Today’s color theme includes bronzey eyes and peachy lips/cheeks with three variations. (Note that Day 1 has been updated as well with a third look.) I would have to say this is my no-fail go to look. I always feel comfortable with a bronze liner and a soft peach lip (although I’ve been told that I look better in pinks and plums).
Look Day #2: bronze eyes with peachy lips & cheeks
Cheeks: Chanel Fandango Blush MAC Refined Mineralize Skin Finish
Eyes: Bobbi Brown Sandy Gold Cream Eyeshadow MAC Vanilla Pigment Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill #2 Brown Copper Trish McEvoy Eye Definer Sparkling Bronze
Lips: Make Up Forever Aqua Lip Liner 1C Laura Mercier Designer Beige Shimmer Lipstick Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer #3
***********
Alternative with a brighter lip:
Cheeks: Trish McEvoy Liquid Face Color #1 + MAC Superduper Natural Mineralize Blush
Eyes: Bobbi Brown Flesh Eyeshadow Bobbi Brown Burnished Cream Eyeshadow Nars Cordura Eyeshadow Duo Laura Mercier Brown Copper Eye Liner Lips: Chanel Exquise Rouge Allure MAC Euro Beat Dazzleglass mixed with Paul & Joe Lip Lacuqer #8
***********
Alternative with a smokier eye & lighter nude-peach lip:
Cheeks: Chanel Tweed Sienna Blush Le Metier Blush/Bronze Duo Sunkissed and Echo Eyes: MAC Femme Fi Eyeshadow Trish McEvoy Eye Definer in Sparkling Bronze MAC Gilt by Association Mineralize Eyeshadow Lips: Bobbi Brown Beige Lipliner Giorgio Armani Rouge D’Armani Beige 101 Le Metier de Beaute Peche Creme
(Note you will most likely see a recurring trend with the Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers because I love them so much! For those who don’t have access to Paul & Joe, do not fear, I will include other brands too.)
When it comes to fashion and beauty trends I am not always brave enough to be a true follower. There are always styles that are cute and chic on others that I could never pull off (for example teal eyeshadow, black lipstick/gloss or leggings with boots). If you like dark nails but feel the new releases are a bit too vampy or deep, here are four softer alternatives I really like:
L to R: OPI Melody in Mocha, Paul & Joe #20 Manhattan, Urban Decay Gunmetal, Dior Lemon Balm, Chanel Noir Ceramic
* I believe the OPI and Chanel are both discontinued, but you can still find quite a few online through swap boards, ebay or discount nail e-tailers
* OPI Melody in Mocha is a complex fawn grey with slight mauve tones and gold shimmer, I was lucky to get one in a swap and love it – I think there are quite a few dupes, there’s one from China Glaze that might be similar (the flash makes it look lighter and emphasizes the silver – in real life it’s not quite as pale for the swatch at least)
* Paul & Joe #20 Manhattan is a sparkley medium-light gunmetal shimmer, it is on the sheerer side so I had to use four coats but the finished result has a lot of depth – it’s hard to explain but it looks different depending on the way the light hits the color
* Urban Decay Gunmetal is currently only available in the Apocalyptic Nail Kit, I really hope it comes out in full size, it’s a deeper gunmetal shimmer with slight brownish tones in it so it doesn’t turn blue on me like most gunmetal shades
* Dior Lemon Balm was a Nordstrom Exclusive for their last Anniversary Sale, I believe you might still be able to find it online at nordstrom.com, it’s an oddly-named color, in the container it looks more greyish, but on the nails and compared to the other greys, it definitely pulls more purple with brown shimmers
* Chanel Noir Ceramic was photographed mainly for comparison purposes, but it’s a nice black with silver shimmers which make it softer and less harsh than most blacks, a close dupe is Chanel’s Black Satin which is darker
One more view:
I’d really LOVE to hear your favorite shimmer nail polishes that are medium-to-dark. I’m always looking for more colors by recommendations to check out. I tend to feel overwhelmed when I shop at Ulta or Sephora for nail products – too many colors to choose from and I usually end up with too many reds that look almost identical.
Quite a few fall collections have jumped on the dark-vampy-trend bandwagon and while I’m usually very excited to find new dark colors for nails, I have mixed feelings about the new polishes from the Chanel Noirs Obscurs collection after seeing them in person.
Chanel just released two new colors, Forbidden and Diabolic and repromoted Vendetta from last holiday. I ordered the two new ones sight unseen and at first glance was less than impressed. However when I swatched them on my nails, my feelings changed.
Both Forbidden 437 and Diabolic 427 are deep chocolatey-burgundy-vampy shades and are extremely similar. When swatched, the colors aren’t as dull as I expected – they have just the right amount of brown and red. You definitely don’t need both, but they are different enough from Chanel’s Vamp and Rouge Noir to justify maybe buying one.
Difference between the two:Forbidden is slightly lighter and more chocolatey, Diabolic is deeper and darker.
Here are more photos with my comparisons to similar shades:
Swatches: Thumb = Cosmic Violine 497 Index = Forbidden 437 Middle = Diabolic 427 Ring = Rouge Noir 18 Pinkie = Vamp 18
With high flash:
In natural sunlight:
Another view:
Compared to a couple other brands: MAC All Night Long and Sephora by OPI I’m With Brad:
Overall thoughts: Even though I’m a huge Chanel fan and obsessed with collecting almost every single nail color they release, Forbidden and Diabolic were just ok for me. I didn’t gasp with awe when I took them out of the box. I was hoping for something different with those complex shimmer particles that they are known for creating.
That being said, I tend to like shimmery nail polishes, perhaps I need to get more used to those creamy non-shimmery shades. As a fellow Chanel fan and I were discussing a few days ago, they seem to be more for the Chanel collector, and while they are nice to have, we wouldn’t have died if we didn’t get our hands on them.
Bottom line: They look great on the nails, but there’s no need to have both. They are different enough from Vamp/Rouge Noir to justify trying out. If you don’t mind shimmer and want a cheaper alternative, Sephora by OPI I’m With Brad is pretty close, however do note that the Chanel formulas are superior by far. With the Sephora by OPI – you can get good results, but it will require a lot more thin coats.
Here is October’s list of Ten Things I’m Loving Right now. There’s a slight twist on a few items because I simply could not pick one item in a certain category. I’d love to hear what you all are loving right now too.
1) Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill #1 Steel Black Mascara $28 – I finally found a mascara that thickens and holds curl! I have the straightest lashes ever and even after curling with my favorite Trish McEvoy Eyelash Curler, nothing holds the curl as well as this one. Doesn’t clump, smudge or flake. I’ve tried other Armani mascaras in the past and did not like them at all, luckily, I got a mini-sized version of this to try out first. My other favs are DiorShow (gives thick plush lashes), Dior Iconic (gives dramatic black lashes) and Chanel Inimitable (also great) – but Armani’s Eyes to Kill has won my heart.
* A few key tips – I recommend using only one coat and make sure it dries completely before touching up your eye makeup or removing smudges from eyeshadow fall out. Also, I use this in conjunction with an eyelash curler, I can’t say whether or not it is curling, but I will say it holds the curl very well.
2) Shu Uemura Natural Pony Brush 20 $50 – Soft and plush, this is the perfect size and shape with the right density in bristles to make this my favorite blush brush. There is an angled version 20h which is just as soft.
3) Paul & Joe Refreshing Skin Toner $33 – I was lucky to try a sample before I bought this. The Paul & Joe toner makes my skin feel refreshed and it isn’t too drying or heavy. I have sensitive skin and this seems to be gentle and effective at the same time. Love the price too!
4) Bobbi Brown Nude Shimmer Brick $38 – I own almost every Shimmer Brick from Bobbi Brown and this one is the prettiest to date and works on both eyes and cheeks. It features “five pure pearl pigments—pink, gold, bronze, beige and caramel” – I believe it is limited edition, but can still be found at various counters. See comparisons to other shades HERE.
5) Chanel Quadra Eyeshadows in Mystic Eyes $56 – This is one of the prettiest unique combination of colors I have seen. I love the silvery shade because it has some golden flecks in the shimmer. I like to wear it with NARS Oasis Blush and Stolen Kisses Lipgloss over Mitzi Lipstick.
6) MAC Viva Glam V Lipglass $14 – this is my classic no-fail neutral pink lip gloss
7) Black/Gold Olivey Colors – I really like black golds for fall which can sometimes end up looking olivey with the combination. My favorites right now are:
1. MAC Seriously Hip Nail Polish 2. MAC Gilt By Association Mineralize Eye Shadow 3. Laura Mercier Black Gold Kohl Eye Pencil 4. Clinique Egyptian Eyeliner 5. Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink Gel Liner
9) Beige Shimmer Lipglosses like MAC Bare Necessity Dazzleglass $18, Chanel Freeze Aqualumiere $27, Hourglass Ignite Extreme Sheen Gloss $28, Chantecaille Crystalline Brilliant Gloss $28, Le Metier Captiva Sheer Brilliance Gloss $32 and Laura Mercier Opal Lip Glace $22 all have this lovely complex iridescence with a neutral beigey base giving a barely-there glow to the lips.
L to R: MAC Bare Necessity, Chanel Freeze, Hourglass Ignite, Chantecaille Crystalline, Le Metier Captiva, Laura Mercier Opal
10) L’Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream $10 – love this for the packaging and lightweight non-sticky texture. I keep one in my purse all the time. Also comes in the larger sizes and a few different scents/formulas.
Purple seems to be popular this fall and there are quite a few vampy purples that have been released (or repromoted) this season. I did a feature back in July, Color Focus: Dark Vampy Polish with some of the vampy shades I have and a swatch/review on Nars Tokaido Express as well.
I just added MAC’s Baby Goth Girl from the Style Black release to my own personal collection and love it! Although it looks similar to my other vampy shades in natural light, I found it different enough in the undertone and sparkle to make my heart skip a beat when I put it on. Here are some comparisons to other purple shades.
Left to right: Nars Tokaido Express, Chanel Vendetta, Chanel Feu de Russie, MAC Baby Goth Girl, OPI Black Cherry Chutney
Three coats each shade:
Thumb = OPI Black Cherry Chutney Index Finger = MAC Baby Goth Girl Middle Finger = Chanel Feu de Russie Ring Finger = Chanel Vendetta Pinkie = Nars Tokaido Express
Same order as above, different view:
Close up swatches of Chanel Vendetta, Chanel Feu de Russie, MAC Baby Goth Girl
Swatches in natural light, same order as above:
Thumb = OPI Black Cherry Chutney Index Finger = MAC Baby Goth Girl Middle Finger = Chanel Feu de Russie Ring Finger = Chanel Vendetta Pinkie = Nars Tokaido Express
US girls who have been eyeing or wishing for that elusive Euro/Canada Praline Glossimer – you are in luck because it is one of the glosses in the Chanel holiday sets! I went back to check on a few things and found out more details about this set which has: * Glossimers in Spark & Praline (not Giggle like the SA had assumed and told me) * Mini Nude Lipliner * Retails for $50 (US)
The three sets I have seen were spotted at two local Nordstroms in Southern California but I have not seen the product is not yet online. As of yesterday, no spottings of the Noirs Obscurs or the Paris-New York Palette although I have seen the palette pop up online at a few places.
Close up of Spark (red gloss), Praline (nude pink gloss), and Nude Lipliner:
Praline comparisons:
Left to right: Chanel Giggle Glossimer, Chanel Praline #46 Glossimer, Chanel Bel Air #147 Glossimer, Chanel Glass Quartz Aqualumiere Gloss #69, Laura Mercier Blush, Laura Mercier Rose Flush, Bobbi Brown Pink Beige, MAC Full on Lust
Same order, different view:
Same order for swatches:
For the Chanel Glossimers, Giggle is the most nude, Bel Air is the most pink, Praline has slight brownish tones compared to both. Check out some more natural pink lipgloss swatch comparisons here Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives Haul Part 1.
I have a few reddish glosses but will have to dig them up. Check back for this post to be updated shortly.
This is a follow up on my Shu Uemura haul from last week to compare Seal Brown with my other brow products. I have dark brown/black hair with red highlights – but you can only see the reddish/brown if I am wearing a black shirt or if I’m in the sun, so just consider my hair black.
Brow products are usually too harsh, ashy or reddish for my hair color. I’ve been matched with all these shades from various makeovers and I am surprised that they all work, however Seal Brown works the best. It looks really light in the pot/swatch, but works really well for a soft natural dark brow.
Here it is compared to Laura Mercier Soft, Chanel Blonde & Chanel Soft Brown with different views/backgrounds and then swatches.
* Note that Bobbi Brown Mahogany Ink is a gel liner, not a brow product, it’s simply swatched so you can gauge how soft the other brow product colors are.
