown color which appears to be a true neutral (like the name implies)
  • Caviar is a matte black (which is one of the few wearable true blacks for me)
  • Antigua is a soft shimmery pink
  • Ballet Pink is a bright pink base with gold shimmer
  • Kitten is a creamy beige (but goes on a light pinky-beige)
  • Azalea is a cool-plum with subtle gold flecks
Overall thoughts: The eyeshadows are great neutrals, but don’t apply well without some kind of base, so if you tend to find Bobbi Brown’s matte shadows a bit chalky, try applying them over a cream eyeshadow or shadow base. I had initially wished there were more new/exclusive colors to this palette to make it more unique, but I like the fact that it has everything I need in one palette which makes it convenient to put in my purse for touch ups. I like that it has 3 different lip colors which allows you to customize your look for neutral to more dressy. Definitely a winner for me, but mainly because I like all the colors and find that this will be good for a no-fail look when I am short on time and need a quick touch up.

Two more views:


FYI – Check your local Bloomingdales for their Beauty Benefits event GWP. I don’t see the details online, but saw one at my local Bloomies. I didn’t spend enough to get the GWP so I didn’t pay attention to the details, but definitely call yours to see what they have!

Like the concept of her Iluminating Bronzers? Check out some of the other shades like Maui, Aruba, Bali Brown and Laguna Bronze here: Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzers + New Bronzer Brush from last May.

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Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine & Lotus Pink Second Skin Cheek Colour

April 15, 2010
Laura Mercier has released 4 new blushes in her Second Skin Cheek Colour formula and I couldn’t resist picking up Lush Nectarine & Lotus Pink. Medium-tan-skin girls will be excited to learn that these 4 are brighter and darker than the other shades in her normal line.

Both retail for $24 each for 3.6g/.13 oz. These have higher price points than her previous blush formula and are slightly smaller in size, but they are indeed very natural, like “second skin” as the name implies. Lush Nectarine is described as a “soft peachy coral.” Lotus Pink is described as a “universal pink with slight shimmer.” The other new shades released, Soft Clove & Violet Orchid, were equally stunning, but I decided they might be a bit too brown or purple for my taste.

A few comparisons + swatches:



Overall thoughts: Lotus Pink is a warm-neutral pink with shimmer which I find very unique. Most healthy pink blushes I find to be more cool-toned like MAC Pink Swoon and Dollymix, so it was nice to find a pretty pink that wasn’t too cool, too fuschia, or too brown. I definitely think it’s worth checking out. Lush Nectarine isn’t too original – while it has a subtle peachy lustre that isn’t too frosty, it’s just very similar to your standard peachy-shimmer blush.

Are they worth the higher price tag? I would say it depends on what you are looking for. I think Lotus Pink is definitely worth it. The other blushes in her line are very natural looking and soft, but still have pigment. I find most of them pretty unique compared to other brands, but in the store, all the LM blushes do have a tendency to all look very similar to each other.

My recommendation – don’t write these off just because most of the colors look boring in the pan. I highly recommend you get to a counter to try them on your face because swatched on the hand or arm just doesn’t do these justice. And they look better on the face than in the pan.

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