Color Me Loud

Who said a beauty blogger can't write a post about other things? Like random things... Let the world speak about Angelina Jolie's breasts, today I would like to talk about...

Birds!

Yes Birds. Over the decade we had seen many cat (and occasionally goat) images on beauty blogs, so why not birds? Birds are colorful, thus speak for the name of this blog and passion for the make-up enthusiasts, right?

After reading that someone spent several hours trying to create real Angry Birds digitally (which were anyway digital but, hey, those look at least more real) I decided to focus on real "analog" birds for today's post. Take a look at these three...

Left: Bohemian Waxwing (source:cornell), right up: Snowy Egret (source: grahamowengallery), right down: Eclipse Eagle (source: raptorresearchfoundation)

On the left we see Bohemian Waxwing. She is called Waxwing because of the shape of her secondary wings looking like drop of sealing wax. Her unpredictable migration patterns gave her the name "Bohemian" meant in a Gypsy way (source: Wikipedia). Once I look at her through my beauty blogger glasses *puts them on* I see the gorgeous taupe color of her body, makes me want to take out a few of her hair and decorate my lashes with them *finds herself drooling, terrified takes her glasses off*. Before we speak about how to make my scary visions come true, let me introduce you to Snowy Egret on right upper corner. Gorgeous white bird, with such a chic natural head decoration. Many women must have been inspired by it to the point that Snowy Egret was once being searched by market hunters for hat decoration (source Wikipedia). Thankfully those days with many feathers on hats must have been long over. Oh and what about the mighty eagle on the photo right down? I think this one introduces itself by just swinging her wings and doesn't need my help

These beautiful birds don't come together very often in real life, so much like the effort of digital artist putting Angry Birds together, I tried my best to put these three gorgeous colors together, in form of... Eye Shadows...

Rouge Bunny Rouge Trio with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle

Long lasting eye shadow range of Rouge Bunny Rouge (not an affilate link), a London/Moscow based beauty brand which has been praised for their quality and design on beauty blogging space for years, are inspired by these beautiful birds. Check out for Cardinals, Nightingales, Blue Bird and many more. I took advantage of one of their offers and ordered their empty eye shadow keeper. This is a sleek case and has nice details such as very tiny holes at the back making it easier to take the eye shadows out. I already had Snowy Egret and Eclipse Eagle, so I thought of a medium color to warm the combination up and ordered Bohemian Waxwing.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Trio with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle

I would like to shortly write that the quality is to die for, the powder is very soft to touch and almost like butter meting on the skin. Moreover the colors have a certain complexity once applied, having multi colored subtle shimmer making them appear gorgeous on the eyelids.

Close-up Rouge Bunny Rouge Trio with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle

Snowy Egret is a warm white with golden shimmer, once swatched it appears more warm than in the pan. I like using it for highlighting purposes, on the corner of the eyes or sparingly under the brows. Bohemian Waxwing is defined as a bronzed champagne but it is more than that. It is a warm mid toned bronze with golden and taupe shimmer and is a gorgeous complex natural color. Eclipse Eagle is said to be the darker brother of "Delicate Hummingbird", a very popular eye shadow of Rouge Bunny Rouge. Eclipse Eagle is a dark taupe leaning plum with platinum shimmer. I prefer this one to Delicate Hummingbird in my trio because I use it as defining color and I like it to be a bit darker.

Swatch of Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing and Eclipse Eagle under direct sun light

For the eye make-up below, I used Bohemian Waxwing all over the lid, then highlighted the inner corner of the lid with Snowy Egret. I then defined the crease with Eclipse Eagle and blended out the edges with Snowy Egret mixed with Bohemian Waxwing.

Eye make-up with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle, eyes closed

To complete this look, I used Urban Decay Eye Pencil in Mushroom along the upper lid and Chanel Stylo liner in Or Rose along the lover lashline to brighten up the eyes. If you carefully look, you will see that I am wearing a red mascara. This one is also from Rouge Bunny Rouge, called Megaplums in Oxblood. Although I don't find this mascara to be very dramatic, I love its color, especially once worn with black eye liner.

Eye make-up with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle, eyes open

I went through my stash to find a similar colored palette to this one that I put together. The closest I got was the recently released spring palette of Chanel called Raffinement. As seen in the swatches below, although the shades are not very close, all in all the satin shades give a similar feeling to Snowy Egret and Bohemian Waxwing. As for Eclipse Eagle, I find that the closes shade is from Tom Ford's Silvered Topaz Palette, which is not swatched here. I am going to come back to that once I start my preview series for Tom Ford palettes.

Comparison of Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle to Chanel Raffinement Quad

Final thoughts: Although I own many palettes, I rarely put one myself together. This must have been one of my rare attempts and I have to say that I love it! Given the quality, color pay off and texture of Rouge Bunny Rouge eye shadows, this won't be my last trio. Big thumbs up. If you want everything swatched at once, check out RBR Swatch Set and Belly's blog.

Do you own any RBR products? How is your experience until now?

There will be a few posts with greens and blues involved, and the first one is about the second item I picked from Saharienne Heat Collection of YSL. I introduced the first item last month, which I ordered from France Sephora, the eye shadow quad Pure Chromatics #13. Since then I was waiting patiently for the collection to hit the shelves in Germany. It felt like forever but eventually I spotted the second item I was planning to purchase yesterday at a department store (the collection is still not available online in Germany). Here comes the deep teal nail polish from YSL, Vert D'Orient.

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient from Summer 2013 Saharienne Heat Collection

This is one of the two nail polished released with Saharienne Heat collection. The other one is #37 Taupe Mauresque, a deep brownish taupe which I already got in March during a special event. I found it to be too dark and not that special for my taste and I was looking forward to the "green one"...

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient from Summer 2013 Saharienne Heat Collection, indirect light

Yesterday, After I got my hands on Vert D'Orient, I couldn't wait until I got home and put it on. The application was a breeze, I can't emphasize enough how much I like the brush and the formula of YSL nail polishes. I should definitely get more of those from their permanent collection. Up to now I almost only purchased the limited edition ones.

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient, indirect light

Vert D'Orient is a teal, changing color under different light, pulling more green or blue. Some may find it to be more green than other available teals. It is a green teal, not a blue teal if this makes sense. It was opaque almost with one coat but for these swatches I used two coats. Vert D'Orient is also shiny on its own but I used a top coat (here I used Seche Vite) so that it lasts longer.

Although I am almost obsessed with aqua greens, usually I don't own many deep greens or teals. I tried to find some similar colors in my stash.

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient, comparison to similar colors

First I was almost sure that Butter London's Slapper would come close. It turned out having more blue and lighter in color. I then reached for Illamasque's Muse since it is "the" teal that I was counting on. Although it is as deep and rich as it gets, was much more blue once it was side by side with Vert D'Orient. A-England's Galahad, which is one of my favorite teals, was also bluer and lighter in color. The closest shade I could find was O.P.I Jade Is The New Black, which I hardly use as I am no fan of true green colors. Nevertheless I appreciate that Vert D'Orient has a bit more blue inside, which makes it more useable for me and also makes the nail polish different from the green Christmas nail polishes.

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient, close-up comparison to similar color

Final thoughts: The formula is perfect, I love the brush, Vert D'Orient gives great coverage, almost a one-coater. As for the shade, I think this is way too dark for something I would imagine I wear in summer. Probably I am going to be reaching for it more during upcoming Fall, the same goes for Taupe Mauresque from the same collection, which is even darker.

Have you checked Vert D'Orient? Would you wear this shade for summer?

Chanel's butterfly themed Summer 2013 Collection reached Germany in the beginning of last week so I could get my missing pieces. I also got a back-up of Stylo Fresh Effect Eye Shadow in Moon River as well as back-up bottles of nail polishes, Bel-Argus and Azure, the latter I consider to be a very smart move, since just three days after their release they were already sold out online and at most of the counters. Additionally I got one of the Coco Rouge Shines in Pygmalion, and Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in True Blue, which I would like to review now.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue is a cool mid-toned baby blue. The packaging is the same as previous ones, it can be turned to take the product out and there is a sharpener under the back cap. I always find that the sharpener is rather wasting product and the tip is thin enough for a precise application. Since the eye liner is water proof, it can also be used on the waterline.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue, close-up

To give you an idea about the color, I picked up some similar colored eye liners from my stash. These are Dior's Aqua Green and Turquoise, reviewed here, Lancome's Jade Crush, P2's Turquoise, and Urban Decay's two closest liners that I own, Electric and Deep End. I also included Chanel's Stylo Fresh Effect Eye Shadow in Blue Bay, reviewed here, from the same collection to show how they play together.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue, comparison with similar eye liners

Dior Aqua Green is the greenest of the bunch but also turquoise eye liners, such as Lancome Jade Crush, Dior Turquoise are leaning more green. P2's Turquoise seems to be rather close, maybe just a tad more green than True Blue, but not significantly, which makes it a great choice if you are on budget (it costs around 2 EUR if I am not mistaken). The closest shade of the bunch is Urban Decay's Electric, which is slightly more vibrant and a tad more blue but once applied, it is difficult to spot the difference. Urban Decay's Deep End is darker, almost like a bluer version of Lancome's Jade crush. Chanel Blue Bay is more cool and silvery.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue, comparison swatches under direct sun light

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof was spotted at Chanel Cruise Show 2013-14 held in Singapore last week. Peter Phillips used this shade on the lower lash line and water line to create a heavy cat eye. For more information, check out La Chanelphile. The liner on model's eyes look more a tad cooler and more blue compared to my swatches, probably due to her skin color being cooler than my neutral, warm leaning undertones.

Chanel #57 True Blue on lower lash line as seen in Chanel Cruise Show 2013-14 Singapore (source)

Final thoughts: Chanel's new water proof eye liner Stylo Yeux #57 in True Blue is a vibrant baby blue to complete your trendy blue eye make-up this summer. The formula is consistent with their previous ones, rather on the drier side but stays put for a long time, even on the water line. If you like smoother pencils, check out Urban Decay's Electric as it is a very close shade.

Guerlain's Terra Ora collection hit the shelves in Germany earlier last week. I picked up two of the eye shadows in Cuivre Ora and Bronze Ora as well as the gorgeous bronzer/highlighter compact in Terra Ora. Today I would like to start by introducing the metal effect eye shadows.

Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora & 02 Bronze Ora, loose powder

These are loose powders in cylindrical glass container which can be opened by twisting the black cap. There is a spring inside the cap so that after twisting it easily gets loose. On the other hand as the spring expands some of the powder gets out of glass. I suggest to open it carefully since with the first try I got some of it on my shirt. Once the cap is taken out, there is a sponge applicator which comes out with significant amount of loose powder on it. The sponge applicator is quiet big. If you want a precise application, it is better to use a brush and take some of the loose powder from the applicator onto the brush and gently pad it on the lid.

Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora & 02 Bronze Ora, close-up of sponge tipped applicator

Since the sponge tipped applicator picks up significant amount of powder, the swatches below are very pigmented and dense. Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora is an orange leaning copper. 02 Bronze Ora is a taupe-bronze. Both of them have multi-colored shimmer which gives a gorgeous multi-dimensional metallic finish, especially under the sun.

Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora & 02 Bronze Ora swatches under sun light

Cuivre Ora reminds me of recently released illuminating eye color from Laura Mercier in Fire Glow, reviewed here, thus the swatches for a comparison. I applied both of the eye shadows dry and Cuivre Ora appears to be much more dense. One has to keep in mind that Fire Glow can also be applied wet to get a similar effect. The shades are very similar with Fire Glow leaning a bit more red as Cuivre Ora leaning more orange, as the difference is very subtle. Once applied on he lids, I prefer Fire Glow as it gives a denser look and it is easier to apply.

Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora & 02 Bronze Ora comparison with Laura Mercier illuminating eye color

For the following eye makeup, I used Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora all over the lid, blending it on the edges. I then used Laura Mercier's creme eye liner in canard (a dense green) along the upper lash line. Under the eye after applying Cuivre Ora I lined my water line with 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Junkie from Urban Decay.

Eye makeup with Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora

For the following eye look I used Guerlain Fard Metal 02 in Bronze Ora all over the lid and just a touch of 02 Cuivre Ora on the crease for a smooth translation. I then lined my upper and lower lash line as well as my lower water line with Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Mushroom for a soft definition.

Eye make-up with Guerlain Fard Metal 02 Bronze Ora

To sum things up about my experience with Guerlain's Fard Metal loose powders for eyes:

Advantages:

Gorgeous dimension provided the multi-colored shimmer, which is not over the top.
Very pigmented.
Small sized package, good for traveling and for touch-ups on the go.
No fading over 8 hours.
Wearable shades.

Disadvantages:

Waste of product by opening and closing.
Not easy to apply precisely due to very large sponge applicator.
Hard to layer or combine.
Only 0.7 g/0.02 OZ for 30 EUR/35$.

Final thoughts: Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora and 02 Bronze Ora loose powders are gorgeous shades with multi-colored shimmer which gives it a metallic multi-dimensional finish. I love those other than the fact that they are very hard to apply with the provided sponge tipped applicator, therefore one has to use it with a brush. I also found it hard not to waste product during application. Cuivre Ora is very close to recently released Laura Mercier illuminating eye color in Fire Glow so if you own this one you may want to check Bronze Ora instead.

Have you checked Metal Fard? Any ideas of application without wasting product? DO you like those colors?

The star of Guerlain's Summer 2013 Collection comes in a real wooden case. The name and the signature of Guerlain are carved by golden letters, fitting to how it is called, Terra Ora.

Wooden compact of Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter

To open it, one has to twist the upper part gently so that three small magnets holding upper and lower part together loosens to reveal one of the most breathtaking powders I have seen this season.

Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter, once opened

This post is forcing me to put thousands of photos, showing how excited I am about the design of Terra Ora Compact. It reminds me how badly we got used to plastic packaging and forgot how such a neutral design can be so appealing and effortlessly chic. The upper part hosts a mirror for the touch ups on the go and the powder.... *happy sigh*...

Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter, the mirror (up) and the powder (down)

The sun is chained down in this powder and the big G must be indicating that this can only be done by Guerlain. Look closely at how elegantly each chain gets separated from the anothers as the circumference increases and tell me this is not a work of art...

Gorgeous design of Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter

Alright, after everyone heard enough about how I will probably never be able to use this beauty by fear of loosing the design, I still owe you a review, so here it goes. After I ran my fingers on the extremely finely milled surface of this out-of-earth bronzer/highlighter, its golden and peachy shades reminded me of Armani's Face&Eye Compact, which was reviewed here. So I took it out to shoot some comparison photos.

Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter side by side with Armani Face & Eye Palette Summer 2013

Top tier of Armani's palette which is a highlighter/bronzer is similar to the outer ring of Guerlain's Terra Ora. Armani is just a tad more orange and Guerlain is leaning slightly more red. The inner Ring of Terra Ora is a gorgeous golden shade which is rather satin than shimmery. This compact does not have a matte shade. I think a slightly darker matte shade would make it much more versatile, nevertheless it does work wonders as highlighter on me. But before we come to that, I would like to point out that once inner and outer shades are mixed, the result comes close to the peachy eye shadow shade at lower tier of Armani's palette. As one would expect, Terra Ora is sheerer than Armani's eye shadows though so to get the same effect (such as the swatches below) one has to swipe eye shadow of Armani once and Terra Ora several times.

Swatches of Guerlain Terra Ora compact and comparison to Armani F&E Summer 2013 Palette

I applied Terra Ora combined with Guerlain's Fard Metal loose powder in Cuivre Ora on eyes, reviewed here. Terra Ora gives a subtle from within glow, not over the top but surely noticeable. For the photos below I used it alone. Combining it with a Terracotta bronzer, ( shade 03 reviewed here), also gives good results since those are matte. I found the outer ring of Terra Ora to be too light for my NC 20-25 skin for contouring, thus for me it is a highlighter and contributes to sculpting in only this way. If you are very pale, having NC10ish skin, the outer ring may show up more and can really used for sculpting but even then I would recommend combining it with a matte bronzer for the best effect. As you can see in the photos below, the powder does accentuate my cheek bone by highlighting the upper part, even when used alone. Unfortunately I have to report that it also highlights some of the pores slightly, even though ( I was thinking that) I don't have many, check out around the nose...

Guerlain Terra Ora in action

Final thoughts: This must be one of the prettiest designs I came across this season. It is quiet expensive too so it has to be mentioned that it doesn't provide much versatility starting from light medium (NC20-25) complexions. It is a gorgeous highlighter though, so if you already got your Terra Cotta and if you want to add some oomph to that for special occasions, it is a product that you can consider investing for. Terra Ora is limited edition, contains 16 g / .56 OZ and retails for 57 EUR / 72$.

What do you think about Terra Ora? Worth the splurge or just an expensive adventure?

It has to be today! Since Suqqu summer palette is already on its way to me, here comes the Suqqu post that was being delayed forever. Meanwhile I was playing with my palettes and enjoying the following posts by fellow bloggers:

Bellyhead from Wondegondigo reviews Ex-11, Ex-12 and Ex-13
Karima from Shameless Fripperies has a stunning make-up tutorial with Ex-11
Selphia swatches of all three quads
Drivel About Frivol, reviews and comparisons of Ex-11 and Ex-12
Rachel from Ok?okay!Makeup reviews Ex-11 and Ex-12
Messy Wands reviews Ex-13
Beauty of Interest have swatches of all three quads
Sweet make-up temptations swatches and compares all three quads

Do you see a pattern here? This can only be love in beauty blog-sphere. Everyone wants to report about these three quads. Sometime around February I was amazed watching this craziness and waiting for my Ex-11 to arrive to check that out myself. I ordered just one at first to try it out and see if I would like the formula.

Fast forward to today, I have all the three quads and despite numerous other quads I own, I reach for these three quiet often. It is really not easy for a brand to sit on top of my favorites list with all the releases for a certain season, so I decided to dedicate a post to these beautiful palettes. Unfortunately reviews and swatches of these lovely quads are much easier to find than the quads themselves, which are very hard to get unless you live in UK or Japan. To get more information on how to get Suqqu products, I recommend that you check this post from Bellyhead. I have checked out Selfridges in London and it seems as of today they still have Ex-12 and Ex-13 in stock.

Three eye shadow palettes from Suqqu Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

I would like to present you my take-on these, which will be less pan shots, less swatches but a few eye make-up photos. Ex-11 Sumiredama (violet pearl), has two darker shades with duo-chrome effect and two highlighter colors. All colors are satin, no mattes in this quad but since the shimmer are not over the top, I can use it for day time looks too. It has a peachy pink, a neutral taupe with complex shimmer, an ivory and a dark plum with green/blue shimmer (swatched below in this order).

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama swatches with direct sun

The palette gives an effortless purple smokey eye with complex but rather subtle shimmer. The results are not too warm or cold, therefore should be flattering on many skin tones. Although I find the color combination of this one the best among the three (did someone said purples?), I think this palette is the sheerest among them once it comes to pigmentation. I found the purple (third shade from the left on above swatch) to be the most pigmented one and used it on the crease and outer half of the lid. I used the taupe shade all over the lid and highlighted the inner corner with ivory shade. I then used the peachy shade over the purple on the crease for a smooth translation. I finished the eye look with a dark purple eye liner on the waterline and along the upper lash line and applied generous amount of mascara (Chanel Le Volume).

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama eye make-up, eyes open

Ex-12 Hisuidama (jade pearl) was the last palette I decided to purchase. After the first application I was cursing myself since I ever considered to skip it. This one became my favorite green eye look in no time. Most of the green palettes don't look so good on me, especially because they blend with my eye color. My misses include Dior's Khaki Design palette, which was not flattering on me. Also Tom Ford's Sahara Haze are not one of my favorites from their range. I don't know how but Jade Pearl of Suqqu worked much better than expected. This one is also much more pigmented than Ex-11, the shades are (from left to right) a very pigmented white, a gorgeous green with very complex shimmer, a warm brown with golden shimmer and a matte pink shade, which is the only shade here which is a bit sheer.

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama swatches with direct sun

For this look, I applied the green shade all over the lid, defining it with brown on the crease and outer third of the lid, then adding some white on the inner corner for highlight and smoothing the edge on the crease with the pink shade. I also used the green shade along the lower lash line for more definition and finished the eye look with plenty of mascara (Chanel Le Volume).

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama eye make-up, eyes open

Ex-13 Ginusudama is the warmest of them all. It is also the one with the shade which has the strongest duo chrome effect. From left to right, these are a satin pink, a warm reddish bronze with gold shimmer, a satin ivory and a gorgeous duo-chrome shade which is very hard to define. This one is green, purple and taupe at the same time with a touch of navy if it makes sense. Combined with bronze, it gives a unique and interesting result.

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama swatches with direct sun

For the eye look below, I applied the bronze shade all over the lid, defining my crease and outer third of the lid with the duo-chrome shade. I used the pink shade on the inner corner and to smooth the crease translation. I also applied a taupe liner (I believe this one is Urban Decay's Mushroom, which I am obsessed with at the moment) to the upper lash line and along the lower water line. I finished the look with mascara on upper and lower lashes (again Chanel's Le Volume)

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama eye make-up, eyes open

Final thoughts: I am happy to be able to complete this post about my first Suqqu Palettes. I found myself reaching for them quiet often for the last months and I was afraid not to make them justice by my photos. They are very blendable, smooth and mostly pigmented (other than the few shades I mentioned above) with complex shimmer properties and nice color combinations. My favorite is Ex-12, which is a surprise since usually green doesn't work well with my coloring. My only problem is the amount of product in these and their price (only 5g of product and retails for £45). The powder is very smooth and I can already see the level of a few main shades descreased in the pan after using them for 4-5 times. All three are limited editions and Ex-11 seems to be mostly sold out. If you are still thinking to try one out, I would recommend to act quickly.

Do you own or tried any Suqqu eye shadows/palettes? Let me know what you think about them.

It has been over a month I have been playing with these sticks, with the same enthusiasm of a kid playing with his new crayon set. I wrote my first impressions after the blue look I posted back then. Before I go into my second post with some "in action" photos, let's remember the six shades shortly. Please check out this post for full swatches and comparisons too (the following two photos are taken from my previous post).

Chanel Stylo Fresh Effect Eyeshadows from L’été Papillon de Chanel

Chanel Stylo Fresh Effect Eyeshadows come in rather vibrant shades, only Moon River (and Black Stream) being on the neutral side. Although I welcome the fact that Chanel goes outside of their comfort zone from time to time and release something unusual and fun, I have to admit I would rather have a usable peachy pink or a silvery gold color instead of Cool Gold (which is very yellow) and Pink Lagoon (which is way too pink for my taste and gives me a swollen look on the lids if used alone). I find Jade Shore to be the most wearable of the colorful range, followed by Blue Bay fitting to this year's blue theme for eye make-up.

Swatches under sun, all six Chanel Stylo Fresh Effect Eyeshadows from L’été Papillon de Chanel

During my testing phase, here are the things I noted down:

Usage on the waterline: After trying it, I was impressed how nicely this shadows glide and leave a nice pop of color, well, at least for the first 10 sec. After that my eye started to burn and get watery. Needless to say I have never tried this type of application again. Is it just me? I never had problems with any eye liners I used and usually don't have sensitive eyes. Anyone else who can report on that?

Removal: I used Bioderma as usual, it could be removed fairly easily but I recommend using more cotton pads than usual to make sure the glitters doesn't go inside the eyes.

Form/Ease of Use: The eye shadow stick is slimmer in form than other similar products, e.g. Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, so they may bend (and eventually break) if too much is taken out during the application. My Moon River was a bit softer than the others and a part of the tip got deformed. Luckily I could press it back to form with my fingers. Be sure not to take too much out.

Longetivity: This topic seems to be the one with the some controversy. Please leave a comment down below. I use it without primer and it lasts all day but I don't have oily lids to start with so I may not be the right one to test it.

Setting/Blending: They set very quickly so blending has to be done directly after application. I recommend working on one eye and then starting with the other. With the first application it is better to go for a thin layer and build on top of that. If more than one color is going to be used thin layer application becomes even more essential. I was mostly applying one color heavily on the lid and blending it with a crease brush in the beginning. Later on I have seen the gorgeous look Tracy from Beautyreflections created by using Black Stream to give some definition. I used her guidelines of thin layer application for the following looks I would like to share with you today.

Look 1: Blue with a touch of neutral warmth

This one is a way I found to make crazy blue look of this summer somehow more wearable. I aplied a thin layer of Moon River all over the lid, defining the outer half of the lid by applying Blue Bay on top of it. In this way, the Ble also looses its intensity but still shows presence. I applied it from outer edge and blended towards inside so that it is heavier on outer lid. I also swiped the stick several times halfway along the upper lash line for more intensity. I then applied black mascara on upper and lower lashes, topped it with blue stream mascara from the same collection. Because of the reflective properties the result is hard to capture with camera, and the photos doesn't do it justice, but I think you can understand the idea. For a finishing touch, I applied Cool Gold on the inner corner of the lid and lightly applied Moon River and Blue Bay along the lower lash line.

Eye make-up using Moon River, Blue Bay, Cool Gold

Look 2: Sunny Jade 3-D Effect

Again another look which is hard to capture in photos. I applied Jade Shore on the entire lid and defined the outer edge with Black Stream. I could stop here but then I could like to give a 3D effect and applied Cool Gold in the middle of the lid and intensified Jade Shore on the inner lid. I used Blue Bay as a liner to this look and Pink Lagoon along the lower lash line and inner corner. After applying black mascara to top and bottom lashes, I applied different colors all at once for the butterfly effect. I just skipped Zest, the yellow mascara which I still don't know how to use.

Eye make-up using Jade River, Cool Gold, Black Stream

I hope you liked the looks or it could inspire you in one way or the other. Let me know what you love/hate about these sticks and how you use them I would love to get some new ideas.

During one of my visits to Douglas, the summer collection of Artdeco caught my eye. Although Artdeco is widely available here (which makes sense since it is a German brand) , I don't own many of their products. I am also trying to restrict the brands I am checking out, since each new brand makes my wallet lighter so I managed to pass on this the first time around. Next time I visited the store, they were all sold out, phew, I was somehow happy to be able to successfully resist it.

Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher

After a week what I feared had happened. They restocked the items! As soon as I have seen it, I sighed for a moment appreciating the pretty design. Then I ran my hands over its soft surface and I knew that I had to take it with me. Check out this photo below, wouldn't you agree?

Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher

Artdeco describes this product as: "The three shiny shades with a soft golden shimmer lend your cheeks a classy sheen and highlight the evenness of your face. Your complexion glows as if bathed in sunlight."

The compact has three colors nicely placed emphasizing the pretty design: a peachy brownish shade, a pink coral and a cool leaning pink. Once swatched under the sun, the shades appear to be closer and warmer due to the golden sheen. The shimmer is very subtle and there is no scent, which I really prefer (probably the only thing I don't like about Guerlain's bronzers is the strong parfum). Mixed together, the bronzer compact gives a pretty coral glow with just the right amount of glow for day time.

Swatch under direct sun, Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher, individual colors (left) and mixed together (right)

Once the shade are photographed in shadow, the colors are more distinct. The cooler pink and peachy brown mute the coral, the dominating color to result in a pretty summery coral blusher color. Although the name suggest it being a bronzing blush, I would say it is more of a blusher, depending on the following comparison.

Swatch with indirect light, Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher, individual colors (right) and mixed together (left)

With summer bronzer blushes, I always wonder, how much bronzer or blusher a particular product is. I thought the following comparison may give an idea about it. I put Artdeco's Bronzing Glow Blusher next to Dior's Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow. I would like to shortly rave about how much I love Nude Tan Paradise Duos. Coral Glow was the one I opted for, which only made me crave for the second one more and purchased also Pink Glow in no time. I still have to write a review about these two. It is probably going to be the millionth review in beauty blog-sphere but I still want to share the love. Now back to Artdeco comparison...

Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher vs. Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo Coral Glow

The photo below with indirect light should give a good idea about where both products stand on a scale from %100 blusher to 100% bronzer if such a thing would exist. You can see that why I categorized Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher as a blush. Dior's Nude Tan has a bronzer part which is more dominant in the compact and it is definitely more brown. The coral part of Dior's Coral Glow is also more muted in comparison to the vibrant coral and cool pink of Art Deco's blusher.

Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher (down) vs. Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo Coral Glow (up)

Final thoughts: Bronzing Glow Blusher from Artdeco from Tribal Sunset Collection is a pretty blusher for this summer. It is limited edition but can still be found online (e.g. Beautybay) as well as in stores. The powder is soft and silky, the shade results in a vibrant coral with a subtle golden sheen. If you want a bronzer blush though, there are products which are more bronzing than this one (such as Dior's Nude Tan Duos). It is paraben free. The compact has 10g/ 0.35 OZ of product and retails for 23 EUR/$30.

Do you own any Artdeco products? Have you checked their summer collection?

The release of a new limited edition Suqqu palette caught me by surprise, since I was thinking that the last releases were meant to be for spring as well as for summer. I waited for it to hit the shelves in UK and contacted my Suqqu dealer (!) to ask for one. I was busy with packing when it arrived today. Without going into detail why I was packing, which should be the subject for the next post, let me introduce you to Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama.

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow

I can't count how many purple palettes I own (can you?) but a lavender one? To my surprise, today I found out that I don't own any. It is a light fresh alternative for summer, very different than other summer releases which are either vibrant blues&greens or soft peaches&golds. But here is Suqqu doing their own thing and I love it... Gold, lavender and midnight blue with a touch of pink.

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow

Each shade is satin but shimmer percentages are different. When I swatched them first, I thought the upper two shades are satin and the below ones are matte. After I looked at them under the sun, I have seen that all of them are satin but the lower two shades, midnight blue and pink, have less shimmer than top two.

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow, close-up

The palette consists of:

Soft yellow with golden shimmer
Lavender with silver and multi-color shimmer
Midnight blue with subtle multi-color shimmer
Pale pink with silver shimmer

All of the shades are very pigmented and buttery soft. I was very impressed during the swatches. Midnight blue shade is a bit drier than the other three, I think the intention is to avoid fall-out and I am happy to report that this dark shade caused no fall-out during application. This time around there are no multi chrome shades like in spring palettes, but these have all impressive pigments and a main difference I see between this one and recently released Ex-11,12 and 13 is how the shimmer shows itself under artificial light. Ex-14 looks very complex and a tad more shimmery under artificial light (nothing fancy, just normal bulbs we have at home) whereas I found that Ex-11/12/13 performs best under sun light.

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow, swatch under sun light

And here is Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama in action. I applied the lavender shade all over the lid. To the inner corner I layered the yellow shade to highlight. On the crease I used the midnight blue with a light hand. I applied lavender shade also along the lower lash line. I then used Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eye pencil in Blue Exqusite along the upper lash line and on lower waterline and set this with midnight blue shade. I finished the look with Chanel Le Volume mascara. Apparently I was so taken with the beauty of lavender shade, I forgot to comb my brows, so please ignore them ;-)

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow in action

Final thoughts: Nice and soft colors combined in a wearable way and brought you by Suqqu which means the quality is to die for. I especially find the shades in this palette a good alternative for blue/green or peach/gold themes which are very common this summer. One more super pretty palette from Suqqu, highly recommended.

Have you checked Ex-14? Do you like the colors? Do you find this combination wearable?

In case you will be wondering why I am so silent, that is because I am traveling. A few days ago, I packed my suitcase, painted my nails appropriate to the occasion and left. So here comes a few swatches of my mani.

Chanel Le Vernis 207 Barcelona Red

Can you guess where I am? ;-)

Today I have a piece of Mediterranean I brought with me from Barcelona. Please meet Dolce & Gabbana's Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Mediterraneo.

Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

This beauty winked me when I was checking Dolce & Gabbana Counter in El Corte Ingles in Placa de Catalunya. Since I don't know of any D&G Counters in Germany, I visited there two times and took my time playing with them a little. The second time was last hours before leaving for the airport and I was determined to get the quad called Stromboli. It was all before I ran my finger on the copper shade of Mediterraneo and I was sold.

Close-up: Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

Mediterraneo is rather an old release from (i believe) 2009. It has such a striking color combination. It is composed of an orange leaning metallic copper, a green taupe with golden sheen, a warm reddish brown and a satin ivory which slightly leans peach. Check out the following swatch to see how pigmented the colors are.

Swatch under full sun: Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

To show you the versatility of Mediterraneo, I took photos of two different eye looks. I believe there are many more. The first one is a light application, starting with ivory shade on the inner corner, intensifying it slightly with copper and defining the look with some green. I used the brown shade only as a eye liner and applied the green and copper shades also lightly along the lower lash line. I finished the look with Armani Eyes To Kill Excess Mascara in green.

Natural day-time look with Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

The second look I would like to share with you is for the ones who would like to go for a stronger eye. I applied the copper shade on the inner corner top and bottom. I used the green shade all over the eye lid and along lower lash line. I then defined the crease with the brown and smoothed the edges by ivory shade. I finished the look again with Armani Eyes To Kill Excess Mascara in green to emphasize the color a tad more.

More intense smokey look with Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

Final thoughts: Thumbs up for this D&G quad, so soft and pigmented, such a pleasure to work with. I love the color combination of Mediterraneo, especially for summer although it can also be used all through the year. I am just not that sure about the staying power, applied over Nars Pro-Prime, this one stayed around 8 hours on my non-oily lids. I would say formula and staying power is close to recent Armani quads.

Do you own any D&G quads? Do you like them?

I have been planning to start with this blog post series for a long time. After it all calmed down with summer collection releases, I took them all out and tried to figure out what would be the best way to do this. I am talking about my unreasonable obsession with Tom Ford quads and an effort to review them all.

Some Tom Ford Quads from my stash

Since Tom Ford released his beauty line some years ago, there has been 14 eye shadow palettes released, that I know of. If you know of any other, please leave a comment below. Here is my list:

Permanent Line

#01 Golden Mink: Naturals with two glitter shades of copper and gold

#02 Cognac Sable: Warm natural colors and one glitter shade of orangey copper

#03 Cocoa Mirage: Matte natural colors

#04 Crushed Amethyst: Plum palette with no glitter shades

#05 Silvered Topaz: Taupe and brown with one glitter shade in champagne

#06 Burnished Amber: Sunset colors, pink orange and plum, no glitter shade

#07 Cobalt Rush: Blues, the only palette I don't own

#08 Sahara Haze: Gray and green with one emerald green glitter shade

#09 Violet Dusk: Purple palette with one glitter shade in pink

#10 Titanium Smoke: Black and gray for ultimate smokey eye with two glitter shades ivory and black

#11 Lavender Lust (asia exclusive): Lavender and purple with one pale pink glitter shade

#12 Seductive Rose (asia exclusive): Pink and plum with two glitter shades in taupe and pink

Limited Edition:

#01 Enchanted: Plum taupe, wet and dry eye shadow, no glitter

#02 Emerald Lust: Green and blue, wet and dry eye shadow, no glitter

Some Tom Ford Quads from my stash

All permanent quads have .35 OZ/10 g of product and retail for $75/65 EUR. They are more expensive than other brands, such as Dior and Chanel but have up to 60% more product which soft of justifies their high price. Once I started collecting them, I was not sure which ones to get. Since I don't have a beauty counter near by where I leave, I had to order some of them sight unseen. In this blog post series I would like to compare quads which are in the same color family to make it easier for those of you who would like to order but can't decide. Next post is going to be about the purples, Violet Dusk and Crushed Amethyst. As I post along, I am going to update this post and link all the posts here.

[Edit] Related Posts
I) Purples: #04 Crushed Amethyst vs. #09 Violet Dusk
II) Seductive Rose and comparison with LE Enchanted
III) Lavender Lust and comparison to Violet Dusk

Do you own any Tom Ford palettes? What are your impressions about them?

Oh and... who can spot the missing quad in the pictures above? ;-)

I spread the news about the new blog post series yesterday. I aim to cover all the Tom Ford palettes, comparing them within similar colors, trying to help those who would like to decide on which quad to get without being able to swatch it in person. Tom Ford beauty line is full of stunners but unfortunately their beauty counters are rather scarce. In Germany, they can be ordered only from KaDeWe in Berlin. There is no online shopping for TF in Germany therefore you have call the counter to get your items sent to you. Each time a shipping fee of 10 EUR is applied (which I find to be ridiculously high) and at the time of this post, the shipping for orders over 150 EUR is free. The Tom Ford counter in Oberpollinger Munich is long awaited and to the best of my knowledge not opened yet. I am traveling this Thursday to Munich and I will check it out in person to update this post.

If you are following my posts, you may know how much I like a good purple palette. As I decided to purchase one of Tom Ford's purple palettes, I had hard time deciding which one to get. Although there were some reviews of the palettes, I couldn't find a picture of them side by side. There are two permanent purple themed palettes of TF beauty line, called #04 Crushed Amethyst and #09 Violet Dusk side by side. There is also #11 Lavender Lust which has similar shades but is lighter in color and is an asia exclusive, which I am going to cover soon.

Purple Tom Ford Quads: #09 Violet Dusk & #04 Crushed Amethyst

Once put side by side, it is easier to see that Violet Dusk has a vibrant purple (bottom left) shade and one glitter shade (top left) to make it more stand out once applied as opposed to rather understated plums of Crushed Amethyst. Crushed Amethyst also leans all in all more brown, more natural.

Purple Tom Ford Quads close-up: #09 Violet Dusk & #04 Crushed Amethyst

Crushed Amethyst on the other hand has a satin white as highlighting shade (top left) which comes handy for inner corner and brow bone as well as layered over other shades to make them appear lighter. The mid-shade, which is usually applied all over the lid on the upper right of both palettes have similar intensity but Crushed Amethyst's mid-shade is warmer than Violet Dusk's which is cooler and more blue based. Another main difference is how the matte shades are placed. Violet Dusk has a vibrant matte shade which is not very dark ( may not be dark enough for an eye liner application). Crushed Amethyst's darker shade is matte, which in my opinion looks better applied as an eye liner. Violet Dusk has a gorgeous blue based satin dark shade, which can be used to define the look on the crease beautifully.

Full sun swatches of purple Tom Ford Quads: #09 Violet Dusk & #04 Crushed Amethyst

Below I applied both palettes to show one example of the final effect. Both can be applied lighter or denser depending on your needs. Below you can see #04 Crushed Amethyst, mid-shade (top right) applied all over the lid, white shade (top left) used as highlighter on inner corner and very lightly on the brow bone. Third shade on the swatches (bottom left) is used to define the outer corner and the crease, together with the darker shade (bottom right) which is also used to set the eye liner (Chanel Grenat) along the upper and lower lash line. I find the final look to be colorful yet wearable which makes this palette the one that I often reach for.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #04 Crushed Amethyst in action

I reach for Violet Dusk to go for a statement look. It is the ultimate party purple smokey eye palette. Also be sure to check out Charlette Tilburry's purple smokey eye make-up tutorial using Violet Dusk, which I recreated for my profile photo (you can see on right corner of the page). Although the photos below make no justice, I included them so that you can get a rough idea. I applied the mid-shade (bottom left) all over the lid, defining it with the vibrant purple and dark shade (bottom left and right). You can stop at this point if you don't like glitters but I think the special effect of the palette comes once the glitter is applied. The best way to apply it is to use your fingers. By doing that tap generous amount of glitter on the mid part of the lid and to the inner corner. You will directly notice the added shiny wet ompf to your vibrant purple smokey eye. Especially under artificial light, it really looks stunning.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #09 Violet Dusk in action

Final thoughts: If you are thinking to invest in a purple Tom Ford palette, you may want to think about where you would like to use it. Is it for an special event (Violet Dusk) or would you like to rather use it daily (Crushed Amethyst)? Do you like blue based purple tones (Violet Dusk) or you would rather have a low-key natural plum palette (Crushed Amethyst)? Do you like glitters (Violet Dusk) or you can't picture yourself using them. I hope this comparison was helpful.

Which one is your favorite? Do you own any of those?

To thank for all the positive vibes regarding my new blog post series, I decided not to loose time for my second post attempt. Today I would like to talk about one of the recent additions to my stash, Seductive Rose, which quickly became one of my favorite Tom Ford quads. You just need to check the delicate rose or taupe glitter and the stunning brownish plum shade with pink micro shimmer to understand why.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose

Seeing this color combination, you must be wondering why I waited so long. The reason was because I didn't know that this palette existed. I was almost sure that I own all the Tom Ford quads (but one) until I have seen Kai's post on Seductive Rose. These beautiful shades were calling my name but being an Asia exclusive palette, it was very hard for me to get my hands on it. It is not a secret anymore that Kai is kindly helping me with Asia exclusive items. Such as the Chanel Ombres Fleuries Quadra Eye Shadow in Delicatesse, Dior Asia exclusive nail polishes in Nymphea, Peony and Crystal or Chanel Hong Kong collection items even before they hit the exclusive counter in Stuttgart. More on how to get help in obtaining Asia exclusives, check out her post.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose

Seductive Rose composes of two satin and two glitter shades like Golden Mink and Titanium Smoke. In fact the concept is rather similar to Golden Mink since the glitter shades are both light colors (Titanium smoke has a dark black glitter shade) so if you happen to own and like Golden Mink, you might consider to get Seductive Rose. The darkest shade of the palette has gorgeous pink micro shimmer which gives an additional dimension to it, which is hard to capture with camera.

Close-up: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose

I swatched the colors with my fingers in the following order and took the photo under full sun.

Upper left: A very light pink leaning slightly peach, satin finish
Upper right: Peachy pink glitter on transparent base
Bottom left: Taupe and silver mixed glitter on transparent base
Bottom right: Natural plum shade which leans brown with fuchsia micro shimmer, satin finish

Swatch with direct sunlight: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose

I was planning to review Seductive Rose together with Limited Edition Quad Enchanted from Jardin Noir Collection from Fall 2012. They have similar shades but I have seen that Enchanted can't be purchased anymore and its prices went ridiculously high on auction sites, so I really don't want to encourage anyone to pay for it. Instead, I would like to show it side by side with Seductive Rose, so if you already own it or if you missed it, you know how they compare.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose vs. Enchanted (Limited Edition)

Enchanted and Emerald Lust from Jardin Noir Collection have different texture compared to other Tom Ford quads. They can also be used wet for an intense application. I rarely used Enchanted wet and find the dry application intense enough for my taste. The main difference between the two quads however is the glitter shades. Enchanted has no glitter shades (marked as LL.2 and LL.3 below) as opposed to Seductive Rose having two. On a side note, I must have been thinking of Lavender Lust, (another Asia exclusive shade which I will be reviewing soon) while naming each shade so please ignore the naming convention below which makes no sense.

Close up: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose vs. Enchanted (Limited Edition)

The below photo is taken with full sun, I swatched the eye shadows using my finger and sweeping just once. The first shade of Seductive Rose, LL.1 is much lighter than any other shade of the bunch. LL.2 is close to E.2 but has a glitter structure. The gorgeous taupe glitter appears similar to E.1, but again it is composed of glitter on a transparent base, so is rather made for layering. The darker shade LL.4 of Seductive Rose is lighter and a tad more red than the darkest shade E.4 of Enchanted. It also has micro shimmer and is more multi-dimentional.

Swatch comparison under sunlight: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose vs. Enchanted (Limited Edition)

Although glitter may thought to be something for parties and night looks, I think the grown up glitters of Tom Ford can be worn also during the day. On Saturday I wore the following look, and the effect under sun light was stunning. It gave the impression of shining eyes. I applied the lightest satin shade (LL.1) all over the lid. After that I lightly defined the crease and outer lid with the darkest shade (LL.4). I mixed the lightest (LL.1) and darkest (LL.4) shades to define my lower lash line subtlely. I then picked up some of the taupe glitter (LL.3) with my finger and gently tapped it on my lid. I did the same with the pink glitter (LL.2) to obtain multi colored shimmer effect. I used Chanel's eye liner Grenat along the lower water line and the top lashes. I then applied generous amount of mascara on both upper and lower lashes (Chanel Le Volume).

In action: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #12 Seductive Rose

Final thoughts: Tom Ford's Seductive Rose delivers a gorgeous color combination and two grown-up glitter shades for your day and night time looks. The color concept of Limited Edition Enchanted Quad is similar but the textures of the eye shadows (glitter vs. satin) are different. I really love wearing Seductive Rose, however I would probably reach for it even more frequently if taupe shade would be satin instead of glitter. This quad is not available at counters outside of Asia (Asia Exclusive) therefore check it out during your travels, ask a friend or follow the steps indicated in this post.

Do you like Seductive Rose? Could you get your hands on Enchanted last Fall?

Earlier this month Laura Mercier released Summer Nudes Collection which consists of six lip glosses and six nail polishes.The following are the complete list of products and color definitions provided by the brand, you can also find press photos here:

Lip Glace ($24.00/ €27.00)

Pout – cool soft pink
Bare Baby– peachy pink
Pink Diamond– sheer delicate pink
Bare Blush– deep champagne taupe
Bare Beige– light neutral brown
Quartz– rich bronze gold shimmer

Nail Lacquer ($18.00/ €19.00)

Bare Angel– soft pale pink
Bare Rose– soft mauve taupe
Bare Haze– cool slate
Bare Mocha– cool brown
Bare Espresso– rich coffee bean
Cocoa Suede - chocolate brown

Lip glace is supposed to be a lip gloss with more pigmentation. The colors didn't call my name so I passed on those. As for the nail polishes, I remembered the last one, called Cocoa Suede, from Fall Collection, Cinema Noir, you can check it hereat Pam's blog. I found Bare Angel to be too sheer for my taste and Bare Espresse too dark for summer, so I brought home three of the nail polishes, Bare Rose, Bare Haze and Bare Mocha.

Laura Mercier Summer Nudes Collection Nail Polishes, Bare Rose, Bare Haze, Bare Mocha

The first thing upon coming home was to find out about the bottle craziness which is going on with Laura Mercier nail polishes for the past year. Not only the form changes drastically, but also the size of the bottle, check out the following releases to understand what I mean.

Left: Organza from Cinema Noir Fall 2012 Collection, 10.35ml/0.35 OZ.

Middle: Crimson from Art Deco Muse Collection from Holiday 2012, 14 ml/0.46 OZ.

Right: Bare Rose from Summer Nudes Collection from Summer 2013, 11 ml/0.37 OZ.

Laura Mercier nail polishes from different collection, from left to right Organza, Crimson, Bare Rose

What made me smile was to see the confusion about where to write the brand name on the bottles and in which direction. Looking at the trend let me guess that next time they will try to put it perpendicular and on the glass part! *big grin* I usually like the formula of LM nail polishes but in my opinion they should really settle on a concept if they want to be an respected brand on the market. I encourage the company to check Chanel nail polish bottles for the last ten years to see what I mean.

Anyway, moving on to the swatches. A good nude is always welcome to my stash regardless of the bottle shape so let's see if those are qualified to be stacked inside one of my precious shoe boxes (!). Before I start I would like to apologize for any strange artifacts you may see in the photos. I am experimenting with Gimp with no previous Photoshop knowledge so please bare with me and be kind enough ignore anything out of place.

Let's start with the darkest of the bunch, Bare Mocha. It is defined as a cool brown. I wore this shade for three days and it appeared different to me each day. Be it a rich brown, a warm dark taupe or a dark plum, I love such shades which are not easy to explain.

Laura Mercier Bare Mocha from Summer Nudes Collection

The formula and staying power was great. I used two coats for the swatches which was perfectly opaque. Also the formula of Laura Mercier dries very quickly which is a must-have property for me since I am so impatient once it comes to staying still and doing nothing.

Laura Mercier Bare Mocha from Summer Nudes Collection

The second shade I would like to introduce is Bare Haze. As soon as I have seen this one, I was sure that I needed it. I can't resist warm greyish colors which lean to all possible other colors, is it a gray, a mauve, a taupe or khaki? All mixed down, it would be Bare Haze. This shade is also not so dark, makes it perfect regardless of the time of the year or the occasion. Perfect formula, two coats are needed for a good coverage, as seen in the following photos.

Laura Mercier Bare Haze from Summer Nudes Collection

Bare Haze gives you the office friendly nails which matches almost all your outfits without being boring. Too good to be true, isn't it?

Laura Mercier Bare Haze from Summer Nudes Collection

I compared Bare Mocha and Bare Haze to similar nude colors from my stash. As I was expecting, Bare Mocha is rather dupable and very close to both Chanel Particuliere and Dior Trench so if you own any of those, you may want to skip this one.

Laura Mercier Summer Nudes Collection Bare Haze and Bare Mocha comparisons

Bare Haze however proves to be a "lighter" nude which is as interesting and unique as Particuliere. I haven't found anything in my stash which is close to it. Dior Grege leans much more beige and Khaki Rose is too warm and brown once compared. Needless to say, Bare Haze is my favorite of Laura Mercier's Summer Nudes collection.

Laura Mercier Summer Nudes Collection Bare Haze and Bare Mocha comparisons on nail wheel

Last color I would like to present is Bare Rose. I must have been sold by the name, or maybe by the subtle fuchsia micro sheen in the bottle. Unfortunately this doesn't transfer to the nails and Bare Rose needs three coats to become opaque. It is a nice nude for those of you who like mannequien hands but I believe there are other polishes in the market which are opaque with two coats, would give you the same effect and are probably cheaper. So check out the following photos to decide for yourself.

Laura Mercier Bare Rose from Summer Nudes Collection

Comparing Bare Rose would be an insane effort since I own way too many nail polishes which are almost identical. I skipped that and instead tried to capture the pink/fuchsia sheen in the bottle. Isn't it beautiful?

Laura Mercier Bare Rose from Summer Nudes Collection

Final thoughts: I picked up three of the six shades released with Laura Mercier's Summer Nudes Collection. Bare Mocha is nice and complex but very close to Chanel Particuliere and Dior Trench. Bare Haze is very unique and stunning, which is my favorite of this collection. Bare Haze and Bare Mocha need 2 coats to be opaque and both have great formula. Bare Rose needs three coats and it should be flaterring on many skin colors but it is highly dupable. For me only Bare-Haze is a must-have.

Have you checked out this capsule collection of Laura Mercier? Do you find yourself wearing such colors for Summer?

The little Briar Rose who was cursed by an evil witch. Why? Because the witch was not invited to the festival held by her parents upon her birth. The beautiful princess fell asleep after pricking herself with a spindle. As every story needs a terrifying witch, it also needs a handsome prince. After a hundred years of solid dreaming, he kisses the sleeping princess and they live happily after.

Edward Burne Jones is a renowned English Artist and Designer, who worked in stained glass and painting as well as many other crafts. He depicted the sleeping scenes of "Sleeping Beauty" tale on a series of paintings which he called "The Legend of Briar Rose".

E. Burne Jones' The Rose Bower Painting, Buscot Park [source]

Adina, the founder of a-england nail polish brand must have seen many sleeping beauties on our fingers and decided to wake them up with her new collection, dedicated to Burne-Jones' The Rose Bower painting series. The collection is composed of five nail polishes but at the moment only four of them are released. The fifth one which is not reviewed below is called Briar Wood and is described as deep vampy red scattered holo.You can check the availability of the brand on their web page under where to buy (not an affilate link).

A-england Burne-Jones Dream Collection

Appropriate to the floor decoration on "Rose Bower" painting of Burne-Jones, the first nail polish I would like to introduce you today is a gorgeous red with subtle holo effect. A-england makes some of the best holo nail polishes out there but up to now the collection was lacking a true holo red. Adina must have felt the longing of her fans and crowned them with a gorgeous one coater, Rose Bower.

A-england Rose Bower

After being a fan of the unique finish of Parceval from a-england, I was not suprised how much I loved Rose Bower too. I used two coats to strengthen the holo effect but I might have stopped after one coat which gave me the perfect coverage.

Close-up: a-england Rose Bower close-up

The fated prince who kisses the princess good morning will also wake up the beauty of our nails? It has an anthracite base but leans green. It must have been because of the stain of the vegetation surronding the palace upon his arrival ;-). A tad more thinner than the rest of the nail polishes in this collection, Fated Prince is perfectly opaque after two coats.

A-england Fated Prince

I used two coats for the swatches. On the nails, its holo particles of gold and green are stronger than Rose Bower which makes you go wow under sun light or artificial light alike.

Close-up: A-england Fated Prince

Next one is Sleeping Palace. With the first swipe, I knew it would be one of my all time favorite a-england nail polishes. I own many plums and purples but I haven't got such a gorgeous aubergine shade until now. On top of that there are all these copper, gold and multi colored holo particles adding dimensions over dimensions. Just too pretty to explain...

A-england Sleeping Palace

Another great formula, not too thick but manages a perfect cover with just one coat. Sleeping Palace makes your dreams come true!

Close-up: A-england Sleeping Palace

The last piece I would like to introduce to you is called after the name of the painting series and the tale itself, Briar Rose. As I am typing these lines while wearing it, needless to say that it is my favorite of this collection, a purple leaning rose with gorgeous multi colored holo.

A-england Briar Rose

I love everything about this polish, how metallic and streak free it looks, where exactly the base color stops between pink and purple and how gorgeous its wearable holo effect is under any light. Another one-coater and needs a big applause.

Close-up: A-england Briar Rose

Check also the following blogs out for more swatches:

Final thoughts: Another gorgeous collection from a-england, inspired from Sleeping Beauty painting series of E. Burne-Jones. Three of the four shades (Rose Bowel, Sleeping Palace, Briar Rose) are one-coater and the fourth shade (Fated Prince) is perfectly opaque in two coats. The base coats are complex and beautiful, holo effect are visible yet wearable. My personal picks are Sleeping Palace and Briar Rose. I purchased mine from Lovely Cosmetics, costs 10,99 EUR for 13ml. bottle.

Do you like holo finish? Have you tried a-england yet?

Recently I excepted the challenge of covering all available Tom Ford Quads. As I just got my hands on the Asia Exclusive Palettes, I shall spend no time in sharing my enthusiasm. If you remember my last post, I was raving about Seduction Rose and how much I love it. Today it is about time to introduce the second one, Lavender Lust.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust

I would call Lavender Lust the subtler version of Violet Dusk, reviewed here. The above photo doesn't depict the colors well, the below photos come closer to how it looks in person. Lavende Lust consists of the following shades:

Top left: Light pink and silver, glitter finish
Top right: Mid-toned lavender which leans grey, complex satin finish
Bottom left: Cool light pink with grey undertones, satin finish
Bottom right: Dark plum with micro lavender shimmer, satin finish

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust

Once swatched, it can be seen that the shades are from the same color family, going from lighter to darker. It is good for a gradual smokey eye of grey leaning lavender/pink. In this manner the quad delivers versatility only on the intensity of the eye look (day time or night time looks or fair skin to darker skin applications) but doesn't offer different color combinations. Depending on what you are trying to achive, this might be something desirable or not. Here are the swatch photo taken under full sun light.

Full sun swatch of Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust

The finish and the shades of Lavender Lust reminds me of Violet Dusk thus the comparison below. Although at first glance three shades out of four appear to be similar, once swatched none of them turned out to be dupes.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust vs. #09 in Violet Dusk

Close-up: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust vs. #09 in Violet Dusk

The pink glitter shade in Lavender Lust (top left) has a pink base but the glitter shade of Violet Dusk (top left) has a transparent base. Top right shades are also different, Lavender Lust has a darker lavender shade leaning grey and Violet Dusk's similar shade is lighter and leans more pink. Bottom left shades of both palettes are very different, Violet Dusk has a vibrant purple whereas Lavender Lust has a very light shade, useful for subtle eye looks or as a highlight. The darkest shades (bottom left) of both palettes appear similar, Lavender Lust has a cooler plum and the lavender/purple micro shimmer makes it more complex compared to this particular shade of Violet Dusk.

Full sun swatch comparison of Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust and #09 in Violet Dusk

For the below look I applied the lighter shade (bottom left) on the inner corner and lavender shade (top right) on the lid and along the bottom lashes. After defining the crease and the outer third of the lid with the darkest shade (bottom right), I picked up some glitter with my fingers (top left shade) and padded it gently on the center of the lid. I also used the darkest shade as and eye liner to lightly define along the lashes. I finished the following look with lots of mascara (Chanel Le Volume) on top and bottom lashes.

In action: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad #11 in Lavender Lust

Final thoughts: Lavender Lust is a nice alternative to a purple smokey eye if you don't want something very vibrant like Tom Ford Violet Dusk or Guerlain Attrape-Coeur. I wished there would be a bit more versatility on the colors though, like Suqqu's recent Summer palette Ex-14 Ruridama. That said, I still like this palette and how the glitter works in harmony with the shades, giving a wearable but chic shining eyes effect. Being exclusive to Asia, Lavender Lust is rather hard to get. Be sure to check the post on Seductive Rose and instruction on how to get your hands on it.

Do you like lavender quads? Do you have or would you consider having Lavender Lust?

Finally they are all here!

How much trouble would you go through for make-up? Listen to this...

It took almost a month for me to collect the pieces of Tom Ford Summer Collection since in Germany the access to this brand is very limited. Although it is easier to find the lipsticks and nail polishes, currently Berlin is the only place where you can find an extended counter with full product range. I am blessed to have one of my besties living in Berlin but each time I called the counter, they would say they didn't receive the collection so I started getting inpatient. Seeing the items selling out very quickly in US, I decided to wait no more. My friend Mari ordered some pieces she could still find for me from US and send it to my ex-flatmate who was about to fly to Germany for a visit. Before she flew, my friend purchased the item which was most difficult to find, Fire Lust Illuminator and I suddenly owned two of those! My bad, I couldn't inform her on time. She had to go and change it for Bronzed Amber, a blush stick, which I couldn't find in US anymore. So here they are, side by side!

Pieces I picked up from Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection

#1 - Nail Lacquer in Vapor

I was not very sure about this one. I have read that it was streaky, then I have read that it was very similar to Chanel Attraction, which I almost never reach for. But in the end, the curiosity got the worst of me.

#2 - Cream Color for Eyes in Pink Haze & #3 - Cream Color for Eyes in Escapade

These two were must haves for me. I missed the ones from last year and I regretted it. I was also hearing that those would be the stars of this collection. Swatching at once, I was not sure how they would apply, but on the eyes I am convinced. They give such a lovely natural look. Check Make-up Magpie's post for color comparisons.

#4 - Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust

This one was the product which was most talked about with so many different application possibilities listed by Beauty Look Book. I had to have it! I ended up having two of it at some point when I was making sure not to miss it! Was it worth the effort?... Let me come to this later...

#5 - Illuminating Cheek Color in Bronzed Amber

Two colors of creme blush are released by this collection. After finding out that they were both pretty share, I decided to go for only the darkest one, Bronzed Amber.

#6 - Bronzer in Gold Dust

One of my favorite bronzers. This one is in permanent range so I purchased it some months ago before summer collection madness started.

Below is a swatch of all my picks. Just looking at it from a distance, you can see that Tom Ford is trying to achieve an almost mono chromatic look with peachy colors and multi dimentional shimmer. With this he tries to achieve to give your face a beachy feeling of being natually sun kissed. It is hard to capture and explain how gorgeous the shimmer of these look like in person. If you would like to see comparisons for the bronzer, Gold Dust, check out this post.

Swatches of the pieces I picked up from Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection

Before we come to how they apply, let me introduce you first to Vapor, the pearly white nail polish of this collection. It is one of the colors, which would look divine with tanned skin. This one is quiet close to Chanel's Attraction of which I am no fan but after reading that this one was less likely to crash against warmer skin tones, I decided to give it a try. Vapor is described as "semi-sheer" by the brand, so I was not expecting a full coverage by the second coat. Although it was not a full coverage, I would say it was wearable. Below photos are taking after using two coats.

Two coats of Tom Ford Nail Lacquer Vapor, photographed indoor and outdoor

Then I decided to test it also for three coats. Having already applied top coat for the photos with two coats, I applied the third coat on the top coat and I found out that the polish was evened out. I don't know if it was the top coat in between or simply the third coat but I was happy with the result. heck out yourself, the following photos are taken with: 2 coats Vapor + 1 coat Seche Vite + 1 Coat Vapor + 1 coat Seche Vite in this order.

Three coats of Tom Ford Nail Lacquer Vapor, photographed indoor and outdoor

I found the brush strokes to be less visible in Vapor compared to Attraction, also the color is softer (agree on Sabrina on that one). It turned out I expected the worst which made me not hate Viper in the end. Actually I even liked it (typing these lines while wearing it).

Let's check how the rest of the collection applies. The following look is composed of:

Eyes: Escapade on inner lid, Pink Haze on outer lid and lots of mascara (Chanel Le Volume) on top and bottom.
Cheeks: Bronzed Amber under the cheek bones and Fire Lust above as highlighter. Gold Dust on the edges of the face, lightly dusted.
Nails: Vapor

I am also wearing Dior Nude BB Cream in 002 and Chanel Glossimer in Amour.

All products from Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection are in action

First I was not very convinced of neither the cream eye shadows nor the highlighter. I liked the "hard to make it wrong" application of Bronzed Amber though, gave me a wearable contour in no time. Tried to make photos of this look, not being able to capture the dewy side of it, I gave up and went out with my hubby for lunch. We were just starting to walk to the park when he looked at me and said "wow, this must have been the best make-up you have ever worn". I was not expecting it because he usually compliments for stronger eye looks, I asked to him what he liked about it. He said "these colors matches your eyes". I understood it was the eye shadows. They had indeed given me a "your eyes but much better" look in a very elegant way. When we were on the way back, the sun hit on my face and he said again "oh how gorgeous your cheeks light up". He was so happy and was watching it. This one was surely for Fire Lust. But sometimes I am so evil and I had to ruin this precious moment by telling him "it must have been the awfully expensive highlighter I just accidentally purchased twice!".

Why am I so honest/evil sometimes? ;-)

All products from Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection are in action

Special thanks to: Mari from US & my bestie from Berlin for purchases, my ex-flatmate to carry it all the way to Germany and my hubby for the compliments.

Did you get any products from this collection? Do you like using them? What are your impressions?

Tom Ford Cosmetics started to take over the blog, so I decided to throw something else in between. I have taken the photos some time ago but the product is still available. If you are on the market for a peachy eye shadow palette with a copper/plum twist, you may want to check this out: Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette.

Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette

The palette consists of four eye shadow shades and an eye liner shade. Similar to the Splendours bronzer (reviewed previously here) from same collection, it has gorgeous design embossed on it, inspired by the ruins of South America.

Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette

As much as I love almost all of their powder releases, I am a little cautious with Clarins eye shadow palettes. The reason behind is that in the past I have seen that not all the shades in one quad perform their best if used dry. You may accept this fact and use them wet at all times but I still find inconsistency throughout the formula of one quad undesirable.

Close-up: Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette

This is why it took me some time until I decided to purchase Splendours Quad. After a quick swatch at Clarins counter in Breuninger, I knew this one was no exception in terms of inconsistency. Knowing that didn't help though, I was sold for the orange copper shade, which has the smoothest and most pigmented gorgeous formula I have ever seen from a Clarins eye shadow. Let me introduce you to the shades (from left to right in swatch photo):

Copper leaning orange, metallic finish with golden shimmer. Very pigmented and soft, performs great wet or dry (up left in quad).
Warm peachy satin ivory. Very soft to touch and great color pay-off, similar to orange copper shade, great wet or dry (up right in quad).
Warm brown leaning slightly plum, satin finish. Not very pigmented, looks darker but drier to touch and color pay-off is rather poor if used dry (bottom left in quad).
Metallic peach shade with silvery gold micro shimmer, this shade performs OK, somewhere in between the upper shades (copper and ivory) and darker plum shade. Can also be used dry (bottom right in quad).
Dark plum, matte and rather dry eye liner, performs best wet (right most in quad).

Swatch under full sun light: Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette

For the following look, I used all the eye shadow shades dry (only eye liner shade is applied wet) to show the rather "nude" look it gives. I used the copper shade all over the lid, ivory shade on the inner corner and brown shade to define the crease. I applied the peach shade along the lower lash line and the eye liner shade is used wet along the upper and lower lash line. As you see the eye liner is performing rather subtle. If you like stronger lined eyes, then you should consider using it as eye liner setting powder on top of the eye liner you regularly use. Also using a black or brown eye liner and setting it with this shade would soften it and give a slight plum hue. Shelynx from Der blasse Schimmer also have nice photos of eye makeup using this palette (and a nice review in German), so be sure to check that out too.

Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette in action

Clarins Splendours delivers one of the most popular color themes on the eyes for this season, "peaches and bronze". Just recall Chanel Pearl River, Armani Quad #10 Mirage and Armani Face&Eye Palette (all three are compared previously here) or Tom Ford Escapade and Pink Haze (reviewed here) and you know what I mean. I find the second tier of Armani Face&Eye Palette to be the closest in color, thus compared them below.

Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette comparison with Armani Face&Eyes Palette Summer 2013

Three shades of Clarins Spledours palette are very close to Armani Face&Eye Palette as seen below. The one which stole my heart (orange copper shade) is luckily not there, which justifies my buy, sort of. Clarins Palette can also be used to recreate the eye look done with Armani palette previously here.

Comparison swatch with full sun light: Clarins Splendours vs. Armani Face&Eye Summer 2013

Final thoughts: Clarins releases another pretty palette with wearable trending colors for this summer. Orange copper and warm ivory shades on the top raw performs best. The darkest color has somewhat not very good pay-off once applied dry but this can be applied wet for a stronger eye look. I find the eye liner to be too subtle even with wet application so I prefer to use it to set my eye liner. All in all a nice summer palette. The product is currently sold out at most of the stores in Germany but available online at Clarins' web site. Compact houses 5,6g product and retails for 40 EUR/42 $.

Have you checked out Clarins Splendours collection? What are your picks?

The blog post series go on with two of the mostly owned/spoken/reviewed/worn palettes of Tom Ford. I am taking about the holy grail matte palette #03 Cocoa Mirage and the most sparkly neutral I have ever seen, #01 Golden Mink.

Tom Ford Quads: #01 Golden Mink (right) & #03 Cocoa Mirage (left)

Although they look similar in the pan, they are very different once applied. Cocoa Mirage is composed of three matte and one satin shade. Golden Mink on the other hand has two glitter shades and two satins. Golden Mink was sent to me by Mari from US, and on the way the upper left golden sparkle shade was broken. I pressed it back with my fingers, this is why you see the texture looks a bit different but it is completely intact.

Tom Ford Quads: #01 Golden Mink & #03 Cocoa Mirage

The below swatch is taken by applying the shades by swiping once with my fingers. The photo is taken under direct sun light. Cocoa Mirage is composed of an off-white (top left) matte, a mid toned warm matte brown (tom right), a darker reddish satin brown (bottom left) and a dark chocolate brown (bottom right). Golden Mink offers two glitter shades, golden glitter on transparent base (top left) and peachy glitter (top right), a gorgeous satin taupe brown (bottom left) and a dark satin bronze brown (bottom right).

Swatch under full sun: Tom Ford Quads #01 Golden Mink & #03 Cocoa Mirage

Although can be used on a daily basis for a gorgeous natural day-time look, I find myself not reaching for Cocoa Mirage often. I find this one a bit boring but I can see that some may like it for the easy polished look it provides. If you want to go for a bold lip look, this may also come in handy. For the following eye make-up, I used the off-white (top left) at inner corner, mid toned brown (top right) on the lid and on the lower lash line, defined the look with two darker shades (bottom left and right) on the outer lid and crease. I also used the darkest shade as eye liner.

Tom Ford Quad #03 Cocoa Mirage in action

Two glitter shades? I never could understand why would you need a second one. I would opt rather for a highlighter shade instead of one of them if I could choose. Nevertheless I like the results once they are both padded on the lid. For the following look I used my favorite taupe shade (bottom left) all over the lid and defined it with the dark bronze brown (bottom left). Mixed them both and applied along the bottom lashes. I then padded the peachy glitter (top right) on the whole lid and golden glitter (top left) on the inner lid. Golden Mink is another quad I don't reach often for (more often than Cocoa Mirage though), nevertheless I like it once worn.

Tom Ford Quad #01 Golden Mink in action

Final thoughts: Although they look similar in the pan, Tom Ford Quads in #01 Golden Mink and #03 Cocoa Mirage are very different once applied. If you love matte eye shadows, simple effortless chic date time looks without much drama on eyes, Cocoa Mirage is your palette. If you want more sparkle, glitter but still choose to stay neutral, be sure to check out Golden Mink.

Which one is your favorite?

My Rouge Bunny Rouge Trio with Snowy Egret, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle

YSL La Laque Couture #36 Vert D'Orient from Summer 2013 Saharienne Heat Collection

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #57 True Blue from L’été Papillon Summer 2013 Collection

Guerlain Fard Metal 01 Cuivre Ora & 02 Bronze Ora from Terra Ora Collection

Guerlain Terra Ora Sculpting Powder Contrast Highlighter

Suqqu Spring/Summer Palettes, Ex-11 Sumiredama, Ex-12 Hisuidama, Ex13 Ginusudama

Caught in Action: Chanel Stylo Fresh Effect Eyeshadows from L’été Papillon de Chanel

Look 1: Blue with a touch of neutral warmth

Look 2: Sunny Jade 3-D Effect

Artdeco Bronzing Glow Blusher from Tribal Sunset Collection Summer 2013

Suqqu Ex-14 Ruridama Blend Color Eyeshadow

Away for a few days

Dolce & Gabbana Mediterraneo Smooth Eye Colour Quad

Blog Post Series: A Comprehensive Guide to Tom Ford Eye Color Quads

Blog Post Series, Tom Ford Quads I: Purples, #09 Violet Dusk & #04 Crushed Amethyst

Blog Post Series Tom Ford Quads II: Seductive Rose (Asia Exclusive) (vs. Enchanted, Limited Edition)

Laura Mercier Summer Nudes Collection Nail Polishes, Bare Haze, Bare Mocha, Bare Rose Review & Comparison

Wake your inner "Sleeping Beauty" up with A-England Burne-Jones Dream Collection

Blog Post Series Tom Ford Quads III: Lavender Lust (Asia Exclusive)

Caught in Action: Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection. Pink Haze, Escapade, Bronzed Amber, Fire Lust and Vapor

Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet & Eye Liner Palette, Review & Comparison

Blog Post Series, Tom Ford Quads IV: Naturals, #01 Golden Mink & #03 Cocoa Mirage