If you’ve been waiting for all the shades of the Tom Ford Matte Lipsticks ($50 each) to show up online, all eight colors of the new lipstick formula are now available on Nordstrom.com including First Time which seems to have been the first to sell out other places and also Black Dahlia which didn’t show up for a while.
The eight colors include:
Pink Tease
Flame
Plum Lush
First Time
Black Dahlia
Pussycat
Ruby Rush
Velvet Cherry
My review and swatches on the formula and picks First Time, Pink Tease, Velvet Cherry and Pussycat here. My two favorites are First Time and Velvet Cherry.
At this time I’ve heard that First Time and Black Dahlia are the only two shades that are limited-edition, but I reports are often mixed depending on who you ask. I do know First Time sold out quickly so if you’ve been searching for it, I recommend ordering sooner than later.
This holiday Laura Mercier has released a limited-edition six piece Mini Caviar Stick Eye Color Set ($55, each mini stick 1.0g/0.03 oz). Over the past few years, I’ve eyed the holiday Caviar Stick mini sets but only liked 1/2 of the shades so never purchased it. This year’s set has beautiful neutrals including Rosegold, Copper, Moonlight, Khaki, Amethyst and Cocoa. All the shades are colors I know I will use, I’ve had this set for a few weeks now and love the versatility of the colors. These are perfect no-fuss cream shadow sticks that you can swipe and blend with a finger, although brushes work too for the darker shades if you want to get detail application.
Rosegold is a lovely soft warm champagne with a hint of rose
Copper is a warm but wearable soft copper shimmer
Moonlight is the perfect platinum-taupe shimmer with a bit of warmth
Khaki is a neutral khaki metallic
Amethyst is a soft mauve purple with silvery pearl
Cocoa is a basic chocolate brown with a hint of shimmer
Each shade is nicely pigmented but easy to blend and smooth on the lids. The sticks are buildable so you can control the level of color you want. My lids are on the normal-dry side, but I can apply these straight to the lid without any base or eye cream needed. If you have oily lids you will really like how these stay put. The dry time is just perfect for me. Some cream shadow sticks dry almost instantly requiring super quick blending before they set. The Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks have a slightly dewy texture which gives you more time to blend and apply slowly – but once they set, they don’t budge.
You can use these a number of different ways: a single shade alone, multiple colors layered together, or combined with powder shadow. Close ups and swatches:
Eye swatches below: top picture is just with Moonlight applied and blended on the lids, the bottom two photos are with Rosegold and Khaki layered in addition to Moonlight:
I’m smitten with this set. If you’re one who rarely gets to finish a cream shadow stick because they end up drying out before you can use it up, these minis are a good way to try multiple shades in smaller doses. I’ve had a couple of the full sizes that have lasted over a year and haven’t dried out but I’m always worried about it (many other brands have). Or if you want to try multiple shades out in a smaller travel friendly format, these are great. You can bring all six shades with you in your makeup bag or travels without worrying that they will take up a lot of space.
Chanel Rouge Allure Glosses have finally arrived in the US in ten different colors ($34 each for 6 ml/0.20 fl oz). The newly released lipglosses are a color and shine lip product packaged in a long clickable tube similar to the Rouge Allure Lipsticks. I’ve been a huge fan of Chanel glosses in general and the new Rouge Allure Gloss does not disappoint. (These are replacing the Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss formulas). I picked out five different shades:
Sensuel 11 is a perfect medium beige nude
Affriolant 13 is a hot warm pink
Sensible 15 is a softer warm baby pink
Séduction 18 is a stunning soft red
Distinction 21 is a gorgeous deep plum
The Rouge Allure Glosses are truly phenomenal. The formula is thick but smooth. There is a slight tacky feeling when you apply which makes them adhere to the lips well but at the same time they aren’t sticky. The new Rouge Allure Glosses come with a sponge tip applicator which is almost identical the older Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss formula. The difference is that the new ones have slightly better pigment. The Rouge Allure Gloss has a really nice feel on the lips – it helps smooth them, plump them and add just the right amount of shine and color. They also stay put well (as in they don’t bleed around the edges of the lip and don’t disappear after 10 minutes).
The colors I tested are easy to apply and blend. A couple swipes is all you need for medium coverage but they are definitely layerable for more color. The sponge tip applies to the lips perfectly – no lip brush or finger blending needed. The tip has a slight point at the tip so you can get precise application around the edges while the wider base allows you to glide across larger areas of your lip.
A closer look at the packaging shows that Chanel once again was able to revamp one of their classic products with an updated modern look while still retaining the classic Chanel feel, old Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss vs new Rouge Allure Gloss:
Packaging of the new Rouge Allure Glosses have a clickable cap/applicator tip:
All the glosses at the Chanel Boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills:
Close up and swatches:
Swatched on the lips, most of these shown below are with two swipes. You can definitely add one more swipe to layer each shade for more coverage and color.
It’s pure love for these. In my mind these glosses have everything I want in a lip gloss: smooth coverage, soothing hydrating feel, medium shine, layerable color with good pigment. They just feel incredible on the lips. I give these a huge thumbs up. I’m sad to see the older Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss formula go, but the new Rouge Allure Glosses are really amazing. There’s a slight hint of shimmer in each color I have but it doesn’t really show up on the lips. I love that the colors are classics with a modern feel and that they also have depth. For me these fall into the “need” and I think you really need to try at least one. They are a luxurious splurge but worth every penny.
The Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss retails for $34 each. You can find them now at all Chanel stores and counters. Online now at Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.
Tom Ford has released a new lipstick formula called Lip Color Matte ($50 each, made in Belgium). I spotted some shades at the Tom Ford Boutique on Rodeo Drive last week. The new Lip Color Mattes are currently available online at Tom Ford and Neiman Marcus, they should be released at all Tom Ford retailers later this season. I found some helpful swatches and photos on Instagram from @beautyprofessor, @reallyree and @tanyabuzzetta. I saw seven different shades in Pink Tease, First Time, Velvet Cherry, Pussycat, Flame, Plum Lush and Ruby Rush, although there are reports that an additional shade Black Dahlia might also be released.
The Lip Color Matte formula is a lipstick with a velvety semi-matte finish. They are designed to be matte lipsticks but they aren’t really a traditional full matte which is a huge plus for me. I rarely say I hate anything beauty related, but on me, I really hate matte lips. I find they emphasize lines, look heavy/thick and end up aging the face. Finding colors that work with the matte texture is also tricky for me. The Tom Ford Lip Color Mattes have a soft cushy velvety texture. They glide on smoothly onto the lips and don’t look dry. I do find that if you have any peeling or dry areas, prep the lips with a lip balm for a few minutes and then wipe it off before applying the lipstick. Another good alternative I like is MAC’s Prep + Prime Lip (it’s a good lip primer to keep lipstick in place, but not really a lip moisturizer).
These have the same vanilla scent as the regular lip colors do. Lasting power is quite good, they aren’t budge proof but they do stay put fairly long. I picked out four colors, three neutrals and one deep burgundy red. The others were very dark and bright – good if you want a dramatic lip, but too dramatic for my taste. The color I bought include:
L to R: First Time, Pink Tease, Pussycat, Velvet Cherry
First Time is a peach nude pink, this one applies nicely on the lips, you have to let it sit for a minute and warm up on the lip though, it doesn’t change color but the texture melds into the lip after a minute of sitting on the lips
Pink Tease is a very cool-toned medium pink, this looks like a neutral pink in the tube, but on my lips it went a bit fluorescent and pulled very cool on my skin, this one needs tweaking with a gloss or lipliner to warm it up, otherwise it makes my lips look really dry just because the color clashes with my skin
Pussycat is a cool mauve pink, this one surprised me, I thought it would go on too blue-toned based on how it swatched on my hand, it’s a surprisingly wearable mauve
Velvet Cherry is a deep red, this something I usually don’t go for, but it’s a classic deep dark red that isn’t too dark, this one needs careful application and lip prep, it has such a sharp contrast with my natural lip color, precise application is key, I applied it below straight from the tube (scroll down) although I should have fixed it with a lip brush
Close ups and swatches, you can see below the coverage and pigment is really good:
Comparisons, Set One has the following (I’ll link previous swatches and reviews):
Lip swatches of the four lip mattes I picked out below:
I like First Time, Pussycat and Velvet Cherry. In real life they look very natural and smooth on the lips, a camera flash tends to emphasize any shadows or fine lines so they might look a bit dry in the photos above. The exception is with Pink Tease which I am not a fan of (at least on me). I can’t really pull off cool-toned bright pinks well, they end up looking too mod-like. The color just looks really aged and dry on my lips, but in all fairness, all colors similar in tone and brightness do the same.
I’m not a fan of matte-finish lipsticks so I can’t say I am absolutely in love with these, but I am very pleased with 3 of the 4 shades I bought. I personally prefer Tom Ford’s other lip formulas and color options, but the Lip Color Mattes still perform very well and I do think they are worth looking into, especially if you like rich deep colors.
I’ve been busy with a move, I didn’t plan to take a break from blogging but ended up having to take a few days off. I have quite a few new things I’m excited to share with you and hope to get everything unpacked from boxes in the next few days. In the meantime, here are some new things that have popped up online in the beauty world. Holiday collections and new releases are trickling in each day.
Diptyque has three new scents coming out this holiday in Spice, Winter and Resin (1). Three are available online at Neiman Marcus in the large size. If you are near a Diptyque Boutique, they will have an exclusive in-store one-day preview this Wednesday October 15 before it is released officially in November. (These will also be available in the smaller sizes too.)
Marc Jacobs Beauty The Sky-Liner Set (2) has 7 mini Highliner Gel Pencil set for the holidays. It has in O(vert) (forest green), Brown(out) (bronze with shimmer), Th(ink) (deep navy), (Plum)age (vivid purple), Blacquer (black), Sunset (golden bronze shimmer), Midnight in Paris (inky indigo blue). This is on my wish list.
Oribe Liquid Gold Set (4) has mini 50 ml sizes of the Gold Lust Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Oil. I tried a couple sample packets of the shampoo and conditioner and fell head over heels. I have some other shampoos I’m currently using now, so I may wait and get this set once those are used up.
Dior has added more shades to their 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette line (5). I have Cuir Cannage and Versaille to share soon. There will be two limited-edition options for holiday as well in Golden Shock and Golden Reflections.
Tom Ford Beauty has new matte lipsticks for the holiday (6). I am normally not a fan of matte lips but saw these last week and splurged on four shades. The colors currently available are Pink Tease, Pussycat, Ruby Rush, Plum Lush, Flame, First Time and Velvet Cherry.
Bobbi Brown has several holiday items and sets this year (7). There are some really pretty items from the Scotch on the Rocks collection. I played with these briefly at the counter a few days ago. I have my eye on the Bronze Glow Highlight Powder, Black Scotch Gel Liner, Scotch Nail Polish, Bellini and Gold Glitter Lipgloss, I will need to play more before deciding whether or not these will be too shimmery or not.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I will resume posting as soon as I can, in the meantime I’d love to hear what’s on your beauty radar 🙂
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.
The latest addition to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting line is the Ambient Lighting Blush Palette ($58 for 3 shades, each 0.116 oz/3.3g). It’s a limited-edition palette with three of the Ambient Lighting Blushes in Luminous Flush (champagne rose), Incandescent Electra (cool peach, exclusive to the palette) and Mood Exposure (soft plum). I’ve been a huge fan of the Ambient Lighting Powders (palette review and Luminous Light review here) and Blushes (review on individual colors here). The addition of a travel-friendly blush palette is just pure genius (for me at least).
If you’re new to the Ambient Lighing Blushes, they are multi-dimensional powders with swirls of pigmented color and highlighter. They are infused with what Hourglass calls “photoluminescent technology” which creates depth and dimension. Hourglass claims these give your face an “otherworldly glow” and I can’t find any words to better describe their Ambient Lighting products. All of the powders are handmade so no two look alike.
I’ve been testing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette for the past couple of weeks and am really pleased with it. Two of the shades can be purchases individually which I already own, so while this is mostly a duplicate of what I have, I do find the packaging design and size of the palettes to be very user-friendly and perfect for travel. I almost always bring the highlighter palette with me on all trips. The compact is sleek and long so it fits easily into my travel bags.
The powders in the blush palette are identical in size to those in the highlighter palette. They are smaller compared to the blushes that you purchase individually. I’ve photographed them side by side for comparison purposes.
I’ve found the colors in the palette to look slightly lighter than the ones I own individually but they apply the same on the skin. In my experience, the Ambient Lighting Blushes are all very pigmented on my skin and show up just like blush with a couple exceptions. Dim Infusion and Etheral Glow are both very light and give a very slight hint of color on my medium/tan skin. If you are medium to dark, you may find these don’t show up on you. In terms of application, all the other colors, including the shades in the Blush Palette show up very well on my skin. What I love about these is that they are soft but buildable. The blush color is very pigmented but the mix of the soft highlighter inside each shade gives the product a very beautiful glow. I do think these work best on skin that has a bit of moisture. If you have super dry skin or a very powdered face, you might find they don’t show up as well. For me over foundation with powder on top these apply just fine. If you don’t see any color you may want to add a bit of a sheer highlighter like Armani Fluid Sheers on the cheeks under these.
Comparisons of the individual blush shades in Luminous Light and Mood Exposure (they look different in the pans but swatch identical):
Swatches, on the face they are glowy and not frosty:
Close ups of each shade in the palette:
The Ambient Lighting Palette is bottom line love. After playing with this for a few weeks I’ve found it really versatile. The colors look good individually or with two of them layered (any combination works). All the colors look good with neutral pinks, nude, plum or peach lips. The blushes have enough color to bring life to the face, but are subtle enough to wear with a bold lip.
If you’ve been waiting and thinking about the blushes I think the palette is definitely something worth splurging on. Product size differences aside, the palette retails for $58 while three individual blushes at $35 each will cost you $100+. If you already own Luminous Flush and Mood Exposure, then I don’t think this is something that falls into the “need” category, however I do think it’s a must-have for me. The Ambient Lighting Blushes are compact in size already so they don’t take up a lot of room in your makeup bag. I do really like the convenience and packaging of the Hourglass palettes and Incandescent Electra is one of the prettiest light peaches I’ve ever seen.
