* Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Soiree (see previous D&G feature here) * Trish McEvoy Lipliner in Bare * Jouer Moisturizing Lipgloss in Blush(see previous Jouer feature here)
The products:
The look:
What are your favorite products for baby-pink or natural pink lips? I’m always on the search for my HG baby pink glosses, lipsticks, lipliners and would LOVE to hear yours!!!
(For reference, I have medium olive-toned skin, in between MAC NC30-35, Chanel Teint Innocence Liquid Shell 1.5, Stila D/E, Armani Luminous Skin Foundation in 5.5)
I’ve been a huge fan of Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes ever since I first saw them in a little beauty boutique in Boston for their range or pretty nude and pink nail polishes. The line was created by Ji Baek who has also opened up two Rescue Beauty Lounge luxury salons in New York.
I ordered a few shades online, two gorgeous reds and two pretty lighter shimmers. It appears the Rescue Beauty website has recently been revamped a bit so the pictures of the nail lacquers make it easier for you to see what they really look like. She has cute descriptions of each shade as well. They each retail for $18.
Left to right: Killa Red, Cherry Love, Ani, Leila
Swatches are here:
Killa Red is described as “This is the cool blue-toned red worn by those dangerous blondes in Hitchcock films (while they reach for the gun in their slim kelly green alligator clutch.)”
Cherry Love is described as “Popsicle-fuschia, the love child of hot pink and sizzling red. When pink is too tame and red is too expected, give this glamorous shade a try.” To me, Cherry Love is just more cool/blue toned than Killa Red.
Ani is described as “A shimmery, semi-transparent golden beige . . . Slightly bohemian, so pile on a stack of jangly bracelets.”
Leila is a soft shimmery pale lavender color (note: the website description has been removed, they are probably still updating the website).
I ordered these shades online and am very happy with the quality and finish. I can’t wait to try out more shades!
Laura Mercier is one of my favorite brands for high quality and naturally pretty makeup products. I was lucky enough to have met her at a Nordstrom event while getting my makeup done. She did not have time to do my makeup since the event was packed and super busy, but did make time to stop by each customer to say hello and ask us if we had anything to ask of her. She was very sweet and genuinely warm.
Anyhow, one of my favorite products are her Lip Glace and Lip Plumper glosses. Both are smooth and non-sticky. They come in a wide variety of pretty colors, most are natural and very wearable. I think out of all the lines out there, her lip gloss packaging is my favorite because of the sleek classic design and see-through tube which allows you to see the colors clearly.
Her Lip Glace contains a “Lip Complex” which is composed of ingredients that moisturize, anti-age, anti-oxidize and plump all at once. She has a few different formulas and finishes in her lip glace line which are available in a variety of coverages (sheer, medium and full) and finishes (shine, sheen and shimmer). Laura Mercier’s website does an excellent job at describing the colors and finishes of each shade. She recently repackaged all her Lip Glaces about a year ago into a a different tube and also reformulated some of the colors giving them a new sweet vanilla-candy-like scent. I personally prefer her old lip-gloss scent, but still love her new ones. In addition to the repackaging, she also released quite a few new colors, but kept most of her original shades.
Left to right: Platinum, Gold, Bronze, Petal, Ambre Rose
Left to right: Pink Diamond, Lilac, Opal, Baby Doll, Bonbon
(NOTE: Pink Diamond was Limited Edition when originally released, but has been seen in a few holiday sets in the mini size)
Her Lip Plumpers are a slightly smaller tube and retail for $30. They have a slight minty scent which gives a A refreshing, cooling effect that is supposed to build up over 20 minutes to plump lips. Her site also claims that the effect should last up to two hours. I usually don’t keep track of how long my lipstick/lipgloss lasts, but these do have a nice cooling effect. I can’t say that it really does plump-up my lips significantly, but the shades are pretty and do enhance my lips.
Left to right: Lychee, Peach Glow, Pink Pearl, Wildberry, Rose Flush, Bronzed Berry
Plus my first swatch post on MAC NC30 skin Left to right: Lychee, Peach Glow, Pink Pearl, Wildberry, Rose Flush, Bronzed Berry
I find most of her colors are true to what you see in the tube. With some of the brighter colors, you can get a sheerer application, but for the most part, what you see in the tube is how it goes on your lips!
This look was done right after the Chanel Holiday 2008 collection release. Even though it was based on their holiday colors, I find this look to be flattering for all seasons since it featured some neutral vanilla shimmery lips and pretty gold eyes with neutral tawny cheeks. These are the products that were used:
FACE: * Le Blanc De Chanel Illuminating Base * Mat Lumiere in Beige 2.0 * Double Perfection Compact in Tender Bisque 2.0
CHEEKS: * Tweed Ambre Blush
EYES: * Ombre D’Eau Fluid Eyeshadow in Riviera #737 (gorgeous shimmery pale gold) * Quadra Eyeshadow in Spices * Smokey Violet Mascara (forget which formula this was, but I believe it was LE)
LIPS: * Lip Definer in Nude * Aqualumiere Lipstick in Cancun * Aqualumiere Lipgloss in Vanilla
Yet another makeover breakdown from Chanel! This one was done soon after the new aqualumiere lipsticks, gloss liners and lip glosses were released in the US.
FACE: * Prepped with Chanel skincare items * Teint Innocence Compact in Beige 2.0 * Poudre Douce in Peche Tendre
CHEEKS: * Bronze Universelle on cheeks to contour (this has been replaced with the Soleil de Tan Bronzing Makeup Base which is similar) * Irreelle Blush in Be Bop (now discontinued, an alternative without shimmer is the Tweed Pink) * Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Nomade on apples of cheeks (yes, she used the eyeshadow as blush!)
EYES: * Eye Base in Bright * Soft Touch Shadow in Nomade all over lids * Soft Touch Shadow in Tigre along upper lash line blended up 1/2 way up eye
LIPS: * Lip Definer in Nude (they seem to make this liner work for just about every lip look) * Aqualumiere Lipstick in Stresa (hot strawberry pink) * Aqualumiere Lipgloss in Bon-Bon
Another great event at Chanel! It’s the one line that I’ve always had great results with at their makeup events. The key is to attend the events with their trained artists who have been in the industry, specifically with Chanel, for a long time. By now, there are a few Chanel artists I have run into at different department store events who have done my makeup multiple times. Each time they create a simple but elegant look and always give me ideas for alternate combinations.
The most recent event I went to was a couple weeks ago, soon after the Naturels and Celestial collections had been released. I asked for a new daytime look, and the artist incorporated items from both collections with these items:
FACE: * Sublimage Essential Regenerating Cream in the Universelle Texture * Sublimage Regenerating Eye Cream * UV Essentiel SPF 30+ * Le Blanc de Chanel Illuminating Base mixed with Hydramax Active Tinted Lotion in Sand * Correcteur Perfection Long Lasting Concealer in #20 * Poudre Douce Soft Pressed Powder in Rosee
CHEEKS: * Tweed Corail + Tweed Pink mixed together * Soleil de Tan 4 Facettes Bronzing Powder
EYES: * Eye Base in Bright * Soft Touch Eyeshadows in Slate on lid and outer corners + Lily to highlight * Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow in Seashore #747 applied over the dry shadows along lash lines * Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in Marine (smokey deep navy with a bit of shimmer) * Mascara (forgot which one she applied)
LIPS: * Le Crayon Gloss Sheer Lipliner in Clementine * Aqualumiere Lipstick in Monte Carlo * Glossimer in Silex
(close up of lip products indoors and outdoors)
I received some samples and a small gift with purchase which included mini jars of the new Sublimage Creams. I have been using it for a couple weeks now and it works wonders for my skin. Still, I’m not sure I will be shelling out the $$$ for a jar. Their new concealer is incredible for under the eyes, the artist showed me the effect when applied under one eye compared to the other and there was a huge difference. I have tried numerous concealers and the only ones I have been happy with are from Laura Mercier. The new Chanel Concealer is excellent, non-cakey, yet gives full coverage and really hides darker under-eye circles.
All the main items are pictured, except the bronzer/skincare/foundation/concealer/eyeliner. The bronzer was pretty – but on the sheer side, it can easily be substituted with another bronzer like Bobbi Brown’s Bali Brown or MAC Bronze or MAC Golden. The Marine Eyeliner is pretty, but a basic deep navy shimmer.
The makeup artist also suggested that the new Meteore Glossimer paired with the Tweed Ambre Blush would also compliment the eye colors she picked out for this look.
Bringing you a mini review of Rock & Republic Cosmetics . . . Saturate Eye Colors, Contrived Pressed Blush, Luxe Lipglosses, Noir Lipglosses and Intimate Mousse Blushes. The Rock & Republic Luxury Denim brand has recently launched a cosmetics collection, available at select Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus locations. The products are packaged in edgy, sleek, flashy designs with contrasting black and chrome to reflect the style of their denim collections.
Saturate Eye Colors: These retail for $28 and come in a flip-top mirrored compact. The eyeshadows are jet-milled, available in three different finishes: matte, satin to shimmer. The textures are medium-soft and while the pigment is medium-high, the texture is semi-chalky for the satin finish shades making them a bit difficult to blend. The full shimmer shades are softer in texture making them easier to blend on the lids.
1) Snakeskin (satin finish) is a medium olive green with gold and brown sparkles. 2) Lost (satin finish) is a neutral coffee-brown with gold sparkles that are very subtle. The gold shimmer makes it look lighter, but it goes on medium-dark. 3) Sabotage (shimmer finish) is gorgeous shimmery golden beigy-brown. 4) Diffused (satin finish) is a cool taupe grey-brown with subtle shimmer.
Luxe Lipgloss & Noir Lipgloss: The Luxe lipglosses come in a wand-style tube form and retail for $26. Noir Lipglosses which retail for $35 come in a heavy metal compact and retractable lip brush are a hot-pour version of a few existing shades in the luxe format. (Vacant Luxe = Conspiracy Noir and Runaway Luxe = Confession Noir) The glosses have a high shine and smooth non-tacky finish with a slight vanilla scent. Pigment is medium with a moisturizing feel.
Contrived Pressed Blush & Intimate Mousse Blush: Contrived Pressed Blushes come in a huge mirrored compact. They retail for $40 and come in matte and shimmer finishes. The pigment and texture of the blushes are excellent. Most of the colors are bright with the exception of Spank which is a neutral light matte pink. The Intimate Mousse Blushes come in a pot with a twist-off top and retail for $28. The textures are light and airy, like a soufflé. I find these apply best when tapped on the skin and blended with a small foundation or cheek brush. They have a sheer finish with subtle shimmers, but are buildable for more color. They have a soft semi-matte finish, which is nice for summer.
* Pressed Blush: Spank is a soft ballet-powdery pink 1) Gossip is a cool lavender pink 2) Quickie is a cute peach 3) Scandal is a pretty baby rose pink (similar to Gossip, but not as purple/cool-toned)
(Spank compared to some other brands)
Overall a nice new brand. Only downside for me is the bulky/flashy packaging and lack of unique eyeshadow shades in the neutral range. If you decide to try this out, I highly recommend waiting for Bloomingdales to have their next Private Sale event where they have gifts with purchases at each line. They usually have mini lipglosses or mascaras they give out which are nice to try.
This line is fairly new, but I haven’t seen much advertising or PR on this line. Also, I have yet to see an actual product specialist at the Nordstrom or Bloomingdales counter, each time I have tried their items, I have been helped by a sales associate from another line. The first time I heard about the line was when I saw a new unit at Nordstrom a few months ago. There are some nice shades though, so I recommend checking it out if you have a counter near you! Maybe it is just my area that doesn’t have anyone representing the line. Have you checked out any R&R beauty items yet? If you have, where did you hear about the line? Thoughts on products you have tried?
