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7 Things I’m Loving Right Now

December 12, 2009

I’ve been writing so much on Edward Bess and Paul & Joe (my two new loves) – I thought I’d take a short break. Here is my list for December (a bit shorter than normal) of what I’m loving right now:

1) Harney & Sons White Christmas Tea – Got this in a Holiday Tea Set from Williams Sonoma (instore). I know it’s not exactly beauty-related, but I’ve been drinking this nonstop when I study or blog. Add a bit of honey, sugar and soy milk and it’s heaven. I think you can get it cheaper individually on the Harney & Sons Website.


2) Korres Lip Butter in Guava – Posted about some lip balms last month HERE. This one is smooth, sweet but light scent, moisturizing but not goopy. I love the light pink tint! My lips were a bit chapped from lack of food/water/sleep as I spent the last week working non-stop on school projects. This revitalized my lips instantaneously – no joke.


3) Dolce & Gabbana Mascara – I used up my favorite Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill and felt it was time to open my D&G Mascara. This is *everything* Melissa and Rachel from Saks NY D&G have raved about. Defines and thickens lashes and doesn’t clump or smudge. I love the brush because it gets all my lashes without applying too much goop. It gives a more natural look compared to Armani Eyes to Kill/Diorshow. (No photo, but it comes in a heavy gold tube.)

4) Bobbi Brown Java Metallic Eyeshadow – I don’t know why I haven’t written about this sooner. I bought it as soon as the metallic shadows came out and love this for a smokey cool-brown shimmer. Most shimmery dark brown shadows I’ve found seem to be warm toned (Bobbi Brown Chocolate Shimmerwash, MAC Mulch, Nars Lola Lola, Chanel Cinnamon). If you like taupes, you will like Java – it’s a few steps up in intensity from your regular taupes with smokiness to it. Looks great when applied with a damp brush.

Compared to Stone Shimmerwash and Chocolate Shimmerwash for your reference:


5) Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer – I bought this months ago because it looked so pretty on Em from Too Much Blush. Even though our skintones are completely different, I had to give it a try. I’ve been alternating between this and Edward Bess Daydream for everyday bronzers. It’s a warm almost orangey looking bronze in the pan. But on the skin, it warms up my face like a bronzer-blush. Your mileage may vary on this, but if you have a Nars counter near you it’s definitely worth trying out even if it doesn’t look like your cup of tea.


6) Mauvey Pink Lipglosses: Bobbi Brown Pink Buff, Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 07, Paul & Joe Lip Gloss 09, MAC Lovechild and Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 10 – It’s difficult for me to find a mauvey lipgloss that isn’t too pale, too purple or too grey. All of these work perfectly because they have just the right amount of pink or brown so I don’t end up looking dead. They go well with Laura Mercier Chestnut Lipliner which is a good everyday neutral.

I bought Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 07 and Gloss 09 thanks to the genius of Caroline from the Paul & Joe counter at Bergdorf Goodman. She said they were great for girls with skintones like us (medium and Asian) but flatter almost everyone she’s worked with. Of course she was right on the money. I then bought Lacquer #10 thanks to Joey’s rave review and pictures. I was worried it would be too brown, but turns out it’s not!

L to R: Bobbi Brown Pink Buff, P&J Lacquer 07, P&J Lipgloss 09, MAC Lovechild, P&J Lacquer 10




7) Guerlain Perles Imperiales Holiday Meteorites – This is my one and only Guerlain Meteorites. I caved from all the raves and bought it online because it was sold out in stores by the time I decided I wanted it. Gives a pretty sparkley glow.


What are you loving this month?

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Victoria’s Secret Makeup: Heidi Klum’s Exotic Jewels & VS Makeup Collection

December 4, 2009
I stopped by Victoria’s Secret a few weeks ago and decided to check out the Exotic Jewels Holiday collection by Heidi Klum among other things (thanks to some recommendations). I’m a huge fan of Heidi Klum, she always looks stunning and glowing. I like her modern and chic style – I especially love that she’s been featured for Ann Taylor’s holiday ad campaign. She gives the brand a more modern look.

What I came home with (beauty-related):

* Lipglosses & Lip Lacquers $10 to $14 – The lipglosses are pretty sheer, they are have a non-sticky texture similar to MAC Lip Gelees, but a bit sheerer. The lip lacquers are more pigmented.

* Heidi Klum Perfect Lipstick in Exotic Spice $16 is a great nude nude with good coverage/pigment. It has a tiny bit of sparkle in the tube, but it’s not visible on the lips. I’m not the biggest fan of the packaging and $16 seems steep for something from VS, but the texture is creamy and I love the color. I’m not sure about the regular lipsticks in the VS line, but this one has a chocolate scent.


These blend out very sheer:


* Eyeshadow quads in Eye Contact and Sultry $15: I have to say I am fairly impressed with these! $15 is a steal for this size – you get a decent sized quad. The texture is really soft and pigment is decent and very blendable. I wouldn’t carry these in my purse though – I think the formula is pretty fragile – there were several boxes on the display unit in the tore that had broken shadows inside.


* Heidi Klum Luminous Gems $22 – a bit pricey in my opinion for VS makeup and it seems like you get about 1/2 of what is pictured on the Victoria’s Secret website (in terms of amount of product) , but there is still enough product in the actual container and I can’t imagine ever using this up. Swirled together you get a pink-gold shimmery glow. (Swatch didn’t turn out so hot on my arm.)


I have to admit I bought these mainly b/c I had some coupons to use up. If I had paid more attention to which glosses were “lip glosses” versus “lip lacquers” I probably would have passed on some of these knowing that they were very sheer.

For those who just like sheer makeup and decent prices, I recommend checking the line out too. They had quite a few good neutral nude-pink lipsticks. I didn’t purchase any though.

Do you have any VS makeup favorites?

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Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers and Lip Glosses

November 26, 2009

The last Paul & Joe feature in this series focuses on lip glosses. Paul & Joe currently has 2 formulas for the glosses in Lip Gloss N (wand with brush) and Lip Lacquers (squeeze tube).

L to R: 01 LE (2007), 02 LE (2007), 003 Lustre LE (2009), 04 Peach Syrup, 01 Nectar, 02 Mandarin, 03 Serenade, 04 Tenderness, 05 Riviera, 06 Can-can, 07 Adieu, 08 Bouquet, 10 Magnifique


I’ve featured the lip lacquers in previous posts, but to recap, they are supposed to be similar to their lipsticks in lipgloss form and the pigment is indeed rich, but not too thick or overpowering, making your lips look full. Paul & Joe’s website has a cute photo of the glosses which is fairly accurate in my opinion. There is a faint sweet scent to them, but on the lips you can barely detect any fragrance.

Lip Lacquers: 01 Nectar, 02 Mandarin, 03 Serenade, 04 Tenderness, 05 Riviera, 06 Can-can, 07 Adieu, 08 Bouquet, 10 Magnifique


See swatches of #1 – 8 here.
See Joey’s review/swatch of #10 here.

Paul & Joe also has lip glosses in a wand form called Lipgloss N. These are sheerer with plumping properties. I haven’t really tested it for lasting power but the few shades I have are pretty and feel nice, but are on the sheer side.

001 Limited Edition, 002 Limited Edition, 003 Lustre (from summer 2009), 04 Peach Syrup


I don’t have swatches of these yet, but I highly recommend you check out these links for swatches, L to R is 001, 002, 003 Lustre, 04:

001 and 002 – Yuki’s Lazy Channel: Paul & Joe 2007 Invitation Christmas Creation
003 Lustre – Yuki’s Lazy Channel: Paul & Joe 2009 Gold Summer Creation

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

November 16, 2009

Here’s November’s List of Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now. As always, I want to hear your lists too! And they don’t have to be beauty/makeup related.

1) Henri Bendel Candles from Bath & Body Works $26 – these are the best candles I’ve tried with so many feel-good scents. My favorites are Vanilla Bean, Fig, Quince, Pomegranate – and my husband loves these too.


2) L’Occitane Holiday Sets – Still loving the scented hand creams, in particular the Shea Vanilla and Frangipani scented ones! I wish they weren’t limited edition. Also love the Shower Celebration set – wish all the scents came in larger sizes (I believe the only one available individually right now is the Almond Shower Gel).


3) Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers $20 – You’ve seen these in my look features earlier in the month and my regular readers know that I bought practically every color. They are absolutely fabulous and I hope these are here to stay. They are great alone or over a liner/lipstick. I can’t rave enough about them. Cute packaging, nice pigment, non-sticky texture, very wearable colors. I’ve purchased my Paul & Joe items from Bergdorf Goodman, The Primping Parleur’s Online Boutique, Beautyhabit.com and Dermstore.com – but check the Paul & Joe Beauty website for locations around the world.


4) PhytoSpecific Integral Hair Care – this is a spray hair treatment which is supposed to “restore moisture, smooth, redefine curls, detangle, make setting easier, and protect hair from heat damage.” I have thick slightly wavy hair which I cannot air dry because it poofs up into a huge frizz ball. Up until a year ago when I started using this, I religiously blow dried and straightened my hair daily. I tried a number of no-frizz serums and straightening sprays, but I still had to go through the daily ritual of blow dry/straighten. This spray is incredible for me and once I spray and comb through, it allows my hair to air dry without turning into a huge frizz ball. I haven’t tried any of the other PhytoSpecific products, but I do love the shampoos in the regular Phyto line.


5) Dolce & Gabbana Caramel Blush $44 – I love nude blushes and this one is pretty without looking muddy on my skin. You can buy D&G online at saks.com, but I highly recommend ordering through the Saks NY or Beverly Hills counters because you get excellent customer service and the makeup artists who run the counter are very good at recommending colors. If you have any questions about other products, you can ask me too! I’ve accumulated quite a few things from them since they launched the line.


6) Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer $48 – By far my favorite powder bronzer of the moment. Wasn’t so thrilled with the hefty price tag, but I have to say that it gives that natural tanned glow. My skintone is on the pale side right now, I’m the equivalent of what’s in between MAC NC30-35. Normally I’m more of a NC35-40ish. You can purchase Edward Bess at Bergdorf Goodman or online at EdwardBess.com. Compared to some other bronzers:


7) Le Metier Eye Brightening & Setting Powder $36 – I’ve always been skeptical of brightening powders mainly because I usually don’t see a difference when using them. This, however, is every bit as great as Ellyn (from Neimans King of Prussia) and Lisa (my fellow Le Metier fan) have both raved. I use the shade Revive which is good for medium-tanned skintones. The next shade down Refresh is quite a bit paler. Seems like they need a shade in between. I use it after I apply my foundation in place of concealer under the eyes and it is an instant-brightener/evener all in one. (FYI – Neimanmarcus.com has free shipping with code and a promotional Peche Lip Creme with any Le Metier purchase, good as long as supplies last.)


8) MAC Pigments: Naked, Fairylite, Your Ladyship, Shimmertime – I like light/neutral pink shimmers for a natural barely-there all over eye color. I believe all of them have been discontinued except Naked, but you can get a full sized Shimmertime Pigment in one of the MAC holiday sets and Naked is also available as a mini in one of the holiday pigment sets.


The swatch picture couldn’t capture the real color, so I’ll try my best to describe the differences:

  • Naked is the most neutral
  • Fairylite has the most pink and most visible silver sparkle/micro glitter
  • Your Ladyship has a golden sheen to it
  • Shimmertime is the most pink/frosty throughout

9) MAC Style Black Mineralize Eyeshadows: Gilt by Association, Cinderfella, Young Punk $19.50 each – Yes, I do like MAC products even though I don’t write much about the line! I was afraid these would be too glittery, but they work well when applied with a damp brush or over a gel liner for a pretty smoky eye. It appears they are sold out online, but most MAC stores usually still carry seasonal stock so check your local store.


10) Hot Chocolate – I know many of you prefer I stay on the beauty topic, but I really love this time of year because it’s the perfect time for hot chocolate, apple cider, and warm teas. A classic favorite is the Williams Sonoma Hot Chocolate that they only carry during the holidays. I’ve seen a few at Godiva and Crate & Barrel that I’m dying to try out. I know Trader Joes has a lot of holiday ciders and goodies, so I’m hoping they have a hot chocolate too. Do you have a favorite hot chocolate?

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Dolce & Gabbana Holiday 2009 Collection

November 10, 2009

Saks has received their holiday collection for Dolce & Gabbana and the colors are stunning!

There have been some promotional pictures of the Golden Beams holiday collection floating around the web on various blogs like Temptalia.com and Makeup4All.com and in the latest Saks catalog page 43, you can see photos of the Sparkling Lipstick, Royal Nail Lacquer, Magic Lipgloss, and Gold Eyeshadow Quad.

I ordered from Saks NY for the Triple Points event last week and these are the holiday items that came in the mail today (I ordered several items from the regular line too, but those will be saved for another article in the near future):


* Sparkling Shine Lipstick – sparkling warm nude-gold
* Caramel Blush – the perfect caramel nude blush
* Royal Nail Polish – extremely deep purple with reddish undertones and subtle sparkle
* Magic Lipgloss (thanks to the sweet SAs who threw this in as a GWP!) – a rich ruby shimmer

Lips and cheeks: Magic Lipgloss, Caramel Blush, Sparkling Lipstick


Swatches of Sparkling Lipstick & Magic Lipgloss:


Swatch of Caramel Blush:


Caramel (most pigmented) vs Nude (more peachy/light) vs MAC Tendering (in the middle):


Royal Nail Polish: 3 coats with high flash (in natural light the sparkle is more subtle)


Compared to Nars Tokaido Express and Chanel Vendetta:


In natural sunlight: L to R – Nars Tokaido Express, Dolce & Gabbana Royal, Chanel Vendetta


As of this past weekend, the Saks NY store called to let me know they received their Golds Eyeshadow Quad in limited quantities. I decided to pass on this for now since I already have a lot of golds/silvers.

If you have the latest Saks catalog, check page 43 for a better picture:


Overall thoughts: I would say the standout is the Sparkling Lipstick. I love nude-golds and this one is really pretty and natural looking. Will definitely warm up the skin with a soft glow. I’m really happy with the other items as well. The holiday lipgloss is one of the more pigmented ones and the blush shows up better than the Nude Blush on my skin.

The Saks NY girls did a really great job again describing colors to me over the phone (thank you for your patience ladies!) and I couldn’t be more pleased.

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More Dolce & Gabbana Goodies

November 8, 2009

These were from Saks.com from Friends and Family last month. Fuschia Nail Polish, Red Nail Polish, Soft Lipstick, Nude Lipgloss, Tender Lipgloss:

Desert Bronzer:


Compared to Edward Bess Daydream (left), Giorgio Armani #5 (right), Le Metier de Beaute Sunkissed (bottom):


L to R – Soft Lipstick, Nude Lipgloss, Tender Lipgloss:


Another view, Tender Lipgloss (left), Nude Lipgloss (middle), Soft Lipstick (right):


Fuschia (corally shimmer) & Red Nail Polishes:


Overall thoughts: I have to admit I’ve grown to like Dolce & Gabbana a lot more than I initially did. Although I did love everything from my first haul (First Look: Dolce & Gabbana Makeup) thanks to some great recommendations from Melissa at Saks NY – I wasn’t completely thrilled because I felt everything was overpriced.

However, after having tried more of the line, I’ve come to like the high quality of their products. Some can be a hit or miss. For me, I like the nail polishes as long as you get the newer skinny brush (rather than the original fat chunky ones), I love the eyeshadow quads and duos for excellent velvet like texture and rich pigment, and the classic lipsticks are vibrant and moisturizing.

The blushes in my opinion are pretty, but seem to be more on the soft side. I prefer to go a bit heavier with my blush, but they are nice if you like a natural soft cheek (think along the lines of the Laura Mercier reformulated blushes).

The lipglosses may vary per preference. I haven’t been able to try them all, but really liked Baby, Seduction and Sunset. They have a thicker rich texture. Nude and Tender are pretty, but I find them more sheer than rich. Still very pretty.

I have a couple of the holiday items coming in the mail soon, check back for it later this week.

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Laura Mercier Club Couture Collection Photos & Swatches

November 1, 2009

Laura Mercier’s new Club Couture collection has been spotted in person at Nordstrom! If you like soft light colors, then you will really like the new look Laura Mercier put together. The colors are stunning on her fair skin and just as pretty in person. You can get details on what products were used for the look on Laura Mercier’s website under “What’s New – Get This Look.”

I picked up the following items (L to R):

* Lip Color Shimmer in Designer Beige – a warm nude-brown with very slight gold shimmer (not really shimmery like her typical shimmer formula for lipsticks)
* Creme Lip Color in Pink Label – cool cream pink (a less purple version of MAC Syrup)
* Lip Glace in After Hours – shimmery milky light pink (reminds me of Chanel Sesame)
* Foiled Eye Color in VIP Silver – highly pigmented silver sparkle


Swatches:
1) Designer Beige Lipstick
2) Pink Label Lipstick
3) After Hours Lip Glace
4) VIP Silver Foiled Eyeshadow
5) Platinum Metallic Cream Eyeshadow (not part of the collection – just for comparisons)
6) VIP Silver layered over Platinum Metallic Cream


Gloss comparisons & swatches:
1) MAC Partial to Pink
2) Laura Mercier After Hours
3) Laura Mercier Babydoll
4) Laura Mercier Pink Pearl (plumping gloss)
5) Chanel Sesame
6) Nars Turkish Delight



Combination ideas/suggestions:

I think these colors would go well with:
* a smokey eye like Edward Bess Dusk Eyeshadow and Stila’s Black Cat Smudge Pot
* a soft pink cheek like Laura Mercier Barely Pink, Chanel Narcisse, or Le Metier Fresh Blush
* complimenting lip liners for the pink lipstick, Laura Mercier Chestnut or MAC Naked Rose
* coordinating lip liners for the beige lipstick, Laura Mercier’s Ambrosia or Nude Lips

The lip colors seem pretty versatile so you can combine them with almost any color like:
* a smokey dark purple eye (Nars Eurydice or Armani Eyes to Kill #3)
* a neutral eye (Laura Mercier’s Baked Eyeshadow Palette or Guerlain Bal de Nuit Quad)
* cool-toned eye (Chanel Mystic Eyes or Dior Smoky Crystal Quint).

There was also a Gold version of the Foil Eyeshadow which was also pretty, but a little too 24k gold looking for my skin. Would probably work well on darker skin tones though! There were a few repromoted items, such as the Whisper Cheek Duo, false lashes, and eyeliners.

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