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Guerlain Spring 2011 Picks: Série Noire Blush G, Rouge G & Ombré Éclat

January 10, 2011

I’m venturing into newer territory with Guerlain this spring. I haven’t tried much from the line except a few seasonal items here and there over the past years. I’ve loved everything I have (quads, singles, rouge g) but for some reason still find their high prices and glitzy packaging a bit intimidating at times. However take the Twitter buzz and excitement from @naturalNchicmak and @CafeMakeup and combine it with the beautiful swatches from Yuki’s Lazy Channel and the cause-effect outcome is that I had to check it out.

Série Noire Blush G, Rose Desir Rouge G, Ombré Éclat in L’instant D’une Ondee 186 & L’instant D’une Soupir 187

The most highly-anticipated item of this collection is the new Blush G, Série Noire ($67), which is labeled on the compact as the “Secret to a Healthy Glow.” It is indeed glowy with four layers of embossed shimmers. NaturalNChicMakeup has lovely swatches on her blog as well and really captures the shimmers in great detail (see her review here). She also has a great feature on the packaging.

So does it really give a healthy glow? Yes, but it’s almost too glowy. When all shades are swirled together it creates a vibrant golden-pink blush but at the same time it applies cool on my cheeks (even if it swatches warm on my arm). To me, this is like a cool-pink version of NARS Orgasm blush. It also applies similar in the sense that it’s very easy to go one swipe too heavy and end up looking sunburned. The pigment is a difficult thing to describe – the texture is finely milled and very soft which allows you to build up layers to suit your preference. I had a difficult time playing with it today, it either looked too sheer or too fake. I have a similar experience with Chanel Fresque which is a lovely light peach, but one stroke too many leaves me looking like a clown.

I personally prefer something a tad bit warmer on the skin like Bobbi Brown’s Antigua Illuminating Shimmer Powder, but the Guerlain Série Noire is unique and beautiful. I will simply need more practice and experiment with different blush brushes to see which one will give the best application.

All the lipsticks from the Guerlain Spring Collection are beautiful. Due to the high price tag, I decided to limit myself to just one, Rose Desir #71 ($47). It’s very sparkly on the back of the hand, but on the lips it sheers out and you get a healthy pink tint. Those concerned that these might be too sheer to show up need not worry. They definitely show up! They just have a glossy shine with has a soft texture. I couldn’t detect a scent and it feels nice on the lips. The packaging this spring is still the metal mirrored tube but this season’s color is black. I like it much better than the silver ones which tarnish easily.


The last items I wanted to feature include two of the new eyeshadow singles, Ombré Éclat in L’instant D’une Ondee 186 & L’instant D’une Soupir 187 ($36 each).


I’ve found the Guerlain single shadows to be hit and miss. Some are simply too sheer, but the ones that do have a good soft texture show up better. #186 is a cool dove-grey with very subtle shimmer. #187 is a high frost bronzey taupe.

Overall thoughts: This collection has the most beautiful packaging this season. My interest in Guerlain is growing as I start to explore their primers and foundations. Still the high price tag prevents me from putting this brand at the top of my list of things to check out. I personally have avoided the Guerlain counter (like the Cle de Peau counter) simply because I find the price points intimidating, but easy to justify with an eager sales associate there to help push you along. Still, the quality is excellent and formula/textures beautiful. The packaging is a true work of art down to the little details of the embossed powders and clever mirrored lipstick.
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A Closer Look at Edward Bess Blush Allure, Demi Buff & Rose Demure Lipsticks

January 3, 2011
It seems there has been much excitement about the new lip items from Edward Bess even if thoughts about the new packaging have been mixed. My first review was completed about a month ago linked here New Lip Items from Edward Bess. Other reviews, swatches and details of these new colors have been posted by other great bloggers:

Café Makeup – Edward Bess, New Lipsticks & Glosses (Swatches)
Best Things in Beauty – Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipstick . . .
Blogdorf Goodman – Bess is More

As far as I know, each of these lipsticks are available individually for $32 each but were also part of a trio with all three for $75 during Bergdorf Goodman’s last gift card event. Here is a closer look at the new lipsticks in Blush Allure, Demi Buff & Rose Demure.

After testing these for a few weeks, the formula and texture seem to be the same even though the packaging is different. I find that the fig scent is more subtle, but everything else seems to be the same great consistency, coverage and finish as the lipsticks in the older packaging. The new ones are embossed with Edward’s initials (as seen below).


Blush Allure is a pale nude pink. I find it similar in lightness to YSL’s Rouge Volupte #1. The difference is slight, but Blush Allure is slightly darker and the YSL is slightly cooler toned. You can see below it has full creamy coverage, but on me it’s too light and mod-like on my lips. This color is lovely once blotted down and topped with gloss. This will be one of my higher-maintenance nudes. If you can pull off light pinks like MAC Angel, MAC Hue, MAC Faux, YSL Rouge Volupte #1 then you will love Edward Bess’s Blush Allure Lipstick.

Demi Buff is a brown-nude-pink. It leans more brownish on me although you can see bits of pink in it. It’s not as dark on my lips as Bobbi Brown’s Brownie Pink Lipstick but it is similar (see all the way down at the bottom). Compared to BB, the EB lipsticks are creamier and smoother. Bobbi Brown’s are full coverage but slightly more matte with a drier texture, still creamy in my opinion, but without the sheen.

Rose Demure is a pretty cool pink with a tinge of mauve. This is an odd-ball shade. When I put this on last week it turned blueish and almost fuschia. I was sad and thought this would be a shade I’d have to gift away. However, I tried it again this week and it went on a beautiful cool mauve-pink but without the fuschia/blueish cast. I am glad I gave this one a second chance, however I have a feeling this will be a color I cannot pull off every day. My lip color changes from day to day – sometimes they are really pink, other days they look really pale.

These new shades are beautiful neutrals that lean more towards the cool side of the color spectrum. There are a number of similar nude pinks out there – those who have explored those lighter neutrals know it can be hard to find the right one for your skintone. Too pale and you look like a corpse. Too brown and it goes on dark. Blush Allure, Demi Buff & Rose Demure Lipsticks are definitely worth checking out if you can get to a counter (Neimans at Beverly Hills and Houston or Bergdorf Goodman in NY). These have a beautiful and unique undertone that works with one’s natural skintone. That being said, my heart still belongs to a few of his other shades like Forbidden Flower, Pure Impulse and Forever Yours (all previously reviewed within the last year).

Here are the new Edward Bess lipsticks compared to a few other shades. Take note of four things:
1) In the tube they look strikingly similar, my camera isn’t always so great at capturing the differences
2) Swatched on the arm you can see the difference better (only slightly)
3) On the lips, each of these will look different based on how nude-like shades will react with the natural pigment in your lips. For example, Bobbi Brown Brownie Pink and Edward Bess Demi Buff look similar in the tube and on the arm, but on the lips, I get a straight brown with a slight hint of pink with the BB, while the EB shows more pink on me.
4) While these photos may appear to present dupes on your computer screen, I do not think any of these are dupes.

L to R: Bobbi Brown Blush, Bobbi Brown Blondie Pink, Bobbi Brown Brownie Pink, Edward Bess Rose Demure, Edward Bess Demi Buff, Edward Bess Blush Allure, YSL Rouge Volupte 1, YSL Rouge Volupte 23, Tom Ford Pink Dusk (Chanel Ming added in swatches only)




Have any Edward Bess fans tried the new lipsticks? How do you like them?

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Chanel Spring 2011 Continued – The Lips

December 23, 2010
For Chanel Spring 2011, I’ve reviewed my eye-makeup picks (here), the nail polishes (here) and featured a detailed review on Black Pearl (here). Up next are my lip picks, top to bottom: Peregrina Rouge Coco, Jersey Rose Rouge Coco, Cristal Rose Rouge Double Intensité, Aragonite Glossimer and Nakkar Glossimer.

*UPDATE* I’ve once again added more comparisons. See all the way at the bottom.


The colors are fresh and brightening and the options this spring are great for both neutral and bright-color lovers alike. I, of course, picked out the most neutrals. If you’re into brighter colors like Lancome Chris & Tell check out the 2 new Rouge Allures (which I passed on).

Swatched on bare skin:


The Rouge Cocos at first glance seemed like your basic and unoriginal pink and peach. Swatched on the hands they were pretty, but didn’t have that wow factor. Let me tell you – you MUST try these on the lips! They are just beautiful for spring. Jersey Rose is a bright healthy pink on the lips. Peregrina is a healthy but neutral coral. Both are neutral enough for my comfort yet have enough color to brighten the face. If you look at the tube close up you see the slightest sheen, almost shimmer! But on the lips, I don’t see any shimmer at all. I like them both layered with the sparkly glossimer, Aragonite, for a glistening shine. Here are close ups of both colors, plus lip swatches.



The glossimers are fun this spring. Nakkar is a warm reddish pinky-peachy color with gold flecks. For once Chanel has released a nice warm reddish color that isn’t orange or deep red. Yay! It sheers out so a bit but definitely shows color. On the lips I don’t really see the shimmer. Aragonite is a pretty sparkly clear multi-colored gloss. The micro sparkles are highly visible in this one, similar to MAC Dazzleglasses. It’s different from Galactic in the sense that Galactic flashes blue-opal, Aragonite is more neutral and less blue. There’s a new Rouge Double Intensite this spring in a color different than anything they’ve done before. Those familiar with Chanel’s Rouge Double probably expect a rich opaque thick flat color. Cristal Rose goes against all Rouge Double traditions in the sense that it’s light, shimmery and sheer. I’m not sure how I feel about this one, it’s so sheer it barely shows up on me, but it’s gorgeous in the tube.



I couldn’t get good lip swatches of the glossimers tonight, so the arm swatches will have to suffice.

Overall: LOVE! Healthy colors that are fresh and flattering to the skin in a natural way that brightens the complexion. Aragonite is an unexpected favorite because of it’s versatility. It’s great for layering over lipsticks without altering the color like some multi-colored sparkly glosses can do.

FYI, check out Amy’s reviews of the Chanel Spring lips on Café Makeup. She’s my Chanel twin but lighter in skintone! If you see my swatches and think “what?! they look off” check out her blog, she has amazing pics and great lip swatches on her daughter there, who is also lighter in complexion.

* UPDATE STARTS HERE *

Here are more comparisons to other Rouge Cocos and one other Glossimer. Note the differences are very subtle and hard to capture. The difference you see is mainly on the lips. The Spring 2011 colors are warmer in undertone.


Jersey Rose & Peregrina from Spring 2011
Chintz & Rose Dentelle from Fall 2010
Magnolia from Holiday 2010

* On the nails: Chanel Rouge Fatal (reviewed here & here)

In the tubes, Aragonite & Galactic look identical. On the hand/lips, the difference is subtle. Galactic flashes blue while Aragonite flashes more pink.


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A Few Hard-To-Find Chanel Exclusives

December 16, 2010

I wanted to share a few hard-to-find Chanel exclusives I recently discovered.

  • From Saks – Liberté (#54) Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss
  • From Chanel.com – Baroque (#30) Rouge Coco & Berry (#58) Precision Eye Definer

As far as I know, in the US, the items are exclusive to each category listed above. I did not have in person access to any of these, but thanks to the blogs Café Makeup, Makeup Magpie and The Stash Archives, I was able to find out more about these colors and make a purchasing decision.

Up first: Chanel Liberté Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss #54 is a soft peachy-pink with subtle shimmer. The texture is creamy and thick yet smooth with medium coverage. The color is gorgeous but close to my natural lip color so it looks sheerish on my lips. (No lip swatches yet, it’s been cloudy and dark so I can’t get good lip photos.) I called up Nikki from Dolce & Gabbana at Saks Houston as soon as I spotted the Liberté gloss online and luckily she located a few for me. I can’t rave enough about how awesome and helpful she is (more D&G reviews to come soon). Definitely check out Makeup Magpie and The Stash Archives for more amazing swatches/reviews from different points of view.

Compared to a few other RAEs, #55 Confidence and #56 Imaginaire, the exclusive Liberte is more peachy pinky, similar to Candy Glow Aqualumiere Gloss (scroll down for swatches):

Up second: Baroque Rouge Coco #30 is a hard one to describe and extremely difficult to photograph accurately. In the tube, it’s a browned plum, leaning more towards brown, but depending on the angle you hold it, you will see it flash plum. On the lips, it’s a deep brownish-red-brick type color. I don’t own anything like it, but Sycamore Rouge Coco seems to be in a similar color family. I like it for holiday/fall but it will probably be too dark and dramatic once spring (the real spring season that is) arrives.


Finally: Berry Precision Eye Definer #58 is a beautiful taupe-plum frost. Hard to envision, but it’s like a silvery purple. (Scroll down below to see swatches.) I love how different this is from anything I’ve ever seen. Not a straight plum, not quite brownish, not taupe – but rather a mix of all three. The application on these pencils is smooth with rich pigment. Staying power is average. It doesn’t fade or disappear fast, but it definitely won’t last from morning to night.

On the nails, OPI Holiday Glow (from 2009) over Dior Aztec Chocolate

Overall:

Liberte – I love this color, it’s right up my alley, but it’s better when layered over a lipstick. By itself I find it too sheer. I think it will complement colors like MAC Ramblin Rose or Chanel Muse Rouge Coco well. For some reason, peachy colors blend in more naturally for me. The other pinks like Confidence (reviewed here) and Imaginaire, although similar in intensity (or lightness) show up significantly more because they are pinkish rather than peachish. Weird, right?

Baroque – Beautiful rich dark, but not too dark. Like Amy from Cafe Makeup says, it’s good for right now.

Berry – Love. Definitely check out Amy’s review (linked here). Her photos are better than mine and capture that beautiful silvery quality that is hard to photograph.

Swatches below (detail can be viewed better if you click on these images for larger viewing):


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New Lip Items From Edward Bess . . .

December 10, 2010
If you’re on the distribution list for the Bergdorf Goodman Catalog then you’ve probably already seen the lovely preview of the new lipsticks and glosses from Edward Bess. Also, Amy from Café Makeup provided us a swatch sneak peek along with the color names here. The new items have finally arrived in-store at BG in two special sets. Trios which are each $75. One has the 3 lipsticks, the other has the 3 glosses. I found these to be a good deal since each lipstick and gloss is $30+.

New Lipsticks L to R: Blush Allure, Demi Buff, Rose Demure
New Glosses L to R: French Lace, First Kiss, Amor

The lipsticks are all natural and neutral. Even though the packaging is different, the scent, textures and formulas all seem to be the same quality. All (as usual with Edward Bess lip products) are a cream finish-formula without any shimmer. At first glance, the lipsticks all look similar, but you’ll see the differences when swatched below. Here are my descriptions:
  • Blush Allure is a pastel neutral nude-pink, it seems to be a pink version of Pure Impulse
  • Demi Buff is a neutral pink-brown
  • Rose Demure is a neutral-cool mauve pink
  • French Lace is a light grey-beige-pinkish nude
  • First Kiss is a vibrant healthy pink glow (love this one)
  • Amor is a deep raspberry almost fuschia reddish color
The lipsticks are full coverage and lipglosses semi-sheer with a high gloss finish. You can read my previous reviews of Edward Bess to get a more detailed idea of his lip products, but overall are high-quality, fig-scented, naturally flattering and beautiful. In this next photo you can see the subtle underlying differences in tone for the lipsticks. Blush Allure is more nudish, Demi Buff is the most brown, Rose Demure is more mauvey.

Now onto the packaging. I have a love/hate relationship with packaging changes. I tend to like it when packaging changes are minimal because I like consistency for storage sake. For Edward Bess, the lipstick packaging is now square and made of a plastic casing. The new case is very sturdy and the benefit is that now there will be less rolling off the table casualties. However, I really loved the sleek metal round tube he used to have. Weight/product wise, the older lipstick tubes were .14 oz/4 g while the new ones are now .13 oz/3.8 g. Not a huge difference so it’s not something I think anyone will make a fuss about.

The lipgloss packaging seems to be virtually the same to me. The old and new are very similar and the differences are slight, but I feel the newer tubes are less angular and have a slightly softer look. The old packaging glosses were .19 oz/5.8 ml if made in Italy or .16 oz/4.4 g if made in the USA. The new packaging glosses are .20 oz/5.9 ml.

Packaging L to R: New, Old, Old, New

Swatches:


Overall I find them very different from the existing EB lipsticks and glosses. This is the first time he has released lighter neutral pinkish colors. The closest ones Tender Love, Pure Impulse and Natural Attraction are all significantly darker/deeper.

Those not familiar with Edward Bess’s line, check out the tag/label below for past reviews and info on where to buy etc. I’ll feel like a broken record if I repeat where the items are found or can be purchased again since I’ve done so numerous times already. Also you can reference the tear-out from the catalog up above 🙂

I haven’t had time to try these on the lips yet so I can’t say for sure how these look on the lips. They literally arrived a couple days ago from Bergdorf Goodman and I haven’t had time to test them fully. Lip swatches to come soon.

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Chanel Holiday 2010 Rouge Cocos: Magnolia & Patchouli

December 6, 2010

I featured most of Chanel’s Holiday 2010 Collection back in October, but neglected to review the 2 new Rouge Cocos in Magnolia 117 (pink) and Patchouli 107 (brownish-peach-nude). Here they are swatched and reviewed.

Magnolia is a light pink with subtle gold sparkles, but it’s mostly a non-shimmer lipstick. On me it runs on the slightly cool side. It works best of me when worn with a light touch. I think I like this on lighter skintones. It’s hard to capture with the camera – but on me it looks a bit fake like a powder pink.

Patchouli is a natural peachy brownish nude shimmer. If you’re familiar with Perle, Patchouli is similar in texture and finish with the shimmer factor and is more peach brown where Perle is more pink. I love this one.

Compared to a few other Rouge Cocos, l to r: Rose Dentelle, Magnolia, Patchouli, Perle and Rose Comete

One last view of the 2 holiday shades:

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Edward Bess Night Romance Lipstick

November 29, 2010
The focus of this particular review is on Night Romance Lipstick by Edward Bess – a luscious raspberry pink cream. It has a smooth creamy texture that gives full coverage in one swipe. In my opinion, his lipsticks work just like a lipstick should. No tweaking or extra layering required.

Night Romance by Edward Bess was one of my first lipsticks from his line. About a year ago, I ordered the Fall 2009 Lipstick Set which had Night Romance, Forever Yours and Tender Love – a trio of berry pinks. All 3 are classic colors that you can wear year round and can take you from day to night with ease. Each shade from last fall are very similar to each other. Night Romance is the coolest-toned of the three and has the most color. I’d describe it as a cool raspberry color. Forever Yours (reviewed here) is more neutral but close in color. Tender Love has a more reddish undertone. They all look very similar and the difference is in the undertone. You might ask, what’s the difference? It’s hard to put into words, but these links might help you out:
  • You can see all three lined up here
  • You can check out Karla Sugar’s swatch line up on her blog, linked here
  • Also check out Blogdorf Goodman’s feature, linked here
Night Romance:

It’s a sophisticated classic and I love it. I was initially worried that it would be too cool for my skin, but it has the right amount of depth to make it work. It’s brighter on me because I have a lot of natural pink in my lips, so I’ll dab a bit of powder or foundations on my bare lips before applying.

* Chanel Tulip Noire Nail Polish on nails

Many might wonder if these are worth the high price tag of $32? For me they definitely are. The formula is creamy and moisturizing. It’s lightly scented with a soft fig scent. They don’t dry out my lips and they feel amazing. So many of those classic cream-finish colors by MAC and Bobbi Brown are gorgeous in the tube and swatched on my hand, but on my lips turn out to be a different story. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to fall in love with classic colors MAC Spirit, Captive or Twig. For some sad reason, they just don’t work on my lips. Edward Bess’s lipstick selection, while small, has great wearable colors for me.

Onto more swatches. On the back of my hand, you can see the blueish tones make the lipstick look different depending on what angle and lighting the color is in:

Here is a photo of me applying it on the lips. I had blotted my lips down with a bit of foundation (it’s a bit uneven) but you can see how well the Edward Bess Lipstick covers the lip:

In direct sunlight:

With the flash, indoors:

I know many of you will see these swatches and think to yourselves, “this doesn’t look the same on me!” For your reference, I have olive undertones and use Chanel’s Shell and Beige foundations in Teint Innocence and Lift Lumiere. This is the equivalent to what’s in between a MAC NC30 and NC35. Also note that I have pink lips naturally. To get a better feel for what this might look like on you, some other great resources to check out:
  • The Non-Blonde’s Review of Night Romance, linked here
  • Modesty Brown’s Review of Night Romance, linked here
  • Josie’s Review on Pink Sith, linked here
Of course, the girls at the Edward Bess counter at Bergdorf Goodman are amazing at describing colors and can help you narrow down the options better than I can. In the US, Edward Bess Cosmetics can now also be found online at places like Neimanmarcus.com, Bergdorfgoodman.com, EdwardBess.com, instore at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills and Neiman Marcus Houston.

FYI, Bergdorf Goodman has their $25 off $100 event coming soon. I believe in the next week. They have a new lipstick and gloss set out along with a new blush that I am eagerly waiting for. You might want to take advantage of this event to save a bit. I believe there is a GWP but I’m not 100% sure what it is. I recommend calling the girls to check out what they are offering this time.

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