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Chanel Fauve #90 Soft Touch Eyeshadow

June 26, 2011
I was a lucky girl to get this from Paris while Café Makeup was traveling earlier this spring (see her review here). I wasn’t quite sure if this color would ever be released in the US, but thanks to KarlaSugar’s Sneak Peeks, we now know this will be released this year to the US with the Sophisticated Eye Collection (exact date to be determined).

Chanel Fauve #90 is a sparkly mauve taupe with a high shimmer factor (you can see silver flecks in the pan). It’s beautiful. See it reviewed on Delicate Hummingbird and Pink Sith (they have stunning eye looks featured as well). I’ve tried this a number of ways: dry, over a base, smudged over a liner, alone, combined with other bronzey shades and lighter champagnes. It’s extremely versatile and amazing enough that it’s one of those colors you can wear all by itself (just add mascara) and you have a nice polished look. The texture, although very metallic and sparkly, is smooth. There is surprisingly no fall out from the sparkle flecks, even when applied dry. Some mauves go on pinkish on my eyes. Chanel Fauve has enough taupe and silver to prevent this from giving me that dreaded pink-eye look.

I could not find a single dupe …

I pulled other shadows from Chanel, MAC and NARS. Here are Chanel Taupe Grise, Chanel Fauve, Chanel Misty-Soft, Chanel Safari, MAC Mauvement Pigment, Chanel Illusoire Illusion d’Ombre, Trish McEvoy Raisin, and NARS Ondine.

Swatched L to R (over a slightly moisturized arm): Chanel Safari, Chanel Taupe Grise, Chanel Fauve, Chanel Misty-Soft (lighter side), Chanel Illusoire, MAC Mauvement Pigment, MAC Style Snob, Trish McEvoy Raisin, NARS Ondine

Fauve is a beautiful color and something I find unique enough to justify the price. I am glad it will be released in the US (hopefully soon). I highly recommend.
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Dear Chanel, You Make My Heart Sing!

June 18, 2011

Chanel Fall 2011, Illusions d’Ombre, has arrived online at Chanel.com and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. See KarlaSugar for the lineup on an easy-to-read sheet with descriptions. Check online at Chanel.com for prices, product info, and the breakdown of the fall look. I suspect this will be launched in-store in the next few days and upcoming week – I’m on the West Coast and a few of my local Nordstroms have scheduled Chanel events the weekend of June 24th-26th which I assume were planned to coincide with the fall launch.
I have not yet had a chance to play with the items very much, although I have swiped a few of the new shadows on my eyes and the nail polishes on my nails. I have promised myself a break from my computer the entire weekend, so I can leave work at work and not be tempted, although I know many of you are anxious for the 411, so I will try my best to do full reviews this weekend. I don’t want to rush it though, I want to be thorough so no promises. In the meantime I snapped a few pictures and tried to beat the clouds that were rolling in for June gloom. Here is a sneak peek which I hope will satisfy your curiosity for the time being.

Rose Ecrin Blush, Prelude Quad & Khaki Platine Eyeliner

Quartz, Graphite, Peridot Le Vernis

Plumetis Rouge Coco, Coralline Lipliner, Pampille Glossimer, Braise Glossimer, Rose Cuivre Lipliner, Etole Rouge Coco

Illusion d’Ombres

Overall, everything looks amazing. Had I seen the lip items in person first, I probably would have skipped the lipliners and glossimer, but they are gorgeous nevertheless. Happy Friday everyone!

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Latest Discoveries From Burberry: Copper Lip Mist, Blush Lip Gloss, Midnight Black Eyeshadow

June 1, 2011

I stopped by Burberry Beauty at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza mid-May to check out the new Lip Mists (see my window shopping snapshots here). I came home with three things: Lip Mist in Copper, Eyeshadow in Midnight Black, and Blush Lipgloss.

The new Burberry Lip Mists are supposed to be a sheer natural formula with a dewy finish. I didn’t find them as shiny/glossy as Dior or Chanel’s newest lipsticks, nor did I find them really sheer. I would describe them as a medium finish lipstick, the texture is definitely natural but slightly less creamy than their regular formula. I looked at all the shades, the only two that stood out to me were 02 Copper and 09 Feather Pink. I decided to get just one to try, I came home with Copper, a natural brownish-pink.

I also picked up Blush Lipgloss 04 which I find more pinky-rose than most promotional photos show this one as. This one has been repromoted for spring. I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while, I decided to cave. It’s a lovely natural rose blush with shimmer. I would describe it as a neutral-cool shade.

Last, I picked up Burberry’s Midnight Black Eyeshadow – a soft sheer shimmery black. This has a gorgeous shimmer with a slight greyish undertone. It is a bit high maintenance in my opinion. It’s not as easy to blend as the other Burberry shades I have (I own both light and dark, shimmer and mattes). This one applies streaky, sheer and uneven on bare lids. You need an emollient base like UD’s Primer Potion for it to show up well. I applied this with a fine tip smudge brush as a thick smudgey line and then took a lighter shade to apply on top to blend out the edges and then reapplied the black to intensify the color.

Swatched in a few different views:


Overall I love the Blush Lipgloss. The Lip Mists are nice, but I prefer the regular lipstick mainly because the color selection is better. Formula-wise, Lip Mists are less creamy but do have a semi-transparent texture even if the finish isn’t really sheer (in my opinion). Copper is a nice basic but not a must-have. Midnight Black is a disappointment, mainly because I think it will be more of a high maintenance black shadow, but when applied over a moist base and packed on (rather than brushed on) it does show up.

I have a few comparison shots for your reference. I did not have time to swatch them all though and most likely will not be swatching in the near future due to time constraints.



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Loving Right Now: Chanel

May 30, 2011

Chanel is my favorite brand, hands down. Chanel never fails to release something beautiful and each season I find at least one thing that catches my eye. Many have asked for my top ten picks for Chanel in each product category (nails, lips, eyes etc.) but I find it difficult to narrow down my favorites to any given number. My favorites change monthly depending on season, mood and occasion. I will be hard pressed to name something that I don’t love from the brand (although I’m not really fond of their concealer or mascara). I do love all the other color items, however, RIGHT NOW, my favorites include the following:

Perlé Rouge Coco, Seashell Glossimer, Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel), Dragon Le Vernis, Jade Rose Le Vernis, Espresso Stylo Yeux, Regard Perlé Quad, Mystic Eyes Quad, Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Lips and Cheeks
  • Perlé Rouge Coco – soft shimmering pink (if you want something less expensive that is similar in effect, check out MAC VGV lipstick)
  • Seashell Glossimer – sheer shimmer
  • Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel) – the best cream bronzer to contour your face naturally and lasts all day, hit pan on 1, this is my second one


Nails:
  • Dragon is without a doubt THE best red out there
  • Jade Rose is subtle but elegant and never fails to look polished

Jade Rose:

Dragon & dreaming of a caviar classic flap in red:

Eyes:
  • Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow (unfortunately discontinued) is the prettiest soft peachy pink champagne, Liberty and Lotus are similar, or for cheaper MAC Naked Lunch, but to me nothing truly compares
  • Regard Perlé is still on my favorites list (see it here)
  • Mystic Eyes is a classic that can take you from day to night
  • Espresso Stylo Yeux comes with a sharpener at the end to keep the tip pointy, this eyeliner is soft, easy to blend but stays put all day



I can’t believe May is almost over!

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Dolce & Gabbana Vulcano Smooth Eye Colour Quad

May 17, 2011


Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Color Quad ($59) is new for summer 2011. It consists of a warm yellow-beige shimmer, a warm chocolate with reddish undertones, a berry shimmer, and a deep blackened purple shimmer. The consistency is soft and velvety like all Dolce & Gabbana quads with finely milled powder and sophisticated shimmer. I personally find the colors rich and smooth, but they do require a more careful application to maintain the pigment. If you apply these like MAC or Chanel, blending can make the colors disappear as they blend into one another. I recommend using separate brushes for the dark and light colors. Sponge applicators work too.


I couldn’t find any dupes, but I did a MAC attempt. The MAC colors are wonderful, but do not compare at all to the soft velvety texture of Dolce & Gabbana. If you see and touch a Dolce & Gabbana quad in person you will be able to notice immediately the powders are finely milled and very high quality.

Compared to MAC Ricepaper, Swiss Chocolate, Trax and Smut


For a cost per product comparison:

  • MAC 4 pro palette pans = 6.0 g for $44 (1.5 g at $11 each) + $6 for compact = $50
  • Dolce & Gabbana quad = 4.8 g for $59 (this includes the compact, mirror and sponge applicators)
I’ll let you decide on the value. For me, cost doesn’t just account for the amount of product, but also quality, packaging, where the product is made (Dolce & Gabbana quads are made in Italy). Do I prefer Dolce & Gabbana over MAC? Hard to say – I see them as apples and oranges. Both are great brands, but they represent different things for me. Their products are uniquely designed for different looks, effects and occasions – in my opinion.

Back to Vulcano – it was a tricky one for me to apply. Since the reddish shades (brown and plum berry) go on very red on me, I decided it was ok to wash them out with blending and layering. I tried applying this a couple ways and found that the method used in my recent Chanel Makeover at Nordstrom (here) was a good method to use for this quad:

  • Step 1: Apply a sheer base like LM’s Gold Metallic Creme
  • Step 2: Take a dense brush and pack on the berry shade (bottom left) in a messy smudge above the lash line
  • Step 3: Take the warm chocolate with a corner brush and blend from outer corners to about the middle of the eye, just above the lash line as well
  • Step 4: Use a fluffy brush to apply the lightest shade on top blending all over
  • Step 5: Apply the darkest plum shade with a sponge applicator to apply a defined line along upper lashes and bottom outer corners
  • Step 6: Take that berry shade and mix it with the brown, with any brush that has dark color on it already and retrace over the darkest shade blending just a bit upwards
For me, this isn’t an easy throw-it-on kind of quad to use. I think it would be better for deepset eyes or women who are used to wearing very warm colors (ie NARS Kuala Lumpur). Still it is beautiful and I don’t have any regrets buying it. It will just take more time and care to apply without overdoing the reds.

The promotional image with Scarlett Johansson is beautiful! For the accuracy of the promo photo, the nail color is more pink on me, but same purple undertone. The quad appears very accurate and the lip color appears to be the new Mandorla.

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Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime Picks

May 15, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana’s latest release, the Italian Summertime collection, has arrived at Saks. Nikki from the Houston store called to let me know the new shades arrived just in time for their Saks Friends and Family. Her descriptions are always so helpful, but luckily I saw the items featured on Makeup Magpie the same week so knew what to expect before my package arrived.

A quick breakdown of the new colors in the collection plus over the phone descriptions:

  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Venere (vibrant cream orange red)
  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla (nude tan cream)
  • Shine Lipstick in Perla (pale frosted pink)
  • Shine Lipstick in Luna (pale gold champagne)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Acqua (clear with white frost shimmer)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Cannella (dark brown shimmer)
  • Precision Lipliner in Caramello (tan brown)
  • Smooth Eye Color Quad in Vulcano
  • Eyeliner in Bronzo (taupe bronze gold shimmer)
  • Eyeliner in Agave (deep forest green shimmer)
  • Mascara in Dahlia (dark plum)
  • Intense Nail Lacquer in Passione (rich fuchsia magenta mauve)
  • Luminous Cheek Color in Sole (vibrant red)
Based on Nikki’s recommendations, I ordered everything she thought I would love: Vulcano Quad, Sole Blush, Mandorla Lipstick, Perla Lipstick, Agave Eyeliner, Bronzo Eyeliner, Passione Nail Lacquer and the Dahlia Mascara (not featured).

Vulcano Quad:

Agave (top) and Bronzo (bottom) Eye Liners:

Sole Blush:

Top to bottom: Mandorla, Perla, Passione

I haven’t had time to play with anything yet except the Passione Nail Polish. I highly recommend you visit Makeup Magpie’s blog – she has done a lovely series on her picks complete with amazing swatches and comparisons. I will do a more detailed feature on each item in the upcoming week.

Many of you ask “where do you buy brand x?” You may notice I normally do not write about who I buy from mainly because I want you to go out and explore and discover makeup artists and sales associates on your own. I believe it’s best for you to develop a personal relationship with a brand expert who can see you in person to really know what you like and what looks good on you. After all makeup shopping is about more than just the product, it’s about the experience!

However, with hard-to-find brands, it’s a different story. I will help in any way I can. With HTF items, we often times end up ordering online. It’s definitely convenient and it’s hassle free from overzealous associates who overpromise and under-deliver (hate those). But online swatches are crummy and you often miss out on promotions, GWPs and sometimes great customer service.

I’ve written about Nikki before – she’s amazing (I didn’t tell her about my blog at first, but someone else spilled the beans and when she asked, I did tell her, yes, I have one). I’ve never met her in person, but she is friendly, upbeat, prompt in letting me know when new things arrive and never fails to give me super accurate descriptions over the phone. Her product knowledge is superb. She foundation-matched me over the phone twice (once when I was tan, and then recently when I got lighter). Both times were a perfect match. The GWPs she has with her store are generous and while the minimums might be higher than most brands, they are not ridiculously high (around $100 to $150) and they often include at least 2 full sized products plus a makeup bag. The items in Dolce & Gabbana GWPs are nice items that are usable. Bonus!

You can reach Nikki at Saks Houston at 713 627 0500 x5101. I’m not sure when their next event or GWP occurs, but she will give you the full 411.

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NARS Dogon & Exotic Dance Duos for Summer 2011

May 6, 2011


NARS Summer Duos in Dogon and Exotic Dance ($33 each) have been featured in so many awesome blogs I didn’t even need to test them in person to know that they would be must-haves for me. Many thanks to Makeup Magpie, Joeybunny, Karlasugar, British Beauty Blogger and Get Lippie to name a few for sneak peeks! (Links to their features have been included.)

Dogon has been an enigma to me since it looks different on each and every skintone. I believe it is universally flattering though and the beauty of this palette is that I find it unique in it’s complex shimmer undertone. In the compact you see a silvery greige that flashes a slight hint of green plus a dark smokey navy-teal-blue. On the hands and eyes, the silvery side is a complex greyish silver that flashes a hint of multicolors like green, gold, silver. It’s hard to describe. The darker shade applies true to what you see in the pan. They layer beautifully together for a smokey eye. Not really what I envision for something “summery” but stunning nevertheless. Two views with different angles so you can see what I mean with the complexity of these colors. The shimmer and pigment is rich and applies very smooth.


Exotic Dance is just as stunning with the contrasting sharp white frost (slightly chunky in texture) and the warm gold tan shimmer. It seems very basic and classic to me yet I could not find another gold neutral or white similar in my stash. I believe they are unique because of the mixture of colors. I haven’t played with this one much on the eyes but what you see in the pan is pretty much true to what you get on the back of your hand. It’s also a stunner.




Swatched in brighter light:

Just a few comparisons to help you put these new summer duos on the map for color spectrum. First, NARS Rajasthan and NARS Dogon.


I couldn’t find any bright whites with shimmer, so here is Exotic Dance next to NARS Étrusque and Chantecaille Pyrite:

Comparisons swatched:

One last view of NARS Dogon & NARS Exotic Dance:

Overall love. Definitely winners in my opinion. I know many will ask if I had to pick one, would it be Dior or NARS or Armani for summer. Please don’t ask me to choose. Both Dior and NARS are equally beautiful for me and it would be impossible for me to pick my favorite. They are all very different, designed to create different looks. If you like neutrals go with the Dior, they are more expensive but you’ll get more colors. If you like duos and something simpler and easier to use go with the NARS. But I will say the colors are not as neutral.

I found these at Nordstrom but they did not have the GWP as advertised online instore.

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