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Tom Ford Beauty – New Spring 2016 Launches

February 1, 2016

There are quite a few new items launching this spring from Tom Ford Beauty. There appear to be mini product launches versus a full seasonal collection release. I did some major hauling over the past few weeks and have thoughts + swatches of my picks to share today. Shown above and swatches of what I picked up below:

Honeymoon Eyeshadow Quad ($80, on backorder at Neiman Marcus) 
Lip Color Shine SS16 ($52)

First up are new eyeshadow quads. The good news is that there are new eyeshadow quad colors in Disco Dust, Honeymoon, Last Dance, Starry Night and Lilac Dream. The bad news is that some like Cognac Sable are being discontinued. I picked up two of the new quads, the neutral warm ones in Disco Dust and Honeymoon. I had to call around to several stores to track down Honeymoon a couple weeks ago. I heard these are permanent so even though Honeymoon seems to be sold out for now, it should be available for purchase when they restock.

Both quads pull very warm on me. They also have shimmer in them which is absolutely stunning. Disco Dust has a cool silvery mauve sparkle, a warm satiny tan, a copper peach shimmer and a dark plum brown shimmer. Two of the shades are very similar to NARS Hammamet Eyeshadow Duo (swatched here) so if you’re not a fan of glitter, you may want to check out the NARS.

Honeymoon is one of the warmest eyeshadow quads I own. It has a shimmering tan, shimmery copper bronze, reddish auburn shimmer and reddish plum. This one pulls very warm on my eyes but it’s still very wearable if I layer and blend it and use the two darker shades along the lash line smudged. If you are very fair this one will pull a lot more red on your skin compared to me. On deeper tan skintones, I think this one will look absolutely amazing on.

Swatch comparisons to Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita (another warm quad I have) and Tom Ford Orchid Haze. In terms of neutral quads, Orchid Haze is one of my favorite everyday neutral palettes from Tom Ford.

Quick eye swatch/look of Disco Dust:

There are two scents launched for early spring called Soleil Blanc. Since I was a huge fan of the Shimmering Body Oil from last year, I picked up both the fragrance and oil. I think I could have skipped the Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil, although it smells amazing. I prefer the fragrance simply because it’s stronger and I feel like it’s not as messy as the shimmering body oil. Also this year’s oil seems to be more emollient than last year’s which I found absorbed quickly into the skin. This one has a lingering feel that isn’t greasy, but definitely noticeable, almost like it’s slightly sticky. For both of these, there isn’t much I could find online to describe the notes except that it has floral combined with amber. 
Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum is a white floral. I don’t find amber notes to be very strong – but when I smell it closely, I can see how there is some blended in because this isn’t an overly powdery floral. It’s a warmer weather scent but I’m completely obsessed with it right now. The Soleil Blanc is what I wanted the Guerlain Terracotta fragrance from a few years ago to smell like (which I found too strong and too floral last time I smelled it).

Next up are one hit and one miss for me. I had very high hopes for the Lip Color Shine in SS16 and Shade and Illuminate in SS16. I almost never try lip color testers at the counters because they are loaded with germs, so I bought the Lip Color Shine without trying it on the lips. On the hands it swatched like a gorgeous glossy nude. On my lips it looks like concealer.

Swatched below is uneven, streaky and concealer-like on my pigmented lips:

If you’re like me and can’t pull off pale nudes, you may want to check out Lip Color Shine in Bare instead which is more pink in color:

Swatch comparisons:

Tom Ford Lip Color in Nude Vanille
Tom Ford Lip Color in Sweet Mystery (swatched)
Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Eddie (swatched here)
MAC Lipstick in Creme de Nude

Last but not least is the new Shade and Illuminate in SS16. This is the first Shade and Illuminate product I’ve tried from Tom Ford even though there are two other shades. This is a sheer dewy cream illuminator duo. The texture is very dewy and glossy for a natural sheen. I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea since it’s on the dewy side. I like using this as a base for powder blushes or bronzers because it gives the skin a natural glow from within look. If you have oily skin you many want to proceed with caution on these. On my skin this gives a barely there glow. I actually still prefer the Edward Bess All Over Seduction highlighters (they are my holy grail cream highlighters), so if you want something more versatile and more visible, check out the Edward Bess ones instead.

Two sets of comparison swatches:

Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust (discontinued, review)
Tom Ford Cream Blush in Pink Sand (discontinued, review here)

Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight, Afterglow and Paradise

There’s lots to explore from Tom Ford right now. I believe there is a mix of permanent and limited-edition items. I suspect the SS16 items are all limited, but the quads are reported to be permanent. Also new from Tom Ford includes a new Purifying Cleansing Oil that I’ve been testing (review soon). It looks like new items for lips and eyes that just launched online including Cream Colors for Eyes, Patent Finish Lip Colors and High Definition Eye Liners.

Out of the items I reviewed on the blog today, I would say that my top picks are the Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum, Disco Dust Quad and SS16 Shade and Illuminate Duo. The SS16 Lip Color Shine doesn’t work for me by itself – I suspect it can be easily fixed with a deeper lipliner like MAC Boldly Bare or Subculture though. Honeymoon is all kinds of gorgeous – but does pull dark and warm on me. It’s very pretty on but I prefer Disco Dust.

Have you checked out the new items from Tom Ford yet? Some pieces have sold out on different sites so if you’re shopping online you may have to order from multiple places.

Eyeshadow Quads can be found at all Tom Ford retailers such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

The Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum appears to be exclusive to Neiman Marcus at the moment.

SS16 Shade and Illuminate + Lip Color Shine can be found at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Net-A-Porter.

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Chanel Collection Rêverie Parisienne Les 4 Ombres in Tissé Paris and Tissé Fantaisie

December 20, 2014

There are two new Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadows ($61 each) for spring in Tissé Paris 238 and Tissé Fantaisie 236. I bought both of mine in store from Nordstrom (just launched online too at Nordstrom and Chanel.com). Both of them are shimmery but on the eyes the shimmer is soft and satiny. These come in the new Les 4 Ombres formula which has the round pans and better pigment compared to the non-US baked quads.

Tissé Paris is the cool-toned option with soft pink, rose and a deep navy-grey smokey shimmer. It’s really quite stunning in the compact. It has the perfect mix of delicate with the pink and bold with the deep smokey navy grey shade. I was worried it might give a pink-eye look (because I have to approach pink eyeshadows with caution), but it is neutral enough that it looks perfect. I don’t recall having a palette quite like this one, although the mix of pink and gunmetal do remind me a bit of Marc Jacobs Beauty The Enigma and Dior Bar.

Tissé Fantaisie is what I envision spring to be like in a palette. It has a soft silvery shimmer with a slight hint of cream and green, a shimmering soft warm peach, a stunning green with gold shimmer and a warm coppery bronze metallic. The colors layer well together to create a really interesting look. Green shadows usually aren’t my thing, but these have gold and silver shimmers mixed in making them more wearable for me. I don’t have a lot of quads with sea green or green tones in general, the closest thing I could think of is Dior Bonne Etoile from a few holidays ago. For some reason Tissé Fantaisie has a Dior-vibe to me, but I don’t think I have any of the quints with a sea green and bronze mix.

The pigment for the spring quads is very good, but softer than what I’ve tested with quads like Tissé Rivoli/Poesie. I found Tissé Paris and Fantaisie to swatch very well on the arm or hand, but on the eyes the effect is softer, similar to what I experienced with Tissé Vendome/Gabrielle. A good creamy eye base will help bring out the pigment more.

I’m more of a fan of neutrals and right now I’m all about golds or smokey palettes. Both of the Chanel spring quads are definitely worth looking into. For me, I’ll be wearing them more in the new year once the holiday season is over. These are both stunning, gorgeous and feminine, but have a more spring-like seasonal feel. I’d be hard pressed to pick one favorite because they are both so unique in their own way. I have a very slight preference towards Tissé Paris.

Right now, only Tissé Fantaisie is listed as a limited-edition shade. I purchased both of mine in stores at Nordstrom. They are also online now at Nordstrom and Chanel.com.

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Dolce & Gabbana Beauty – Lips, Eyes and Nails

December 12, 2014

Today I’m sharing Part 2 of my Dolce & Gabbana Beauty favorites. There is a lot to explore with the Dolce & Gabbana beauty line and over the past few years I’ve done some extensive testing. Today’s post will be an introduction to some of the items I have enjoyed the most. What I think is the most appealing about the line is the diverse color range in all of the products. There are good nudes and soft pinks to appeal to neutral makeup lovers, but there are also a lot of more dramatic and bright shades for those who crave color.

Up first are the Smooth Eye Color Quads ($60 each for 4.8 g/ 0.16 oz) in Smoky 105 and Contrasts 140. Smoky is hands down the best smokey eyeshadow quad I’ve tried. The pigment is very good and smooth. It has a pigmented matte black, deep chocolate bronze, shimmering sand and a pale ivory pink frost. If you find most traditional grey, silver and black smokey eyeshadow palettes too cool-toned for you, the Dolce & Gabbana Smoky is a great alternative. The sand and bronze colors add depth and definition with a warm touch. Contrasts is a softer palette of rosy colors. It has a soft petal pink shimmer, a pale pink-tinged cream satin, a soft plum shimmer and a warm reddish bronze shimmer. This will give you a soft defined eye that isn’t too nude or too pink. If you’re new to eye makeup and want to ease into wearing color, this is a great introductory quad that is impossible to mess up or overdo.

Next is the Perfect Mono Cream Eye Color ($36 for 4 g / 0.14 oz) in Desert 40. This one is listed as a matte shade but it has a slight shimmery sheen to it. Desert is a cool-toned tan nude shade. On my skin tone it’s the perfect contouring nude shade to add depth and a hint of color. I like this one alone or combined with the Smoky Quad. It has a soft velvety texture. It is creamy to the touch but dries quickly. I found it went on smoothly when my lids were primed with a tiny bit of eye cream. It is described as a long-wear cream shadow that is supposed to last up to 12 hours. I found it lasted from morning to night for me, I’ve tested it for around 9-10 hours and each time it stayed put and did not budge.

To define the eyes, the original pencil released was the Crayon Intense Eyeliner ($30 each). These are highly pigmented pencils that come with an angled applicator at one end for blending. Lasting power depends on the shades. I find the metallics last long on my eyes while the mattes don’t. Shades like Stromboli and Coffee have a matte base with flecks of sparkle – I find these work best if you layer a powder shadow on top of them to intensify color and get a smokey eye look. They don’t smudge but they on me they fade by early-afternoon. I’ve had better experience with the shimmery metallics though like Bronzo, Shimmer and Agave – all of which last quite long on my eyes from morning until night. 

For lips, Dolce & Gabbana offers a wide range of textures and finishes. There are sheer shine lipsticks, glossy lipsticks, pigmented cream lipsticks and glosses with different levels of pigment and shimmer. Do note these are heavily scented with a soft rose fragrance so if you are super sensitive to scents your mileage may vary on tolerance. I find I can wear them without any issue and the scent does fade after 5 minutes or so. Out of all the formulas, I would say the Classic Cream ($33 for 3.5 g) and Voluptuous Monica Lipstick ($34 each) formulas perform the best. They are creamy, smooth and moisturizing with pigmented coverage. The Classic Cream Lipstick in Petal 135 is my newest acquisition and I find it is the perfect pink nude cream, it leans neutral but has the perfect balance of warm and cool in it to not wash out the face or pull blue on my pigmented lips.

For glosses, the packaging was re-designed although it still comes in a clear tube and sponge tip applicator. I have several colors in the Sheer Shine ($31 for 5 ml) formula. Two I’ve used up include Seduction 100 and Nude 60. I’ve found the old and new formulas to be identical. These are sheer glosses with high shine that work best when layered over a lipstick.

For many years I would do a lipliner + lipstick + gloss look on a daily basis. These days I find I usually skip lipliner altogether but Dolce & Gabbana does have a wide range of perfect nudes. I prefer to find a lipliner that matches my natural lip tone or something slightly lighter to go with nude lip colors. The Precision Lip Liner ($30) comes in a wide range of nude shades with pink, brown and rose undertones. They blend in well with the lip naturally and help extend the wear of lipstick. These come with a brush at one end which is handy for blending. Cashmere 8 is a good versatile nude. I’ve swatched a couple others below.

For the nails, Dolce & Gabbana has over 30 shades to choose from. The polishes are called Intense Nail Lacquer ($25 each for 11 ml). I’ve accumulated quite a few to date and like these for the glossy finish and smooth texture. Even the sheer shades have really good coverage and smooth application. Three I’m obsessed with include Perfection (a sheer but smooth nude with a jelly finish), Chocolate (a deep glossy chocolate cream with a jelly finish) and Cosmopolitan (a sheer coral peach, also with a jelly finish). The colors can be easily duped but the formulas have this perfect jelly texture that has an ultra glossy finish. Lasting power is really good and I usually get 5 days of wear without any chipping or tip wear. If you try these I think you will be impressed with the smooth coverage these offer.

I hope you found this a helpful introduction to the Dolce & Gabbana Beauty line. The brand offers high quality luxurious products that I find perform really well. It’s definitely one I recommend exploring the next time you are at a counter. Out of all that Dolce & Gabbana has to offer, if I had to pick three things to look at for starters, it would be the Powder Foundation (reviewed here), Smoky Quad and any one of the Luminous Cheek Colors.

This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions are my own. For more information you can refer to my Disclosures page.

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Burberry Beauty Gold No. 25 Complete Eye Palette

December 11, 2014

For the holiday season Burberry Beauty has released a stunning Complete Eye Palette quad called Gold No. 25 ($60 for 5.4 g/0.19 oz, limited-edition, made in Italy). It’s one of the prettiest eye palettes I’ve seen this season for the holiday (for me it’s tied with Chanel Rêve D’Orient). Gold No. 25 is an interesting quad of gold, sage, bronze and chocolate. The shades combined create unique and modern twist on a golden nude eye. It comes cased in a gold-colored compact with the Burberry check pattern (which has been designed specifically for the holiday beauty collection).

All the shades are shimmery in this palette with extremely good pigment. The shadows are buttery smooth with a rich velvety texture that adheres well to the lids. The color is easy to build, layer, and blend. Together the light gold and sage-gold shades create the perfect soft wash while the bronze and chocolate define the eye and can be layered for a soft smokey look.

I know many of my readers are conservative when it comes to shimmer for the eyes. I’m still at a point in my life where I love a good shimmer (even some frosts are good for me). I don’t know that I will ever stop wearing shimmer (right now I’m in my early 30’s). I think the shimmer in this palette is finely milled enough that it will be wearable even for those timid of shimmery shadows.

The colors in this palette include a cool-toned creamy gold, an olive gold metallic, a soft warm bronze and a sparkling deep chocolate.

Two more close ups, the top without a flash in natural light. The bottom is in direct sunlight.The colors are so beautiful and the combination is genius in my mind.

Swatches:

When I saw the promo photos online, I thought it looked remarkably similar to Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess. I’ve purchased a few of her quads and really like them, although most of the palettes contain a sparkle/glitter shade which I know will be a bit too glitzy for some. I personally find the sparkle wearable and conservative enough when layered over the other shades. A swatch comparison shows the Charlotte Tilbury to be a lot warmer in color compared to the Burberry. I think they are different enough to justify both, but if I had to pick just one, it would hands down be the Burberry Gold Complete Eye Palette.

One last shot:

I give Burberry Gold No. 25 a huge thumbs up. It’s the perfect mix of warm, neutral and cool, all in one palette. The colors layer together very well and the texture is smooth and easy to blend. I think it’s definitely worth checking out. It is limited-edition but still seems to be available online at many places including Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue (on backorder).

The Gold No. 25 quad was provided courtesy of Burberry for review consideration.

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Chanel

Chanel Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow

December 3, 2014
Chanel has released a limited-edition eye shadow palette called Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow ($70 for 2 g/0.07 oz, made in Italy). It was initially a special release only to the Chanel Boutique in New York on 57th Street. My dear friend Café Makeup e-mailed me to let me know the news in early October. By the time I received my order in the mail it sold out. The good news for Chanel fans is that this palette has launched at other retailers. I have thoughts and swatches to share with you today.

Chanel Rêve D’Orient was designed for the Dubai Cruise Show earlier this year. Each shade has a stunning star pattern embossed on the powders. Opening it simply took my breath away. The colors in the palette are well pigmented. The shades are a bit powdery so you might get a tiny bit of fall out with it, but it isn’t anything different than I experience with most powder shadows. The pigment is very smooth. All the shades have some degree of shimmer. The shades are quite complex with multi-dimensional shimmers. In some light the colors look more warm, in other lighting (like the one below) the gold tones show up more making it look more neutral.


The colors that are in this palette:
  • Deep warm brown with a very natural shimmery sheen
  • White gold ivory shimmer, I like that this is an ivory color that doesn’t turn yellow
  • Sparkling but very smooth true gold shimmer
  • Satiny pigmented black, this one applies very smoothly

Swatched on the arms with a brush. The palette comes with tiny white-tipped sponge applicators but I always prefer to use brushes:

Some have wondered how the Chanel Rêve D’Orient compares to the Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel. Both have beautiful star patterns embossed on the surface. They are very similar in overall effect, I would say that the Charlotte Tilbury pulls more cool-toned on me, while the Chanel is more neutral.

The differences I’ve seen from testing:

  • Charlotte Tilbury’s quad has a creamy texture, Chanel’s quad is more like a traditional powder
  • The black shades apply almost identical in the finish, I have a slight preference for Chanel’s because it’s more satiny and slightly smoother when you apply it
  • The deep bronze shade in Charlotte’s is more metallic, Chanel’s bronze has slightly more red/plum
  • Charlotte Tilbury’s pale shades are ivory champagne pink and silvery tan with a mauve sheen
  • Chanel’s pale shades are an ivory gold that’s off-white and the gold is a pure gold

Between the two, I prefer the Chanel, mainly because I can wear neutrals on the eyes easier than I can pull off cool tones. Although the shades in the Chanel palette do have a similar vibe to previously released singles, I think the formula, texture and pigment in the Chanel Rêve D’Orient surpasses the singles. The colors just blend in beautifully with the lids and the color adheres well to the lids. They layer together really well and the shades are distinct enough in undertone and texture that they don’t all look the same once applied.

It’s a splurge at $70 but in my opinion I’ve found it to be totally worth the splurge. It performs well, the pigment is super smooth, the colors are super easy to wear, and it’s extremely versatile for day, night and almost any occasion.

The Chanel Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow is limited-edition. It has already sold out on a few sites I mentioned a few days ago, but right now still available at Nordstrom, Macy’s and Chanel.com.

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Burberry Beauty A/W Nude Blush No. 12 and Slate Blue No. 20 Complete Eye Palettes

October 31, 2014

I’m late to the game in sharing these beautiful palettes with you, but better late than never, right? For the Autumn/Winter Collection Burberry Beauty released two new Complete Eye Palettes ($60 each for 5.4 g/0.19 oz, made in Italy) in Nude Blush No. 12 and Slate Blue No. 20. I’ve been a huge fan of Burberry eye shadows in both the single and quad formats, I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the fall palettes.
Nude Blush No. 12 is a unique palette of rosy tones. All the shades are medium-to-dark in color with various finishes. The shades in this one include a soft nude pink satin, a warm copper pink, a soft mauve blush and a deeper eggplant shimmer. The texture is buttery smooth and they adhere well to the lids. All the colors layer well together in this one. The colors are truly unique compared to most other palettes I own. At first glance, it looks similar to Plum Pink No. 06 (which I do not own). Swatches on Silverkis shows Nude Blush to be a warmer and more unique option. You can see from Color Me Loud that Nude Blush is similar but warmer than Tom Ford Orchid Haze. To me this palette is a simpler and more subdued version of Urban Decay Naked3.

Slate Blue No. 20 is a beautiful palette of cool tones. This one is way outside of my comfort zone as I almost never wear blue shadows on the eyes. The colors are smoky in undertone making it a stunning palette. I experimented with this one a number of different ways, my favorite way to wear this is to use the deeper shades along the upper lash line but combined with a more neutral palette like Dark Spice. The pigment of the Slate Blue shades is medium but layerable. The colors have a slight transparent quality giving them depth. You can apply the shades damp for more color and a dramatic look.

Both are beautiful additions to the Burberry Beauty lineup. My favorite of course is the neutral option in Nude Blush which makes me very happy that I didn’t get Plum Pink when it was released. The Burberry Complete Eyeshadow Palettes retail for $60 each. They are available online at Nordstrom and Saks (available in store at select counters). Also available online at Burberry.
Many thanks to Burberry for sending these for review consideration.
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Burberry Beauty Fall 2014 – Sneak Peek

October 20, 2014

I have some beautiful items from Burberry Beauty to share soon. The design of the fall beauty collection is a reflection on the artistic themes of the A/W14 runway looks, features pigmented tones and hand-painted effects in a colour palette of bottle green, elderberry and ink blue. For the fall beauty look, the collection’s new releases include:
You can find the items now at Burberry, Nordstrom and Saks. Stay tuned for nail polish swatches to be posted shortly. I hope to have the quads reviewed later this week, but I’ll say right now I’m 100% in love with the rich colors of the nail polishes.


Many thanks to Burberry for sending these items for review consideration.

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