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Eyeshadow

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Korres Zea Mays Powder Blush & Shimmering Eyeshadow

January 13, 2010

Since I’ve recently fallen in love with the Jasmine Lip Butter & Guava Body Butter from Korres, I decided to order a few things from KorresUsa.com to take advantage of last month’s promotional codes and try out a few of their makeup items.

What I ordered:
* Zea Mays Powder Blush in Natural & Purple Brown
* Love Your Lips Set with Nude, Pink Beige, Light Pink Lipgloss & Pomegranate Lip Butter

I also checked out the line at Sephora and got 1 item:
* Grey Brown Eyeshadow, which I think is going to be discontinued since it was only $7

Purple Brown Blush, Grey Brown Eyeshadow (from Sephora), Natural Blush
*** note that Purple Brown is a bit darker in real life ***

18S Grey Brown comparisons

15 Natural Blush comparisons

32 Purple Brown blush comparisons

Love Your Lips Set $29 (no swatches because I’m splitting this set up with friends)


Overall thoughts: I haven’t tested the lipglosses so I can’t give a review for those. I do already have the Pomegranate Lip butter which I love for a soft cherry pink tint. It tastes really good too!

The 18S Grey Brown is a pretty medium-pigmented shimmery cool silver taupe. It’s not as pigmented as MAC Satin Taupe or Bobbi Brown Brown Stone Metallic, but not as sheer as MAC Clue. It’s good for $7 if you can still find it, but I think I prefer my Chanel Safari or Nars Ashes to Ashes for a light taupe shimmer.

The Zea Mays blushes are interesting in that they have shimmer in the pot which doesn’t really show up on the skin. Natural is a good nude with a hint of peach/bronze to it. What I like about this is that it doesn’t look muddy and it’s not too orange. The finish is very natural and has decent lasting power. It’s most similar to MAC Warm Soul, but not as frosty or shimmery and more natural looking. I didn’t compare it to Nars Silvana, but Korres Natural is a more wearable less brownish/orange version of the Nars.

Plum Brown also has shimmer, but it doesn’t really show up on the skin. It looks a bit muddy in the compact (it’s darker than the photos show, I think the camera flash picked up the shimmers more). On the skin, I was worried it would look dirty, but I used this today and it actually gives a very natural plummy-pink-brown cheek (hard to envision how this works, but it does). It has more brown than MAC Plum Foolery and Nars Sin. Compared to the new MAC All’s Good blush, it has more purple/plum.

Overall I’m happy with the products although I probably wouldn’t have purchased these at full price. The blushes range from $22 to $24 (depending on whether you purchase them through Korres or Sephora) which is pricey. It’s great that the products are made with natural ingredients, but unfortunately it’s not something I really pay much attention to.

I also ordered a bunch of Guava lotions & shower gel sets too. One of them came with an expiration date for THIS February which is was a bit disappointing. How do they expect one to use up an entire lotion in 2.5 weeks before it expires? I emailed customer service about it so we’ll see what they say.

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More Love For Paul & Joe

January 11, 2010

Paul & Joe and Bergdorf Goodman still remain at the top of my favorites list and I am super excited about the upcoming Wild Flowers, Alice In Wonderland, and new additions in cream blushes, eyeshadows and nail polishes for spring 2010.

Since my Paul & Joe series back in November, I have added a few more items to my collection thanks to the recommendations of the Bergdorf Goodman staff and think I have found my holy grail creamy lipliners!


The loot:

  • Lipliner 01 Plum – natural pinky color with plum tones
  • Lipliner 04 Caramel – neutral beige
  • Lipstick 12 Bougainvillea – neutral-cool rose pink
  • Lipstick 27 Debutante – sheer sparkley peach
  • Lipstick 28 Darling – beige
  • Eyeshadow 22 Belle du Jour – peach shimmer
  • Eyeshadow 91 Butter & Sugar – pale cream shimmer
  • Nail Polish 06 Framboises – mauvey pink cream
  • Nail Polish 09 Full Bloom – baby pink cream
  • Holiday Blue Paisley Makeup Bag – comes with a brush holder inside



* Note #28 Lipstick is not swatched b/c I’m undecided about keeping it right now.

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Eyeshadow Comparisons For Marina, Lakshmi & Josie

January 5, 2010

I have been procrastinating on a few comparison requests and thought I’d post this in case anyone else had the same questions. I plan to be a better blogger this upcoming year and be more on top of things!

Comparison Project #1: How does Edward Bess Intimate compare to other shades, particularly Chantecaille Pyrite & Benefit Fawn Over Me?


Chantecaille Pyrite has more gold while Edward Bess is definitely more taupe/brown. Benefit Fawn Over Me might look like a close dupe at first glance, but looking more closely will show that it’s more of a paler sandy champagne compared to the Edward Bess. Here it is compared to similar shades.

Top: Chantecaille Pyrite, Edward Bess Intimate, Laura Mercier Bamboo
Middle: Scott Barnes Sable, Benefit Fawn Over Me, Guerlain Sable Blonde
Bottom: Becca Mermaid, Nars Cyprus, Benefit Fawn Over Me


1) Chantecaille Pyrite
2) Edward Bess Intimate
3) Laura Mercier Bamboo
4) Scott Barnes Sable
5) Benefit Birthday Suit
6) Guerlain Sable Blonde
7) Becca Mermaid
8) Nars Cyprus
9) Benefit Fawn Over Me


Bottom line: In my opinion, there is nothing like Edward Bess Intimate and I find it different enough to justify owning even if you have any of the above shades. This post will be updated later this afternoon with swatches.

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Comparison Project #2: Is Bobbi Brown Java Metallic similar to the brown shade in Nars Brousse?


Bobbi Brown Java is a cooler mouse-grey when compared to Nars Brousse which seems to have a tinge of red. By itself you would barely be able to detect any red tones to Nars Brousse. I’ve also compared it to a few other medium-dark cool-toned browns.

Top: Edward Bess Mystery, Bobbi Brown Java Metallic, Nars Brousse
Bottom: Cle de Peau Satin 106, MAC Magnetic Fields, Jouer Espresso


1) Edward Bess Mystery
2) Bobbi Brown Java Metallic
3) Nars Brousse
4) CdP 106
5) MAC Magnetic Fields
6) Jouer Espresso


What’s the verdict? Are these different enough to justify owning all? Probably not unless you are a brown eyeshadow fanatic like me. This section will also be updated with swatches if my camera will cooperate with me later today. While I love the Cle de Peau 106, it can look a bit bruisey on my Chanel Shell (equals MAC NC30-35) skin and it’s the least shimmery.

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MAC Dupes: Can You ID These MAC Colors Or Tell the Difference?

December 31, 2009


I don’t write much about MAC because I find that since there are so many MAC experts out there, I don’t feel like I would be contributing much by writing about the line. But I actually do like MAC products quite a bit. To me, they are definitely the most fashion-forward with trends and I love that they have such a wide range of colors, textures and finishes for all their products. Because there are so many colors, I think that just about anyone can find something they like.

One of the things I’m not crazy about though is their frequent discontinuation of colors to make room for new ones, but if your favorite product has been discontinued, there are chances it may be re-promoted with a new collection or that a very similar color will be released under a different product name.

All the products above are different colors, and while they aren’t 100% the same, they are so close that once you apply them on the skin, you can barely tell the difference. Can you ID these or tell the difference?

  1. Pink Swoon Sheertone Blush
  2. Pink Glow Matte Blush (discontinued around 2007)
  3. Dark Edge Satin Eyeshadow (LE with N Collection, January 2008)
  4. Rummy Satin Eyeshadow (LE with D’Bohemia, May 2005)
  5. Bendel Girl Lipglass (Henri Bendel exclusive in September 2007)
  6. Light That Fire Lipglass (LE with Warm & Cozy 2009 Collection)
  7. Sugarshot Lustre Eyeshadow (LE with Sugarsweet, March 2009)
  8. Light Ray Lustre Eyeshadow (LE with Turquatic, July 2006)
  9. Cherry Blossom Lipglass (LE with Cult of Cherry, August 2008)
  10. Cultureclash Lipglass (LE with Electroflash, July 2008, will be re-promoted in Feb 2010)
  11. Trifle Lipglass (LE with Antiquitease, October 2007)
  12. Tongue-in-chic Lacquer (discontinued, unsure of date)
  13. Flash of Flesh Lipglass (LE with D’Bohemia, May 2005)
  14. Bare Necessity Dazzleglass
  15. Camel Eyeshadow (discontinued in 2000?)
  16. Modelette Eyeshadow (released with MAC Warm & Cozy 2009)

My New Years Resolution is to use up more and buy less (we’ll see how well that actually goes). All of these from my stash are still good, I normally don’t throw out things according to the standard expiration dates.

That being said, it still doesn’t stop me from wanting MAC to repromote Maroon pigment, Brass Pigment, Coco Pigment, Pleasureflush MSF, Shrimplette Lipstick, Sharp Beige Lipstick, Fringe Eyeshadow, Heavenly Bliss Eyeshadow, Camel Eyeshadow, those cute Diana Ross pink makeup brushes and a bunch of their original blushes that they discontinued. The closest thing I’ve found to MAC Camel is the new Modelette Eyeshadow, but it’s still a tad bit different. Close enough for me to be happy right now though.

I wish MAC would do an “Originals” collection every year and repromote discontinued products from the past as a collection.

Have you found any MAC dupes?

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Giorgio Armani Spring 2010: Nude Contrasts

December 30, 2009

My Armani guy at Saks called me to tell me they got the spring collection in so I rushed over to check it all out. It was all very soft, light, airy and spring-y, reminds me of something a fairy would wear. Very pretty, sparkly and eye-catching! They didn’t have testers yet, but they let me play with the eyeshadow palettes since lately they haven’t been sent testers until a few weeks after they receive shipment of the product to sell.

The collection consists of:

* 2 new Silk Lipsticks: #98 is a pale pink shimmer, #99 is a neutral-warm pinky rose (similar to Nars DV but warmer)

* 3 new Lipshimmers: #62 is a pale buttermilk-cream color, #63 is a sparkley beige, #64 is a shimmery pale pink with a hint of peach

* 2 new Nude Contrasts Palette (4 Eye Designing Colors): # 1 has a pale iridescent baby blue, golden sand, matte black, pale sparkly ivory, #2 has a light golden nude sparkle, shimmery soft pink, matte black, and pale warm cream shimmer

* 1 new Eyeliner (didn’t catch the actual name): 01 is a pure black

* Shimmer Powder 5: repromoted from holiday, a sheer pale sparkle powder (very very sheer)

So far, I believe only the eyeshadow palettes are available online at Giorgio Armani. I’m not sure when the rest of the collection will be up online though.

A couple spring previews from the February 2010 issues of Voce & Maquia for more views:

The haul: Nude Contrast Palettes 1 (left), 2 (right), Silk 98 Lipstick,
Lipshimmer 63 (top), Lipshimmer 64 (bottom)
Close Up of Nude Contrasts 1 & 2

Swatch of #1

Swatch of #2

Lipshimmers & Silk Lipstick

Swatches on bare skin, L to R: Lipshimmer 63, 64, Silk Lipstick 98


Here’s a look from Biteki, while I can’t read Japanese, it indicates the MAC Lipglass is 2N, so I’m assuming the lipstick is also from MAC Warm & Cozy collection. Please note my camera washed out the color on her face, so it looks like she is barely wearing anything – I did the best I could, but hopefully it will give you an idea of how to coordinate the #1 palette. Can anyone translate?


Overall thoughts: The shadows are surprisingly pigmented for lighter shades and they are more sparkly than most Armani shadows which typically have finely milled shimmer. The swatches make the colors all look similar, but in real life they are more contrasted with each other. I think these will make a really pretty neutral eye that will go with a lot of different shades.

The lipshimmers are pretty, #64 is the frostiest gloss I’ve ever seen from Armani, but still lovely. It reminds me of MAC Prrr & Bobbi Brown Pink Sugar though, so if you don’t have access to Armani or want to shell out $$$ for the gloss, you can definitely find cheaper alternatives.

Silk 98 is pretty, it’s a more pink version of MAC Plink! but still on the sheer side. I might go back for 99 at some point because it looked like a pretty rosey pink without shimmer.

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Estée Lauder Michael Kors Very Hollywood Collection Spring 2010

December 26, 2009

This spring Michael Kors has designed a collection for Estée Lauder “Inspired by iconic Hollywood glamour for everyday life.” I’ve been looking forward to the release ever since preview pictures were posted on BeautyEditor.ca back in early November which featured a fresh and modern looking collection. I was excited to see that Nordstrom put out their tester unit a few days ago. The collection is divided into two categories: beige/peach and pink/rose.


What I picked up:
* Blushes in Sunset Coral (a soft healthy coral) & Sunset Pink (a vibrant powdery pink)
* Eyeshadow Duo Blonde Mink (dusty beige shimmer and dusty-brown)
* Lip Gloss in Starlet Rose (pale light cream) & Starlet Peach (soft milky baby peach)
* Lip Sheen in Hollywood Gold (pale beige-gold), Starlet Peach (soft coral peach), Honey Blonde (medium beige shimmer)
* Shimmering Loose Powder (a soft medium pink shimmer powder)

L to R: Sunset Coral & Sunset Pink

Sunset Coral Blush

Sunset Pink Blush

Blonde Mink

L to R: Blonde Mink Eyeshadow Duo,
Starlet Peach Lipgloss, Starlet Rose Lipgloss


L to R: Starlet Peach Lipgloss, Starlet Rose Lipgloss,
Hollywood Gold Lip Sheen, Starlet Peach Lip Sheen, Honey Blonde Lip Sheen

Loose Shimmer Powder


Beige packaging & cute coral boxes


Overall thoughts: I think the colors are great for a fresh and simplistic look. Standouts for me are the lip sheens which are a semi-sheer creamy lipstick. I picked out the most natural beige and peach colors for the lip sheens (there were 2 other colors, a powder pink and bright rose). Most of the lipglosses seemed on the sheer side and have that distinct EL gloss scent (which I’m not sure my nose will be able to stand). The blushes are nice for a healthy glow.

Overall, stunning for Estee Lauder, and definitely great for everyday and extremely wearable, but the colors seem pretty dupeable. In the near future, I will need to think over my purchases more carefully before being sucked in by pushy sales associates. However, the colors are well coordinated and the nude lipsticks are very flattering and wearable where I find most other brand’s “nudes” and “beiges” look like death on my face.

Very pretty and suitable for spring. I think it will be flattering for all ages.

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Clinique Juiced Up for Spring 2010 = Simply Irresistible

December 26, 2009

I normally don’t use a lot of products from Clinique with the exception of 3 staples I purchase repeatedly (Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser, High Impact Mascara and Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator) but I couldn’t resist the charming designs of the Spring 2010 Juiced Up collection. I like Clinique because of their cute advertising and also because of their generous Gift With Purchase events. I find these to be a great incentive for me to try new things from the line every now and then simply because I leave feeling like I got my money’s worth with all the free goodies they send me home with.

I picked up two items:


* All Over Face Color in Mixed Berries – This comes in an embossed cherry print powder with three variations of pink. The finish is shimmery but not overly frosty, swirled together, you get a very soft luminous pink blush.

* Eyeshadow in Fresh Picked Berry – There were two different eyeshadow choices, I picked up Fresh Picked Berry which has a cool pale pink shimmer and a warm coppery brown. The colors seem pretty dupeable, but I could NOT RESIST that cute cherry design!

Both are on the sheer side like most of the eyeshadows and blushes I’ve tried from the line. They didn’t swatch so well on my skin when I tried to take photos. If you like Clinique, you will like the new items because they are consistent with the other products in the line. If you prefer colors that show up more visibly on the skin these probably won’t be for you. The two items I got are very wearable and natural, so I think they are worth checking out even if you’re not a Clinique fan.

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