The next series will be all about pink. To kick off, we’ll start with pink blushes. (Will be updated soon with Chanel & Armani.)
YSL fall was a disappointment for me – I checked out the new colors (except the gloss volupte which they did not have yet) and came home with 2 items, and then returned the eyeshadow duo the next day. The remaining colors just weren’t me, and didn’t seem coordinated at all.
Pictured below Ombres Duolumières #23 Pearly Peach-Mink Brown and Crème de Blush #02 Powdery Rose:
Swatches, #02 Blush on bare skin, #23 Eyeshadow Duo over Laura Mercier Eye Basics
The blush while a pretty pink is extremely tiny for the price of $39 USD. The eyeshadow duo was chalky and had very little pigment, the swatches were applied very heavily over a cream eyeshadow base while it was still moist. When applied to the eyes with the same technique, it barely showed up.
I also checked out the new Rouge Volupté Lipsticks which weren’t my style either. The lightest one was #19 Frivolous Pink which looked like a neon powdery pink, extremely unflattering in my opinion. The others were very brown/plum.
Unless you’re a die hard YSL fan, I’d suggest you save your $$$ for other items.
Powder Brushes: I tend to splurge heavily on powder brushes. The most luxurious powder brush I’ve tried is the Trish McEvoy #5, but I find myself using my MAC powder brushes more often. The Laura Mercier Blending Brush is a more coarse brush meant to apply mineral foundation to the face in a circular motion. The MAC #150 and #134 are similar in size, but the #150 is fluffier giving a sheerer application while the #134 is denser and fuller. I also like to use this for highlighting powders.
1. MAC Large Powder Brush #150
2. MAC Large Powder Brush #134
3. Stila Large Powder Brush #8
4. Trish McEvoy Powder Brush #5
5. Trish McEvoy Bronzer Brush #37
6. Laura Mercier Blending Brush
Blush Brushes: Being obsessed with blush, I probably have the most blush brushes out of all the types of tools I own. Most of these I own duplicates of so I don’t have to wash them as often. Some like the MAC #129 are meant for both powder and blush.
1. MAC Powder/Blush Brush #129
2. MAC Blush Brush #116
3. Stila Blush Brush #1
4. Laura Mercier Cheek Colour Brush
5. Shu Uemura Natural Brush #20
6. Trish McEvoy Sheer Blush Brush 2B (revamped version)
7. Trish McEvoy Sheer Blush Brush 2B (older version)
Angled Face Brushes: These are meant to help contour the face. I have yet to master the art of contouring, so I use these for blush and highlighters.
1. MAC #174 (pro, discontinued)
2. MAC Large Angled Contour #168
3. MAC Angled Contour #169
4. Shu Uemura Natural Brush #2oH
5. Trish McEvoy #27A
Foundation or Cream Product Brushes: The oldest brush is the Prescriptives foundation brush which I believe was the first mid-highend/department store line to come out with one. Other companies like Bobbi Brown and MAC followed soon after with their own versions. I have to say that out of all the ones I’ve tried, the Prescriptives foundation brush is still my favorite (has lasted since 1998 when I purchased it). There are several cheek cream blush brushes out there, all of which are too small for me to find functional, so I often use these foundation brushes for cream blush as well.
1. MAC Face Brush #189
2. MAC Foundation Brush #190
3. Chanel Foundation Brush #16
4. Prescriptives Foundation Brush
5. Giorgio Armani Blender Brush
6. Stila Concealer Brush #11
7. MAC Concealer Brush #195
Bronzer, Contour & Highlighting Brushes: In addition to blush, I’m also into bronzer. I have to admit, I don’t love all of these. Whenever I get my makeup done at events, I often get sucked into buying the tools they use and push. My recommendation – definitely go to events, they are a great way to learn new techniques and color combinations. Do some of your own research first about the line by looking at each company website and browse through the products in advance so get an idea of what they have to offer. That way you’ll have a better idea of what to look for, ask to try out, and start a shopping list.
1. Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush (new version)
2. Laura Mercier Bronzer Brush
3. NARS Bronzing Powder Brush
4. Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush (old version)
5. Stila Double Duty Cheek Contour & Blush brush#21
Highlighting Brushes: I cannot live without the MAC Duo Fibre Brush #187 and absolutely love the new Duo Fibre Powder/Blush #131 (released with Color Craft). If you could only have 2 highlighter brushes, these would definitely be the ones I’d pick. Like the concept but not the price? I’ve seen similar brushes at Target for less.
1. MAC Duo Fibre Brush #187
2. MAC Small Duo Fibre Face Brush #188
3. MAC Duo Fibre Powder/Blush #131
4. MAC Tapered Face Brush #138
5. MAC Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush #165
6. Trish McEvoy Blending Brush #48
7. Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush
Short & Kabuki Brushes: I find myself drawn to short brushes because I find them cute and often they are made with super soft materials. The Laura Mercier Face Brush is intended to be used with the Mineral Finishing Powder as well as other powder formulations. I find the handle too short for the size of the bristles making it difficult to hold. The Laura Mercier Mineral Primer Brush has a half moon-shaped head and small handle I find difficult to hold, so I find that I rarely use this one as well.
1. Bobbi Brown Face Brush
2. MAC Small Buffer Brush #183
3. MAC Small Buffer Brush #181
4. Laura Mercier Face Brush
5. Laura Mercier Mineral Primer Brush
Again, if you have any brushes for the face that you love, please share!!!
I have to admit, when it comes to beauty products, I’m a high-end snob 99% of the time, but as soon as I saw Karla Sugar’s review, “New Brush Discovery!” featuring Studio Tools, I ran right away to Target to track down this steal.
What I came home with, from top to bottom:
* Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Pink #14 – $8.99
* Sonia Kasuk Eye Definer in Iced Coffee #24 – $5.99
* Studio Tools Crease Brush – $1.99
* Studio Tools Smudge Brush – $2.49
Sonia Kashuk Eye Liner in Iced Coffee Swatch & Pink Blush Swatch (can barely see it on the right but goes on better than it photographs):
So far I’m really happy with the brushes. You can’t beat that price. Bristles are full enough so they aren’t flimsy, but still soft enough to move them easily over the eye for blending.
I’m always on the search for crease brushes like this one. I have so many already (from MAC, Stila, Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier and Chanel), but some are too big, not full enough (making them flimsy), some are too tightly packed, and some are too short. Before finding this Studio Tools Crease Brush, my favorite was the Stila Double Ended #30, but in recent years I’ve found Stila’s quality to have changed somewhat, especially with their brushes. The double-ended factor also makes storage a pain as one side will always end up somewhat smashed from storing them in various cans and containers.
For Sonia Kashuk, I was really impressed with the items she has! She has a great range of neutral eyeshadows. Unfortunately, the downside of drug-store beauty is that there are rarely testers of products. To me $8.99 for a drugstore blush isn’t exactly “cheap.” I decided to try and find reviews first of other products before purchasing more items.
The texture of the blush is very nice though, soft and powdery. The eyeliner is gorgeous, especially for all taupe-fans.
Uncategorized
Second Round of Dolce & Gabbana Makeup from Saks NY Brushes with Greatness Event
July 22, 2009I placed an order from Saks NY for their Brushes with Greatness Event and received a cute Stephanie Johnson makeup bag filled with tons of little samples and goodies. Also with Dolce & Gabbana, they were having a gift of their Eyeliner Pencil in Black and a mini Body Cream.
What I ordered:
* Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Nude
* Luminous Cheek Color in Nude
* Classic Cream Lipstick in Charm
* Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Coffee
Left to right: Coffee Eyeliner, Black Eyeliner, Charm Lipstick
Nude Eyeshadow Quad & Nude Blush with Flash:
Close Up of the Nude Eyeshadow Quad:
Close Up of the Nude Blush:
D&G gift with purchase:
Saks Gift with Purchase:
Haven’t had a chance to play with anything yet, but after my first haul back in May, I’ve come to really like the texture of the eyeshadows. Overall, I feel the line is still overpriced but I do like the colors I have purchased. The only thing I don’t love is the Stromboli eyeliner, but I had to get Coffee because I’m a huge fan of shimmery browns. I will try and do some comparison pictures of the lipstick with the others I ordered before in the next week or so.
Interested in more Dolce & Gabbana? Check out this link to see pictures of more eyeshadow quads, lipsticks, and eyeliner:
First Look: Dolce & Gabbana Makeup
Includes pictures of Champagne Quad, Contrasts Quad, Perfection, Naked, Soiree, Velvet Lipsticks (Shine & Classic Cream Formulas).
For swatch of Stromboli Eyeliner, check out the Smokey Series:
Color Focus: Smokey Eyes Part 3 (Black Golds)
The Sheer Brilliance Glosses & Lip Cremes from Le Metier de Beaute have been my favorite products in the line, but I have also added a few gorgeous neutral eyeshadows and blushes to my collection. Included in this post are some eyeshadow, blush, highlighter and bronzer pictures from Le Metier de Beaute.
Eyeshadows come in a single-compact format or in a set of four packaged in a unique swivel-stacking system they call their Kaleidoscope Kits. Most of their Kaleidoscope Kits are pre-made and contain shades exclusive to each kit. The Persephone Kit did contain shades available in single-compact format. Check out these links to Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman or Karen’s Makeup and Beauty Blog to see the more product photos.
Eyeshadows, left to right: Mulberry, Jojo, Milan, Spicy
Close up of Mulberry & Jojo
Close up of Milan & Spicy
From Persephone Eye Kit: Rose Quartz (available as a single)
From Persephone Eye Kit: Alexandrite (available as a single)
From Persephone Eye Kit: Canvas (available as a single)
From Persephone Eye Kit: Sequoia (available as a single)
Whisper Highlighter, Fresh Blush, Echo/Sunkissed Blush Bronzer Duo
Close up of Whisper & Fresh (note Whisper doesn’t show on the websites for purchase but is available at counters)
Close up of Echo/Sunkissed Duo (which I received as an extra from the King of Prussia Le Metier Counter)
Overall thoughts: the eyeshadows are soft and with pretty pigment. I would say the pigment is in the medium-full range – not quite as rich as Urban Decay, but not as sheer as MAC Lustre Eyeshadows. The blushes have the same pigmentation as Nars, but have a more natural finish – I find some Nars shimmery blushes can be a bit too frosty if applied with a heavy hand. The Le Metier Bronzer is absolutely divine giving a soft warm glow. A HUGE thanks to Ellen at Neiman Marcus King of Prussia for including this!
Interested in more Le Metier? Check out these links:
Le Metier de Beaute Nail Lacquers (see pictures of nail polishes in Phlox, Lenton Rose & more)
Le Metier de Beaute: Feature on Lips (pictures of Sheer Brillance Glosses & Lip Cremes – my personal favorite with a gorgeous selection of pinks and beiges)
Neiman Marcus Camp Gorgeous Event: Siena Lip Gloss GWP (details on various GWPs from Neimans for Le Metier)
Makeup & Beauty Blog: Ever Heard of Le Metier de Beaute? (pics of kaleidoscope kits & more)
As soon as I saw the new Paul & Joe summer collection, I knew I had to have the 001 Nugget Eyeshadow. However, they were out of stock at Bergdorf’s so I placed an order with Dermstore online and am pleased with the new items! They have pretty good swatches and also include color descriptions of each item which helped me since I don’t have immediate in-person access to the line to check out the products. The only item I didn’t like was the Nail Lacquer in Dress Up 23 which has big chunks of glitter (website description wasn’t as clear).
Check out the Paul & Joe Beaute Website for cute images like the one above, wallpaper downloads and product information.
Click HERE for the first Paul & Joe post a couple days ago featuring more eyeshadows, face colors and pearl powders.
Eyeshadow Nugget 001
Nugget Comparisons:
1. MAC Lustre Eyeshadow – Honesty
2. Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow – Rich Beach
3. Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow – P Brown 820
4. Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow – Penny
5. Urban Decay Eye Shadow – Chopper (in old packaging)
6. Paul & Joe – 24 Center Stage
7. Paul & Joe – 001 Nugget
8. Dior Powder Mono Eyeshadow – #535 Beige Sunshine
Face Color Moroccan Orange 08
Pearl Powder Afterglow 04: goes on a shimmery cool pink
Afterglow comparisons (couldn’t find a dupe, so here are some other light shimmery pinks):
1. Becca Loose Shimmer Powder – Angel
2. Becca Loose Shimmer Powder – Princess
3. Becca Loose Shimmer Powder – Gypsy
4. MAC Loose Beauty Powder – Tenderdusk
5. Paul & Joe Pearl Powder – 04 Afterglow
6. MAC Pigment – Fairylite
7. MAC Pigment – Goldenaire
8. MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow – Wintersky
9. MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow – Little Madame
10. Laura Mercier Lustre Eye Color – Gilded Peony (was LE with the Nordies Peony set)
Eye Color Palette CS Ingenue 01
Eye Color Palette CS Starlet 02
