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Tatcha Sunrise: A Plum Blossom 23-Karat Gold Illuminated Lipstick (Limited-Edition)

February 10, 2016
Tatcha just launched a new lipstick called Sunrise: A Plum Blossom ($55 for 3g/0.1 oz, made in Japan, limited-edition). As soon as I heard about it I immediately ordered a few as it looked like a pretty plum pink lip color I would wear everyday. Tatcha’s Sunrise Lipstick is one of the most luxurious lip colors I think I’ve ever splurged on. Everything is exquisite from the box to the packaging design of the tube. It’s described as a cool plum pink blush color that has a fine hint of 23-karat gold mixed in for a creamy, lustrous finish to flatter any complexion, day or night. I see a very fine veil of gold in the color but on the lips it applies more like a cream. It’s very creamy and smooth and glides on the lips easily without having too much slip. I’m so impressed with the way it feels – it’s very moisturizing but feels lightweight. I can’t detect any scent or taste which is a huge plus. Lasting power for this glossy finish lipstick is pretty impressive. On me it pulls more pink than plum and brightens the entire look for a fresh pink glow. Do note that on me, anything plum-toned tends to pull brighter and more vibrant for some reason. I recommend you check out the swatches on The Non-Blonde and Best Things in Beauty to see how it looks on other skintones.

Tatcha’s Sunrise Lip Color is inspired by the first spring time blooms of the iconic pink Japanese Plum Blossoms in Kyoto. Here in Southern California we don’t have any but I played tourist in my hometown and took a visit to the Japanese Gardens at Balboa Park to see what blooms I could find. Right now the Pear Trees are in full bloom everywhere with pretty white blossoms.

A closer look at the packaging and intricate details. The lipstick comes in a heavy weight sleek metal tube. It’s quite luxurious and I love the clean classic look of it. There are gold details on the cap and base that give this an extra special touch.

Above, on the nails Essie Barefoot and Topless 
Below, a look at the multi-faceted design of the lipstick itself

Another look at the detailing:

Some swatches, applied straight from the tube it adheres well to the lips, but with glossy lipsticks sometimes they swatch sheer on the arm. I have one light and one heavier one to show how you can build the pigment. On the lip swatches lipstick is applied straight from the tube.

Some comparison swatches:

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lip Color in Bond Girl (reviewed here)
Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Cary (swatched here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Pink Dusk (on the lips here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in So Vain (on my lips here)
Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle (reviewed here)
Burberry Kisses Lipstick in Rose Blush (swatched here)

Note many of the above colors look similar on the arm, but they are pretty distinct in my opinion, especially on the lips. Tatcha Sunrise is the brightest and most youthful. Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Cary looks a lot deeper and darker on my lips. Tom Ford So Vain is significantly cooler-toned and more blue-based. Chanel Mademoiselle is warmer.

Tatcha’s Sunrise A Plum Blossom shade is hands down a winner. Even with the high price point of $55 I think it’s something that will be truly a universally flattering color no matter what skintone or lip color you have. Everything from the formula, packaging and way the lipstick is molded is exquisite and well worth the high price tag. I think it’s the perfect bright but still somewhat neutral pinkish color with a hint of plum to add life to the complexion this time of year. It’s the color I will be wearing on Valentine’s Day 🙂 It’s a soft romantic pink that has enough pigment to show up but still neutral enough to be on the natural side. I believe it’s exclusive to Tatcha.com (where I ordered mine). Since it’s limited-edition, I do recommend ordering very soon. The last one that was launched sold out very quickly (it was a red shade and I missed out).

Right now, Tatcha has a promotion to Celebrate the Lunar New Year and a golden future ahead with their Omokage Gold-leaf Hand Mirror, a hand-crafted treasure from Kyoto. You can enjoy a complimentary Hand Mirror with code MIRROR16 at checkout at Tatcha with any order over $200. Begins 2/7/16 while supplies last.

Have you checked out the new Tatcha lipstick yet? If not I hope you will! If you have, I’d love to hear what you think about it!

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Chinese New Year 2016 Armani Highlighting Palette and MAC Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer for the Year of the Monkey

February 8, 2016

Happy Chinese New Year! Today marks the day many of us celebrate Chinese New Year and this year’s zodiac animal is the monkey. There are some cute beauty items that have launched to celebrate this event, I have two to feature today. One being the Armani Chinese New Year Highlighting Palette ($88 for 8.5 g/0.3 oz, made in France) and the other is MAC Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer ($17 for 3g/0.1 oz, made in Canada).

Up first is the new highlighting powder from Armani. The Chinese New Year Highlighting Palette comes in a mirrored compact with a compartment for a small brush. The packaging design is similar to that of other highlighting powders and the powder foundation. It’s a very soft and subtle highlighter in a gold shade. It does have quite a complex mix of shimmers from champagne and gold. I found the finish to be on the sheer side but it is buildable. Depending on how the light hits the compact, sometimes the color will look more golden and yellow, other times the shimmers will reflect to show more of a champagne colored shimmer. It comes cased in a stunning red lacquered compact. On the top is embossed the Chinese character for good fortune. It was difficult to capture the shimmer in this one but depending on how you apply it, you will see tiny bits of micro sparkle, almost like superfine tiny bits of glitter. It’s very smooth on the skin though, there’s no texture or chunkiness to the feel.

A look at the packaging design:

Swatched with a heavy hand otherwise it would not show up on camera:

A few swatch comparisons below to:
Armani Fluid Sheer #2 (also swatched here)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light (review)
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder Brilliant Strobe Light (swatch)
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder Euphoric Strobe Light (review)

I think it’s a nice collective piece to own if you celebrate Chinese New Year or if you simply love Armani highlighters. I find it special because of the packaging design and since I am Chinese, I do think it’s a fun piece to own. In terms of the color and quality, it’s a high quality powder with a finely milled texture to add a nice glow. On me I find it very subtle. I suspect some may find it too subtle or may not like the tiny gold micro sparkles. I like that it doesn’t emphasize pores and it feels very smooth on the skin. That being said, I do prefer the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Powders to this one.

Next up is something from MAC. They’ve curated a collection of some of their top-selling items (repromotes and permanent items) for the Year of the Monkey Collection – shades inspired by Chinese opera. Online and in MAC stores they have a special gold envelope (while supplies last). I ordered Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer online as it’s always been on my radar but I never caved and ordered. It’s a beautiful sheer grapefruit color. It’s bright but not too bright. You can find the color at all MAC counters and online. It’s just the envelope that is limited-edition and exclusive to MAC online/stores. This comes in the lustre lipstick formula which is sheer but buildable. Your natural lip color will show through if you only swipe it across the lips once and it has a naturally glossy finish.

Swatch comparisons to:
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Coral Confession (swatched here)
YSL Glossy Stain 42 (swatched here)

I think the Armani palette is a nice item to have, but not a must. I ordered mine sight unseen as I did not see it available at any counters near me. Had I been able to test it in person I suspect there’s a good chance I still would have purchased it because of the packaging and personal meaning. MAC See Sheer is a good wearable coral that adds life to the complexion. It’s a brighter shade compared to my natural preference for nude lips but I still find it very wearable and easy to pull off for everyday.
The Armani Chinese New Year Palette retails for $88 and is limited-edition. You can find it online at Nordstrom, Giorgio Armani and Saks Fifth Avenue.

MAC Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer retails for $17. You can find it at MAC stores and online (they will send a gold envelope with any Chinese New Year collection purchase while supplies last). If you’re just interested in the lipstick, it’s widely available at all MAC counters. Online at Nordstrom, Macy’s and MAC Cosmetics.

Did you check out any of the Chinese New Year beauty items this year? Happy New Year to those who celebrate!

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Formula X #ColorCurators: Song of Style Collection

January 31, 2016

This year Formula X has launched a special series of colors called #ColorCurators. They’ve teamed up with 10 major digital influencers in beauty, fashion, and wellness to design a series of customized nail polishes with a new trio of polish colors launching each month. The first collaboration features shades inspired by fashion blogger Aimee Song from Song of Style. I picked up the three shades from my local Sephora before they sold out in stores. The colors are limited-edition but you can still find them online at Sephora ($12.50 each).

The three shades in this collection include three cream colors:

  • A Girl’s Best Friend is a pastel pink
  • Mintfluencer is a pastel mint cream
  • Nude for You is a beige tan nude
When it comes to pastel creams, I think formulas and application can be tricky for any brand. So many pastels look chalky or are difficult to apply smoothly if you want full opaque coverage. Many go on splotchy with the first coat, some even out with the second, but a lot require a super steady hand and I avoid them because they are frequently high maintenance to get even coverage. I was thrilled to find that the colors from the FormulaX ColorCurators collaboration this month have good smooth coverage and were not streaky. The first coat with all of the shades is on the thin side and will look a tiny bit streaky. The second coat smooths out color perfectly without any issues. The key is to let the first coat dry completely though. If it’s still wet when you put on the second coat, the brush will drag the color and make it look blotchy. I have quick swatches of each shade to share in case you’ve been wondering about them.
A Girl’s Best Friend is a pastel pink. I do think this one requires a bit more care to apply simply because of the formula. It can look messy if you get this one in the cuticles, so I recommend cleaning the nail well and making sure your cuticles are trimmed before applying. I like using the FormulaX System with these polishes because it works really well to get smooth coverage and extend the wear of their polishes.

Next up is Mintfluencer. I’ve mentioned numerous times on this blog that I think mint colors are hard to pull off for nails for my yellow/olive skin. If it has too much yellow or green undertone it can make my hands look sallow. If it’s too pale, it ends up looking chalky and well, too pastel. FormulaX Mintfluencer has a really good mix of blue and enough color that it makes for a really fun true mint cream manicure. It surprised me how much I like it.

Another look in direct sunlight:

Last but not least is Nude For You which has a gorgeous mix of beige nude. It gives the hands a clean polished look. I think this one is my favorite of the three. Shown with two coats below:

For colors that might be seemingly basic, I give all three a huge thumbs up for color and formula. Lasting power on these polishes is very impressive – they last at least 7 days without tip wear or chipping although they absolutely need a top coat to help protect the polish. Pastels have been done a million times over, but I think creating the right mix of color and pigment is difficult to pull off in order for a pastel polish to be naturally flattering on the skintone without looking chalky. FormulaX has nailed it (no pun intended) with these colors. The shade Nude for You is absolute perfection in terms of being a true beige nude that give will the hands a nice polished look and still give it life. It has enough tan in it so it won’t make the hands look corpse-like or sallow. Mintfluencer is such a fun mint cream, the fact that I find it wearable for me is huge since I’m not a big fan of mint colors for nails in general. If there was one color I would say might be ok to pass on it’s A Girl’s Best Friend. It’s a really pretty soft girly pink cream, but I think can be easily duped with other shades from OPI or Essie. Still it’s a wearable soft pink shade that I think will be a classic.

You can find the Formula X Color Curators shades exclusively at Sephora. I checked a couple stores this past week and both were completely sold out of the shades. Your stores might still have them in stock but you can still find them online at Sephora.com right now.

Have you checked out these colors yet? What did you think?
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Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

January 27, 2016
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I’m still in new year mode mentally but it’s already almost February! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I’ve rounded up some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration whether you’re looking for something to hint for, treat yourself with or gift to girl friends. I’m a sucker for pink sunglasses and there are quite a few to choose from right now. J.Crew just launched a sunglass shop and I love the imagery on their site!

Charlotte Tilbury just launched two new lipsticks that are exclusive to her site called Between the Sheets and Kiss Chase. I just ordered them and can’t wait to see them in person. They look so feminine and girly.

For spring Diptyque launched the Rosaviola candle and it’s to die for. How cute is the pink?! It comes in two sizes and unfortunately the small one has been so popular it has sold out almost everywhere (I couldn’t find it anywhere in stores near me). You can still find some online at Space NK (at least as of this morning). Full review soon.

If you have a sweet tooth and need a quick pick-me-up, Sugarfina has some of their best selling candies in the prettiest pink packaging for Valentine’s Day. You can’t go wrong with any of them. My top three favorites are the Strawberries, Peach Bellinis and Champagne Gummies. (Not shown above, but they also have some cute items for Chinese New Year!)
Hope you enjoy the roundup of some other ideas. I have this bag on my wishlist in the mini size. I told myself I would not buy anymore small bags because this one is just so pretty. We’ll see how long I can resist.
What’s on your Valentine’s Day wish list?
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YSL Spring 2016 La Lacquer Couture Nail Lacquers: Love Pink and Peace Green

January 19, 2016

For spring YSL has launched two limited-edition La Lacquer Couture Nail Lacquers in Love Pink and Peace Green ($27 each). I ordered these as soon as they popped up online directly from YSL but they appear to be sold out everywhere now, at least online. I never saw these at counters – I’m not sure if they sold out, never arrived or haven’t launched yet in stores. If you’re interested in either shade, I suggest you try calling your local counters to see if they have any sooner than later. Update: thanks to my Cathy for letting me know they are now available online at Nordstrom!

Both are iridescent shimmers with medium coverage. Two coats offers smooth coverage but with a slightly transparent quality. I preferred three coats for both of the shades. They are both duo chrome in the bottles. Love Pink flashes a little bit of green and Peace Green flashes a little bit of opal pink. On the nails the shimmer is more subtle. These have a milky kind of sheen and shimmer and the duo chrome quality is very subtle. I love aqua colors for the nails but often times feel like they look so un-natural on my olive skin tone. Peace Green is soft enough that it doesn’t look sharp. Sometimes greens + my olive skin just doesn’t look good together. Peace Green has a softness that makes it pretty wearable, even for me.

I haven’t been able to test these for lasting power since I’m in the midst of swatching and shooting some photos for nail polishes. In my past experience with YSL nail polishes, lasting power is very good (at least 5 days without tip wear and no chipping). The brush and formula are really good – there is a noticeable difference in application, pigment and shine to me to justify the high price of these over other brands like Zoya, Essie or OPI but that’s just my personal take.

Onto the swatches. The duochrome is very subtle so I took several photos to try and capture the dimension of the shimmer. It was a bit difficult since the blend of shimmers in these meld together into a milky kind of sheen. Love Pink is a really pretty soft pink shimmer.

Sometimes I like matching nails to accessories. Do you do this too? Shown with 3 coats:

Indoor natural light, no flash:

In direct sunlight with flash:

Peace Green, shown below with three coats:

In sunlight with flash:

Indoor, natural light, no flash:

I think both are really pretty soft pastels for spring. The shimmer makes these really unique with the milky kind of blurred shimmer effect. It gives them a soft sheen that I don’t see in many other shimmer polishes. I’m not really familiar with the launch dates of the YSL collections so even though these are sold out online, it’s possible they might still be available at counters and stores. If you’ve spotted the collection – please let us all know in the comments.

Both Love Pink and Peace Green are limited-edition shades. If you’ve been eyeing these I hope you can find them somewhere! Available right now online at Nordstrom.

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YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain – Spring 2016

January 18, 2016

This spring YSL has launched two new Glossy Stains ($36 each) in Tangerine Boho and Rose Folk. Both are warm-toned glossy tints. I couldn’t find these anywhere at counters near me so I ordered these online sight unseen. The colors are warmer than I anticipated but offer a medium to bright wash of coral to the lips that will brighten the complexion. I’m a huge fan of many of the YSL Glossy Stains (in particular the Pop Water colors). These are different from your normal lip stain because they don’t dry out my lips and remain glossy once dry.

Love Pink nail lacquer (available for pre-order at Saks)

Tangerine Boho is a warm bright coral red. Rose Folk is a few shades lighter but runs peachy on me (instead of a pink like the name rose implies). Your mileage may vary depending on your lip tone – these pull very warm on me but have a slight transparent quality which allows the lip to show through slightly. These are slightly scented with a pleasant sweet fragrance but it’s subtle and not overpowering.

In case you’re new to this formula, the tips are beveled for easy application:

Swatch comparisons:

YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains in Wet Nude, Juicy Peach, Eau de Corail (swatched here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Twist of Fate (review here)
Tom Ford Bare Peach (reviewed here)
MAC Huggable Glass in Such a Sweetheart and Cool & Cute (reviewed here)
Tom Ford Sweet Spot (swatches here)

If you already own some of the other Pop Water Glossy stains I think you can probably skip these two. Tangerine Boho is a redder version of Juicy Peach and more red version of Onde Rose. Rose Folk is a slightly deeper version of Wet Nude and lighter than Eau de Corail. I do think they are both lovely – although these are from the spring collection, they have more of a summery vibe.
I’m drawn more towards Rose Folk (the lighter option) as I love a good peachy color. I do think it pulls more peach than rose, but if you’ve seen/tested these in person, I’d love to hear your take on these as well.

Both of the YSL Glossy Stains from the spring collection retail for $36 each. You might want to see if your local counters have these. Also online at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and YSL.

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IMATS Los Angeles 2016 + My Mini Haul

January 17, 2016

This year I finally made it to IMATS Los Angeles in Pasadena, California. This event has been on my radar for such a long time so I was thrilled when MustaeV invited me to attend the Makeup Artist Pro-Card Event on Friday. Since I had never attended one of these events before, I wasn’t sure what to expect and it was significantly larger than I expected. For makeup professionals who have attended The Makeup Show, the concept of IMATS is similar – but is open for anyone to attend. I didn’t do an exact booth count, but there seem to be a lot more vendors and brands featured at IMATS.

IMATS in Los Angeles is held at the Pasadena Convention Center and the booths were split into two different halls. I looked through the list of attending brands and had a list of booths to visit including Beautylish, MustaeV, Kat Von D Beauty, Make Up For Ever, Anastasia of Beverly Hills, Le Metier de Beaute, Temptu, tarte, Hakuhodo to name a few. I was told by a few other fellow beauty bloggers to expect booths to be extremely busy and packed and they weren’t joking. I arrived at 4:30 and stayed until closing at 7. I only made it to a portion of the vendors I had on my list, many had crowds or lines I didn’t have patience for. The first brand I went to was Anastasia which had a long line just to submit your purchase requests on a form, and then a 2 hour wait to pick up your items.

I snapped a few pictures as I walked throughout the event. A look at the floor layout, wish I could have gotten an aerial view of the entire setup.

Amazing demonstrations of body art and special effects. The artists are phenomenal.

A look at the MustaeV setup some exciting releases coming out this year were not yet on display, but I can’t wait to share them with you later this spring.

Setup on one of the stages (right), a look at Kryolan Professional Makeup Palettes (left):

Viseart Palettes:

Palettes from BH Cosmetics, brushes galore from Hakuhodo:

Beautylish featured a new line from makeup artist Natasha Denona. Right now they offer the Glow System (complexion products) online. The remaining items are expected to launch by the end of February (shadows are supposed to launch end of January). Natasha herself was in attendance and she was so kind to take the time to explain some of her products. I was also thrilled to see @trishalee_w from A Glittery Life working the booth – she’s an amazing artist and helped me pick out a blush (I wanted like all of them, but she helped me pick 1 to start with). I will be reviewing the Glow System and more from the Natasha Denona line soon, texture and pigments are really phenomenal and so unique.

Several have asked for a haul post. I didn’t buy much – there were a few booths where I had intended to go back to pick up  items, but I didn’t have time and I did not have tickets for the other days of the event, so here’s a snapshot of what I picked up. I’ll have reviews + swatches in the next couple of weeks (as soon as I can). Most items you can buy elsewhere right now. I’m most excited about the Beautylish x Natasha Denona launches that are coming in a few months.
The items I looked at were at full retail price (they might have had discounts for pro-card holders). The Glow Kits were offered at $40 each without sales tax.

I was also very fortunate to receive a generous gift of the Natasha Denona 28 Eyeshadow Palette in Green Brown. It’s just so dreamy and from what I swatched at the booth – the textures are super saturated, highly pigmented and gorgeous. I have several of the 5 pan palettes on my wishlist but this one is just phenomenal. I die for the texture! The packaging:

28 shades of stunning green and brown. I am not a green eyeshadow wearer but I lightly swiped the top row on my eyes this morning – texture, pigment and shimmer = OMG.

If you are able to attend one of the IMATS events I highly recommend going. It’s a beauty lovers dream come true to visit all the booths and see makeup artists in action. Do be sure to carve out as much time as possible if you’re going on 1 day – I thought I could make my rounds in 2 hours, but I guess that was being overly optimistic! You can check out the IMATS website to see where else they will be traveling this year in 2016, there are three dates listed so far: 

New York, April 8 – 10
London, June 3 – 6
Vancouver, July 16 – 17
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and missed out, be sure to check it out next year. Otherwise if you are a makeup professional, you might want to consider attending The Makeup Show (see their FAQ page to check if you qualify to attend). They will be in Los Angeles later this year in March.

Many thanks again to MustaeV for enabling me to attend this year! Have you been to IMATS before? If yes, please let me know!

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