I’m not sure if purple is “in” this season (with the exception of a part of MAC’s upcoming Spring Forecast collection) – but I’m not always one to follow the trends. When I think of spring, I think of soft colors and I love using purple on one feature for the face at a time (to avoid that purple overload look). I pulled out my soft purply colors and was surprised to find how much lilac and violets I own.
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Part 1: Eyes
For eyes, I can’t pull off all purples – some lilacs make me look like I have pink-eye but these are the ones that work for me. I would have to say my favorites are the Armani Maestro Single #10 because it has some slight gold sparkles and the new Paul & Joe Purple Clover from spring (waves to Josie for her wonderful swatch and review here).
1. Giorgio Armani Maestro Quad 6 Mineral 2. Giorgio Armani Maestro Single 10 3. NARS Duo Eyeshadow Violetta 4. MAC Violet, Dear (discontinued) 5. Laura Mercier Luster Eyeshadow Dusk (mini size from GWP) 6. Paul & Joe Face & Eyecolor CS in Purple Clover 066 7. MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette in Crystal 8. Laura Mercier Mineral Eye Powder in Crushed Amethyst 9. Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow in Haze 10. Paul & Joe Eyeshadow Velvet Ribbon 06 11. MAC Pigment in Kitchmas 12. MAC Pigment in Lovely Lily (l/e) 13. MAC Pigment in Circa Plum (l/e)
* Please note, I’m not a fan of that Nars Violetta swatch, the lighter matte shade doesn’t always go on as muddy dark as it did on my arm
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Part 2: Lips
For lips, I can’t wear straight purples or lilacs for the lips. Most of these are either sheer or have some pink pearl in them to give a soft cool pink lip. My favorites are Laura Mercier’s Violet & Lilac Lip Glaces.
1. Bobbi Brown Brightening Lipgloss Pink Lilac 2. Laura Mercier Plumping Lipgloss in Wild Berry 3. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Violet 4. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Lilac 5. MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory 6. MAC Lipglass Nico Now (l/e) 7. MAC Lipglass Fast Friends (l/e) 8. Nars Chastity Lip Gloss 9. Nars Sweet Charity Lip Gloss 10. Chanel Glossimer in Delight 11. Laura Mercier Stickgloss Lip Color in Purple Haze
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Part 3: Nails
I’m not the biggest fan of purple nails. I got a few of these as gifts yet can’t bring myself to regift them or give them away (because often times it’s the thought that counts). I desperately wanted to love Chanel’s Rodeo Drive (gorgeous violet purple) but it was simply too bright for my comfort. Chanel’s Lilac Sky is much more doable for me. I do like lighter purples for the nails, I also have a photo/swatch of Le Metier Phlox here, but it’s currently MIA.
Pinkie to Thumb: Sephora by OPI Call Your Mother, OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, MAC Love & Friendship, Chanel Violette (euro exclusive), Chanel Lilac Sky
Bobbi Brown’s second spring release this year focuses on a coral theme featuring universal modern corals. I was able to check it out in person yesterday and I came home with Shimmer Lipglosses in Sunset Beach, Golden Nectar, Coral Sand, Pot Rouge in Cabo Coral, and Nectar Shimmer Brick.
The counter didn’t have the older Calypso Coral in their tester unit so I decided to get the new one anyways. I compared the new Cabo Coral to the old Calypso Coral and Becca Tuberose. They are pretty similar, the older Calypso Coral has more pink where the new Cabo Coral is more of a straight coral. Becca Tuberose clearly has some pink similar to the Calypso Coral.
Those who are scared of bright blush – don’t be afraid to try Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouges. They are very blendable and are great for both lips and cheeks. I prefer to use them on cheeks though. If you’re still scared or find these are still too bright, look into Trish McEvoy’s Liquid Face Color for a softer peach with a bit of shimmer.
I already had the Nectar Shimmer Brick from Neiman’s Exclusive Release which cost $45 each in a smaller heavy metal magnetized compact. I only found out about the release of the Nectar Shimmer Brick in the regular size after my purchase. I kinda felt like kicking myself for caving into such a splurge but the compact is cute and pretty. I purchased the regular sized Nectar from the new collection as a gift for my sister. It is identical in color to the Neiman’s release.
Apricot Shimmer Brick compared to Nectar Shimmer Brick:
Here are my comparisons to other coral-peachy blushes including Chanel In Love, Bobbi Brown Coral Shimmer Blush, Nars Deep Throat and Nars Torrid.
Here are my swatches of the cheek items:
I also compared the new lipglosses to my other peachy-coral lipglosses. Left to right:
Swatched below, please note below is a different order:
My thoughts:
The standouts are the Nectar Shimmer Brick and Lipglosses. I love corals but can’t really pull of stronger corals and oranges (except for cheeks). If you’re a corals fan you will like this collection.
*UPDATE* I also saw the Coral Eye and Lip Palette at Neimans and passed – the only color I was interested in was Burnt Sugar which I already have. The palette itself is gorgeous, I just knew it would be too warm for me.
I passed on all the lipsticks because they looked too orangey for my taste. The Metallic Lip Colors were gorgeous, but I’ve had bad experiences with breakage – they are so soft that about 1/4 of mine have already broken at the base. All the testers were already broken as well.
I’m not quite sure that I think this collection is really “universal”. I do think most women can find at least 1 item they will like. But they aren’t the most unique colors.
I find the corals a bit too monochromatic – I really liked her lipglosses but the lipsticks were all too peachy and orangey. On my face, it would end up looking clown-like.
Although I’m happy she has released the Pink Quartz Shimmerbrick again, it doesn’t quite seem to fit with the theme.
I wish there were eyeshadows featured with the collection or at least recommendations of what to use with the lips and cheeks.
Her website introduces the Cabana Corals collection as “Bobbi’s fresh take on an old-school favorite.” My question is what is the old-school favorite? Is it the Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick or is it the Cabo Coral Pot Rouge as a revamped version of Calypso Coral? While this isn’t a huge deal – I find the message a bit confusing.
Overall – it’s definitely worth checking out especially for that Nectar Shimmerbrick. If you missed out on Pink Quartz the first round, then I highly recommend you get it now. It’s lovely!
As a courtesy, I’d like to ask that these photos NOT be republished on other sites. Thank you!
This is for Suzanne who requested swatches of all my Armani Lip Shimmers together in one photo. These retail in the US for $26 and are available at various Saks, Neimans, Bloomingdales and Nordstroms locations. I purchased all of mine from Saks over the years – I realize the shelf life of a lipgloss is typically 1-2 years, but I am not one to pay attention to expiration dates for makeup. If it still smells good, I continue to use it.
I want to let you know up front that most of these are no longer made and are now discontinued. You may be able to find more of the older shades instore rather than online, so I recommend trying your local Saks or Nordstrom to see if they carry some of the older shades.
Check GiorgioArmaniBeauty.com for the current shades. The spring shades are not listed online yet for some reason.
Photographed together
How on earth did I accumulate so many Armani Lipglosses? I have no idea – but it’s normally been a purchase of 1-2 glosses per season. Most of these are about 50% used up which you might not be able to tell from the photos. I had to swirl and pump the tubes a bit to get the gloss moved around so they weren’t all settled on the bottoms. I do find I use these a lot – they are on the sheerer side and have a smooth texture. I always layer over a lipstick or lipliner. Most of these are too sheer to wear on their own since I have a lot of pink in my lips.
It’s been pouring down rain and hail here for several days, but I signed up for a NARS event and was determined to go no matter what the weather conditions were.
My local Nordstrom hosted a 3 day NARS national artist event to launch the spring line and I was thrilled with the makeover results. I asked the makeup artist for a look that would either use the new Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo or if that didn’t work, I asked for ideas on how to use my Brousse Eyeshadow Duo with the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
We decided to try the new spring duo since she was smitten with it, but unfortunately it was just too warm for my skintone. It looked like a combination of MAC Melon Pigment + Starviolet Eyeshadow on my eyes. I loved the fact that she was so easy to work with and did not hesitate to take the eyeshadows off and start over again. This is what she ended up doing:
Skin Prep: Skin was cleansed with the Makeup Cleansing Oil (applied to dry skin) and wiped off with a water-sprayed cotton pad. She then used the Balancing Toning Lotion to tone the skin and applied the Potent EFA Cream, Nourishing Eye Cream, and Makeup Primer.
Foundation & Concealer: She used the South Beach Multiple on the cheeks and temples under foundation to give the skin a glow from within. Since I already use the Sheer Glow, I asked to try out the Sheer Matte, she picked out Sheer Matte in Santa Fe which seemed to be a good match. Red spots and dark circles were covered with the Custard/Ginger concealer duo mixed with Luxor Multiple for a luminous uplifting glow. The Powder Foundation in Deauville was buffed out on the skin.
Cheeks: For cheeks, I mentioned to her that I already had almost every single Nars Blush, so she of course asked which shades I did not have, and picked out Taj Mahal for me to try. I have to admit I was seriously freaked out when I saw it, but she applied it with a VERY soft touch followed by Desire and it gave THE PERFECT glowy peachy pink I have ever seen. The way she applied Taj Mahal was to take their Yachiyo Brush and dust it into the compact then she vigorously tapped off the excess. She applied it to the cheeks in a soft sweep and it gave a subtle candle-lit glow. She then used the same brush to apply Desire right over it.
Eyes: An interesting trick she showed me was to apply the Luxor Multiple with a concealer brush right above the brows to give an uplifting-effect. For the eyes, she started by lining the eyes with Aigle Noir Soft Touch Shadow Pencil and smudged it. Mekong Single Eyeshadow was then applied with a smudge brush right on top of the pencil and then blended upwards with a mixture of both sides from Brousse Eyeshadow Duo about 1/2 way up the lids. Next, she took the lighter side of Kalahari Eyeshadow Duo to go over all the shades as a blending and softening color with soft contour. For mascara, she used both of the new ones in black, starting with the Lengthening first, and then the Volumizing on top. It was an instant lash makeover.
Lips: For lips, she blotted the lips with Cafe Con Leche Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (which I have but is missing-in-action) and topped with an application of Belle du Jour Lipstick. The final touch was to add the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
Swatches L to R: Aigle Noir Pencil, Mekong Eyeshadow Single, Brousse Duo (both sides mixed), Kalahari (both sides mixed), South Beach Multiple, Luxor Multiple, Taj Mahal Blush, Desire Blush, Belle du Jour Lipstick, Ophelia Lipgloss
What I wore today to the makeover: White ruffle collared blouse from Banana Republic, Beige button coat from Banana Republic, Joes Jeans Petite Provocateur Fit.
Overall thoughts: I really loved the results and ended up purchasing the Eye Cream, Balancing Cleanser, Taj Mahal Blush, Ophelia Lipgloss and both mascaras. The EFA cream was a bit heavy for my skin, but from past makeover experiences I’ve had with NARS, I’ve found most of their moisturizers a bit too moisturizing for my skin, so it wasn’t surprising.
The number of products she used seemed like a lot, but the result was so pretty, I don’t think I’ll mind using everything again on numerous occasions in the future.
I absolutely LOVED both mascaras. They were both amazing and it was an instant lash-makeover with the application of both combined together. I’m not sure about the smudge-factor since it was raining heavily outside and my under-eye area was very moist from the EFA cream. I’ll be testing it out more in the next week and report back later about the results.
Most of the things I already owned from previous purchases. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Nars and events like these are inspiring to me to try out new combinations to get me out of that same-look rut I tend to get into during this time of year.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a makeover – I used to go to Chanel and Nars events on a monthly basis before for ideas and GWPs. But there’s nothing like a horrible MAC makeover to make you want to stop going to any event period. That being said, I have ALWAYS had great makeover results with Nars events. I highly recommend you get on your local counters call lists or ask about upcoming events. They are super fun and you can get tons of ideas on how to combine different colors.
I find that a makeover is more successful when you have a certain look you have in mind so the makeup artists has an idea of what you’re looking for. Simply saying “give me a natural look” isn’t much help, so I suggest being a bit more specific like say, “I like pink lips” or “can you show me how to use Brousse Eyeshadow Duo?” If you simply have no idea, that’s fine too – just give them something to work with. Something like saying, “I wear champagnes and browns on my eyes with peach lips all the time – I need something different” can help a ton.
I was initially really excited about the YSL collection for Spring 2010, but saw it in person a few days ago and wasn’t all that thrilled. I only came home with 1 new item: Golden Gloss #19 in Golden Petal, a pigmented soft rose-pink with gold shimmer. I had #20 Golden Macadamia from the release at Neimans a few months ago but never got around to photographing it, so here are both the glosses.
#19 Golden Petal is the pink gloss and is surprisingly pigmented for a golden gloss. Those who have tried golden glosses before know many of the light pinks are sheer with the gold shimmer dominating the gloss. The new one for spring has a strongly pigmented pink base with gold shimmer that isn’t overpowering which is nice for a change.
#20 Golden Macadamia is the beigey-gold. It doesn’t go on as beigey-nude as I expected because of a pinkish iridescent sheen to the base. It gives a lovely wearable nude lip. It’s a bit on the sheerer side for me.
I wanted to love the new Rouge Voluptes and Gloss Voluptes but nothing really caught my eye. I plan on trying out the new highlighter and blush in person in the next upcoming week. The counter I went to was swamped so I didn’t get a chance to get a closer look at these.
It was really hard for me to narrow my list down to only 10 things this month! Since I’ve already featured quite a bit of the new spring 2010 items, I decided to feature 10 non-new/non-spring releases that I’m loving right now.
1. MAC Sunny By Nature Mineralized Skin Finish – I’m a sucker for bronzers and MAC MSFs and fell in love with this one when it was released last July with the Color Craft Collection. Looks dark and almost muddy in the container, but on the skin it’s a nice natural satiny bronze. I love that it’s not too shimmery (which most MSFs are). I hope MAC makes more MSFs in this kind of finish! If you missed out, check your local CCOs, I saw this along with Cheeky Bronze at my local CCO a week ago.
2. Bobbi Brown Nude Beach Metallic Eyeshadow – This was released as an exclusive with the Nordstrom Anniversary Exclusives but is also in the (X Palette). You all know I’m obsessed with neutrals, Nude Beach is a pretty shimmery, but not overly frosty, nude shimmer with great pigment and lasting power.
3. MAC Eyeshadow Brush #239 – This is hands down the best MAC eyeshadow brush I own. I think it’s a must-have for everyone. It’s so versatile and soft which makes blending a no-brainer. I have a soft spot for all of MAC’s white-haired brushes, I wish they would make more shapes and sizes.
4. Nars Ondine Eyeshadow – This is one of the few eyeshadows I have ever hit pan on (the one pictured is my second one). I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone – those who can’t pull off plummy browns will probably find this looks bruisey on their skin. I really like this though because it has a complex combination of brown, plum and gold all mixed into one shadow. Those who wanted to love MAC Starviolet but found it too purpley will like Nars Ondine. The Nars is a more wearable, more brown, more grown-up and less trendy version of the MAC.
5. Edward Bess Bare Rose Lip Gloss – Not your typical milky pink, but still light enough to give a pretty natural pink lip. If you’re a fan of Nars Chihuahua, you will definitely like the EB Bare Rose which has a fig-scent, slightly sticky texture, long lasting, and high shine.
6. Dolce & Gabbana Sparkling Lipstick – I got this from the D&G Holiday Collection from Saks NY and it’s the most unique sparkling copper/nude/gold lipstick I’ve ever seen. It’s very pigmented and frosty, so those who don’t like metallic lips, you may not like it. The frosty-factor can be toned down with a cream colored gloss though.
7. Shu Uemura P Gold 94 Glow On – This is a blush I like to use as a highlighter for cheeks and eyes. It’s a light-medium shimmery flesh-toned gold with gold flecks. I like that it’s not completely gold or yellowy. It seems more pigmented than most of Shu Uemura’s Glow On Blushes, perhaps it’s the metallic aspect that gives it more pigment.
8. Paul & Joe Caramel 04 Lipliner – This is the creamiest lipliner I’ve ever tried. It glides on more smoothly than MAC Cremestick Liners (which I love) and the Caramel is the perfect YLBB nude-pink-brown. I bought this thanks to the recommendation of Hettie from Bergdorf Goodman. Lipliners were one of the few P&J items I hadn’t tried yet, so I asked her to pick out 2 colors for me, #04 Caramel was one of them and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it.
9. Chanel Glow Glossimer – Pretty soft glowiness that’s hard to describe. It has peach and pink and bronze in it, makes my lips look full and glowing. The lasting power isn’t the best on this one, but I don’t mind reapplying it.
10. Paul & Joe Canyon 16 Face Color – Soft light pink and cool-toned shimmery highlighter. I like this for a natural angelic-pink blush. It goes on very soft and natural. It might not show up on MAC NC40s or darker though because it’s on the lighter side.
I’ve been wanting to get the Maldives Magic Bronzer for sometime now but it *always* seems to be out of stock, so decided to do a pre-order for it when they had a recent GWP online for a full sized lip creme. (FYI, the advertised lip creme was Gilded Joy, but Sorbet came in the mail instead.) I’ve been waiting for over 1 month to receive this bronzer and can say this was clearly worth the wait.
Maldives Magic has to be the prettiest looking bronzer I have ever seen. It has the prettiest gold sparkles in it, but unfortunately the shimmer doesn’t really show up on the skin. I was worried it would be too dark, but when applied with a fluffy bronzer brush it gave a nice tanned look. It’s a few shades darker than Edward Bess Daydream and more brown than Bobbi Brown’s Bali Brown. Girls who are lighter than MAC NC30 might find this too dark.
Sugar Eyeshadow
Sugar Eyeshadow is a pretty pale white shimmer. Next to a pure white, it looks more like a cream, but on the skin it definitely shows up white. I compared it next to actual sugar (yes, call me silly) but it’s somewhere in between granulated white sugar and sugar-in-the-raw.
It’s not as cool-toned as Bobbi Brown Navajo Metallic, but pretty close. It’s not as white as Bobbi Brown Champagne Shimmer Wash.
Sorbet v Vanilla Rose I don’t have a swatch of Sorbet because I’m saving it for when I use up Vanilla Rose, but you can see a swatch of Vanilla Rose here. It’s a soft milky pink shimmer that’s not too pale.
Overall thoughts: I wouldn’t say these are the most unique colors, there are definitely duplicates with less expensive lines (even with high end luxury brands too). I didn’t have access to the line in person, so I ordered these sight unseen. The quality and pigment are excellent – the texture of the products are finely milled and easily blendable. I find the quality superior to most other brands, but overall you can get a similar effect with other products at a fraction of the price.
* Please note, I’m not a fan of that Nars Violetta swatch, the lighter matte shade doesn’t always go on as muddy dark as it did on my arm
