This is the last post for my series on the Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime picks. Perla Shine Lipstick is a shiny cool pale frost, Mandorla Classic Lipstick is a pale fleshy peach, Sole Blush is a vibrant orange-red.
The lipsticks are rich in coverage but extremely pale on my lips. Both require extra work (ie darker lipliner and clear gloss) to make them work. In my opinion they are lovely but not goof proof. Mandorla surprised me – note that it looks like a nude brown peach in the tube but on the lips and swatched it went on quite a bit paler. (Perla has not been lip swatched.) No detectable scent. Opaque in finish. Lasting power above average. Colors are just too pale for my pigmented lips.
Sole is the winner in the collection. I do not have a picture of it on my cheeks, but this applies to give a beautiful healthy flush. It’s on the warm side but not too warm. It doesn’t turn orangey on the skin. It’s simply stunning.
So how do these compare to what already exists? I don’t own many bright orange-red blushes. The only thing I could think of comparable in intensity is NARS Cactus Flower. Check it out on Makeup Magpie here.
Same with the lipsticks, no exact dupes, although I suspect the ones for summer are easily dupeable. Here they are compared to Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer and Chanel Cashmere:
Dolce & Gabbana’s latest release, the Italian Summertime collection, has arrived at Saks. Nikki from the Houston store called to let me know the new shades arrived just in time for their Saks Friends and Family. Her descriptions are always so helpful, but luckily I saw the items featured on Makeup Magpie the same week so knew what to expect before my package arrived.
A quick breakdown of the new colors in the collection plus over the phone descriptions:
Classic Cream Lipstick in Venere (vibrant cream orange red)
Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla (nude tan cream)
Shine Lipstick in Perla (pale frosted pink)
Shine Lipstick in Luna (pale gold champagne)
Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Acqua (clear with white frost shimmer)
Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Cannella (dark brown shimmer)
Precision Lipliner in Caramello (tan brown)
Smooth Eye Color Quad in Vulcano
Eyeliner in Bronzo (taupe bronze gold shimmer)
Eyeliner in Agave (deep forest green shimmer)
Mascara in Dahlia (dark plum)
Intense Nail Lacquer in Passione (rich fuchsia magenta mauve)
Luminous Cheek Color in Sole (vibrant red)
Based on Nikki’s recommendations, I ordered everything she thought I would love: Vulcano Quad, Sole Blush, Mandorla Lipstick, Perla Lipstick, Agave Eyeliner, Bronzo Eyeliner, Passione Nail Lacquer and the Dahlia Mascara (not featured).
Vulcano Quad:
Agave (top) and Bronzo (bottom) Eye Liners:
Sole Blush:
Top to bottom: Mandorla, Perla, Passione
I haven’t had time to play with anything yet except the Passione Nail Polish. I highly recommend you visit Makeup Magpie’s blog – she has done a lovely series on her picks complete with amazing swatches and comparisons. I will do a more detailed feature on each item in the upcoming week.
Many of you ask “where do you buy brand x?” You may notice I normally do not write about who I buy from mainly because I want you to go out and explore and discover makeup artists and sales associates on your own. I believe it’s best for you to develop a personal relationship with a brand expert who can see you in person to really know what you like and what looks good on you. After all makeup shopping is about more than just the product, it’s about the experience!
However, with hard-to-find brands, it’s a different story. I will help in any way I can. With HTF items, we often times end up ordering online. It’s definitely convenient and it’s hassle free from overzealous associates who overpromise and under-deliver (hate those). But online swatches are crummy and you often miss out on promotions, GWPs and sometimes great customer service.
I’ve written about Nikki before – she’s amazing (I didn’t tell her about my blog at first, but someone else spilled the beans and when she asked, I did tell her, yes, I have one). I’ve never met her in person, but she is friendly, upbeat, prompt in letting me know when new things arrive and never fails to give me super accurate descriptions over the phone. Her product knowledge is superb. She foundation-matched me over the phone twice (once when I was tan, and then recently when I got lighter). Both times were a perfect match. The GWPs she has with her store are generous and while the minimums might be higher than most brands, they are not ridiculously high (around $100 to $150) and they often include at least 2 full sized products plus a makeup bag. The items in Dolce & Gabbana GWPs are nice items that are usable. Bonus!
You can reach Nikki at Saks Houston at 713 627 0500 x5101. I’m not sure when their next event or GWP occurs, but she will give you the full 411.
With all the new lipsticks coming out in sheer or glossy formulas I was craving something different for a change. I’ve had a few lipsticks from Le Metier de Beaute for quite some time but never really got into using them because the texture is more of hybrid matte-stain/lipstick kind of formula. They can be a bit dry when applying on the lips, even if the color is rich and the texture smooth once you actually have them on. So I pulled out my favorite Le Metier gloss in Ibiza and it’s counterpart in the lipstick formula – hence Ibiza and Ibiza. Both are soft warm shimmery pinks. The Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss ($32) version is very sheer and gives a soft tint with a high shine. The Colour Core Lipstick ($32) is a high frost complex coral-pink with silver shimmer (think along the frost lines of MAC Lamé, Sequin or Plastique).
Overall: I like Le Metier de Beaute Ibiza and Ibiza. The gloss is one of my favorites from the line. The price is high and formulas are ok though – nothing I feel is a must-have. I still prefer Chanel, Dior and Edward Bess.
I’m loving spring pinks right now. I can’t get enough of them. They make me feel polished and brighten my skin in a soft and feminine way. A few favorites right now:
Chanel Riviera Le Vernis – reviewed here, featured here, compared to Rose Insolent here, duped here
Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis – reviewed here and compared here
Compared to Bobbi Brown Pale Pink (old packaging) for color reference:
Morning Rose feels like it’s a bit faded looking – I think it’s because of the top coat I used which is the Dior from the Electric Tropics duos, I feel as though it doesn’t help colors last and makes them look slightly faded. It looks amazing on the Dior, not so much on Chanels.
Barneys New York is always nice to browse every now and then to check out brands that are hard-to-find such as Lipstick Queen, By Terry, Serge Lutens and Eve Lom to name a few. This weekend I made a new discovery: Koh Gen Do, a Japanese brand that had its beginnings from a salon in Tokyo. I was surprised to learn 2011 marks their 25th anniversary. According to their company website, it appears they have had IMATS exhibits since 2008 and launched at Barneys Beverly Hills and Madison Avenue in 2010 – but I had never heard about this brand before.
I was drawn by their clean simple display and once I saw the Asian name, I stopped to ask if they had a makeup brush line (I found out not yet). I decided to start small with two of their Maifanshi Lipsticks in Pink Beige BE01 and Pink Rose PK01 (supposed to be their best sellers), but soon found out the prices weren’t so “small.” These come in a small sleek black tube retail for $39 each (0.12 oz. / 3.5 g) and contain no artificial colors, fragrance, petroleum-based mineral oil or paraben. I could not detect any scent. These have a sheer smooth soft glossy finish but the pigment on the lips is just incredible.
These feel amazing on the lips (think along the lines of Dior’s Serum de Rouge). I don’t think my lips have ever felt better. Compared to a few other sheer glossy lipsticks, the Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Lipsticks have:
less slip than Chanel Rouge Coco Shines
more shine than MAC’s discontinued slimshines
softer texture than the new Dior Addicts
Size comparisons:
They make the lips just glow and are moisturizing yet lightweight. The packaging recommends that you do not twist up the tube too high to avoid breakage. These swatched sheer on the hand but applied flawlessly on the lips for a natural tint. There is not really any shimmer in these but if you look at the tubes closely you can see a slight hint of shimmery sheen.
Sheen, not shimmer:
Pink Beige BE01 is a sheer soft peachy beige:
Pink Rose PK01 is a lovely soft rose:
Overall these were extremely pricey but the texture just can’t be beat. However, the high price points will most likely prevent me from exploring this more in the near future. I didn’t find the colors super unique, but they do look flawless on the lips and require no extra tweaking (always a plus). Have you tried this brand before?
For Chanel Liberte v Misia: Liberte is more milky and less shimmery but more pigmented while Misia is brighter more vibrant and has a sheerer shimmery texture with more red.
For those wondering whether I prefer Chanel’s Miami Peach or Orange Fizz: right now the vote goes to Miami Peach. Do note that Miami Peach is less pigmented with a slight jelly-like finish. The gold shimmer is very fine and not very noticeable. Orange Fizz is clearly more orange and has that amazing rich smooth opaque coverage Chanel is well known for these days, it may be harder to pull off on all skintones.
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine was launched in the US yesterday. I stopped by Neimans to pick up the two exclusives: Rouge Coco Shine in Misia 45 (bright tangerine with a silvery sheen) and Le Vernis in Miami Peach 203 (repromote from years past but exclusive to Neimans). Both are perfect for summer.
Miami Peach & Misia (click picture to see the shimmers better):
Rouge Coco Shine Misia 45 is a bright tangerine with a slight silvery sheen. It does have shimmer but on the lips it doesn’t really show the frost. It glides on like a lip balm. Texture is sheer but since this is a brighter color it does show up on me. I do need a few swipes on the lip to get it to show. I’m unsure of the lasting power of this. I’ll report back later when I review a few of the other shades. It does feel weightless on the lips and moisturizing. It’s an easy to apply color with a flawless glowy finish.
Two swipes each lip (taken early morning, I think the lighting makes me look darker than I really am):
Miami Peach 203 Le Vernis is a repromote. It’s a soft but bright coral with a slight hint of pink. It has tiny bits of gold shimmer but you can only see it on the nails in direct light. It applies like a jelly color – slightly transparent. I asked for 3 coats because I wanted more color but 2 coats was just fine.
