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Quads

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Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Palettes 02 Terra Sienna and 06 Boudoir

November 10, 2012

Giorgio Armani has reformulated and repackaged their eyeshadow quads into eight new color options. The new Eyes to Kill Eye Palettes ($59 each) come with a double tiered black lacquered compact. The top layer has four eyeshadows, underneath there are two sponge-tipped applicators. At the Armani counter it was hard to not to fall in love with them all. I decided to try two safety neutrals first: 02 Terra Sienna and 06 Boudoir. The packaging below:

Both shades I picked turned out to be fairly similar. They are both neutrals with two shimmery light shades and two darker matte shades. Those who have been long time Armani fans will be pleased to learn that the latest eyeshadow formulation is a significant improvement in pigment and texture over the past quads. Over the years it seems Armani has reformulated almost all their color products. I noticed many of the Maestro singles are no longer for sale – I asked the Armani rep if they were being reformulated too and at this time he wasn’t sure but said it wouldn’t surprise him if they did.

Terra Sienna is the cooler-neutral option with a light cool champagne frost, a lovely warm taupe shimmer, a matte brown and a matte dark brown. The texture is soft and well pigmented and easy to blend and layer. The matte shades did feel a bit dryer in texture but still applied beautifully. This is a great neutral for everyday.
Boudoir is another beautiful neutral but warmer. It has a soft peachy shimmer, a soft seashell shimmer, a warm terracotta matte, and a warm dark matte brown. I normally wouldn’t have looked at this in the past because of the terracotta shade, but I found that layering it brings warmth and depth to the eye. It’s quite lovely.

Close ups and swatches:

The shades I picked are similar to the Neo Brown Eye and Face Palette from fall. Here they are side by side for reference:

I’ve tested these for a few weeks now and can report that these are amazing in pigment and texture for a natural soft eye. The look is natural but not too natural and the shades are easy to layer. I’ve been applying with brushes rather than the sponges but they are nice to have for touch ups. If you’re looking for something even more basic and neutral, check out the 04 Effeto Nudo – I thought it was too basic for me but the formula of these palettes is really nice so I might go back to check it out. I didn’t pull any palettes or eyeshadows to compare or dupe. Given the fact that these are neutrals I’m fairly certain there are close dupes out there, but I like the convenience and texture of these. Plus Armani always releases the most amazing neutral shimmers I couldn’t resist.

A few other reviews I highly recommend you check out:

So many brands are releasing new quads this time of year – Armani, Chanel, Burberry and Edward Bess. Have you checked them out yet? What were your thoughts about Armani’s?

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Chanel Premier Regard #38 Quadra Eye Shadow – Fall 2012

June 22, 2012
For the eyes this fall, Chanel has released one quad, two eyeliners and a number of single shadows. First up is Chanel Premier Regard #38 Quadra Eye Shadow ($58 for 6.8 g/0.24 oz). This is a subtle, soft and understated palette of sheer warm taupe-brown shimmer, pale dusty satiny pink, pale satiny peach-champagne and a muted black-grey matte. In the compact there appears to be a mix of satiny-shimmers and soft mattes, on the eyes these appeared mostly matte for me.
This quad took me three tries to get a decent application. By itself with only 1 base (I used Edward Bess’s eye primer), this was a disappointment for me. The colors were too sheer and the only color that had good pigment was the black-grey. I felt like the colors went on chalky and too sheer. The third time I finally found a good method of application. Note this quad needs a bit of extra work to show up (at least on my olive Chanel B30 skin).
Step 1: Prep with a good dose of eye cream on the lids and then apply your usual cream base/primer (I used Cle de Peau and Edward Bess).
Step 2: Mix the pink and peach together and blend over lids to soften the skin (this will be sheer but you can apply with a heavier hand if you want them to show up more).
Step 3: Use some kind of a tan/taupe/light cream shadow and blend along lashline and upwards (this serves as the base for the taupe shade, so apply the cream where you want the powder to go, I used Tom Ford’s Platinum Eye Shadow)
Step 4: Take the taupe-tan shade of the quad and dust over the cream eyeshadow (the cream eyeshadow helps the color adhere and blend well, using just a regular base was too dry for me to get any blendability out of the color)
Step 5: Apply the grey-black as a smokey liner (or as a crease shade, or wherever you prefer!)

Under different lighting:

Swatched, three views:

Right now, I only had time to pull two comparisons. When I first saw the promo photos of Premier Regard, I thought it looked strikingly similar to Winter Nights and possibly Dreams (I think both are discontinued in the US now?). The overall effect/theme is similar but the quads are still different. Here they are below.

Overall lovely and understated. At a glance, this seems to be a quad that is goof-proof and easy to apply. I was disappointed in the pigment by itself. The pink and peach look identical on my skin and borderline dusty. I need a moisturized eye base to prevent them from looking chalky on my eyes. A bit of tweaking and this worked better for me. I will definitely need to experiment more.

Have you checked out Premier Regard? How do you use it?

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Chanel Rose Envolée 31 vs. Éclosion 34

December 17, 2011

As promised, a comparison between Rose Envolée 31 (from Le Blanc, an Asia Exclusive Collection and Nordstrom Anniversary 2011 Exclusive) & Éclosion 34 (from Spring 2012). The underlying theme of both quads seems to be similar. Rose Envolée 31 is more pink/cool while Éclosion 34 is more peachy/warm. Do you need both? I don’t think so, but since Rose Envolée was limited to Nordstrom for a short time so other counters did not have this quad to show customers a side-by-side comparison.

Those new to Chanel might ask why one quad has round pans while the other square. The round-pan quads are made for distribution in Europe, Asia and Canada (I think) while the square-pan quads are made for distribution in the US. Other differences:

Round-pan:

  • baked formula which means a harder texture
  • typically more chalky in finish
  • comes with white tipped applicators
  • net weight is 1.2 g / .04 oz

Square-pan:

  • more finely milled smoother finish
  • comes with black sponge applicators
  • typically more pigmented and non-chalky
  • net weight is 6.8 g / .24 oz

Both Rose Envolée 31 vs. Éclosion 34 were made in France. Some of my other quads have been made in USA. Swatches below:

My preference has always been for the US formula, so if I could only have one, it would hands down be Éclosion. It’s warmer but not too warm.
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Chanel Éclosion Quadra Eyeshadow

December 14, 2011

Chanel Éclosion Quadra Eyeshadow ($57 for 6.8 g/0.24 oz) is the a beautiful warm-neutral palette for spring. The shades have a beautiful refined shimmer – each color has a slightly different variation of sparkle. The colors are on the warmer side but not overly so. From the top left clockwise you have:
  • Soft satiny glowy pale peach
  • Sheer sparkly gold with slightly larger shimmer flecks
  • Rich shimmery reddish plum brown
  • Sandy gold-beige with a slightly multidimensional iridescent glow
I applied this on the eyes from darkest to lightest in a layering method and it created a soft but defined glowy eye look. The overall effect was very warm with the plummy brown shade. It has gorgeous reddish tones without being too red. It works perfectly with the Blush Horizon de Chanel. Here are a few more shots and swatches, first without flash:

There is something familiar about Éclosion but I couldn’t find a dupe. Perhaps it’s just that I find each shade resembles something similar to other separate quads. Here it is compared to Shimmering Dunes and Spices:

Swatch comparisons below. A side note: for some reasons my swatches look more shimmery/frosty in the photos than these quads look in real life.

Bottom line worth every penny. It’s classic, flawless and stunning.

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Chanel Stupendous vs. Tom Ford Silvered Topaz

November 21, 2011
Here is Chanel Stupendous (from the Soho Collection last year) compared to Tom Ford Silvered Topaz. They are not identical dupes but very similar. I prefer the Chanel to the Tom Ford by far. I had thought Stupendous was a limited edition quad, but I just checked Nordstrom.com and it still shows up available for purchase. Swatches side by side:

  • Tom Ford Silvered Topaz: $75 for .35 oz/10 g, made in Italy = $7.50 per gram
  • Chanel Stupendous: $57 for .24 oz/6.8 g, made in France = $8.83 per gram

Even though the price per oz/g is more for the Chanel, I think it’s more justifiable at $57, plus I think the overall finish and quality of the Chanel looks better on my skin. Don’t let my reservations about Tom Ford Silvered Topaz stop you though. I still highly recommend that you check out the line in person if you can. If you can get to the Beverly Hills area, Neiman Marcus is the ideal place to shop for Tom Ford because they have Edward Bess and Le Metier among a number of other fabulous brands. Also Dolce & Gabbana is next door at Saks, not to mention all the goodies at Barneys like Koh Gen Do, L’Artisan, Serge Lutens, Le Labo, Byredo etc.

Copyright © 2009-2011 The Beauty Look Book.
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Tom Ford Silvered Topaz Eye Color Quad

November 20, 2011

Tom Ford’s full makeup line has just been launched in the US at Bergdorf Goodman and select Neiman Marcus locations. I have not yet had a chance to see the entire lineup in person but I did pre-order a few items online. I’ve been enamored with the formula of all his lipsticks (original and new revamp) so my expectations were set pretty high for the rest of the line. First up to be reviewed is his eye color quad in Silvered Topaz 05 ($75 for .35 oz/10 g). Each quad has a diverse range of finishes, Silvered Topaz has an intense champagne sparkle, a satiny silvery grey, shimmery pale mauve and matte brown plum. The overall undertone of this quad is very cool, I found it a bit too silvery for my olive skintone but it looks amazing on Karla Sugar (see her makeover results here). (On thumb at top is Chanel Rose Cache.)

Here are some more close ups and swatches (scroll down for the review):

* On thumb is Chanel Nuit de Russie (from 2008)

Quality, Pigment & Texture: The quality of the shadows in Silvered Topaz are good but not great. The texture is smooth and easy to blend which is nice and the shimmer is finely milled for the satin/shimmer shades. The high-sparkle shade is lovely as a finishing color with no fall out but very intense. The matte shade is also smooth. Pigment is medium but layerable. Overall I think the quality is decent, but perhaps I’ve just been spoiled by Le Metier & Dior lately. $75 is a huge ouch to the wallet. I would rather pick out shades I love individually or spend an extra $20 for a Le Metier Kaleidoscope.
Packaging: The compact has a large mirror, magnetic closure and two double-ended applicators. I like that the compact comes in a decent size. It feels sturdy but not $75-worthy. Again, I feel it’s good, but not great. I highly recommend you check out The RaeViewer’s Video Tutorial and Swatches of Cognac Sable. I felt her thoughts resonated with me.
Colors: The promotional photos and previews from UK girls Get Lippie & London Makeup Girl had me drooling. Upon receiving the quad and seeing it in person, I was a bit less than wowed. It’s a bit too cool-toned for me and the colors don’t seem all that original. Still, in my stash, I couldn’t find a dupe for any of the colors.

Here are a few comparisons:

Bottom line: It’s like but not love. At $75 I need to love everything about this to feel ok about the price. Yes, buying four shadows individually from most brands will most likely cost me over $75, but I still haven’t been completely won over. Upon further digging through my stash I figured out why I thought this wasn’t so original. It appears to be close to Chanel Stupendous (comparisons to come tomorrow). My heart still belongs to his lipsticks. (I’ve also purchased one blush and lipgloss but still need to do some more testing on those.)
Have you been able to check out Tom Ford’s Beauty Line in person? What were your thoughts? Share your hauls or testing experiences at the counter so the rest of us can live vicariously through you. (For inquiring minds, nail polish featured in the top photo is Chanel Rose Cache while nail polish in the middle with the back of the compact is Chanel Nuit de Russie. Photos were taken over different days.)
Copyright © 2009-2011 The Beauty Look Book.
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A Few Dior Mitzah Quint Comparisons

September 20, 2011

Although Dior’s Mitzah Quint is quite basic and very neutral, I had a hard time finding another palette similar. I pulled a few with similar tones but none are dupes. Above shows Dior Endless Shine, Chanel Kaska Beige and Dolce & Gabbana Nude. Unfortunately I did not get swatches of all the palettes today before the sun went down and my camera battery died. I do have Endless Shine swatched to compare for you in decent lighting so you can see the difference in shimmer/finish. Most Dior Quints have at least one high frost color, Iridescent Quints have the majority of the shades frosted. As you can see below Mitzah is satiny and almost matte.

Here is Mitzah at night swatched next to a few other palettes, Chanel Kaska Beige, Dolce & Gabbana Nude and Chanel Variations.

Some might say Mitzah is too basic and lacks luster. It doesn’t make the eyes pop or have that intense wow-factor, but it has a kick that gives a beautiful subtle defined eye that can be intensified for a soft-smoky look. I personally love it for everyday. For a bit of an extra shimmer or kick, I’d recommend layering over a more sparkly cream base to add a bit of luster.
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