Look & Review: Dior Amber Design Quint
Posted by Heather | Filed under Bronze, Brown, Dior, Eyeshadow, Gold, Looks, My Collection, Neutral, Reviews
I’m not a huge fan of Dior quints only because their pigmentation is usually too weak for my taste. The quality is great, but most of the time the colors muddy together on my lid.
That being said, I have very mixed feelings about this particular “quint” which I wouldn’t even say is a quint because it only has 4 eyeshadow colors, and one of those is only a “shine” color. In place of the 5th color is a brown gel (I think) liner. To be honest, I felt jipped! I have a ton of brown eyeliners! Ah well, I do see the value in having everything all together in one place I suppose, and to give it credit, the liner was very nice and dark, so it worked well with the palette.
The shadow colors themselves, are pretty nice. They’re not incredibly unique, but they’re very pretty. I love golds and coral colors and browns. It creates a nice soft look, which is great, but not what I’m all about, you know? The shadows are soft and go on smoothly. And on a side note…I’m really liking this lip combo! :-)
What are your thoughts?
For this look I used:
- Eyes: UDPP (primer), Painterly PP (base), Dior Amber Design quint (as suggested - including liner), Plushlash mascara
- Cheeks: Cheek & Cheerful mineralized blush
- Lips: Bobbi Brown Brown Metalic lip color + Nice Mix Up tri-color lipgloss
See more pictures!! Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Dior Bronze Couture Palette
Posted by Heather | Filed under Beauty Support & FAQ, Blushes/Shimmers, Brands, Dior, Eye Products, Product Info, Reviews
This Dior Bronze Couture Palette ($80) blows my mind! Yep, it’s THAT good! Ok, I’m not going to end every sentence with an exclamaition point lol. Anyway, I must rave to you about this palette. Usually these are little gimmiky things that I skip over and don’t even give a second look to. But when I was at the Dior counter, the lady helping me get my Electric Lights and Pop Diamond wasn’t an actual Dior lady, so she was a little slow. While I was waiting, I swatched this palette just for kicks, and whoa! I was so impressed!
I did a complete look using all 3 of the palette products HERE.
Included in this palette is two brushes: blush & lip brushes, both with caps. And of course the beautiful D for Dior impressed in the bronzer…simply gorgeous!
Read a detailed review of all 3 parts plus close-ups and an Overall Coloruza Rating! Read the rest of this entry »
Swatches: Chanel Lumier Celeste Collection Glossimers
Posted by Heather | Filed under Chanel, Lips, Swatches
Lip swatches! Of course I fell in love with all of them! These pictures didn’t capture the glitteriness of them either which bummed me out. Maybe if I wear them with looks or with some lipstick underneath they’ll come out more. Several are very pigmented. Jupiter looks very similar to Red Shine that came out before the holidays. I swatched all of them at once, so some of them are not very perfect at all! Wiping off each one then reapplying made my lips say owie! :-) Hopefully it’s worth it! Enjoy!
Top: Mirage, Nebula, Silex, Venus
Bottom: Cosmos, Jupiter, Meteore, Mica
See all 8 colors as swatches on my lips!!! (Names are underneath the two swatch pictures.) Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chanel, Glossimer, Lip Swatches, Lipgloss, Lumier Celeste
Review/Swatches: Bobbi Brown Pastel Palette
Posted by Heather | Filed under Bobbi Brown, Eyeshadow, My Collection, Product Info, Reviews, Swatches
While doing some online shopping at Neimen Marcus, I had to reach a certain amount for a free gift, so I browsed their exclusives. What a little beauty this was!
The colors are all really pastel, and I haven’t used them yet except for the teal one (second from the left) and I was quite impressed. It has a descent texture and the color came out nice. The palette itself is kinda small, and you only get a little strip of each color, but there are a lot of colors! Seriously, when’s the last time you saw so many colors in one little palette?? At first I didn’t like how they were all packed in there, but I think I actually appreciate that they didn’t waste space on dividers. I can use the 239 brush or my trusty 213 and get only that specific color very easily. I’m not planning on mixing any of the colors together before they’re on my eyelid :-)
See swatches and color names! Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Chanel Tweed Blush Duos
Posted by Heather | Filed under Chanel, Product Info, Reviews
If you’ve followed my posts lately, you might have noticed that I’ve been consistantly using Chanel Tweed blushes. There are 4 out, but I only picked up 3…Rose, Pink, & Corail (Coral).
They’ve been out for a long time, but I’ve always passed them by because they didn’t look special at the counter. I had some items to return (which meant money to spend), so I thought I’d give them a try. The Chanel MA told me how she loved them, so ok.
She was right! I love them too! They give my cheeks a nice sheen and the color isn’t overdone. I like how it’s buildable and doesn’t apply too much with the first swipe. I’m not sure about the gold shimmer on top - I don’t think it’ll last, like an overlay. It’s a shame too because I love shimmer. But on the other hand, it’s good because I’m gettin older…errr at least I will be gettin older, so I need some cheek colors that have a nice texture, aren’t matte, but aren’t too shimmery either.
All in all, they were worth it, and I’m really happy with them. Overall Coloruza raiting: 4 out of 5. They’re not my omg perfect blushes, but they’re up there in my favorites, and I’m sure I’ll be reaching for them for a while :-)
Have you tried them? What do you think?
See some close-ups! Read the rest of this entry »
Review & Swatches: New Spring ’09 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eyepencils
Posted by Heather | Filed under Reviews, Swatches, Urban Decay
The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eyepencils have a massive following with their original 16 or so colors. They’re known for their long-wear, true bright colors, ultra smooth and soft texture, and overall great wear. I can vouch…I think I have almost every color, and they measure up for me in everything they’re known for. Now, new for Spring, they have 4 new colors on the up and out!
Underground is a shiny medium brown color. It’s not too dark, but would work great with a neutral look.
Grafitti is a grass-green color; a lot lighter than the other green liner they have. It would definitely brighten up the lower lashline.
Flipside is a bright aqua blue, not quite what I would call turquoise because it’s closer to a light blue…like what my husband would just call ‘blue’….oh but it’s so much better than that!
Ransom is almost indescribable because it’s so beautiful. A bright true purple…not sure what else to say. It’s deep but bright…did I say bright? It would make any eye POP!
See swatches! Read the rest of this entry »
Review & Swatches: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Posted by Heather | Filed under Reviews, Swatches, Urban Decay
I am no stranger to the long-time cult favorite Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP). I hadn’t discovered it until I started reading beauty blogs, and once I did, there was no turning back. I use it pretty exclusively with a MAC Paint Pot on top. When used alone, I found that it still creased a little by the end of the day, but NEVER when layered with a PP. It’s my HG (holy grail) of eyeshadow primer+base.
And now Urban Decay has released a new version of the ever popular Primer Potion in a shade called Sin. It’s a champagne beige color and very shiny/shimmery. The original is flesh colored and doesn’t look like anything is even on your lid once blended in. Sin adds a great shimmery sheen and could easily just be worn alone for a simple eye. I’m loving the deeper color. My shadows cling to it like glue and it brings out the shimmer that’s already in non-matte or satin shadows. I don’t generally wear many matte looks anyway, so Sin will be what I use most often from now on I’m sure. Another thing I noticed is that Sin seems to be a little thinner and more liquidy, but I’ll have to observe if that’s still the case once I saw that universally-hated bottle open to scoop out the contents and store them in other containers.
Overall Coloruza Rating: 5/5 - At it’s base, it’s a stellar product, yet with an even better twist than the original. It works, it’s pretty, it’s got shimmer, and it stands on its own (the product, not the bottle…though the bottle does too…nevermind). Only drawback: packaging (but you can get around that).
I got this from Sephora.com because I’m a Beauty Insider (anyone can be one - just sign up). Otherwise, it’s slated to launch for Spring.
See hand and eye swatches! Read the rest of this entry »
MAC Grand Duos Collection - Spring ’09
Posted by Heather | Filed under Launches, MAC Cosmetics
As if I wasn’t lemming already! MAC has got the launches lined up, and it’s looking like 2009 will not disappoint. This is the 3rd launch that I’m posting about that hasn’t even come out yet!! Two more weeks, folks! This one is looking promising, but I have so many blushes already…will have to wait and see. I’m not sure of the launch date yet on these - just promo pics for now. Enjoy!! (or not - feel free to leave your thoughts!)
Soft-shimmer super-shine pearl in a pretty tricolour veining to enhance and glorify cheekbones, followed with the pop and dimension of solid colour shimmer without an overly frosted look. The 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush makes the transition magnificent. A sophisticated but simple new way to get you vital minerals.
Grand Duos
- Moon River Blue pink mélange / Pale yellow pink
- Love Rock Gold violet mélange / Bright blue pink
- Grand Duo Copper pink mélange / Plum
- Light Over Dark Orange yellow mélange / Deep brown
- Earth to Earth Purple bronze mélange / Yellow brown
- Hot Planet Copper yellow mélange / Mid-tone plum
- Intenso Orange yellow mélange / Deep brown
See more promo pics! Read the rest of this entry »
MAC Cosmetics Well-Defined Studio Sculpt Collection
Posted by Heather | Filed under Launches, MAC, MAC Cosmetics
In addition to the Creamteam lippies that are coming out on February 5th, 2009 will be a foundation and concealer launch as well. This is a new formula and a gel concealer. I have no idea what it’s going to be like, but I’ll probably go in and have one of my favorite MA’s do my face all up in it so I can judge. Maybe a small sample will help me decide if I’d like to switch… :-)
MAC Cosmetics Well-Defined Collection
U.S. Launch Date: February 5th, 2009
Studio Sculpt SPF15 Foundation
- NC15, NC20, NC25, NC30, NC35, NC37, NC40, NC42, NC44, NC45, NC50, NC55
- NW15, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW43, NW45, NW47, NW50, NW55
Studio Sculpt Concealer
- NC15, NC20, NC30, NC35, NC42, NC45, NC50
- NW15, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW45, NW50
Brushes
- 191 Foundation Brush
- 195 Concealer Brush
Prep + Prime Skin
See more promo pics! Read the rest of this entry »
Review & Swatches: Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara
Posted by Heather | Filed under Bare Escentuals, Chanel, MAC, Reviews, Swatches
I’m not a HUGE connoisseur of mascaras in general, though I have tried a few in my day. In the past I’ve used (and completely finished) Clinique, Dior, YSL, Chanel, and MAC mascaras (different types and such). Generally I stay away from all drugstore brand makeup (though I like some creams and face wash, etc.), and opt for the higher end stuff - not because I’m stuck up about it or whatever, but it’s just what I prefer.
Anyway, as a Beauty Insider at Sephora, every time you buy you get points, and then those points are redeemable for sample products. So the last time I went to Sephora with my lovely mother-in-law, I got a sample of Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara. Since I was at the end of my other two favorites, I figured I’d ACTUALLY try one of my samples (I know, what a concept!).
What I like about it most is the applicator wand. It’s shaped somewhat hourglass-like which makes it easier than normal to get to my inner and outermost lashes and made of plastic bristles. The best part though, is that it doesn’t get mascara on my eyelid! It seems that no matter how careful I am with other mascaras, I always seem to get some of it on my lid while I’m swiping (very inconvenient). So this one wins me over in the application department.
The staying power is pretty darn good, IMO. It doesn’t flake or smudge on me at all. My lashes still feel soft and movable, as opposed to stiff and brittle. The color is dark black, and it does elongate my lashes well, but it doesn’t look overdone. It’s a good mascara for everyday, but might not be quite thick enough for a night out when you want your lashes to almost look fake :-)
Would I buy it again? Yeah, I would buy it because I like the applicator brush so much. But it definitely falls second to my Chanel Exceptionnel. Have you used Buxom Lash? What do you think?
See pictures and compare for yourself! My “naked” :-O lashes vs. Buxom vs. Exceptionnel vs. MAC’s Plushlash. Read the rest of this entry »
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