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Diorshow Mono Mordoré 653 and Gris Montaige 047

August 9, 2013
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Dior released four single shadows as a Nordstrom Exclusive with the fall collection. These are new in the US, although available in other countries (see swatches on Front Row Beauty). I picked up two of the shades Mordoré 653 and Gris Montaigne 047 ($29 each for 2.2g/0.07 oz, Nordstrom.com). Both are in the Diorshow Mono formula which has allows either a wet or dry application. This was my first time trying these shadows even though the formula was released months ago with other shades.

Mordoré 653 is a beautiful warm bronze metallic. It has a lovely shimmery finish to it. On me it pulls very warm but not red. Swatched on the arms it looks identical to Armani Eyes to Kill #5, but Dior Mordoré is easier to wear with less yellow/orange and slightly more bronze. The pigment is very rich but smooth and easy to layer. Blending with this color is easy – some coppers and warm bronzes blend out to look reddish or yellowy on the skin, this one stays true to color.

Gris Montaigne 047 is a classic metallic grey silver. There is a blend of different kinds of silvery shades which prevent it from looking too metallic or foiled on the skin. Silvers can be hard for me to pull off – this one has enough grey to not turn blue on the eyes. I could not find a dupe for this one.

More photos and swatches:

Comparisons below to Urban Decay Half Baked, NARS Fex, Chanel Le Bronze, Armani Eyes to Kill #5, Burberry Pearl Grey, Chanel Furtif, Chanel Infini, Armani Eyes to Kill #21 and Armani Eyes to Kill #17.

In the US you can find both Dior Mordoré and Gris Montaigne at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com. I’m new to the Diorshow Mono formula but so far am pleased with the two shades I tried. Are there any other colors you’ve fallen in love with that I need to try?

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YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 La Laque Couture

July 28, 2013
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I’ve had YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 La Laque Couture ($25 for 0.34 fl oz/10ml at Nordstrom) for over a year but have never had a chance to review it. Some of the YSL nail lacquers can be hard to find since most stores don’t carry the entire color range. Certain stores have exclusive shades. I’m not sure if Prune Minimale is one of those colors but I’ve only been able to find it at Nordstrom in the US. Prune Minimale No. 7 is a dark vampy plum-brown. In the bottle it appears to a wine color with shimmer. On the nails the shimmer is invisible and it applies significantly darker than what you see in the bottle. It gives full coverage with two coats. Lasting power was quite good – I took it off on day five to swatch comparisons and there was minimal tip wear. From arms length this looks very similar to a number of other vampy shades. I pulled a few to compare (scroll down). YSL Prune Minimale proved to be one of the darker vamps that I own.

The bottles show some shimmers:

Here it is swatched with two coats and one coat of Chanel Laque Brilliance Extrême top coat.

Comparisons below to Chanel Rouge Noir, Vamp, Accessoire and Strong:

I think YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 is a lovely but fairly standard vamp. It’s a sharp classic color that is something you can wear year round. However I was surprised about the attention it received for something I found to be very basic. YSL Prune Minimale received a significant amount of attention over the last week though from co-workers as well as from both of my favorite Chanel and Dior reps at Nordstrom – they all wanted to know what color it was.
Overall I’m impressed with the quality and wear. If you look closely you can tell that it is different from Chanel classics like Rouge Noir and Vamp. It’s about 1-2 shades darker, cooler and more brown than Rouge Noir. So far I’ve only seen it at Nordstrom but if you’ve spotted it elsewhere please share in the comments. (I searched about 10 other retailers online that carry YSL and couldn’t find it listed anywhere.)
YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 retails for $25. You can find it now instores and online at Nordstrom.

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Chanel Makeover – Escape to Venice Event

July 19, 2013
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I had a makeover with Chanel at my local Nordstrom for their Escape to Venice event. It was focused around some repromoted items such as the Blue Satin and Beige Nail Polish, Vitalumière Aqua foundation and some Rouge Coco Shines (no new colors or items). I went in to replenish foundation – Chanel makes my favorites. They are one of the few lines I can wear almost any foundation or powder with a good color match, long wear and no irritation/breakouts. They had the Les Beiges powders on display for pre-sale only. I was happy to be able to test those out in person before committing to buy online. (Was also happy to see they won’t be an online exclusive.) Breakdown of what was used on me below.

Items used throughout the makeover:

Face Prep: Cleansed with cotton pads and the Le Blanc Fresh Brightening Cleansing Foam, toned with Le Blanc Brightening Moisture Lotion (really a toner), prepped with the new Le Jour de Chanel. I loved the feel of each item. I was already well stocked on cleanser and toner so I did not purchase either. I have fallen in love with the Le Jour de Chanel samples I received so I went into the event knowing I wanted to purchase the full size. (Detailed skincare review to come shortly.)
Primer and Foundation Makeup: Light application of the CC Cream B20 with the Foundation Brush (nice evening effect but too pale for my taste). Vitalumière Aqua Compact Foundation in B30 buffed with their Kabuki Brush gave an airbrushed natural look. Dusting of Les Beiges 20 all over the face was applied. Last face prep step was to use Les Beiges 40 as a contouring powder.
Eyes: The artist used a lot of layering on the eyes. She started with Illusion d’Ombre in Ebloui all over the bottom half of the lids applied with the Concealer Brush and blended with the fingers. She then followed with the mauve-taupe shade from Mystère Quad on top with a softer fluffy brush. Next she took Apparition Illusion d’Ombre and layered it on top – this achieved a stunning sparkly brown-gold effect when all mixed together. She then used Ebene Stylo Yeux to line the water lines and define the upper lashline. Khaki Precieux was used along the lower lashes to make the eyes pop. The darkest shade from Mystère was used to follow along the lines just in the outer corners and blended softly. Finishing touch was the new Volume de Chanel in Khaki.
Lips and Cheeks: For cheeks she used the Revelation Blush Creme layered with the Les Beiges in 40 for blending/contour. Lips were mixed with a vibrant coral pink Rouge Coco Le Basier 54 and Rouge Coco Shine in Interlude. Both shades were mixed with a lip brush then applied. She blotted the lips and then reapplied the Rouge Coco Shine to soften the look.

The overall look was glowy and just beautiful. I loved the combination for the eyes and the pink lips and cheeks balanced the whole look quite well. The Le Blanc skincare line felt nice on the skin but I’ve never had much luck with the Chanel skincare lines (since Age Delay was discontinued about a decade ago). The Resynchonizing Trio has worked wonders for my skin though (more to come soon). Most of the items used were things I already owned which was nice. The artist took care to take note of what I already own to show me some ideas on how to coordinate the items.

Some new items mixed in with some classics:

Have you had a Chanel makeover recently? Thoughts? Ideas? I will update the post later with more product photos. I’m looking forward to the release of Les Beiges in the US! Nordstrom fans – check your local counters to see if they have events or gifts going on now, many counters are doing promotions in store now.
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Dior Mystic Metallics: Constellation 864 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette (Nordstrom)

July 16, 2013
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Dior Constellation 864 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette ($61, limited-edition, Nordstrom exclusive) is the second quint release for Dior Fall this year. It’s a stunner in the compact and the colors translate onto the skin true to pan. If you can pull off cool-toned colors and brighter plums or purples on the eyes you will love this. For me, some purples appear too blue against my olive skin leaving me with a punched-eye or pink-eye look. This is one of those purple palettes – it requires a bit of layering with a warm terracotta or sheer bronze (Le Metier makes some nice ones from their limited kaleidoscope kits, NARS Fez works well as does Urban Decay Lost). The lighter shades pull very cool on my skin, if you’re very warm or tan you may find this one pulls very cool-toned on you, more so than when you swatch on the arm.

The colors include a pale mauve, a frosted silvery-platinum, a cool pink opal, a plum with silver flecks and a purple satin. Most of the colors pull very shimmery. Each color is very pigmented. I liked that the colors applied very well on the eyes and stayed put well throughout the morning and afternoon.

Overall, not my favorite … at least for now. Part of me thinks it’s the warm summer weather that is making me crave warmer colors for eyes (versus cool purples). Once autumn arrives I think I’ll like this more as is. For now, it will be reserved for days I have extra time to get ready in the morning or evening. It’s going to be a higher-maintenance palette that requires some warm color layering to make it work for me.
Constellation is available now at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com as an Early Access item to Nordstrom Cardholders. It will be available to all this Friday when their Anniversary sales starts. Do note it’s a limited-edition product. You may want to call your local Dior counters to pre-sell if you don’t have a Nordstrom card. They can reserve one and set it aside for you.

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Dior Mystic Metallics: Bonne Étoile 384 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette

July 14, 2013

Dior Bonne Étoile 384 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette is this season’s star product for eyes ($61, limited-edition, at Nordstrom). The palette has the most beautiful embossed star patterns. Each color is richly pigmented with varying degrees of shimmer and sparkle. Even those who avoid shimmers will love this one. I am not usually brave enough to wear bright teals or greens on the eyes but the colors in this palette are deep enough to not be over-the-top. The colors include a deep rich khaki olive gold, a chocolate brown with gold flecks, a sparkly silvery-taupe, a deeper green-teal sparkle and a soft seafoam green shimmer. The shimmers adhere well to the eye, but you still need a good primer to avoid fall out from the teal and taupe (I experienced just a slight bit). Five colors on one eye can be challenging to pull off, but the colors layer nicely together. I played with this today and found the combinations to be endless. Applying the darker shades with a slightly damp brush intensified the colors nicely for a more dramatic look.

Swatched:

I don’t own any other palette similar, although I suspect each shade is similar to other individual colors. I think you can probably achieve a similar effect with some Urban Decay or even MAC singles, although I do think this Dior palette will be a bit more conservative and easier to wear for those who prefer neutrals. I don’t own many teals or greens so this was perfect for me. I’m still testing out the other option Constellation 864, but I can say right now that I definitely prefer this Bonne Étoile 384.
You can find Bonne Étoile 384 in stores at Nordstrom now and also online at Nordstrom.com.

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Dior Bonne Étoile 384 and Constellation 864 (Preview)

July 14, 2013
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Dior has released two stunning quints for fall this year in Bonne Étoile 384 and Constellation 864 ($61 each, limited-edition). Both are listed as exclusive to Nordstrom (for now). You can purchase Bonne Étoile now in stores and online, however Constellation is listed as an Early Access item for Nordstrom cardholders only (available to everyone on July 19th). I picked up both of mine in store today so I haven’t had time to play with these extensively. I did have my Dior artist apply Bonne Étoile on me, and although greens usually aren’t my thing for eyes, I’m already in love with this one (it’s a bold pick for me). The teal and green layer beautifully with the khaki and bronze shades. Detailed swatches and photos to come very soon. For now, check out these awesome bloggers for swatches and details:

Bonne Étoile 384

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Constellation 864

Some more preview photos of both side by side:

With flash:

In direct sunlight, no flash:

In direct sunlight with flash:
 

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Dior Mystic Metallics Vernis: Destin 382 and Galaxie 992

July 11, 2013
Dior Mystic Metallics brings us three new nail polishes, one in a magnetic-wave formula, two in the regular Dior formula. I purchased the two regular Dior Vernis shades in Destin 382 and Galaxie 992 ($24 each for 10 ml/0.33 fl oz, made in France). Both are stunning shades for fall. Destin 382 is a beautiful neutral mauve-grey shimmer with slight pinkish tones. Galaxie 992 is a beautiful plum metallic. Both are very smooth in finish with full coverage. Each shade has the perfect amount of shimmer – enough to be visible on the nail, but not too frosted or metallic. You may find similar colors in your collection however each shade is just so stunning – they are like updated classics, I think they are definitely must-haves for fall.

Swatches and comparisons for each shade, first up Destin 382. It’s a mauve but the complex shimmers make it look pinkish on the nails depending on the light. I love the color, it’s natural but not nude.

Galaxie 992 is a stunning berry vamp. I was hoping it would be a dupe for the limited-edition Love 928 shade from years past, but it’s not quite the same. Still, Galaxie is beautiful.

More comparisons on the full nail wheel in different light: Deborah Lippmann Good Girl Gone Bad, Dior Shadow, Dior Love, Dior Galaxie, Dior Icone, Chanel Gondola, Chanel Taboo, Chanel Vamp, Chanel Malice, Le Metier de Beaute Faraday, Deborah Lippmann Glamorous Life, Deborah Lippmann Modern Love, YSL Beige Leger, Dior Destin, Chanel Violette, Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge, Guerlain Petite Robe Noire and Chanel Quartz.

I wore Destin over the weekend and I have Galaxie on my nails now. I can’t stop looking at my nails. Definitely must-haves. Demure enough for conservative offices, but enough oomph to not be completely boring. The formula is beautiful and the brush makes the shades extremely easy to apply. I didn’t test either for more than 5 days since I usually like to change nail colors frequently. I didn’t experience any tip-wear with Destin after 3 days of wear (using Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and Chanel’s Top Coat).
I found the colors in store at Nordstrom. They are both limited-edition.

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