Browsing Tag

Summer 2013

Uncategorized

Tom Ford Skin Illuminator Fire Lust

May 5, 2013

Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust ($65 for .68 fl oz/20 ml, limited-edition) is new for summer. It’s a sheer luminous peachy-pink illuminator that can be used as a highlighter or mixed in with your foundation/tinted moisturizer. Stores have limited quantities, I recommend calling your Tom Ford counters soon to order if you’re interested.

Tom Ford’s Fire Lust has a peachy-pink base loaded with golden shimmers. The shimmer is visible but not over-the-top. There are some very tiny gold flecks that show up on the skin but it’s not frosty or glittery like NARS Super Orgasm. On me (Chanel B30/NARS Groenland Tinted Moisturizer) Fire Lust is very sheer but still visible. The peachy color is close to my skintone so it gives that barely there glow. I’ve tried it several ways. My thoughts on each method:
  1. Worn alone as a blush gives more of a soft warm peachy glow to the skin. It’s not dark enough or pigmented enough to be worn as a blush for me. For a similar color with more pigment I’d recommend Giorgio Armani’s Fluid Sheer #11.
  2. Worn underneath as a base for blush/bronzer basically makes the illuminator disappear unless you use a semi-sheer blush or bronzer like Tom Ford Frantic Pink or Gold Dust Bronzer, layered together creates a soft blush/bronzed contour with depth and glow.
  3. Worn over blush as a highlight creates a really pretty luminous glow-from-within effect (this is probably my favorite way to wear it).
  4. Mixed in with foundation worn all over the face gives a nice added glow that isn’t too glowy, however, I would probably reserve this for special going out occasions only.
A few more photos and swatches. I love that the cap pulls off easily and that the bottle has an easy to use pump:

Swatched heavy, then blended:

Many have been asking how Tom Ford’s Fire Lust compares to NARS Orgasm and Super Orgasm Illuminators. I don’t own Super Orgasm but was able to get a small sample at the counter to try. I think NARS Orgasm is close enough Tom Ford Fire Lust that you don’t need both, but the Tom Ford is really beautiful and I think it is worth every penny. Below you can see the natural glowy effects of the Tom Ford vs Nars. The differences I see:
  • Tom Ford Fire Lust is darker and peachier, more luminous with a natural shimmer/glow (but still sheer on the skin)
  • NARS Orgasm has a similar effect but appears lighter, less peachy and more frosty with more pigmented shimmers
  • NARS Super Orgasm is more pinky/peachy in the base and has the most pigment and color but it also has the most gold shimmer with tiny glitters (making it the most glitzy)

In terms of texture, the Tom Ford is slightly more fluid and easier to blend on the skin, but the NARS is still very easy to use. I apply both with a foundation brush from MAC or Chanel. Comparisons of Tom Ford to the NARS:

Some more swatches blended out on the skin, same items for each set below but different views to try and show the undertones/shimmers that are different with each illuminator:

Ingredients:

Overall a stunning luxurious liquid highlighter. On my skin it stayed put into the early afternoon although it did get a bit dewy with the natural oils on my skin near late afternoon. In Southern California the weather is mildly warm. I do think in warmer summer weather lasting power will diminish. It has a soft subtle sweet scent that disappears after a minute. Application is easy with fingers or a foundation brush. You can layer the product for more glow but not more color since it’s on the sheer side.

If you’re on the darker side I think you might not see if show up on your skin since it’s very sheer. If I were 1-2 shades darker I am not sure that I would be able to see anything other than a very subtle glow. If you’ve tried this please chime in the comments with your thoughts and skintone.

If you are at all interested in this I’d recommend you call your nearest Tom Ford counter to track one down soon. I don’t know if the online retailers will restock. All said, it is similar to the NARS Orgasm Illuminator ($30 for 1.1 oz/30 ml) so if you can’t track one down, this will give a similar effect.

I have a partial list of stores that have a full beauty counter, if you have more info add in the comments below:

  • Bergdorf Goodman in New York
  • Neiman Marcus Ala Moana, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Fashion Island, Houston and Dallas NorthPark, Chicago Michigan Ave
  • Saks Fifth Avenue New York

Did you pick up anything from the Tom Ford Beauty Summer collection?

Uncategorized

Tom Ford Summer Beauty 2013

May 4, 2013
Affiliate Links        

The Summer 2013 Collection for Tom Ford Beauty has arrived in select stores and online in very limited quantities. Items popped up online at different locations, I had to do a bit of searching to find all the items. Every piece in the collection has such a gorgeous glowy beachy feel. Reviews and swatches to come soon. I’d recommend ordering soon as some pieces are selling out very quickly. Stores I know of that have the full line include Bergdorf Goodman, Saks NYC, Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, Neiman Marcus Fashion Island (if you know of other locations that have the full line of cosmetics post in the comments below).

New items in the collection from the photo, left to right include: Illuminating Cheek Color in Blush Guilt, Illuminating Cheek Color in Bronzed Amber, Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust, Nail Lacquer in Vapor, Cream Eye Color in Pink Haze, Cream Eye Color in Escapade, Lip Lacquer in Pink Lust. I found my items online at Saks and Neimans.

For now check out these other blogs for reviews, photos and swatches:

Shop the items online below:

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.
Uncategorized

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette (Limited-Edition)

May 1, 2013
Affiliate Links        

Giorgio Armani’s Bronze All-Over Palette for Summer 2013 just might be this season’s prettiest palette ($88, limited-edition). It’s a sleek two-tiered palette with a gorgeous bronzer on the top and three shimmery neutrals on the bottom. Many thanks to Café Makeup for giving me the heads up as soon as this arrived online at Giorgio Armani Beauty. It’s a luxurious splurge but a definite must-have for this season.
The bronzer is a stunning golden luminous bronze. It has a metallic overspray making it look like sunshine in a compact. Underneath is a soft glowy golden bronze that makes the skin just glow. I love that it’s luminous without emphasizing pores and that it does not turn orangey on the skin.

The three shadows below are stunning neutrals with incredible pigment. There’s a soft cream, a neutral peach-pink and a bronzey shimmer. Without any base the colors are rich and very pigmented. The textures are extremely soft and finely milled (think along the lines of the better Burberry and Urban Decay soft shadows). They are very easy to blend and goof-proof.

Swatches below, two different views with different lighting:

A few comparisons below. The Armani Summer 2013 Bronzer is similar to Bobbi Brown’s Aruba, but the Armani is less frosty on the skin and the soft texture prevents it from turning orange.

For eyeshadows, I thought Armani Summer 2013’s shades would be a dupe for Chanel’s long discontinued Shimmering Dunes, they are actually different.

Armani’s Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette is definitely a luxurious splurge but worth every penny. See other swatches and reviews on other skintones at Café Makeup, Temptalia, Beautezine and Best Things in Beauty.
Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette retails for $88 and is limited-edition. It is available at all Armani Beauty counters and online at Nordstrom.com (free shipping), Giorgio Armani Beauty (complementary shipping with orders of $75+), Saks.com.
This post contains an affiliate link, for more information see the About/FAQ section.
Uncategorized

Chanel Le Vernis Summer 2013: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667

April 28, 2013
This summer’s L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection brings three vibrant options for the nails: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667 ($27 each, all limited-edition). The color theme of this collection is very different from what Chanel typically designs. As a die-hard Chanel fan I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pull off such bold colors for nails but after testing am happy to report that while the colors are edgy they are still wearable.
Lilis 647 is a beautiful peach coral red. It’s a mix between Holiday and Distraction making it the perfect blend of coral and pink. It’s different enough from other corals from both Dior and Chanel to justify owning.

This one was a bit difficult to photograph for comparisons, I’ve included two views since the white background + sunlight skews the colors a bit.

Chanel Azuré 657 is a stunning mermaid-like teal. I featured it a few days ago so I won’t repost the photos, but you can see it here.

Chanel Bel-Argus 667 is an electric metallic blue. It applied smoothly with minimal visible brush strokes. I was afraid this would be too over the top for me, but was surprised that it’s actually wearable.

I don’t own anything like it but here are some blues next to Bel-Argus.

I surprised myself by only picking up the three nail polishes from Chanel’s summer collection. I might go back for the glossimers. Did you pick up anything from the summer set?
All shades retail for $27 each, all limited-edition. They are at counters now in store and also online at Nordstrom.com as well as Chanel.com.

Uncategorized

Giorgio Armani Flash Lip Lacquers

April 27, 2013
Affiliate Links        

Armani has released 18 new shades of lip gloss in a new high shine formula called Flash Lip Lacquers ($29 each for 6.5 ml/0.22 fl oz, Nordstrom.com). Armani has revamped and released numerous formulas of lipgloss. Before I saw these in person I thought they would be old discontinued shades brought back under a new name. I was pleased to find the Flash Lip Lacquers are all new shades with improved pigment. While Armani is known for having natural looking products, recent releases show they are moving towards more color. The Flash Lip Lacquers have more pigment than most of the other shades but are still natural looking with a luxurious smooth high gloss shine. I am in love with each and every shade they released but tried to limit myself to:
  • 107 is a neutral nude pink cream with enough pink so it’s not washed out
  • 108 is a stunning almond caramel with golden shimmer (think Dolce & Gabbana Almond lipstick in gloss form)
  • 109 is a soft sparkly champagne pink (goes on clear with sparkle)
  • 202 is a complex bronze rose shimmer
  • 303 is a fresh peach-pink shimmer
  • 528 is another semi-transparent pink sparkle, this one flashes iridescent pink sparkles instead of silvery ones
More photos:

Swatches:

Swatch comparisons to a Lip Maestro and other Gloss d’Armani shades:

Bottom line I’m impressed with the quality, finish and pigment. The ones that are mostly sparkle have enough color and shimmer to show up on the lips although they are more on the transparent end of glosses. All the shades (even the darker ones) are right up my alley, it’s only a matter of time before I cave and purchase a few more.
Check out Kai’s Obsessions for swatches of all the shades.
Giorgio Armani Flash Lip Lacquers retail for $29 each at all Armani counters now, online at Nordstrom.com, Giorgio Armani and other retailers. Did you buy any of the new Armani glosses? What about the fluid sheers or bronzer palette?
This post contains an affiliate link, for more info refer to the About/FAQ section. Affiliate links generate a small commission only when you click through and make a purchase. These help support this site.
Uncategorized

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis

April 25, 2013

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis ($27, new and limited-edition, Nordstrom.com) is this season’s prettiest metallic teal for nails. It’s one of three nail polishes from the summer collection called L’ÉTÉ PAPILLON DE CHANEL. Sorry for the brief interruption in the Armani features, but this one just couldn’t wait. Quick swatches to show the chameleon-like features of Azuré. Sometimes it’s more teal, other times it’s more of a deep blue. It applied quite smoothly for a metallic, I was afraid it would be streaky but was happy to find it applied quite well.

Quick set of closer comparisons. I don’t own anything like it and Dior’s Samba duo is similar but still different enough to justify owning both.

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis retails for $27 is currently listed as limited-edition and available now in stores. It’s also online now at Nordstrom.com and Chanel.com and should be showing up at more retail locations very soon.