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Bobbi Brown

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

April 23, 2010
I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of the month, where did the time go? This is April’s Edition of what I’m loving right now. As always, I’ve love to hear what you are loving right now too!

1. MAC Goldenaire Pigment – From MAC Lingerie 2006, a lovely pink with pearly shimmers. Goes well with almost everything for a neutral all-over wash.

2. Bobbi Brown Bronze Gel Liner – A nice soft but defined bronze shimmer. One of the few gel liners I’ve actually used up.

3. Diorshow Mascara – A mini one, but this is one of my holy grails. Love that the minis are just as good as the full sized ones. Can’t say that it really holds the curl, but it does give full lush lashes without clumping, smudging or flaking.

4. Dior Iridescent Leather Quint – Limited from Fall 2008. A gorgeous palette of neutrals and warm beigey taupes. The closest alternative is Earth Reflection which is cooler-toned. I read from Rouge Deluxe that this was re-released in Asia. If they brought this back in the US, I wouldn’t have to use this so sparingly.

5. Bobbi Brown Maui Illuminating Bronzer – A lovely natural pink glow. You can see it here compared to Antigua. Maui is the darker version with a bit more pigment.

6. Dolce & Gabbana Desert Bronzer – Lovely soft warm bronze with subtle shimmer. Those who find NARS Casino/Laguna too shimmery, this one is a nice option that is softer but not completely matte.

7. Chanel Pink Crystal Glossimer – Came out Holiday 2007, not the most unique pink shimmer. Chanel has released quite a few similar shades including the new Spring Futile. But I love this one over other lipsticks.

8. Chanel Bondi Beach Aqualumiere Gloss – New for Summer 2010. A soft peachy gold shimmer. I love the way this looks on the lips even though it’s medium-sheer. You can see an additional swatch here.

9. Chanel Stresa Aqualumiere – I’m not sure if they still make this shade, but it’s a sheer hot strawberry iridescent cool pink. I love this with Chanel’s Nude Lipliner and Bon-Bon Aqualumiere gloss on top for a healthy pink lip. Bright as it looks in the tube, on the lips it’s very wearable. See a makeover breakdown I had with it here.

10. NARS Mojave – I’ve been a longtime fan of NARS Viva Las Vegas. Mojave is it’s darker more pigmented sister which is like what I wanted MAC Plastique to be (still lovely, but too frosty for my taste without gloss on top).


Check back soon for my list of what I’m loving right now – the non-beauty edition!

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Bobbi Brown Antigua Face Palette (Bloomingdales Exclusive)

April 16, 2010
Bobbi Brown has released a new palette in the U.S. exclusive to Bloomingdales called the Antigua Palette. It retails for $55 and has the following colors:
  • 3 eyeshadows in Navajo, Oat, Caviar (all matte)
  • 3 lipsticks in Ballet Pink (creamy), Kitten (creamy) and Azalea (metallic)
  • 1 illuminating bronzer in Antigua


The Bobbi Brown collections this year seemed to have been a slight digression from her typical Bobbi-style, but this palette seems to be right on track for her typical classic, feminine, natural sense of color. Four of the shades are repromotes, but the combination is convenient, simple and chic in an all-in-one compact. My only gripe I have is that it mixes powders and creams in the same level which can get messy for the lipcolors if you’re not careful – but the size for the price is great so I’m not complaining.

My descriptions:

  • Navajo is your basic matte bone white (but not stark white)
  • Oat is a medium oat-brown color which appears to be a true neutral (like the name implies)
  • Caviar is a matte black (which is one of the few wearable true blacks for me)
  • Antigua is a soft shimmery pink
  • Ballet Pink is a bright pink base with gold shimmer
  • Kitten is a creamy beige (but goes on a light pinky-beige)
  • Azalea is a cool-plum with subtle gold flecks
Overall thoughts: The eyeshadows are great neutrals, but don’t apply well without some kind of base, so if you tend to find Bobbi Brown’s matte shadows a bit chalky, try applying them over a cream eyeshadow or shadow base. I had initially wished there were more new/exclusive colors to this palette to make it more unique, but I like the fact that it has everything I need in one palette which makes it convenient to put in my purse for touch ups. I like that it has 3 different lip colors which allows you to customize your look for neutral to more dressy. Definitely a winner for me, but mainly because I like all the colors and find that this will be good for a no-fail look when I am short on time and need a quick touch up.

Two more views:


FYI – Check your local Bloomingdales for their Beauty Benefits event GWP. I don’t see the details online, but saw one at my local Bloomies. I didn’t spend enough to get the GWP so I didn’t pay attention to the details, but definitely call yours to see what they have!

Like the concept of her Iluminating Bronzers? Check out some of the other shades like Maui, Aruba, Bali Brown and Laguna Bronze here: Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzers + New Bronzer Brush from last May.

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Color Focus: Light Pink Shimmer Highlighters & Blushes

March 11, 2010

I feel like I haven’t done a Color Focus feature in a while! The release of Rhapsody in Two from MAC’s Too Fabulous collection gave me a good reason to write a Color Focus post on my favorite light pink shimmery blushes and highlighters.

If you like lighter pinks for lips, check out my Color Focus: Milky Pink Lipglosses & feature on light pink lipsticks here at MAC Dsquared² Nude Rose Lipstick.

There’s something so pretty and girly about a light pink shimmer powder. Unfortunately, many times, the light pink ones go on white on my skin even though they look pink in the container. These are the ones that are shimmery and that do show up pinkish on my skin (light-medium, Chanel Shell, equivalent to MAC NC30).


Note, MAC Cute (discontinued) is only photographed for a frame of reference.




Paul & Joe has a number of great lighter shimmery pinks too that aren’t too frosty/shimmery like MAC can sometimes be. Compared to MAC Porcelain Pink as a base-line. The products from Paul & Joe are called Face Colors and come in a mirrored compact.


Le Metier de Beaute has a beautiful shimmer powder called Whisper. Chantecaille also had a blush product called Whisper, but it’s now discontinued (the lid is pinkish because I dropped nail polish on it). Both compared to MAC Porcelain Pink.


Swatching was difficult today, so I only did my MAC Blushes, MSFs and Beauty Powders + Becca Sylph. Swatched over MAC Prep & Prime.


What are your favorite light shimmery pinks for cheeks?

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Dior Mystic Smokys 5-Colour Eyeshadow

March 2, 2010

Four new 5-Colour Eyeshadow Quints have been released in the US with a new formula. There are 2 new shades and 2 existing-reformulated shades. I was drawn to the Mystic Smokys 004 palette which features a good mix of pale and intense deep shades to give you a nice smoky eye that isn’t your typical black/grey.

With high flash:


I love Dior Quints because they convey a sense of urban-chic with a bit of edge. I find they have great pigment and lovely color combinations even though I rarely use all 5 shades at once. They are convenient and they have a diverse range of colors to suit just about any look you want to achieve. The Mystic Smokys looked stunning at the counter but when I got home, I realized most of the shades aren’t really all that unique. Here is the quint compared to a few other brands and colors.


* Dark purple shade = Dior Ultra Violet or MAC Deep Purple Pigments

* Sparkley silver shade = Dior Argentic or MAC Charred

* Smokey grey-brown shade = no dupe, but close to P&J 17 or Bobbi Brown Java Metallic, darker than MAC French Grey

* Bottom champagne shade = close to MAC Quick Frost or Universal Mix Pigments

* Center cool pink shade = I couldn’t find an exact dupe, but it has a similar finish to Armani Maestro 29 and MAC Phloof

(Note, I ran out of room on the arm so I didn’t swatch the paler pink shades)





I this quad is easily dupeable. The benefit is in the convenience in that it combines multiple shades into one compact which is nice for an all-in-one palette. I like that you can use a damp brush on the darker shades to intensify the colors. The darker colors all seem to be fairly dark. My first smokey eye attempt to use this palette today ended in a punched-eye look, so I ended up taking it all off and was lazy so I just did foundation, powder, bronzer and my EB lippies (no eye makeup).

All around nice palette, but not a must-have in my opinion, especially not at the price. If you were contemplating this palette, it’s good if you don’t have a smokey eye palette. It’s much more wearable than Chanel’s Smokey Eye Palette because the Dior is not all black/grey based. If you’re iffy on this, I’d say wait for summer! The previews that have been popping up on other blogs looks promising!

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Lancome Erika F Eyeshadow

March 1, 2010

I was finally able to jump on the Lancome Erika F bandwagon which was possible thanks to my UK blogger contact (thank you a million times over again). It is even more gorgeous than I had imagined. I’ve seen it described a number of ways – so I was really curious to see what it looked like in real life. I’ve read it described as a lovely taupe – but to me, it’s more of a silvery greenish shade rather than a taupe. To me it’s a complex silvery green sparkle with maybe the slightest hint of taupe. Maybe it’s just my skintone, but I find Stila’s Diamond Lil to be green and I know many disagree with me.

The Lancome Erika F is very unique and the pigment is superb. I haven’t been a huge fan of Lancome eyeshadows, but this one has definitely changed my mind. Now if only they would release this formula & packaging in the US!


I pulled out my other greenish-taupe-silver shadows to see how it compared. Here it is compared to Benefit Where’s the Smoke, MAC Greensmoke, Paul & Joe #18, Bobbi Brown Pewter Chrome & Stila Diamond Lil. I feel that the Lancome Erika F is truly unique!

Swatches on bare skin (note again, please take swatches with a grain of salt, I have a light-medium complexion, if your skintone is different from mine, of course this will look different on you, and also, I’d like to point out again that my swatches are not the best):

Two more views of swatches, same order, different lighting:



Anyone else have this shade? What other colors do you use to compliment this color? I need inspirational ideas!

I want to thank you again for everyone who submitted feedback in my recent survey. Next week I will be doing a series on reader requests, focusing particularly the topics that received at least 3 or more mentions.

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

February 21, 2010

  1. MAC Metal Rock Mineralized Skinfinish (From 2005 Gold Play Collection) – One of the prettiest complex coppery-deep bronzey colors. I like to use this for eyeshadow rather than on the face. For my skin it’s too dark to use on the cheeks. The closest I’ve found to this is NARS Fez.
  2. Bobbi Brown Penny Metallic Eyeshadow (From 2008 Bronzed Pink Collection) – Also limited edition. Gorgeous warm sandy copper shimmer. Highly pigmented. Blends like magic. Try Bobbi Brown Burnt Sugar as an alternative.
  3. Chantecaille Cheer Blush – Soft light peachy pink glow.
  4. Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
  5. MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
  6. YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
  7. Chanel Seashell Glossimer – The perfect sheer glowy pink. It’s better than topping lipsticks with clear gloss because it just makes everything look better with a subtle shimmery glow.
  8. March Issue of Lucky Magazine – This was a surprise for me, normally I don’t really find many things in this magazine that appeal to me, but in this issue there are so many cute outfit and shoe ideas in this issue. Definitely a good read!

  9. Pottery Barn Vintage Milk Bottles – Couldn’t find the individual ones online, but they have them instore. So cute to store pencils or small flowers. Online they have a set of 6 with the labels on the sides.

    These are the ones from Pottery Barn Online:

  10. Michael Bublé – I love his music. He has such a great voice. His songs Some Kind of Wonderful and Just Haven’t Met You Yet make my heart skip a beat.

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Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek Powder

February 18, 2010

Paul & Joe has expanded their blush line with a new product called Creamy Cheek Color. There are currently 5 shades: 01 Marionette, 02 Kitten, 03 Peaches, 04 Butterfly, 05 Dusk. Each come in a mirrored compact the same size as the Face Color Blushes. The shades are all beautiful and have a subtle shimmer infused for a pretty glow. These retail for $24 each USD.


Swatches on bare skin:

Comparisons to other brands/similar colors:






Initial thoughts: I haven’t worn any of these for a full day yet, but I did test out 01 Marionette on my face as soon as I got it. It has an easily blendable texture and slightly powdery finish. The pigment is medium-sheer which is about the same as NARS Multiples, just less shimmery and less dewey looking on the skin.

Being the P&J fan that I am, I love these. I think everyone can find at least 1 flattering color. I know a few of my tan olive-toned friends love 05 🙂

For those who are wondering about the finish – the shimmer is very subtle. Not overly frosty like NARS Multiples or even MAC Blushcremes Sweet William/Blossoming. They give a pretty natural glow and the shimmer makes it so it doesn’t look too heavy or flat on the skin.

These were purchased from Bergdorf Goodman and should also be available soon at other Paul & Joe retailers.

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