Browsing Tag

Loving Right Now

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Love To Layer

May 10, 2011

I love layering and blending out colors, especially for makeup. Layering different textures and shades allows me to create extra depth and also helps to give that slight glowy finish. Layering multiple products is something I usually only do when going out for a special occasion. In the mornings, I’m always running 5 minutes behind. Makeup for work is usually kept as simple as possible, except for the rare occasions that I am able to wake up an extra 30 minutes early.

My makeup looks usually revolve around my clothes/outfit of the day or night. This past weekend I wore a simple floral strapless dress (shown here). It was fairly neutral so virtually any look would go with it. I realize this would be more helpful if I had a photo of my face to go with this, but this is more for my own personal reference since I was quite happy with the result. The numbers in each photo indicate the order of application.

Cheeks: I applied Armani’s Fluid Sheer #10 on cheeks and then applied Dior’s Aurora on top as a contour. I then took a separate blush brush and applied Chanel Espiègle just on the apples.

Lips: Simply line with liner. Fill with a sheer gold lipstick. Top with a sheer coral gloss.

Eyes: The first step was to apply Laura Mercier’s Metallic Gold Creme shadow on the lids as a base. I took the white side of NARS Exotic Dance and and dipped MAC’s 242 (a stiffer brush) into the frosty white and patted it on 1/2 way up the eyes. Taking a larger fluffy brush, I swished it into the golden tan shimmer of Exotic Dance and loosely applied it all over. Next, I took MAC’s Spare Change and applied it along upper lashes in a messy smudgey line and layered Le Metier’s Splendid Frost taupe on top to blend. Last steps were to add a clean fine black line along upper lashes and outer corners on the bottom. Finishing step was with Armani’s Eyes to Kill Mascara.

  1. Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10 – shown here
  2. Dior Aurora Bronzer – reviewed here
  3. Chanel Espiègle #65 Blush – swatched and reviewed here
  4. Paul & Joe Lip Pencil Duo – Melon (01) – partially swatched here
  5. Bobbi Brown Candlelight Shimmer Lipstick – shown next to Beige Gold Metallic here
  6. Chanel Pensée 277 Glossimer – here
  7. Laura Mercier Metallic Creme in Gold
  8. NARS Exotic Dance – white applied with a stiff MAC 242 brush patted on lids
  9. NARS Exotic Dance – gold applied with a loose fluffy brush all over lids, here
  10. MAC Spare Change eyeliner – applied in a smudgey line along upper lashes, swatched here
  11. Le Metier de Beaute – Splendid Frost, top shade applied along lash line smudged on top, blended, also reviewed here
  12. Bobbi Brown Caviar Ink to finish as liner – swatched here
  13. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

Swatched, two views with different lighting:


One last view:

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Loving Right Now: Spring Pinks

May 5, 2011


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
  • Chanel Aventure Rouge Coco Shine
  • Edward Bess First Kiss Lip Gloss – featured here
  • MAC Pleasantry Mineralized Blush – from 2008ish



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.

All swatched on the arm for reference:


What are some of your favorite pinks?

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Loving Right Now

April 11, 2011

Right now I’m loving …

Jo Malone Tea Fragrances – layering these together creates the most lovely uplifting scents. I find them simple, pure and refreshing! (each scent reviewed here)

Chanel Ombres Perleés de Chanel, perfect for a lovely glow and easy to apply with fingers (reviewed and swatched here)

NARS Kalahari Duo & Fez Single Eyeshadow – I’ve been using my depotted Kalahari and it was about time for a replacement so I bought a new one. It’s one of my holy-grail neutrals. Fez is a beautiful bronzey copper (swatched here).

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Ébène is a pure black and stays put all day and Urban Decay’s 24/7 Shadow Pencil Blending Brush is the perfect brush for blending smokey colors (not so great for blending lighter shades all over the lid, but for darker shades and detail areas or smudging it’s great)

Giorgio Armani Blush #2 – the original Armani products were the best in my opinion. Classic nude soft neutrals never go out of style. #2 is a soft luminous peachy pink.

Bobbi Brown Aruba Illuminating Bronzing Powder is a golden shimmer bronze (see it here too)

Chanel Joyeuse from the Le Blanc Asia Exclusive Collection is a beautiful bright pink (see it reviewed here as well)

More bright lips: Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 02 Can-Can (here too), Dior Model Addict Lipstick (also here) and Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine in Adventure (I used up the entire sample from the little card I received and went out to buy the full sized version)

What are you loving right now?
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Loving Right Now

February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine’s Day! What are you loving right now? For me …



Chanel Rose Insolent Le Vernis (previously reviewed here)



Felix Doolittle Stationary – The most charming & delightful illustrations ever! I discovered Felix Doolittle when my sister gave me and my husband personalized mailing labels as a wedding present even though we never had a formal wedding. The Heart Candy sets make a perfect gift this Valentine’s Day for loved ones (I gave my husband the Love Bug magnet and he loves it!!!)



NARS Velvet Gloss Pencils – all of them (all lip swatched just a few days ago)



Edward Bess Soft Smoke Trio – looks boring in the compact but it’s magical on the eyes, absolute smokey eye perfection, there is no other black/grey/cream palette that works like this one


MAC Gana Blush from the Mickey Contractor collection – love this on the eyes for a soft glow



More hot pinks, on the lips Chanel Imaginaire Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss


NARS Angelika Multiple – hot cool pink with tiny microsparkles



His (Chanel Allure Homme Sport & Bond Cooper Square) & Mine (Chloe Lavande and Tocca Bianca)



Jo Malone minis & L’Occitane Hand Cream


Pup treats for Lucy & Jake from Sprinkles

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Loving Right Now

January 5, 2011

In the new year, I’m currently loving right now . . .

Customer appreciation, more on this to come soon!

Chanel Regard Perlé for Spring 2011, reviewed here

Chanel Rouge Fatal Le Vernis, also shown here

Plum accents

Small Pottery Barn pill box (sold out online, but check your local stores)

Another cure for down days, giggles from the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie children’s book series

My real cure for everything, puppy love from Lucy

I’m loving nail polish in general, but especially the Dior Gris City Limited Edition Colors in Gris Montaigne, Bond Street and NY57th (review to come soon)

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Loving Right Now: For The Home

December 21, 2010

Silver birdcage ornaments from Pottery Barn (now on sale!), cute for putting a little treat inside instead of a stocking stuffer (still haven’t found the perfect photo for these, so I cut out a Nordstrom card and put it inside for now)

More mini ornaments, copper kitchen miniatures from Williams-Sonoma

Candles: Henri Bendel are my favorite! Jo Malone is a nice splurge every once in a while too.


Peppermint Bark Cookies (also on sale at Williams-Sonoma now), so addicting and scrumptious: the perfect midnight snack and I’m not even a peppermint fan

Woven short tray, nice for organizing and display, from Crate & Barrel, Sedona Vanity Tray

Fun stuff from West Elm, large list-type pads, fun games, cheese cards, wine cards, miscellaneous things that are nice to have around the house

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Loving Right Now: Dark & Murky

December 9, 2010
I am anxiously waiting for Chanel Spring 2011 to arrive instore. I watched the Spring-Summer 2011 Fashion Show at Chanel.com and once again became inspired to pull a few of my dark murky greenish-blackened teals. I can’t pull off the dramatic looks that were on the runway, but when these darks are used with a lighter hand or as a smokey liner the result is lovely.

What am I loving now?
  • Chanel Black Jade Intense Eye Pencil – blackened jade with slight shimmer
  • Laura Mercier Black Turquoise Kohl Eye Pencil – beautiful deep teal shimmer
  • NARS Rajasthan Eyeshadow Duo – LOVE, featured here
  • MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment – intense frosty deep teal
  • MAC Moonlight Night Pigment – glittery deep green
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Nail Polish – dark blackened teal
  • MAC Dark Soul+Moonlight Night Pigments mixed – my ideal smoky teal-grey shadow
What I love about these specific colors is the complex nature and deep base making them dark enough to not be a straight teal, but also green enough so they aren’t a straight black. They all change color depending on different angles and lighting. Below you’ll see what I mean.

Swatches L to R: Chanel Black Jade, Laura Mercier Black Turquoise, NARS Rajasthan, MAC Deep Blue Green, MAC Moonlight Night, Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams, MAC Dark Soul+Moonlight Night mixed

In different lighting you can see the green more:

The thing I am looking forward to the most is Chanel’s Black Pearl Nail Polish. You know I’ll be doing a comparison as soon as I get my hands on it! To satisfy my current craving for that deep black-green murky nail polish, I did a Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams manicure (shade is from 2008). I know some of you will be cursing me as this shade is no longer available, but I think it can be easily duped. (More comparisons to come once Black Pearl is released). In the meantime, here are my fingers at the moment.

See the beautiful duo-chrome in the bottle:

On the nails it’s a different story though:





Didn’t get enough green/teal? Go back into the archives, back from last June 2009 where I featured Blues and Greens in my Smokey Eye Series. There you’ll see more colors to observe.