Browsing Tag

Chanel

Uncategorized

Look of the Day Inspired By My Daily Reads & Readers

June 20, 2010
Today’s look is inspired from a few of my favorite daily reads and readers. The bits of inspiration include the following:

Today’s Look: Summer Casual


Top: J.Crew Perfect-Fit Stripe Boatneck (S)
Shorts: J.Crew
Sandals: Tory Burch
Purse: Chanel
Guest Puppy Appearance: Mr. Jake

Makeup of The Day:

Face: Chanel Sunkissed Illuminator
MAC Refined Golden Bronzer
MAC Dollymix Blush

Eyes: Paul & Joe Eye Gloss 05
Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash
MAC Naked Dark Pigment (swatches here)
Bobbi Brown Java Metallic Eyeshadow
(Java comparisons)

Lips: MAC Dervish
Paul & Joe Liplacquer 06

Brushes Used:


Eye look was a smokey taupe, here’s how:

  • Step 1: Apply Paul & Joe Eye Gloss in Murmur 05 on lids (for asian eyes, 1/2 way up eye from lash to middle of eye, heavier near lash line)
  • Step 2: Apply Bobbi Brown Java Metallic from lash to 1/2 way up lid for a smokey eye, also heavier near lash line
  • Step 3: Apply MAC Naked Dark Pigment over center of eye to blend out any harsh lines from the darker shades
  • Step 4: Apply Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash from brow downwards softly to create a subtle highlight
  • Step 5: Curl lashes and apply mascara

Nails of the Day: Chanel Django & Nouvelle Vague



The mani/pedi combo:

I’m surprised that I’m liking the blue nail polish! FYI – the Jcrew top seems to run a bit small. I’m normally an XS in their shirts but found it to be a bit too snug. Or perhaps I just have been having too many sugary drinks and gained weight.

Feedback appreciated! Too much info in one post? Is the look too casual to write about? Would you style the top differently? I like that it can be dressed up a little with a nice skirt or dress pants. But it’s nice as a loungy-carefree-top too. Being in Southern California – my daily style is pretty casual.

I already did a lip swatch and EOTD attempt – neither turned out decent this morning. I’ll try and feature the Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer by itself in another post in the near future.

22 Comments
Uncategorized

Chanel Jade Rose Le Vernis Nail Colour

June 12, 2010
Chanel Jade Rose was released as part of a limited edition collection last September. Luckily for those who missed out the first time, Jade Rose will be re-released with the upcoming fall collection, so those trying to find it will have another chance to buy it. I wrote about it when I received my order last fall and did a few photo comparisons (see here, Chanel Jade Rose Nail Polish) but realized I never featured it swatched on a full manicure, so here it is.

Jade Rose is a creamy nude pink with slight iridescence in the bottle. You can barely see the shimmer-glow once it’s applied on the nails though, unless you are in direct sunlight. The result is a creamy nude pink on me. I gave a bottle to one of my friends for Christmas – she loves this (more so than me), but she is fairer in skintone (probably the equivalent of a MAC NC15) so it looks more peachy on her.





When I first received this, I was less than thrilled. Even for a neutral-lover like me, it was just another boring shade of neutral pink. However, the more I wear it, the more it grows on me. It’s a demure shade of pink that gives a nice classic polished look to the hands without drawing too much attention to them. This required three coats though. Two coats left a streaky finish, even by a professional. I personally could not find a dupe for this.

Compared to my other soft shades from Chanel & Dior, left to right:
Chanel Jasmine, Chanel Lily Beige, Chanel Pink Satin,
Chanel Jade Rose, Dior Porcelain and Chanel Ballerina

Today’s mani + pedi combination:


11 Comments
Uncategorized

Beauty Investigation: Is There a Dupe for Chanel Riviera?

June 9, 2010
I recently received an e-mail from one of my readers asking if I knew of a dupe for Chanel Riviera. She had decided to wait a bit to think about purchasing it and by the time she decided to purchase it, the color was sold out everywhere online and at all the stores and counters near her. Knowing that “oh no it’s sold out” feeling all too well, I was more than happy to help. I called & visited a number of local stores (about a dozen) but I too was unable to locate the nail polish – so began my quest to find the perfect dupe.
I narrowed down my search to brands that had testers available thus eliminating brands without testers such as Zoya, China Glaze, Essie and all drugstore brands. I swatched about a dozen hot pinks in my notebook and then went back to each counter/store to swatch the four closest matches on my fingers. I have to admit I was a bit nervous swatching so many shades in my notebook – but the Chanel reps were so sweet at each store. They even chimed in with their input about which ones they thought looked the most similar to the Riviera shade.

For some reason the fuschia undertones of some of the shades were throwing off my camera flash, so it was hard to get an accurate picture. Here are two views (to the best of my ability).

  • Thumb: Sephora by OPI It’s All About Me – about 2 shades darker and brighter and a smidge cooler toned

  • Index: NARS Schiap – same intensity, one shade bluer, looks more magenta

  • Middle: MAC Steamy – closest dupe in my opinion, just a bit more intense/sharper looking

  • Ring: Chanel Riviera

  • Pinkie: OPI Strawberry Margarita – second closest dupe, slightly lighter (only a touch)

So, which are the closest dupes? The verdict: MAC Steamy and OPI Strawberry Margarita. From an arms distance glance – you can barely tell the difference. Here they are photographed next to Chanel Riviera. Note that while they look slightly different in the bottles, on the fingers the difference is not noticeable. Are the exact dupes? No.

I was also asked how it compared to Lancome’s Miss Perfectly Pink and Illamasqua Collide – Lancome’s is significantly cooler toned and Illamasqua is a hot electric neon pink. So if you missed out on Chanel Riviera, not to worry – no need to shell out extra money for the shade on ebay. You can definitely find a similar shade! Not an exact dupe, but yes, similar. (Here’s one more shot with the Lancome – can’t swatch it b/c it’s a present.)


In terms of pigment, I actually found all the dupes to be pretty smooth and nicely pigmented. The Chanel did apply the best IMHO, but after 2 coats, you get the same result.

Note that this is by no means the most comprehensive list – just the ones I found 🙂 I hope this helps some! All work is copyrighted. Please do not republish these photos.

18 Comments
Uncategorized

Color Focus: Soft Pinks I’m Loving Right Now

May 29, 2010
I decided to do a different twist on my regular monthly Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now and combine this with my color focus feature. I like soft pinks because they always look so pretty in the compact and tubes. But finding a good soft pink can be a bit tricky sometimes. I can’t tell you how many soft pinks have made me oooohh and aaaahhh only to find it looks way to light or washed out on my skin (ala MAC Hue/Angel Lipstick or Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Demure Lipstick). It still doesn’t stop me from trying to make them work though, lol. That being said, the products listed below are my no-fail and no-tweaking required soft pinks.

There are so many favorites, but these are the ones I’ve been using a lot in the past month. I am actually just starting my 3rd tube of MAC Fabby (see below)! Laura Mercier Babydoll Lip Glace is a favorite that looks good on practically all my friends whether they are fair skinned or tanned.

Blush & Highlighters:

Dior Rose Diamond
MAC Well Dressed
MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder
(this was repromoted with the Liberty of London Collection in a different compact)

Eyeshadows:

Bobbi Brown Petal Shimmerwash
NARS Nepal Eyeshadow
Becca Angel Loose Shimmer Powder

Cheek and Eye Swatches:


Lip Glosses:

Chanel Waterlily Glossimer
Dior Pink Silk 262 Addict Lip Gloss (swatched here)
Laura Mercier Babydoll Lip Glace
Trish McEvoy Pretty Pink Beauty Booster Gloss

Lipsticks:

Chanel Rouge Coco in Rose Comete (swatched here)
MAC Frost Lipstick in Fabby
D&G Shine Lipstick in Soiree (swatched here)

Lip Swatches:


Nail Polishes:

Paul & Joe Poodle #10
Zoya Jessika
Chanel Mica Rose


I have many more favorites but if I featured all my loves, this would just be a never-ending article if I pulled every single soft pink from my stash. What are some of your favorites and what is your skintone?

FYI, in case you’re new to my blog, I’m a Chanel Shell 1.5 Teint Innocence right now. This is the equivalent to what’s right in between MAC NC30 and NC35. I’m at that point again where I’m in between shades for most foundation lines. You can see My Foundation Shades HERE. I recently tried Bobbi Brown’s newest foundation and found a perfect match in Natural Finish formula shade 4.25 Natural Tan, however the formula didn’t work so well with my skin. So far, Chanel Teint Innocence and Lift Lumieres and DPFs are my holy grails.

19 Comments
Uncategorized

Chanel Rouge Cocos Revisited: Perle, Secret & Cashmere

May 7, 2010
My current favorite lipsticks are all from Chanel and I’ve been enamored with the new Rouge Cocos, particularly the lighter more natural shades Perle, Secret & Cashmere. Compared to the Aqualumiere and Rouge Allures, the Rouge Coco has a different texture. I can’t say that one is better than another, they are all simply different. Aqualumieres are the glossiest, Rouge Allures are the creamiest and smoothest, Rouge Cocos seem to be a combination of Hydrabase + RA + Aqualumiere mixed together (in my opinion). I’ve scattered features on the lipsticks I picked out over the past few months. I thought it was time to try a few swatches of these three, note that they all do look very similar:

Perle 02 is a nautral pink with a pearly-champagne shimmer

Secret 03 is a nude beige-peach cream (without shimmer)

Cashmere 04 is similar to Secret, but a peachier version with slight shimmer

My lip swatches are all just the lipstick, but I added a few lipliner swatches of colors I thought would match well with these (see below). What I love about the Rouge Cocos is that they really are a nice “swipe & go” lipstick. The formula is sufficient to give full coverage and the color blends out so nicely, I don’t need lipliners with these.

About the arm swatches, I tried swatching these on my arm/hand but they all ended up looking exactly the same no matter what lighting I tried. But here they are anyways. Oddly enough, my Secret swatched darker on my arm than Cashmere, even though in the tube and on the lips, it’s the opposite (Secret = lighter, Cashmere = darker). I think the shimmer in the Cashmere reflected more in the flash.

These are different in the tube but the difference is very slight. Unfortunately the swatches all look very much the same. I highly recommend you check out other blogs such as Karlasugar, Temptalia, Makeup & Beauty Blog for more swatches, photos etc.
14 Comments
Uncategorized

Do You Have a Beauty Emergency Kit?

May 3, 2010
Last week I had one of those days where I had a million things to do during the day with no time to stop by home before a special occasion dinner. I packed my car with my laptop, papers, textbooks, backpack, purse, a change of clothes and an extra pair of shoes (to transition from day to night) but neglected to pack my makeup bag and brushes to touch up.
Luckily, I had my Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Island Rose (for lips/cheeks) and a mini Diorshow mascara tucked away in my backpack which was enough to freshen my look a bit. But it made me realize I needed to put together an emergency beauty kit to keep in my car for those times I need a last-minute touch up or days I forget to bring my makeup bag with me.

I looked to one of my favorite beauty books by Trish McEvoy “The Power of Makeup” for her tips on what to include in a beauty emergency kit. This is what I put together for my own using my trusty quilted planner:

  • Trish McEvoy Power of Makeup Simply Chic Page (Pink Innocence Lip + Cheek, Nude Innocence Lip + Cheek, Golden Peach AOC, Peony Pink Blush, Sand/Pink Shimmer/Snow/Blackberry Eyeshadows)
  • Laura Mercier Eyemakeup Remover
  • Edward Bess Love Always Deep Shine Lipgloss
  • NARS Luxor Multiple
  • Diorshow Mini Mascara
  • MAC Fix + (travel size)
  • Chanel DPF Compact
  • Chanel Spices Quadra Eyeshadow
  • MAC Cremestick Lipliners in Sublime Culture and Beurre
  • Chanel Ebene Waterproof Eyeliner
  • Laura Mercier Brown Copper Eye Kohl
  • Chantecaille Crystalline Gloss
  • Shu Uemura Tweezers
  • A bunch of mini brushes

My so-called “emergency kit” turned out to be quite a bit more than I intended. It’s probably the equivalent to a travel kit or a weekend-away kit. Yes, I am rather high maintenance, so this will probably be a work in progress. But at least I know that by having this tucked away in my car, I will always be well prepared to touch up, redo or refresh my makeup and not have to worry about finding the time to try and get back to the house before a last minute appointment or spur of the moment evening out.

Do you have a beauty emergency kit? What do you have inside yours?

27 Comments
Uncategorized

Chanel Le Vernis Black Velvet, Gold Lame & Illusion D’Or

May 2, 2010
I promised myself I would never buy anything I thought I’d never wear but have broken this promise several times this past year with Chanel Jade, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, MAC Birds & Berries and now the Chanel Shanghai-Paris limited edition nail polishes. Combine the words “exclusive” and “limited-edition” and I’m sold. Add “Chanel” to that mix and it triggers that need-to-have-it-now syndrome. So of course, I caved with the three newest exclusive limited edition shades from Chanel launched in honor of their Shanghai-Paris runway show. Here are my photos, swatches + comparisons to other shades.

L to R: Dior Black Sequins, Chanel Black Satin,
Chanel Noir Ceramic, Chanel Black Velvet


*************

L to R: Chanel Antilope, Chanel Golden Sand,
Chanel Gold Lame, D&G Desert


*************

L to R: NARS Adelita, Chanel Beige D’Or,
Chanel Illusion D’Or, Chanel Galactic Touch


Overall thoughts: Hmmm . . . not so sure about these. I normally love everything Chanel releases but I’m not crazy about these. I was well aware that these were released because of their runway show, so I knew ahead of time that these would indeed be “trendy.” I like the other blacks and golds in my current collection a lot better than these new Chanel colors. I love the concept of Illusion D’Or, but the gold is too bling-tastic for my taste. That being said, I would absolutely DIE if they released a pink version in this formula. Any shade of pink ranging from light pink to golden-pink to bright pink.

These are lovely, but for nails I try to be more conservative. Up until I started blogging, I only wore colors on my toes but have tried to go out of my comfort zone and wear color on fingers. Black Velvet is intriguing because the finish is so different from other shades, but just not practical for an every-day type of manicure. Gold Lame and Illusion D’Or are just too flashy for my taste, although I’m sure I’ll find some occasion to wear them in the future.

9 Comments