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Palettes

Bronzer + Blush Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes – Native and Streak

July 6, 2014

Earlier in the spring, Urban Decay released some new shades of their Naked Flushed Palettes ($30 each for 14g/0.49 oz). These are well-packaged face trio compacts with a bronzer, highlighter and blush. I’m a huge fan of their Naked Eyeshadow Palettes (#3 is my fav) and thought these had a lot of promise. I purchased Native (pink) and Streak (peach) in store at Sephora after reading an overwhelming number of rave reviews (4.5 stars out of 5 average rating with 600+ reviews).  
  • Native is a pink option with a medium-dark bronzer with a soft shimmer, a opal pinkish champagne highlighter and a matte pink blush
  • Streak is a warmer option with a lighter shimmery bronzer, a pale peachy shimmer highlighter and a stunning coral matte blush 
Swatching them in store on my hands revealed a soft well pigmented texture that seemed easy to blend. Testing at home with a variety of brushes has me less than pleased. I purchased these late May/early June and have been desperately trying to make these work for me.

The texture is finely milled and soft which is easy to pick up with brushes but the bronzer and blush are both very powdery resulting in a lot of debris/powder kick-up. They don’t show up well on lightly powdered skin. Right over foundation the color picks up more but the colors look muddy and look like they just sit on top of the skin. The highlighters are creamier in texture (although they are powders) and blends easily but the frost factor highlights imperfections and after softly applying on the cheeks, I suddenly have large visible pores. I’ve tried both with a large variety of brushes, cream highlighters, foundations, dewy cheek products as a base even. With the right amount of creamy base underneath I can get the bronzer and blush to apply ok sometimes (I like Tom Ford Fire Lust and Armani Fluid Sheer #3 or #10 the best), but I cannot wear the highlighter on the cheeks at all. That being said, the highlighters are pretty on the eyes. Half of the times I’ve applied these I ended up taking them off immediately after putting them on the face.

Photos and swatches:

Swatches side by side:

Closeups of each palette, up first is Native:

Streak

One last view, Streak (left) and Native (right):

I’m overall disappointed. I’ve tried numerous times to make these work, and with extra tweaking I can only make them work 1/2 the time. They look so beautiful in the compacts and when swatched on the hands or arms. On the face the pigment and texture don’t quite translate the same. Given the overwhelming number of rave reviews, I suspect I’m in the minority with my thoughts. I’ve mentioned in recent posts I’ve had skin issues and breakouts – my skin issues aren’t on the cheek area in case you’re wondering if it’s skin problems causing the issue in application. For additional reference, Temptalia has detailed thoughts on Native, Streak and Strip, my experiences are similar to hers.

Based on the price, packaging and convenience, if you’re at a Sephora or Urban Decay counter I think you should still give these a try. If there are clean brushes available, ask a makeup artist or sales associate to apply it on you.
If you’ve tried these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have these which shade do you have and who do you apply them?
The Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes retail for $30 each. I found mine at Sephora. They come in four options, Naked, Native, Streak and Strip.
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Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette

May 15, 2014
Bobbi Brown has a new bronzy Raw Sugar Collection out for spring-to-summer. The Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette ($48, limited-edition) has been on my radar for over a month. I finally tracked one down in person – it’s quite a bit different in real life compared to the promotional photos online. From the ads I expected a neutral-cool mix of bronze, champagne and taupe. In real life Raw Sugar is quite a bit warmer with no taupe. I still found the mix to be quite lovely.

The Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette is similar to the Shimmer Bricks for the face. The one for eyes is quite a bit smaller in size measuring about 4 x 1.5 inches. The colors are all neutral earthy tones ranging from pale gold to a medium bronze. The pigment is quite good and easy to control. It is on the shimmery side but I don’t find it overly frosty. The texture is soft and easy to apply and they adhere well to the lids (as long as your lids aren’t dry, I recommend using a base or a cream shadow first).

Tom Ford Incandescent on the nails

Click to see the details of the shimmer:

Swatched:

I’ve been using this one by swiping a fluffy shadow brush like MAC 217 (see my brush essentials here) across the left side mixing multiple colors and applying all over the lids, then taking a smaller contour brush like MAC 226 on the right side over the darkest three browns and applying on top near the lash lines. You can control intensity of color and shimmer depending on how much you apply to the eyes and what brushes you use. A denser brush will pick up more color. You can also use a slightly damp brush to intensify the frost/shimmer.

For those who have previous Shimmer Brick Eye Palettes, Raw Sugar is definitely very different from the others. I only have Sequin which is significantly cooler in tone. I couldn’t fit both palettes on one arm to show you how they look side by side but see my review and swatches here. (Sequin was also limited-edition but you can still find it at Barneys right now.)

I’m really happy with the palette even though it looks completely different than the promo photos. It’s warm but not too warm. Also although it is on the shimmery side I find the warmth makes it wearable and not too frosty. For my olive skin I find cooler toned shimmers can look frosty on my skin because of the contrast.

Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar Shimmer Brick Eye Palette is limited-edition. Several stores near me sold out of this one because they had events so it took me a bit of hunting to find it. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Bobbi Brown.

Did you check out anything from the Raw Sugar collection? There are some new bronzers, nail colors and tinted lip balms that I passed on but looked lovely.

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NARS

NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette

April 30, 2014

The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette ($79 for 0.03oz x 15 shades) is a glorious palette of 15 neutrals. It comes in a large mirrored compact and includes a wide range of colors, textures and finishes. I’m late to the party with the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (it launched back in January). I thought long and hard for months about purchasing this one because I already owned many of the colors individually and also thought the Urban Decay Naked eye palettes might be duplicates. The Sephora VIB sale earlier this month pushed me over the edge. I put it to the test for several weeks. It was also the only powder eyeshadow palette I brought with me on my recent trip to Dallas. I’ve been really happy with this palette, the versatility is impressive. This one palette has all the colors you need for a multitude of looks: natural, smokey, bronzey, etc. It will take you from day to night.
The colors in the NARSissist Eye Palette include (from left to right, from top row to bottom)


All About Eve (1 side) – shimmery champagne
Madrague (both sides) – matte cream and matte tan
Fez – shimmery copper
Bali – matte soft brown
Coconut Grove – matte brown
Nepal – shimmery peachy pink
Ashes to Ashes – soft grey shimmer
Brousse – shimmery soft plum
Mekong – dark blackened brown with gold flecks
Bellisima – white base with gold sparkle flecks
Lhasa – shimmery light grey mauve
Bad Behavior – shimmery gunmetal
Dogon – darker blue-grey metallic
Pandora – matte sheer black

There have been mixed reviews about the palette, some have reported a different quality and texture of the palette shades compared with individuals colors. Overall I found the palette to be very good quality on par with the individual colors. There were a couple shades I found to be sheerer in texture and harder to work with (my personal experience). Colors I found to perform different in this palette included:
  • the matte colors of Madrague (the regular duo applies smoothly, this palette’s version was a bit chalky)
  • Ashes to Ashes (the singles I have are more pigmented and smoother in texture, but the palette applies ok, just different texture)
  • Dogon (individual is creamier in texture while the palette is drier)
The palette still worked well with no issues for application from what I tested. The colors I noticed differences for still applied well, it just took a little bit more work for me. Close ups and swatches below of the NARSsissist Eye Palette:

Many have asked how this compares to the Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 Palettes. There are similarities in the concept – all have a mix of shimmer and matte neutral-ish colors. I find that my Naked Palettes (1, 2 and 3) are the ones I reach for the most frequently out of any of the eye shadows that I own. The differences between NARS and Urban Decay are mainly in packaging and texture. Both brands have distinct shadow formulas, I can’t say one is better than the other, they are just different.

I’ve swatched them below for your reference. There wasn’t enough room for labeling the swatches but the colors are in the order of the palettes. (To have enough room on my arm, I skipped one of the Madrague shades from the NARS palette because it didn’t show up on my skin in the photograph.)

Overall love. As you can see above there are similarities between the NARSissist and Urban Decay Nakeds. Your preference will depend on a number of factors, such as packaging preference, if you own a lot of the individual colors already, texture preference (Urban Decay is softer and more buttery, NARS is more like traditional shadows in texture with more complex shimmers).

I believe the NARSissist Palette is limited-edition. It may take a bit of hunting to find it in stores, but you can still find it now online at Sephora, Beauty.com and Saks.

Did you buy the NARSissist Palette? What did you think?
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Tom Ford Summer 2014 | Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette, Solar Gold and Moonlight Lip Shimmers

April 10, 2014

Tom Ford Beauty Summer has arrived with a new Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette ($95) two new Lip Shimmers in Solar Gold and Moonlight along with a repromote of the stunning Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust ($65). All the items are limited-edition. I purchased the palette and lip items online as soon as I saw them since Tom Ford beauty items tend to sell very quickly.

The Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette comes in a large white and gold mirrored compact similar in size to the Tom Ford Bronzers. It has three shadows in a glittering light beige/tan/taupe, a soft mauve brown matte and an intense navy/indigo color. There are also two cheek products which include a golden bronzer and a coral shimmer blush. The colors are absolutely stunning – I’m completely in love with the bronzer/cheek colors. The eye colors are also beautiful when used together. I’ve been applying the eyes starting with the medium shade first and then with the glittery color added on top. The indigo color is a bit tricky to use. It has intense pigment but can be quite messy when applied. I found it best to use as a liner along the lashes by dabbing/pressing onto the eye over a pencil or gel liner. Once on the eyes it doesn’t budge, but there is fall out and can get messy. The glittery tan is indeed very sparkly (similar to She Wolf). If you’re not 100% in love with every color in the palette, the good news is most of the colors can be duplicated with other shades.
The bronzer is unique in the sense it is more golden and lighter. I wish this came in a full size. I suspect it is very similar to MAC Trace Gold (which I can’t find at the moment) if you want a dupe. The blush is a cross between Tom Ford Flush and Love Lust blushes.

Left to right: Gold Dust Bronzer, She Wolf Trio (partial swatch, discontinued), Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette (partial swatch), Tom Ford Blushes in Savage, Flush, Love Lust, Ravish.

The Lip Shimmers are hit/miss for me. For the price and given my love for other Tom Ford lip products I had high expectations for these. Solar Gold is a very sheer gold. It goes on with only a slight tint similar in concept to the Gold Dust Lip Lacquer from a few summers ago. The texture is semi glossy and moisturizing – it feels incredible on the lips. I do wish the pigment was richer. Moonlight was a huge miss for me. It went on blotchy and uneven. It does feel really nice on the lips but the color just simply did not work on my lips. I have used this mixed with the regular Tom Ford lipsticks and it adds a nice sheen to the pinks or peaches.
Out of the two I like Solar Gold the best. Even though it’s sheer it’s still nice on the lips. If you want a white shimmer lip, I’d recommend you opt for the regular Tom Ford Lip Lacquer (which I adore and think is a must-have for everyone). Or use NARS Copacabana Multiple mixed with any clear gloss.

Left to right: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Brilliance (discontinued), Burberry Trench Kiss Lip Gloss, Tom Ford Gold Dust Lacquer (discontinued), Solar Gold and Moonlight, Tom Ford Lip Lacquer, NARS Copacabana Multiple, MAC Sugar Rimmed.

I’m a huge Tom Ford fan but have mixed feelings about this collection. I adore the Eye and Cheek Palette but wish they had released a large bronzer/blush and a separate eye palette. I don’t think I could pull off the eyes for everyday but the look is very pretty for evenings or non-corporate work environments. If you’re not a fan of the eyes or mixed palettes, you can get a similar effect with the Tom Ford Gold Dust Bronzer or any of the blushes swatched above (amazing in pigment and quality and worth every penny).
The lip shimmers are hit/miss. Solar Gold is nice to have but not a must-have. Moonlight was a fail for me, but if you’ve tried this and love it I’d love to hear how you’ve been wearing it.

All items are limited-edition. In stores now and selling out quickly.
Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette has sold out several times online but keep checking because retailers have been restocking. Currently available at Neiman Marcus, Harrods, Selfridges, Nordstrom (backorder). For SKUs if you want to search physical stores info on Bloomingdales.
Lip Shimmers are available at plenty of locations still such as Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus.
Fire Lust Skin Illuminator is also going fast. Right now it’s still available at Saks, Neiman Marcus, Harrods, and Nordstrom (backorder).
Did you see Tom Ford Summer yet? What did you think?
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GIorgio Armani Eccentrico Face Palette | Holiday 2013

November 8, 2013

Giorgio Armani’s star product for the holiday is the Eccentrico Face Palette ($88 for 8g/0.27) a limited-edition highlighter palette. The palette has one tier of powder with a silvery overspray and small flat face brush underneath. The powder below the overspray is a mix of pinks, orange and a cool white shimmer. Mixed together you get a beautiful pink glow. Although this is called a face palette, I think this is best used as a cheek blush or highlighter. The quality of the powder is excellent – it’s finely milled and the shimmer is very refined and natural making the skin glow. It’s dark enough for me to wear as blush alone. My feelings about this are a bit mixed mainly because of the price. At $88, most other Armani palettes in this range have a cheek product plus three eyeshadows. I do realize this comes with a little brush encased inside, but I still think this one is definitely overpriced. Armani does have discount promotions through their own beauty side occasionally (most I’ve seen is 20%) which could bring the price down to the $70ish range. Still I think this should have been priced in the same range as their eyeshadow quads at $59 (even if it is a luxury holiday and limited-edition product).

The packaging:

With overspray:

Partial overspray:

Most of the overspray removed:

Swatched:

Comparisons show that Eccentrico has a soft quality that makes the skin glow. The shimmer is finely milled versus a high shine frost. Comparisons below to shades that have unfortunately all been limited or discontinued, but I hope this helps to gauge the level of pigment and shimmer:

Overall a lovely blush palette with exquisite packaging. However it’s one I just can’t get really excited about – especially with other palettes this holiday like ones from Hourglass and Chanel which are more affordable and still unique and creative (in my mind). I will get a lot of use out of Armani Eccentrico – it’s a lovely wearable pink that is safe. As usual your mileage may vary with this. I know some who absolutely love it. I agree that it’s lovely – for me at $88 I expected more. I tried tracking this down at counters but couldn’t find it anywhere in store. Others have had better luck though.

Armani Eccentrico is limited-edition. It retails for $88. You can find it online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com.

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Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées | Holiday 2013

November 6, 2013

Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées Eyeshadow Palette ($80 for 9g/0.32 oz, limited-edition) has finally arrived in stores. It’s a stunning soft delicate palette of neutrals – all shades are come in a lovely quilted pattern. The colors are soft powders but with decent pigment. Layered over a base the colors show up much better on my medium skin. The colors left to right include:
  • A soft delicate champagne ivory shimmer
  • A satiny fawn tan brown
  • A glimmering chocolate gold shimmer
  • A soft semi-satiny brown
  • A cool grey matte tinged with slight blue tones

Chanel Charming retails for $80. It’s limited-edition. My counters report they have received a very limited supply, but not to worry. It’s online at numerous locations. I bought mine online from Nordstrom. You can also find it online now at Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.

The colors layer quite well together on the eyes. Each color in this palette is wearable enough to wear all five shades at once. I layer from left to right (light to dark). This palette is sometime I envision to be an everyday kind of palette. The middle gold shade gives it a slight holiday feel, although not quite as glitzy or glamourous as the beautiful Illusion d’Ombres in Fatal and Initiation. I suspect layering either shade on top of this powder palette would add a bit of glitz for the holiday.

Shown without flash, there’s a soft glowing quality from each color:

Close up of the shades, here in sunlight:

Here, under artificial light with flash:

The colors swatch very nicely on the skin and the eyes. Being the neutral lover that I am, I adore each shade in this palette. There is just no comparison with the finely milled satiny shimmers here.

In sunlight, no flash:

Comparing this to other Ombres Matalassées Palettes, Charming proves to be the safest neutral. Pearl River (limited from the spring 2013 Hong Kong collection) was a more edgy non-neutral. It’s been sitting in my drawer neglected and unused although I keep intending to use it (I keep getting distracted with Le Metier de Beaute kaleidoscopes and Edward Bess palettes). 51, Montaigne (also limited edition from 2012) is more yellowy and khaki-colored. Charming is the warmest, although still a neutral. Here are the palettes side by side for comparison.

Overall, Charming Ombres Matelassées will be one of my staple work-horse kind of palettes for everyday. It may be too neutral for some although I do love how the shades can be layered for a subtle warm smokey eye. If you’re looking for something different and unique, I’d suggest you opt for the holiday Illusion d’Ombres (reviewed here). This one is definitely must-have for me (although pricey).

Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées is a limited-edition palette. It retails for $80. Online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.

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NARS American Dream Eyeshadow Palette

July 29, 2012

This fall NARS has released two new variations of their 6-color eyeshadow palettes. Product Girl gave us a sneak peek from an event she attended in July. I, of course fell in love with the neutral option, American Dream 9976 ($55 for .31 oz/9g, made in Canada) which contains Bellisima, Alhambra, Silk Road, Galapagos, Bali and Tzarine.

When I ordered mine from Saks online I couldn’t find a listing of the colors. Knowing that most NARS palettes contain existing shades, I knew there was a chance that I would already own half the colors. Turns out, I already own all of them, but I still find most NARS palettes extremely convenient for ideas and also for travel (my other NARS eyeshadow palettes here and here, still wishing I had purchased last year’s Nordstrom Anniversary NARS palette though).
Four of the shades come from some duos and two are available in single format. The shades with descriptions:
  • Bellisima is a pale ivory matte base loaded with tiny gold glitters
  • Alhambra is a warm champagne peachy metallic
  • Silk Road is a soft pinkish shell with pink and gold glitter chunks
  • Galapagos is a dark chocolate brown with tiny gold glitter flecks
  • Bali is a matte cool brown
  • Tzarine is a beautiful complex grey-blue shimmer with gold and silver flecks
More photos and swatches:

Under artificial light:

NARS American Dream has proved to be extremely versatile. I used it all last week and found that the shades fit nicely into any look, for both day and night, and worked well with a variety of shades from my wardrobe (last week I wore shades of black, aubergine, grey, pale mint and navy). I did have a bit of trouble with Silk Road’s glitter particles. I already own this duo and most of the time I feel the glitter is conservative enough to wear on the eyes for everyday, however there can be fallout issues. With the warm weather this week, the glitter fell onto my face and would not budge.
When using this palette, I’ve found the colors work well over Edward Bess’s Illuminating Eye Bases. I do like using a liner under the darker shades for added intensity in color, but I find it’s not always necessary. I’ve used 3-4 shades at one time (at most) from the palette.
Two looks I did last week, which I hope will give you an idea on how to coordinate the shades with lip and cheek colors.
Look 1 with peachy cheeks and light pink lips: Armani Blush #2 and NARS Deep Throat Blushes layered, NARS Rosebud Lipliner with Chanel Imaginaire Gloss on top, four eyeshadow shades in Alhambra and Silk Road mixed all over the lid, Bali and Tzarine blended along lash lines smoked upwards.
Look 2 with pinky-bronze cheeks and a sheer glossy bronze gloss: Shadows in Bellisima and Alhambra mixed together, Bali and Galapagos layered (slightly damp) as a liner, NARS Lovejoy blush with a swipe of Desire on top for a healthy glow, NARS Hopi Velvet Gloss Pencil with a bit of Dior Addict gloss on top.
I believe this palette may be available in some stores now, however my Nordstrom associates told me they were not allowed to sell until August 1st. I purchased mine online from Saks.com, I think it’s also available at Barneys online too, it should be available at most NARS counters starting this Wedesday August 1st. I’m fairly certain the palette is limited-edition, but I’m not 100% sure.
Have you seen or tried NARS American Dream? Do you already own most of the shades? I personally love it.
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