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Burberry Beauty Lip and Cheek Blooms

May 25, 2015

For spring-summer, Burberry Beauty has released 6 shades of Lip & Cheek Blooms ($28 each for 3.5 g / 0.12 oz, made in France). These are unique mousse-gel-cream products that have a super cushiony bouncy feel. They look like creams but feel more like a gel mousse in the pots. Each color has a soft but buildable formula that looks velvety on the skin. They swatch much better on the face compared to the way they swatch on the hands or arm. The colors are easy to blend and streak-free on the cheeks. They come in super sturdy glass pots with a nickel twist off cap. I really like the hefty feel of the pots. They feel like they are well made but aren’t too heavy. Burberry sent three shades for review:

Rose No. 01 is a soft pale pink
Orange Blossom No. 07 is a muted orange peach
Poppy No. 09 is a bright red

I stopped by the counter to see all the shades in person. I fell in love with Purple Tulip and Peony but limited myself to one I knew I would get frequent use out of, Peony No. 05 is a bright warm pink. Hydrangea No. 03 is a cooler-toned pink, Purple Tulip No. 11 is a deep vibrant purple. All the shades are swatched below on my arm. The colors are super vibrant in the pot, but they go on lighter and sheerer in color. My arm was quite dry so the Lip & Cheek Blooms didn’t adhere like they do on the face or lips. Here are the colors blended out. You can definitely layer them.

The four colors I have now and swatches:

Rose No. 01 is very light on me. All the colors are non-shimmers. The velvety texture blends beautifully on the cheeks for a stained look. Rose does not show up on my cheeks but it does give the lips a nude pink lip look. My lips have been particularly dry the past week, but I swatched them on bare lips anyways. I also tried mixing these with a bit of Chanel Hydra Beauty Lip Balm which seemed to give them a more creamy glossy look.

Peony No. 05 is my favorite. It has just enough brightness and warmth to make the complexion come alive. I like this on the cheeks because it gives just the right amount of color to give a barely-there flushed look without looking overdone. On the lips I blended it out so you can see how it gives a velvety stain.

Orange Blossom No. 07 is very light on me. It looks bright and juicy in the pot, but on my skin it seems to go more nude. My skin tone is right at the place where this color blended out seems to almost disappear on the lips and cheeks. It is buildable and if you’re fair and want a good peachy color that won’t be too dark or orange, this is something I think you’ll adore. It’s impossible to overdo. 

Poppy No. 09 is the only color I didn’t like out of the bunch. It looks so beautiful in the pot but on my olive skin, it pulls warm and just clashes with my skin tone making my whole face look very sallow when I apply it on the lips. Even my husband commented that the color wasn’t working for me. On the cheeks it’s a different story. It gives a hint of flushed red but I rarely wear reds on the cheeks so I’m not sure how much use  I will be getting out of this one.

I’ve been playing with these for a few days now. I am particularly impressed with the way you can build the color. They swatch super streaky on the arms but on the face and lips it interacts with the skin in a completely different way. The finish is a velvety blurred matte but still manages to have a brightening effect that isn’t flat like some mattes look. Lasting power is particularly good on the cheeks, Peony and Poppy lasted on me from morning until mid-afternoon without budging. Rose and Orange Blossom did have fading that happened earlier but I suspect it is because they are lighter in color and don’t leave a stain like the brighter colors do. The formula is unlike anything I’ve tried before. You can layer the colors together as well for more dimension or pop. I like Peony + Orange Blossom on the cheeks.

In summary, I like these. If I had to pick 2 I would go with Peony and Purple Tulip (which I don’t have but think is gorgeous). I would have skipped Rose and Orange Blossom because they are light for my skin tone, but I suspect those with fair skin will find them perfect.

You can find the Burberry Lip and Cheek Blooms at counters now. Online at Burberry, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Net-A-Porter.

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Christopher Kane for NARS: Quantum and Violet Atom Multiples + Silent Nude and Starscape Blushes

May 12, 2015

There are four limited-edition cheek products in the NARS x Christopher Kane Collection for summer. There are two Powder Blushes ($30 each) and two Illuminating Multiples ($39 each). I’m in love with all four items although I will say upfront the blushes can probably duped while the multiples are the colors that are more unique. The four shades in this collection:
  • Silent Nude Blush is a warm-neutral beige nude with a matte finish (no shimmer)
  • Starscape Blush is a neon warm pink that comes in a satiny matte finish
  • Violet Atom Multiple is a pale iridescent lilac that flashes opal and green
  • Quantum is a violet pink with a satiny sheen (this is exclusive to NARS Boutiques and NARS online)
Swatches of all four Christopher Kane + NARS cheek items:

Both powder blushes are classic shades which makes them pretty standard. If you’re looking for something super unique you may want to skip these and shop your stash for something similar. That being said, I really like both of these. They work well for my skin tone and they have a rich velvety texture that blends nicely on the skin. They add a natural wash of color that is easy to layer and build. 

Swatch comparisons to: Burberry Hydrangea Pink, Tom Ford Narcissist, Tom Ford Wicked, NARS Desire, NARS Gaiety, NARS Zen, Chanel Les Beiges 40, Burberry Earthy, Marc Jacobs Dream Filter Contour Duo (right side)

I find true nude blushes hard to find for my particular skin tone. Many either turn grey, look more pink rather than nude, disappear on my skin or just look like bronzer. Burberry Earthy and Dolce & Gabbana Tan are my perfect nude blushes, but NARS Silent Nude comes in close third.

Starscape is a soft but bright neon pink. It’s easy to layer and on my medium skin it brightens the complexion. It adds just the right amount of pop of color to the face to give it some life. It’s a bright color but layers nicely so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. One swipe on each cheek is sufficient for me to get enough color. It’s very pigmented but still applies smoothly. 

The multiples are both very unique and the colors are flattering on medium-toned skin. The texture is a bit more gel-like rather than emollient like most of my other NARS multiples. You may have to swipe off the top layer on a paper towel to get the product going. Quantum gives the cheeks a really pretty berry stain. This one is exclusive to the NARS boutique and www.narscosmetics.com. Violet Atom gives the prettiest sheen of shimmer. On the skin it almost disappears but it makes the skin glow with a very interesting greenish/silver/lilac shimmer. I like this one on the eyes as well. For both, I apply these straight on the cheek in a back and forth swiping motion and then blend with fingers.

Swatched comparisons to two other discontinued multiples:

All four items are winners in my book. I like that they are different from the traditional peach or bronze shades you think of when it comes to summer colors (although I’m one who can never have enough bronzer or peach blushes). They work to add color to the face in an easy effortless way and even though each is distinct in color, they are versatile enough to go with a number of different lip colors: pink, peach, nude or plum. I like layering the colors in this collection together. The combination possibilities are endless. Violet Atom Multiple is my favorite of the four items, it’s such a unique color that I wouldn’t have ever thought to pick out or even dream up, but it gives such a pretty sheen to the skin. I don’t think I have seen anything like it before.
The four Christopher Kane for NARS Cheek Products are limited-edition. The Quantum Multiple is exclusive to NARS Boutiques and NARS Online. The other three items are available at all NARS counters and online at NARS Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Selfridges.

The two Christopher Kane powder blushes were provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration. Multiples purchased by me.

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Bronzer + Blush Highlighters Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Cream Cheek Color Pink Sand for Summer 2015

April 27, 2015

Tom Ford Beauty has released a Cream Cheek Color for summer called Pink Sand ($65 for 0.17 0z/5 g, made in Canada). It’s a luminous soft pink gold blush that gives my medium/olive skin a soft glow that comes cased in a small white and gold mirrored compact. There is enough color that you can see the pink color but on my complexion I find it performs more like a highlighter shade rather than a traditional blush. The effect is similar to the glow NARS Orgasm gives minus the frost and minus the peachy tone. Pink Sand is multi-dimensional so depending on how the light hits it sometimes you will see more of the pink base, other times you will see more of the gold shimmer. I love how it gives a natural glow to the skin.

It has a soft creamy feel with a dewy glow finish. On the cheeks it stays dewy but as the day progresses remains dewy but not greasy. I’ve been experimenting with this for two weeks now and like this either alone for low-key makeup days, as a base for powder blush or bronzer to give cheeks dimension and help color adhere to the face, or topped on top of cheek bones over blush/bronzer for a highlight. It’s really versatile. I’ve also tried this on the lips. It looks pretty topped with a clear gloss or dabbed in the center to add a bit of shimmer. As far as I can tell there is no detectable scent or taste.

A few more close ups and swatches:

Swatched with a heavy hand, once blended it sheers out:

A few comparison swatches to other cream and liquid highlighter/blushes. Most of these were either limited-edition or were discontinued (previous features and reviews will linked below):

Tom Ford Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand

Pink Sand offers a radiant no-fuss easy to use glow to my medium skin (I use Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 4, swatches to other foundations in rotation here). On lighter skin tones the pink will show up more and probably make this look more like a pink blush. If you’re medium to dark this will probably perform more like a highlighter on your skin tone. Lasting power on my normal combination skin was very good, from morning to afternoon without fading. If you have super oily skin you may find the dewy factor increase into the afternoon. Being a huge fan of Tom Ford Beauty I really love this one. It’s quite a splurge at $65 so if you’re unable to test in person I hope you find the swatches and comparisons in this post helpful.

The Tom Ford Soleil Collection for summer is starting to trickle in stores and online. You can find Pink Sand now online at Nordstrom and Saks. Available for pre-order at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Tom Ford (while supplies last as it is a limited-edition item).

The Tom Ford Pink Sand was provided courtesy of the PR team for review consideration.

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Bobbi Brown Calypso Cheek Palette – Limited Edition

April 10, 2015

Bobbi Brown released three limited-edition Cheek Palette Trios each containing two blushes and one highlighter color. The Cheek Palettes are all color-coordinated which include Calypso, Pink and Berry ($45 each, blushes are .12 oz / 3.4 g each and the highlighter is .16 oz / 4.55 g). It was hard to narrow down one pick as all three are extremely pretty. I purchased Calypso which has a peachy theme. The three colors inside include:

Pretty Coral Blush is a soft coral peach with a hint of pink
Calypso Sparkle Powder is a pale peachy gold highlighter
Coral Sugar Blush is a lighter peachy color

Although the theme is peach and coral, I found all three colors pulled a bit more on the pink side on my olive skin. It’s been a while since I’ve worn or purchased a Bobbi Brown blush. Her blushes used to be among my favorites but I found them better suited for my skin when I was darker and more tan (around Chanel B40 and a MAC NC40). Many of her colors tended to darken and oxidize on my skin  once I got lighter so I stopped wearing them (although I still adore and am obsessed with all of her shimmer bricks). 

Calypso has a light to medium undertone with medium but buildable pigment. I’m in love with the middle highlight because it has a really soft shimmer to it and even though it has gold shimmer, it’s not too warm for the skin making it very wearable. The texture of the colors is soft and melds into the skin nicely. A few swipes of color is all you need and they are easy to blend. I like layering them together for depth. It’s really an all-in-one cheek palette for blush, highlight and a slightly darker shade to add a bit of color on the apples.

Close ups and swatches:

A few comparison swatches:

I really like this one. I’ve been playing with it for a few weeks now and give it a thumbs up. I do think if you have a lot of peachy coral blushes the effect on the skin will be similar to other brands, but I like the convenience of having multiple colors in one small compact. It makes it easy for travel or to carry around with you for touch ups. Lasting power is quite good, these will warm up on the skin after a little bit but they won’t darken or oxidize. I found they stayed put on my cheeks from morning until late afternoon without fading.

Bottom line: it’s a good reliable everyday staple. I’m seriously considering the pink one, although it seemed like it might be too pale for me after swatching it in store. If you bought it, I’d love to hear what you thought. Or if you tested any of the three palettes, what did you think?

All three Cheek Palette Trios are limited-edition. Available at Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Barneys New York and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

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Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Crescendo #250

February 21, 2015

There’s a new Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush called Crescendo ($45 for 4 g/0.14 oz, made in France, limited-edition). This is a soft luminous baby pink in the baked formula. For those new to Chanel blushes, in the powder form there are two formulas. Most US-sold blushes are pressed powders while all other countries have blushes in the same color/names but are baked. I almost always prefer the US version since I find the baked ones more sheer in color and quite a bit more powdery in texture. Crescendo seems to perform a bit more like the US versions even though it is baked and had quite a bit of powder kick-up when I dipped a brush into it.

Crescendo is a soft but buildable pink color. I would call it light to medium, leaning more towards medium in color. It looks bright in the compact but applies like a soft sheer pink. There is enough color in the blush that it shows up on my medium skin. It’s a neutral-cool color on me and gives a natural pink flush. It has an airy feel to it with the lightness and brightness the pink has. It’s not shimmery or matte, but rather has a soft luminous satiny finish.

Here it is swatched on the arm:

Comparisons to a few other blushes, note these were swatched with a light to medium hand, using an eyeshadow brush. The colors are all buildable for more pigment.

Chanel Narcisse (discontinued)
Chanel Angelique (new for spring, review here)

I found the closest dupe to Chanel Crescendo to be MAC Lovecloud in the pans and swatches, the MAC is slightly more pigmented and darker. I have a number of other older/discontinued Chanel and MAC blushes I suspect are similar that are unfortunately still boxed up (to be organized and put away in makeup drawers and shelves over the next week). Chanel Crescendo is a lovely soft pink but does seem to be something you can easily duplicate, if you own a lot of Chanel blushes I think you can safely skip and shop your stash. That being said, I do think it can be hard to find a good baby pink that has enough brightness in it to bring the skin to life, that isn’t too pale and that also doesn’t darken or look muddy after it warms up on the skin. Crescendo stays put on the skin without turning color and works as a good in between light and bright giving a luminous glow.

Due to the powdery texture, I do think this will look chalky or powdery on your face if you have super dry skin. It works well on mine right now, I always wear moisturizer + foundation + powder, but if you are slightly dry, I’d recommend adding a dewy cream blush or highlighter underneath to help the color adhere better to the skin (something like Edward Bess Sunlight works wonders).

I’m really happy with my purchase even though it is fairly similar to other pinks in how it wears on the face. I bought mine sight unseen from Chanel.com. It’s currently listed as limited-edition.

Did you check out anything from the Collection La Perle de Chanel? What did you end up getting?

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Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury The Supermodel Collection / Holiday 2014

December 30, 2014

Charlotte Tilbury’s holiday collection consists of a mix of new and previously released products for The Supermodel Look. She has a couple pre-made sets where you can purchase all the items in one kit for the entire look but you can also buy the items individually. I decided to purchase most of the items separately and have swatches and thoughts to share with you today.

Charlotte Tilbury’s collection is my favorite out of all the holiday releases. The colors and combination is quite stunning with the mix of a bronze-smokey eye and nude pink lips. Here are the items I ordered:

  • Fallen Angel Luxury Palette ($65, limited-edition) is a really pretty eyeshadow quad with a soft champagne, cool silvery mauve taupe, warm shimmery bronze and a satiny black. I previously compared this to Chanel’s Rêve D’Orient. I have a slight preference for the Chanel, but the Charlotte Tilbury is just as stunning and more cool-toned. I’ve been wearing this a lot and I like how easy it is to use. The four colors combined are pure genius and I like that you can wear this everyday but dress it up for evening. The texture is soft with a slightly creamy texture. The colors adhere well to the lids, blend nicely, layer really well and last long. I give it a huge thumbs up. I think it is different enough from the Chanel to justify both.
  • Sex on Fire Cheek to Chic Swish and Pop Blush ($40, permanent) is a luminous blush with a mix of beige and rose and tan. It has a lighter beige-pink on the outer rim with a darker tan-rose in the middle. I’ve accumulated several of Charlotte Tilbury’s blushes and have been really impressed. The texture is super soft with really good pigment. It glides on the skin nicely and layers well if you want more color. The way you are supposed to apply these is to take a brush and swish the outside lighter color and apply to the cheeks. Then take the inner darker color and pop some more color for added depth and pigment. I can’t always get my brush to just get the outside or inside color, so I like to swirl my brush in the entire compact before applying.
  • Confession K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick ($32, limited-edition) is the perfect color to get Kylie Jenner lips. It’s a good medium-toned nude pink with color. There is a slight hint of shimmer which prevents it from looking flat, but on my lips it’s primarily a cream. The coverage is full and the texture is very creamy. It is medium-to-thick which makes it adhere really well to the lips and I found it lasted quite long without any lipliner. I hope she considers making this permanent. 
  • Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Lip Lustre ($22, limited-edition) is a light neutral pink beige with silvery champagne shimmer. I really love this lip gloss. The color is the prettiest light pearly beige. It works well alone for me, although I think most people will prefer this one layered over a lipstick. It has a sheer to medium coverage that adds the prettiest shimmery nude sheen to the lips.
  • Pillowtalk Lip Cheat Lip Pencil ($22, permanent) is a rosy neutral lipliner that matches Confession lipstick. I’m not a lipliner wearer much these days but so many have raved about it I had to check it out. It’s a good long-lasting creamy shade that you can use to line and fill the lips for added volume.

More photos and swatches:

A few quick comparison swatches to some other Charlotte Tilbury nude lipsticks (a more detailed feature on all these shades to follow soon):

If you’re looking for one brand that will give you a complete look for the holiday or new year (or year round) the items in Charlotte Tilbury’s The Supermodel Look is a good one to check out. I researched reviews on a number of blogs before purchasing the items sight unseen and the shades look great on all different skin tones.
I like every single item in the collection and I think they are worth every penny. I could have skipped the lipliner since I rarely wear liners these days, but Pillowtalk is a good nude pink.

Do note the best items in the look are limited-edition. I would recommend ordering soon if you’re interested. The Confession Lipstick and Fallen Angel Quad have sold out numerous times on multiple sites but the good news is that many have restocked over the past week. You can find Charlotte Tilbury Beauty online at Nordstrom, Net-A-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Beautylish, Selfridges and Charlotte Tilbury.

Did you buy any of the holiday items from Charlotte Tilbury?
What was your favorite holiday collection this year?
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Chanel Collection Rêverie Parisienne Blush Camélia Rosé and Angélique

December 23, 2014

Chanel has two stunning options for cheeks this spring in the Collection Rêverie Parisienne. There is a beautiful floral cheek powder called Blush Camélia Rosé ($55 for 3 g/0.1 oz, limited-edition) and a new Joues Contraste called Angélique #190 ($45 for 6 g/0.21 oz). Both look like spring in powder form and they look quite stunning in the compacts.

The Blush Camélia Rosé has two shades in one compact. There is a soft light pink and a medium rose intertwined in a stunning camellia rose pattern. The overall tone is cool-toned and there is a slight hint of silver sparkle in the powder. On my medium olive skin this is semi-sheer but has a glowy finish. It does show up on my Chanel Beige 30 skin but it is very subtle. My first impression when I saw this was to think “this is so tiny!” – I do wish Chanel had skipped the brush on this one and made the powder larger like the Beiges De Chanel or seasonal highlighters. Still, it is remarkably beautiful in the compact and on the skin. If you need something more dramatic or visible but still natural and glowy I would recommend Hourglass Mood Exposure (reviewed here and here).

Angélique #190 Joues Contraste is a stunning peachy pink blush. It has a super smooth texture with a glowy finish. I found the pigment in this one just perfect. It has a lovely mix of pink, peach and rose in it so warms and brightens up the skin. If I had to pick one of the two cheek options, this would hands down be it.

Here are the two spring shades swatched side by side:

A few comparisons:

Hourglass Incandescent Electra (exclusive to the blush palette)
Chanel Espiegle (discontinued)

I’m in love with Angélique Blush. It is such a pretty peachy pink that I tend to gravitate towards. I have mixed feelings about the Blush Camélia Rosé mainly because of the size. It is a pretty soft pink rose that has a lovely glow but I do wish it had just a tiny bit more pigment on my medium skin.

For reference on other Chanel Spring 2015 reviews:

You should be able to find Chanel spring at all counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.

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