Browsing Tag

Eyeshadow

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Sneak Peeks from Paul & Joe and Edward Bess

March 28, 2010

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.

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Color Focus: Soft Peach & Peachy-Gold Eyeshadows

March 27, 2010
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):



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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

March 21, 2010


1. Paul & Joe Alice in Wonderland Fantasy Set – So cute, I can’t help but smile everytime I look at my P&J Alice sets. I wish I could take it with me in my purse, but it’s not really practical for toting around. The lipbalm goes on basically clear even though it has a pink tint. I haven’t seen the new movie – anyone who has, what are your thoughts?


2. Chanel Sillage Eyeshadow – From the spring collection, this is a lovely shimmery light highlighting color. It’s along the same lines of Lotus, Liberty and Island eyeshadows but has a bit more pink with slight peach to it. It gives a lovely glow to the lid.


3. Chantecaille Sel Eyeshadow – Yes, of course, I’m always loving at least one taupe shade every month. This month my favorite is Chantecaille Sel – a complex color that has shades of silver, taupe, grey, and gold making this very uniquely stunning. It looks different depending on what angle you hold the compact at. I have a hard time pulling off most silvers. Taupes I can do, but pure silvery shades end up making me look tired. On my skin Sel is more silvery but the gold in it makes it wearable for me which is a plus. I love this over Laura Mercier’s Platinum Metallic Cream Eyeshadow.


4. Giorgio Armani Maestro 23 – This color replaced the original Eyeshadow #4. It’s a deep navy-black with a satin finish that has a slight shimmer. There are definitely other similar colors, but I like that the Maestro 23 isn’t too harsh like most blacks or navys which are typically flat matte shades. The texture makes the finish a bit softer since you can blend and layer it to the intensity you prefer.


5. Lancome Pop Petrol 014 Nail Polish – See the full review plus some other views here. Such a lovely murky steel green blue shimmer. I prefer it on the toes rather than fingers, but I’ve never received so many head-turns, compliments and random women coming up to me to ask “what color is that you’re wearing?” just from a nail polish.


6. NARS Ophelia Lipgloss – Also from spring, this is a sheer healthy pink with shimmer. Looks lovely over the new Cruising lipstick or Tutti Frutti lipstick. (Pictured below, swatch is at the top.)


7. Chanel Maline 141 Glossimer – From the spring 2010 collection, it’s on the sheer side and basically goes on clear, but I love the sparkles in this. It looks great over lipsticks to add a pretty sheen. I really like this over nudes like Chanel Como Aqualumiere and MAC Marquise D. (Pictured above, bottom swatch.)

8. Chanel Gardenia 13 Rouge Coco – This is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. It’s a soft shimmery warm pink on me. I’ve already reviewed/featured this before, but here it is on me below again. It might be replacing my Chanel Waikiki for HG (holy grail) status.


Also check it out on Tali at The Gloss Goss here to see how it looks on a different skintone. It’s gorgeous on her!

9. Chanel Caprice Blush – This came out years ago in the US and is by far the prettiest pink blush I have ever seen. I was really sad that it was discontinued but luckily I have a back up! It’s like a soft pink version of Chanel Rose Bronze/Armani Blush #10 without the bronzey looking finish that these have sometimes. There’s no dupe for this that I know of and I’ve searched hi and lo through almost every high-end brand. No luck.


10. Chanel UV Essential – For the past week, I’ve been using this on top of my moisturizer, underneath foundation as a primer. It’s very liquid and has a thin texture so a little goes a long way. The recommended use is to apply it as the last step of your daily skincare regimen. It works really well for me to make my makeup last all day.

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Dolce & Gabbana Makeup Spring 2010

March 20, 2010

The Dolce & Gabbana Makeup Spring 2010 Collection has arrived instores in the US and it’s beautiful. The products released have a diverse mix of pink, orange-peach, and purple colors. You can see the full line-up at Karen’s Makeup and Beauty Blog. Below are the close ups and comparisons of the things I picked out.

L to R: Innocence Lipgloss, Precious Lipstick, Petal Lipstick



Innocence Lipgloss Comparisons: Dolce & Gabbana Seduction, Dolce & Gabbana Baby, Dolce & Gabbana Innocence, NARS Turkish Delight, Laura Mercier After Hours, Dior #247


L to R: Dolce & Gabbana Petal Quad, Apricot Blush, Mystery Duo

Natural sunlight:

Petal Quad:


Petal Quad Comparisons:

In natural sunlight:

Apricot Blush (no swatches):

Mystery Eyeshadow Duo:

Mystery Duo – Purple Side Comparisons:

Mystery Duo – Bronzey Side Comparisons:

Swatch comparisons:


The spring collection is lovely, but seems like an odd combination for a spring look. The pigment of each item is incredible. The eyeshadows are soft but highly pigmented and easy to blend. The lipsticks are full coverage and creamy. The lipgloss is semi-sheer and gives a pretty creamy milky pink look that isn’t too milky like NARS turkish delight can be.

As you can see with some of the comparisons, there are definitely some close dupes in other lines. What’s unique about the Dolce & Gabbana eyeshadows is the texture and finely milled shimmer which gives them that extra sparkle and shimmer which the camera can’t fully capture.

I’m still undecided about the Apricot Blush – it just seems darker more brown-orange than I’m used to. I’m debating whether or not to keep it.

There were quite a few other new items in the spring collection which I did not purchase. All these were ordered sight unseen based on descriptions over the phone. The following items are also new in the spring collection (but not purchased) and there were several repromotes:

Ultra Lipliner
Nude Eyeliner
Glam Lipstick
Petal Nail Polish
Drama Nail Polish
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Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010 Sneak Peek

March 17, 2010

Hi ladies, I just received some of the new Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010 items from Saks! I’m swamped this week so I don’t have much time to write a full review or answer questions in depth, I will get back to you as soon as I have time – hopefully sometime this weekend.

In the meantime, here are the items I picked out from the spring collection. More details on The Spring 2010 Collection, The Roses Lipstick Collection and a few Saks Exclusives to come in the next few days.

Hope everyone is having a great week!


I will say – for those of you thinking Apricot Blush looks orangey-brown, it is indeed brownish. It looks like the color of a dried apricot. I’m not going to be touching it until I decide whether or not I can pull it off. It’s way out of my comfort zone!

Please do not republish photos. All work is copyrighted. Thanks!
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Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette + Bourbon Rose Lip Chic

March 4, 2010

Chantecaille’s Les Dauphins Palette & Bourbon Rose Lip Chic are more beautiful than words can describe. I’ve been thinking of how I can give a review that does justice to the Les Dauphins Palette – and all I can say is I think it’s a must-have for those who love soft spring-like neutrals and especially those who love taupey shadows. Bourbon Rose is the softer color out of the 2 spring lip chics. It’s a natural rosey pink – similar to Tea Rose, but slightly lighter and has golden shimmer.

Another view with flash:

Without flash:


I haven’t had time to do swatches of this palette, but Karlasugar has already done an amazing feature on all the items – so I highly recommend you check out her post if you haven’t already.

I played around with the palette at Neimans and the color on the dolphins is an overspray. The shadows and blush all have a lovely subtle shimmer. I’m typically not a huge fan of split-pan shadows or blushes, but all the colors in this palette are so pretty, I don’t mind.

This is the planned look of the day with the Chantecaille Dauphins Palette & Bourbon Rose Lip Chic.

Cheeks:
Giorgio Armani Blush 1
Chantecaille Dauphins Palette

Eyes:

Chantecaille Dauphins Palette
Giorgio Armani Eyeliner #12

Lips:
MAC Naked Rose Lipliner
Chantecaille Bourbon Rose Lip Chic
MAC Full For You Plushglass


Outfit:

Jcrew Button Top
Banana Republic Beige Pencil Skirt
Jimmy Choo Black Pumps
Gucci Princy Tote

One last view of the palette:

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Dior Mystic Smokys 5-Colour Eyeshadow

March 2, 2010

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!