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Summer 2014

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Rescue Beauty Lounge Italian Summer Collection

August 8, 2014

Rescue Beauty Lounge has created seven new shades of polish for their Italian Summer Collection. This collection was inspired by Ji Baek’s travels to Italy, you can read about the inspiration behind each shade on the Rescue Beauty Lounge Blog. The collection will be available for purchase during a 48 hour pre-sale period starting Monday August 11th which you can have access to by signing up for her newsletter at Rescue Beauty Lounge. I was thrilled (floored really) that they sent me shades for review. The seven shades will be $20 each, the colors include:
  • Bicicletta a pale pink polish has micro glitters
  • Gondoliere a vibrant orange-based opaque glossy red nail polish
  • Oliveto a perfect olive green that reflects the flash of rainbow and purple and periwinkle shimmers
  • Motorini a moodier, darker sister of the famed and playful Aqua Lily (which I missed out on), with a medium base of blue/aqua has a flash of surging fuchsia shimmer
  • Meow Meow is a dark hunter green shows off a finely milled glitter
  • Melanzane is a complex mix of blue, purple, silver and violet glitters

I’ve been a long-time fan of Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes. They have super smooth application with excellent pigment and wear time. Their Top Coat is among my favorites for adding a lush cushy shine and extending polish wear. More details and thoughts on my personal nail and hand care essentials here from May earlier this year.

Close ups and thoughts of each shade below. First up is Motorini which is my favorite color in the whole collection. I’m still bummed I missed out on Aqua Lily and this looks like a beautiful darker alternative to it. It has a gorgeous teal base with the prettiest iridescent shimmer infused throughout. The shimmer is very fine and shows up on the nail in a sophisticated way. This is the perfect aqua teal mix. It applied smoothly with two coats.

Bicicletta is a pale lilac with complex lavender and silver glitters. It has a slightly transparent base giving it a jelly-like finish with two coats. I prefer it with three coats for fuller coverage. The application is very smooth with this shade as well. I love that it’s streak-free and that brush strokes are not visible.

Gondoliere is a stunning vibrant red with warm tones. In my mind Rescue Beauty Lounge and Chanel have the best reds. No matter how similar each new release is, they both somehow manage to create a more perfect red. This one has full coverage and is very opaque with two coats.

Gelato Al Cioccolato is a soft chocolate brown cream with a slight hint of mauve which prevents it from looking yellow as some browns can look. It’s a polished neutral tan. It’s shown with two coats as well.

Oliveto is a unique green olive that has an amazing teal, blue, and violet pearly shimmer mixed throughout. It makes for a very interesting nail color unlike any other olive green shade I’ve tested. I hope RBL adds more shimmer like this to other polishes because it’s simply amazing. Oliveto applied with smooth full coverage with two coats.

Meow Meow is a forest-green glitter. I applied it with 3 coats to cover the nail entirely but it can also be used with 1-2 coats layered over other colors. If you’re a fan of glitter polishes you will really like this one, it’s quite striking. Glitter polish isn’t really my thing and it’s such a pain to remove that I try to avoid it. 

Melanzane is another glitter polish. The mix of sparkle in this one is extraordinary. It has blue, violet, purple, indigo, and silver. I’m not the best at applying glitter polishes, especially near the cuticles, I have a hard time getting any glitter to apply with a sharp clean edge. I tend to get glitter everywhere when I apply it. This is a lovely color but for me a bit too glitzy for everyday.

The Rescue Beauty Lounge Italian Summer collection is stunning. I love that as with all of Ji Baek’s polishes, each shade has a special meaning behind it’s creation. My top three picks are Motorini (teal) Bicicletta (lilac sparkle) and Gondoliere (red).

For more swatches, be sure to check out these nail polish blogs: Scrangie, Polish Police (she has awesome comparisons), Manicurator, Nail and Noms, Fashion Polish and Makeup Withdrawl.
Be sure to sign up for the newsletter on Rescue Beauty Lounge for the latest updates on new releases and sales. You will receive an exclusive pre-sale link to shop the collection early on Monday August 11th.
This post contains samples sent for review consideration. For more information refer to my Disclosures.
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Uncategorized

Today’s Summer Details

July 31, 2014
A few summer details today: 1) Banana Republic Striped Timeless Tee (similar here and here) has been a weekly go-to, it’s versatile enough to wear with a number of different outfits. It goes with casual jeans, shorts and capris, you can also dress it up with a pencil skirt and pumps, or layer a blazer.

2) Nude pink sunglasses are one of my weaknesses, these are some old ones by Chanel that come with small frames (rare find). Continuing the nude-pink theme,  3) Tom Ford Tawny Pink Lipgloss and 4) Spanish Pink Lipstick are staples for the perfect nude pink pout. I love that there’s a hint of nude and peach in these but they don’t wash out my complexion. The lightness contrasts with a tan but it’s not too sharp. (Tawny Pink looks like it’s sold out online, Rose Crush is very similar.)

For the perfect glow 5) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders are my favorite powder highlighters, I keep reaching for them and they seem to last forever (even with regular use I have barely made a dent). Luminous Light is shown above. Radiant Light is another favorite. Or if you want more options check out the Ambient Lighting Palette. They give the perfect candlelit glow.

6) Chanel Holiday Le Vernis is an oldie but goodie. I’m surprised it’s still available since it was released quite a while ago. I rarely match tips and toes with the same colors but for this one I’ll make an exception. See it compared to Chanel Mirabella.

I’m a minimalist when it comes to jewelry. I love the looks my friends can create with creative layering but I always feel like I can’t pull it off. For me, some simple layering includes stacking simple detailed pieces. I’ve been loving my 7) Celine Rose Gold knot cuff stacked with 8) Gorjana Mila Hexagon Cuff (c/o) and any 9) Hermes Enamel Bracelet for some color. Gorjana has great visuals for bracelet layering ideas that are easy to pull off. I’ve been very inspired from browsing their site – be sure to check out the Gorjana x Happily Grey collaboration with curated picks.

I’m obsessed with open toe sandals, these 10) Banana Republic tan sandals fit perfectly and didn’t break the bank. It sold out online months ago but I’ve spotted them instore.

Last but not least, I’ve fallen head over heels with 11) Tom Ford Mandarino di Almafi which is an extension of the Neroli Portofino line. I’m not typically a fan of citrus orange scents on me (I adore them on others). The ones by Tom Ford are the only citrus scents I feel like I can wear. It’s a refreshing summery fruity scent. My local Neiman Marcus sold out of it but they were able to order it for me. More detailed review to come soon.

Left arm, Hermes Enamel Bracelet + Gorjana cuff // Right arm, Celine cuff

Nude pink lips combo of Tom Ford Spanish Pink with Tawny Pink layered together:

Layering color together with orange, navy and gold:

Summer citrus with Tom Ford Mandrino di Amalfi, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Radiant Light and Luminous Light:

Hope everyone is having a great week!
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Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquers in Daphne and Maia

July 13, 2014

This summer there are a few new lip and nail shades for Dolce & Gabbana Beauty. There are five new Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks ($36 each) in Lotus, Jasmine, Amaryllis, Lily and Orchid and three new Intense Nail Lacquers ($25 each) in Daphne, Maia and Gaia (you can see the details on Makeup4All). I purchased two of the nail lacquers from Nordstrom:

  • Daphne is a beige gold with multi-colored shimmer flecks of gold, silver, champagne, rose gold
  • Maia is a metallic shade that’s a rich a rose gold peach frost

Both shades apply very smoothly. The brush design of Dolce & Gabbana nail polishes has improved over the years. It’s shorter and more dense with a better tip for flawless application. Both of these applied nicely with a few strokes. They are two-coaters but the pigment is rich and smooth with the first coat. They both have removable gold caps.

Daphne has a nude-beige base that is similar to my skin tone. I found it naturally flattering for a conservative polished look that’s work-appropriate. I found it to be a slightly darker beige compared to most other neutral nudes I own. I suspect those with tan skin will really like this one as a perfect nude that doesn’t look too pale. The pigment and coverage is very good.

Maia is a rich cantaloupe-colored metallic. Metallics sometimes worry me since brush strokes can be very visible and streaky looking. Maia has a smooth finish with minimal brush strokes showing. It’s very warm on my skin but the hint of pink in the shimmer prevents it from being a pure orange.

Comparisons below (swatches on prior reviews linked below):
Laura Mercier Organza (discontinued)
Chanel Sahara Beige (discontinued)
Dior Spring Ball 343 (discontinued)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick
Rescue Beauty Lounge Nails and Noms

I wasn’t able to test these for an extended period of time, but based on my experience with recent releases like Oleandro, I’ve been able to get at least 5 days wear without any issues. I’m in love with Maia – the iridescent quality was impossible to capture with a camera, it has a lovely blueish pink shimmer that makes it really unique. Daphne is a lovely color as well – these days I’m preferring a bit more contrast and color but it’s a great everyday kind of nude with a gorgeous shimmer.

I found both Daphne and Maia at Nordstrom. Also available at Saks.
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Bronzer + Blush Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes – Native and Streak

July 6, 2014

Earlier in the spring, Urban Decay released some new shades of their Naked Flushed Palettes ($30 each for 14g/0.49 oz). These are well-packaged face trio compacts with a bronzer, highlighter and blush. I’m a huge fan of their Naked Eyeshadow Palettes (#3 is my fav) and thought these had a lot of promise. I purchased Native (pink) and Streak (peach) in store at Sephora after reading an overwhelming number of rave reviews (4.5 stars out of 5 average rating with 600+ reviews).  
  • Native is a pink option with a medium-dark bronzer with a soft shimmer, a opal pinkish champagne highlighter and a matte pink blush
  • Streak is a warmer option with a lighter shimmery bronzer, a pale peachy shimmer highlighter and a stunning coral matte blush 
Swatching them in store on my hands revealed a soft well pigmented texture that seemed easy to blend. Testing at home with a variety of brushes has me less than pleased. I purchased these late May/early June and have been desperately trying to make these work for me.

The texture is finely milled and soft which is easy to pick up with brushes but the bronzer and blush are both very powdery resulting in a lot of debris/powder kick-up. They don’t show up well on lightly powdered skin. Right over foundation the color picks up more but the colors look muddy and look like they just sit on top of the skin. The highlighters are creamier in texture (although they are powders) and blends easily but the frost factor highlights imperfections and after softly applying on the cheeks, I suddenly have large visible pores. I’ve tried both with a large variety of brushes, cream highlighters, foundations, dewy cheek products as a base even. With the right amount of creamy base underneath I can get the bronzer and blush to apply ok sometimes (I like Tom Ford Fire Lust and Armani Fluid Sheer #3 or #10 the best), but I cannot wear the highlighter on the cheeks at all. That being said, the highlighters are pretty on the eyes. Half of the times I’ve applied these I ended up taking them off immediately after putting them on the face.

Photos and swatches:

Swatches side by side:

Closeups of each palette, up first is Native:

Streak

One last view, Streak (left) and Native (right):

I’m overall disappointed. I’ve tried numerous times to make these work, and with extra tweaking I can only make them work 1/2 the time. They look so beautiful in the compacts and when swatched on the hands or arms. On the face the pigment and texture don’t quite translate the same. Given the overwhelming number of rave reviews, I suspect I’m in the minority with my thoughts. I’ve mentioned in recent posts I’ve had skin issues and breakouts – my skin issues aren’t on the cheek area in case you’re wondering if it’s skin problems causing the issue in application. For additional reference, Temptalia has detailed thoughts on Native, Streak and Strip, my experiences are similar to hers.

Based on the price, packaging and convenience, if you’re at a Sephora or Urban Decay counter I think you should still give these a try. If there are clean brushes available, ask a makeup artist or sales associate to apply it on you.
If you’ve tried these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have these which shade do you have and who do you apply them?
The Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes retail for $30 each. I found mine at Sephora. They come in four options, Naked, Native, Streak and Strip.
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Burberry Summer Showers Lip Glow Balm and Nail Polishes | Orange Poppy, Pink Peony and Pink Azalea

June 23, 2014

The summer beauty release from Burberry Summer Showers features three coordinating colors for for lips, nails and cheeks in Orange Poppy, Pink Peony and Pink Azalea. Check the Behind the Scenes Burberry Summer Showers footage from Wendy Rowe. The items in the collection for summer include:
  • Lip Glow Balms ($28 each for 4 g/0.14 oz) are sheer tinted lip balms with SPF 18
  • Nail Polishes ($21 each for 8 ml/0.27 fl oz) come in three highly pigmented colors
  • Fresh Glow Blush ($38 each for 5 g/0.18 oz) are sheer dewy cheek sticks with a slight tint of color
I ordered the Lip Glow Balms and Nail Polishes from Nordstrom San Francisco. I decided to pass on the Fresh Glow Blushes since my skin reacts to their Liquid Foundation and Fresh Glow Liquids. I played with the items I ordered over the weekend. The colors are beautiful classics but the only items I feel are must-haves are the Orange Poppy No. 221 Nail Polish and Pink Peony No. 02 Lip Glow Balm. Since the colors are classics there are quite a few dupes. You can check out the full collection swatches on Gummy Vision and Natural N Chic Makeup.



My Burberry Summer Showers picks:






First up are the Lip Glow Balms. These are a sheer tinted lip balm. The color on these is very sheer if you swipe directly from the tube. To get more color use a lip brush (which is how I’ve been using them). Orange Poppy No. 01 goes on quite bright if you layer it swiping back and forth. If you swipe once or blot it goes on more natural and brightens the face. I found it photographed well. Pink Peony No. 02 is the perfect natural pink glow. It’s on the sheer side but it gives your lips a healthy pink glow. Pink Azalea No. 03 is lovely plum pink but the sheer texture makes it apply slightly unevenly on my lips (this can be fixed with a plum lip liner underneath). These are semi-hydrating. They have a glossy sheen in the finish but they aren’t super moist feeling like YSL Volupte Sheer Candy. I would say the pigment level falls somewhere in between YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Tom Ford Lip Shines. 

The Nail Polishes are all summer-perfect colors however Orange Poppy No. 221 is the only one I find unique. It’s a bright orange but not floruescent or super bright. There’s a muted quality to it which makes it a good summer to fall transition color. There is a slight pearly quality to the polish but o the nails it looks more like a cream. Pink Peony No. 222 is a gorgeous deep pink cream but similar to other pinks from Chanel, Dior and YSL. Pink Azalea No. 223 is a mauve plum with a slight dusty quality. I found it similar to Chanel April/Coup de Couer. The formula of these is really good and you can get full coverage with two coats. The brush is on the wider side which makes these a bit harder to apply if you have super small fingers like me (my ring finger is a Size 4). It’s still small enough to apply easily, for me it just took a bit more care to not get polish all over my cuticles.

Overall a lovely palette of sheer summer brights that aren’t too bright. The colors are naturally flattering and beautiful for everyday wear. I’m in love with Orange Poppy Nail Polish. I’ve swatched and photographed comparisons but haven’t had time to label the items. I’ll update this post later this evening with those for reference.

The Burberry Beauty Summer Showers collection can be found at Nordstrom and Burberry. I’m not sure whether or not these are limited-edition but will update if I receive more information.

Have you checked out Burberry Beauty’s summer items? Now that fall collections are starting to hit counters what was your favorite summer beauty collection this year?

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Eye Makeup NARS

NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow | Andromeda and Europa

June 19, 2014
There’s been a lot of buzz about the new Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows ($29 each) from NARS. There will be twelve shades launching July 1st on narscosmetics.com (update, these launched this morning). These are a new dual-application formula where you can apply them dry for a sheer wash of color for a luminous glow or apply with a damp brush for more intense color. You can see all the shades listed at The Non-Blonde and swatched on Temptalia. There is a diverse range of options from natural barely-there colors to dramatic navy and black. I have half a dozen on my wishlist to check out when they officially launch. Today I have two of the neutral romantic shades to share with you, Andromeda and Europa.
Both of these shades are on the lighter neutral side. They have a lovely glowy sheen rather than an intense shimmer or sparkle. The texture is slightly creamy but they act more like a dry powder shadow. I found lasting power to be very good without any eye base. The dry finish helps these adhere well to the lids.

Andromeda is a pale ivory pink with golden shimmer. It has a lovely sheen in the shimmer which gives a really lovely all over wash to the lids. I suspect this one will go nicely with any of the darker shades. Pigment is easy to control, I was able to apply with my fingers and a brush for a nice soft wash of color. For my light-medium skin it gives a nice neutral wash of color giving the lids a nice highlighted glow. When you  hold this in the sunlight you can see how there is a slight multi-chrome finish to the shimmer which gives your lids some depth in the glow.

Europa is a medium neutral-warm peach pink with a pearl sheen. I’m at the right skintone where this one looks like a barely-there color. I can definitely see the color on the lids but it’s very natural making it a soft no-makeup kind of eyeshadow. It gives a hint of color to the lids and makes the eye glow. On either paler or deeper skintones this will be more visible. My skintone almost matches this one. Applying this with a damp brush intensified the color with more pink, but it’s still very natural looking. This one also has a good mix of cool and warm in it. I would say the base is a warmer pink-peach while the pearl has a cool-toned sheen. It’s not a pure duo-chrome but the combination of the base and shimmer gives it a very subtle duo-chrome effect.

Swatches applied with a damp brush and dry with my fingers:

I’ve been playing with these the past week. I like to layer them together, the pale Andromeda color first, then applying the darker Europa on top with a dense brush and packing it onto the lids. Add a simple black eyeliner and mascara and you have a super polished glowy lid to go with a dramatic bronzer or lip.

What I like about these is that they are not the typical high-frost pale shimmers. If you’re in want of dramatic color you might find yourself wanting more. The good news is that the Dual-Intensity line will have plenty of other dramatic shades to choose from. I personally love these for that no-makeup look for a no-fuss easy swipe and go application that gives the eyes a nice polished look.

A few comparisons to some other light pink neutral shimmers:
NARS Nepal Eyeshadow (one of my favorites)
Tom Ford Pink Haze Cream Color for Eyes (discontinued, swatched here)

One last photo, left is Andromeda, right is Europa:

First impressions are a thumbs up for this neutral makeup lover. I can’t wait until July 1st because there are so many other pretty dramatic shades that I can’t wait to check out. Update as of June 20th, the shadows are now available for purchase on narscosmetics.com, Lord & Taylor and Beauty.com. Have you been able to swatch or see the NARS Dual-Intensity Eye Shadows yet? Do you have any on your wishlist?

The Dual-Intensity Eye Shadows were provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration. For more information see my Disclosures.

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MAC Sharon and Kelly Osbourne Mineralize Skinfinish Duos and Satin Blushes

June 14, 2014

I have a few more additions to share from the MAC Sharon and Kelly Osbourne Collections. There are two new Mineralize Skinfinish Duos in Refresh/Sharon and Jolly Good/Kelly ($33 each, limited-edition). Each collection also features a Satin Blush in Peaches & Cream/Sharon and Cheeky Bugger/Kelly ($22 each, limited-edition). If you’re contemplating any of these, act fast. Both of the blushes sold out online super quickly. My sweet husband bought the Satin Blushes for me from a MAC store the day the collection launched in stores. The Mineralize Skinfinish Duos are easier to find but are going fast online. I found the cheek items to be really pretty and naturally flattering to complement bolder eyes/lips.

Sharon’s collection is warmer in tone while Kelly’s is cooler and lighter. I found they both worked for my olive medium skin, I have a slight preference for the items from Sharon’s collection. My thoughts on each item for the cheeks:
  • Refresh Mineralize Skinfinish Duo has a satiny warm bronze and a shimmering champagne peachy pink. The pigment on this one is really good and it shows up well on the skin by itself.
  • Jolly Good Mineralize Skinfinish Duo is more satiny in texture. It has a shimmery finish but not as frosty or shimmery as other MSFs. The color is on the nude side so on my skin it is very sheer similar to Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders. If you’re in want of a more contrasted highlighter you may not like this one.
  • Peaches & Cream is a rose pink satiny texture blush. It has a bit of shimmer in it but on the cheeks it isn’t overly frosty. Even though it has the word “peaches” in the name, it’s not really peachy or warm, it’s definitely more rose.
  • Cheeky Bugger is a cool toned lighter pink. It’s also a satin finish. On me it shows up even though it’s pale in the pan. It gives a natural pink glow.
Refresh/Sharon

Jolly Good/Kelly

Peaches & Cream/Sharon

Jolly Good/Kelly

Here they are swatched on my Chanel B20/30 arm:

Close ups of the Blushes side by side:

Close ups of the Mineralize Skinfinish Duos side by side:

Overall thumbs up. The pigment and texture of these are really good and easy to apply. I like how the Mineralize Skinfinish Duos look naturally flattering on the skin. The Jolly Good/Kelly MSF duo is sheerer and is good as a subtle softening powder. Refresh/Sharon MSF Duo is better in color and pigment to show up on its own. Both Peaches & Cream and Cheeky Bugger blushes are stunning and I wish they hadn’t sold out so quickly but I am happy that I was able to get them. If you can get to a counter or store soon, I highly recommend it. They are both worth the extra work to track down.

Sharon’s Refresh Mineralize Skinfinish Duo is still available online at Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdales.

Kelly’s Jolly Good Mineralize Skinfinish Duo is available online at Nordstrom.

Both blushes Sharon’s Peaches & Cream and Kelly’s Cheeky Bugger have sold out online but you may still be able to track them down in stores and counters.

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