NARS has released quite a few items this summer including their Summer 2011 Collection, Portrait of Paradise mini collection, Makeup Your Mind – Express Yourself Book, a number of kits to go with their new book (on Nordstrom.com) and a new I Will Survive Kit (with a new exclusive Deep Throat Lipgloss).
In addition to the two duos, I also picked up New Order Highlighting Blush Powder ($27) and the Laguna Multiple ($39). My thoughts are mixed.
Swatched on bare skin (no base):
First up: New Order Highlighting Blush Powder. I had high hopes for this from the promo photos and descriptions. Negative reviews have been floating around various blogs with detailed descriptions, photos and swatches explaining why this blush is less than fabulous. I should have listened. There were no testers at the counter and when the sales associate opened the compact for me to see, it looked like magical fairy dust. The shimmer did not look chunky. I thought, maybe I can make this work for me, even if it’s just on the eyes. Turns out – I can’t. There is barely any color to the pink base and the shimmer/glitter while not chunky, is simply too much. It reminds me of the Night Series eyeshadows. The glitter just falls off the face & flies everywhere.
On the eyes, I applied it over a wet base (MAC’s Bare Study Paint Pot). It shows more promise on the eyes yet still mainly shows glitter. This blush had the potential to be huge if it was anything like Albatross in finish. For me, thumbs down. I don’t want to return it because it’s simply stunning in the compact. I keep thinking there will be a way to make this work. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a way.
Next: Laguna Multiple. I used Laguna Bronzer daily through my college years. I’ve loved the Laguna Illuminator. Of course I had to try the Multiple Version which I find very close to the powder. The shimmer is very noticeable although not as shimmery as South Beach or St. Barts. It blends out a bit more so you get a visible tan, but not frost.
Compared, L to R: St Barts Multiple, Laguna Multiple, Laguna Illuminator, Laguna Bronzer Powder (swatched heavy over moisturizer), South Beach Multiple
New Order and Laguna:
Have you tried either of these? Thoughts? Have you been able to make New Order work for you, if so, please share!
Edward Bess has a beautifully edited, sophisticated and classic beauty line. I first discovered his products while flipping through a Bergdorf Goodman catalog and was instantly intrigued by the sleek black lipstick tubes all lined up in a row. I googled it but to my dismay, found it was only available in NYC. I could not see the items in person. Thanks to LeslieCZ, Alexa, Leanne, Blogdorf Goodman, Fab Over Forty among other Edward Bess fans, I was able to get the scoop. Several gave me wonderful recommendations and urged me to contact the Edward Bess counter Bergdorf Goodman. I’m so glad I did. I’ve never met a more helpful team of artists. On each and every occasion that I’ve called them, they have given helpful descriptions and recommendations over the phone as they listened to me describe my tastes/likes/dislikes. They put me completely at ease ordering items sight-unseen.
The items from Edward Bess are classics and naturally flattering. They are reliable staples in my beauty wardrobe and versatile to create a number of different looks.
Many of you have asked for my own recommendations of what I like from Edward Bess. I thought I’d put together a resource page of what I’ve tried that has been reviewed since I can imagine what a hassle it must be to search through over 600 posts =) I’ve loved almost everything I’ve tried (with the exception of the original mascara). I hope this helps!
Where to buy & info
Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, EdwardBess.com (prices, full collection and other locations on his website)
The Beauty Look Book’s Top Five Favorites from Edward Bess
(only because so many have asked)
Daydream Bronzer (my holy grail)
Pure Impulse Lipstick
Forever Yours Lipstick
Dusk Eyeshadow
Soft Smoke Eyeshadow Trio
Island Rose Compact Rouge (oops, six!)
* Tip – Yes, the price points are high, but Bergdorf Goodman occasionally puts together beauty events and gift-card events, many times with nice gift-with-purchases. Their GWPs are usually one full-sized item (they pick out the item) and occasionally they have a step-up gift. I think their next one is in April.
The new illuminators in Copacabana, Laguna and Super Orgasm arrived online at narscosmetics.com last week and I decided to order Copacabana and Laguna to compare them to the original release of Orgasm from last February (see my post The Neverending NARS “O” Series). I was also anxious to see how these compared to the other NARS products with similar names, mainly the Copacabana Multiple & Laguna Bronzing Powder.
I have not tried the newly packaged Orgasm to compare to the new one, but I can provide some initial thoughts on the original O versus the two new shades I bought in Laguna and Copacabana. Both the old and new versions are similar in product amount and texture. Both retail for $29 USD. What are the differences? First I’ll compare the difference in packaging:
Original packaging is skinnier, taller and has slightly less product inside
New packaging is shorter, wider and comes with a flip open lid
Another difference I noticed is that the first version of Orgasm Illuminator is sheerer in finish compared to the new Copacabana and Laguna. Here is Copacabana swatched close up on the skin. The left is heavily swatched, the right is sheered out. Perhaps it’s just contrasted with my skintone because Copacabana is more white, while Orgasm is more peach.
NARS Laguna Illuminator is a warmer almost orangey bronze with gold micro glitter. It also shows up more visible on my face in a warm golden bronze shade.
NARS Illuminators old and new in Orgasm, Copacabana & Laguna all swatched together:
Heavily swatched and sheered out:
Comparisons: Edward Bess Sunlight, NARS Copacabana Multiple, NARS Copacabana Illuminator
NARS Laguna Bronzer, NARS South Beach Multiple, NARS Laguna Illuminator
The comparisons swatched plus some thoughts. The Copacabana Illuminator is whiter and brighter than the Multiple version. The Illuminator is more contrasted with my skin in color but less sparkly and more glowy. I think Edward Bess’s Sunlight Cream Highlighter works better for a natural glow on my skin.
The NARS Laguna Illuminator is warmer and almost orangey next to the original Laguna Bronzing Powder but blends out beautifully on the skin. I swatched it next to South Beach Multiple for your reference.
I haven’t had time to experiment with the new Illuminators much, but so far I’ve used Laguna Illuminator on the cheeks by itself and then also layered under a bright pink blush. It works just like a regular liquid highlighter but dries quickly so I recommend blending quickly. I tested Copacabana Illuminator on the eyes near the browbone to highlight and it gave a lovely glow without the greasy feeling that Multiples can sometimes have when applied on the eyes. So far after a few uses, no irritations or break outs. I find them to be relatively long lasting, but natural in finish.
I assume you can mix these with foundation for a glow but haven’t tried it with Laguna or Copacabana. Overall thumbs up – I wasn’t too keen on the gold glitter in Laguna at first but when blended with a foundation brush the result is subtle enough.
A special thanks to Karlasugar who posted an awesome online discount code for us last week!
I know what you’re thinking: Not another Cham Pale review! Even more so, MAC on this blog?* I realize you’ve seen this collection reviewed practically everywhere, but per request, here are my thoughts on the MAC Cham Pale collection and comparisons to other shimmer powders and paint pots.
Overall impression: I love the theme of shimmering pales (as seen in last month’s Loving Right Now: Shimmering Pales post). I’m all about the glowy and luminous but when I started seeing swatches and reviews on other blogs I was a bit let down. Everything looked so frosty! Still, curiosity got the best of me so I took a peek at the MAC counter the day after Christmas. I can report that my favorite bloggers did an amazing job in swatching with great accuracy. The colors are indeed very metallic in this collection, however I was able to find a few things that worked for me when applied with a lighter hand.
What I picked out, thoughts and descriptions:
Chez Chez Lamé Special Reserve Highlight Powder – This is a soft pale beige gold shimmer. I have a soft spot for MAC MSFs even though they tend to be overly frosty so I couldn’t resist these new highlighting powders. On my skin, the shimmer is more finely milled and less frosty. I also find these less frosty than Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks. I was pleasantly surprised! This is extremely pale however – if you’re a Chanel Shell or darker I would recommend using this with a super light hand to avoid super-frost.
Rosé Olé Special Reserve Highlight Powder – This is described as a soft pink with gold shimmer, on me it’s a peachy-rose, slightly bronzey. Same finely milled shimmer quality on the cheeks. I think this will look great on the eyes. Since it’s darker it’s not quite as contrasted on my skin. I recommend also applying with a lighter hand, I don’t think these will photograph well if applied heavily – you will most likely end up looking oily from the shimmer/shine.
Vintage Selection Paint Pot – I was the most anxious to see how the Paint Pots looked in real life. I thought I would pass on them all as they looked glittery and chunky. They are significantly more sparkly than any other paint pots I’ve seen, yet there were two that I liked blended out. Vintage Selection is a lovely light mauvey-pink sparkle. Those who don’t like micro-glitters may find this too over-the-top. Normally I avoid glitter like the plague, but this one is pretty blended out. Even though these are creams, for some reason I find MAC Paint Pots to be a bit hard to blend and need a bit of help from eye creams.
Let Me Pop Paint Pot – A unique coppery peach that is light enough for me to wear on the eyes without looking ill. This too has glittery chunks, so I recommend if you do venture to try this, try it on in small doses.
The comparisons of similar products with swatches, MAC Chez Chez Lamé:
The comparisons of similar products with swatches, MAC Rosé Olé:
MAC Paint Pots, MUFE Aqua Cream & Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Color:
I found most of the Cham Pale colors original and different from others (with the exception of the repromotes). I don’t think this is a universal palette of colors. The paleness of everything will definitely not suit all skintones. The glittery frosty aspect of the lipglosses and paint pots will definitely be out of many women’s comfort zone. I personally don’t know who would wear those glittery lipgelees ever. But to each their own.
If you’re wondering how the shimmer highlighters compare to other high-end brands, well, I still have to tell you they just don’t. Even though these are finely milled and not-too-frosty, The Dior Skinshimmers and YSL Holiday Powder and Chanel just have a more natural glowy quality. Compred to the frost level of NARS Multiples, Blushes, and highlighters, the MAC is more subtle in my opinion.
I was surprised myself that I left the MAC counter with anything – you all know I’m not a huge fan of super-frost or glitter. I won’t say anything is a must-have, but I do recommend if you’re at all interested to explore this collection and check it out in person if you can. You might be surprised to find something fun and different.
* As an update to the rude commenter and others who like to throw insults on a regular basis – I did not mean to imply I am too good for MAC. I do like quite a few items from MAC, in fact a substantial percentage of my collection consists of MAC products, but mainly from older collections. Those who have actually read my blog for a while know I do not typically cover MAC collections by choice simply because it is a widely accessible brand that is well covered in blog reviews, message board reviews and videos. I blog about what I want to blog about and what I like. What I like is variety. If you are offended by luxury brands then this is not the blog for you to read.
Becca always puts together the most beautiful makeup looks. Check out their features from past seasons under Becca Style – Makeup Looks and you’ll see what I mean. This season Becca has released a new collection called Fallen Angel. The featured looks were just so stunning that I immediately ordered the 2 palettes: Enigma (eyes) $49 and Fallen Angel (lip and cheek) $45.
Enigma Palette has a trio of neutral-cool smokey colors. Amure is a matte soft grey-brown, Silesia is a dark smokey grey-brown-black, Surah is a shimmery mauve. All have a soft velvety texture which make these easy to apply and blend together. I was a bit let down by the palette in the sense that it did not look like the promotional photo online. Still the quality is very good and colors are good neutrals for a soft smokey eye – just not very unique.
Fallen Angel Palette is for lips and cheeks. It appears to have more of a peachy-resort feel rather than angelic. When I think “angel” I think soft pink and champagne. Still this is lovely. Sunrise is a sheer peach (almost clear), Nectar reminds me of Tuberose Lip & Cheek Creme, Narcissus is a pale gold cream highlighter.
As much as I love Becca, I was somewhat disappointed by what came in the mail. Having been somewhat let down (compared to the promotional photos) twice in the past, you would think I had learned my lesson to wait and check out other reviews before ordering again. These palettes are indeed beautiful and very wearable, so don’t get me wrong, I think they are very high quality and worth the price. I was just expecting something different. Below are swatches, the eyeshadows were swatched over a lightly moisturized arm.
One last view for size comparison, the palette colors are similar in size to a MAC eyeshadow. The Becca Shadows are 1.6 g or 2 g each (depending on color) while MAC eyeshadows are 1.5 g each. Do note I find the quality and texture of the Becca much better than most MAC shadows. The creams in the Fallen Angel Palette are 1.3 g each.
I’m slowly getting into YSL. It’s one brand I have long resisted but every once in a while something catches my eye. The holiday collection has the most beautiful highlighters this season with the new touche eclat-type highlighter and soft sparkling pink pressed shimmer powder.
I may be the one lone woman who doesn’t like the Touche Eclat from YSL, but I fell in love with the Touche d’Or Golden Touch Highlighter ($40) for holiday. It’s named “golden” but on my skin it went on more neutral-champagne than gold. It has a beautiful sparkle finish. I personally found it a bit too sparkly for every-day wear on the face, but it’s lovely on the eyes. If you’re looking for a glowy cream highlighter without too much sparkle opt for NARS Luxor Multiple or Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight or Afterglow.
The pressed Metallic Shimmer Powder in Colorama ($65) is absolutely stunning. It comes encased in a metallic leather compact which is similar in color to the Pink Gold Nail Color. The powder is finely milled and goes on a light pink shimmer. On my Chanel Shell Teint Innocence skintone it’s not too pale that it’s frosty. It has a lovely soft glowy finish on my cheeks. I’m not the biggest fan of the compact design but at least it’s sturdy. The product is just so gorgeous that I can overlook the flashy packaging and still love this. I find this similar in concept to Armani’s Blush #12 – in the compact and swatched on the hand it looks too light to be a blush, but on the cheeks it gives a wonderful soft glow. If Armani’s #12 worked on you, then chances are you’ll really like this highlighter. If Armani’s #12 didn’t work, then perhaps you might find this too subtle. I do think the YSL will serve as a more pigmented highlighter for darker/tan skintones though. The Armani is sheerer in finish which is why it might not show up so well on darker skins.
Swatches on bare skin, one with high flash:
Outdoor natural light:
My local Bloomingdales had a national event with a lovely GWP which made the high price tag more justifiable. My favorite item out of all the goodies was the full-sized powder brush which I look forward to trying out soon.
I’ve been a long-time fan of Armani ever since I first saw it at the London Heathrow Airport back in 2001 for their natural looking elegant makeup line. These days their collections seem to have more pizazz with brighter colors that are anything but natural. I still love what they release. This Holiday, the Armani Gold Rush Collection has some beautiful options. My local Neimans didn’t have any testers for the new items but these days I feel familiar enough with the line I didn’t need to test anything to make my purchasing decisions. Also thanks to Karla Sugar (see her Gold Rush Swatches Part 1) I knew I had to have the black and gold shadows.
The items I picked out: Gold Rush Highlighting Shimmer Powder ($55), Eyes to Kill Shadows #13 Black and #15 Copper ($32 each)
The Gold Rush Highlighting Powder is a soft sparkly gold. It’s softer in texture making the shimmer powder pigmented and easy to pick up with a brush. (Some shimmer powders are harder in texture making the finish sheerer.) If you are familiar with the Spring Nude Contrasts Shadows (reviewed here), the texture and finish of the Holiday Shimmer Powder is similar. It’s somewhere in between finely milled shimmer and chunky shimmer with uber-tiny micro sparkles.
* the above photo shows the upper 1/2 with the mirror reflection so you can see the shimmer in different light, the powder is one color, not duo-colored
I don’t have large visible pores on my cheeks (just had foundation/powder on), but when I applied this over my cheeks – I suddenly had visible pores. I tried it again over a foundation/powder/cream highlighter, it had a much better result. It’s not SUPER sparkly but the sparkle is definitely visible. As beautiful as it is, I think this would be better suited for the eyes or décolleté – but that’s only my personal opinion.
Here it is compared to NARS Albatross and MAC New Vegas. From the swatches it’s hard to see the sparkle – I recommend clicking to enlarge for better viewing. The NARS is more finely milled but can go on frosty if applied to heavily. The Armani has no frosty finish, but has visible microsparkles.
The Eyes to Kill Shadows are AMAZING. The Copper Shade #15 is more of a golden-bronze rather than copper but I love it. This is a high sparkle color but blends out beautifully. The Black Shade #13 is a soft cool-toned black. They come with a little black cover inside. I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of these are – they don’t really seal the shadow since there is space around the cover once inside the pot. I’ll have to ask my makeup artist the next time I go. I completely forgot to check the silver shade.
The shimmer is very subtle but this is one of the few cream black shadows that give a soft smokey eye without looking too harsh. I found both blended better with the fingers than a brush. They have an interesting texture – not quite a cream, not a powder, not quite a mousse. It’s like a blend of all three types of shadow formulas. I recommend reading the description on Armani’s Website for a better description.
Left = #15 Copper, Right = #13 Black
* Numbers on the shadows have been updated and corrected, #15 is the Copper Shade, #13 is the Black Shade
Swatch comparisons to the other brands and colors:
Since they didn’t have testers of anything I passed on the lip items since I knew they would be bright. I did pick up a few more Rouge d’Armani Lipsticks (not part of the holiday collection) and the new Eyes to Kill Excess Mascara (all which will be reviewed in the near future).
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