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Spring 2010

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Dear Chanel, I Love You! Spring 2011 Le Vernis Shades Have Arrived

December 17, 2010

Chanel spring is starting to trickle in stores and the best news is that in the U.S. they have brought back the American-style formulas of the blush (no longer baked) and eyeshadow quad (back to square). I’m ecstatic! With the past few collections I was worried that in 2011 I would fall out of love with Chanel. There is so much to cover and I haven’t had time to play with everything yet so I’m going to split up my reviews. The first review will cover the new Le Vernis shades: Pearl Drop 511, Black Pearl 513, Pêche Nacrée 515.

The colors of white-gold, murky greyed-green and soft peachy-pink are an interesting combination for nails, but I love them. I love how Chanel matched the new Eyeshadow Quad, Regard Perlé (review coming soon). You might think the colors have been done before – but Chanel has a way of combining colors and pigments that no other brand can match. The result is a sophisticated and fresh palette that is appropriate for now and also serves as the perfect transition to spring.

Nails matched to the quad:

The finish of these spring nail colors is a pearl-frost. You can see brush strokes on Pearl Drop and Black Pearl if applied with a shakey hand, but the streaks aren’t too bad. All of them are a bit sheerer than your typical Chanel nail polish (in my opinion). I find the cream-non-shimmers to be full coverage while these are not full-coverage-with-1-coat. The Spring Shades definitely need 2-3 coats. Fortunately, they aren’t as sheer as Riva is. The nice thing about the texture is it allows you to build your color as you like.

Pearl Drop 511 is a white base with gold shimmer. It’s almost a duo-chrome color. This color is lovely, but not exactly my favorite. It’s simply too contrasted with my skintone. The yellowish undertones in my skin also don’t really help with this color. I wanted to compare it to Hard Candy’s Sugar Daddy, but it appears I had gifted that shade away. So, I pulled a few other Chanel whites for your reference. Blanc Petal is a pure white frost, Intermezzo has that opal-pinkish sheen, Pearl Drop is clearly a white-gold frost.

L to R: Chanel Blanc Petale, Intermezzo 501, Pearl Drop 511


Black Pearl 513 is the most highly anticipated shade of spring (for me). I have been dying of curiosity to see how it compares to other greenish murky shades. I am happy to report that Black Pearl appears to be truly unique. It’s one of those shades that is true-to-the-bottle in the sense that what you see in the bottle is what you get on the nails. So many dark greenish teals look gorgeous in the bottle, but go on nearly black on the nails. Chanel Black Pearl has a beautiful sheen to it with a mixture of teal, grey, silver, dark green. It’s hard for me to describe but it’s a stunner! Compared to the colors below, it’s lighter in color and exactly as gorgeous as I had hoped.

L to R comparisons: OPI Cuckoo For This Color, Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams, Chanel Black Pearl 513, Lancome Pop Petrol (reviews/swatches on other colors are linked)

Pêche Nacrée 515 was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be an unflattering frosty shade of peach but it has just the right amount of pearliness which makes it a lovely soft peachy-pinky-pearly color. It is on the sheerer side, so it definitely requires 3 full coats. This is the most spring-like color out of all 3 shades.

L to R comparisons: OPI Love Me Tender, Chanel Pêche Nacrée 515, Dior Angelic Rose 152

FYI: The spring collection is up on Chanel.com and I found the items in-store at Nordstrom in Southern California. I’ve also heard reports that it’s been spotted at Bloomingdales in NY. So ladies, call your counters – it should be arriving any day now if it hasn’t already!

More reviews to come soon, here’s a sneak peek . . . please do not republish or hotlink my photos, all content is copyrighted!

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Dior Peach Lace Poudrier Dentelle from Spring 2010

February 25, 2010

Why does the UK and Asia get the prettier Dior product releases? When I saw the preview for Dior Spring, the Peach Lace highlighter was the first thing that jumped out to me. Of course the US only received the Pink Lace highlighter. Luckily, I was able to find Peach Lace 002 from a wonderful UK blogger (thank you again!!!). I just about died when I opened the compact. It’s even prettier than the pink one.


Here is the Pink Lace 001 that I purchased back in January compared to the Peach Lace 002 which I believe is exclusive to Asia and Europe.

Without flash:

Note that the swatches don’t photograph well, but this is the best I could get:



Here is the Peach Lace compared to a few other peachy highlighters including Dior Amber Diamond, Bobbi Brown Champagne Color Options (from a gazillion years ago), and MAC Drizzlegold Beauty Powder.



The Peach Lace Highlighter is gorgeous. I think it would have sold well in the US if it were released here. The swatch photos don’t do the product justice, but it has a lovely light beige-peach shimmer finish and glow that I find rare in many highlighters. Most lighter colored highlighters are too pale giving a whitish-cast on the skin because of the silvery pearl shimmers.

I love the Pink Lace Highlighter, but the Peach Lace is definitely the winner!

In case you missed it, I wrote about my Spring Picks from the Dior Collection back in January here.

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Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals Collection Spring 2010

January 31, 2010

Bobbi Brown’s second spring release this year focuses on a coral theme featuring universal modern corals. I was able to check it out in person yesterday and I came home with Shimmer Lipglosses in Sunset Beach, Golden Nectar, Coral Sand, Pot Rouge in Cabo Coral, and Nectar Shimmer Brick.


The counter didn’t have the older Calypso Coral in their tester unit so I decided to get the new one anyways. I compared the new Cabo Coral to the old Calypso Coral and Becca Tuberose. They are pretty similar, the older Calypso Coral has more pink where the new Cabo Coral is more of a straight coral. Becca Tuberose clearly has some pink similar to the Calypso Coral.


Those who are scared of bright blush – don’t be afraid to try Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouges. They are very blendable and are great for both lips and cheeks. I prefer to use them on cheeks though. If you’re still scared or find these are still too bright, look into Trish McEvoy’s Liquid Face Color for a softer peach with a bit of shimmer.


I already had the Nectar Shimmer Brick from Neiman’s Exclusive Release which cost $45 each in a smaller heavy metal magnetized compact. I only found out about the release of the Nectar Shimmer Brick in the regular size after my purchase. I kinda felt like kicking myself for caving into such a splurge but the compact is cute and pretty. I purchased the regular sized Nectar from the new collection as a gift for my sister. It is identical in color to the Neiman’s release.

Apricot Shimmer Brick compared to Nectar Shimmer Brick:

Here are my comparisons to other coral-peachy blushes including Chanel In Love, Bobbi Brown Coral Shimmer Blush, Nars Deep Throat and Nars Torrid.

Here are my swatches of the cheek items:


I also compared the new lipglosses to my other peachy-coral lipglosses. Left to right:

1. Chanel Coral Reef
2. Chanel Candy Glow
3. Bobbi Brown Sandy Beige
4. Coral Sand
5. Golden Nectar
6. Sunset Beach
7. Brightening Peach
8. Nectarine
9. Peach Blossom
10. Sandwash Apricot
11. Love Nectar

Swatched below, please note below is a different order:


My thoughts:

  • The standouts are the Nectar Shimmer Brick and Lipglosses. I love corals but can’t really pull of stronger corals and oranges (except for cheeks). If you’re a corals fan you will like this collection.
  • *UPDATE* I also saw the Coral Eye and Lip Palette at Neimans and passed – the only color I was interested in was Burnt Sugar which I already have. The palette itself is gorgeous, I just knew it would be too warm for me.
  • I passed on all the lipsticks because they looked too orangey for my taste. The Metallic Lip Colors were gorgeous, but I’ve had bad experiences with breakage – they are so soft that about 1/4 of mine have already broken at the base. All the testers were already broken as well.
  • I’m not quite sure that I think this collection is really “universal”. I do think most women can find at least 1 item they will like. But they aren’t the most unique colors.
  • I find the corals a bit too monochromatic – I really liked her lipglosses but the lipsticks were all too peachy and orangey. On my face, it would end up looking clown-like.
  • Although I’m happy she has released the Pink Quartz Shimmerbrick again, it doesn’t quite seem to fit with the theme.
  • I wish there were eyeshadows featured with the collection or at least recommendations of what to use with the lips and cheeks.
  • Her website introduces the Cabana Corals collection as “Bobbi’s fresh take on an old-school favorite.” My question is what is the old-school favorite? Is it the Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick or is it the Cabo Coral Pot Rouge as a revamped version of Calypso Coral? While this isn’t a huge deal – I find the message a bit confusing.

Overall – it’s definitely worth checking out especially for that Nectar Shimmerbrick. If you missed out on Pink Quartz the first round, then I highly recommend you get it now. It’s lovely!

As a courtesy, I’d like to ask that these photos NOT be republished on other sites. Thank you!

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Paul & Joe Wild Flowers Lip Gloss Lacquers CS Spring 2010

January 28, 2010

Paul & Joe’s Wild Flowers Spring 2010 Collection is my favorite for the cutest releases this year. This spring they’ve released 3 lip glosses and 3 eyeshadows for their seasonal Collection Sparkles Limited Edition series. I bought all three glosses they call Lip Gloss Lacquer CS in Baby’s Breath 001 (clear sparkle with pinky-beige), Snapdragon 002 (sheer orange with coral sparkle) and Primrose 003 (two shades of hot pink).

The lipgloss packaging is absolutely adorable and each come with 2 shades with a butterfly shaped center.

They are a cross between their regular lipglosses and lip lacquers in pigment and texture. The non-shimmer portions have more pigment than the shimmer parts which are more sheer and almost clear. The texture is smooth and non-sticky. I’m absolutely smitten with the packaging and boxes. I wish they would release stationary or even makeup bags in the cute spring flowers design. They have a slightly sweet scent, almost like fruity tooth-paste, but it’s not overpowering or strong.

CS Spring Lip Gloss Lacquers compared to Lip Lacquer Tubes

001 Baby’s Breath (pot) vs 04 Tenderness Lip Lacquer (tube)

002 Snapdragon (pot) v 08 Bouquet Lip Lacquer (tube)

003 Primrose (pot) v 06 Can-Can Lip Lacquer (tube)

Swatches

One more close up view


You can get these at Bergdorf Goodman and Beautyhabit. These retail for $25 each which I find a bit pricey for the size – but being the P&J fanatic that I am, I had to have them and after getting my order, I think they are definitely worth the price. My fellow Paul & Joe makeup fan (who goes by the screen name Parsi) helped convince me that I needed to have these just for the cute-factor. I have to admit I cried just a little when I dipped my brush to swatch them (ruining the perfect butterfly shape) but I knew I was going to have to do it anyways.

I’ve ordered Paul & Joe from both places before and highly recommend both. These were purchased from Bergdorf Goodman for their Smart Beauty Event which is still going on until the end of the month. (Note that my entire BG order is not featured in this post.)

For more views/photos, check out Beautyhabit.com for excellent photos (click on the individual item for a close up). The Paul & Joe website is also too cute for words.

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Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Demure Lipstick

January 17, 2010

I love light pinks in all variations for lips, but often times I find the ones that look the prettiest in the tube are often require extra effort to make them work for me. I call these my “high maintenance nudes” which include colors like MAC Creme Cup, YSL Rouge Volupte #1 and Nars Turkish Delight. The newest lipstick from Trish McEvoy called Gorgeous Demure (a pale nude pink cream) is no exception. I’m not sure if it’s just my skin coloring or if it’s my pigmented lips, but applied alone, most pale pinks end up looking like concealer.

Swatched on hand (can barely see it because it matches my skintone)

Swatched on lips alone, looks way too pale:


To make this color work for me, I first line with Trish McEvoy’s Bare Lipliner, apply the Gorgeous Demure Lipstick and blot, the top with Bobbi Brown’s Rose Gold Lipgloss.



The Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Demure lipstick is in the new Gorgeous Lip Color formula which is a bit pricier at $25 USD and is supposed to contain a special lip-conditioning quality. It is creamier and smoother than most of her lipsticks with medium pigment. I can’t really say I notice any moisturizing quality, but I will say that it is non-drying.

Pigment is medium and finish is slightly glossy. If you can pull off the paler shades, then I think you’ll like this. If you’re like me who can’t pull these off alone, you might want to pass since it will require other colors in liner and gloss added to make it work for you.

Gorgeous Demure was supposed to be released with a series of other products. As of yesterday, the only other item that I saw at Nordstrom was the new Translucent powder. Coming soon are 2 new face shines (which I believe are simply repromotes of long-discontinued colors), a new base essentials and a new lipgloss.

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Guerlain Cherry Blossom, Beatrix & Blondie for Spring 2010

January 7, 2010
Guerlain’s Spring Cherry Blossom collection arrived at Saks a little over a week ago featuring the gorgeous Natalia Vodianova in soft shades of pink and rose.

The pattern on the new Blush Éclat Cherry Blossom blush is stunning, but the product itself is a bit of a disappointment since the gorgeous rose, peach and pink shimmers that you see on the top are merely an overspray. I am happy to say that the packaging is a sleek black compact instead of the usual chrome or metallic looking case. The good news is that if you liked Armani’s Sheer 12 Blush, you will probably like this one too – it’s a warmer glowy version of GA #12 (in my opinion). It’s pretty pricey at $49 USD, you might want to consider a cheaper alternative for a pale pink highlighter blush.

There were a bunch of new lipsticks in new formulas, the KissKiss Strass (too sparkley looking) & the Rouge G de Guerlain Le Brilliant (pretty, but pricey). I’m not exactly sure how the original Rouge G compares to the new Le Brilliant formula, but the ones I tested from this new line seemed glossier and a bit sheerer in finish. I ended up buying Beatrix (B60) a cherry blossom pink and Blondie (B01) a neutral pinky-beige.

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Lancome Pop N’ Cheeks in Coral Flirt from Spring 2010

January 3, 2010

I haven’t tried much from Lancome with the exception of their blushes and Bifacil makeup remover, so I’m not really familiar with the line. I assume their product launches are similar to Dior where they release different items in different countries. I know for holiday, Asia got that pretty pink cherub highlighter while the US only got the golden bronzey one. It appears there are 2 versions of the Pop N’Cheeks Gentle & Lasting Color Powder Blush as well, I only saw 01 Coral Flirt at Nordstrom, but the Asian catalogs show another pretty peach/pink blush 02. I believe I saw a few different glosses that are not shown in these previews as well (the ones in the round tubes).



Someone please correct me if I’m am wrong. I would be THRILLED to know if the 02 blush is available in the US anywhere! (There’s one more scan a few posts down from January 1.)

The new tester unit caught my eye as I was browsing through Nordstrom. I am sorry to say I can’t remember anything else I saw, although I wish I had paid more attention. I only remember looking at the glosses thinking they were too sparkley for my taste and then moved on.

The Coral Flirt Blush is designed in an abstract rose pattern. The gold is only an overspray. The tester I saw had no gold left on the product, so I got to swirl it with my fingers. It gives a very sheer soft peach blush. If you’re familiar with Benefit Coralista & Georgia, I would say the new Lancome is in between those 2 shades once brushed on your cheeks.

Close up with flash

Close up in natural sunlight
Since I know many of you insist on swatches, even though I hate mine, here it is swatched on three fingers. The first finger has the gold sparkle, the second and third have progressively less overspray-sparkle, but it’s a bit hard to see. I highly recommend testing in person.


Overall a nice soft and sheer peach. You’d probably get more pigment with MAC Pinch O Peach (also more pink) or Laura Mercier Orange Blossom blush. It’s good for a natural cheek and the bonus for me is that there is no detectable scent on the product.

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