I was sold on this simply by the name “Champagne Truffles.” The box and the blue python pouch are to die for. The box says it all with adorable glossy product photos and fun-to-read description and how-to instructions. (Click the photo for larger viewing to read.)
Swatches of the top deck, the blush/shimmer powder didn’t show up in the photo, it doesn’t go on as sheer on the face
Bottom Deck (no swatches yet)
I found this at Saks, but I believe it has arrived at Nordstrom and Neimans too. The kit is $58 USD which is pricey considering the double decker cards were $38 when she first released these. Various counters at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales or Saks often have GWPs to make the purchase a bit more worthwhile by spending a certain amount. Inspite of the high price tag, I still love these cards because I think they look cute, especially since you can just stick it in your purse and have everything in one compact.
The spring theme this year seems to be all about pretty packaging & embossed designs through many of the different lines. Dior is the winner for the prettiest and most feminine designs from what I’ve seen so far.
I found the Dior Spring collection at Bloomingdales and the Coquette quint, Pink Lace shimmer powder, Pink Embroidery lipstick and Silver Pearl nail polish won me over.
The sweet sales associate at Bloomies was kind enough to let me snap a photo with my camera phone even though it didn’t turn out to have the best quality:
Here’s a recap of what’s being released, although in the US, we are getting 3 different lipsticks and at this time I’m not sure if we’re getting the Peach Lace 02 Highlighter (I’m still keeping my fingers crossed).
PLEASE DO NOT REPUBLISH MY PHOTOS WITHOUT PERMISSION. I’ve noticed these have already been uploaded on a few other websites. All my photos are copyrighted, republishing them is stealing and illegal, please remove them immediately.
Pink Lace Poudrier (001)
Coquette Quint (743)
Coquette Quint (743) Swatches
Pink Embroidery Addict Lipstick (663) & Silver Pearl Nail Polish (604)
Silver Pearl Swatch (1 coat)
Initial thoughts: I swatched the Pink Lace highlighter but my camera wasn’t cooperating, but it’s a lovely iridescent pale highlighter, similar in finish to Nars Luxor, but more sparkley. I can’t really tell if the white is overspray, but I love the finish and it comes in a heavy metal compact with a lace design on the outside. The Coquette Quint is lovely and highlight pigmented. The pinks look very similar, but I rarely wear all 5 shades in Dior quints anyways. I passed on the Iridescent Quint because they just weren’t me. The Silver Pearl nail polish is surprisingly pigmented for a Dior nail polish, I only needed one coat. It’s very metallic and while I think it’s pretty, I prefer less-foiled looking shades for the fingers. I think this will look good on the toes. I have yet to swatch the Pink Embroidery lipstick but it looks like a pretty neutral cool rose.
While there was a tester unit out in the case, the Dior rep was off for the day and the sales associate who helped me wasn’t sure if the items could be touched (even though it’s clear they are in the tester packaging). I decided to wait on the other items when I could actually test them. The blush looked absolutely gorgeous, but my experience with DiorBlushes have been so-so, they all seem really sheer and I didn’t want to buy the one from spring without testing it.
Overall a lovely collection with beautiful lace designs. I was a bit sad after swatching these because part of the imprint faded away – but I know it’s bound to happen with use anyways.
Happy New Year to everyone! Per reader request, scans of the spring collections. These are from Maquia & Voce which I thought had the best photos/layout. I didn’t scan all the lines, these are mostly the ones in the US and there are a few that I’ve never heard of that are on the same scanned pages.
Chanel
Lancome & Estee Lauder
Christian Dior
Givenchy, Clinique, Shu Uemura
Maquillage
Shiseido, Cle de Peau, Majolica Majorca
Beaute de Kose Esprique Precious, Beaute de Kose, Addiction, Jill Stuart
Helena Rubinstein, Suqqu
RMK & Lunasol
YSL, Clarins, Guerlain
Nars and Paul & Joe Kesalan Patharan, Paul & Joe, Maybelline NY
The spring collection from Laura Mercier this year is very simple and polished looking with neutrals in the pinky-brown color family. Most of the collection was actually a bit too neutral for me but I really liked the new Lip Shine in Crystal Pink which is a potted rich-pigment gloss (bronzey peachy pink) and Barely Nude Satin Lipstick (creamy beige).
L to R: Crystal Pink Lip Shine & Barely Nude Satin Lipstick
Swatches in the same order (with flash)
Swatches by the window, natural light
The other lipsticks are in the brown and pink-brown family similar to MAC Spirit and Twig but more wearable. If you liked the Renaissance Eye Color Duo from Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale last July, you will probably like the new eyeshadow duos as well since they are all very natural and light.
Also in the collection is a cream highlighter with 3 different colors (pale pink, rose, bronze) placed into layers in the compact. It seemed a bit too messy for me, but was really pretty – it’s something I might go back and look at again.
I don’t write much about MAC because I find that since there are so many MAC experts out there, I don’t feel like I would be contributing much by writing about the line. But I actually do like MAC products quite a bit. To me, they are definitely the most fashion-forward with trends and I love that they have such a wide range of colors, textures and finishes for all their products. Because there are so many colors, I think that just about anyone can find something they like.
One of the things I’m not crazy about though is their frequent discontinuation of colors to make room for new ones, but if your favorite product has been discontinued, there are chances it may be re-promoted with a new collection or that a very similar color will be released under a different product name.
All the products above are different colors, and while they aren’t 100% the same, they are so close that once you apply them on the skin, you can barely tell the difference. Can you ID these or tell the difference?
Pink Swoon Sheertone Blush
Pink Glow Matte Blush (discontinued around 2007)
Dark Edge Satin Eyeshadow (LE with N Collection, January 2008)
Rummy Satin Eyeshadow (LE with D’Bohemia, May 2005)
Bendel Girl Lipglass (Henri Bendel exclusive in September 2007)
Light That Fire Lipglass (LE with Warm & Cozy 2009 Collection)
Sugarshot Lustre Eyeshadow (LE with Sugarsweet, March 2009)
Light Ray Lustre Eyeshadow (LE with Turquatic, July 2006)
Cherry Blossom Lipglass (LE with Cult of Cherry, August 2008)
Cultureclash Lipglass (LE with Electroflash, July 2008, will be re-promoted in Feb 2010)
Trifle Lipglass (LE with Antiquitease, October 2007)
Tongue-in-chic Lacquer (discontinued, unsure of date)
Flash of Flesh Lipglass (LE with D’Bohemia, May 2005)
Bare Necessity Dazzleglass
Camel Eyeshadow (discontinued in 2000?)
Modelette Eyeshadow (released with MAC Warm & Cozy 2009)
My New Years Resolution is to use up more and buy less (we’ll see how well that actually goes). All of these from my stash are still good, I normally don’t throw out things according to the standard expiration dates.
That being said, it still doesn’t stop me from wanting MAC to repromote Maroon pigment, Brass Pigment, Coco Pigment, Pleasureflush MSF, Shrimplette Lipstick, Sharp Beige Lipstick, Fringe Eyeshadow, Heavenly Bliss Eyeshadow, Camel Eyeshadow, those cute Diana Ross pink makeup brushes and a bunch of their original blushes that they discontinued. The closest thing I’ve found to MAC Camel is the new Modelette Eyeshadow, but it’s still a tad bit different. Close enough for me to be happy right now though.
I wish MAC would do an “Originals” collection every year and repromote discontinued products from the past as a collection.
Happy New Years Eve to everyone! Ani (left, manicure) & Black Russian (right, pedicure)
WARNING: Don’t scroll down if toe-pictures make you queasy!
Want to know how Ani compares to Pink Shimmer from Christmas Eve? Ani (left) is more beige and Pink Shimmer (right) is whiter and paler. Please excuse the messy looking toes!
My Armani guy at Saks called me to tell me they got the spring collection in so I rushed over to check it all out. It was all very soft, light, airy and spring-y, reminds me of something a fairy would wear. Very pretty, sparkly and eye-catching! They didn’t have testers yet, but they let me play with the eyeshadow palettes since lately they haven’t been sent testers until a few weeks after they receive shipment of the product to sell.
The collection consists of:
* 2 new Silk Lipsticks: #98 is a pale pink shimmer, #99 is a neutral-warm pinky rose (similar to Nars DV but warmer)
* 3 new Lipshimmers: #62 is a pale buttermilk-cream color, #63 is a sparkley beige, #64 is a shimmery pale pink with a hint of peach
* 2 new Nude Contrasts Palette (4 Eye Designing Colors): # 1 has a pale iridescent baby blue, golden sand, matte black, pale sparkly ivory, #2 has a light golden nude sparkle, shimmery soft pink, matte black, and pale warm cream shimmer
* 1 new Eyeliner (didn’t catch the actual name): 01 is a pure black
* Shimmer Powder 5: repromoted from holiday, a sheer pale sparkle powder (very very sheer)
So far, I believe only the eyeshadow palettes are available online at Giorgio Armani. I’m not sure when the rest of the collection will be up online though.
A couple spring previews from the February 2010 issues of Voce & Maquia for more views:
The haul: Nude Contrast Palettes 1 (left), 2 (right), Silk 98 Lipstick, Lipshimmer 63 (top), Lipshimmer 64 (bottom) Close Up of Nude Contrasts 1 & 2
Swatch of #1
Swatch of #2
Lipshimmers & Silk Lipstick
Swatches on bare skin, L to R: Lipshimmer 63, 64, Silk Lipstick 98
Here’s a look from Biteki, while I can’t read Japanese, it indicates the MAC Lipglass is 2N, so I’m assuming the lipstick is also from MAC Warm & Cozy collection. Please note my camera washed out the color on her face, so it looks like she is barely wearing anything – I did the best I could, but hopefully it will give you an idea of how to coordinate the #1 palette. Can anyone translate?
Overall thoughts: The shadows are surprisingly pigmented for lighter shades and they are more sparkly than most Armani shadows which typically have finely milled shimmer. The swatches make the colors all look similar, but in real life they are more contrasted with each other. I think these will make a really pretty neutral eye that will go with a lot of different shades.
The lipshimmers are pretty, #64 is the frostiest gloss I’ve ever seen from Armani, but still lovely. It reminds me of MAC Prrr & Bobbi Brown Pink Sugar though, so if you don’t have access to Armani or want to shell out $$$ for the gloss, you can definitely find cheaper alternatives.
Silk 98 is pretty, it’s a more pink version of MAC Plink! but still on the sheer side. I might go back for 99 at some point because it looked like a pretty rosey pink without shimmer.
