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NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and Soft Velvet Loose Setting Powder

February 7, 2015

This spring NARS has released some new products for the face including the All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation ($48 for 1 fl oz) and the Soft Velvet Loose Setting Powder ($36 for 10 g). I’ve been testing these for a couple weeks now. I purchased the liquid foundation in store after swatching several of the shades. The NARS team kindly sent the powder for review with Beach as their best guess for my color match. Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the formulas, wear time, texture and swatches with comparisons.

For quick reference, I use the foundation in Punjab and powder in Beach:

The All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation is incredible. It has a lightweight fluid texture that gives you full coverage with one to two pumps. To me it has a similar texture to the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation but has a more natural looking finish that has just the right amount of glow. On me this one covers most of my scars and imperfections flawlessly. Coverage is slightly heavier than the Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation but the overall look and effect is similar to me.

In terms of wear, the new NARS foundation blends into the skin flawlessly without streaking or caking. It gives medium to full coverage and evens out the skin beautifully. For wear time, I found it lasted all day long without getting oily or glowy. I do think what you use underneath will make a difference, since this is on the luminous side, if you are oily you may want to go lighter on the moisturizer or base. For me, these days to prep the skin these days I’ve been using Ole Henriksen’s Pure Truth Serum and Sheer Transformation Moisturizer. Sometimes I’ll use primers and my current favorites are the NARS Pro-Prime and Tom Ford Illuminating. For me I find the texture of the NARS foundation is easy to blend so I find that it doesn’t need a primer.

For color, I am a match to the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Punjab. I’ve been matched to this color in most of the formulas, it’s a good medium color with olive and yellow tones. Finding something with the right mix of olive and yellow undertone is hard for me. I’m often in between shades or find that I have to mix colors. Most foundations are not yellow enough or too olive. Punjab is the perfect match for me and I was thrilled to find that the new formula’s color to be an exact match. If you’re similar in skin tone to me but not as olive and are a bit more pink/peach go with Santa Fe. For reference, I found the swatches of all the foundation shades on Café Makeup extremely helpful.

I have two sets of swatch comparisons below to other NARS foundations and other brands. I’ve reviewed most of the items below before. I’ll link reviews where applicable:

  • NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska
  • NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard and Ginger (I mix them, review)
  • NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland (my match)
  • NARS All Day Radiant Weightless Foundation in Punjab
  • NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Punjab (review)
  • NARS Soft Velvet Loose Powder in Beach
  • NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Punjab (review)
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet in B30 (review)
  • Cle de Peau Beaute Cream Foundation in O30 (review)
  • Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 04 (review) 
  • Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Foundation in Caramel 110 (review)

Bottom line I give the foundation a huge thumbs up. I think it’s their best foundation released to date. I’m a huge fan of the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer for texture and finish but sometimes I want more coverage. The new foundation is exactly what I wanted for an amped up version of the Tinted Moisturizer. I love that there is no detectable fragrance and on me it really did last all day from morning to evening without budging or sliding.

Next on to the powder. I tested a number of NARS powders in the old formulas at makeup events (both pressed and loose). I didn’t like any of them because I found they caked on my skin on top of foundation. It wasn’t until NARS released the Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder that I changed my mind about their face powders. It’s one of my top picks for setting powders because it doesn’t alter the color of your foundation and even though the powder is white it doesn’t make you look like a ghost or powdery. Given my love of the reflecting powders, I was excited to try my sample of the new Soft Velvet Loose Setting Powder in Beach. After playing with this for a few weeks, I have mixed feelings.

There are eight different colors of the loose powder. Even though I was sent Beach for review, I went to the counter to look at the shades in person to make sure it was the best color match. Eden is also very close in color but it’s more pink, while Beach is more yellow. On my skin they looked almost identical, but since I prefer yellow tones, Beach is the better of the two for me.

The powder is a soft and lightweight with a very finely milled texture. It feels silky on the skin and truly weightless. When dusted over the All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation I found it set nicely if I applied while the foundation was still a bit dewy (as in it didn’t set all the way). A little goes a long way so you only need a sheer wash of powder to set the entire face. The powder performed well over the NARS tinted moisturizer too creating a soft sheer matte finish.

It didn’t work so well over other foundations though and I’m not entirely sure why. It caked over the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation, the Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation, Cle de Peau and also the NARS Radiant Creamy Compact Foundation. It settled into pores that seemed to be blended and covered perfectly by those foundations. My personal preference is to use the Light Reflecting Loose Powder or the All Day Luminous Powder Foundation as a setting powder. Still, I have seen some pretty good reviews on this one, if you’re near a NARS counter I recommend checking it out to see how it wears on you. My experience might not be typical with this one.

Overall, huge thumbs up on the foundation, mixed thoughts on the powder. If you’ve tested these please share what you thought and what shade you were matched to. I know readers often need to order sight unseen and your comments on color matching are always helpful!

You can find the NARS All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation and Soft Velvet Loose Setting powder at all NARS counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Saks, Neiman Marcus and NARS.

The Soft Velvet Loose Powder was provided as a press sample for review consideration. The All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation was purchased by me.

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Charlotte Tilbury Skincare

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Magic

February 6, 2015

Charlotte Tilbury has released a few new items this spring. One thing that caught my eye is the Lip Magic Rejuvenating, Smoothing Propolis Balm ($35 for 5 ml / 0.17 fl oz). I ordered it online from Beautylish and it arrived at my house at lightening speed. When it comes to lip balms, I’m really picky. I have sensitive lips that easily react to products with plumping properties or any kind of tingly feel (for some reason my lips go numb with Kiehl’s). I really like Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream for the face so I decided to give her new Lip Magic a try. I was pleasantly surprised.

The Lip Magic is an anti-aging lip balm that doubles as a lip primer. This one is described as having a rather fancy formula designed to seal in moisture, protect lips from the environment and also provide long-term lip healing benefits.

I haven’t used it long enough to see any anti-aging effects but I do like it’s formula. It’s on the emollient side (versus the By Terry Baume de Rose pots or sticks which are thicker and more creamy). There is a slight floral scent to the balm. When I first smelled it I thought the fragrance would be too strong or that it could translate into something that had a bad taste. I was relieved to find that the scent is actually very soft and not overpowering. It also has no detectable taste.

Since it’s so emollient, I was skeptical at how well this would work as a base/primer for lipstick. It works really well with the Charlotte Tilbury lipliners and lipsticks (my neutrals in Nude Kate, Hepburn Honey, Bitch Perfect, Stoned Rose, Penelope Pink and Confession swatched here). Her lipsticks are very creamy and super pigmented which I find glide on the lips well, but sometimes full coverage lipsticks can make the lips look aged if they aren’t well moisturized or prepped properly. I usually use MAC’s Prep + Prime Lip to help prepare my lips for any kind of lip product. It’s one of the few lip primers that helps smooth my lip while allowing lipstick to adhere to my lips better. The Charlotte Tilbury Lip Magic really does work to help lipstick glide on nicely – and the lipstick doesn’t slide off when layered on top. 

Ingredients: Olus Oil, Synthetic Beeswax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Cera/Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Candelilla Wax(Cera), PPG-25-Laureth-25, Fragrance (Parfum), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxydrocinnamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cyclodextrin, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Propolis Extract, Tocopherol.

The only downside is the pot is a bit small for the price. It’s compact enough to slip into a clutch or small makeup bag, but I do wish it had more product in the jar to justify the price. Still, it’s a very good lip balm and lip primer in one, so I’m not complaining.

Bottom line it performs extremely well. It hydrates, smooths and makes the lips feel incredibly smooth. It has an emollient texture which glides on the lips and makes them feel very nice. I am really amazed at how well it works as a lip primer for her lipsticks. I also tested it with Tom Ford Lips & Boys and the new Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Cremes (more on this next week) and it worked well with both formulas.

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Magic now online at Beautylish. Also at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman and online at Charlotte Tilbury.
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Clarins GWP

Nordstrom Clarins Gift With Purchase

February 5, 2015

Clarins has a new gift with purchase going on at Nordstrom right now with several travel-sized skincare sets to choose from as your gift. With any $85+ purchase you can pick one of three gift sets with promo code SUPER, FIRM or MULTI (enter the code at checkout). There’s a step up as well, if you spend an additional $15 you get a deluxe travel-size Tonic Body Oil (1 oz.). It also comes with a small red travel bag.

The gift options include:

http://rstyle.me/n/bb3p9ubf6

SUPER comes with:
Super Restorative Day Cream (0.53 oz.)
Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream (0.5 oz.)
Hand & Nail Treatment Cream (1 oz.)
Beauty Flash Balm (0.53 oz.)
FIRM comes with:
Extra-Firming Day Wrinkle Lifting Cream (0.53 oz.)
One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser (1 oz.)
Moisture Rich Body Lotion (1 oz.)
Toning Lotion with chamomile (1.7 oz.)
MULTI comes with:
Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream (0.5 oz.)
Instant Eye Make-Up Remover (1 oz.)
Beauty Flash Balm (0.53 oz.)
Moisture Rich Body Lotion (1 oz.)

I stopped by my local Nordstrom to purchase some items and went with the Super Set since I’ve received a lot of recommendations to try the Hand and Nail Treatment. I thought this would be a good time to try it in a mini. What I bought for the gift and step up:

I’ve been searching for a good face sunscreen that is lightweight, fluid and doesn’t turn my face white.  I usually use the Chanel UV Essentiel SPF 50 which I adore but decided to try something new. I’ve been researching different sun screens and most of what I’ve tested in the store leaves a white cast on the skin. However the Clarins UV Plus HP Multi-Protection Day Screen SPF 40 does not. It has a lightweight fluid feel and leaves the skin with a slightly matte finish. I’ve been using this a few days and like that there’s no sunscreen scent, that it’s very fluid and feels weightless on the skin. There are two size options, the 1 oz is $25, and there is a 1.7 oz that is $40. I opted for the larger size since it’s something both me and my husband will probably share.

The next thing on my list was the Clarins Eclat Minute Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. I was debating between these or the new Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors (in a twist up stick). I decided to try the squeeze tubes first since there have been so many raves. I picked up Rose Shimmer 01 which is a light iridescent baby pink that is a really smooth glossy baby pink. It has a soft vanilla scent that isn’t overpowering. It leaves the lips feeling plump and glossy but not tacky.


on the nails, Louboutin Bengali

The third thing I picked up was the Water Purify One-Step Cleanser. I opted for the one for Normal/Combination Skin because of the fresh clean minty scent. It has a soothing feel on the skin and leaves it feeling clean without any residue. The rep emphasized it’s not a regular cleanser and won’t be sufficient alone, but is ok to remove makeup on lazy days occasionally or to refresh the skin.

You can find the Clarins gift with purchase online and in stores at Nordstrom right now, while supplies last. If you order online be sure to enter the code at checkout to redeem your gift. Codes are SUPER, FIRM or MULTI.



Do you have any Clarins favorites? I have my eye on those new lip balms, but I’d love to hear about what else you’ve tried and love.

Many thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. All items were purchased by me. For more information refer to my disclosures.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer – Wine Not

January 28, 2015

Marc Jacobs Beauty recently released two new limited-edition Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquers in Wine Not and Milk ($18 each for 13 ml/0.43 oz). Today I have swatches to share of Wine Not which unfortunately looks like it’s sold out online right now. I am hoping it will be restocked soon because it’s drop dead gorgeous. (For reference, Milk is swatched here.)

Wine Not is a rich metallic berry that gives full opaque coverage with two coats. It has a mix of plum and red in it so depending on the angle the light hits it, this shade might look warm or cool. In natural light it’s a smooth metallic plum. In sunlight it glows.

With two coats you get full opaque coverage. The first coat is a bit sheer and looks dark but add a second coat and it transforms into a lovely berry with minimal visible brush strokes. I was really pleased with how smooth it went on the nail. For some reason this particular polish did seem to soak up the first layer of top coat I used (I used Chanel Laque Brilliance Extreme), I recommend you add two layers of top coat to make it shiny.

Swatch comparisons below show that Wine Not has a more metallic finish with a good mix of red and plum making it the perfect wine. You can definitely find similar colors but as shown below many others lack that red glow Wine Not has when you see it in sunlight.

Chanel Cosmic Violine (discontinued)
Chanel Tulipe Noire (discontinued)
Chanel Vamp (review here)
Dior Galaxie (discontinued, review)
Chanel Malice (discontinued, review)
Tom Ford Minx (discontinued)

In full sunlight it flashes more red/wine:

Marc Jacobs Beauty is gorgeous. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will come back in stock online or eventually show up at Sephora. I’ve reached out to see if this will be restocked soon – I’ll update this post as soon as I have more information. In the meantime I hope the comparison swatches help in case you want something similar and have any of the other shades, you can shop your stash for now. Marc Jacobs Wine Not is currently exclusive online at Marc Jacobs Beauty. now available at Sephora.com.

What’s your favorite metallic plum/wine nail polish?

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Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Infinity

January 22, 2015

Hourglass just released seven new eyeshadows called the Modernist Eyeshadow Palette ($58 each for 5 x 0.035 oz/1.0g). Each palette seems to offer a diverse range of textures and finishes. There are different color variations for a soft to more dramatic eye. I went with the safe option and purchased Infinity a soft palette of warm neutrals which includes Warm Ivory, Dusty Rose, Bronzed Mauve, Cool Taupe, Dark Cocoa.

The shadows are extremely soft powders with an easy to blend texture. Pigment is very good on this palette and easy to blend and layer for a softly defined eye. Many of my readers have commented on the lack of soft satiny matte palettes in the high-end beauty market. If you’ve been on the hunt for a good palette of soft mattes (with one wearable shimmer) this is the answer to what you’ve been searching for. The only downside is the soft texture is so soft that there is a lot of powder kick-up when you swipe the palette with the brush. I didn’t find that the powder fallout translated to how it applied on the eyes though. With a good brush (like MAC 217, 219 or 239) I was able to get a soft medium gradient.

With soft neutral mattes like these sometimes the colors can end up looking muted or the same on the lids. I like to start with the medium shimmer shades first and then add the others to either highlight or contour the rest of the eye. The middle shimmer color is very soft but adheres well to the lids. The other mattes are softer and lighter in texture (although they have good pigment) and for me are better used as washes. The darkest color is best used with a damp brush or over a creamy liner to help the enhance the pigment.

The packaging and product design is incredibly unique. The powders in the compact are pressed together making them look like a wave pattern. When there is no separator between colors in palettes I usually get worried. I like tiny dividers because I find they make it easier for me to dip my brush into the palette without having to worry about mixing colors. The stripes are large enough for my MAC brushes for now. I do wonder how it will work once the surface is worn down after use.

They come packaged in a similar design to the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette, but the Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes are smaller. For the price and for consistency, I do wish they were larger in size.

Swatches:

Larger and heavier swatches:

Comparisons:

Burberry Nude Blush (review)
Urban Decay Naked2 Basics (swatched)

Tom Ford Orchid Haze (review)
Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage (review)

Based on the comparisons above you can see similarities in the shades to other palettes. If you own a lot of neutrals you may find this easy to dupe. To me it seems to be a cross between Orchid Haze and Cocoa Mirage from Tom Ford. I’ve found this palette beautiful to wear and gives a lovely soft defined eye. I do wish the powder texture was a bit less soft because the palette itself can get quite messy with the powder kick-up, although as mentioned above, they meld nicely on the eyes and I experienced no fall out once I put it on the skin.

I know from reading other reviews that there are mixed thoughts on this, my recommendation is try before you buy if you are skeptical. Reviews with thumbs up from Goss Makeup Artist. Lukewarm review from Color Me Loud. Thumbs down from Temptalia.

I personally am really happy with my purchase, I haven’t seen or tested the others to give you a review on the entire collection of the Modernist Palettes (some look like they have more dramatic sparkles). Given the mixed reviews I don’t suspect this will be a universally loved palette, but I do know I’m not alone with my thumbs up thoughts on this.

You can find the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes now at Sephora, Barneys New York and Hourglass Cosmetics. It will be available at other retailers later this month.

Did you try any of these palettes? What did you think? 

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Beauty Tools Wayne Goss

Wayne Goss – The Holiday Brushes (2014)

January 19, 2015

On the nails: Dior Lady

I’m late to the game with the Wayne Goss Holiday Brushes in White and Black ($85 each, limited-edition) but I am really happy I was able to get both as they were produced in limited quantities for last holiday (the white one is already sold out). These are exclusive to Beautylish and although I almost always purchase brushes I can see and touch in person, I made an exception and ordered them sight unseen after seeing it featured on @raeview’s Instagram (also featured on her December Hits/Misses video). I’m so glad that I did.

This year he released a Black and White version:

The Wayne Goss Holiday Brush is a large tapered powder brush. It’s dense, fluffy and ultra soft. All of his brushes are all hand made (cruelty free) and none of the hairs are cut – the two holiday brushes are the first that I’ve tried from his line for face brushes and I am really impressed. They both pick up just the right amount of product with just one or two swipes. I’ve tested it on pressed setting powder, bronzer, highlighter and blushes. The tapered shape makes it extremely versatile for all sort of powder face makeup. I really like these for blush and bronzer.




MAC Sheertone Blush in Tenderling



For me, it’s been challenging to find a brush with this particular shape and size – most tapered brushes I’ve seen are quite a bit smaller. The MAC 138 is similar in size and density but the ones designed by Wayne Goss by comparison are much softer in texture and feel like silk on the skin. In my entire brush collection, my Tom Ford brushes are the softest that I own. These holiday brushes from Wayne Goss are just as soft.

For my testing, the Black Holiday brush has gone through two washings already. It does fluff up a little bit after the first wash but it still retains its shape. I photographed it next to an unwashed/unused white one before I tried it. For me there was no shedding or color bleeding with the first or second wash.

If you’re crying over the fact that the White Holiday brush is sold out, I found both the White and Black versions to be identical in texture, density, softness and performance. I would still be crying if I didn’t get the white version since I have a soft spot for white fluffy brushes, but they are both identical and I probably didn’t need both. That being said I am really happy I have both, I’ve found them both to be very gentle on the skin and effective at pickup up product and giving you a super smooth and even makeup application with powders, bronzers and blushes. For me they are both worth every penny even though the price is on the steep side. They are well made and very good quality.

If you haven’t checked out the Wayne Goss Holiday Brush, I highly recommend you do soon. It’s limited-edition and exclusive to Beautylish. Have you tried any of the brushes from Wayne Goss? What are your favorites?

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Armani Eye Makeup

Giorgio Armani Eye Tints – Onyx, Cold Copper, Senso, Rose Ashes and Gold Ashes

January 13, 2015

Giorgio Armani’s latest includes a new liquid/cream eyeshadow called Eye Tints ($38 each for 6.5 ml/0.22 fl oz, made in France). These eyeshadows are all shimmery and come in twelve different colors. I ordered several sight unseen and literally gasped when I opened the boxes. They are really beautiful.

The shades above, left to right (note the tubes themselves only have numbers as labels):

  • Onyx 5 is a super sparkly olive green with silver and green shimmers
  • Cold Copper 9 is a smooth shimmer neutral tan
  • Senso 10 is a unique plum brown bronze shimmer
  • Rose Ashes 11 is a warm peachy gold base that flashes pink and rose 
  • Gold Ashes 12 is a super sparkly cool-toned champagne shimmer
These Armani Eye Tints have a fluid texture but aren’t so fluid that they are like liquids. There is a bit of thickness to them which makes them slightly like a cream, but the texture is still on the fluid side. The color sheers out once you blend them but it is easy to build and blend. I’ve been playing with these all last week – my favorite way to apply is straight from the tube onto the lids and then blend on the eyes with a finger.

Onyx and Gold Ashes are extremely sparkly, but not quite as frosted or as pigmented as Armani Eyes to Kill shadows and not as glitzy as some of the Chanel Illusion D’Ombres. I’ve tried Gold Ashes all over the lids and it blends out really nicely for an even wash of sparkle. The other shades Cold Copper, Sense and Rose Ashes have a more finely milled shimmer. In terms of lasting power, I found these dried down to a satiny finish on the eyes after they set and lasted all day without budging. You can layer a powder shadow on top of these but if you do, I recommend working quickly with your shadows – these tend to set and dry quickly, although it’s not immediate which allows you to blend and layer, dry time is on the fast side (at least for me).

For reference, Café Makeup has all the shades swatched and Color Me Loud has a detailed review on Senso #10.

These come with a beveled sponge tip applicator:

Close up of all the shades:

Swiped straight from the tube:

Swiped on a larger area:

Comparison swatches:

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Epatant (review)
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Mirage (review)
NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia (review)
Nudestix Magnetic Eye Color in Twilight (review)
Chanel llusion D’Ombre in New Moon (d/c, review)
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon (swatches)
Armani Eyes to Kill 9

I really like these, although I am partial to the Eyes to Kill Intense Shadows. I know many have found those too shimmery and too intense so if you’re looking for something softer I recommend you check out the Eye Tints. They have a smooth texture that offers light to medium buildable coverage. 

Armani Eye Tints retail for $38 each. Currently available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Giorgio Armani Beauty. Have you checked out these new shadows yet?
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