The Dolce & Gabbana Makeup Spring 2010 Collection has arrived instores in the US and it’s beautiful. The products released have a diverse mix of pink, orange-peach, and purple colors. You can see the full line-up at Karen’s Makeup and Beauty Blog. Below are the close ups and comparisons of the things I picked out.
L to R: Innocence Lipgloss, Precious Lipstick, Petal Lipstick
L to R: Dolce & Gabbana Petal Quad, Apricot Blush, Mystery Duo
Natural sunlight:
Petal Quad:
Petal Quad Comparisons:
In natural sunlight:
Apricot Blush (no swatches):
Mystery Eyeshadow Duo:
Mystery Duo – Purple Side Comparisons:
Mystery Duo – Bronzey Side Comparisons:
Swatch comparisons:
The spring collection is lovely, but seems like an odd combination for a spring look. The pigment of each item is incredible. The eyeshadows are soft but highly pigmented and easy to blend. The lipsticks are full coverage and creamy. The lipgloss is semi-sheer and gives a pretty creamy milky pink look that isn’t too milky like NARS turkish delight can be.
As you can see with some of the comparisons, there are definitely some close dupes in other lines. What’s unique about the Dolce & Gabbana eyeshadows is the texture and finely milled shimmer which gives them that extra sparkle and shimmer which the camera can’t fully capture.
I’m still undecided about the Apricot Blush – it just seems darker more brown-orange than I’m used to. I’m debating whether or not to keep it.
There were quite a few other new items in the spring collection which I did not purchase. All these were ordered sight unseen based on descriptions over the phone. The following items are also new in the spring collection (but not purchased) and there were several repromotes:
Ultra Lipliner
Nude Eyeliner
Glam Lipstick
Petal Nail Polish
Drama Nail Polish
Hi ladies, I just received some of the new Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010 items from Saks! I’m swamped this week so I don’t have much time to write a full review or answer questions in depth, I will get back to you as soon as I have time – hopefully sometime this weekend.
In the meantime, here are the items I picked out from the spring collection. More details on The Spring 2010 Collection, The Roses Lipstick Collection and a few Saks Exclusives to come in the next few days.
Hope everyone is having a great week!
I will say – for those of you thinking Apricot Blush looks orangey-brown, it is indeed brownish. It looks like the color of a dried apricot. I’m not going to be touching it until I decide whether or not I can pull it off. It’s way out of my comfort zone!
Please do not republish photos. All work is copyrighted. Thanks!
I’ve been playing around with my new MAC Too Fabulous Mineralize Blushes and Cremesheen Glass lipglosses all week and tried a few combinations for each product. Eye makeup was very low-key this week, only using a neutral cream eyeshadow + gel liner + mascara.
The new mineralize blushes are really pretty! Those with darker skins will really like the colors. I agree with the consensus among other reviews that these tend to be on the more shimmery side. They aren’t overly frosty when applied with a lighter hand. Those who get oily/shiny fast or have larger pores, I’d say these will probably be a nay for you.
The cremesheen glasses are among my favorite gloss formula from MAC. I like that they repromoted some colors and mixed in some new shades. This gives me ideas on how to use the colors I already have with some new blush colors.
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Look #1: MAC Rhapsody in Two Mineralize Blush + Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek #02 + Partial to Pink/Boy Bait Cremesheen Glasses mixed
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Look #2: MAC Bi-Tone Mineralize Blush + MAC Love, Henri Lipstick + Moth to Flame Dazzleglass
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Look #3: MAC Buddy Up Mineralize Blush + Trish McEvoy Baby Pink Essential Pencil + Just Superb Cremesheen Glass
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Look #4: MAC Sun & Moon Mineralize Blush + NARS Cafe Con Leche + MAC Ever Hip Lipstick + Richer, Lusher Cremesheen Glass
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Look #5: MAC Deelight Cremesheen Glass + Laura Mercier Chestnut Lipliner + NARS Tutti Fruitti Lipstick + MAC Afterdusk Blush/Stark Naked Blush mixed together
Today’s lips of the day features the new Chanel Rouge Coco in Sycamore #32 and Paul & Joe’s Lip Lacquer Magnifique #10. Both colors are in the plummy-brown category.
I also used Paul & Joe’s #2 lipliner (not pictured) which is a perfect match for both colors. The lipstick has amazing pigment and those who like darker plummy-browns will really like this. It’s like a more brown version of the Crazed Rouge Allure (which is another favorite).
Swatch of all 3 lip items used:
I attempted lip swatches, but they turned out more red and a bit washed out than it looks in real life. In real life, the lipstick is a pretty plummy-brown shimmer and the gloss deepens the color and adds shine. The swatch photos really don’t do the lipstick/gloss justice.
Check out swatches on other blogs such as Karlasugar and Temptalia to try and get a better idea of the color on different skintones.
Just the lipstick (looks less reddish and more plum in real life):
Lipstick & gloss (note the sun makes it look lighter, this is actually darker in real life):
My friend and I just checked out the new Chanel Rouge Coco Lipsticks and we hit up all four major department stores near me to investigate on any store exclusives (yes, we went to all four). We found that only Saks and Neimans had exclusives and we both were delighted with the ones at Neiman Marcus: Rose Paradise Nail Polish and Gardenia Rouge Coco.
In addition to their full Rouge Coco display, Neimans also has a mini unit featuring:
* Rose Paradise #185 Nail Polish (Retails for $23) – a warmer pink rose frost
* Gardenia #13 Rouge Coco Lipstick (Retails for $30) – a soft warm pink base with & cool pink shimmer
* Bel Air #147 Glossimer (Retails for $27) – this is the second repromote for this shade, it’s a classic creamy pink-rose (pinker than giggle)
We both had to get the newer shades and I already had Bel Air from the Les Naturels Collection from last April/May 2009. All the Chanel reps were either wearing the exclusive Gardenia #13 or Mademoiselle #05 (featured on Vanessa Paradis in the Rouge Coco ad). Both colors were stunning on all the artists regardless of skin-tone and coloring.
To clarify – the lipstick is not an exact match for the gloss. It appears they simply decided to repromote the Bel Air to compliment the new lipstick. The artists told me they were also combining Pagoda Glossimer (another favorite of mine) with Gardenia Lipstick for their makeovers.
No flash, natural light:
It looks like Rose Paradise Nail Polish is available on Chanel.com, but it’s currently Out Of Stock which makes me think they might not have got it in quite yet. So perhaps these aren’t really “exclusive” as the little display showed. I’ll do a manicure post on this later in the next week or so, but here it is compared to a few other shades, Ming, Rose Blossom, Paparazzi. The Rose Paradise is a warm shimmery rose, similar to Tarte Love Child Cheek Stain in a nail polish form.
I am sad to see the Hydrabase go away, but the new colors and formula is amazing. I swatched as many as I could fit on my hand and ended up coming home with way too much. If you had or tried any Hydrabase colors you know that there was a strong floral scent and that some of the shades felt a bit dry to apply. Once on the lip they were perfectly fine, but the texture tugged the lips a bit upon application.
The new Rouge Coco Lipsticks have a creamy moisturizing formula that just glides on the lips without feeling too shiny or glossy. I find that it really is the best of all Chanel lipsticks – like if you mixed all three formulas from Aqualumiere, Hydrabase and Rouge Allure together. There is a slight scent, but I could barely notice it. I am thrilled with the new colors and formula. You really can just apply and be done in one swipe. No liner or gloss needed in my opinion.
It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Edward Bess. I’ve loved every single lipstick and lipgloss that I’ve purchased from the line and I have to say I’m surprised that I’ve had so many “yays” considering all the colors were purchased sight-unseen.
I’ve already featured some product photos and reviews on Pure Impulse Lipstick and Soft Whisper Lipgloss in previous posts, so today, I’ll bring you a lip swatch of the two used together.
For those who haven’t read those reviews, here is the run-down on Edward Bess Lipsticks & Lipglosses:
* Pure Impulse Lipstick – This is one of my holy grail nudes. Note that “nude” is subject to interpretation, but for me it’s a natural beigey-nude that enhances my natural lip color but better in a light-nude way. Edward Bess lipsticks are full coverage, rich and creamy. They blend on the lips like a dream. There is a slight fig scent which I don’t mind. Another surprising find, since my nose is ultra-sensitive. The lipsticks have a natural slightly glossy finish making them non-flat looking.
* Soft Whisper Lipgloss – This is equally pretty in my opinion. I find beauty in simplicity. It’s a pretty beige color without shimmer. It’s slightly warmer than Pure Impulse – but very close in color. Just not quite as nude. The pigment is medium with a slightly sticky finish, but not overly so. His lipglosses also have a fig-scent.
Granted, some may find these boring. But all I can say is that I love this lip combination. It’s simple, classic, easy to wear and coordinates well with other shades. Can they be easily replicated with other brands? Perhaps, but I love that I can wear Pure Impulse by itself without feeling the need to tweak the color with a different shade of liner or gloss. Soft Whisper compliments the lipstick perfectly adding shine and a bit more depth.
A few notes before you read on: * I have received mixed reviews on swatches. Please take them with a grain of salt! I am not an expert at swatching or photographing swatches. * Some of you like the swatches and some of you have asked me to stop swatching. There lies the blogger’s dilemma – what to do when you received mixed feedback? * This lip-swatch article is my compromise-solution for requests on full-face photos.
Please bear with me while I try to figure out how to best photograph lip swatches. Thanks 🙂
*UPDATE* FYI: I am a Chanel Shell Teint Innocence which is light-medium right now. This is the equivalent of a MAC NC30 but a tad darker, not quite as deep as the NC35 color. YMMV depending on your natural lip tone. For some of my darker medium-skinned friends this isn’t quite as peachy as it looks on me and goes on more of a beige with nude/grey base.
Here is Pure Impulse applied alone, no lipliner or gloss:
The Lipstick + Lipgloss:
I used this today with Edward Bess’s Daydream Bronzer + Lancome’s Miel Glace Blush on the cheeks and it was a pretty natural look! Do note that the cheek products were added after I took these photos, which is why you can’t see anything but powder/foundation.
Edward Bess products can be purchased from Bergdorf Goodman or EdwardBess.com in the US.
I’ve been a huge NARS Orgasm Blush fan ever since it came out (I believe in either 1999 or early 2000). Clearly many others love it too – this blush alone currently has 3,344 reviews on Makeupalley.com with a 4 out of 5 stars average and ranks #3 as the product with the third most reviews.
Who would have thought that a single blush would be the beginnings of a series of “O” colors and products? I think sometimes I am just easily impressed and amused. I find it hilarious how many puns are done on the Super Blush version and the Multiple Stick version. One of my favorite NARS artists refuses to say the entire name for the multiple because she cannot handle the reaction customers have to that phrase. I myself am hesitant to say the word outloud when I’m at the counter.
The new Illuminator finally hit Sephora stores a few days ago, I tried it out on my hand and it seemed really sheer. I couldn’t tell if it was just the bad lighting or if it really did disappear so I managed to get a small sample from the store and played around with it today.
I tried the Illuminator 2 ways today. Clearly I should have focused on other more productive things today, but here goes.
Method 1: On 1/2 my face I mixed the Illuminator with foundation since the description said it’s good for an all over glow. Since it was pretty sheer, I didn’t see much of a difference in my foundation. Perhaps if I use a greater proportion of Illuminator to foundation I will be able to see a more glowy effect.
Method 2: On the other 1/2 of my face, apply foundation and powder, then apply the Nars Illuminator with a brush on the cheeks. The result is a very subtle but pretty glow. The glow is definitely noticeable. It doesn’t go on as bronzey or dark as it looks in the tube. I took a picture of my cheeks but unfortunately the camera cannot capture the effect. I think I may have to go back to Sephora and actually purchase the full tube.
Conclusion: I do believe it really does give you that glow-from-within effect. You will have to play around with it to see how it work for you. It’s more subtle than the Orgasm Multiple (the multiple is frostier and more sparkley). I find Multiples can feel greasy or get shiny mid-day if you don’t use powder underneath and over them. The Illuminator is neither greasy or oily. I can’t say that it dries to a powder, but it stays put and doesn’t feel like you have anything on after it dries.
If you don’t like subtle – you won’t like this.
In honor of the newest extension to the “O” series, the Orgasm Illuminator, I thought I’d try to swatch all the items in the line. Yes, I have caved and purchased most of the items, my thoughts on each after the photos.
The top blush is the regular Orgasm Blush. The one at the bottom is Super Orgasm.
Swatches:
The nail polish swatch:
The nail polish next to the blush version:
Thoughts on each item:
* The Regular “O” Blush – I love this, but I have to apply this with a light hand. Sometimes the gold shimmer is overpowering if I apply this too heavily. I like layering this over other light peaches so this adds a nice glow.
* Super “O” – Would really love if they took away the glitter. I find that tapping the brush before I put it on my face gets rid of most of the glitter. I like that it’s more pink and less gold.
* Multiple – A bit frosty for my taste, I actually preferred the Mustique that they discontinued once the Orgasm version was released.
* Lip Gloss – I like this the most out of the series. Such a pretty soft peachy pinky gold.
* The Nail Polish – I hate this. Maybe I’m just not used to orangey colors on my finger. If you are more tan, perhaps it would look less orange/gold. I just don’t like it with my skintone. I don’t know why I’m still holding onto it. I don’t think it’s flattering on me. It was good in theory, but in real life, just not my thing.
So what’s everyone’s guess as to the next product in the “O” Series? My guess is a lipstick version. Or do you think the series is going to stop here?
