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Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Brun, Khaki Vert & Khaki Rose

September 8, 2010
The highly anticipated Les Khakis de Chanel nail polishes for Fashion’s Night Out have finally arrived ($25 each). These are exclusive to select boutiques in the US so you won’t be seeing these at your local department store counters, unless they have a Chanel Studio that carries exclusives or imports collections. I’ve been anxious to see what these look like in real life as each swatch photo I’ve seen looks different. These are some other websites I’ve seen pictures on:


All the Khaki shades have a smooth cream finish with no detectable shimmer, even in the bottles. They apply with absolute perfection – creamy & opaque with 2 coats. The colors are so not me – but I still caved. Curiosity got the best of me because it’s Chanel. My descriptions:
  • Khaki Vert – forest khaki green cream (my favorite one)
  • Khaki Rose – warm brown taupe, there’s nothing “rose” about this once it’s on the fingers (only looks slightly pink next to Khaki Brun)
  • Khaki Brun – deep brownish green, resembles green pea soup

Outdoor lighting, no flash:


Four sets of swatches in different lighting, Khaki Rose looks slightly pinkish here only because it’s next to a green and a brown, but scroll down below for the comparison set to see how un-pink it really is. All with 2 coats, no base coat or top coat (hand swatched by me, so excuse the messy finish and unclean cuticles).


High flash and natural sunlight definitely bring out the color, but I find the above photos are more accurate.


From the promotional images I had wondered how these compared to existing shades. While I should have known what to expect with the khaki military colored theme – I kept thinking in my mind, “maybe they’ll be more wearable than they sound.” Right now I’m undecided. My favorite in the bunch is Khaki Vert. While the following comparisons are not exactly dupes, I hope they will give you a better idea of what the shades are like. I don’t own many medium browns or greens for nails.

Chanel Particuliere vs. Chanel Khaki Brun

Rescue Beauty Lounge Diddy Mow, Chanel Khaki Vert, Chanel Jade


Rescue Beauty Lounge Om, Chanel Rose Confidentiel (here too), Chanel Khaki Rose

* Funny how pink Rose Confidentiel looks next to the brown, when by itself, it’s not all that bright of a pink

*Update* Someone commented how close Particuliere looked to Khaki Rose. Upon reviewing my swatches/photos I saw how it might be misleading so I did another proper comparison set. Here is Particuliere v Khaki Rose v Khaki Brun. Interesting how Particuliere almost looks purple now.

Overall thoughts: I have gone way outside of my comfort zone in buying these colors. My favorite color in the trio is Khaki Vert. I normally think Chanel does it best with the nail colors, but in this case I much prefer RBL Diddy Mow to Khaki Vert. (I bought Diddy Mow because it looked so good on Cafe Makeup – see her swatch/review linked.)

I can definitely see myself wearing Khaki Vert and Khaki Rose. The Brun shade – I’m not sure. It has me going “hmmmmmm …” I think if I had seen and tried it in person myself I would not have purchased it. Still, I have to give kudos to Chanel – only they can manage to capture my attention and $$$ with these odd shades for the nails.

All shades purchased by me. These are available at select Chanel boutiques around the US and is rumored to be online starting 09/10/10 for Fashion’s Night Out.

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Burberry Beauty Eye Definer Pencils: Midnight Brown & Midnight Ash

September 7, 2010
The reviews on Burberry Beauty Eye Definer – Eye Shaping Pencils $27 have been mixed, yet swatching them at the counter got the best of me, especially with the multi-dimensional shimmer and sparkles Midnight Brown 02 & Midnight Ash 03. Not all of the eyeliners are shimmery, but the two I picked up are. The colors are simply beautiful for a pretty defined eye.

Midnight Brown 02 is a shimmery deep cool brown with different colored sparkles. I could not find a dupe for this color. My interest was peaked when I saw it swatched by Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog. I think her review was spot on.
Midnight Ash 03 caught my attention when it was reviewed by Lisa Eldridge. It looked lovely on her and her video is divine (in case you want to fast forward, the eyeliner application starts at 5:53).

Swatched on my hand:

The good: In terms of the pigment and wearability of these eyeliners, the quality is excellent. They are perfect for that flawless definition. Although the colors are different, the result is a fairly similar effect. If you’re interested in either, I don’t think you need both.

The bad: We all have different expectations and preferences for how we like our makeup. Sometimes I don’t care so much about lasting power, but for eyeliners I do. I find that these eyeliners did not last well on me and faded pretty fast. Granted these are not created as waterproof, so I would say they last about the same as your average eyeliner. After I swatched these on my arm, I used my Neutrogena Makeup Remover in a swiping motion to see which one came off first. Normally the longer lasting ones need a few good scrubs before they come off my arm or hand. The lasting power of the Burberry is the same as the NARS pencils and those 2 were among the first to come off.

Comparison Swatches with Urban Decay 24/7 Zero swatched first as a true black baseline:

* Note Midnt is short for midnight so I could fit all the letters in the photo, and I apologize for the type on Clinique Egyptian

Conclusion: Still lovely and worth checking out. There are a number of eyeliners I love for the color and still use even though they don’t last so long. I find applying powder eyeshadow over sometimes helps the color last. I think I’ll still get use out of these by using them as a smudged base for darker shadows along the upper lash line.

Any of those who love these pencils, do you have tips on how to make these last?

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Le Metier de Beaute Summerland

September 5, 2010
One thing I love about San Francisco is that they have the most beautiful stores. I stopped by the Neiman Marcus in Union Square and it was breathtaking. I was thrilled to find that they carry Le Metier. I’ve had my eye on Le Metier de Beaute’s Summerland Sheer Brilliance Lipgloss $32 for quite some time and finally indulged my cravings. Luckily they had 1 left in stock. It was meant to be.

* click photos for larger viewing of the sparkles *

Summerland is the Sheer Brilliance formula, but I find this to be one of the more pigmented ones. It’s packed with loads of shimmer and swatches on the hand very frosty. I would describe it as a complex bronzey peach that has slight pinkish tones with a silver sheen and tiny micro sparkles. It’s probably the most complex gloss I own making it hard to describe.

  • In the tube, it flashes bronze, peach and has slight pink reflecting shimmers.
  • On the back of my hand, it swatches with a silvery sheen and diamond-like micro sparkles. It’s so complex swatched on the hand it’s almost blinding.
  • On the lips, the shimmer is more subdued but still significantly more glitzy than most other Le Metier glosses (which I find are similar to Chanel’s Aqualumiere Glosses in the finish, only the Le Metier glosses surpass Chanel in their complex shimmers and unique colors). It looks silvery, bronzey-pink and bronzey-peach with silver depending on the angle. I find it very complicated.
  • Swatched next to other bronzey peach glosses, Summerland almost looks pink. (Scroll to the bottom.)


There’s a soft scent – it reminds me of cotton candy and vanilla, but it’s not overpoweringly sweet which I like. The texture is glossy but less slippery than the other glosses from the line. It seems to be in between the Sheer Brilliance Lipgloss and Lip Creme formula.

Swatched blended out & swatched heavily:






I couldn’t find a similar shade, but pulled a few other glosses I thought would help for comparison purposes.

Left to right: Bobbi Brown Spun Gold, Dior #522, Le Metier Captiva, Le Metier Summerland, Le Metier Papaye Creme, Laura Mercier Ambre Rose



Odd how, when swatched next to other shades, Summerland almost looks pinkish. While I would say it’s clearly not a straight pink. But then Papaye Creme is deceiving as well. Looks like a deep melon red in the tube, on the lips it applies like a light warm melon-gold shimmer.


Le Metier de Beaute is available at Bergorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus stores. Check their websites for listings of other retailers. They recently launched on Nordstrom.com as well. The price points are indeed expensive, but I find them to be a true luxury brand. I’ve been pleased with the quality and exquisite colors of 90% of the items I’ve purchased.
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Butter London Yummy Mummy

September 5, 2010
Butter London Yummy Mummy is described as a magical shade that flatters every skin color. It’s one of those shades I have been intrigued by for quite a while but have never really been able to figure out from online photos and reviews. Is it a beige? Nude? Nude-mauve? Brown? Taupe? I think that’s the “magic” of this color. It looks different in every review and swatch due to different skintones. In the bottle I would describe it as a greige beigey fawn with silver shimmer. On the nails the color is different depending on what angle I look at it. Sometimes it looks mauvey. Sometimes it looks like a nude beige tan. Other times it looks like a mushroom. It’s odd how it changes color depending on the light.

Overall it applies smoothly without streaks but I find it very sheer, much like Tea With the Queen that I reviewed a few days ago. I had to apply 3 coats to get it to show up, with each progressive coat thicker than the previous. It did dry pretty fast however which is a plus. It has the slightest bit of pearl to it which makes it so it’s not completely flat. It’s not really shimmery, but the shimmer is definitely more noticeable than that of Chanel Jade Rose or Paradoxal.

I pulled all the shades that I had envisioned as possibly being a dupe – this was BEFORE I actually purchased this shade. Then I pulled all the shades that were ACTUALLY in the same color family. As you can see in Set 1, my original estimates were completely off.

Comparison Set 1: What Sabrina thought were dupes



Comparison Set 2: Actual comparable shades



In terms of dupes none have the exact finish like Yummy Mummy. It’s most similar to Rococo Stone Cold Karma. RBL Grunge is similar – just paler and without shimmer. Revlon Grey Suede is similar from arm’s length but is more pinkish.

One last view:


Bottom line: I like it.

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Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2010 Picks: Evocative, Divine, Onyx & Orchid

September 3, 2010
This fall, Dolce & Gabbana has released a palette of interesting and unique colors for their makeup collection. Those who have read my Dolce & Gabbana posts from past seasons know that I used to order from NY, but my 2 go-to sales associates left Saks (much to my dismay). After they left, I went on my search for another makeup artist from the line who was helpful, familiar with the line and knew what she was talking about. A couple of us Dolce & Gabbana fans called around the country searching for the perfect Dolce & Gabbana rep and we found one. For the past few seasons, I have found Nikki from Saks Houston to be a tremendous help in describing shades to me and helping me with my buying decisions as I do not have immediate in-person access to the line. I highly recommend her, she’s wonderful. She even color matched me over the phone to their foundation and it was an exact match.

Onto the fall collection. This season the eyes were a combination of bright and dark. Lips were also an odd combination of vampy dark and bright coral pink. Same with the nails. The collection looks lovely on their spokesmodel Scarlett Johansson, but I’m not sure that most of us can pull off all the items together for a look. I’ll most likely be incorporating their fall shades with other colors from other seasons.

What I picked out:
  • Orchid Classic Cream Lipstick $30 – bright berry mauve pink (non-shimmer)
  • Onyx Crayon Intense $29 – gorgeous gunmetal grey with steel blue tones (shimmer)
  • Divine Smooth Eye Color Quad $59 – beige & brown tan (non-shimmer), cool light fuschia & perfect navy-plum (shimmer)
  • Evocative Smooth Eye Color Duo $36 – bright coral pink (shimmer) & warm brown (non-shimmer)



Divine Quad: Smooth and pigmented. Pricey yes, but the texture and quality of the colors are absolutely divine. Highly pigmented with an almost creamy like texture. Easy to blend. Long lasting. I usually don’t even need a base for their shadows. It’s an odd combination. I haven’t really quite figured out how to pull off all the shades at once. It’s just so pretty in the compact.


The Saks fall catalog just came out. If you don’t receive it, I highly recommend you go to your nearest Saks, they usually have extra copies. The photos are highly inspirational for fall. I found it better than most of this year’s September Issues. Near the back they had a photo of a few fall items. Here is the quad in real life compared to the catalog photo. It’s pretty close, the only difference is the bottom left shade – in the catalog it’s a lovely taupe shimmer. The actual product has no shimmer for that color.

Onyx Eyeliner – This is probably my favorite item in the collection. It’s just breathtakingly gorgeous. I love it that much. Navy seems to be the new black this season for eyes – this one is a beautiful complex mixture of deep gunmetal/steel blue/navy shimmer. My only thing with Dolce & Gabbana eyeliners is that they don’t always last as long as I like. They are softer which makes them apply easier (less tugging) but also that means they don’t last as long. Some are better than others. I love the Coffee color (bronze shimmer). I think if you use an eye base you should be fine.

Evocative Duo – I know what you’re thinking. “What? She bought this?! Is she on something?” LOL – yes it’s way out of my comfort zone, but no I’m not on anything. Another thing I love about Nikki – she knows my taste for neutrals so we talked through this one which went something like this:

Me: How bright is the pink?
Nikki: It’s *very* bright, but works well if you layer it over the brown.
Me: Can I use it as a blush?
Nikki: I can see how it would work as a highlight, but perhaps a blush as well.
Me: How’s the brown in the compact?
Nikki: It’s a lovely brown, we don’t have anything like it.

So I bought it. I knew what it looked like from the promotional campaign so I knew what I was getting into. I have to say, I tried this with the brown first, then the pink layered on top and it was surprisingly wearable. I also tried the pink as a blush and Nikki was right, it’s better as a highlighter, but still really pretty.

Orchid Lipstick – The one product I am undecided about. It’s a bright cool raspberry mauve. Brighter than this photo shows. It’s definitely out of my comfort zone and is one of those colors that looks like it might pull fuchsia on my lips. This one I have to think about whether or not to keep.


Swatched:

Swatched again with high flash:

Overall beautiful. The swatches were done without a base. As a disclaimer, I am not affiliated with Dolce & Gabbana or Saks. I receive nothing in return for my recommendation of the Saks Houston store. I simply get so many requests for “where to buy” – while I like to let you make the decisions of where to buy on your own, I normally refer people to the company websites for store locations. However, Nikki is such a valuable asset and so many people have asked where I get my Dolce & Gabbana now I felt it would be helpful. You can find the Saks Houston store information on Saks.com. Just because I know people will ask, the direct line is (713) 627-0500, ext 5101 or 5102. She has even been kind enough to let me publish her e-mail address: [email protected]. I personally find calling and speaking to someone on the phone is more efficient and easier to get my questions answered.

Dolce & Gabbana does wonderful GWPs, although the minimums are pretty high (around $150 to $200). Granted you usually get a full sized item which I find very generous, along with some type of fragrance sample. YMMV with these – I find it more satisfying to get a full sized item I know I will use rather than a bunch of minis that I know I will never use. I’m not sure when their next one is for Houston. I know the Beverly Hills store does some nice promotional gifts too. So you may want to create a Dolce & Gabbana wishlist and save up your items until the next GWP event.

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Butter London Tea With The Queen

September 3, 2010

Butter London’s Tea With the Queen nail lacquer is neutral, understated and polished. Retails for $14 and described perfectly on ButterLondon.com as being “on the pink side of tan, very neutral.” It’s a sheer cream that applies smoothly without streaks. Being on the sheer side, it’s slightly transparent, but not so sheer that the color is invisible. The manicure below is with 2 coats. It’s like a tinted nude pink tan. It goes well my Pink Little Stam and matches my favorite flavor of Izze in Sparkling Grapefruit.



In natural outdoor light, no flash, it was slightly cloudy today:



Here it is with 3 coats versus 2 coats, the different is subtle but in real life it looks richer and more opaque with the extra coat:

Compared to a few other pink nudes, no swatches, but I do have swatches of Jade Rose and Inattendu on other posts. These all apply true to what you see in the bottle.



I found mine at ButterLondon.com.

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Burberry Beauty Rosewood: The Lipstick, Lip Gloss & Eyeshadow

September 2, 2010
The new Burberry Beauty line has still managed to capture my heart with even more cravings as I was able to visit a counter for the second time this past weekend. On this occasion I visited the location at Nordstrom in San Francisco and was thoroughly impressed with the two Burberry reps I met with – especially with their extensive background and knowledge of the cosmetics industry. They were spot on in describing the avid Burberry Beauty customer, the type of woman who knows what she wants and appreciates the details in everything down to the packaging design and functionality. I added quite a few more products to my Burberry collection (blush, lipgloss, eyeshadow, pencils) – all of which I will review in the upcoming weeks.

I wanted to feature all the Rosewoods in their lineup: the Lipstick #04, the Lipgloss #01 and the Eyeshadow #09. Here are the photos and swatches, read on below for my descriptions.



Swatched on bare skin:

I had already featured Rosewood Lipstick ($30) back in July (Burberry Beauty Soft Cover Satin Lip Cover Lipsticks). I’ve been told this has been their best seller and is currently out of stock company-wide (although I cannot confirm this myself). It’s a lovely cameleon-like color: in the tube it’s a lovely brownish rose with gold shimmer. On my hand it’s a rosey pink. On my lips, it’s a medium-deep browned rose. The shimmer is very subtle so I wouldn’t call it a frost. It’s soft and creamy with a slightly glowy finish. The pigment and coverage is good – but will probably look different on you depending on your natural lip tone. See it on a Chanel Cameo here from Cafe Makeup. FYI I am a Chanel Shell (as seen below). I have been smitten with this!

This past trip to SF, I knew I had to add the Rosewood Lipgloss ($27), even though it was very different from the lipstick with the same name. The lipgloss is a soft light nude-mauve. I hear this has been selling well too. I find it almost identical to Nutmeg (which is just more brown, less pink/mauve – to be reviewed soon). It’s creamy, non-shimmery, and very glossy with an opaque finish. I find it lighter than the lipstick version, but still very pretty.


I also finally caved on Rosewood Eyeshadow ($29). I initially thought it would be too mauve for my skintone. Yes, it’s a lovely taupe shimmer in the compact, but on the skin it pulls purple, especially on the back of my hand and arm. On the eyes, it’s not so purpley, so I would say the swatch might be slightly deceiving. Check out Diane’s review on Orange To LA and Amy’s review on Cafe Makeup for more swatches and thoughts on this gorgeous eyeshadow.



Overall thoughts: Classic, natural, yet polished. It’s pure love and definitely worth every penny.
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