I’m always drawn to matched lip and nail collections. I loved the Chanel Extrait de Gloss Collection (from 2010, see summary on Karla Sugar) and the recent MAC Fashion Sets, in particular Angel and Please Me (see lineup on Temptalia here, here and here). Right now I’m loving something that’s a little more mixed lip/nail combination and something a little less matched, but still in the same color family. Here are a few mixed and matched combination sets I’m loving right now. Swatches below as well.
Glowing neutrals
Left to right: YSL Golden Sand #54 Gloss
YSL Golden Shell #51 Gloss
Chanel Island #597 Le Vernis
Chanel Pêche Nacrée #515 Le Vernis
Corals and golds
Left to right: Chanel Nakkar #149 Glossimer
Dior Brown Panama #432 Addict Ultra Gloss
Chanel Holiday #617 Le Vernis
Chanel Delight #607 Le Vernis
Snapshot of jewelry from J.Crew’s Published June Style Guide and online at J.Crew here(I need one of those bracelets!) (Online versions of the J.Crew catalog are published on their website, currently May’s Style Guide is available to browse, I suspect June’s will be uploaded soon)
Pink lavenders
Left to right: Laura Mercier Nude Lilac Lip Glace
Dolce and Gabbana Lilac Nail Polish
Dolce and Gabbana Raspberry Lip Gloss
NARS Ratin Jot Nail Polish
What are lip and nail combinations are you loving right now?
Right now I’m loving soft baby blue nail polishes. In particular these colors shown below: Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air, NARS Kutki, Dior Glacier, Dolce & Gabbana Anise and OPI My Pointe Exactly. All photos by me.
Loving this week:
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Rivière, a soft seafoam green shimmer as seen on Cafe Makeup and The Non-Blonde (I heard rumors that the latest Asia Le Blanc Release will be available at Nordstrom for their Anniversary Sale)
Also, The Beauty Look Book just turned 3! It all started with a guest post at Makeup and Beauty Blog. Thanks from the bottom of my heart to Karen at MBB, Karla Sugar, The Non-Blonde, London Makeup Girl and Rouge Deluxe – you were all my inspiration when I first started. Special thanks to Cafe Makeup for also keeping me going, in particular this past year.
Three years, 7.2 million hits, 3,200+ google followers and a Twitter account later, I still feel like I’m justgetting started. I am forever grateful to everyone for their support, comments, tweets, sweet e-mails and for reading my blog each week. I’ve made new friends, discovered new brands, started getting into perfumes, learned new techniques, figured out how to paint my own nails properly, and have learned so much from so many of you. Thank you for your support!
Many have asked me to share what I’ll be wearing for New Year’s Eve. I’m still working on the outfit but I’ve already planned the makeup look. Here’s my first Polyvore attempt (not sure if I pulled in all the right items for the above photos, but the look is detailed below):
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Creamy Foundation in Natural Beige 120 mixed with a pale highlighter
Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte in Rose Merveille 120 dusted all over
Armani Sheer Blush #10
Armani Jacquard Face Palette to highlight
Laura Mercier Metallic Crème Eye Colour in Gold
Chanel Beige Lamé 417 Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Armani Eyes to Kill #6 Khaki Pulse
NARS Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara
Bobbi Brown Gel Liner Caviar Ink
Armani Gloss d’Armani Pink 502 + 507 mixed
Chanel Black Pearl #513 Le Vernis
L’Artisan Mûre et Musc
I’ll be offline for a few days but I’ll be checking in here and there to publish comments/questions via my iPhone. I’m running out the door right now to get a Black Pearl manicure 🙂 Toes will be covered so I’m passing on the pedicure this week. I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Here are comparisons to a few other shades. No dupes to be found from what I own, but here is what is in the same color family L to R: Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, Rescue Beauty Lounge Decorous, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Chanel Particuliere, Dolce & Gabbana Grey Pearl, Dolce & Gabbana Amethyst, Dior Purple Mix, Chanel Rodeo Drive, Chanel Paradoxal, Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant.
The holiday collection this year by Dolce & Gabbana is called Precious Stones. You can see the entire collection lineup on Dolce & Gabbana’s Digital Magazine website Swide. The color theme of this collection is primarily mauve and purple – not typical of most holiday collections, but still beautiful. Being one who is scared of pure purples for both eyes and lips, I ordered a few things I felt were safe based on over-the-phone descriptions from Saks. My picks, descriptions and thoughts:
Grey Pearl 230 Nail Lacquer ($20 for 11 ml/0.37 fl oz) is a cream blue-mauve grey (more blue-based than Chanel Particuliere). The formula seems a bit thick in texture but sheer in finish (if that makes any sense). I found it more difficult to apply evenly because it was hard to get the right amount of product on the brush to get good smooth coverage. The color is reminiscent of Chanel’s Particuliere but with less brown. Although the name has the word “pearl” in it, there is no visible shimmer. I love the color but the formula isn’t my favorite – a surprise for me since I’ve had luck with other Dolce & Gabbana colors.
Amethyst 168 Nail Lacquer ($20 for 11 ml/0.37 fl oz) is a bright blue amethyst cream. It’s the brightest purple I own and a stunner. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable wearing this to the office on the fingers. I had applied this for a pedicure and was amazed at the lasting power – probably 2 weeks without any chips or tip wear. The formula is easier to work with compared to Grey Pearl. It does need 2 thin coats for full coverage. The first coat will look a bit streaky but it evens out with the second coat.
Mauve Diamond 38 Blush ($44 for 5g/0.17 oz) is a medium dusty mauve with hint of plum. I thought it looked similar to Delight, but when put side by side, I found Mauve Diamond to be several shades darker. It does not go on muddy and it’s a lovely color. Tanned skin ladies will love this shade.
Pink Sapphire 139 Lipgloss ($29 for 4 ml/0.13 fl oz) is a sparkling blue pink. Initially I wanted to pass on all the lips, but Nikki from Saks Houston assured me it was wearable and more pinky. I still find it very blue-based but the sheer glossy sparkles make this wearable. It is scented with a slight rose scent but it’s not too heavy and the smell fades within a few minutes. I find it to be a bluer, glossier more sparkly version of Le Metier Purple Haze, but the shimmer/texture makes the Dolce & Gabbana more easy to pull off.
Some more photos and swatches below:
Although I was slightly disappointed with the options for eyes this season (too purple for me based on preview photos so I passed), I am overall happy with the items I picked. Dolce & Gabbana makes beautiful blushes and Mauve Diamond is no exception. The purply Pink Sapphire gloss turned out to be more wearable than I thought from looking at the tube. The nail polishes are good colors, not really must-haves, but I will get quite a bit of use out of these even throughout the spring season next year. Note that Delight was not part of the holiday collection but I swatched it for comparisons. Nail polish comparisons to come tomorrow. Bottom line – although not really inline with the holiday color theme (either red, gold, classic silvers, or wintery theme), I think the blush is a winner and I am overall pleased with the items I ordered.
Here are the Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks lip swatched. More details, descriptions and thoughts per shade:
Darling – gorgeous pale peachy pink that isn’t too pale and makes the lips glow
Sensation – my least favorite because the shimmer is too chunky-looking and base color too sheer, still feels smooth on the lips, but you can feel a slight texture from the shimmer when applying
Iridescent – surprisingly warm and pigmented, thought this would be more pinkish, but goes on a coral-pink on the lips, on the hand it’s more of a pinkish color (your mileage may vary with this one on the coral or pink scale)
Desireable – sheer, glossy, nude-tan-rose, on the sheer side, but lovely
Rose – went on my lips a bit purply because of the cool-tone pink, shimmer does show through, very pigmented
I’m wearing the Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation in 120 Natural Beige with Cle de Peau’s Beige Concealer and 100 Warm Powder to finish. On the nails is a tiny sneak peek of the Dolce & Gabbana Grey Pearl Nail Polish from the holiday collection.
I really love these new lipsticks. My favorite shade? Darling 🙂
Dolce & Gabbana has released a new lipstick formula called Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks ($34 each). These are a unique duo formula lipstick with a rich cream color on the outer rim with a and gloss in the middle. The texture is smooth, rich, creamy and luxurious and these lipsticks make the lip glow from within. There are currently 20 different shades encased in a long slender tube all with the signature rose Dolce & Gabbana lipstick scent. The shades have varying degrees of shimmer on the outside and different textures of gloss in the middle. Formula-wise I would say these are a hybrid of Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shines (Chanel being more emollient and sheer) and Dior Addicts (having a harder texture with more pigment). I ordered mine all sight unseen based on over the phone descriptions. I’m quite pleased with the finish and pigment. I find these to be a great swipe-and-go type of lipstick with better pigment than Chanel. No liner or gloss needed, although I suspect a natural liner will help make the gloss last longer. Here is what arrived:
Darling – a sheer flesh tone peachy-pink with a glowing pale pink center
Sensation – a highly iridescent frosted peachy pink with a healthy pink gloss interior (fuller in color and more shimmer than Darling)
Iridescent – oddly named, but a warm coral-rose pink exterior, sheer transparent glittery gloss inside
Desireable – a sheer glazed shimmer rose-brown (similar to Naked Lipstick)
Rose – a cool golden rose pink with a clear gloss center that has mauvey pieces of glitter
* Darling & Sensation look identical in the swatch, I prefer Darling because it glows more, but on the lip it’s paler. Sensation is significantly more sparkly/frosted although it doesn’t show in the swatch photo above.
All in all, I love all of these (except Sensation which I find to be a bit too glittery/frosted). Glitter-phobes need not worry though. Even with the glitter in the gloss, the texture is very smooth and non-gritty. The texture feels moisturizing and soft, but not too soft that it feels greasy. The formula adheres to the lip quite well for a glossy lipstick (some sheer-glossy-finish lipsticks have that feeling like they will fall off the lip, not with the Dolce & Gabbana). Are these better than Dior’s or Chanel’s new lipsticks from earlier this year? I’m inclined to say similar in concept but different enough to justify buying one or two. The promo photos from Dolce & Gabbana were just phenomenal, unfortunately not having in person access makes it difficult to assess the color options. Ladies without a Saks or Dolce & Gabbana counter near you, I feel your pain. For those who asked for Foundation shade recommendations the other day, I apologize, I don’t feel knowledgeable enough to comfortably match or recommend something like foundation colors. If you are olive, go with 120 like me, if you’re more neutral, go with 100. Ultimately, I recommend you call your local Dolce & Gabbana counter for a better match recommendation.
I am attempting lip swatches right now and will get them up as soon as possible.
For those new to Dolce & Gabbana, the cosmetic line is available in the US for sale at Saks.com and select Saks Locations. I purchase mine from Saks Houston.
