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Chanel LA Sunrise Spring 2016 Makeup Collection – Sunkiss Ribbon Blush Review, Swatch and FOTD

January 19, 2016

The Limited Edition Chanel Sunkiss Ribbon Blush from the LA Sunrise Spring 2016 collection is definitely the item to look out for this season (available online here in Australia). It looks gorgeous in the pan, and just as equally pretty on the face. As for the other items from the collection, I have only picked up the Le Vernis Sunrise Trip, and passed the rest.

It has an ultra buttery creamy texture and is smooth to apply. In terms of pigmentation, it is one of those ‘rare’ blushes from Chanel that offers extremely intense color payoff, and it even puts a Nars blush to shame when I did a quick comparison. Each of the color strips are equally pigmented (not one color significantly more pigmented than the other), so when they are mixed together, you get an even blend of color. There is a small amount of shimmer in the blush, and once applied it translates to a cream finish with a soft glow on the skin.

What I love about this product is that it contains all sorts of colors for a blush – there is the cool fuchsia, a soft pink, an orange, a rosy pink, and a soft brown color, which makes it very fun and versatile to apply. You can mix all the colors together for a base color, and it translates to a complex peachy pink color with a coral undertone. Since each color is highly pigmented, you can also layer another single color on top just to make the color pop a little.

Swatch clockwise

All colors mixed

Comparing it to Nars Orgasm

FOTD (picture was taken with the CASIO Selfie Camera TR35!)

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush Vibration 270 Review and Swatch

August 15, 2015

Today’s review is for the absolutely stunning limited edition Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in VIBRATION 270 from an exclusive collection. Australia seems to be the first country that has received this collection which also includes the Chanel Infiniment Illuminating Powder (reviewed here), and as far as I know they will be launched in the US in the very near future (now available at Nordstrom). I have a substantial collection of Chanel JC blushes, and not every one of them is a must-have due to the high price tag and many of them are quite similar. But Vibration is phenomenal – I haven’t seen a beautiful blush color like this for a very long time.

Unlike most of the other Chanel JC blushes, Vibration is a matte color without any shimmer, but the texture is creamy and silky smooth to apply. It applies to a semi-satin finish with a soft glow that looks so pretty and like a natural flush of color. The pigmentation is ultra intense, so for application I would recommend to use a soft and fluffy blush brush to pick up the pigment softly and blend. Vibration is a beautiful coral pink with a hint of red undertone to it. This is the color that would look flattering on both the warm and cool skin-tones, and it would help to brighten up the complexion and add a youthful pink wash of color to the cheeks without looking too girly.

Swatches:

The Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Vibration is only available online here in Australia.

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

Marc Jacobs Beauty The Shape Contour and Blush Brush No 15 Review

June 20, 2015

Today’s review is for the Marc Jacobs Beauty The Shape Contour and Blush Brush No 15 (available here in Australia) that is perfect to go with the Light Filtering Contouring Powder (reviewed here), or any bronzing powder for contouring purposes. If I could only pick one beauty trend of this year it would be contouring, and as you would have noticed there are many beauty brands have released a makeup brush that is designed specifically for contouring. I am still in the process of trialing some others, and this thus far is my favorite brush.

The Marc Jacobs Beauty brush is very similar to the MAC 125 Split Fibre Dense Face Brush, but better in terms of quality in my opinion – it is more weighty and feels more luxurious. The handle is coated with high gloss enamel that feels sturdy and looks expensive. The brush is made of the finest antibacterial synthetic bristles so it is suitable for even the most sensitive and acne-prone skin types. The bristles feel ultra soft and plush on the skin. It is very densely packed with a flat top in an oval shape, and it works similar to a kabuki brush – it picks up maximum color and it helps to blend and sheer out the product into the skin with minimum effort. The best thing about this brush is the relatively large oval shape brush head, as it just fits perfectly under the cheekbone, as well as along the jaw line. It allows for even pigment deposit on to the skin, and a more precise and quicker contouring application as opposed to a smaller contouring brush or a tapered brush.

Bottom Line: An excellent higher end brush investment that allows for an easy and precise contouring application even for the makeup novice. Highly recommend!

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Labels: BLUSH • Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs Beauty Instamarc Light Filtering Contour Powder 02 Dream Filter Review and Swatch

June 18, 2015

I picked up the Marc Jacobs Beauty Instamarc Light Filtering Contour Powder recently which has become an absolute necessity in my makeup kit now. The matching Shape Contour and Blush Brush is also fantastic and works really well with the product.

My first impression of the palette was that it was huge. It is housed in a very large pan with a big mirror, and each bronzer/highlighter contains 0.31oz of the product. Compared to the other contour kits in the market, this set is absolute great value for money. It comes in 3 colors – Dream Filter 20, Mirage Filter 40 and 60 HiFi Filter. The bronzer shade in the 20 and 40 are very similar, and for my complexion (NC15-20) I could go with either of them. The main difference between them is that 20 has a stronger pink hue in the highlighter shade and 30 has an dominant undertone of yellow/beige. Since I have a cool complexion and I have an affection with pink colored makeup I went for the color Dream Filter 20 in the end.

The powder of both the bronzer and the highlighter is very silky and finely milled. When they are applied with a kabuki brush, they are blended into your skin seamlessly like a natural shadow and highlight effect without looking cakey and powdery. The bronzer is pigmented and is easy to blend (no bronzey patches on the skin!), and it is a medium neutral brown that would work as an ideal contour shade for most fair skin types without looking too warm or muddy. It is also completely matte so it mimics a natural shadow effect for sculpturing the jaws, cheekbones and the nose bridge as well as creating a slimming effect. The highlighter has a silky and creamy texture and is slightly opaque which can be doubled as a setting powder, that provides a subtle brightening effect with a hint of pink hue, and some coverage that helps to blur out the pores.

Heavy Swatch:

Bottom Line: An easy to use high quality contour kit that creates natural looking definition and contour. I also highly recommend the Shape and Contour brush for application which will be covered in another post.

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Labels: BLUSH • BRONZER • HIGHLIGHTER • Marc Jacobs

Bobbi Brown Hot Collection – Cheek Palette Pink and Art Stick in Hot Pink Review, Swatch and FOTD

March 30, 2015

I have been eyeing some Bobbi Brown blushes for as long as I can remember – there are some really beautiful pink shades in their individual blush range. And I am glad I waited that long as Bobbi Brown has recently released a limited edition Cheek Palette in Pink from the Hot Collection that contains all the pink blush shades I have been longing for! Of course I had to get this palette (as it’s a lot cheaper than acquiring the blushes individually), as well as the matching lip Art Stick in Hot Pink.

The Cheek Palette is housed in a classic Bobbi Brown black glossy case. I was told by the SA that this case was all hand made so I have to handle it with care. I examined the case inside-out and up-side down, and I really couldn’t tell the difference between this case and the other Bobbi Brown non hand made case. The palette contains 3 variations of pink shades in different finishes, which is what I love about buying a palette as I love layering for different looks.

Shade Description (from left to right):

Pale Pink – A blue based bright pink in matte finish. It is non powdery, has a matte finish and is easy to apply and blend.

Pink – A pale pearly pink shimmer with a hint of golden peachy sheen. It can be used alone as a highlighter or layer it over the blush for a subtle glow.

Powder Pink – A neutral baby pink in matte finish. I absolutely adore this shade as it looks so soft and pretty alone , or can be layered with Pale Pink to add some dimension for a more fresh look.

The Bobbi Brown Art Stick is a hybrid between lipstick and lip liner that comes with a sharpener. It has a creamy crayon-like texture that is blendable, and doesn’t feel heavy to be used over the entire lips. It is not as moisturizing as the good lipsticks, but it’s not drying my lips out either. It applies quite creamy and sets to a semi-matte finish. The pigment is very intense so a little goes a long way, and it lasts a good 6-8 hours on me.

The Art Stick in Hot Pink is an ultra saturated neon bright pink. It may not be the shade for everyone, but as for me I love how it looks against my complexion as it just instantly brightens it up and makes me appear more energized. Since it’s so bright and long lasting, I also love the fact that it fades into a softer pink throughout the day.

Group Swatch

From left to right: Pale Pink, Pink Highlighter, Powder Pink, Art Stick Hot Pink

FOTD wearing all 3 blush shades layered together, and Hot Pink on my lips.

I bought mine at David Jones, and the Bobbi Brown Hot Collection is also available at Nordstrom in the US.

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Labels: BLUSH • BOBBI BROWN • FOTD • LIPSTICK

Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle Review and Swatch – Watermelon/Moonstone and Lychee/Opal

November 18, 2014

Becca has recently released a range of Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle that has absolutely blown me away. Though their counters are no longer available at David Jones, I bought them online after doing some research, and went ahead with the colors Watermelon/Moonstone and Lychee/Opal.

Please excuse that the pictures were taken after the products were “accidentally used”, so they looked nowhere as beautiful as they were originally are

The Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle is a very lightweight gel blush in a whipped souffle texture that is mixed with two of their best sellers (hence the marbled effect) – the Beach Tint and the Shimmering Skin Perfector. Both products are my all time favorite products from Becca, so I was extremely happy to see this genius idea being born! The blush offers natural flush of colors with an illuminating glow, and the lasting power is excellent as it applies like a silky stain that just melts into the skin. Becca’s Beach Tint is known for its superb texture that applies completely streak free without enhancing the pores. And this Tint Souffle is the same, the formula is light and hydrating so it takes no effort to apply and it blends in to the skin seamlessly without settling into the pores.It gives a satiny cream finish upon application and fades into a stain like finish.

The Watermelon/Moonstone (mixed with the Beach Tint in Watermelon and the Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone) is a warm red that has a hint of coral infused with pale gold. When it is applied it translates to a warm red with a pale gold sheen. It’s extremely wearable for a red blush and the gold shimmer adds a soft touch of highlighting effect to the finish.

The Lychee/Opal (mixed with Beach Tint in Lychee and Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal) is a stunner. If you love pink blushes, then you have to give this one a go! It’s a bubblegum pink infused with rose gold! Words cannot describe how pretty this color is, and whether your skin tone is warm or cool, this pink blush would work really well.

I feel bad that I cannot present how the products look like when they are brand new (because they looked much nicer!), and hopefully my swatch will do them the justice!

Left Watermelon/Moonstone Right Lychee/Opal

close upboth colors look warmer and more shimmery at a different angle

Bottom Line: Love them! Very well priced for the quality, and its beautiful finish! I bought the Becca Beach Tint Souffle here in Australia, and they are also available at Sephora in the US and SpaceNK in the UK.

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Labels: BECCA • BLUSH • HIGHLIGHTER

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush Palette Review and Swatch

November 8, 2014

There has been countless coverage on the Hourglass makeups in the blogsphere world since the brand launched several years ago, and I just wasn’t that interested until the release of the Ambient Light Powder and Blush series this year, which have quickly become their top sellers. They are beautiful and unique enough for me to decide to branch out into this new brand for me, and having spotted the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (which is always in the status of out-of-stock) on Net-A-Porter accidentally one day, I knew that this one ought to be mine! I have also picked up their Ambient Lighting Palette which will be covered in another review.

The limited edition palette comes with two permanent blush colors that are from their individual blushes, and one color that is exclusive to this palette which also happens to be my favorite color out of the three. The texture of all three blushes are exquisite – they are extremely silky and buttery smooth to apply and blend. What attracts me in these blushes is that each blush color is blended with a different color of their signature ambient lighting powder, which warrants a multidimensional soft flush of color with an illuminating effect. This is pretty much a blush and highlighter two-in-one product, which makes this palette extremely practical and versatile to use.

Left: Luminous Flush (permanent) Middle: Incandescent Electra (exclusive to this palette only) Right: Mood Exposure (permanent)

One interesting thing to note is that these blushes tend to show up differently depending on your skin tone, and even on my NC15 I find it very interesting that the swatch varies greatly from sheer to opaque finish (as you can see from the swatch below)

Color Description from left to right

– Luminous Flush (blended with Luminous Light) has a rosey pink undertone with a candlelit glimmer. When it is applied sheer it tones down to a soft coral pink, and it builds up to almost a plummy rosey pink on my skin as a heavy swatch. I prefer to wear it sheer as a blush.

– Incandescent Electra (blended with Incandescent Light) is described as a cool peach on the website, but on my skin the pink tone is definitely more prominent. In the sheer swatch it shows up as nude peachy pink with a subtle gleam that is more suitable as a highlighter blush, and builds up to a warm pink with a hint of frosty sheen if applied heavily. Definitely my favorite as either way it is a very pretty color to use!

– Mood Exposure (blended with Mood Light) is described as soft plum on the website, but again on my skin the beige undertone is much more prominent than plum. Apply it sheer it is a beautiful illuminating soft peachy beige color, and it builds up to a bronzy beige color with a hint of plum undertone that almost looks like a bronzer to me.

Sheer Swatch

Left: Luminous Flush Middle: Incandescent Electra Right: Mood Exposure

Heavy Swatch – in the sun

Heavy Swatch – in the shade

Bottom Line: Love it! Striking, practical and travel friendly. It’s one of those palettes that will make you reach out for it on a very frequent basis! The Hourglass makeup line is available at Barneys in the US and Net-A-Porter worldwide.

{ 2 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • HIGHLIGHTER • HOURGLASS

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette is in store now!

November 4, 2014

Just a quick post letting all of the Tom Ford Australian fans know that the Tom Ford Beauty Summer 2014 Collection is finally out here! The Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette has been sold out globally, and since Australia is the last country receiving the Tom Ford collection (welcome to the life of a beauty enthusiast who resides in Australia..), there are still limited numbers available here. I just got mine and words cannot express how gorgeous this palette is in real life. Love the glitter and the taupe eye shadows, and the blush is such a pretty color. Other products from the collection include a Skin Illuminator and two Lip Shimmers.

{ 5 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • BRONZER • EYESHADOW • SHOP • Tom Ford

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