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Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 | The Enigma #216

November 6, 2014

Marc Jacobs Beauty has released several new eyeshadow palette colors in their Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow format for fall/holiday. I ordered The Enigma #216 ($59 for 0.24 oz) back in late September but never managed to post a review. I have photos and swatches for you today. I’ve eyed several of the Marc Jacobs Beauty palettes ever since the line launched in August 2013, but with eyeshadow palettes that have more than 5 shades, it’s hard for me to justify a purchase if I don’t love all the colors. The Enigma is the first one I decided to splurge on and it’s a lovely palette with a mix of deep and pale colors.

There are seven colors included in this one:

Matte black
Shimmering sterling grey
Soft shimmering grey-sage
Shimmery cool-pink
Satin-matte soft pink
Sparkling warm taupe brown
Frosty champagne

Overall the palette pulls more cool-toned on me, but it’s still neutral. I like that the pink shimmers have a visible soft rose-colored base but don’t give me a pink-eye look. All the shades are well pigmented. The shimmers have a softer more pigmented texture but the satiny-mattes also go on the lids nicely. I’ve played with this a number of ways using 3-4 shades with any given eye look.

Here is one with the frosted pink, frosted taupe, shimmering champagne, gunmetal and matte black. All the colors are blended for a gradient finish. The photo below shows the color a bit washed out, but the color in real life really shows up well on the skin.

Close ups of each shade in The Enigma Palette below and swatches:

The Enigma Palette is a winner in my book. I like that this palette has distinct shades. It has a good mix of colors making it a classic but edgy neutral. I found lasting power to be quite good with an eye base (I like Edward Bess’s, other favorites here). The shadow lasted all day from early morning until late evening without moving or smudging.

You can find the Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow Palettes online at Sephora and Marc Jacobs Beauty. Most of the palettes are also available in stores, but the last time I was at a Sephora store (a couple weeks ago) I did not yet see this one on the tester unit. If you’ve seen it please share in the comments.

Have you tried any of the Marc Jacobs Beauty eyeshadows? What are your favorites?

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On My Radar / New in Beauty

October 13, 2014

I’ve been busy with a move, I didn’t plan to take a break from blogging but ended up having to take a few days off. I have quite a few new things I’m excited to share with you and hope to get everything unpacked from boxes in the next few days. In the meantime, here are some new things that have popped up online in the beauty world. Holiday collections and new releases are trickling in each day.

Diptyque has three new scents coming out this holiday in Spice, Winter and Resin (1). Three are available online at Neiman Marcus in the large size. If you are near a Diptyque Boutique, they will have an exclusive in-store one-day preview this Wednesday October 15 before it is released officially in November. (These will also be available in the smaller sizes too.)

Marc Jacobs Beauty The Sky-Liner Set (2) has 7 mini Highliner Gel Pencil set for the holidays. It has in O(vert) (forest green), Brown(out) (bronze with shimmer), Th(ink) (deep navy), (Plum)age (vivid purple), Blacquer (black), Sunset (golden bronze shimmer), Midnight in Paris (inky indigo blue). This is on my wish list.

Chanel Holiday (3) has arrived in stores and online. I bought the Volage Rouge Allure, Phenix Le Vernis, Les 5 Ombres Palette and Envol Illusion D’Ombre. I’m in love with the peachy lipstick and eyeshadow, more thoughts on the other items soon.

Oribe Liquid Gold Set (4) has mini 50 ml sizes of the Gold Lust Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Oil. I tried a couple sample packets of the shampoo and conditioner and fell head over heels. I have some other shampoos I’m currently using now, so I may wait and get this set once those are used up.

Dior has added more shades to their 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette line (5). I have Cuir Cannage and Versaille to share soon. There will be two limited-edition options for holiday as well in Golden Shock and Golden Reflections.

Tom Ford Beauty has new matte lipsticks for the holiday (6). I am normally not a fan of matte lips but saw these last week and splurged on four shades. The colors currently available are Pink Tease, Pussycat, Ruby Rush, Plum Lush, Flame, First Time and Velvet Cherry.

Bobbi Brown has several holiday items and sets this year (7). There are some really pretty items from the Scotch on the Rocks collection. I played with these briefly at the counter a few days ago. I have my eye on the Bronze Glow Highlight Powder, Black Scotch Gel Liner, Scotch Nail Polish, Bellini and Gold Glitter Lipgloss, I will need to play more before deciding whether or not these will be too shimmery or not.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I will resume posting as soon as I can, in the meantime I’d love to hear what’s on your beauty radar 🙂
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On My Radar / New in Beauty

September 28, 2014

I hope everyone has been enjoying the weekend. We’re still experiencing really warm weather in Southern California but it’s finally started to cool down a little bit. Fall and holiday items are trickling in stores but it doesn’t feel like fall yet. A few new items I’ve spotted that are on my current beauty radar:

Chanel has re-released some cult classics in the new Collection Les Rouges Culte (1). There are three Le Vernis shades in Rouge Flamboyant, Laque Rouge, and Rouge No. 19 along with three featured shades of Rouge Coco Shine in Boheme, Dialogue and Suspense. In my mind Chanel can do no wrong when it comes to reds so I ordered the nail polishes and will swatch them as soon as they arrive.

I’m always on the hunt for cool stationery. I find hand-written notes can be fun and they add that personal touch which I feel is slowly disappearing in this digital age of e-mails and texts. Connor has this cute Emoji Stationery Set (2) which I have on my wish list. I have their desk calendar and love their exquisite designs and the card stock they use is very good quality.

Marc Jacobs Beauty has some new items for fall and holiday. There are 9 new shades of Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer (3) for fall (hover over the shades on Sephora to see which colors are labeled as “new”). I have my eyes on Blanche (white cream), Cobra (black grape) and Louise (ballet pink beige). There are some new items for holiday which includes a new Collector’s Edition Midnight in Paris shade that comes in a keepsake box.

Also for fall, there are several new palettes of the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 – Plush Shadow (4). I just ordered Enigma which has a mix of black, grey, taupe and pink. I’ll be swatching in the next couple weeks and report back.

L’Occitane recently released the Bonne Mère Collection (5). There are a number of shower gels and soaps in this line that is very gentle. Each comforting formula is hypoallergenic and PH neutral, made without parabens or phenoxyethanol. I’ve been testing a couple of the shower gels in Rosemary and Olive over the past couple of months and they are amazing. Rosemary is such a unique one with a refreshing one that has a beautiful scent (it’s not like actual rosemary like I expected).

Laura Mercier Peach Hope Lip Glacé (6) is a shimmering coral peach with gold flecks. 100% of the profits go to the Laura Mercier Ovarian Cancer Fund.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (7) will launch next month (you can add your e-mail to the wait list at Sephora). It’s a definite must-have on my list, I hope to have swatches of this beauty this week as well. First impressions are that it took my breath away as soon as I opened it.

Diptyque Benjoin (8) is an online exclusive that is described as somewhere in between vanilla and caramel. It sounds like it could be either incredibly amazing or overly sweet. I have this on the way to my house and will report back as soon as I am able to burn it. This one is available for a limited time.

What’s on your beauty radar this week?

P.S. Thank you to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! The winner has been announced on the widget, congrats to Denise P at e-mail deniseg*******[email protected], check your inbox, i just sent you a message 🙂

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Deep Smoky Teal Nail Lacquers | Louboutin, JINsoon, NARS, Marc Jacobs Beauty and Rescue Beauty Lounge

September 9, 2014

I’m currently obsessed with these dark smokey teal shades of nail polish. There are so many different kinds of teal. Some are straight blue-green creams while others have this pretty mix of green, blue, black and silver. Ones I’m obsessed with right now:

  • Louboutin Lady Twist ($50) is the ultimate luxurious deep teal version of a vamp shade. It has a full coverage with rich pigment. It applied very smoothly but due to the longish brush, I found it took a tiny bit of extra time to get a precise application near the cuticles. I will have a more detailed review on other Louboutin shades coming up, but to sum up, I’ve been very pleased with the formula, coverage and wear time.
  • JINsoon Heirloom ($18) is a darker deeper version of Chanel Azure, Heirloom is an intense metallic green teal loaded with tons of complex shimmer particles, it applies very smoothly for a metallic. The way this flashes different colors makes it resemble a peacock.
  • Rescue Beauty Lounge Small Dim Summer Stars ($20) is one of the prettiest complex shades I have ever seen. It’s silver, green, teal, black all mixed into one polish. It has the prettiest micro sparkles mixed throughout so when you look at it on the nails sometimes it looks silvery, other times more green and in other lighting more teal. I loved this one so much I bought a back up.
  • Marc Jacobs Beauty Sally ($18) is an iridescent blackened green. Don’t let the first coat disappoint you, it will be very very sheer with the first coat, but it transforms into this full coverage beautiful green with the second coat. It’s almost black on the nails but there is still enough color so it does look green with a slight hint of teal
  • NARS Wrong Turn ($20) is part of the 3.1 Phillip Lim + NARS Collection. This is such a unique color because it changes with a top coat. In the bottle and on the nails it’s a metallic gunmetal grey. Once you add a top coat it transform into this deep teal shade. (See both swatches on Beauty Geeks). It applies like one of those rich metallic shades that adheres really well to the nail and applies flawlessly. It’s a definite must have.
  • Rescue Beauty Lounge Monologue ($20) is part of the Anatomy of #Kdrama collection (featured here). It’s a deep rich navy blue with a unique metallic sheen. It’s not quite in the teal family, but I had to feature it again for those who prefer something with more blue/navy.

More photos and swatches, Louboutin Lady Twist

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For reference, here are the shades swatched side by side along with a few other additions:
Rescue Beauty Lounge Small Dim Summer Stars
Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal (d/c)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Monologue
Marc Jacobs Sally
Louboutin Lady Twist
JINsoon Heirloom
Chanel Azure (d/c)
Chanel Nuit de Russie (d/c)

Larger view:

Do you have a favorite teal?

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Liquid Eye Liners | Chanel, Kat Von D, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury and Tom Ford

August 26, 2014

I’ve never been a fan of liquid eyeliners on me. The traditional kind with a tiny brush at the end has always felt flimsy to me which has never let me control the line on the eyes. I don’t have the steadiest hands and prefer to line with a detail brush and a darker powder shadow or a pencil that I can blend easily. I’ve tested a few felt tip liquid liners in stores (on the hand) and found they either looked grey when they dried, had felt tips that looked mushed after use, or bled into crevices easily. I dismissed them for many years until I discovered Tom Ford’s Defining Eye Pen last year and it completely changed my outlook on liners. Since then I’ve been braver with the liquid liner application and have been able to test a few more. I don’t have a good tutorial on application but find it’s best when applied in short strokes (even if it’s messy) along the upper lash line and then built up for thickness and precision. I absolutely loved this Easy Winged Liner Technique video by MakeupbyTiffanyD which helped me tremendously as a liquid liner beginner.

Five liquid liners I’ve tried that I wanted to share (with a Sharpie and Post Card for size reference):

  • Chanel Écriture de Chanel Stylo Eye-Liner in Noir ($35) was the second liquid liner I purchased. The artists at the Chanel counter raved about it when it came out with the fall collection. Noir is a true black but when you compare it to the other five I have, it’s not the deepest and looks slightly greyish. It has a felt tip and the cap has a slight spring inside when you close it, the packaging seals it completely so it doesn’t dry out. My initial thoughts on this were that it was a good liquid liner, but after comparing it to others, it’s just not as good. It takes a long time to dry, the tip isn’t quite as precise and just looks grayish once it does dry.
  • Kat Von D Ink Liner in Trooper ($18) has made it into my top three picks. The Ink Liner comes with a felt tip while the Tattoo Liner comes with a brush tip. This one has a stiffer tip that is still slightly flexible. For me it creates a super precise line and is very easy to control. When testing which one would remove easily off my arm with a dual-phase eye makeup remover, this was the second longest lasting (next to Tom Ford). This one also has a spring insert in the cap which seals it completely once closed. I like that it’s very fluid and there’s no bleeding when you apply it.
  • Marc Jacobs Magic Marc’er Precision Pen in Blacquer ($30) is one I had high hopes for based on the rave reviews. When I first tried it I did not like it. The felt tip was too soft for a precise line. After experimenting with it some more, I found it best when applied sideways or horizontally and then gliding it across the lids in short feathery strokes. It dries nicely to a true rich and glossy black but doesn’t smudge. It is a liner I find takes more time. When I’m in a rush, this one isn’t the best for me. 
  • Charlotte Tilbury The Feline Flick Quick Fine Line Shodõ Pen is something I purchased from the from the Rock Chic set on Charlotte Tilbury UK. Now available in the US at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Beautylish. This one is quite amazing with a super precise line and glossy rich black finish. It stays put and sets quickly. I love that it is super easy to glide on for precise application. The stiffer tip makes it easier for me to apply versus one that bends easily. Huge thumbs up for this one.
  • Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen in Deeper 01 ($55) is hands down the best liquid eye liner I’ve tried. It comes with two tips, one is a thicker brush, the other is a smaller felt tip. This one is super easy to apply. It gives a super dark black line and is the easiest for me to use (which is important since I’m not the best at applying liquid liners). It’s lasted almost a year for me without drying out and the tips have remained sharp.

Comparisons to pencil liners: Houglass 1.5 Mechanical Pencil, Chanel Stylo Yeux in Gris and Edward Bess Defining Eyeliner in Deep Brown

To summarize my thoughts:

Top three picks
Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury and Kat Von D
Deepest black: Charlotte Tilbury
Longest lasting: Kat Von D, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford
Most precise: Tom Ford and Kat Von D
Easiest to control: Tom Ford

If I were pressed to pick just one, it would hands down be the Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen even though $55 for an eyeliner is quite ridiculous. It’s super easy to control for a lighter or deeper line. It also has two tip sizes for a fine or thick line. It glides on and doesn’t smudge and retains its lush dark glossy black color even when dried.

Are you a liquid liner fan? What are your favorites?

The Marc Jacobs and Kat Von D eyeliners were provided courtesy of Sephora for review consideration. The others were purchased by me. More information in my Disclosures.
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Marc Jacobs Beauty Magic and Superstar Lust For Lacquer Lip Vinyls

August 14, 2014

Marc Jacobs Beauty has two new Lust For Lacquer Lip Vinyls (Sheer) in Magic and Superstar ($28 each for 5 ml/0.16 fl oz). Magic is a sheer champagne gold nude shimmer and Superstar is a sparkling mauve pink with silvery shimmers. Both are very sheer like other shades in the same formula (reviews of Kissability, Heart Shaped and Overprotected). In case you haven’t seen the previous reviews and are new to Marc Jacobs lip glosses, the Lip Vinyl Sheers have a flexible sponge tip. There is a soft vanilla-cake scent to these but they have a slight cooling sensation and plump the lips. I found them gentle enough for my sensitive lips. The texture is smooth and shiny.

Magic applies virtually clear on my lips adding shine. I was hoping there would be a visible golden iridescent glow on the lips but on me it’s almost invisible. I expected Superstar to be really frosty based on what it looks like in the tube but it’s actually not. It’s a less frosted version of Chanel Blizzard Glossimer (which is a classic but very shimmery). I was surprised how pretty this one was.

Close ups and lip swatch of Magic, it’s a sheer gloss that will be nice to top lipsticks, but if you’re anything like me, you probably have plenty of sheer glosses in your arsenal:

Close up and lip swatch of Superstar:

Swatch comparisons to NARS Greek Holiday, NARS Gold Digger, Chanel Arlequin Glossimer (discontinued), Chanel Blizzard Glossimer, MAC Dazzleglass in Roman Holiday, Chanel Wild Rose Glossimer:

I expected to fall in love with Magic but ended up liking Superstar much more. Even though these are intended to be sheer glosses I can’t help but wish they had more pigment. Still, I’m loving the look of Superstar on the lips.

Both are currently available now at Sephora for $28 each. Have you tried any of the Lust For Lacquer Lip Vinlys? What were your thoughts? Any favorites?

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Sneak Peek, Reviews Soon: NARS, Clé de Peau Beauté, Elizabeth and James, One Truffle, YSL, Chanel and more …

August 12, 2014

A quick sneak peek at reviews to be posted soon, some things I’ve been testing now for a couple weeks, others I’m working my way through swatches as fast as I can:

Stay tuned!
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