EYESHADOW

Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow HARMONIE DU SOIR Review and FOTD

October 30, 2012

As promised, this is a FOTD post wearing the Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow HARMONIE DU SOIR from the 2012 Holiday Collection. This quad is beyond my expectations, as I have to admit I thought the overall mulberry tone of this quad could be a little tricky to pull off for someone like me who is used to the earthy neutral shades. And to my pleasant surprise, Harmonie Du Soir is just simply stunning and easy to wear. The four shades look complementary when blended on the lid (for swatches please refer to this post). I especially love the effect when the taupe is blended with the reddish burgundy shade as it creates a beautiful sultry plummy color without looking too warm. The final look is very autumy and goes particularly well with vampy lip color.

Upper Lid:

Wearing the light gold shade all over the eye lid up to the brows, then applied the taupe shade over the eye socket area. The shimmery pale pink shade is used to blend out the harsh edge. Lastly the burgundy shade is applied along the lash line and blended into the taupe.

Lower Lid:

The pale pink is added on the inner corner and the burgundy is applied at the outer third.

Other Products Used:

Face: Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer (reviewed here)

Blush: Les Tendres De Chanel in Les Roses (reviewed here)

Lips: Tom Ford Black Orchid as a very light stain (review coming soon!)

Bottom Line: A stunning, unique and classic eye shadow quad for the fall and festive season! I actually prefer this over the Topkapi Quad from the Byzance de Chanel collection. Harmonie Du Soir is now available online here!

{ 21 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD • Sunday Riley • Tom Ford

Chanel 2012 Holiday Makeup Collection – Eclats du Soir de Chanel Initial Review and Swatches

October 15, 2012

The highly anticipated Chanel 2012 Holiday Makeup Collection – Eclats du Soir de Chanel has hit our shore today. The collection is not on display yet but they are available upon request. I picked up two products on the way home and here is a sneak preview of what I bought and my first initial thoughts.

Chanel Le Vernis MALICE (retails for AUD$39) – If I could only get one product from this collection, it would be this one! Check out The Beauty Look Book’s review here.

Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow HARMONIE DU SOIR (retails for AUD$98) – Both the design and the texture of HARMONIE DU SOIR are successfully inherited from the Topkapi Quadra Eye shadow from the Byzance de Chanel collection. Each eye shadow feels noticeably more buttery soft and smoother than the regular line, and all are highly pigmented. I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet, and I’m curious to see how the darkest reddish mulberry shade paired with the pale pink will look on me. Check out Makeup Magpie’s review here.

The entire collection is sold on-line here with international shipping available.

{ 16 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW • NAIL POLISH

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Mulberry and Midnight Brown Review and Swatches

October 6, 2012

I knew this would happen when I jumped on the Burberry Makeup wagon a while back – my addiction for them is growing at a “non-rational” pace. I have collected most of the items that I have set my eyes on, and today’s review is for the lust-worthy Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Mulberry and Midnight Brown. Both are dark neutral shades with an edge which is right up my alley. I bought them at the Burberry counter without even swatching them, so that was how confident I was with them!

Mulberry is from the Burberry Fall 2012 Makeup Collection. A deep burgundy brown shade with iridescent micro shimmer, which looks absolutely gorgeous from the pan. The color translates to the skin quite accurately, with a much stronger mauve undertone compared to Midnight Brown (see my swatch below). Just like the other Burberry eye shadows – the ultra finely-milled texture gives a silky satin finish with a gleam. Although it is a stunning shade on its own, it’s not the easiest color to work with for my skin tone. I needed to be quite cautious with the intensity during application, otherwise it could have looked a little muddy on me. But once I had made it work I loved the finish.

Midnight Brown is the clear winner between the two. I have read raving reviews and it completely lived up to my every single expectation! It is a taupe shade with gold and silver micro shimmer, and translates to a beautiful complex chestnut brown (with one swipe only) shade with a slight gold tinge on the skin, and you can build up the brown intensity by layering more. As I twist my hand to a different angle I see the undertone variations. It’s almost like looking at 50 shades of brown (and that’s my corny joke of the day!)

Left to Right: Mulberry; Midnight Brown

Wearing Mulberry alone

Note: Pictures of wearing Midnight Brown will be shown in my Becca Summer 2012 Makeup Collection Review post which has just been released in Australia.

Bottom Line: If you are still hesitating to get Midnight Brown, then you gotta pull the trigger now! It’s one of the most classic, complex taupe brown shades I have ever used! Mulberry is a nice-to-have but not a must-to-have imho. Both eye shadows are available here and here in the US, and for Australian customers you can buy them through Harrods with international shipping available (which I find is the cheapest after the deduction of VAT). In case you don’t know, Harrods is doing 10% off on everything this weekend!

{ 22 comments }

Labels: BURBERRY BEAUTY • EYESHADOW • FOTD

Chanel Fall 2012 – Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow COMPLICE and Joues Contraste ROSE INITIALE Review and Swatches

September 23, 2012

I bought some makeup from the Chanel Fall 2012 Collection months ago including the Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE and the Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE and I finally got the time to play around with them. A bit of a delay..but with a somewhat busy work schedule, I have not been very prompt with reviewing the new makeup collections lately. I hope I will be more productive in the coming months.

The Chanel Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE is a beautiful neutral eye shadow. It is a universally flattering champagne color with high shine micro shimmer. The luxurious Chanel packaging and the texture justifies the high price tag for a single eyeshadow – buttery soft, smooth and very finely milled. There are more budget friendly dupes in the market such as Stila Kitten, or MAC Naked Lunch. I can easily enlist at least 20 different brands that make the same shade, and yes I have them all! But I can never resist a timeless champagne colored eyeshadow that I can use everyday, especially since it is embossed with the legendary interlock C!

On Me:

The Chanel Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE is a beautiful rosey pink blush with a neutral undertone. Mine is in the US version so as you all know – the texture is softer and more pigmented. It has a satin finish and it has a great lasting power on my combination skin. I would call this a grown-up pink that would complement any makeup look, and the subtle rosey hue appears to make my complexion look more energized.

Lastly, I wanted to give a special mention to my lip color! I suddenly developed an odd obsession for vampy lip color (which is totally not me) since I missed the Chanel PROVOCANTE. And I found this abandoned Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rose Malicieux (bought here) lying in the corner of my drawer (bought it by mistake due to the incorrect online swatch) which I have not even opened. Then I topped it with Stila Lip Glaze in Majesty (another forgotten makeup item…). And voila..I got a nice deep rosey plummy color..though it’s not quite the vampy color. The moral of the story is..don’t throw out your old makeup unless they are expired 🙂 You never know when you will rekindle the love with them!

The Chanel 2012 Fall Makeup Collection can be purchased here in the US. International order is available here.

{ 20 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD • GUERLAIN • Stila

Giorgio Armani Intense Eyes To Kill Eye Shadows AQUA Collection – 27 Oxidised Silver, 28 Red Platine and 29 Rose Titanium Reviews and Swatches

July 16, 2012

I received a call from the Giorgio Armani SA that the Eyes To Kill Eye Shadows from the AQUA Collection arrived in Australia the day after I posted my beauty wishlist – perfect timing! After playing with the testers for about 20 minutes, I restrained myself to 3 shades for now – 27 Oxidised Silver, 28 Red Platine and 29 Rose Titanium. The entire collection is gorgeous but I thought I will make more use out of these shades compared to the others as they appear very wearable and “me”. The rest of the shades are more for a smokey look which are attractive but I have been rarely wearing dark eye shadows lately.

There have been similar products released in the market by some cheaper brands, but I always have a soft spot for the Giorgio Armanis as they are the original. Especially when it comes to the presentation of the product, as each shade of Eyes To Kill appears to be made of multicolored and complex shimmery pigments which give a multi-dimensional finish, and I have not seen that in any other cheaper brand. They blend like a dream as well as last a whole day on my oily lids. I generally prefer to use my fingers for application if I want to create a soft sparkly layer with a hint of color. Or to use my beloved MAC 217 if I want to pack on a decent layer of color.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Rose Titanium 29: Had I not seen it in real life I would have skipped it as I am usually scared of pink eye shadows. But Rose Titanium swatches beautifully, as it shows up as a pale pink that looks very flattering on my skin tone. It makes a great alternative to the usual beige-champagne base color which I am a little bored of now.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Oxidised Silver 27: It will be a sell-out. You can’t miss this one if you love taupe, and it has the perfect undertone of purple for me.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Red Platine 28 : It is another drop dead gorgeous neutral but complex shade. It shows up as a bronzy coppery gold on me with silver shimmer. I always wanted a shade like it in a portable glass pot so I can carry it with me easily.

Group Swatches:

under the sun

In the shade

Blended out

Compared to other ETKs

Top 28, 27, 29 Bottom: 15, 4 , 8

Bottom Line: I think the color palette and the wearability of AQUA Collection surpasses all of its previous limited editions. It’s a versatile yet unique collection of eye shadows for the neutral lovers.

I bought these at David Jones for AUD$45 each. The new AQUA collection is also available here in the US.

{ 26 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • Giorgio Armani

Le Metier De Beaute True Color Eye Shadow SPICY and MILAN Review, Swatches and FOTD

June 9, 2012

Thanks Zuneta! Now, if you live outside of the US and have been itching to get your hands on Le Metier De Beaute, Zuneta is probably one of the few sources available internationally. After my success with Jojo, Corinthian and Bordeaux which I think are the must have shades, I immediately ordered some more eye shadows to try. And today’s review is for Le Metier De Beaute’s True Color Eye Shadows in Spicy and Milan.

Spicy is another lust-worthy shade that’s been quite hyped up by the beauty community. It is a warm bronze shade with a rusty gold undertone in its signature shimmer finish. The shade might not be the most unique but what makes Spicy distinctive is its superior texture – it feels creamy smooth and the ultra fine and silky texture makes the eye shadow feels weightless and layers beautifully without looking heavy on the eyes. The overall quality of Spicy is in line with the others which I have already given an in-depth review, so I won’t go into detail here.

Milan is my first LMDB eye shadow in Satin finish. You can see the silver micro shimmer from the pan but they are hard to see once applied on the skin. It is a very safe neutral brown shade, which is great for contouring the eyes or a base color over the crease. Compared to the shimmer finish which I can’t rave enough about, the texture of Milan is under-par in my opinion. It is smooth and soft but my cheaper eye shadows such as Mac or Bobbi Brown are just as good. I don’t regret buying it as I like to collect beautiful makeup, but for those of you who have a tighter budget but still wanting to try LMDB, then the shimmer finish would be a better choice for its unique quality.

Swatches

Compared to Jojo and Corinthian

EOTD: Wearing Jojo as a base, then layered with Milan followed by Spicy.

Overall Look:

Face: Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup (review coming soon)

Eyes: Jojo, Milan and Spicy

Cheeks: Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Blush in Plush Petal 14

Lips: Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick in 340B Rose Boudoir mixed with Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight.

Bottom Line: Must buy Spicy and skip Milan.

{ 5 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Le Metier De Beaute

Suqqu Spring 2012 – Blend Color Eye Shadow 11 HIMESANGO Review and Swatches

April 29, 2012

Hi everyone, long time no see! Hope you are all well. I went on a vacation during Easter, and then I have been swamped with work upon return so I decided to take a mini break from blogging. I received a few packages today from all of my blogging friends over the world – can’t thank enough of them! The minute I opened my long awaited Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow HIMESANGO 11 from its Spring 2012 collection, I knew I had to share it with you immediately. My heart is singing when I swiped my fingers across these too-die-for eye shadows.

Different to the eyeshadow quad from the permanent line, the spring collection comes with 5 colors. As a taupe lover I bought shade 11 Himesango. All shades are foolproof and they layer together beautifully. If you think the permanent line is not pigmented enough, then this spring Suqqu has delivered an extraordinary eye shadow palette. The pigmentation is richer with an ultra buttery and velvety texture (it almost felt cushiony!). The three shimmery shades contain the finest micro-shimmer, and they apply silky smooth with a delicate gleam . I love the fact that there is always a matte shade included in the palette. Himesango contains an ivory white which feels creamy and serves as an excellent base color. It instantly evens out the lid color and make your eye makeup look “cleaner’. As I have mentioned in my earlier post, Suqqu eye shadows are the most densely pressed and smoothly milled, so you will never experience any fallout with their eye shadows.

Swatches of Himesango

This picture below is out of focus but it shows the gleam well…

On my eyes:

Upper Lid: Applied the peachy shade all over the eye socket, then layered with the taupe shade beginning at the lash line and blending into the crease line. Finished with the lighter chocolate shade intensifying the outer v.

Lower lid: Accentuate the inner corner with the shimmery peachy shade, and rim the outer third with the dark chocolate shade and smudged the taupe shade across.

Overall Look:

Other products used:

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in Sweet Lock – reviewed here

Burberry Lip Cover in Tulip Pink – reviewed here

Bottom Line: HIMESANGO is the best Suqqu eye shadow palette I have used! And it is available here.

{ 26 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • SUQQU

Burberry Spring 2012 – Sheer Eye Shadow Pale Barley Review and Swatch

March 13, 2012

I finally jumped on the Burberry Beauty bandwagon! I have been good saying no to the permanent lineup but after seeing the beautiful Burberry Spring 2012 colletion, I couldn’t help but purchase some including the Sheer Eye Shadow in Pale Barley No 22 as they were limited edition.

The Burberry eye shadow totally lived up to my expectation. The texture has a “wow” factor to me considering I have quite a fair share of premium eye shadows, but I was still deeply impressed by how good the Burberry eyeshadow is. The word sheer in the name is quite misleading, as I don’t find it to be sheer at all for a neutral shade such as the Pale Barley. It is a pale mushroomy beige shade in a satiny finish that serves an excellent base color for most complexions. It applies completely fuss-free – one to two swipes are suffice to show the true color, and the ultra-fine silk smooth texture applies like a second skin without any fallout.

Swatches of Pale Barley

On my eyes, it is a tad darker than my natural skin color, which makes it a perfect shade for just a wash of color over the eye socket that gives a deeper set of eyes effect.

EOTD with only Pale Barley applied

Overall Look:

Bottom Line: The Burberry Pale Barley is one of those classic shades that should be in every girls’s makeup kit. For the minimalist girls who don’t wear much makeup, it is the perfect shade for a “no makeup” makeup look. LOVE it!

The Burberry Pale Barley Eye Shadow is available online here or here. Non-US customers can purchase this here with international shipping and VAT deductions.

{ 38 comments }

Labels: BURBERRY BEAUTY • EYESHADOW

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