You can’t go wrong with a soft peachy-gold eyeshadow for an all-over easy & quick eye look. For girls with medium skintone, there are tons of your-lids-but-better options out there for a no-fail shimmery peach. My all time favorite is Chanel Abricot which I hear has now been discontinued. Luckily you can probably still find it at one of your local counters. Some of the peachy shades look pale on my skin even though they look peachy in the container.
Dior Beige Select, Chanel Abricot, Trish McEvoy Golden Apricot, Bobbi Brown Golden Peach, Laura Mercier Guava (old formula)
MAC Rubenesque & Shu Uemura Cream P Beige
MAC Hush, Motif, Jest, Arena (in pro-palette form)
Urban Decay Blaze, MAC Evening Aura, MAC Say Yeah
Paul & Joe #22, Paul & Joe #003, Armani Maestro #19
MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Melon Pigment, Laura Mercier Gemstone Mineral Eye Color, Laura Mercier Peach Luster Mineral Eye Color
All the shades grouped together (note, I apologize for the error below, but the color labeled Dazzleray is actually Jardin Aires):
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.
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?
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!
Why does the UK and Asia get the prettier Dior product releases? When I saw the preview for Dior Spring, the Peach Lace highlighter was the first thing that jumped out to me. Of course the US only received the Pink Lace highlighter. Luckily, I was able to find Peach Lace 002 from a wonderful UK blogger (thank you again!!!). I just about died when I opened the compact. It’s even prettier than the pink one.
Here is the Pink Lace 001 that I purchased back in January compared to the Peach Lace 002 which I believe is exclusive to Asia and Europe.
Without flash:
Note that the swatches don’t photograph well, but this is the best I could get:
Here is the Peach Lace compared to a few other peachy highlighters including Dior Amber Diamond, Bobbi Brown Champagne Color Options (from a gazillion years ago), and MAC Drizzlegold Beauty Powder.
The Peach Lace Highlighter is gorgeous. I think it would have sold well in the US if it were released here. The swatch photos don’t do the product justice, but it has a lovely light beige-peach shimmer finish and glow that I find rare in many highlighters. Most lighter colored highlighters are too pale giving a whitish-cast on the skin because of the silvery pearl shimmers.
I love the Pink Lace Highlighter, but the Peach Lace is definitely the winner!
In case you missed it, I wrote about my Spring Picks from the Dior Collection back in January here.
I watched part of the Red Carpet coverage of the Golden Globes and was inspired by Marion Cotillard’s beautiful deep teal-green dress, eyeliner and nails she wore to dig through my collection and find similar shades so I could try to recreate the look. You can see her look linked here.
I don’t have a lot of blues or teals in my stash but with a little practice was able to combine the shades to achieve a similar result. Just a disclaimer: I have no idea what products or colors were used on her actual look, this is just what I tried myself to get a similar effect.
My application steps/technique:
Cheeks: First apply MAC Dainty on apples of cheeks followed by a sheer dust of Pink Swoon.
Eyes: Apply a pale champagne cream on eyes as a base like Nars Copacabana and dust MAC Quick Frost pigment from lash to brow (apply heavier near lash line). Right around the rims of the eyes, apply a seafoam green shimmer like the Bottom Left shade of Chanel Murano followed by a smokey line of a darker smokey grey-green like the Top Left shade of Chanel Murano. Apply a teal green liner like Laura Mercier Black Turquoise Eye Kohl heavily along upper lash line and lower lash line. Take a slightly damp brush and apply a shimmery teal-green shadow like MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment or Chanel Murano right over the pencil blending with a soft brush for a smudged look. The last step for the eyes (not pictured) is to take a contouring powder or soft brown like MAC Soba or Era and apply right over the middle of the eye for depth/contour.
Lips: Line with a pale pink shimmer like Trish McEvoy Essential Pencil in Baby Pink and top with a shimmery shell pink lipstick like Chanel Waikiki Aqualumiere. Top with a matching gloss for shine like Dior #431.
I would have liked to get a brighter smokey teal along the lash lines, the teals I have are darker and more subdued. I learned from experimenting that the key to get a brighter teal is to layer the colors from light to dark. Layering the Laura Mercier Black Turquoise, MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment and dark green shade from Chanel Murano over the lighter shades brings out the teal shimmer more.
For nails, I pulled out my green shades. I’m still in search for a dark teal shimmer that doesn’t look black in natural light. It’s hard for me to find something that’s the right balance of teal and dark shimmer. Most teals are either too bright for my taste or too dark. All swatches are taken with a flash, each has 3 coats. Anyone have alternative recommendations on pretty dark teal shimmers?
The spring theme this year seems to be all about pretty packaging & embossed designs through many of the different lines. Dior is the winner for the prettiest and most feminine designs from what I’ve seen so far.
I found the Dior Spring collection at Bloomingdales and the Coquette quint, Pink Lace shimmer powder, Pink Embroidery lipstick and Silver Pearl nail polish won me over.
The sweet sales associate at Bloomies was kind enough to let me snap a photo with my camera phone even though it didn’t turn out to have the best quality:
Here’s a recap of what’s being released, although in the US, we are getting 3 different lipsticks and at this time I’m not sure if we’re getting the Peach Lace 02 Highlighter (I’m still keeping my fingers crossed).
PLEASE DO NOT REPUBLISH MY PHOTOS WITHOUT PERMISSION. I’ve noticed these have already been uploaded on a few other websites. All my photos are copyrighted, republishing them is stealing and illegal, please remove them immediately.
Pink Lace Poudrier (001)
Coquette Quint (743)
Coquette Quint (743) Swatches
Pink Embroidery Addict Lipstick (663) & Silver Pearl Nail Polish (604)
Silver Pearl Swatch (1 coat)
Initial thoughts: I swatched the Pink Lace highlighter but my camera wasn’t cooperating, but it’s a lovely iridescent pale highlighter, similar in finish to Nars Luxor, but more sparkley. I can’t really tell if the white is overspray, but I love the finish and it comes in a heavy metal compact with a lace design on the outside. The Coquette Quint is lovely and highlight pigmented. The pinks look very similar, but I rarely wear all 5 shades in Dior quints anyways. I passed on the Iridescent Quint because they just weren’t me. The Silver Pearl nail polish is surprisingly pigmented for a Dior nail polish, I only needed one coat. It’s very metallic and while I think it’s pretty, I prefer less-foiled looking shades for the fingers. I think this will look good on the toes. I have yet to swatch the Pink Embroidery lipstick but it looks like a pretty neutral cool rose.
While there was a tester unit out in the case, the Dior rep was off for the day and the sales associate who helped me wasn’t sure if the items could be touched (even though it’s clear they are in the tester packaging). I decided to wait on the other items when I could actually test them. The blush looked absolutely gorgeous, but my experience with DiorBlushes have been so-so, they all seem really sheer and I didn’t want to buy the one from spring without testing it.
Overall a lovely collection with beautiful lace designs. I was a bit sad after swatching these because part of the imprint faded away – but I know it’s bound to happen with use anyways.
Today’s looks are centered around pink eyeshadow. For me it’s hard to find a pink shadow that doesn’t make me look like I have pink-eye. These work for me because they aren’t too pink.
Look Day 5: neutral/warm pink eyeshadow with soft rose cheeks and rosey lips
Cheeks: Chanel Tweed Rose Blush Becca Angel Loose Shimmer Powder to highlight
Eyes: Laura Mercier Pink Chiffon Satinee Cream Eye Color Chanel Demure Quad Urban Decay Bourbon 24-7 Eyeliner
Lips: Trish McEvoy Bare Lipliner Laura Mercier Pink Champagne Lipstick Laura Mercier Pink Champagne Lipgloss (Nordstrom Exclusive, try LM Blush Lip Glace for a dupe)
Swatches, left to right: LM Pink Chiffon, Chanel Demure Quad, UD Bourbon, Chanel Tweed Rose, Becca Angel, Trish McEvoy Bare, Laura Mercier Pink Champagne Lipstick, Laura Mercier Pink Champagne Gloss
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Alternate 1: Cool pink with purple eyes
Cheeks: MAC Stark Naked Blush
Eyes: Dior Petal Shine Iridescent Quint MAC Deep Purple Pigment (Pro)
