Beauty

NOTD – Chanel Le Vernis Mirabella 623 Swatch and Review

July 1, 2014

On my nails this week is the Chanel Le Vernis Mirabella 623. It’s such a bright and happy neon orange color (has a hint of coral tone in some angles) that is perfect for both hand and feet. Swatch below is with 2 coats and a topcoat. With nail polishes the most important criteria for me is whether the color is flattering against my skintone, and Mirabella certainly gets a big tick for that. It’s such a flattering color that I would wear on a regular basis. And we all know that the quality of Chanel won’t let you down. This one is also of standard Chanel Le Vernis – smooth to apply to a streak free finish with 2 coats in a glossy cream finish.

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow Tisse Mademoiselle 214 Review, Tutorial and FOTD

June 26, 2014

This is a more detailed review for the new reformulated Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Tisse Mademoiselle 214 (see this post for general review). I have been playing with this quad for several days, and I absolutely love it. It is such a unique and subtle neutral quad with complex undertones. I’d like to emphasize again that the reformulated eye shadows are extremely creamy – certainly the creamiest powder eye shadows I have ever owned and you can almost apply them with your fingers for a wash of color. For precise application it is best to use brushes that tend to pick up more pigments. All shades go on very smooth and they adhere nicely to the skin without aging the eyes, and that’s what differs a good quality high-end eye shadow to the drugstore brands.

Except for the darkest shade in the quad, the rest of the shades are very neutral and quite light so you might not like this if you are into bold colors. The shades might only serve you as a wash of color if you have medium to dark skin tone. As for me they work really well together for illuminating as well as adding some depth. As you can see from the below swatch, the colors show up differently depending on the angles. They can pull slightly muddy on yellow toned skin because of the tinge of olive undertone, so I like to prep my eye lids with foundation first.

In the below tutorial, I also included the new Chanel Stylo Yeux in Marron Glace 906 , which is a lovely shimmery dark brown color. Other products used include the Chanel Cream Blush Intonation, and Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Nectar (absolutely love this one!).

EYES

CHEEKS & LIPS

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Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD • TUTORIAL

Initial thoughts on the new Chanel Reformulated Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadows – 226 Tisse Rivoli and 214 Tisse Mademoiselle Reviews and Swatches

June 20, 2014

Chanel has released 8 new reformulated Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadows (available at Nordstrom online now!), with some old ones being discontinued. I picked up 226 Tisse Rivoli and 214 Tisse Mademoiselle yesterday at the Chanel Makeup Studio. As usual I gravitated towards the neutral palettes, and I thought I’d do a comparison review on these new quads.

QUALITY

The texture of the reformulated eye shadows are pretty phenomenal – they are the creamiest powder eye shadows I have ever seen from Chanel. Trust me I have a fair share of them in my makeup stash – ranging from the US formula, to the exclusive seasonal limited edition palettes. The texture of these feel like ‘creamy jelly’ – they are so buttery soft with a slight cushiony touch, and smooth like velvet. The pigmentation is also richer than the old formula, and easier to glide on to the skin. I find it much easier to swatch these new palettes (with only 1 -2 swipes to get full intensity), whereas for some old mediocre quads I had to swept several times. In terms of finish, they still retain the soft and subtle sheen that Chanel eye shadows are known for.

In short, my conclusion from comparison in terms of texture is as follows:

Softness of reformulated quads > US version > Limited Edition palettes such as Topaki and Harmonie de Soir > Euro/Asia baked version

Pigmentation of reformulated quads are identical to US version/LE palettes

COLORS

I pulled out some Chanel quads that I think are similar for comparison.

Close up of Tisse Rivoli

Close up of Tisse Mademoiselle

226 Tisse Rivoli is very similar to Raffinement but more warm.

214 Tisse Mademoiselle is the closest to Dune but more warm with a hint of very light olive tinge.

On a side note, according to the Chanel SA, Lagoon, Eclosion, Raffinement, will be discontinued along with several others which I can’t remember.

All colors are swatched in the order of top row from left to right, then bottom row from left to right.

I bought the Chanel eye shadow quads in Australia for AUD$90 each. Also available at Nordstrom online (link here).

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Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW

Bobbi Brown Nectar and Nude Eye Palette Review, Swatch and Eye Makeup Tutorial

June 18, 2014

Bobbi Brown is the queen of neutrals, and I love her eye shadow palette if the colors are done right for me. My last palette from BB was from 2 years ago, and finally she released this Nectar and Nude Eye Palette from her recent Nudes in Bloom Collection that captured my heart again. It retails for $95 in Australia (I bought here) which is double the price than in the States, and I made sure I absolutely wanted it so I dropped by the counter 3 times to swatch the colors!

The palette contains 4 matte and 2 shimmery/sparkly eye shadows, with the latter two being the standout for me. They are very smooth to apply and blend, and complement any matte neutral shades for a multi-dimensional look. They bring the matte shades to life, and in my opinion without these two this would be quite a boring palette!
Pale Cream (new shade and matte) – exactly the same color as my skin so it doesn’t show on my skin in the swatch below. It’s excellent for using it as a base color.
Soft Buff (new shade and matte) – matte taupe with mauve undertone. It’s relatively smooth for a matte shade and easy to blend.
Golden Bronze (new shade and metalic) – shimmery pale golden bronze. It’s the most buttery soft and smooth shade out of the palette. Stunning!
Pink Bellini (new shade and sparkly) – very smooth with pink micro glitter for a fine sparkle
Earth (new shade and matte) – a true medium brown shade which would be the most used color out of this palette for me.
Rich Cavair (new shade and matte) – goes on dark chocolate brown. Not as pigmented as the other shade, and it is dry and not easy for blending.

Here is a tutorial of how I would use this palette for a natural eye makeup.

Brushes used in this tutorial include CHIKUHODO Z5; Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush; Suqqu brush Medium, Suqqu brush F, Laura Mercier Smoky Eye Liner Brush , Laura Mercier Smudge Brush

Overall this is a classic neutral and very versatile eye palette and will be a staple in my makeup rotation. My next Bobbi Brown will definitely be this new stunning palette!

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Labels: BOBBI BROWN • BRUSHES • CHIKUHODO • EYESHADOW • Laura Mercier • SUQQU • TUTORIAL

Sunday Pamper

June 11, 2014

As much as I enjoy a pampering spa treatment every now and then, I often do a ‘home version’ on a weekly basis. Obviously it’s a lot cheaper, and to be honest, the result is pretty much ‘spa-like’ with the help of some good products. My current home-facial is as below – it’s my ideal Sunday night wind down activity with my favorite candle, music and magazines!

1. Deep Cleanse – After removing the makeup, I wash my face using my Clarisonic Aria with a foaming cleanser. I bought this wonderful cleansing tool about 2 months ago and I am completely hooked on it. It gives the skin a true deep cleanse and mild exfoliation which significantly improves the skin congestion around my problematic areas.

2. Massage – This is an essential step to improve blood circulation and lymph drainage hence your face appears more contoured and radiant. I often notice that my face appears significantly slimmer and more lifted after a professional facial. At home I always follow the famous Tanaka’s Face Contouring massage (you can watch her videos here – part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 shows the before and after result). She is the guru of anti-aging massage, and her book has sold millions of copies across Asia. Combining her massage technique with my Suqqu Massage and Mask Cream helps in firming, detoxifying and lifting the face. If your face is starting to show signs of sagging/fatigue, or you are prone to water retention, I highly recommend that you include this step into your skin care routine. Be aware not to massage on dry skin as too much friction will undo the benefits.

3. Purifying/Clarifying – I then put on the Chantecaille Fruit and Flower Acid Mask. It’s a very gentle clarifying mask that acts almost like a mild peel. It removes the dead skin cells, unclog the pores and brighten up the complexion. I have very thin skin and this one delivers the result without any irritation.

4. Hydrate/Moisturize – Now my skin is all clean and ready to absorb the miracle ingredient of Pitera from my all time favorite SKII’s Facial Treatment Mask. After trying out tons of paper masks over the years, this one still remains my top favorite. It hydrates, brightens and plumps up even the most tiring skin . When using a face mask make sure you are always lie down, because these weighty paper masks (as they are soaked in liquid) can drag your face down “discreetly” if you have it on while sitting/standing!

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Labels: Beauty Tools • CHANTECAILLE • CLARISONIC • SKII • SKINCARE • SUQQU

Chanel Le Vernis Tutti Frutti Swatch and Review

June 10, 2014

On my nails today is the Chanel Le Vernis Tutti Frutti (621) from the Summer 2014 Collection. A stunning saturated pink based coral shade that will definitely make your nails the centre of attention in a good way. It’s a neutral shade that would brighten up most skin colors. Like many Chanel nail polishes, Tutti Frutti contains micro gold shimmer (as you can see from the bottle) but applies to a cream finish. A must-have color for the warm season, yet an instant ‘brighten-me-up’ shade for a gloomy day!

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel Summer 2014 – Illusion D’ombre Mirage and Stylo Yuex Ambre Dore Review and Swatches

June 5, 2014

I couldn’t get my hands off the Chanel Illusion D’ombre Mirage (95) and the Stylo Yeux Ambre Dore (911) from the Chanel Summer 2014 Collection . They are the most perfect flattering medium brown shades that go so well with my usual color palette of makeup that I wear.

I am an avid lover of cream eye shadows, as they are just so much more convenient to use and it is easier to control the intensity. My favorite cream eye shadows have always been the Giorgio Armani’s Eyes to Kill and the Chanel Illusion D’ombre. As a makeup item the GA is more superior in terms of opacity and color complexity. However, for practicality I found that I always reach for the Chanel more as the finish is more “day time friendly” (if that makes sense!). The finish is less frosty/metallic, and it doesn’t look heavy and dry on the eyes. This is one makeup item that would always look flattering on people of all ages if the shade is right. And Illusion D’ombre in Mirage is the most beautiful medium brown in shimmer I have – it’s neither too cool nor too warm on my skin when it’s sheered out. It just looks perfect as it makes my eyes appear more deeper set as what a brown eyeshadow shade should do, as well as making the eyes glistening with a soft sparkle. The texture is velvety smooth and goes on even and blendable as usual.

The color of Stylo Yeux Ambre Dore is also equally beautiful. It’s a shimmery golden coppery shade that would make blue/green eyes pop. For my dark brown eyes, it’s a perfect shade for defining the lash lines without making the eyes look too harsh. The quality is consistent with the other stylos – soft, smooth, non-tugging and long lasting.

Swatches – Note that the heavy swatch of Mirage leans more warm (left), whereas the sheer swatch of Mirage is closer to neutral sandy brown (middle)

My quick 10 minutes makeup in the morning – wearing these two products on my eyes today. These are the quick snapshots I took with my phone this morning. Not the best FOTD quality but hope you get an idea of what they look like!

The Chanel Summer 2014 Collection is available online at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Right now NM is offering a Free Tote and samples with $100 beauty purchase!

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Labels: CHANEL • EYELINER • EYESHADOW

Chanel Summer 2014 – Le Vernis Sweet Lilac 615 Swatch and Review

May 31, 2014

On my nails today is the Chanel Le Veris Sweet Lilac 615 from its Summer 2014 Reflets D’ete Collection. I don’t know how Chanel does it – they can always transform a basic color into something so beautiful and elegant in an expensive way. I am completely head over heels for these candy colored nail colors from the latest collection – they are so sweet and fresh, and surprisingly they don’t make me feel like I’m wearing a teenager’s shade! Love the sweet lilac – not an easy color to pull off for Asians with yellow tone, but this one completely complements my skin color and add a youthful pop. Quality is of standard Chanel- takes two coats for an opaque and streak-free cream finish.

Bought them all (except for the eastern light which is a repromote – swatched here)!