Chanel Collection États Poétiques for Fall 2014 has arrived online and in stores. The ordered the nail polishes online and then checked out the entire collection in stores last week. The items I picked out include:
three Le Vernis shades in Secret 625, Atmosphere 629 and Orage 631
Burberry has released two new single eyeshadows in Storm Grey No. 27 and Graphite No. 28 ($29 each for 2.5g, made in Italy). These weren’t released as part of any full collection but add ons with a recent color feature at Nordstrom. I ordered one online at Nordstrom even though it was listed on backorder for several weeks. (It shipped the next day anyways.) The other shade I ordered from Nordstrom San Francisco. Many thanks to Café Makeup for taking the time out of her busy schedule to e-mail me with a heads up. Otherwise I might have completely missed these. You might find swatches on Gummy Vision and Chic Science helpful for additional reference.
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Storm Grey No. 27 is a shimmery grey. It has a beautiful pearly quality similar to that of Pale Barley. The color of Storm Grey is a cool grey but it has some warm tan and beige tones to the shimmer. If you look at other blogs you will notice it looks warm in some photos and cool in others. This is because of the multi-dimensional quality the shimmer has. It swatches like a neutral-cool toned grey on the lids but the warmth in the shimmer prevents this from looking drab on the skin. The pigment and blendability of Storm Grey is very good. It layers very nicely on the lids and the amount of color is easy to control.
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Graphite No. 28 is a darker cool charcoal color. There is a slight hint of shimmer in it but on my eyes it applies more like a satiny matte. I’m a fan of darker smokey greys for eyes however with my olive skin, grey colors can be hard for me to pull off. They often are too blue-based or too dusty looking giving me a punched-eye look. This one for me is best layered along the upper lash lines on top of a emollient eyeliner or used in combination with a warmer tan or taupe shimmer eyeshadow base. The texture of this one is slightly dry and sheer, but not quite as bad as I found Gold Pearl to be.
More photos and swatches:
Some comparisons swatches, two sets. First compared to a few palettes:
Overall thoughts: I really like the look and texture of Storm Grey. It’s a good neutral-cool grey shimmer that isn’t too cool-toned. It layers beautifully on the eye for a good smokey eye look and blends really nicely. Graphite is a color I really want to love but just can’t. It’s a good color as a liner but the texture is on the dry side with a slightly sheer/chalky finish so it is a bit more difficult to work with alone.
Thank you everyone for entering the Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel Giveaway. The winner has been picked from all qualifying entries at random through Rafflecopter – the winner is Jenny Schultz. Congrats and check your e-mail 🙂
Stay tuned for more giveaways that will be posted in the next couple of weeks 🙂
Here are some comparisons I swatched for Burberry Summer Showers Lip Glow Balms and Nail Polishes. First for the nail polishes, Burberry Summer Showers colors are Orange Poppy No. 221, Pink Peony No. 222 and Pink Azalea No. 223 (swatches and original post here):
For the lip glow balms, there are coordinating colors for the nails/lips and cheeks, colors for Summer Showers are Orange Poppy No. 01, Pink Peony No. 02 and Pink Azalea No. 03:
The summer beauty release from Burberry Summer Showers features three coordinating colors for for lips, nails and cheeks in Orange Poppy, Pink Peony and Pink Azalea. Check the Behind the Scenes Burberry Summer Showers footage from Wendy Rowe. The items in the collection for summer include:
Lip Glow Balms ($28 each for 4 g/0.14 oz) are sheer tinted lip balms with SPF 18
Nail Polishes ($21 each for 8 ml/0.27 fl oz) come in three highly pigmented colors
Fresh Glow Blush ($38 each for 5 g/0.18 oz) are sheer dewy cheek sticks with a slight tint of color
I ordered the Lip Glow Balms and Nail Polishes from Nordstrom San Francisco. I decided to pass on the Fresh Glow Blushes since my skin reacts to their Liquid Foundation and Fresh Glow Liquids. I played with the items I ordered over the weekend. The colors are beautiful classics but the only items I feel are must-haves are the Orange Poppy No. 221 Nail Polish and Pink Peony No. 02 Lip Glow Balm. Since the colors are classics there are quite a few dupes. You can check out the full collection swatches on Gummy Vision and Natural N Chic Makeup.
My Burberry Summer Showers picks:
First up are the Lip Glow Balms. These are a sheer tinted lip balm. The color on these is very sheer if you swipe directly from the tube. To get more color use a lip brush (which is how I’ve been using them). Orange Poppy No. 01 goes on quite bright if you layer it swiping back and forth. If you swipe once or blot it goes on more natural and brightens the face. I found it photographed well. Pink Peony No. 02 is the perfect natural pink glow. It’s on the sheer side but it gives your lips a healthy pink glow. Pink Azalea No. 03 is lovely plum pink but the sheer texture makes it apply slightly unevenly on my lips (this can be fixed with a plum lip liner underneath). These are semi-hydrating. They have a glossy sheen in the finish but they aren’t super moist feeling like YSL Volupte Sheer Candy. I would say the pigment level falls somewhere in between YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Tom Ford Lip Shines.
The Nail Polishes are all summer-perfect colors however Orange Poppy No. 221 is the only one I find unique. It’s a bright orange but not floruescent or super bright. There’s a muted quality to it which makes it a good summer to fall transition color. There is a slight pearly quality to the polish but o the nails it looks more like a cream. Pink Peony No. 222 is a gorgeous deep pink cream but similar to other pinks from Chanel, Dior and YSL. Pink Azalea No. 223 is a mauve plum with a slight dusty quality. I found it similar to Chanel April/Coup de Couer. The formula of these is really good and you can get full coverage with two coats. The brush is on the wider side which makes these a bit harder to apply if you have super small fingers like me (my ring finger is a Size 4). It’s still small enough to apply easily, for me it just took a bit more care to not get polish all over my cuticles.
Overall a lovely palette of sheer summer brights that aren’t too bright. The colors are naturally flattering and beautiful for everyday wear. I’m in love with Orange Poppy Nail Polish. I’ve swatched and photographed comparisons but haven’t had time to label the items. I’ll update this post later this evening with those for reference.
The Burberry Beauty Summer Showers collection can be found at Nordstrom and Burberry. I’m not sure whether or not these are limited-edition but will update if I receive more information.
Have you checked out Burberry Beauty’s summer items? Now that fall collections are starting to hit counters what was your favorite summer beauty collection this year?
I attended a small Chanel event at my local Neiman Marcus a few weeks ago and the artist used Chanel Utopia Illusion d’Ombre all over the lids with a bit of Chanel Les Beiges No. 40 as a contour and a black liner. It was so simple but really pretty and polished. Since then I’ve been wearing Utopia almost every other day. I’ve also found myself wearing Chanel Les Beiges powders on the face on a daily basis. I use No. 20 for a soft setting powder and darker ones in No. 30 and 40 to add warmth and contour (swatches of all three from last year here). The summer Multi-Colour No. 02 is also a new favorite for bronzing. It’s listed as limited-edition on Chanel.com so I will definitely need to get a backup.
For a quick preview on what will be coming soon on The Beauty Look Book, I purchased some items from Chanel Fall. Shown above are the three Le Vernis Nail Colors in Secret, Atmosphere and Orage, Glossimer in Rose Reve. I’m also working on swatches of Burberry’s two new Sheer Eyeshadows in Storm Grey #27 and Graphite #28 (they’re listed as being on backorder on Nordstrom, but I ordered one and it shipped right away, another option is to call one of the Burberry counters, Nordstrom San Francisco has both).
Last preview is that Tatcha has launched several Travel Sized Mini skincare items for sale. They sent me the mini oil for review (feature soon) and I’ve already ordered three other items to take with me for an upcoming trip. They are perfect for travel or to try something out before committing to the full size.
For non-beauty loves, I’m loving nude pinks for accessories. Also bookmarking lots of items in J.Crew’s Style Guide for summer (have you checked out their blog?).
I’ve added two more Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl Sheers to my collection in Heart Shaped and Overprotected ($28 each for 5.0 ml/0.15 fl oz). I’ve been playing with Kissability for several months and have liked it for the sheer lush glossy finish it gives. These Lip Vinyl Sheers have a soft vanilla scent with a cool minty feel. They have a plumping factor with a very slight tingle but they feel hydrating and refreshing on the lips. My lips normally do not do well with tingly-feeling glosses but the Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquers are gentle enough to not irritate my super sensitive lips.
Overprotected is a pale milky cool sheer pink. It’s an extremely sheer formula and with my pigmented lips I found it settled into the crevices and emphasizes any lines if I didn’t use a lipliner or lipstick underneath. I find other pale pinks from Armani, Burberry and Chanel easier to wear alone since they have smoother coverage for my pigmented lips. If your natural lip color is on the pale or pinker side this will work better for your lips. I do like this as a layering gloss over pale pink shimmers or nude lipsticks.
Heart Shaped is a coral pink shimmer. This one is also very sheer with a transparent shine. It gives more color on the lips compared to Overprotected but it’s still very sheer. The finish and pigment is similar to Kissability. I like this one better alone with just a bit of lipliner blended around outer edges of the lip.
These come with a flat flexible sponge tip applicator
Thumbs up to Marc Jacobs Heart Shaped for the color and shine. The shimmers have a good mix of coral and pink. I have mixed feelings on Overprotected because it’s a bit high maintenance for me (but it’s mainly because I have pigmented lips). I think based on what I’ve tried I prefer the shimmery colors from the Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl Sheer formula.
Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl Sheer glosses retail for $28 each. Available at Sephora and Marc Jacobs Beauty.
