I’m normally a gel-liner type of girl because I find it easier to get an even line along my upper lashes with a fine-tipped brush (Bobbi Brown’s Gel Liner brush is my favorite). However I also love the twist-up pencils that don’t require any sharpening. Chanel has one called Stylo Yeux Waterproof ($28) in a variety of shades. These replaced a formula called Aqua Crayon (can’t remember the exact year these were discontinued). I believe all the shades from the previous formula were discontinued except for the black and brown. The Chanel eyeliners (twist-up style) I own include:
Black Shimmer – dark cool grey (not really black) Cassis – plum black-brown Vert Bronze – complex, hard to describe, it has olive, bronze, gold tones Marine – shimmering navy Ébène – matte black Tweed (Aqua Crayon formula) – warm golden taupe
The color strip on the end of the packaging gives you an accurate idea of what you will get on your eyes.
Swatched on bare skin in 3 different light settings. What I love about these is that they really stay put. I only line along the upper lash line though. I can’t do waterline or underneath the eyes. I am like Rachel Green from Friends: extremely challenged when trying to put anything near the eyeball (eye drops included). So I can’t say how well it lasts when applied those ways.
Note that Marine goes on the eyes a bit more subtle than when swatched on the arm. At least on me. If you want a brighter blue, check out Bobbi Brown’s Denim Ink (new from her Denim & Rose collection).
No flash, natural light:
I normally am able to simply line and go. Occasionally I will take a small smudge brush (Laura Mercier’s is my favorite) and smoke it out a bit and re-apply. They normally don’t require blending/smoothing but those who don’t have a super steady hand will find a brush will do the trick.
Although I don’t own all the shades, I have tried every single color. The bright teal green color included. One of the national artists applied it on me and it was so gorgeous. But knowing myself all too well, knew I would never be brave enough to use it on my own.
I’m waiting for a pretty brown shimmer color to be released or a black gold. Their Black Shimmer isn’t really black at all, it’s really more grey.
I cannot swatch compare these to other brands as it is extremely time consuming and tedious. I have already done an extensive smokey eye series that I highly recommend you check out if you want more eyeliner options other than your basic black or brown. There is a black/grey post that will show you how many different variations of black eyeliners there are. Click on the Smokey label on the side bar for those posts. I do ask that you please do not republish those photos even though they haven’t been watermarked. It can be extremely frustrating to put time and effort into something that gets stolen and put on other blogs and websites. All my work is copyrighted.
*Update* if you like these colors but want a gel formula instead I recommend checking out these options:
Black Shimmer – Bobbi Brown Granite or Graphite Shimmer Inks Cassis – Bobbi Brown Black Plum Vert Bronze – no dupe! Marine – Bobbi Brown Denim Ink Ébène – Bobbi Brown Caviar Ink Tweed no dupe!
A lot of repeats this month from recent features. Right now I’m loving …
NARS Eyeshadow Duos – here are a few of my favorites that haven’t been depotted yet (which I don’t recommend, but did for the compacts that got too sticky, now stored in my Trish McEvoy planner pages)
Urban Decay Naked Palette (previously featured here)
Chanel Teint Innocence Foundation and Natural Finish Loose Powder – No matter how many other foundations I try, I keep coming back to the Teint Innocence. Just recently tried their loose setting powder and love it as well. I use Shell in the foundation and Naturel in the powder.
Chanel Rouge Coco in Chintz & Rose Dentelle – A little bit more delicate than most of my other Chanel lipsticks. These came a bit dinged on the sides but everything else was in tact. They are really close in color, Chintz is more peach, while Rose Dentelle is more pink.
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliners – Rich pigment and longlasting plus no sharpening required! Wish they would re-release that old shade Tweed (a lovely golden taupe).
Black Shimmer & Ebene swatched here Cassis swatched here Marine swatched here and here
Edward Bess All Over Seduction Cream Highlighters – Perfectly glowy (previously reviewed and swatched here)
Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers – Great pigment and shine. I had to get almost all of the colors. I’ll get to lip swatches eventually.
Burberry Lipglosses are great . . . but I’m loving everything I purchased (click on the Burberry tag)
Quilted accessories, purses, makeup planners – dreaming of a quilted flap bag
Out of all the Trish planners I have, the quilted ones are my favorite.
Last but not least, my kitty, small but mighty fierce. This is the only photo I could get of him that makes him look non-evil. (I love my puppies too but they won’t sit still for a picture – way too excited about my brother in-law visiting this week after having been gone to the east coast for several months)
How was everyone’s weekend? The weather here in Southern California has been a bit odd the past few days – at least by the beach. Sunny bits here and there and then mostly cloudy. This was Sunday’s outfit/look.
Top: J.Crew ruffle tank Skirt: J.Crew white denim mini Belt: J.Crew patent burgandy skinny belt Shoes: Prada flats Purse: Chanel
I didn’t plan to have mostly J.Crew on – but it seems to happen more often these days, although I do have to say it’s with their older pieces from past seasons. I love how comfortable the ruffle top is, but unfortunately, if it’s not tucked in or tied with a belt over, then it looks like a huge tent.
Face: NARS Beverly Hills + South Beach Multiples mixed on cheeks MAC Getaway Bronze Blush on top
Eyes: Clinique Seashell Cream Shadow as a base NARS India Song Duo MAC Orpheus Eyeliner
Lips: NARS Beverly Hills + South Beach mixed/dabbed on lips MAC Love Nectar Lustreglass + Beach Lounger Lipglass mixed
I’m really loving those Multiple Tints from NARS (see my review of 2 of them here NARS Beverly Hills & Cadaques Multiple Tints = Pure Genius). Beverly Hills pulls more bright pink than red on my skin for some reason, but I still like it. Works well dabbed on lips for a slight tint. I liked it mixed a little with South Beach. I mixed the two on the back of my hand first and then applied on the lips. For cheeks, I swiped Beverly Hills on each cheek then South Beach on top and blended quickly with the fingers.
Also wanted your opinions: for the Chanel – is this something I can still pull off or is it totally OUT of style? It’s an older one, I don’t think Chanel makes the line anymore – at least definitely not the brown-on-brown. It’s just been sitting in my closet for ages. I keep forgetting to bring it out. Input would be greatly appreciated 🙂
I’ve recently found a few new taupe shades in cream and powder formulas from MAC, Trish McEvoy, Guerlain and Too Faced.
Clockwise from top shadow:
MAC Eyeshadow in Prepped for Glamour Guerlain Terracotta Eyeshadow Pen in Smoky Metal Trish McEvoy 24-Hour Shadow & Liner in Topaz MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty Too Faced Single Eyeshadow in Sitcom Siren
Most of the shades look true to what you see in the compact or stick, except for Guerlain Smoky Metal which went on my skin surprisingly warm. I haven’t tried this shade on the eyes yet, but I have tested out the others. MAC Dirty is such a gorgeous shade but unfortunately doesn’t last at all. It is extremely smudgey and by late afternoon gave me raccoon eyes. Trish McEvoy Topaz is more promising. I used it alone blended out on my lids and it didn’t budge at all. I can’t say whether or not it lasted a full 24 hours since I only had it on for the evening (from around 7:00 pm to midnight). But it lasted the entire time and when I got home looked just as good as when I put it on. My SA tested out the steel black grey shade from Trish and said it didn’t last at all on her and seemed way to soft/moist to be a 24-hour product, so YMMV per shade.
MAC Prepped for Glamour is extremely similar to Satin Taupe but the Prepped for Glamour shade has just a tad bit more red/warmth to it. But otherwise, very close. that I can barely tell the difference. Too Faced Sitcom Siren is my first Too Faced product. Pigment/blendability is nice but I actually prefer MAC. Sitcom Siren is a bit too frosty for my liking.
Two of my favorite brands Paul & Joe and Edward Bess have some great new things coming out! I have some information on a few upcoming new products I am super excited about and wanted to share the details with you!
Paul & Joe has posted a preview scan of their upcoming Summer Brochure on Facebook, so check out their fan page. There are:
3 lipsticks – Caravan (a natural coral pink), Sahara (a sexy vivid pink), Morocco (a warm golden pink)
3 nail polishes – Marrakesh (a stunning exotic coral red), Mirage (a soft neutral sand brown), Oasis (a sophisticated earthy blue)
2 shimmer powders – Dune & Desert Sand
+ more: body shimmer oil, blotting papers, nail files
Jocelyn from Paul & Joe was kind enough to send me a few sneak peek photos:
* photos from Paul & Joe
* photos from Paul & Joe
Also coming in April (before the summer collection is released) are 5 new double-sided lipliners and 10 new wand lipglosses which I believe will replace the current wand glosses. I was lucky enough to be able to swatch testers of the lipliners! The lipglosses were lovely, but unfortunately I didn’t swatch those. The packaging is similar to the older wands but the tubes have the flower design embossed. (Disregard my scribbles to the right, I meant to say that lipglosses are being released in conjunction with the lipliners.) Each lipliner has 2 formulas on each pencil, one more creamy and slightly glossy and the other more opaque.
* Photo from Paul & Joe
Edward Bess has released some new products! I spoke with both Susan and Edward last week to get the 411 on the new products. They sent a swatch card in the mail which made me even more excited.
Soft Smoke Eyeshadow Trio which has: * a pale color similar in concept to their Nude eyeshadow, but brighter less creamy/beige * a soft dove-grey which is described as EB’s first true grey (a sister shade to Dusk which isn’t a true grey since it has a more mossy finish) * a deep dark charcoal not quite as dark as Night Eyeshadow
Soft Orchid Blush: soft cool pink (see Amy’s lovely review for photos and description on CafeMakeup.com)
After Sunset Compact Rouge: described as a burned rose, almost bronzey, darker skinned girls who want more color, I think you’ll really like this!
BONUS NOTE: Note that Bergdorf Goodman is having their giftcard event coming up starting April 18 – I believe both counters are doing a promotion in addition to their $25 off $100 purchase.
It’s been pouring down rain and hail here for several days, but I signed up for a NARS event and was determined to go no matter what the weather conditions were.
My local Nordstrom hosted a 3 day NARS national artist event to launch the spring line and I was thrilled with the makeover results. I asked the makeup artist for a look that would either use the new Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo or if that didn’t work, I asked for ideas on how to use my Brousse Eyeshadow Duo with the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
We decided to try the new spring duo since she was smitten with it, but unfortunately it was just too warm for my skintone. It looked like a combination of MAC Melon Pigment + Starviolet Eyeshadow on my eyes. I loved the fact that she was so easy to work with and did not hesitate to take the eyeshadows off and start over again. This is what she ended up doing:
Skin Prep: Skin was cleansed with the Makeup Cleansing Oil (applied to dry skin) and wiped off with a water-sprayed cotton pad. She then used the Balancing Toning Lotion to tone the skin and applied the Potent EFA Cream, Nourishing Eye Cream, and Makeup Primer.
Foundation & Concealer: She used the South Beach Multiple on the cheeks and temples under foundation to give the skin a glow from within. Since I already use the Sheer Glow, I asked to try out the Sheer Matte, she picked out Sheer Matte in Santa Fe which seemed to be a good match. Red spots and dark circles were covered with the Custard/Ginger concealer duo mixed with Luxor Multiple for a luminous uplifting glow. The Powder Foundation in Deauville was buffed out on the skin.
Cheeks: For cheeks, I mentioned to her that I already had almost every single Nars Blush, so she of course asked which shades I did not have, and picked out Taj Mahal for me to try. I have to admit I was seriously freaked out when I saw it, but she applied it with a VERY soft touch followed by Desire and it gave THE PERFECT glowy peachy pink I have ever seen. The way she applied Taj Mahal was to take their Yachiyo Brush and dust it into the compact then she vigorously tapped off the excess. She applied it to the cheeks in a soft sweep and it gave a subtle candle-lit glow. She then used the same brush to apply Desire right over it.
Eyes: An interesting trick she showed me was to apply the Luxor Multiple with a concealer brush right above the brows to give an uplifting-effect. For the eyes, she started by lining the eyes with Aigle Noir Soft Touch Shadow Pencil and smudged it. Mekong Single Eyeshadow was then applied with a smudge brush right on top of the pencil and then blended upwards with a mixture of both sides from Brousse Eyeshadow Duo about 1/2 way up the lids. Next, she took the lighter side of Kalahari Eyeshadow Duo to go over all the shades as a blending and softening color with soft contour. For mascara, she used both of the new ones in black, starting with the Lengthening first, and then the Volumizing on top. It was an instant lash makeover.
Lips: For lips, she blotted the lips with Cafe Con Leche Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (which I have but is missing-in-action) and topped with an application of Belle du Jour Lipstick. The final touch was to add the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
Swatches L to R: Aigle Noir Pencil, Mekong Eyeshadow Single, Brousse Duo (both sides mixed), Kalahari (both sides mixed), South Beach Multiple, Luxor Multiple, Taj Mahal Blush, Desire Blush, Belle du Jour Lipstick, Ophelia Lipgloss
What I wore today to the makeover: White ruffle collared blouse from Banana Republic, Beige button coat from Banana Republic, Joes Jeans Petite Provocateur Fit.
Overall thoughts: I really loved the results and ended up purchasing the Eye Cream, Balancing Cleanser, Taj Mahal Blush, Ophelia Lipgloss and both mascaras. The EFA cream was a bit heavy for my skin, but from past makeover experiences I’ve had with NARS, I’ve found most of their moisturizers a bit too moisturizing for my skin, so it wasn’t surprising.
The number of products she used seemed like a lot, but the result was so pretty, I don’t think I’ll mind using everything again on numerous occasions in the future.
I absolutely LOVED both mascaras. They were both amazing and it was an instant lash-makeover with the application of both combined together. I’m not sure about the smudge-factor since it was raining heavily outside and my under-eye area was very moist from the EFA cream. I’ll be testing it out more in the next week and report back later about the results.
Most of the things I already owned from previous purchases. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Nars and events like these are inspiring to me to try out new combinations to get me out of that same-look rut I tend to get into during this time of year.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a makeover – I used to go to Chanel and Nars events on a monthly basis before for ideas and GWPs. But there’s nothing like a horrible MAC makeover to make you want to stop going to any event period. That being said, I have ALWAYS had great makeover results with Nars events. I highly recommend you get on your local counters call lists or ask about upcoming events. They are super fun and you can get tons of ideas on how to combine different colors.
I find that a makeover is more successful when you have a certain look you have in mind so the makeup artists has an idea of what you’re looking for. Simply saying “give me a natural look” isn’t much help, so I suggest being a bit more specific like say, “I like pink lips” or “can you show me how to use Brousse Eyeshadow Duo?” If you simply have no idea, that’s fine too – just give them something to work with. Something like saying, “I wear champagnes and browns on my eyes with peach lips all the time – I need something different” can help a ton.
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?
