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Quads

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Victoria’s Secret Makeup: Heidi Klum’s Exotic Jewels & VS Makeup Collection

December 4, 2009
I stopped by Victoria’s Secret a few weeks ago and decided to check out the Exotic Jewels Holiday collection by Heidi Klum among other things (thanks to some recommendations). I’m a huge fan of Heidi Klum, she always looks stunning and glowing. I like her modern and chic style – I especially love that she’s been featured for Ann Taylor’s holiday ad campaign. She gives the brand a more modern look.

What I came home with (beauty-related):

* Lipglosses & Lip Lacquers $10 to $14 – The lipglosses are pretty sheer, they are have a non-sticky texture similar to MAC Lip Gelees, but a bit sheerer. The lip lacquers are more pigmented.

* Heidi Klum Perfect Lipstick in Exotic Spice $16 is a great nude nude with good coverage/pigment. It has a tiny bit of sparkle in the tube, but it’s not visible on the lips. I’m not the biggest fan of the packaging and $16 seems steep for something from VS, but the texture is creamy and I love the color. I’m not sure about the regular lipsticks in the VS line, but this one has a chocolate scent.


These blend out very sheer:


* Eyeshadow quads in Eye Contact and Sultry $15: I have to say I am fairly impressed with these! $15 is a steal for this size – you get a decent sized quad. The texture is really soft and pigment is decent and very blendable. I wouldn’t carry these in my purse though – I think the formula is pretty fragile – there were several boxes on the display unit in the tore that had broken shadows inside.


* Heidi Klum Luminous Gems $22 – a bit pricey in my opinion for VS makeup and it seems like you get about 1/2 of what is pictured on the Victoria’s Secret website (in terms of amount of product) , but there is still enough product in the actual container and I can’t imagine ever using this up. Swirled together you get a pink-gold shimmery glow. (Swatch didn’t turn out so hot on my arm.)


I have to admit I bought these mainly b/c I had some coupons to use up. If I had paid more attention to which glosses were “lip glosses” versus “lip lacquers” I probably would have passed on some of these knowing that they were very sheer.

For those who just like sheer makeup and decent prices, I recommend checking the line out too. They had quite a few good neutral nude-pink lipsticks. I didn’t purchase any though.

Do you have any VS makeup favorites?

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Dolce & Gabbana Golds Quad

December 3, 2009
Part 1 of D&G Holiday Collection was featured back in November with pictures and swatches of the new lipgloss, lipstick, blush and nail polish. Today focuses on the new Golds Eyeshadow Quad.

The quad has a pale pink shimmer, a white shimmer, a soft pale gold shimmer and a soft chocolate brown. This actually reminds me of Chanel’s White Whisper Quad with the only difference being the darkest shade. You can see from the swatch that the light colors look really similar. The texture is divine like all other Dolce & Gabbana eyeshadows – soft and highly pigmented.

Three different views and swatches:




This quad retails for $59 which is pretty steep – I actually received this from Saks NY in a bit of a mix up. When I placed my first order, they didn’t have the Golds Quad in yet so I told them to just call me when it came in and I would decide later if I wanted to buy it. I guess they interpreted that to just do a charge/send once it came in because it arrived at my door about 3 weeks later. Since they had already sent it and charged shipping, I just decided to keep it.

Looks like it will be pretty for a pale silvery eye which will be nice for the holidays and also going into spring if paired with some neutral tans like MAC Soba or Stila Puppy.

Compared to the photo in the Saks Catalog:

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Chanel Fall 2009 has arrived at Saks!

June 20, 2009

Stopped by Saks today to pick up a few Armani items and was surprised to see the fall collection for Chanel out! The product rep wasn’t there, and there were a few empty slots (mainly 1 duo eyeshadow or single eyeshadow slot and a few pencil liners), but most of the collection was there.

Collection includes:
* 6 Rouge Allures in Clandestine #73, Comedia #74, Amusing #75, Captive #76, Inuitive #77, Instinctive #78
* 2 Glossimers in Arlequin #136 and Courtisane #138
* 1 Le Crayon Leveres in Praline D’Or #35
* 2 Le Vernis in Gondola #499, Intermezzo #501
* 1 Poudre Douce in Peche Caresse
* 1 Les Tissages de Chanel in Tweed Sienna
* 1 Jous Contraste in Fresque
* 1 Quadra Eyeshadow in Murano
* 1 Eye Gloss Quad (forget the name)
* 1 Irreelle Duo in Acqua Alta

Also featured are 2 waterproof eyeliners, 1 brow pencil, mascara.

Left to right Rouge Allures in Comedia #74, Intuitive #77, Instinctive #78, Glossimer in Arlequin #136 and Courtisane #138:

Murano Quad:

Tweed Sienna & Fresque Blushes:

Tweed comparisons:

Fresque comparisons:

Nail Polishes in Cosmic Violine (from the Celestial Collection) versus Gondola:

Also, not pictured is the new Lip Liner which is a gorgeous light peachy nude (did not photograph well). The other rouge allures were in the red family, all gorgeous. The other nail polish was a iridescent opal white color. The eyeshadow duo was a crystal white shimmer with a charcoal grey.

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First Look: Dolce & Gabbana Makeup

May 28, 2009

Dolce & Gabbana Makeup has finally launched in the US! The inspiration behind the brand is “to break the rules of makeup” and “traditional communication” with products that convey a glamourous and sensual feel. The line is currently available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue online and their New York store. However, I did stop by Saks Beverly Hills today and there is an entire section of the cosmetics floor walled off with a huge curtain for construction of a new unit for the upcoming line. The sales associate I spoke with wasn’t able to provide a specific launch date, but did say it was “coming very soon.”
The face of Dolce & Gabbana is Scarlett Johansson and the campaign on their website features several downloadable promotional ads in which they provide a beauty breakdown for the products she is wearing.


For the Provocative Eyes, Scarlett wears: Smooth Eye Color Duo and Quad in Stromboli and Mediterraneo, Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Stromboli, Classic Cream Nude Lipstick, Intense Nail Laquer in Pink. Check out the rest of their website for some product photos and other tidbits of information! There are also a few product photos at Saks Online.

The sales associate was very helpful in recommending some items based on my skin tone and eye color (Teint Innocence Chanel Shell/Beige and dark brown eyes). I placed my order last Thursday and received my package today in a glamorous shiny black and gold box:



These are the items I received:
* Smooth Eye Color Quad ($59) in Champagne (pearly white, shimmery light complex grey, matte charcoal, matte cool brown)

* Smooth Eye Color Quad ($59) in Contrasts (shimmery light fleshy-tan, shimmery champagne, sparkling violet-plum, shimmery warm deep brown)


* Shine and Classic Lipsticks ($30) Left to Right: Shine Lipsticks in Perfection, Naked, Soiree, Classic Lipstick in Velvet (all the shades I ordered have shimmer and a strong rose-scent)


* Crayon Intense Eyeliner ($29) in Stromboli (not pictured, but will swatch in the next few days, a deep black-gold shimmer)
Overall thoughts: I will have to play with the items in the next few days to give a better review, but so far I am the most excited about the Contrasts Quad. The colors in this quad are truly gorgeous – neutral enough for my taste, but not so neutral that it’s completely boring and dupe-able. I’m not a huge fan of flowery rose scents, but have managed to overcome the scent in Chanel Hydrabase Lipsticks, so it’s possible I will still be able to wear these Dolce & Gabbana lippies.

I would love to see the entire line in person and have an artist come up with a customized look. The packaging is definitely glamorous, but I would have preferred something more subtle and less flashy – but then again, it is Dolce & Gabbana. I will definitely be making another trip to LA once the line launches in the Beverly Hills store.
At first glance however, it seems to be over-priced and the hype is from the artist who helped design the collection. I do find the colors I ordered very wearable and unique, but at $29 for a liner and $59 for an eyeshadow quad, I’m not quite sure I would have justified the purchases if I had seen them in person first.
Since the line is so new and very exclusive, there seem to be very few reviews and photos online. So far, the only review I’ve seen with product photos is on Blogdorfgoodman, who did an excellent review on the recent NY Dolce & Gabbana Saks event!
Have you tried this line? Thoughts/opinions/favs/dislikes would be great!

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Color Focus: Coppery Bronze

May 25, 2009

I’m a huge fan of the tanned summery look, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite coppery bronze colors. To avoid bronze-overload, I usually mix different variations or intensities of bronzey shades for eyes, lips and cheeks.

Some of my favorite eyeshadows: 1) Nars Fez, 2) Chanel Lumieres Facettes in Plein Soleil, 3) Chanel Le Bronze, 4) Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials in Malibu, 5) Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Copper Cocoa, 6) Le Metier de Beaute Spicy Eyeshadow, 7) Trish McEvoy Sable Bronze, 8) MAC Pigment in Chocolate Brown



I’m a huge fan of bronzey cheeks:
* Top left to right – Becca Mineral Bronzing Powder in Duende, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush in Bahama Brown, Laura Mercier Illuminating Powder in Moroccan Bronze
* Middle left to right – Trish McEvoy Luminzer in Luminous Bronze, Nars Multiple in South Beach
* Bottom left to right – Nars Blush in Lovejoy, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Warm Bronze (mini size)



For lips, I’m not a huge fan of the dark bronze lips, but prefer lighter bronze shades, or even nude shades with a hint of bronze:
* Left to right – Trish McEvoy Sheer Lipcolor in Barely Innocent, Chanel Aqualumiere in Maritius #86, Chanel Aqualumiere in Key West #83, Giorgio Armani Silk Lipstick #18, Laura Mercier Boho Bronze, MAC Lustre Lipstick in Honey-Flower, Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Bronzed Pink

For lipglosses:
* Left to right – Giorgio Armani Lipshimmer #57, Trish McEvoy Irrisistible, Chanel Glossimer in Unity #41, Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Freeze #66, Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bronze, MAC Lustreglass in Beaux

What are some of your favorite coppery bronze shades?

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Lunasol Quads

May 20, 2009

My current obsessions include hard-to-find items, particularly the eyeshadow quads from Lunasol, a Japanese Makeup Brand made by Kanebo Cosmetics. I was lucky enough that my sweet sister picked up some items for me while she was in Japan earlier in the spring.

The brand concept is geared towards the Refined Woman. They have several different kinds of eyeshadow categories, their English website is at http://www.lunasol-net.com/en/index.html.

Skin Modeling Eyes: 01 Beige Beige, a gorgeous combination of beige-based colors. All shades have shimmer, the pale champagne and chocolate are the most shimmery, the two beige colors have more of a satiny finish.


Lighting for Eyes: 04 Neutral, each quad in this series features a “jewelry powder” which is a super sparkley shadow (in this one, the bottom right shade). A gorgeous combination of silvery taupes.


Scent Form Eyes: 05 Chocolate Cosmos, my personal favorite, soft velvety texture and rich pigment.

Nail Polish: 19 Cool Beige, a sparkly neutral light beige, rich pigment, 1 coat is sufficient.

My review on these items: these are among the best shadows I’ve tried. They have a similar texture to the MAC Starflash Shadows and Urban Decay Shimmer Shadows, soft and velvety and super easy to blend. I find the Lunasol shades to all be very pigmented, both the light and dark. Can’t wait to try more from this line.

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