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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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Guerlain Holiday 2009 Bal de Nuit Eyeshadow Quad

October 11, 2009

Guerlain has a lovely collection for this holiday and I picked up the Bal de Nuit quad from Neiman Marcus. I only have 1 other quad from their Fall Collection since most of their eyeshadows have so-so pigment. This one seems to have decent pigmentation, but you will be suprised to hear that the colors didn’t wow me this time.

It’s definitely a great neutral quad with pretty shades, but I found that I had a lot of dupes in my collection. The most unique shade is probably the bottom right chocolately color because it has just the right enough darkness to make it a gorgeous smokey unique brown, but there are definitely similar colors.

Comparisons to the following shades:

* White shimmer is very similar to Bobbi Brown Navajo Metallic
* Pink shimmer is similar to MAC Shimmertime Pigment
* Taupe shimmer is very similar to Nars Ashes to Ashes and Chanel Vega (discontinued, but very similar to Chanel Safari, see TAUPE SHADES HERE)
* Dark chocolate shimmer is similar to Bobbi Brown Java Metallic and Urban Decay Twice Baked

Holiday vs Fall Quads (two views – the flash makes these hard to photograph):

Overall thoughts: It’s nice to have if you’re looking for the convenience of an all-in-one neutral palette. It’s wearable for year round, but not a must have for me. The collection is definitely worth checking out since there are some pretty lipsticks and the holiday ball-highlighter is really pretty too!

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Fall 2009 Collection Biteki & Maquia Scans

July 25, 2009

This an update to the post below with scans from the Biteki Beauty Book & one from Maquia featuring the fall collections. I’ve scanned most of the pages of the little book with the exception of some Asian brands that I’ve excluded. For photos from other magazines, check one post below.

For my own product photos of some recent fall collections, check out these links:

Bobbi Brown Nude Collection 2009
Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink Gel Liner & Honeysuckle Lip Crayon
Chanel Fall 2009 has arrived at Saks!
Dior Fall 2009 Jazz Club Eyes + Nail Polish . . .
Estee Lauder Sensuous Gold Fall 2009
Giorgio Armani Fall 2009: Manta Ray Collection
Guerlain Fall Collection 2009
First Look at Nars Fall 2009
Nars Fall 2009 Tokaido Express Swatch + Review

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Fall 2009 Sneak Peek: Paul & Joe, Shiseido, Cle de Peau, Armani, Guerlain, YSL

July 25, 2009

Happy Friday! I’ve recently gotten into Japanese magazines such as JJ, Biteki, Maquia, and Voce thanks to one of my favorite beauty blogs Haru’s Rouge Deluxe. Luckily, there is a Mitsuwa Marketplace near me which has a bookstore inside which has allowed me to find these magazines in Southern California.

This month the September issues have released their fall lookbooks with photographs of the fall releases of numerous brands. Unfortunately, I cannot read Japanese, but luckily, there are many items that release products with numbers in their color name which makes it easy to match the number to the product color names by doing some research . Here are a few pictures of some of the collections I found interesting:

Paul & Joe from Maquia:

Shiseido new eyeshadows from Maquia:

Close up of RD709:

For comparisons, check out this Color Focus Shimmering Sands . . . article.

Cle de Peau from Maquia:

Giorgio Armani from Biteki (looks like the Eyes to Kill Palettes might still be coming out soon!):

Giorgio Armani from June Instyle featuring Eyes to Kill Palette No. 3:

For more Armani Fall Pictures, check out my haul here Giorgio Armani Fall 2009: Manta Ray Collection.

Guerlain from Maquia:

For more Guerlain product pictures, click here Guerlain Fall Collection 2009. Karlasugar has awesome swatches in her Guerlain Fall: Russian Beauty article as well as Yuki’s Lazy Channel.

YSL from Voce:

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Guerlain Fall Collection 2009

July 8, 2009

One of my favorite beauty resources told me that Guerlain fall had arrived at Saks but didn’t have testers yet, so I stopped by Saks again to check and see if they received the products in. They didn’t have the tester or display unit out, but my sales associate looked through the drawers and this is what we found:

Volga Princess Palette for Eyes and Lips which comes in a metallic pink compact with a cute drawstring pouch:

Brun Mordore #441 – Ombre Eclat 4 Shades Eyeshadow Quad (note this was very difficult to photograph b/c of the reflection off the compact):

KissKiss Baby Lipsticks, left to right (two views):
#220 Red Nude, #241 Rosewood Nude, #240 Honey Nude, #260 Romantic Nude, #261 Rosy Nude

Also picked up the Russian Doll Liquid Blush but haven’t played around with it. Check out Yuki’s Lazy Channel Blog’s Feature on Guerlain for awesome pictures and swatches. Other items I saw included 3 metallic eyeliners and the KissKiss Baby #200 Cristal Nude which was a clear iridescent white shade.

I was in a rush, so I forgot to ask about the other eyeshadow quad with a flower print pattern on the top, but will check back sometime next week. Yuki’s blog also has great swatches/pictures.

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Guerlain Terracotta Princess Powder

June 12, 2009

Guerlain has released a new terracotta bronzer called their Princess Powder – Tan Magnifier Powder for Face and Body. I found this online at Nordstrom.com thanks to a friend over at makeupalley.com. As soon as we both saw it online, we ran to our local Saks/Neimans to inquire about this new beauty. However, we both found it was not instore anywhere near us and some associates told us it was a Nordstrom exclusive, however I have a feeling this will just be released in the next month in most stores.

The product description:

“The Terracotta Princess Powder: a unique bronzing powder that captures the spirit and magic of Bollywood. A dust of this powder with its touches of amber and specks of gold lends the complexion a sensual radiance and enchanting shimmer of an Indian princess.”

The product arrived today and is a gorgeous amber gold shimmer – almost like a duo-chrome color when you look at it in sunlight. Those of you familiar with Guerlain are aware that some of their limited edition products contain an overspray of shimmer and have a plain matte color underneath. This product has a light gold overspray, however, you will be pleased to know that underneath is a pretty bronze amber golden shimmer.

The bronzer is extremely expensive at $70 USD. The product weight is 11g/.39oz. To compare with some other products in price/weight:

* Guerlain Terracotta Pearly Sun Powder $57 USD (6g/.21oz)
* Giorgio Armani Bronzing Powder $48 USD (7.2g/.25oz)
* MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Powder $27 USD (10g/.35oz)
* MAC Bronzing Powder $21 USD (10g/.35oz)
* Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder (Regular) $33 USD (8 g/.28oz)
* Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder $33 USD (9g/.31oz)
* Chanel Soleil de Tan Bronzing Powder $50 USD (11g/.38oz)

The texture is soft and velvety, similar to those MAC Starflash Eyeshadows and some Urban Decay Shimmer Eyeshadows. The pigment is rich and shimmer is definitely noticeable, but not frosty or overly-metallic. Since it is very pigmented, I recommend applying with a soft hand – but don’t worry about it being too rich, it is easy to blend b/c the texture is soft.

Comparisons to some other warm golden/amber bronzers and shimmer powders:

1. Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder Laguna Bronze (similar to Aruba, see original post HERE)
2. Guerlain Terracotta Princess Powder
3. Guerlain Terracotta Pearly Sun Powder in Orient Sun
4. Giorgio Armani Bronzing Powder #5
5. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Gold Deposit
6. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish So Ceylon (this was the original one released with the High Tea Collection in 2004)

Swatches (applied primer and Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige first):

1. Bobbi Brown Laguna Bronze (to me, Laguna Bronze and the new Aruba were already warm, you can see here how the Guerlain is even warmer)
2. Guerlain Princess Powder
3. Guerlain Orient Sun
4. Giorgio Armani #5
5. MAC Gold Deposit
6. MAC So Ceylon

So – is it worth the $70? Yes and no – this is definitely one of the most beautiful bronzers I have ever seen, but even so, still extremely pricey and I have no idea how I talked myself into buying this one.

Thoughts/opinions? Have you tried or seen this in person yet?

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