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Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadows Fall 2011 – A Preview

August 6, 2011

This fall Guerlain has released a stunning collection for fall. The standouts for me are the Écrin 4 Couleurs: nine eyeshadow quads in a diverse range of shades from neutral to colorful to dramatic ($59 each). Each palette is encased in a heavy-weight luxurious compact. I love that each palette comes with a unique mixture of finishes (matte, satin, iridescent). I’m one that prefers a finely milled shimmer in shadows to add depth to the eyes, but find the matte colors in each are equally beautiful as they do not fall flat like some mattes tend to do so.

The colors designed by Guerlain are all exquisite. It was hard to pick just one and I was eager to order even before seeing or trying these in person. You can see all nine colors 01 Les Violets, 02 Les Bleus, 03 Les Verts, 04 Les Bois de Rose, 05 Les Gris, 06 Les Fumés, 07 Les Cuirs, 08 Les Perlés, 09 Les Noirs previewed with details on Café Makeup and swatched on Yuki’s Lazy Channel. Thanks to their lovely previews I narrowed down my initial picks to 04, 05 and 06. I have been further tempted to purchase one more, but am going to wait for the next beauty event.

I have yet to play with these as they just arrived yesterday from Bergdorfs, however, my initial thoughts are that these appear to be highly pigmented, versatile, classic, polished and well designed. Even the neutral palettes seem fresh and unique compared to what we’ve seen in past years – something I think can be difficult to do given all the innovative products various brands have released in recent years. I definitely think the packaging and design is an improvement from the past quads. I only have 3 quads from Guerlain (here and here) and as you can see from the comparison below, I don’t find myself using them frequently.

Each palette comes in a black slip case (which I usually toss) and a tiny booklet of instructions/how-to’s. I haven’t tried these ideas yet but thought I’d include it for your reference. The diagrams, while detailed and inspirational, rarely work for me as my eyeshape rarely is the same as what is on the pictures.

Last fall Guerlain released a stunning collection of luxurious eyeshadow palettes with 6 shades per compact at jaw dropping price of $85 each. Amazing reviews, detailed features and lovely how-to’s complete with swatches tempted me from Karla Sugar, Temptalia, The Non-Blonde, Café Makeup and Yuki’s Lazy Channel (to name a few). I must admit I was very tempted. Yet when I saw these in person, as lovely as each palette was, I could not bring myself to spend a full $80+ on a single item. Irrational, I know. Buying multiple eyeshadows individually can easily exceed a total price of $80, still $85 on a single item was too much for me to swallow given the neutrality of each palette (they seemed very basic when I swatched them in person). The fall offerings this year seem better suited for me in terms of price and color selection. There is more to choose from, a more diverse range of textures in each palette and the price is lower making it easier for me to justify.

Detailed reviews and swatches to come soon on each palette. Have you seen the new quads for fall in person yet? Initial thoughts? Did you love last fall’s collections? Is there something I missed that I need to go check out again?

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Laura Mercier Bare Pink, Bare Peach, Bare Naked & Bare Baby Lip Glacé

August 5, 2011

Laura Mercier has released another collection this fall called the New Smoky Eye Collection​. While the highlight is on dramatic eyes, I was personally more drawn to the new nude shades of Lip Glacés. (The smoky eye palette and caviar sticks were indeed lovely but seemed dupeable within my existing stash so I passed.) There are 6 shades of Bare Glosses in this collection ($22 each):
  • Bare Pink is a cream pastel pink
  • Bare Peach is a light peach with subtle shimmer
  • Bare Naked is a nude beige with a slight sparkle
  • Bare Baby is a pale pink with a soft sparkle and a slight hint of peach
  • Bare Beige is a repromote, a neutral caramel nude-brown
  • Bare Blush is a pink-taupe cream
Being the neutral-obsessed that I am, I ended up with 4, Bare Pink, Bare Peach, Bare Naked and Bare Baby. These have the signature Laura Mercier vanilla scent and have sheer coverage. I’ve had good experienced with Laura Mercier’s Lip Glaces in the past. Her colors have a diverse range of finishes from cream to fine shimmer to tiny microglitters. In general, the darker shades have a better pigment payoff. The lighter colors are more sheer. The Bare colors are rather pale. I can’t speak for all, but I do think girls with pigmented lips might not be able to pull these alone as these may end up looking chalky or ashy.

I tried Bare Peach and Bare Baby and while these are pale, they are sheer enough to work with my skin/lip tone. I have not tried the others on the lips yet but have swatched these below. Based on my swatches, I don’t think you need both Pink and Baby (the SA actually put Pink in my bag on accident instead of Bare Beige, but I’ve decided to keep the Pink).

Here is Bare Baby on my lips alone. It’s a borderline wash-out color for me. If you can pull off colors like YSL Rouge Volupte 1 or 2, MAC Angel, MAC Hue etc easily, then you will love this one. For me, it’s going to be more of a higher-maintenance nude. I suspect it will look better when layered over a pencil like Laura Mercier Chestnut or when blended with brighter lip shades.

Comparisons to other Laura Mercier and Le Metier de Beaute neutral shades are shown below. The * indicated the color was either limited edition and has been discontinued. From the photos below you can see the new Bare gloss shades are different from a number of existing Laura Mercier shades. Since most of the shades are sheer and blend out when applied on the lips, I tried to swatch these unevenly so you can see a variation of a heavy versus blended out swatch.

Have you seen or tried these yet? Can you pull of these gorgeous neutrals on your lips? Or are you like me and find many paler shades too pale on the lips?
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Dolce & Gabbana Almond Lipstick

August 4, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana Almond wraps up my review of the items I picked out from fall collection for 2011. Almond lipstick is a luminous richly pigmented warm caramel nude infused with a gold shimmer. It gives full coverage with a hint of shimmer (no frost). There is a natural glossy sheen with the signature soft Dolce & Gabbana rose scent. The texture is smooth and feels natural even though the coverage is full. The color instantly warms up the skin giving me perfect nude-caramel lips. Pure love.

This color might look familiar to you. I found quite a few similar shades, but none had the same rich pigment and depth. Left to right: Dolce & Gabbana Sparkling Shine Lipstick, Dolce & Gabbana Almond Shine Lipstick, NARS Cafe Con Leche, Chanel Secret Rouge Coco, Bobbi Brown Beige Lipstick, Dolce & Gabbana Glossy Gloss

It’s quite similar to Glossy lipgloss in the tubes. However, as you can see from the swatches, Glossy has a slightly transparent quality with more visible gold shimmer making it lighter. Almond appears more tan/almondy. I think these 2 will layer nicely together although these days I prefer to wear either lipstick or lipgloss.

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Dolce & Gabbana Praline Lipgloss

August 2, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana Praline Lipgloss is a natural pinky-nude-rose with a slight hint of shimmer. On me it leans slightly towards the cool side as a true neutral. The shimmer isn’t visible on the lips. There is a soft rose scent. Lasting power is slightly better than average for your normal lipgloss. The texture is smooth and slightly sticky but feels natural on the lips. I really like this color. The shimmer gives this gloss a bit of dimension. It’s a goof-proof type of color that I can easily wear any day of the week for any occasion. It’s a lovely natural that isn’t too natural. At this time I’m not sure if any of the Fall 2011 items are limited-edition. Your best bet would be to call Saks to double check.

I hope the comparisons to Laura Mercier and Chanel help you get a better feel for the color. I know most colors look very different on my lips compared to most other women (I have odd colored lips and skin).

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Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate Nail Lacquer

August 1, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate Nail Polish is a rich dark chocolate color, just as it is named. In the bottle it’s a reddish warm milk-chocolate brown. On the nails it darkens to a deep espresso shade without any visible red tones. The formula seems a bit thicker than most Dolce & Gabbana nail polishes but applies smoothly with 2 coats. There is a naturally glossy finish. In my experience, Dolce & Gabbana nail polishes last well past the usual 4 days for me for manicures and over a week for pedicures. I just applied Chocolate today for swatching purposes (not a full manicure) so I can’t assess the lasting power of this color in particular. Overall Dolce & Gabbana’s nail polish formulas seem very consistent for me and are highly under-rated.

Two coats without any top coat

While Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate is very basic, there’s something about the depth of this color that seems sophisticated to me. It’s not the most unique brown since I found it very similar to Dior Underground (from the Rock Your Nails collection) and Chanel Imperial. The difference is very slight with Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate being the richest and darkest, Dior Underground has more grey, Chanel Imperial has the most visible red. I added a comparison of Bronze Libertine from Dior (I think this was a Neimans exclusive?) for another brown-bronze comparison. Although it’s not super unique, I still like it.

In the bottle Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate looks most similar to Chanel Imperial. But when applied on the nail, you can see Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate actually resembles Dior Underground more. Odd, right?

Finally one last comparison to Jake’s spots. He wouldn’t sit still for a photo as he was too busy chomping down his treat. Compared to Dolce & Gabbana Chocolate his spots now look more tan rather than brown. Here you can see the natural shiny finish of the polishes (all without a top coat).

Overall lovely, rich and deep. This will be perfect for fall. I do however suspect this color will be easily dupeable. If I had had the access to all these shades at Saks I would have passed on this since it’s so close to the Dior. However, this is never the case because so many shades are either limited edition or exclusive to certain stores (why we all often end up with dupes). I suspect that this will also be very similar to the upcoming US release of Dior Ebony (as seen on Cafe Makeup from her Paris trip).

What do you think? Will you be wearing chocolate tones on your nails this season? Or when the real fall season arrives? Or are there other colors that catch your eye? This year, the colors for nails seem to be all over the place!

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Dolce & Gabbana Autumn 2011: Cinnamon Eyeshadow Duo & Shimmer Illuminator Powder

July 31, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana has released soft angelic shades for eyes and cheeks in their Autumn/Winter 2011 collection called Sweet Temptations. Cinnamon # 80 Eyeshadow Duo has a shimmery combination of soft opal pink and soft beige-gold. Shimmer #6 Illuminator is a soft finely milled sheer glowy pink-beige. The shades are soft and neutral and make the skin glow with a subtle sheen. Each shade has this beautiful multi-color reflective quality which makes the product look either more beige or more pink depending on how the light hits the shimmer particles. Above is more pinkish, below in different lighting you see more warm beige tones. Both items are very neutral, nude and sheer. On my medium skintone, these blend in with my skin for a barely-there glow.

Cinnamon Eyeshadow duo has a soft opal pink and a soft champagne beige gold. Both are shimmery neutrals. On the fingers and arms you can clearly see the difference in color. On the eyes for me, they both look the same (whether they are layered or applied separately). These give just the slightest glimmer to the lids. Layering actually makes these look chalky but then I reminded myself other duos like this did the same. The best way for me to apply duos like Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon is to put on a dewy eye base first, mix both shades by swirling a brush and then dusting lash to brow in a back-and-forth sweeping motion. Just add liner (like a bronze) and mascara. Cinnamon no doubt is a stunner when you see the compact. On my skin it doesn’t translate the same – it’s very similar to the colors you get with others like Stila Kitten, MAC Deckchair Pigment, Bobbi Brown Seashell, Chanel Island, just more subtle and not quite as frosty.

Swatch comparisons: Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon, NARS New Delight, MAC Shimmertime Pigment, MAC Deckchair Pigment, Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash Eyeshadow

Shimmer Illuminator is a soft neutral nude pink. I’m not sure what to make of this one. I had anticipated a glowy highlighter because in the compact you can see a soft luminous glow. On the skin however it goes on darker and the shimmer is non-detectable. Fair skinned ladies who are looking for a good contour shade for your cheeks, Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer is the answer to your prayers. The grey undertones of most contour shades that make us look ashy are non-existent here. It does have some brownish qualities but they are soft-nude-browns meaning this will go well with your natural skintone. What I swatched on the fingers was very true-to-pan. What I applied on my arm and face was just completely different. Hence my confusion on the name “Shimmer” for this product. I can’t say whether or not it will show up on darker skins. This one is hard to tell for me.

Comparisons to MAC, NARS and YSL


Overall thoughts: I fell in love with these the moment I saw them at Beverly Hills. Upon finger-swiping my heart skipped a beat. However, after playing with these at home, I think while these are gorgeous, they are just not must-haves for me. I believe I that my skintone is at that point (slightly tanned) where these blend into my skin so well they barely show up. Granted, they are neutrals intended for a “natural look” I find them a bit too natural for me. They are beautiful and high quality products though. Lighter skin ladies, if you can get to a Dolce & Gabbana counter, you must try Shimmer on your cheeks. Given the fact that it’s less brown than NARS Douceur (for some reason this one turns brownish on me), I think many will love Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer and find it a wonderful natural contour. As for Cinnamon, it’s so pretty in the compact, nothing would have stopped me from owning this. However, most light pearly shades end up looking the same on me no matter what variation. The shimmer is subtle so those who have found other brands too frosty will like Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon.

Have you been to Saks lately to see these or try these in person yet?

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Coming Soon … Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011 Picks

July 31, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana’s Fall 2011 collection has arrived in-store at select Saks stores. Those who did not like the metallics or dramatics we’ve seen to date this season will be happy to learn a number of brands are going natural and nude for fall. Dolce & Gabbana has released a soft palette of neutrals this season. After seeing a few things at Beverly Hills combined with Saks Houston’s recommendations from Nikki, these are my picks: Shimmer #6 Illuminator powder, Almond #77 Shine Lipstick, Praline #102 Lipgloss, Chocolate Nail Lacquer #203 & Cinnamon #80 Eyeshadow Duo. Reviews to come soon.

Also in the fall collection (sorry I don’t have all the names or descriptions), are two new eyeliners #17 (golden grass green), #18 (high frost white-gold), #28 Mocha Blush, #115 Cocoa Quad, #11 Berry Lipliner. I do not believe these are available online yet. For more information, I highly recommend you contact Saks Houston (ask for Nikki) for descriptions, recommendations & details. The items she sends via phone orders are always packaged in a beautiful exquisite black box.

To date, Dolce & Gabbana Makeup is exclusive to select Saks Stores in Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Houston, Miami, San Francisco & New York. Check Dolce & Gabbana’s website for international locations.
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