L to R: Le Metier de Beaute Whisper & Armani Holiday 2010 Shimmer Powder (to be reviewed soon)
Top to bottom: Chanel Star Glossimer, Laura Mercier Pink Diamond, Trish Irresistible Nude, MAC Oyster Girl Lipglass, MAC Gel Lipstick (on tube #3), D&G Perfection Lipstick
L to R: Paul & Joe Pearl Powder #01, MAC Naked Pigment, NARS All About Eve Eyeshadow Duo
OPI Hollywood Blonde Nail Polish, MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
MAC Bare Study Paint Pot, Paul & Joe Pearl Powder #01, MAC Naked Pigment, OPI Hollywood Blonde Nail Polish, Le Metier de Beaute Whisper Highlighter, D&G Perfection Lipstick, MAC Oyster Girl Lipglass, NARS All About Eve Duo, Chanel Star Glossimer, Laura Mercier Pink Diamond Lip Glace, Trish Irresistible Nude, MAC Gel Lipstick
My lovely readers, I only have time for a few brief posts. This is a continuation of the Chanel Soho Story collection. The Soho de Chanel powder is a beautiful soft luminous highlighter. Pigmented enough to show up and has just the right amount of shimmer for a perfect glow. The quad is a lovely combination of soft cool shades which I find also very soft and more pigmented than most Chanel quads I’ve tried. If I could only pick 1, it would definitely be the powder highlighter. The quad pulls more cool but is still neutral enough to work on most skintones.
Photos and swatches:
Mystic Eyes v Stupendous:
Swatched on bare skin:
Sorry I don’t have much time for detailed descriptions. If you have questions – I’ll publish them through my iPhone but won’t have time to answer them until sometime this weekend. Definitely check out Beauty Moogle Zone and Estelle’s Guest Post on Karlasugar for other wonderful details and information.
A lot of repeats this month from recent features. Right now I’m loving …
NARS Eyeshadow Duos – here are a few of my favorites that haven’t been depotted yet (which I don’t recommend, but did for the compacts that got too sticky, now stored in my Trish McEvoy planner pages)
Urban Decay Naked Palette (previously featured here)
Chanel Teint Innocence Foundation and Natural Finish Loose Powder – No matter how many other foundations I try, I keep coming back to the Teint Innocence. Just recently tried their loose setting powder and love it as well. I use Shell in the foundation and Naturel in the powder.
Chanel Rouge Coco in Chintz & Rose Dentelle – A little bit more delicate than most of my other Chanel lipsticks. These came a bit dinged on the sides but everything else was in tact. They are really close in color, Chintz is more peach, while Rose Dentelle is more pink.
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliners – Rich pigment and longlasting plus no sharpening required! Wish they would re-release that old shade Tweed (a lovely golden taupe).
Black Shimmer & Ebene swatched here Cassis swatched here Marine swatched here and here
Edward Bess All Over Seduction Cream Highlighters – Perfectly glowy (previously reviewed and swatched here)
Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers – Great pigment and shine. I had to get almost all of the colors. I’ll get to lip swatches eventually.
Burberry Lipglosses are great . . . but I’m loving everything I purchased (click on the Burberry tag)
Quilted accessories, purses, makeup planners – dreaming of a quilted flap bag
Out of all the Trish planners I have, the quilted ones are my favorite.
Last but not least, my kitty, small but mighty fierce. This is the only photo I could get of him that makes him look non-evil. (I love my puppies too but they won’t sit still for a picture – way too excited about my brother in-law visiting this week after having been gone to the east coast for several months)
I rarely write about bad shopping experiences, but finding the re-released version of MAC Stereo Rose was such a hassle I am making a pact with myself not to do this again. At the end of the day, I have my new Stereo Rose, but sometimes the ends do not justify the means. As a customer I am frustrated. Frustrated with poor inventory management, over-sold pre-sales and the limited-edition-factor of these “hot today, forgotten tomorrow” items.
The most helpful part of this post will be a comparison of the original 2005 Stereo Rose to the new re-released version of the 2010 Stereo Rose. I will save my rantings for the end. Here they are photographed together, side by side (per Lakshmi’s request).
The new 2010 version is very similar to the original 2005 version but not quite the same. The difference is subtle. This is what I see in comparing the two:
Original 2005: slightly lighter in the compact, more pink on the skin
New 2010: slightly darker in the compact, more orangey-peach on the skin
I prefer the original version. When applied with a light hand it just glows. The new one is very similar – I know some of you won’t be able to tell the difference from the photos. It’s just slightly different in the undertone. It’s more peachy-orange, still lovely, but not different enough to justify owning both. (Update: the new one I just bought is being re-gifted to a friend who was also searching for this.)
A disclaimer for what you read below: this is my own personal experience and opinion. I do not expect anything to be done about this, it’s just an expression of what I feel as a customer.
I arrived at Nordstrom today to pick up my pre-sale items from In The Groove (Stereo Rose MSF, Soften The Mood Trio and Happy Together Blush) and was shocked to find out that they did not have my Stereo Rose. Shocked because I had done my pre-sale with my sales associate a week before the release date. As we were on the phone she said, “tell me what you want and I will grab them as you list them because I know if I don’t grab them now, someone will take them.” She ended our phone conversation by telling me she had “grabbed and bagged” all my items and that they were “safe” for me to pick up on Thursday.
Yet when I arrived today I was told many of the pre-sales were not fulfilled because of something that “happened” and they were not sure what had occurred. Not the fault of my sales associate though. I saw on the handwritten pre-sale slip in big letters, “DO NOT TOUCH,” bless her heart. I heard that someone went through all the pre-sales and removed the Stereo Roses but it was kept a bit hushed and nobody could confirm.
They called the MAC Store for me and they luckily still had some. They did say over the phone, “we can only hold it if you literally run up here right away.” So run I did. When I got to the MAC store, I went to the cashier and said “I have Stereo Rose on hold, Nordstrom just called seconds ago.” I received a shocked look followed by, “What? We don’t hold the new collection items anymore for anyone …” but she saw the box with my name on it to her right and said, “Oh, HERE it is, good thing a manager didn’t see this.” I did thank her for making an exception. I explained my situation with my pre-sale and she said, “you know, you are the 4th customer who has come here and said that is what happened to them too.”
So at the end of the day I have my new Stereo Rose. Why I went through the extra effort to call ahead of time to do a pre-sale and run to 2 different stores to get it – I have no idea. Makeup just not worth this kind of “tracking down”. Chances are MAC will re-release this again. It won’t stop me from shopping at Nordstrom and MAC. I value Nordstrom for their excellent customer service. Especially the women I shop with personally. I know this wasn’t necessarily their fault. But the fact that it did occur is bothersome.
I realize the limited edition factor creates buzz and attention, but I feel bad for those women who couldn’t get this. I don’t know the reasoning behind why Nordstrom counters were sent such a limited supply. It could be for a variety of factors, economic downturn/struggles, loss of profit from unsold inventory (hence decreasing the supply) or something entirely different. I just heard they only received 6 pieces of Stereo Rose which I think is poor inventory management/forecasting.
If you are desperate to find one, I recommend checking out MAC stores, Macy’s and Bloomingdales as they might have more inventory than online distributors.
Lemming inspired by Fab Over Forty, British Beauty Blogger and Cafe Makeup. I typically don’t purchase much from Estée Lauder but when I heard the line was being revamped I was intrigued. I have a few Estée Lauder products including some skincare products, the Michael Kors collection items, some items from last fall and Cinnamon Eyeshadow – I like them, but don’t find myself reaching for them very much. Still, I was intrigued by the press release and reviews of the Pure Color Night Collection by Tom Pecheux. Some other blogs that have done excellent reviews are linked below.
Read Amy’s detailed background report, photos and swatches here
The Tom Pecheux Pure Color Night Collection is exclusive to Bergdorf Goodman in the U.S. and includes a Highlight Powder, Kiss Me Lip Gloss and Naughty Black Eyeshadow Trio.
The Highlight Powder feels like it has a slight cream texture. Amy’s description is perfect – it really does give a sheer wash of highlight. Not too shimmery or sparkly. It melts into the skin unlike any powder highlighter I’ve tried. It gives a soft candlelit glow. I would definitely be interested in seeing this released in more shades – preferably darker ones in a golden tan sparkle.
I was excited to learn that the line was being revamped so I was hoping the lipglosses would no longer have that Estée Lauder scent. Unfortunately it still does however, the scent isn’t quite as strong. Kiss Me is pretty in the tube but goes on very sheer. It feels smooth like MAC Lipgelees but seems to have a better moisturizing quality rather than the slippery feel that MAC’s had.
Naughty Black is my favorite item from the new release. It goes on more of a blackened brown, but this is perfect for me. I find it difficult to get straight black eyeshadows to work on my skin (they either look too harsh or greyish) so the brownish undertones make this perfect. I was surprised how pigmented it is. It’s swatched below without a base.
Overall a great collection. However, typical of Estée Lauder ads, I find that the items don’t look anything like they do on the model. They are usually way off from what the featured look is each season. However, I am excited about the new eyeshadow reformulations coming out next month and definitely plan on checking them out. For now, I will think I will pass on checking out the new lipglosses. I’m just not a fan of the scent, although I do have to say I find the packaging sleek and very attractive.
A rediscovered favorite: I featured Laura Mercier’s Mineral Illuminating Powders last October in my Color Focus: Neutral Sparkle & Glow post. I’ve pulled out my Candlelight shimmer powder again recently and have fallen back in love with it for a pretty soft nude-rose glow. More close ups and swatches. Works wonders on the eyes for an all over natural glow. Also pretty on the temples for a highlight.
Now if she would only release a tan-nude type shimmer! She has a lovely silver, pale gold and a deep bronze. I have been looking for a good caramel-nude-honey contouring shimmer powder.
Do you have a favorite loose shimmer powder? Or series of favorites? Please share!
I am so excited to tell you all I have found the Limited Edition Love Dior Set by Tyen! For this purchase, I have Marina from Makeup4All to thank for writing about the set back last October in her Tyen: 30 Years of Creation Love Dior Palette and also my fellow makeup guru Parsi who told me she spotted it at the Dior Boutique in Las Vegas and immediately sent me a rave review knowing this would be something I would be interested in learning more about. The Dior Boutique in the Forum Shops did have a few left in stock and I was ecstatic!
The set is called Love Dior which retails for $80 US. It comes with an Eyeshadow Palette that is called Love Dior, but can also be used on cheeks as a highlighter. There is also a gorgeous nail polish that has complex shimmers of burgandy-wine-purple-fuschia which I am absolutely in love with.
One more shot, natural light:
I haven’t had a chance to play with the palette yet. It’s too pretty, I don’t know that I want to touch it. The “i” in the Dior arrived crumbled, but no biggie. I will try to pull some similar nail polish shades to do a comparison post soon!
