Dolce & Gabbana has released soft angelic shades for eyes and cheeks in their Autumn/Winter 2011 collection called Sweet Temptations. Cinnamon # 80 Eyeshadow Duo has a shimmery combination of soft opal pink and soft beige-gold. Shimmer #6 Illuminator is a soft finely milled sheer glowy pink-beige. The shades are soft and neutral and make the skin glow with a subtle sheen. Each shade has this beautiful multi-color reflective quality which makes the product look either more beige or more pink depending on how the light hits the shimmer particles. Above is more pinkish, below in different lighting you see more warm beige tones. Both items are very neutral, nude and sheer. On my medium skintone, these blend in with my skin for a barely-there glow.
Cinnamon Eyeshadow duo has a soft opal pink and a soft champagne beige gold. Both are shimmery neutrals. On the fingers and arms you can clearly see the difference in color. On the eyes for me, they both look the same (whether they are layered or applied separately). These give just the slightest glimmer to the lids. Layering actually makes these look chalky but then I reminded myself other duos like this did the same. The best way for me to apply duos like Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon is to put on a dewy eye base first, mix both shades by swirling a brush and then dusting lash to brow in a back-and-forth sweeping motion. Just add liner (like a bronze) and mascara. Cinnamon no doubt is a stunner when you see the compact. On my skin it doesn’t translate the same – it’s very similar to the colors you get with others like Stila Kitten, MAC Deckchair Pigment, Bobbi Brown Seashell, Chanel Island, just more subtle and not quite as frosty.
Swatch comparisons: Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon, NARS New Delight, MAC Shimmertime Pigment, MAC Deckchair Pigment, Bobbi Brown Seashell Shimmerwash Eyeshadow
Shimmer Illuminator is a soft neutral nude pink. I’m not sure what to make of this one. I had anticipated a glowy highlighter because in the compact you can see a soft luminous glow. On the skin however it goes on darker and the shimmer is non-detectable. Fair skinned ladies who are looking for a good contour shade for your cheeks, Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer is the answer to your prayers. The grey undertones of most contour shades that make us look ashy are non-existent here. It does have some brownish qualities but they are soft-nude-browns meaning this will go well with your natural skintone. What I swatched on the fingers was very true-to-pan. What I applied on my arm and face was just completely different. Hence my confusion on the name “Shimmer” for this product. I can’t say whether or not it will show up on darker skins. This one is hard to tell for me.
Comparisons to MAC, NARS and YSL
Overall thoughts: I fell in love with these the moment I saw them at Beverly Hills. Upon finger-swiping my heart skipped a beat. However, after playing with these at home, I think while these are gorgeous, they are just not must-haves for me. I believe I that my skintone is at that point (slightly tanned) where these blend into my skin so well they barely show up. Granted, they are neutrals intended for a “natural look” I find them a bit too natural for me. They are beautiful and high quality products though. Lighter skin ladies, if you can get to a Dolce & Gabbana counter, you must try Shimmer on your cheeks. Given the fact that it’s less brown than NARS Douceur (for some reason this one turns brownish on me), I think many will love Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer and find it a wonderful natural contour. As for Cinnamon, it’s so pretty in the compact, nothing would have stopped me from owning this. However, most light pearly shades end up looking the same on me no matter what variation. The shimmer is subtle so those who have found other brands too frosty will like Dolce & Gabbana Cinnamon.
Have you been to Saks lately to see these or try these in person yet?
Dolce & Gabbana’s Fall 2011 collection has arrived in-store at select Saks stores. Those who did not like the metallics or dramatics we’ve seen to date this season will be happy to learn a number of brands are going natural and nude for fall. Dolce & Gabbana has released a soft palette of neutrals this season. After seeing a few things at Beverly Hills combined with Saks Houston’s recommendations from Nikki, these are my picks: Shimmer #6 Illuminator powder, Almond #77 Shine Lipstick, Praline #102 Lipgloss, Chocolate Nail Lacquer #203 & Cinnamon #80 Eyeshadow Duo. Reviews to come soon.
Also in the fall collection (sorry I don’t have all the names or descriptions), are two new eyeliners #17 (golden grass green), #18 (high frost white-gold), #28 Mocha Blush, #115 Cocoa Quad, #11 Berry Lipliner. I do not believe these are available online yet. For more information, I highly recommend you contact Saks Houston (ask for Nikki) for descriptions, recommendations & details. The items she sends via phone orders are always packaged in a beautiful exquisite black box.
To date, Dolce & Gabbana Makeup is exclusive to select Saks Stores in Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Houston, Miami, San Francisco & New York. Check Dolce & Gabbana’s website for international locations.
I spent the day in Beverly Hills yesterday. It was beautiful and sunny but extremely crowded with tourists & shoppers. One day was not enough and I only lasted about 4.5 hours before deciding it was time to go home. I had planned to take so many photographs but the streets were crowded and it was impossible to get shots of the store fronts without people walking in front. Note to self: next time go early in the morning and make sure the trip is more than 1 day. The must-sees for me: Neimans, Saks, Barneys and the Chanel Boutique.
Bond No. 9 Cooper Square Eau de Parfum made its debut a year ago inspired by “that up-and-coming hotspot, Cooper Square, where the East Village meets NoHo, and the Bowery and the new über-Downtown begin.” I believe this was designed as a unisex scent, but to me this is predominantly masculine and extremely complex. My husband fell in love with this the minute he smelled the sample from a Saks catalog describing it as “incredible”. The notes include cognac, juniper berry, lavender, myrrh, oblibanum, patchouli, cashmere wood, musk, vetiver, ciste labdanum and timberwood. This comes in three different sizes (check pricing and sizes here on BondNo9.com) in a lovely silver bottle with a Bond No.9 print in a see-through metallic coppery-gold type of finish.
I have to admit this isn’t really a review from me, but more of a mini photography project. I could not resist playing with my photo apps using the beautiful reflective silver bottle as my test subject. I’m still new to the different lenses, filters and lighting options – this was the perfect opportunity to play. These apps can make even a shopping cart look good. (Just google hipstamatic images and you’ll be amazed.)
I’m horrible at describing complex scents, but if I were to describe this, I would say it’s spicy, earthy, rich and completely seductive. If this were a movie, it would be the equivalent of Meet Joe Black. I asked my husband for his thoughts (since it is his cologne).
Me, “describe Cooper Square for me … please.”
His response, “I don’t know, it smells good and I just spray it on.”
L-O-L. We’ve known each other for nearly a decade and ever since our first date, he’s shown an amazing ability to find amazing scents … for him of course. It doesn’t matter what he wears, it just always works. In this sense, we’re opposites since I find it rare that a fragrance smells good on me. When it comes to describing fragrances, I guess we’re the same: we just know it when we smell it.
Some instagram and hipstamatic fun:
There are a couple Bond No.9 fragrances I’ve tried from samples that I liked. Given the fact that I’m super fickle with scents, I’ve never splurged on a bottle for myself. I can’t help but admire the displays at Saks everytime I go though. Visiting the individual stores is high on my list of things to do when I eventually find the time to go to NY 🙂
What are your favorite Bond No.9 scents? Do you like them? Or do you find them too strong?
All photos taken by me. Kindly do not republish, thanks! For inquiring minds, all photos are still taken with my trusty Sony (see it here) and the vintage photos were taken with my iPhone 3G.
This is the last post for my series on the Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime picks. Perla Shine Lipstick is a shiny cool pale frost, Mandorla Classic Lipstick is a pale fleshy peach, Sole Blush is a vibrant orange-red.
The lipsticks are rich in coverage but extremely pale on my lips. Both require extra work (ie darker lipliner and clear gloss) to make them work. In my opinion they are lovely but not goof proof. Mandorla surprised me – note that it looks like a nude brown peach in the tube but on the lips and swatched it went on quite a bit paler. (Perla has not been lip swatched.) No detectable scent. Opaque in finish. Lasting power above average. Colors are just too pale for my pigmented lips.
Sole is the winner in the collection. I do not have a picture of it on my cheeks, but this applies to give a beautiful healthy flush. It’s on the warm side but not too warm. It doesn’t turn orangey on the skin. It’s simply stunning.
So how do these compare to what already exists? I don’t own many bright orange-red blushes. The only thing I could think of comparable in intensity is NARS Cactus Flower. Check it out on Makeup Magpie here.
Same with the lipsticks, no exact dupes, although I suspect the ones for summer are easily dupeable. Here they are compared to Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer and Chanel Cashmere:
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.
Dolce & Gabbana Passione Nail Lacquer 121 ($20) is new for summer 2011. It’s currently available at Saks. I would describe it as a rich and bright cool magenta. Passione is one of those colors that you can’t really tell if it’s purple or pink or mauve – or a mixture of all three. I think this is one of those colors everyone would describe differently. It applies smoothly with rich color in just 2 thin coats. I find lasting power pretty good for Dolce & Gabbana. No chips, smooth application, just your normal tip wear after a couple days.
Outdoors in direct sunlight:
I couldn’t find any dupes in my collection, although Makeup Magpie did find a dupe (see her post here). Comparisons from my own personal nail polish collection, L to R: to Chanel Pulsion, Chanel Splendeur, Dolce & Gabbana Passione, Dolce & Gabbana Rose, Chanel Fantastic
Overall thoughts: LOVE, although I think this will be better suited for toes for me. It does appear easily dupe-able. I just don’t have any dupes.