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Fall 2014

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Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Intention 633, Expression 635 and Exception 639

November 18, 2014

Chanel released three new Le Vernis Nail Colors ($27 each for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz) in conjunction with the Rouge Allure Gloss collection. The three shades include:
  • Intention 633 a medium camel-beige nude with a slight hint of gold shimmer
  • Expression 635 a medium-bright pink red cream
  • Exception 639 a deep wine brown with a hint of warm red
All three shades are similar to previously released shades so you may want to shop your stash if you have a lot of pink-reds or brown-reds. Unfortunately I don’t have swatches to compare since I’m completely out of nail wheels and my fingers can’t take a lot of swatching right now with the dry weather and load of polish remover.


Intention 633 is a warm beige with a slight hint of gold shimmer in the bottle. It has a bit of pink in it making a slight salmon colored tint. On the nails the gold isn’t visible. I thought this would be my favorite since I adore neutrals, there’s something about the color that is extremely unflattering on my skintone. It makes my olive skin look extremely sallow. I don’t think I’ve given many Chanel nail polishes a thumbs down on color, but for me this is a definite no. If you can wear warm beiges easily, the formula is very nice and smooth. You can get full coverage with two coats. I do believe this is a unique color. It’s reminiscent of Inattendu which is sheerer and more wearable (for me at least).



Expression 635 is a medium-bright pink red rose. In the bottle it looks like a straight red, but there is a slight hint of bright pink mixed in making it a softer red. The pink brightens the color so it’s not quite as sharp as a true red. Out of all the Chanel reds, Pirate is the most blue-based that I’ve tried. Expression by comparison is brighter and more vibrant. Even though I own a lot of other reds, this one is a must for me. The mix of pink in it makes it really pretty. It has a similar vibe to Suspicious which is more blue-based, while Expression has more red.

Exception 639 is a unique brown and brick red mix. It’s not quite a vamp, but it’s not brown, and it’s not red either. It’s a mix of several different shades making it a reddish brown. The formula is really phenomenal with this one. It’s smooth, pigmented and very glossy. The red in it gives the color a bit of warmth so it’s not too dark on the nails. In direct light it appears more red, in natural light or the shade, it will look more brown. It reminds me of Accessoire minus the plum and with a bit more warmth.

 This is in direct sunlight so it looks more red than it does in natural light:

Out of the three, I like Expression (the pink one) the best even though I own so many pink-reds. Given the similarities of all the colors to previously released shades, I can’t say any of them are must-haves, even for a die-hard Chanel Nail Polish collector like myself. Still, Exception (the brown) is a very nice brown brick red with a classic but soft touch. If you missed out on previously released nail polishes, I would say these are good classic shades everyone should have in their nail polish collection.
Bottom line: Expression and Exception are nice to have, but not must-haves. If you have similar skin to me, I would say skip Intention. I usually always look forward to new nail polish releases from Chanel. They make such lovely colors and I adore the formula. This collection’s releases were a bit disappointing for me because I feel like they could have released more unique colors. Or re-released some past amazing limited-edition colors (such as any of the Russies, Haute Chocolat, Kaleidoscope, Wonderland, Malice etc.)

All three shades are available at Chanel counters and boutiques now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Saks and Chanel.com. Will you be getting any of the shades or are these a pass for you? If you already did buy these, what did you think?

P.S. Chanel Sweet Star is back in stock on Chanel.com, if you were waiting, I suggest you order soon! Swatches and original post here.
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New Additions to the Burberry Beauty Eyes Collection | Bold Lash Mascara, Effortless Liquid Liner + Effortless Kohl Eyeliners

November 17, 2014

Burberry Beauty recently added some items to their Eye Makeup lineup, including new eyeliners, mascaras and brow definers. All of the items are beautifully packaged in sleek and modern gunmetal-colored tubes. These should be available at all Burberry Beauty counters now, online at Nordstrom, Saks and Burberry. I’ve been playing with some of the new items for a few weeks now and have some to share thoughts on today.

Shown below:

Bold Lash Mascara ($29) comes in two shades, Ebony No. 1 and Chestnut Brown No. 2, I’ve been testing out Ebony and was really surprised with how easily it defined the lashes. It’s not the thickest most volumizing mascara I have used but it does add very good volume. The color is a true black (many turn grey on me) and stays the same deep color once it dries. I didn’t have any smudging or flaking and it came off the lashes easily at the end of the day with a bi-phase makeup remover. The brush grabs the lashes easily, even at the base, application is clump-free.

Effortless Liquid Liner ($34) is a liquid liner that has a pointed felt tip applicator. It comes in one color Jet Black No. 1 and is one of the deepest colors of liquid liners I’ve tried. The handle of the pen has a slightly groove making it easier to grip when you apply it. The handle + shape of the tip allows for super precise application. If you’re a liquid liner pro, you will really like this one. If you’re more of a novice like me, it will take a bit of feathering to get an even line, but I found it easy to control and apply on the lash line. Lasting power is really good. I swatched on the back of my hand in the morning and it didn’t budge from around 5:30 am until 8:45 pm no matter how much I rubbed it. It did come off with a bit of water. On the eyes the liner lasted really well looking as fresh in the evening as it did in the morning. No smudging or creeping. Being a liquid product, I would say treat this like mascara when you apply. It will be wet when you apply, so let it sit for a minute. If your mascara is prone to transfer when you first apply when you blink, this will have a similar result. Try to let it set for a minute and dry.

Close up of the felt tip:

Effortless Kohl Eyeliners ($29 each) come in four colors, Jet Black No. 1, Chestnut Brown No. 2, Storm Grey No. 3 and Pale Grape No. 4. Burberry sent me Jet Black and Storm Grey for review and I’ve been extremely pleased. I’ve been a fan of the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof liners, but many have commented that the quality isn’t consistent among all colors. I do think it’s hit and miss sometimes based on testers I’ve tried at the counter to the ones I have at home. Some are hard and tug at the eyes. If you experienced this but want a twist-up long-lasting pencil that comes with a sharpener at the end, the Burberry Effortless Kohl Eyeliners are the solution for you. These are rich pigmented Kohl Liners. The Jet Black is one of the deepest blacks I’ve tried (the Hourglass 1.5 mm Mechanical Eyeliner in Obsidian is one of the deepest I’ve tried and the Burberry is slightly deeper). Storm Grey is one of the richest greys I’ve swatched before, it’s a deep color but not so dark it looks black. I don’t think either of these are waterproof, but both of these have really good lasting power. You do need to let these sit for a minute to completely set, but once they do set, I found they did not budge.

These are a huge improvement in formula compared to the original formula of eyeliner Burberry released. The Eye Definer Eye Shaping Pencils have really good pigment and gorgeous colors, but lasting power is medium unless you set with a powder shadow on top.

Removable end reveals a built-in sharpener:

Swatches of the liners:

Comparison swatches:
Trish McEvoy Grey (discontinued)

A few more detail shots:

If you’re looking for classic eye products that work and last long, I highly recommend you check out the new offerings from Burberry. I’ve already ordered the other two shades Effortless Kohl Eyeliners in Chestnut Brown and Pale Grape, two of each, one set for my mom who likes plum and brown twist-up liners that don’t tug at the eyes and don’t smudge, the other set for me.

I wrote about other brands of liquid liners I’ve tried and tested back in August. My top three picks back then were Tom Ford, Kat Von D and Charlotte Tilbury. The new Burberry has joined my top picks the list since it has a really rich deep black color that doesn’t bleed or budge (although the Tom Ford is still hands down my number one favorite).

The new Burberry Beauty Eye Makeup additions are available at Burberry Beauty counters now, online at Nordstrom, Saks and Burberry.

Many thanks to Burberry for sending me these items for review consideration.

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Burberry Beauty A/W Nude Blush No. 12 and Slate Blue No. 20 Complete Eye Palettes

October 31, 2014

I’m late to the game in sharing these beautiful palettes with you, but better late than never, right? For the Autumn/Winter Collection Burberry Beauty released two new Complete Eye Palettes ($60 each for 5.4 g/0.19 oz, made in Italy) in Nude Blush No. 12 and Slate Blue No. 20. I’ve been a huge fan of Burberry eye shadows in both the single and quad formats, I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the fall palettes.
Nude Blush No. 12 is a unique palette of rosy tones. All the shades are medium-to-dark in color with various finishes. The shades in this one include a soft nude pink satin, a warm copper pink, a soft mauve blush and a deeper eggplant shimmer. The texture is buttery smooth and they adhere well to the lids. All the colors layer well together in this one. The colors are truly unique compared to most other palettes I own. At first glance, it looks similar to Plum Pink No. 06 (which I do not own). Swatches on Silverkis shows Nude Blush to be a warmer and more unique option. You can see from Color Me Loud that Nude Blush is similar but warmer than Tom Ford Orchid Haze. To me this palette is a simpler and more subdued version of Urban Decay Naked3.

Slate Blue No. 20 is a beautiful palette of cool tones. This one is way outside of my comfort zone as I almost never wear blue shadows on the eyes. The colors are smoky in undertone making it a stunning palette. I experimented with this one a number of different ways, my favorite way to wear this is to use the deeper shades along the upper lash line but combined with a more neutral palette like Dark Spice. The pigment of the Slate Blue shades is medium but layerable. The colors have a slight transparent quality giving them depth. You can apply the shades damp for more color and a dramatic look.

Both are beautiful additions to the Burberry Beauty lineup. My favorite of course is the neutral option in Nude Blush which makes me very happy that I didn’t get Plum Pink when it was released. The Burberry Complete Eyeshadow Palettes retail for $60 each. They are available online at Nordstrom and Saks (available in store at select counters). Also available online at Burberry.
Many thanks to Burberry for sending these for review consideration.
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Burberry Beauty A/W 2014 Nail Polishes | Elderberry, Antique Gold, Ink Blue, Dark Bottle Green and Teal Blue

October 20, 2014

Burberry Beauty has five new shades of nail polish for the fall 2014 beauty collection. The shades are rich and dramatic colors and I’m completely obsessed. These have amazing pigment and rich hues that I think are perfect for right now and for the upcoming winter months (although it still feels like summer in Southern California). The new shades for fall ($22 each) include: Elderberry, Ink Blue, Dark Bottle Green, Teal Blue and Antique Gold.

If you’ve read reviews on other Burberry polishes, such as Oxblood, Pink Azalea, Pink Peony and Orange Poppy you know I’m smitten with the Burberry Nail Polish colors but have mixed feelings about the formula and brush. The brushes on these polishes remain the same, they are wide and flat which makes it easy to get a precise application along the side edges of the nail, but if you have small fingers like me, you need to take extra care near the cuticles with application. The formula of Oxblood needed three coats for full coverage, but so far it’s the only shade I’ve needed an extra coat for. The new shades for fall have a better and more opaque formula making them full coverage polishes with two coats. I did find Teal Blue to be slightly sheerer with a slight jelly-like finish, but the color went on smoothly.

Swatches of each color with two coats below. I had my top coat out to cover each nail, but the Burberry polishes ended up having a nice glossy finish on their own, so I didn’t add it on three of the shades I swatched:

Elderberry is a dark plum. It’s a vampy shade with perfect coverage. My nail wheels and most of my polishes are buried somewhere in one of our many packed boxes (my husband and I are still unpacking) so I wasn’t able to do comparison swatches. It has a similar vibe to Tom Ford Black Cherry, but the Burberry isn’t quite as dark.

Dark Bottle Green is a rich deep green color. This one surprised me because I’m normally not a fan of green nail colors on me but this one blew me away. It’s really lovely and the application is perfect. It’s one of my top three picks for the fall collection.

Ink Blue is a deep blue. The formula on this one is also perfect. It went on the nails smoothly with two coats. The first coat was enough to cover the entire nail but the second one smoothed it out perfectly. Love this one.

Antique Gold is a unique brassy gold shade. It’s a metallic color and I was really happy that the brush strokes are subtle on this one. I think with any metallic you’ll see some brush strokes but this one isn’t noticeable. The coverage on the Burberry shimmers/metallics that I’ve tried are really good. This one included.

Teal Blue is just that, a teal blue color. This one is such a pretty shade of blue, even my husband commented on how pretty it was and he usually doesn’t have much of an opinion about what I put on my nails. Teal Blue has a slight transparent quality, even with two coats it has a slight jelly finish. I could have added a third for full coverage, but I liked it with two.

I’m really happy with all of these, they are edgy classics. My top three picks include Dark Bottle Green, Teal Blue and Ink Blue. If I didn’t have more polishes to review and swatch right now I would have Dark Bottle Green on my nails for the next week.

The Burberry Nail Polishes retail for $22 each. You can find the fall shades now online and in select stores at Burberry, Nordstrom and Saks.

Now that fall is officially here, what have you been wearing on your nails this fall?
The polishes were provided by Burberry for review consideration.
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Burberry Beauty Fall 2014 – Sneak Peek

October 20, 2014

I have some beautiful items from Burberry Beauty to share soon. The design of the fall beauty collection is a reflection on the artistic themes of the A/W14 runway looks, features pigmented tones and hand-painted effects in a colour palette of bottle green, elderberry and ink blue. For the fall beauty look, the collection’s new releases include:
You can find the items now at Burberry, Nordstrom and Saks. Stay tuned for nail polish swatches to be posted shortly. I hope to have the quads reviewed later this week, but I’ll say right now I’m 100% in love with the rich colors of the nail polishes.


Many thanks to Burberry for sending these items for review consideration.

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Nordstrom + Estée Lauder Fall Gift With Purchase

October 15, 2014
http://rstyle.me/n/bb3qmubf6

Nordstrom has an awesome Estée Lauder Gift With Purchase going on right now. With any $45 Estée Lauder purchase, you get a sleek cosmetics bag filled with deluxe travel-size items and your choice of a lifting or repairing moisturizer duo. Be sure to use code LIFT or REPAIR at checkout to redeem the gift. The makeup bag is a two-toned zip pouch with a textured surface. It contains:
  • Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask (1 oz.)
  • Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II (0.3 oz.)
  • Full-Size Pure Color Lipstick in Rubellite
  • Pure Color Gloss in Orchard Passion (0.2 oz.) 
  • Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Black
For the skincare duo minis, you have two options:
  • Lift option (use code LIFT)
    • Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Creme (0.5 oz.)
    • Resilience Lift Night Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Creme (0.5 oz.)
  • Repair option (use code REPAIR)
    • Advanced Time Zone Reversing Line/Wrinkle Creme (0.5 oz.)
    • Advanced Time Zone Night Reversing Line/Wrinkle Creme (0.5 oz.)

I replenished on some favorites including the Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser (for normal/combination skin) and the Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Toning Lotion which I find good for my sensitive skin (both are regular staples). I also picked up two new items from Aerin Beauty including the new Weekday Lip Gloss (a neutral mauve pink) and the Cool Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Essential Brown (a shimmering cool brown).

In case you need some ideas of what to try, some of my tried and true favorites below (each item is clickable). I find the Estee Lauder prices reasonable for a high-end line, two items will most likely be sufficient to qualify for the $45 min purchase.

The Estee Lauder Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream is one of my favorite hand treatments to smooth lines and hydrate dry hands. I also like the Aerin Bronzers for a natural bronze glow. If you need to replenish on skincare items, now is a good time to shop. I actually like the makeup bag this time, it’s something I will actually use 🙂

What are your Estee Lauder favorites? I’ve discovered so many things because my mother is a huge Estee Lauder fan and passed along numerous recommendations to me over the years. The Fall Nordstrom Gift With Purchase is available online and in stores with ant $45 Estee Lauder purchase, while supplies last. If you order online, be sure to enter code LIFT or REPAIR to redeem the gift.

Thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post, all items purchased by me. For more information refer to my Disclosures page.

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Rouge Dior Baume | Kew Gardens 258, Spring 468, Milly 640 and Escapade 740

October 7, 2014

Dior has released 15 shades of their new Rouge Dior Baume Lip Treatment ($35 each for 3.2g/0.11 oz). They are currently exclusive to Saks, Sephora and Dior.com but will available at all retailers later in November. The Rouge Dior Baumes have medium-pigment like a natural lipstick but with a moisturizing formula. The ones I swatched in store seemed to have sheer to medium coverage on the hands but applied better on the lips. There is a diverse range of pinks, peaches, reds and plums. I picked out four of the neutral shades from Saks in Kew Gardens 258, Spring 468, Milly 640 and Escapade 740.

Dior describes these as being “created for a modern woman who loves the intense pigment of a traditional lipstick as well as the ease and moisturizing properties of a balm.” They are indeed a blend of the two. I found these to have less shine and gloss compared to other balm-like or sheer lipsticks (such as Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine, Tom Ford Lip Color Shine). They do have a dewy semi-glossy finish, but it gives more of a natural look compared to the glossy finish many other lipsticks do.

Kew Gardens is a sheer sparkling transparent peach shimmer. Spring is a sheer but brighter peach. Milly is a neutral beige pink with a shimmery sheen. Escapade is the perfect neutral pink-brown. I’m in the middle of a move so I have most of my things packed in boxes, I don’t have easy access to other lipsticks to compare but I do feel that Milly is a more wearable version of Tom Ford Bare and Escapade is a warmer version of Tom Ford Nubile. Spring reminds me of Insidious without the shimmer and with a bit more pink.

I initially thought Milly would be too pale for my lips and skin tone based on the counter rep’s advice. Many thanks to one of my readers Jo who suggested I give it a try anyways stating it didn’t wash her out. She was right. It’s a lovely pale beige that gives perfect nude pink lips with a slight shimmery silver sheen but doesn’t wash out your face. Milly has enough color in the base to give the lip balm some life.

As a lover of natural-looking lip products, I’m smitten with these. I do wish I had picked up a pink or plum shade instead of the two peaches for variation, but I tend to gravitate towards peaches anyways. I love that these have no detectable scent (good for my sensitive nose). They do have a moisturizing feel on my lips, but I didn’t really notice extra hydration like I do with lip balms like By Terry or Malin + Goetz. I definitely think they are worth a look, especially if you want something less glossy compared to Chanel Rouge Coco Shines and something less pricey compared to Tom Ford Lip Color Shines.

The new Rouge Dior Baumes currently retail for $35 each. They are exclusive to Saks, Sephora and Dior.com right now, but will available at other retailers later this season in November.

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