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RMS Beauty

On My Radar

On My Radar / New in Beauty

October 13, 2015

Happy Tuesday everyone! I feel as though holiday beauty releases, gift sets and collections are starting to flood my e-mail inbox with daily notifications. I’m really excited about this year’s gift sets – they look better than ever and there seem to some that are well-priced. I will have to make my lists and sort through them carefully before making purchases. A few things on my beauty radar this week.

First, three sales/gift with purchase events you might want to take note of. Space NK is having their explore event, details one post down, but use code EXPLORE15 for $25 off purchases of $100 or more (online only, valid through 10/25). Shopbop is having 25% Off Friends and Family Sale with code INTHEFAM25 (good for 3 days, ends 10/15). Neiman Marcus is having their Incircle Event so many lines have gift with purchase options.

From the top left clockwise:

  • Le Metier de Beaute and Neiman Marcus have created a limited-edition Breast Cancer Awareness Stephanie Kaleidoscope. I will be picking mine up later this week since they have their Incircle Event. There is a gift with purchase available with any $300 purchase (in store and online). More details once I pick mine up.
  • Chanel has some gorgeous releases for late fall into holiday. First there is a new Rouge Allure Collection featuring some new Rouge Allure Lipsticks (Inspiree and Eblouissante), Rouge Allure Velvet Lipsticks, new Rouge Double Colors (I picked up Bright Rose), Rouge Allure Gloss (in Ideale and Expressive), two new Le Vernis Nail Polishes in Singuliere and Troublant. Review on my picks soon.
  • Diptyque Holiday looks absolutely amazing. There will be three limited-edition holiday candles that launch November. You can pre-order some from Neiman Marcus now. Also the Diptyque South Coast Plaza store will have an exclusive early preview event at their store October 15th. You can call them (714) 850-9995 for details. They will have a gift with purchase and small bites available.
  • Molton Brown has two new hand treatments available. There is Alba White Truffle Hand Exfoliator and Alba White Truffle Hand Treatment. I’ve never thought about exfoliating the hands before – it will be interesting to see how the duo performs.
  • Buxom Cosmetics has a number of cute holiday sets with minis. The Don’t Miss a Beat set has 6 mini lip polishes. If you want a bigger selection of colors, the Leave Your Mark Full-On Lip Polish & Lip Cream Set has 15 minis.
  • RMS Beauty has launched nine Nail Polishes. There are several different finishes in creams and metallics. I’m particularly intrigued with how the Luminizer shade will look on the hands.
  • The Sephora Beauty Insider 250 Point Perk for October Bite Beauty’s Kir Royale has launched online!! Swatches of the lipstick and lipgloss in this post here. If you’ve been stalking Sephora for this bonus to arrive online, I just spotted it today.
  • Last but not least, some of Tom Ford Holiday has launched online for pre-order at Neiman Marcus. It’s all very smokey and dark. I have my eye on the Waterproof Mascara in Noir and Nail Lacquer in Black Out (it looks like it could be a dupe for Chanel Steel).
What’s on your beauty radar this week? Do you have anything on your wishlist or are you waiting to see more holiday launches before splurging?

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Eye Makeup Roundup

Neutral Creamy Shimmer Wash Eye Shadows | NARS, By Terry, Laura Mercier, RMS and Chanel

June 25, 2014
Lately I’ve been a fan of these swipe and go shimmery wash eyeshadows. I like a creamy texture so there’s no extra base needed for good pigment and blending. I like neutrals but have discovered a few non-nude shadows I find good for color, dimension and glow. Just add a simple black or bronze liner and mascara and you’re good to go (for lazy makeup days). I also find them good for touch ups if you’re transitioning from day to night to add a bit of depth to the eyes. The creamy textures mean you apply straight from the tube if it’s a twist up stick or right from the compact with your fingers and smudge/blend easily. My current favorite neutrals:
  • NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Iraklion ($25) is a mauve rose quartz taupe fawn shimmer. It blends out to a sheer finish but nicely contours the lids. You can layer for more color and it also works well as a base for powder shadows but won’t change the color.
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold ($26) is a shimmery gold with a slight hint of pink tones, on me it pulls more champagne gold but the pink prevents it from being a pure yellow gold. It’s on the creamy side so if you have oily lids you may need a matte base underneath.
  • By Terry Ombre Blackstar ($43 each) in Ombre Mercure (interesting oyster that flashes gold and a bit of green sparkle), Frozen Quartz (cool medium pink sparkle) and Misty Rock (plum pink) are all intense creamy shadows, I adore each of them alone on the lid with a simple liner. They are on the pricey side but the quality, texture and lasting power make these worth every penny.
  • RMS Cream Eyeshadow in Solar ($28) is something I use on a weekly basis, alone or as a base, there’s something so pretty about a rich gold shimmer for the eyes that warms up the complexion (review here)
  • Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Emerville ($36) is a classic champagne peach shimmer. I think it’s one neutral shimmer everyone should have in their beauty collection. It makes a lovely wash all over the lids.
  • NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows ($29 each) in Europa and Andromeda (reviews here) are nice when layered together for that simple polished glow look for the eyes. 

Swatched side by side you can see they look intense when swatched straight from the tube, the pigment is good and textures are super easy to blend and layer. They aren’t quite as frosty when you blend them out. My assessment for shimmer levels:
  • Most shimmery are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar sticks but if you’ve tried these you know they blend out really nicely but maintain the color. RMS Solar is on the shimmery side as well but the gold base blends well with my natural skintone almost like a contour.
  • Medium shimmers are Laura Mercier Rose Gold and Chanel Emerville.
  • Sheer shimmers are NARS Iraklion and Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows in Europa and Andromeda (most in this formula are intense, but I have the softest ones).

What are your favorite creamy shimmer shadows for an all over wash? Do you have any swipe and go kind of shadows you love? Or are you one who usually prefers to layer more color on the eyes?

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Uncategorized

Spring-to-Summer Bronze and Glow

June 2, 2014

I shared my favorite bronzers and illuminators with you last year in my Summer Glow post. There are a number of new bronzers and glowy products out this year that I’ve been testing lately that I wanted to share with you. Two have made the favorites list again this year. I’ve split this year’s post into two categories: glow and bronze. For me the two aren’t necessarily separate, I like to mix, blend and layer products to create a custom natural bronze or subtle glow. All of these work well with my normal combination sensitive skin (no break outs or reactions to these).

  • RMS Living Luminizer is one of those cult classic products. I’ve long resisted because after feeling it a few times in stores thought it would be too greasy for my normal/combination skin. I finally caved after a few friends demanded I give it a try. It is one of the most dewy and glowy highlighters I own but it does miraculously give a natural healthy sheen. It has barely any color on my medium skin and isn’t too pale to give a sharp white contrast. It just gives a subtle sheen. I like this under blush or over it to add a bit of glow. I dab it on very lightly with fingers.
  • NARS Illuminator in 413 Blkr (review here) is a lovely champagne colored highlighter that isn’t too pale or too yellow, it’s gorgeous mixed in with foundation or used as a highlighter
  • Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Afterglow is one of my holy grail highlighters, it’s perfect for medium-tanned skin beauty lovers who are looking for a good neutral highlighter that isn’t pale, I use it as an eye base, on the cheeks, on the temples, I’ve hit pan on this twice, it’s a must-have with gorgeous shimmer and non-greasy finish, it’s perfection
  • NARS Illuminator in Hot Sand is new for summer, also limited-edition, I had to wait several weeks for this one, it sold out at all the counters near me so I ordered online, if you haven’t checked this one out, I recommend it, it’s a unique gorgeous peachy shimmer that dries down to a non-dewy finish (so it stays put)
  • Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust is repromoted this year, it sold out in the blink of an eye last year, if you missed out the first round, you have a chance to buy it this year (but with a white cap), I’m about half-way through mine from last year, it’s extremely pricey but worth every penny (review last year here)

  • Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light made the list again this year, it’s a sheer glowy powder with tiny micro sparkle particles but looks very natural on the skin, I recommend using a cream base (highlight or blush) underneath to help the color adhere better, once it does you get a lovely natural glow (also available in the palette/trio reviewed here)
  • Chanel Les Beiges Multi-Colour No. 02 (review here) if you’re looking for something new this summer, this is the bronzer to buy, it’s soft and natural and for me, it’s back-up worthy
  • Chanel Blush Creme in Cheeky is a new blush creme from the summer collection, I thought it would be too similar to Destiny but it proved to be more pink and neutral
  • Armani Liquid Summer Bronzer (review here) is a nice darker liquid bronzer, if you like a layerable fluid bronzer, I recommend this one (although if you have the classic Bronze Universel by Chanel, you don’t need this one because the color is similar)
  • MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite’s Shell and Delphic are both part of the Alluring Aquatic collection (both limited-edition). These are on the more subtle end of bronzers with a unique satiny-matte texture. They are buildable and with a slightly harder texture which makes these easy to layer on softly. They also adhere well to the skin and don’t budge once applied. I adore both shades and prefer Delphic because it’s more dramatic but they are both gorgeous. I would highly recommend acting fast with these, I’m surprised they are still available online and at counters.
More close ups in case you want to see the texture and shimmer in more detail:


There are a number of classic products such as NARS Multiples, Armani Fluid Sheers and all sorts of bronzers and highlighters that I adore. These are some that have been on my radar for a while (new ones along with tried and true).

What’s in your beauty rotation right now for bronzers or highlighters?

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Uncategorized

RMS Solar Cream Eye Shadow

May 25, 2013

I had my first experience with RMS beauty at Woodley and Bunny Apothecary (now in Los Angeles on West 3rd Street). I’ve been intrigued by this brand for quite some time but it’s been near impossible for me to find and try in person. I picked one cream shadow to buy, Solar Cream Eye Shadow a stunning warm gold shimmer ($28 for 0.15 oz, 4.25g, made in USA) and worth every penny. Solar has a complex mixture of shimmers making it metallic-looking on the lids but not over-the-top. There is no detectable scent. The cream shadow has a dewy finish but stays put for a surprisingly long time on the lids. The pigment is extremely rich but blendable. Although there is a dewy sheen and rich pigment, the colors are surprisingly lightweight in texture. I found Solar very easy to apply. The golden color is neutral enough to go with virtually any look.

Close at an angle shows the rich warm gold base, so many different colored sparkles gives Solar that gorgeous golden sheen:

Here it is swatched, due to the complex shimmers make it look different depending on the light, here it is with and without flash. I love how it’s easy to layer for a rich metallic look. It’s also easy to blend out for a more subtle glow.
Swatched with a heavy hand in sunlight, the more you apply, the more metallic the color:

Some gold comparisons show that RMS Solar is quite unique and different from other golds. It has enough warmth to make the brighten the eyes but it’s not too warm. Armani Eyes to Kill Shadows in 28, 26, and 15, MAC Paint Pots in Cash Flow (discontinued) and Rubenesque, Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Apparance.

Swatched:

Overall very impressed. I can’t wait for my next trip to test out other RMS colors. If you’re new to the brand like myself check out the detailed RMS reviews on Café Makeup and London Makeup Girl.

You can find RMS Solar Cream Eye Shadow for $28 online at Woodley & Bunny and in store at both their NY and LA boutiques. Have you tried RMS Beauty? What are your favorites?
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