Browsing Tag

Quads

Uncategorized

Chanel Fall 2011 Prélude Quadra Eyeshadow & Precision Eye Definer Khaki Platine

June 20, 2011

Chanel Prélude Quad and Khaki Platine for fall this year are gorgeous neutrals. Prélude pulls more cool in the compact but depending on the light it looks more neutral-cool. This is one I think everyone needs to try on themselves. Last fall Taupe Grisé 87 pulled oddly warm on my skin while it looked blueish-cool on most everyone else. Khaki Platine is stunning and reminds me of Lancome Erika F in a liner form (less sparkly too).

Khaki Platine and Prélude in slightly different lighting, not sure if you can tell the difference but in this one it’s not as cool-toned


Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Prélude #33 – In the compact, the colors are cool toned, on my skin, they pull more neutral. The colors are variations of beige, taupe, and plum. All have a luminous soft sheen. Scroll down below to see swatches and you’ll see that the colors are very subdued and neutral.

Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in Khaki Platine #70 – a beautiful pigmented yet soft light khaki silver. The texture is soft making it easy to apply, but not too soft that it slips.

Here are a few other quads and liners to help you gauge the color depending on how your monitors show the colors differently to mine. Quads compared include Beiges de Chanel, Dunes, Stupendous and Dior Gris-Gris.

Eyeliners include D&G, Chanel Vert Bronze, MAC Dig It! and Chanel Rose Platine.

Swatches of the Fall Quad and Eye Liners on my arm:


Soft and beautiful. Lasting power, colors and pigment are typical of Chanel quads and liners – which I find to be of high quality, medium lasting power, highly versatile to coordinate with other colors for lips and cheeks.
31 Comments
Uncategorized

Dear Chanel, You Make My Heart Sing!

June 18, 2011

Chanel Fall 2011, Illusions d’Ombre, has arrived online at Chanel.com and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. See KarlaSugar for the lineup on an easy-to-read sheet with descriptions. Check online at Chanel.com for prices, product info, and the breakdown of the fall look. I suspect this will be launched in-store in the next few days and upcoming week – I’m on the West Coast and a few of my local Nordstroms have scheduled Chanel events the weekend of June 24th-26th which I assume were planned to coincide with the fall launch.
I have not yet had a chance to play with the items very much, although I have swiped a few of the new shadows on my eyes and the nail polishes on my nails. I have promised myself a break from my computer the entire weekend, so I can leave work at work and not be tempted, although I know many of you are anxious for the 411, so I will try my best to do full reviews this weekend. I don’t want to rush it though, I want to be thorough so no promises. In the meantime I snapped a few pictures and tried to beat the clouds that were rolling in for June gloom. Here is a sneak peek which I hope will satisfy your curiosity for the time being.

Rose Ecrin Blush, Prelude Quad & Khaki Platine Eyeliner

Quartz, Graphite, Peridot Le Vernis

Plumetis Rouge Coco, Coralline Lipliner, Pampille Glossimer, Braise Glossimer, Rose Cuivre Lipliner, Etole Rouge Coco

Illusion d’Ombres

Overall, everything looks amazing. Had I seen the lip items in person first, I probably would have skipped the lipliners and glossimer, but they are gorgeous nevertheless. Happy Friday everyone!

23 Comments
Uncategorized

Loving Right Now: Chanel

May 30, 2011

Chanel is my favorite brand, hands down. Chanel never fails to release something beautiful and each season I find at least one thing that catches my eye. Many have asked for my top ten picks for Chanel in each product category (nails, lips, eyes etc.) but I find it difficult to narrow down my favorites to any given number. My favorites change monthly depending on season, mood and occasion. I will be hard pressed to name something that I don’t love from the brand (although I’m not really fond of their concealer or mascara). I do love all the other color items, however, RIGHT NOW, my favorites include the following:

Perlé Rouge Coco, Seashell Glossimer, Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel), Dragon Le Vernis, Jade Rose Le Vernis, Espresso Stylo Yeux, Regard Perlé Quad, Mystic Eyes Quad, Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Lips and Cheeks
  • Perlé Rouge Coco – soft shimmering pink (if you want something less expensive that is similar in effect, check out MAC VGV lipstick)
  • Seashell Glossimer – sheer shimmer
  • Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel) – the best cream bronzer to contour your face naturally and lasts all day, hit pan on 1, this is my second one


Nails:
  • Dragon is without a doubt THE best red out there
  • Jade Rose is subtle but elegant and never fails to look polished

Jade Rose:

Dragon & dreaming of a caviar classic flap in red:

Eyes:
  • Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow (unfortunately discontinued) is the prettiest soft peachy pink champagne, Liberty and Lotus are similar, or for cheaper MAC Naked Lunch, but to me nothing truly compares
  • Regard Perlé is still on my favorites list (see it here)
  • Mystic Eyes is a classic that can take you from day to night
  • Espresso Stylo Yeux comes with a sharpener at the end to keep the tip pointy, this eyeliner is soft, easy to blend but stays put all day



I can’t believe May is almost over!

16 Comments
Uncategorized

Dolce & Gabbana Vulcano Smooth Eye Colour Quad

May 17, 2011


Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Color Quad ($59) is new for summer 2011. It consists of a warm yellow-beige shimmer, a warm chocolate with reddish undertones, a berry shimmer, and a deep blackened purple shimmer. The consistency is soft and velvety like all Dolce & Gabbana quads with finely milled powder and sophisticated shimmer. I personally find the colors rich and smooth, but they do require a more careful application to maintain the pigment. If you apply these like MAC or Chanel, blending can make the colors disappear as they blend into one another. I recommend using separate brushes for the dark and light colors. Sponge applicators work too.


I couldn’t find any dupes, but I did a MAC attempt. The MAC colors are wonderful, but do not compare at all to the soft velvety texture of Dolce & Gabbana. If you see and touch a Dolce & Gabbana quad in person you will be able to notice immediately the powders are finely milled and very high quality.

Compared to MAC Ricepaper, Swiss Chocolate, Trax and Smut


For a cost per product comparison:

  • MAC 4 pro palette pans = 6.0 g for $44 (1.5 g at $11 each) + $6 for compact = $50
  • Dolce & Gabbana quad = 4.8 g for $59 (this includes the compact, mirror and sponge applicators)
I’ll let you decide on the value. For me, cost doesn’t just account for the amount of product, but also quality, packaging, where the product is made (Dolce & Gabbana quads are made in Italy). Do I prefer Dolce & Gabbana over MAC? Hard to say – I see them as apples and oranges. Both are great brands, but they represent different things for me. Their products are uniquely designed for different looks, effects and occasions – in my opinion.

Back to Vulcano – it was a tricky one for me to apply. Since the reddish shades (brown and plum berry) go on very red on me, I decided it was ok to wash them out with blending and layering. I tried applying this a couple ways and found that the method used in my recent Chanel Makeover at Nordstrom (here) was a good method to use for this quad:

  • Step 1: Apply a sheer base like LM’s Gold Metallic Creme
  • Step 2: Take a dense brush and pack on the berry shade (bottom left) in a messy smudge above the lash line
  • Step 3: Take the warm chocolate with a corner brush and blend from outer corners to about the middle of the eye, just above the lash line as well
  • Step 4: Use a fluffy brush to apply the lightest shade on top blending all over
  • Step 5: Apply the darkest plum shade with a sponge applicator to apply a defined line along upper lashes and bottom outer corners
  • Step 6: Take that berry shade and mix it with the brown, with any brush that has dark color on it already and retrace over the darkest shade blending just a bit upwards
For me, this isn’t an easy throw-it-on kind of quad to use. I think it would be better for deepset eyes or women who are used to wearing very warm colors (ie NARS Kuala Lumpur). Still it is beautiful and I don’t have any regrets buying it. It will just take more time and care to apply without overdoing the reds.

The promotional image with Scarlett Johansson is beautiful! For the accuracy of the promo photo, the nail color is more pink on me, but same purple undertone. The quad appears very accurate and the lip color appears to be the new Mandorla.

13 Comments
Uncategorized

Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime Picks

May 15, 2011

Dolce & Gabbana’s latest release, the Italian Summertime collection, has arrived at Saks. Nikki from the Houston store called to let me know the new shades arrived just in time for their Saks Friends and Family. Her descriptions are always so helpful, but luckily I saw the items featured on Makeup Magpie the same week so knew what to expect before my package arrived.

A quick breakdown of the new colors in the collection plus over the phone descriptions:

  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Venere (vibrant cream orange red)
  • Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla (nude tan cream)
  • Shine Lipstick in Perla (pale frosted pink)
  • Shine Lipstick in Luna (pale gold champagne)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Acqua (clear with white frost shimmer)
  • Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Cannella (dark brown shimmer)
  • Precision Lipliner in Caramello (tan brown)
  • Smooth Eye Color Quad in Vulcano
  • Eyeliner in Bronzo (taupe bronze gold shimmer)
  • Eyeliner in Agave (deep forest green shimmer)
  • Mascara in Dahlia (dark plum)
  • Intense Nail Lacquer in Passione (rich fuchsia magenta mauve)
  • Luminous Cheek Color in Sole (vibrant red)
Based on Nikki’s recommendations, I ordered everything she thought I would love: Vulcano Quad, Sole Blush, Mandorla Lipstick, Perla Lipstick, Agave Eyeliner, Bronzo Eyeliner, Passione Nail Lacquer and the Dahlia Mascara (not featured).

Vulcano Quad:

Agave (top) and Bronzo (bottom) Eye Liners:

Sole Blush:

Top to bottom: Mandorla, Perla, Passione

I haven’t had time to play with anything yet except the Passione Nail Polish. I highly recommend you visit Makeup Magpie’s blog – she has done a lovely series on her picks complete with amazing swatches and comparisons. I will do a more detailed feature on each item in the upcoming week.

Many of you ask “where do you buy brand x?” You may notice I normally do not write about who I buy from mainly because I want you to go out and explore and discover makeup artists and sales associates on your own. I believe it’s best for you to develop a personal relationship with a brand expert who can see you in person to really know what you like and what looks good on you. After all makeup shopping is about more than just the product, it’s about the experience!

However, with hard-to-find brands, it’s a different story. I will help in any way I can. With HTF items, we often times end up ordering online. It’s definitely convenient and it’s hassle free from overzealous associates who overpromise and under-deliver (hate those). But online swatches are crummy and you often miss out on promotions, GWPs and sometimes great customer service.

I’ve written about Nikki before – she’s amazing (I didn’t tell her about my blog at first, but someone else spilled the beans and when she asked, I did tell her, yes, I have one). I’ve never met her in person, but she is friendly, upbeat, prompt in letting me know when new things arrive and never fails to give me super accurate descriptions over the phone. Her product knowledge is superb. She foundation-matched me over the phone twice (once when I was tan, and then recently when I got lighter). Both times were a perfect match. The GWPs she has with her store are generous and while the minimums might be higher than most brands, they are not ridiculously high (around $100 to $150) and they often include at least 2 full sized products plus a makeup bag. The items in Dolce & Gabbana GWPs are nice items that are usable. Bonus!

You can reach Nikki at Saks Houston at 713 627 0500 x5101. I’m not sure when their next event or GWP occurs, but she will give you the full 411.

10 Comments
Uncategorized

Giorgio Armani Mediterranean Eye Palette Summer 2011

April 28, 2011

Armani has established a long standing tradition of releasing a collection in their Bronze Mania/Mediterranean theme for summer each year. Armani has released their latest edition of the Mediterranean Palette in a four-pan eyeshadow quad for Summer 2011 ($59).

Going back as far as I can remember, Armani has released different variations of double-decker palettes for summer usually a bronzer and eyeshadow combination. I am excited this year they have released a full sized quad. Even more excited that this summer is one of the first seasons I’ve seen something appears to be something truly Armani. Something gorgeous, glowing and gloriously neutral. You might find these links interesting to see the history of Bronze Mania in the following awesome reviews:

The Summer 2011 Mediterranean Eye Palette has four shimmery summery shades. From top to bottom I would describe them as:
  • warm shimmery deep bronze
  • complex apricot champagne infused with a warm gold shimmer
  • warm coppery gold frost
  • warm champagne cream glow
The texture is soft. Pigment is rich. The colors are easily blendable. It’s stunning in the compact and on the back of the hand. The shades are amazing when you pick them up with your fingertips. There is a little instruction card that comes with the palette to give you ideas on how to create a day or night look. The verdict? I don’t think it’s a must-have. I’ll explain why below. First, here are the photos in direct sunlight and with a high flash:



Instructional card with helpful diagrams:

Swatched on a slightly moisturized arm, although no base was really needed to pick up the color:

Closer swatches so you can see the sheen:

So why am I not raving like crazy about this one? For some reason, warm shades like the ones in this palette simply blend together and melt into my skin so you can’t really see much. I need a good moist base and a slightly damp brush to apply wet for them to show up on my olive skin. Plus, I can only use 3 shades at most for these colors. Another thing – I noticed it looked very familiar and went through my quads in search of a dupe. I found it virtually identical to Chanel Spices. The Armani is more intense and more pigmented, but the effect is strikingly similar.

The differences are noticeable, but subtle:

I just know on my eyes, both quads will look identical. If you have pinkish undertones or fair skin, I think this will be *the perfect* combination of colors for you. I envision it will be stunning on blue-eyed and green-eyed girls. As much as I love neutrals, it doesn’t really show up on my eyes. Your mileage may vary. I worry when some really take to heart when I say I’m not in love with something. I don’t want you to write something off simply because I do. As other bloggers have noted in their reviews, this is a beautiful palette. Indeed it is. Due to the vastness of my stash, I knew there was a likely chance that I would have something similar.

If you liked the colors in Chanel Spices but don’t like Chanel quads, this Armani is the one for you. The texture is more blendable than the Chanel and more visible on the skin so it will stand out more on most of you (even if it just blends away into nothingness on me). Armani is more pigmented/intensified so it’s slightly better for the wear.

All in all the quality is still amazing. The pigment is surprisingly good. The texture is to die for. I’ll figure out a way to play with the colors and layer them to make them show up better. I already have ideas of layering these with a few of those powder/cream Eyes to Kill Hybrids that I think will be interesting.

At the time of this post, I don’t think it’s online yet. I found mine at Neiman Marcus instore. I did not check out the other items in the collection so I can’t comment on those. I’m still smitten with Chanel and Dior. More on the Dior quints soon. If you have an Armani counter near you GO and play with this to decide for yourself 🙂

13 Comments
Uncategorized

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Launch Event at Nordstrom

April 10, 2011

Various Chanel Nordstrom counters all over the country have been having a special launch event for the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks. I love Chanel events because I always leave with great tips, tricks and ideas on how to use new and existing shades.

Today the artist asked me what kind of look I was interested in. It helps to give the artist some direction so they know where to start. They almost always like to try new colors on you (“new” as in don’t own yet) but since I have virtually all the Chanel quads she decided to use Kaska Beige to show me how to do a subtle smoky eye. The face chart of what she used:

Skin and Face:
Ultra Correction Line Repair Fluid SPF 15
Base Lumière Illuminating Makeup Base
Vitalumière Aqua in B20 (see swatches here)

Eyes:
Concealer as a base (didn’t note which one)
Kaska Beige Quadra Eyeshadow
Ébène Stylo Yeux Waterproof (pure black)

Cheeks:
Terre D’or Soleil de Tan Bronzer (soft bronze)
Tweed Corail Bronzer (coral & peach blend also shown here and here)

Lips:
Deauville Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick (pinky-mauve-brown)


The look was subtle but polished. I loved how she did the eyes. In my experience, few artists know how to do Asian eyes without creases. What she did with Kaska Beige:

  • Step 1: Apply a concealer base to even the eye
  • Step 2: Dampen a small eyeshadow brush and apply the darkest plum shade on the eyes from the center of the eye outwards to the outer corners (in a smudgey messy way), it was applied about 1/3 up the bottom lid from the center out
  • Step 3: Take a new clean soft eyeshadow brush and apply the warm brown shimmer all over the plum and all over the lid and blend together
  • Step 4: Apply the upper right cocoa color in outer corners and under the eyes for extra definition
  • Step 5: Line with a black liner along upper lashes
  • Step 6: Take the light cream shell color and dip another clean detail brush and swipe from brow bone downwards for a soft highlight
Blending the golden brown shade over the darker plum was pure genius. The cheeks and lips went perfectly with Kaska Beige.

*Update* Several of my readers have asked for more thoughts on Tweed Corail – I personally love all the tweed blushes. I’ve linked prior features here and here. It gives a lovely soft peach glow that brightens the face with a refined slight shimmer.

For the lips, Rouge Coco Shine in Deauville is a lovely mauve-brown with pink. It’s a complex color in the tube with different shimmers but applies with a lovely glow. It looks different depending on the light angles. I thought it might be too brown from what I saw in the tube but on the lips it looked more pinky-mauve. Another view below, see how it’s more pinkish compared to the views the above photos (because of the lighting/angle). The texture is sheer and glossy. More thoughts on Rouge Coco Shines soon.


As a promotion, the counter gave out mini pink notebooks, a mini mascara and mini skincare item (shown in the first photo at the beginning of this post). For additional Chanel Makeover Features, click on the MAKEOVER tag at the bottom.

Have you attended any Chanel events? What Rouge Coco Shines have you tried? If you went to an event this weekend, please share the details! I’d love to hear what they used on you or what kind of look they put together for you 🙂

14 Comments