Color Me Loud

After my first decision to get Golden Snow quint from Dior's Golden Winter Holiday Collection, I couldn't resist the plum shade in Golden Flower calling my name and placed a second order. I wore Golden Snow three days of last week, which may state a record for any eye shadow palette in my collection. I expected to love Golden Flower too, maybe not as much because it is rather subdued, natural and maybe not that interesting and unique but warm naturals with a touch of plum was too good to pass.

Dior 5 Couleurs #634 Golden Flower

Golden Flower has four shades and one glitter shade. Top two shades are lighter satins, bottom two are deeper naturals of matte and satin texture. If you leave the center glitter shade, it makes a lovely everyday quad. Once you pad a glitter on the lid, it becomes also a little festive. I found that the center shade is not a crazy glitter and once padded lightly, for me it is appropriate to be worn during the day.

Close-up: Dior 5 Couleurs #634 Golden Flower

Here are the shades in Golden Flower:

#1: Light pink with satin finish and golden sheen
#2: Warm satin white
#3: Mid-toned antique gold with satin finish
#4: Deep warm plum with almost matte finish
#5: Silver-golden glitter shade

Swatch: Dior 5 Couleurs #634 Golden Flower

I can see most of you sighing happily with the beauty of antique gold shade but I have to make a confession. I hate antique gold on my lids, LOL! Well I am also no fan of khaki. Considering these are close neighbors on color spectrum, it all makes sense. I find these shades to be too warm for my skin and blending too much with my eyes. The plum I used on the crease didn't save the eye look for me and I ended up being a little meh about it. The shades are very nicely pigmented and finely milled. I like working with them, wished I liked the colors on me, it would make a great everyday quad. Next I am going to try going heavier with plum with an accent with pink/gold. Once I try this, of course I will let you know.

So below you see #3 on the lid, #4 on the crease, #1 on inner corner, #5 padded lightly on the lid.

In-action: Dior 5 Couleurs #634 Golden Flower

Final thoughts: Lovely warm quad for everyday looks and a little bit of fun with a glitter shade. That being said, my heart still belongs to Golden Snow which I find to be more unique and interesting.

Antique Gold, do you love it? Am I the only odd one out?

So far Chanel's Holiday Collection has been a hit for me. Illusion d'Ombre in Fatal (reviewed here) became my go-to quick make-up eye product and have been used over and over again during the course of last weeks. This is why I even considered a back-up of that once Nuit Infinie de Chanel hit counters in Germany. I am trying to give up on getting back-ups though because experience have shows that they usually are not needed as long as new pretties arrive.

Here is a new love from that collection I would like to present you today, Joues Contraste in Accent...

Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

I have heard a lot about this blush, so by the time I lifted the cover, I was very excited to meet it in person. My first impression was "oh this is shiny!" then something like "what color is this anyway?" Interesting thing about Accent is that it is a unique blush color and has glitters. So without trying it on, it is hard to tell how it would look like.

Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

I first rushed upstairs to find a "similar" shade. I was trying almost everything from my stash, swatching them side by side, hopelessly. Nothing turned out to be ever belonging to the same color family. I started with Guerlain's Crazy Terracotta which I am loving at the moment (reviewed here) but it turned out to be very coral/pink once compared. was that supposed to be a blush? Anyway, I was thinking one of the new Chanel blushes, #85 Evocation (reviewed here) might come close, but it is way too warm and brown. I swatched Chanel Notorious because I thought Accent looks very cool so let me see how it looks against Notorious. In fact to be Accent looks like Evocation cooled down with Notorious, if that ever would make sense. Do you see the silver sparkles once swatched on my arm?

Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent vs. other blushes from my stash, swatched

Onto applying on the cheeks, I was like wowed! It really is unique, on swatches and on cheeks I was happy to find out that sparkles didn't make me look like a disco ball. Actually those don't ever show up that much, only give a wonderful sheen. I find most of the bronzers too warm toned, so for me Accent is like a magical complexion enhancer. After using it, my cheeks look slightly sun kissed and highlighted. I love using Accent with Rouge Allure #124 Ambigue as you can see below. Can you guess which product I am wearing on my eyes? (review coming up soon)

FOTD: Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent on cheeks

Also check out Jenny's wonderful photos & review and Sabrina's review & comparisons.

Final thoughts: I am loving Accent for a particular Sepia toned look with a little bit of Mauve thrown in. It warms up my skin and highlights but since the shade is not that warm, looks very natural and understated. For me it is one of the must-haves from this holiday season.

Have you checked Accent out? What are your thoughts?

I hope everyone is having a better weekend than I do. I am trying to recover from mild stomach irritation and hoping to be able to start the week tomorrow and so far I am not feeling that good. Anyway, this post waited already for a long time now and has to be posted, so here we go... Chanel's new quint from their holiday collection has a very pretty name, Charming...

Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette

I pre-ordered this one, knowing it wouldn't last long before it will sell out. Natural palette with Chanel written on it is guaranteed to fly off the shelves. They called me on a Thursday, and said that the collection was there. I could make it to the store on Friday and would like to swatch before buying but couldn't see the tester. It was hidden in a drawer since this product was already sold out! In one day? I was confused, anyway purchased my palette, which was reserved for me, and went home, so excited to try it out.

I took it out on Sunday, to take some photos, wanted to remove the inlay and there I see, it was glued to the compact? Ugh! It didn't want to come out... I almost ripped it off, leaving two ugly white marks behind.

A bad surprise: Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette

First I was like, what? Then I called the counter and they were not that surprised to hear that. Apparently it was the "display" piece which I was given by mistake. Luckily a new order is expected to arrive, with that they will change my piece with a regular one. I didn't want to wait until it arrives again, so here comes the swatches and eye look. Luckily the powder part of this is the same as a regular one.

Charming has five neutrals, placed from light to deep, going from beige to plummy brown. It has mostly satins and mattes, with the exception of the middle shade, which is shimmery.

Close-up: Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette

The shades can be described as follows:

Light beige with matte finish
Light brown with matte finish
Mid-toned brown with gold and bronze shimmer
Deep cool brown with satin finish
Deep aubergine with matte finish

Swatch: Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette

The thing I like about this palette is high quality mattes and how nicely each shade shows up on my lids. They are not transparent nor too light which is great in my book. On the other hand it is hard to form a contrast with only one light shade. However good news is that these can be layered so if you want to make one of the shades lighter, just mix it with the lightest shade. For the below look, I aimlessly padded some shades on my lid and voila, it looks nice enough to wear it! :-) Effortless smokey eye, love it. The only shade I am not in love with is the middle one, with slight fall out. It also leans way too warm for my taste so for the below look, I padded a little bit of that one on the lid after I was finished for a little shimmer here and there. You can see whole FOTD with Joues Contraste on the cheeks and Rouge Allure Ambigue on the lips here.

In-action: Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette

Final thoughts: A nice basic palette which performs very well. I can see that one being flattering on a lot of different complexions and can be worn all year around.

What I don't understand is that this is only 55 EUR in Europe and as much as $80 in US, do you know why?

I was trying to resist this one but failed miserably. Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder in Rose D'Or must have been the prettiest highlighter compact I have... It comes is a black pouch, which has an additional pocket for the tiny golden brush.

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or

Brush is very soft and is perfect for touch ups on the go. Compact is very heavy and feel so luxurious. This one has a gorgeous vintage feel to it. Although the compact looks tiny, it has 6 g of product, which is a regular powder blush/highlighter size.

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or

It is described as "Perfumed Illuminating Powder" so I sniffed it. I could smell some vanilla and white flower mix, it must be their new version of J'adore called L'Or. The scent is very subsided, which appeals to me because I don't like perfumed cosmetics. Powder has a gorgeous detail, according to Selfridge's website, it is embossed with the beads of Masai necklace. To me it looks classy and timeless.

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or

Dior's Golden Winter Collection is inspired by winter in Versailles, which reminded me of another highlighter compact with gorgeous Versailles detail embossed on it, Chanel Mouche de Beaute. I thought back then this must have been my most beautiful highlighter but once placed next to Dior Rose D'Or, even this one doesn't have a chance, what do you think?

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or (right) vs. Chanel Mouche de Beaute (left)

Once swatched side by side, Chanel Mouche de Beaute is darker and more frost. More of a traditional highlighter. Diorific Rose D'or on the other hand is a cross between a pressed highlighter and a loose powder if that makes sense. It is more like Chanel or Guerlain's loose sparkling powders for holiday once applied on the skin. It is very subtle on a rather transparent base.

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or vs. Chanel Mouche de Beaute

Another rose golden highlighter came to my mind, Laura Mercier's Spellbound, remember how much I loved that one (review here).

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or vs. Chanel Mouche de Beaute & Laura Mercier Spellbound

Spellbound is even darker, more rose, less shimmery but more pigmented. Diorific Rose D'Or is lighter, more transparent with tiny glitters which play with the light. Rose D'Or would also be perfect for decollete. The effect of it becomes more apparent once the light hits on it.

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or vs. Chanel Mouche de Beaute & Laura Mercier Spellbound

Final thoughts: Diorific Rose D'Or has such a luxury feel to it. It is the designer's item, which I would probably not use everyday but once you are there out partying, take this out for a touch-up and it is a sudden show stopper. Be aware that it is not a regular pressed highlighter though, with its rather transparent base, it can be used to add some shimmer, without giving much color. Perfect for a subtle all over glow on your face, hair and decollete. I got mine from eccentuals.com (from UK) where it seems to be cheaper than the list price in Germany. I have heard though that this never made it to US. Or maybe you have seen it?

What do you think? Worth the splurge or doesn't justify the price for using it just once for a glamorous occasion? Now I must go and start working on getting invited to the red carpet where I can use it! ;-)

Chanel silently released new Joues Contrastes around the globe. It started with two new shades in Europe, called Discretion and Evocation (reviewed here, here and here). Next one was a US Version powder blush #87 called Emotion.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion

I think the name is very appropriate for such a sweet pink feminine shade, the color of your cheeks once your heart beats faster. Emotion is one of rare Chanel blushes without shimmer, it has a very subtle sheen to it, almost appearing matte on the skin, which I am loving at the moment.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion

I tried to find similar shades in my stash. Emotion is like a lighter and powder version of creme blush fantastic. #74 Ultra Rose is more blue based and much lighter. I was supposing Emotion would be close to Rose Initiale but I was proven wrong. Rose Initiale is much lighter. Rouge Bunny Rouge's Florita is a tad darker and redder but probably the closest one I have to Emotion. Chanel's #79 Rouge is warmer and redder.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion comparison swatches

Then I was like, wait a minute, what about Pink Explosion. So I brought them side by side and I have seen they look similar in the pan...

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion vs. #64 Pink Explosion

...but once swatched they are very different. Pink Explosion is shimmery, cooler and lighter and Emotion is more matte and warmer.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion vs. #64 Pink Explosion

Below is a look I am enjoying at the moment, Guerlain Rouge Automatique #660 Illusion on the lips, Suqqu Ex-19 Touryokuzora (review coming up soon) on the eyes and Chanel Emotion on the cheeks.

FOTD with Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion

Final thoughts: Emotion is such a pretty blush which would be flattering across different complexions. Being almost matte, it is also perfect for mature skin. It seems to be US only at the moment so I hope we get that one also in Europe, fingers crossed.

Which is your go-to blush at the moment?

I was at the Burberry counter in Douglas, Koenig Strasse to return something and there they were, chic packaging, modern shades. Meet Burberry Nail Polishes.

Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey, #202 Metallic Khaki, #203 Storm Grey, #106 Dark Trench, #103 Ash Rose, #303 Oxblood

As a starter I picked up six shades. Two nudes, two greys, a red and metalic shade to have a feeling of the line. To be exact, these are called " Iconic Colour Nail Polish" and I wonder why not "nail varnish" if it is all so british. I really like the bottle design and find it to be very modern. Each bottle offers 8 ml nail polish and retails some EUR cheaper than Dior and Chanel which makes it almost the same price as Dior's 10 ml polishes.

Let's check out the shades I picked up to show you, then we can talk more about my impressions. Here comes Dark Trench, #106 from my nude picks. This one is a very light cool grey-taupe with creme finish. I don't know why it has "Dark" in its name because it is so light. There is also another shade "Stone" at Burberry range which is close to Dark Trench but a little warmer. I love coolness of this, since I already have many beiges already. I loved how clean and elegant Dark Trench looks. Below I applied two coats.

Burberry Nail Polish #106 Dark Trench

Next comes a little more feminine version of a cool taupe, Ash Rose, #103. Again not too pink which would make it more common to my stash therefore less desirable for me. Ash Rose is a very pretty light rosy taupe with creme finish. It applied smoothly and two coats are enough for full coverage.

Burberry Nail Polish #103 Ash Rose

From all the reds of the line, I opted for the most vamp and dark one, Oxblood, #303, a deep bordeaux with creme finish. I love this one because although it is dark, it is not too dark nor blackened. Two coats are enough for a perfect coverage.

Burberry Nail Polish #303 Oxblood

Although I am usually not a great fan of khakis, I wanted to test one of the metallic finish nail polishes and ended up getting Metallic Khaki. The name describes the shade pretty good. It is a mid-toned khaki shade with golden metallic finish. I like it because again it is not too dark and not blackened. Two coats apply beautifully.

Burberry Nail Polish #202 Metallic Khaki

Taupes and greys couldn't be done better than how Burberry does them. First I would like to show you Storm Grey, #203. This one is a mid-toned bluish grey with creme finish. I think the blue in that makes it unique and pretty, again two coats applied for perfect coverage.

Burberry Nail Polish #203 Storm Grey

Last shade I would like to show you, stole my heart by the first sight. Steel Grey... It is a mid-toned taupe with secret golden shimmer which makes it pull a little warmer than it is. Secret shimmer can be noticed under direct sun light but even if it is not there, the base color is also very pretty...

Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey

Here one more shot to show you how gorgeous this looks in the bottle. I wished that shimmer would be more apparent on the nails, not too much but just a little more. Still it is beautiful and a gorgeous shade which would work across different skin tones. I applied two coats.

Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey

I didn't want to make this post even longer so here is a quick comparison of Burberry shades with some close shades from my stash.

Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey, #202 Metallic Khaki, #203 Storm Grey, #106 Dark Trench, #103 Ash Rose, #303 Oxblood vs. close shades from my stash

I found Storm Grey #203 to be very close to Dior #707 Gris Montaigne, which is a little warmer and less blue. Steel Grey is warmer than Gris Montaigne.

#202 Metallic Khaki reminded me of YSL's polish #28 Bronze Aztec that I fell in love at the counter but not so much on my nails since it was way too blackened. Good news is that Metallic Khaki is lighter in tone, therefore shows more of its color. My attempt to find something close to Metallic Khaki from Chanel range failed. I also tried matching Metallic Khaki with Alchemie, which is more of a gold than khaki and therefore very different.

Burberry #106 Dark Trench and #103 Ash Rose are both close to Chanel #559 Frenzy. Frenzy has a little bit of lilac in it and pulls a little warmer than Dark Trench. Ash Rose has more pink but all three have similar "feel" once on the nails, clean, minimalist, modern and elegant. I love them all! Do I need Burberry Stone too? Maybe ;-)

Burberry #303 Oxblood is close to Tom Ford's Bordeaux Lust which is a tad more red and warm. Again I couldn't find a similar shade between 50 shades of Chanel's reds. Rouge Fatal looked promising but turned out to be too warm once compared. Chanel Rouge Noir is deeper and more blackened than Oxblood.

Comparison to close shades: Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey, #202 Metallic Khaki, #203 Storm Grey, #106 Dark Trench, #103 Ash Rose, #303 Oxblood

Yes, gorgeous shades, that greys, taupes, all wearable but not boring. As for the consistency, I have to admit although these cover beautifully with two coats, they were not the easiest polish to work with. I had to remove a few nails and reapply because I experienced some pooling. The brush is wider than Chanel but not as wide as Dior, it might be similar to YSL. I do agree to this review by Belletristic Beauty though, it was kind of stiff and therefore making the application a little harder.

On the bright side, these do last and last. I can say, on me they don't chip and there was only minor tip wear at the end of day 4. This makes them among the longest lasting polishes I tried. Oh and, have I mentioned that the bottle design is gorgeous?

Burberry Nail Polishes

Final thoughts: Burberry must have released the most interesting and chic debut nail polish range ever. I love how wearable and yet interesting the shades are. Coverage is great, even with lighter shades two coats are enough. The consistency could be a little thicker though and brush may need some improvement. All in all, really enjoying these!

Do you have your eyes on any of these?

For 2013 Holiday season, Suqqu released two make-up sets to celebrate their 10th anniversary. As it is stated by their website, the collection is designed to replicate a beautiful winter's night sky upon your eyes. Each kit consists of a limited edition eye shadow compact, a trial size mascara with deep navy, face wash and cleanser as well as a pouch and mirror. The difference between Set A & B is only the eye shadow quad. Kit A has Ex-18 Aoboshi (see beautiful swatches here and here) and which offers pinks and blue combination. Kit B includes Ex-19 Toryokuzora, which I would like to show you today.

Suqqu Christmas Kit B

Now this post is going to be a little different than the rest. As you are enjoying some photos, I would like to tell you how I laid my hands on this set because it is a fun story and I feel like writing about it.

After the photos of the collection were revealed, I kind of noted down Set B on my wish list, since I am not big on blues. It was supposed to be released on the 1st of November. Noted that down in my calender and wrote an e-mail to the customer service of Selridges to ask if those will be available online. I received an e-mail saying "Sorry but those will only be available at Suqqu counter".

To my surprise at the end of October Set A and Set B appeared on Selfridge's website but as always with some errors. Only some of the items could be delivered Internationally, so there was a choice between Set A and nothing. Set B was only for UK-delivery. When I was in Berlin for a few days, I have briefly seen set B becoming available for international delivery and disappearing within hours, and forever.

Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

A few days later, lovely Jo from Makeup Remastered gave us heads-up about the availability of Suqqu Christmas Sets in Ichibankao. I was trying to find some swatches since I was not that sure about green being really green or maybe pulling undesirably in khaki direction (which is not my favorite shade as the readers might know by now). As I was slow and Suqqu fans were fast Suqqu Christmas Kit B once again slipped from my hands and it was sold out within hours.

Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

I accepted my destiny and convinced myself that it was not meant to be. Maybe the make-up gods were trying to protect me from acquiring another "Khaki-disaster". I was ready to forget about this until I have seen this post from Kate, oh Kate, why, why?!!? Then this post, once again looking gorgeous in Toryokuzora, and this! I was cursing myself not to get it while I could and trying to stay calm but Belly's post pulled the trigger. I had to do something. Something, but what?

These were sold out almost everywhere online and there were only a few astronomic offers in eBay. My regret would turn out to be really expensive. Before I went to sleep that night, I decided to contact one of the sellers to ask if there was another way to get this quad, maybe a little discount?

Close-up: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

In the morning I woke up to find out that they contacted me. I wrote them back, waiting for an answer, one day long, didn't receive anything. I was started to get frustrated and check again the e-mail I have written just to find out that it was directed to a wrong address! Then checked the item in eBay. It was sold! Lost it third time in a raw, what was going on with me?!?!

At this part of the story you can hear me cry!

Before I go on with it, let me introduce you the shades:
a: A lovely light peach with shimmery finish.
b: Mid-toned warm bronze taupe with satin finish.
c: The most gorgeous deep forest green with multi dimensional sparkle, The star of this palette.
d: Matte white

Interesting thing about Suqqu Palettes is that you can layer them and they don't turn out to be muddy. Look how beautifully the shades a and c layer to give out another gorgeous taupe, a little cooler and more shimmery than shade b.

Swatch: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

So let me go on with my story. The seller behind the sold item turned out to be a lovely lady, Natalia, living in Japan. Another make-up enthusiast like myself. She had no other Holiday Sets but woke up in the morning and rushed to the closest Suqqu counter to grab one for me. She told me in Japan Set A was sold out since the dark blue shade looks especially gorgeous on dark brown eyes but there were a few Set B left. She sent me that the next day and I got it in less than a week!

Happy ending with special thanks and hugs to Natalia!!

Moral of the story?Nnothing can stop a make-up addict! ;-)

In-action: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

I can't wait to have the green shade all over the eye lids, I am sure that will be pleasantly shiny. Below I went for something more wearable during the day. I applied the peach shade all over and defined it with taupe and green on the crease. I used the white shade to highlight below brow bone and on the inner corner. Below I am wearing Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora combined with Guerlain Rouge Automatique #660 Illusion on the lips and Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion on the cheeks.

FOTD: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora

Final thoughts: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora is great for any occasion, day or night, party or work. Another lovely versatile quad from Suqqu. Thumbs up.

How far did you go to find a sold-out limited edition or a hard-to-find item?

Recently Wayne Goss added a face brush to his new line of brushes he released earlier this year (for my reviews of all brushes check out here and here). The limited edition face brush is released at Love Make-up (ships worldwide) last week and it is announced be available at Beautylish (for buyers in US) on the 12th of December. Just a quick note, the links in this post are not affiliated, they are placed just for your convenience. If you are at clicking mode, I recommend you to check out "how it is made" part in Beautylish, which I am loving at the moment.

Wayne Goss Limited Edition Christmas Brush

Limited edition face brush (or as it is called "The Christmas Brush") is the largest brush in the series which has a round form and is pointed. It can be seen as a bigger and thicker version of his powder brush #02. Those two have almost the same form. Face brush is made of goat hair as it is provided at Love Make-up website. Upon receiving, I could smell the goat hair very slightly but after using it a few times, the smell faded to nothing. The hair is very soft and the touch is lovely on the face. Just like the other brushes at his line, craftsmanship is excellent, I haven't experienced any hair shedding and the form is preserved beautifully until now. Bear in mind though I have been testing it only for a week now so I can't comment on how it looks like after a year but at this quality level, my expectations are high.

Wayne Goss Limited Edition Christmas Brush

I tried different applications such as powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter and contour. I have been using Wayne Goss #02 mostly for highlighter on top of the cheeks and on the bridge of the nose. I find that it works good with contouring applications too. For me #02 is too small for all over powder application, even if the powder will only be applied sparingly to certain parts of the face. I also don't prefer #02 for blush because I like wider and more blended looks on my cheeks which I achieve beautifully with Suqqu blush brush or Tom Ford cheek brush. The same goes for bronzer, I like more blended almost not there bronzer which very slightly warms up the skin and I don't like contouring with bronzer.

I found Wayne Goss face brush to be most suitable to powder application to certain areas of the face like forehead, nose and chin. It is also very useful to set under eye concealer. Nowadays I use it also for finishing powders, such as Guerlain Meteorites for an all over application. I tried it also with bronzer and it worked wonderfully. For my blush I prefer flat brushes but if you like more defined blush look, you may like using it also on your cheeks.

Wayne Goss Limited Edition Christmas Brush vs. Wayne Goss #02

Previously I was a little let down by finding out there were Hakuhodo brushes in my collection which were similar to Wayne Goss ones. I can now proudly report I don't have anything like the Christmas brush so its form is unique to my stash. If you know a similar brush please leave a comment below. I guess the form might be close to Charlotte Tilbury's Powder&Sculpt brush, a little similar to the "artist's brush" of her father which she used at her tutorials but as far as I know these are made of synthetic hair.

Here is a comparison to some of my lovely face brushes. Chanel Powder/Contour and Hakuhodo G531 are closely related, they are both flat and angled. A different concept to make the brush friendly for application to smaller areas. I love my Hakuhodo G531 brush which is less scratchy than Chanel #2 and use it very often for all over powder application, especially for finishing powder. Wayne Goss face brush works also for more detailed face work, application of setting powder to forehead, under eye, nose as well as highlighting and contouring.

Wayne Goss Limited Edition Christmas Brush vs. Chanel #2, Wayne Goss #02, Hakuhodo G531

Again the tendency is there, there is not much room for very dense angled and flat brushes in Wayne's collection. Pointy and round they are and depending on your preferences it might work wonders. I have to admit, I like my flat brushes but I am slowly getting used to the different pressure technique with round and pointed ones.

Final thoughts: Loving this new softness in my life and welcoming its unique form to my stash.

Are you planing to check it out? Flat and angled or round and pointed, which one do you prefer?

Hi hello there! *waves*

It has been sometime since I posted so I thought between all the holiday rush and my travel schedule, I could manage to write a few lines between photos which were taken like ages ago. I am very much behind the posts I planned for this year and much of the photos might never be revealed because of that. If that happens I was thinking about a spam charactered post with all those you missed because of me being slow and busy. Would you like that?

Today I would like to share two of the items I purchased from Laura Mercier White Magic Collection for Holiday 2013. I also picked up one illuminating eye shadow and one of the limited caviar sticks which I am loving for the real snowy icy look on my lids at the moment. Remember that is sort of the trend right now? Just to name a few, Tom Ford's Ice Queen, Dior's Golden Snow... But we will come to that hopefully later. Today it is all about the nails...

Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer Angel Wings & Butterfly Wings

I picked up those sight unseen since my LM counter in Breuninger received the products but were not allowed to sell it. They didn't have testers either. Once I have seen them available online, I decided to order. So here it goes, Angel Wings was for me a bit of a disappointed since it went so sheer. It is very close to Diorific Vernis #128 in Winter, which I also use as a overcoat rather than stand alone. Diorific Winter is a little warmer and even more sheer. Below you see two coats of Angel Wings. I do like how complex the shimmer is under light but still too sheer for my taste.

Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer Angel Wings

Butterfly Wings, on the other hand, is rather an interesting duo chrome pearly nail polish which shifts between an antique rose and a greenish taupe if that makes sense. I don't think I own anything like that so this one is unique to my stash. With two coats one can still lightly see the nail line so you may need three. Below I applied two coats. I think photos doesn't make this one justice.

Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer Butterfly Wings

Both are available at Laura Mercier counters and online. I like the consistency and lasting power as well as drying time of Laura Mercier polishes. I am just a little confused about the sizes and designs of the bottles which kept changing (i reported about it previously here) and glad that the bottles haven't changed since then. I liked their Fall polishes a little more, but I am also happy to own Butterfly wings.

Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer Angel Wings & Butterfly Wings

Final thoughts: While Angel Wings is for sheer nail polish lovers, Butterfly Wings calls nude loving ladies who'd like their polishes with a twist or perhaps with some color shift.

Are you also in Holiday rush? How have you been lately?

Oh and would you like some "Best of" kind of posts?

At the end of October, Le Métier De Beauté announced something pretty was coming up. They posted a swatch on Facebook, which me and other fans interpreted as a new Kaleidoscope eye kit and started waiting eagerly. The day it was announced, some were happy since that one was for free! But, only for those who would like to make a purchase exceeding 200$!

I was personally disappointed. The reason was I felt kind of let down by one of my favorite brands was because I couldn't buy it even if I wanted to. I felt like I was being forced to buy something else to receive something I wanted. I didn't like this game, if that makes sense. That being said, I have to admit that I found myself checking LMdB's website over and over and trying to find something that interests me which would cost more than 200 bucks. There were many products which were interesting, but if you know their new website, now you will know what I mean. They do sell bundles and not separate products, which makes you buy 3 things you like together with 2 things you would not use. Yes you do save a lot but is it really saving once you get all the things you don't need? Is this why since a few months I started seeing more and more LMdB products on eBay? Anyway those questions are not the focus of today's post...

Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Yes it is pretty and no I haven't spent 200 bucks on something else. I was lucky enough to purchase it from a friend who kindly offered me hers after seeing the first real swatches online since it didn't call her name but it was calling mine so I wanted to give it a go.

I just happened to receive it last week, briefly played around with it and first decided not to post about it. Before I explain you why, let me introduce you to Gravite. Such a pretty name and it really looks inviting for smokey eye lovers out there, doesn't it?

Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Earth shades with pretty shimmer, this is how I would describe Gravite:
Tier #1: Mid-toned rosy brown with satin finish
Tier #2: Mid-toned peachy gold with shimmer, almost metallic finish
Tier #3: Deep blackened green with sparse gold shimmer
Tier #4: Deep egg-plant with very sparse multi colored glitter

Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Below I swatched all the shades with one or two swipes but for Tier#2 I needed like 10 swipes, which in the end didn't work. Then I tried it with a brush without any success. I also tried a wet swatch... You see all my effort sort of paid off to show you the color. Tier#2 had almost no color pay-off, which was the reason why I didn't want to post about Gravite because I was not sure if I was the only one who had a dud. So sad because it is such a pretty shade... Oh and should I also mention that the first swatch of this on LMdB website was awfully inaccurate?

Outdoor swatch with flash: Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Heart broken, I went on applying it on the lids. You can find the following replacement:

Tier #1: Inner corner

Tier #2: Middle upper lid (as much as it shows up)

Tier #3 & #4: Outer lid and crease

I was sort of happy with the result but still felt bad about having only 3 of the four shades working. I tried the tape method on the powder to kick off the upper layer in hope to find something better below without good results.

In-action: Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit on the eyes

Here is the FOTD to see how it looks combined with other parts of makeup, which I kept really minimal and nude. I really don't know what to think about this purchase, I can't help but wonder if they gave those for free because it had quality problems? Was I the only one with the dud or are there any other unfortunate ones out there who paid over $200 on the products to get this one just to find out the second tier doesn't work?

FOTD: Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

I guess I will never find out the answers to those questions.

Last thoughts? I am sincerely wishing my next LMdB purchase lives up to my expectations from one of my favorite brands. If a heart breaks twice, it might not be easy to fix it ever again.

Any of you got that one? How does the second tier swatch?

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope your holidays have been a good one. Mine was lovely but quiet busy. Three things I must have done most was traveling, talking and eating.

As for the blog, it has been a long break for me, partly intentionally and partly due to packing my notebook and forgetting to take it with me. I couldn't even answer to your comments properly, which I am planning to do right after posting this beauty I received yesterday night upon my arrival.

Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette

Belladonna Highlighter Palette is the star product of Giorgio Armani's Spring 2014 Collection, Effetto Nudo (check out promo images and list of other products here and here). I am sure many of you will love the muted nude color allowing the soft game of light and shade taking over the scene. Be it for bridal or an everyday look, it looks gorgeous in an underestimated way.

Close-up: Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette

The compact has two layers, on top there is the highlighter with a beautiful flower embossed in a three dimensional way. The design includes details such as the veins on the leaves of the flower, making it a pleasure to watch and very difficult to touch. Luckily there is enough space on the sides of the flower to start with if you would like the pattern to last longer.

Second layer includes a half moon brush for touch ups on the go. This layer could also be reused for your compact foundation, blush or eye shadow from other Armani palettes which may be handy while traveling.

Two layered compact of Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette

Belladonna Palette is designed to be used both as a highlighter and an eye shadow. The shade is a light champagne with a slight rose tingle. It is very finely milled and feels creamy to touch. Armani claims it to have a new gel based formula with a dense and light texture between cream and powder. To me, it is pigmented and shimmery but not frosty, the light catching effect is very complex and pretty. I like the way it can be blended to a very subtle effect or build up for a more dramatic usage such as on the lids.

Swatch of Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette, blended (left), heavy swatch (right)

I took out some of my favorite highlighters for a comparison. Poudre Signee de Chanel from Spring 2013 Collection, Chanel Mouche de Beaute from 2013 Croisière Collection and Route des Indes from Bombay Express de Chanel Collection. You can see that Poudre Signee is properly loved and therefore lost its pretty design fully. Other two are more shimmery, as a result being used sparingly.

Comparison of Giorgio Armani Belladonna (bottom left) with Route des Indes de Chanel (upper left), Mouche de Beaute (upper right) and Poudre Signee de Chanel (bottom right)

Route de Indes is much of a yellow gold once compared to other three. Chanel Mouche de Beauty is more shimmery and leans more pink. Poudre Signee is the closest in terms of shade but leans more yellow and it is less shimmery. In fact you can see how much more Belladonna can be build up, looking almost opaque in heavy swatches compared to other highlighters. The very slight pink touch of Belladonna together with its champagne base makes it suitable across skin tones, not cold nor warm.

Comparison swatches, Giorgio Armani Belladonna, Chanel Poudre Signee, Mouche de Beaute and Route des Indes

I would love to finish my review here but I feel obliged to write a few sentences to what I think about this highlighter on a value for money basis. Belladonna has 5 g/ 0.177 OZ of product and retails for something like 75EUR/ $88. Company's holiday blush Eccentrico, which I didn't review yet, partly duo to the fact of feeling ashamed of the price, even had 8 g/0.27OZ product and multiple shades on one layer. As pretty as it is, Belladonna offers 5 g of only one shade, a pretty design and a nice texture. Does it worth 88$? I think you should answer this question for yourself. Just a side note, I snatched mine for half the price on eBay. It is expected to be released from January to February internationally and it is limited edition.

Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette

Final thoughts: Belladonna must be the prettiest highlighter I own in terms of design, shade and texture. Its only drawback is the extremely high price and small quantity it offers. It is such a shame because it could almost get a cult status like Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia. Maybe it does anyway? Who knows...

What do you think about value for money? Is the size important or it is rather not since we anyway never finish products?

It is that time of the year that one looks back and reflects upon the past, writes down plans and resolutions for the upcoming year. Today I would like to write about which products excited me most and which of them I ended up using more than the others. I photographed this rainbow today from my balcony, isn't it so pretty?

Category Blush

This year, it was full of new releases of pretty blushes. Cream blush lines of Dior and Chanel were introduced, then Dior changed the formula for their powder blushes and released many pretty shades with a nice texture. Although I like creme blushes and found myself using them from time to time, I mostly reach for powder products in this category, therefore my first three are powder blushes.

My Choice for Best Blush of 2013: Truly original to my stash, I found blush highlighting, defining and giving a healthy looking complexion at the same time.

Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent

Also very much loved (runner-up):

Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta: yes I use this one as a blush and I am loving it
Chanel Jouer Contraste #87 Emotion: One of the last JCs, I love its matte texture and the color.
Armani Eccentrico: Pretty but unfortunately expensive, I haven't find the time to review it but check it out here, here and here)

Category Bronzer

As usual in 2013 Guerlain fired their best weapon, bronzers. They released a new range of Terracotta 4 Seasons to enhance different complexions as well as a beautiful all over glow/highlighing bronzer, Terra Ora. Dior released two seriously pretty duos which echoed through blogosphere for months, Paradise Duos in Coral and Pink Glow. Being on the more budget friendly end of luxury cosmetics, Clarins' Splendours bronzer also managed to stole my heart.

My Choice for Best Bronzer of 2013: I picked up 03 Naturel-Brunettes from Guerlain's new line of Terracotta 4 Seasons and ended up loving the matte finish and finely milled texture. I can also use it during winter by tuning the colors as needed.

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons 03 Naturel-Brunettes

Also very much loved (runner-up):

Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo 002 Coral Glow: This one had many reviews so I didn't review it but it made an appearance here and swatched together with 001 Pink Glow. I love how it served a purpose of bronzer and blush at the same time.
Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact: My pick for the best value for money.

Category Eye Shadow Quad

Year 2013 was the year of pretty eye shadow quads, like every other year... You know my obsession of the products on this category and that I reviewed hundreds of those pretties last year, which made Stacey call me Eye Shadow Queen *chuckles*. You can imagine how hard it is for me to select only 3-4 of those, so I extended the list a bit.

My Choice for Best Eye Shadow Quad of 2013: Suqqu became easier to get hold of by the time Selfridges started shipping internationally. I was thinking that their spring collection had the prettiest quads I have seen but I was mistaken. Their Fall release made my heart skip a beat. Although I liked all three of them my favorite must have been EX-15. Or maybe EX-17? Or Ex-16? Ugh, I give up...

Suqqu Blend Color EyeshadowEX-15 Hanaazuki or EX-17 Hatsuhimo

Also very much loved:

Tom Ford Eye Shadow Quad #13 Orchid Haze: I know I was not very enthusiastic about that one mainly because of the decision to discontinue one of my favorite quads, Burnished Amber. Orchid Haze grew on me though and I found myself loving it more and more each day.
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs #502 Coup de Foudre: This one was a very original and very pretty in my opinion. I loved how coral could work with the other shades. You can see an eye look at the bottom of the page here.
YSL City Drive Palettes Wet & DryClassy and Arty: It is no secret that I love pure chromatics line of YSL and these two limited edition releases were superb in terms of quality and creativity. I found myself reaching for Classy over and over again.
Chanel Ombres Fleuries Quadra Eye Shadow in Délicatesse: It is not pictured below but I loved the silver and plum shades as well as the flower design of the quad. I wished Chanel would only release new quads with this texture.
MAC Eye Shadow Quad in Bare My Soul: Another post which was ready but never published, I loved how the shades worked together and how they gave the gorgeous smokey eye, even in summer.

Category Eye Shadow Single

I am not a single girl. I mean in terms of my preferences when it comes to eye shadows. The only exception I make must have been a few cult items (Burberry Pale Barley, Le Metier de Beaute Corinthian, Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird I am looking at you). But I do like creme eye shadows, be it as a base or on its own. In 2013 Dior released their creme eye shadow range, Tom Ford released two new shades for their summer collection and Chanel went on extending their Illusion d'Ombre range by both permanent and limited edition releases. One of the most exciting moments were the new Eyes To Kill shades released with Armani's Fall Collection, which had all interesting duo chrome colors.

My Choice for Best Eye Shadow Single of 2013: I thought nothing could be more prettier than Chanel IdO Illusoire but Fatal made me change my mind. With its subtle pretty silver shimmer and very buildable, easy to apply texture, Fatal became my mostly used creme eye shadow since the day we first met.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #837 Fatal

Also very much loved:

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes Escapade: I have reviewed and worn here, it had the most opaque and easy to apply texture with a very soft and pretty color.
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill #30 Rose Popillia and others from Kaleidoscope Collection, they are all love to me but Rose Popillia has the most understated beauty.
Diorshow Fusion Mono #381 Millennium and #881 Hypnotique: I loved Dior's new range of creme/mousse eye shadows, ended up reaching for these two shades most.
Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Skinny Jeans: Benefit changed the package but left the popular formula untouched. Skinny Jeans is what I reach for when I would like to look chic but have no time for an elaborate make-up, an all time favorite.

Stay tuned for the second part of the post which has categories such as palette, lipstick, nail polish and best collection.

What were your best ofs? I would love to hear them!

After mentioning about what excited me most among the products which were released in 2013 in categories such as blush, bronzer, eye shadow quad and single yesterday, today I would like to go on and cover the rest of the categories. Tomorrow night it is going to look exactly like the one on the photo below which I took from the window during last year's fire work craziness during the first hour of 2013. Do you have a similar scene at where you live?

Category Lipstick

Year 2013 marked the release of many new formulas and lines of lipsticks. The most remarkable ones for me were Chanel's new formula of Coco Shines, Dior's new formulation of their regular lipstick line, Chanel's Moire Collection Rouge Allures with pearly finish, Armani's Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipsticks with chic red packaging, Yves Saint Laurent's Rebel Nudes and Tom Ford's Sheer Lipsticks. I don't usually post very often about lipsticks but you can see what I am enjoying at posts with FOTDs. Below you can find what I reached for most and which shades and formulas really excited me.

My Choice for Best Lipstick of 2013: Three of the lipstick releases to Guerlain Rouge G formula with their Fall Collection were definitely love for me. Guerlain Rouge G in Gemma is one of my all time favorites but now Madame Reve is seriously about to take its place. I can wear it with strong eye or daily looks, it never looks heavy or overdone but very pretty and polishes. All thumbs up (therefore placed like a rocket at the below photo!)

Guerlain Rouge G #862 in Madame Reve (as worn here)

Also very much loved:

Chanel Rouge Allure #124 Ambigue (as worn here): I love this shade, plummy with very pretty pink shimmer. It also works with Chanel Joues Contraste Accent in a lovely way. Only if it would be a bit more hydrating, that one would be a number one for me.
Tom Ford Lip Color #29 in Vampire Kiss: Love at the first sight. When I have seen that at the counter and tried it on, I knew we were meant to be. My hubby made it a spontaneous gift for me so it became even more of a fav. I wore it to family dinner at Christmas. Review hopefully coming up soon.
Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipsticks #304 Heat (as worn here) and #508 Daybreak (as worn here): Those two became my go to lipsticks. I have worn Daybreak as no other during the last months, which became my new favorite nude after Chanel Coco Shine in Boy.
Diorific Long Wearing Lipstick #045 in Royale: Another love story, the long lasting formula and how pretty it looks with the subtle glitter particles. I loved Royale even more than Minuit which is darker so needs a more easy on eyes kind of look but I am not so good with those ;-) You can find all the lipsticks from Golden Winter Holiday 2013 collection here.
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine #19 Fuchsia in Range: I was obsessed by this one during summer. Only if it wouldn't have the bubble gum smell... I haven't reviewed it but see a gorgeous FOTD here.

Category Palette

This year there has been pretty palette releases, especially for holidays. I missed on Tarte's blush palette which will be on my list for the next Christmas. I was lucky enough to get hold of Hourglass Ambient Lighting and Laura Mercier Artist's Palette which sold out with the speed of light. I passed on the most popular palette release of the year, Naked 3 mainly because I don't like the frosty texture of the first Naked palette I have and never reach for it. For a similar reason Marc Jakob's Eye Shadow Palette in Starlet (reviewed here) was also a huge miss for me. But here comes my favorites:

My Choice for Best Palette of 2013: As hard as it was to get, the whole effort was worth it. Le Metier de Beaute released three palettes with four blushes and four eye shadows in each, two of them spoke to me, Galore and Zeitgeist. Galore was almost made for me, eye shadows are great for smokey eye, blushes can be layered to define and highlight. I even use the left most eye shadow to contour my face and sculpt my cheeks! Galore is nothing but love!

Le Metier de Beaute Galore Collection Palette for Face & Eye

Also very much loved:

Giorgio Armani Face&Eye Palette Summer 2013: So soft and pretty, composed of three eye shadows and a bronzer/highlighter. When I used that one, I need nothing else than a mascara and a lipstick and I only receive compliments. It also has such a pretty design!
Laura Mercier Artists Palette for Eyes: This must have been one of the remarkable steals of the year for me. It is great value for money and I even got it cheaper over eBay. Love the textures and the shades, pretty mattes and lovely satins, can't get enough.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette: Why haven't anyone thought about a highlighter palette before? It is great for getting to know Hourglass Ambient Powders and for travel.
Clarins The Essentials Eye Make-up Palette: Great value for money and perfect for those of you who would like a grown up version of naked palettes with more mattes and satins, less shimmer.

Category Nail Polish

Year 2013 marked many nail polish releases. Companies such as Clinique, Giorgio Armani, Guerlain and Burberry added nail polish to their make-up lines. Many of my favorite formulas from Dior, Chanel, Butter London, a-england and Yves Saint Laurent released new shades.

My Choice for Best Nail Polish of 2013: This must have been another difficult pick for me. After eye shadows, my second obsession is the nail polishes and I reviewed hundreds of those for you this year. Nevertheless one stood out for me with its color, texture and complex shimmer.

Chanel Le Vernis #583 Taboo (not swatched but you can find superb reviews here and here)

Also very much loved:

Diorific #995 Minuit: The cute vintage bottle and gorgeous subdued glitter on a pretty base color. Minuit was a winner in my book.
Chanel Vernis #667 Bel-Argus: I thought I would love Azure from the same collection more but I found myself reaching for Bel-Argus most during the sunny summer days. I love how the fine shimmer on that looks under the sun.
Butter London Brown Sugar: The perfect fall shade for me. Love the shimmer and the foil finish base and how these work together.
A-England New Excalibur: I enjoyed this one a lot during summer on hands and toes alike. Foil finish silver with gold flecks in it which makes it suitable across skin tones and to die for after putting on some tan.
Giorgio Armani #703 Leather Wood and #704 Amethyst: I was very excited about the new nail polish line of Armani which now has one of my favorite formulas. Leather Wood and Amethyst are my picks among the others for their unique duo chrome effects. My only disappointment was to see that the bottles were almost minis with only 6ml of product *sigh*. You can find all the shades swatched here.
Yves Saint Laurent Laque #38 Gris Underground: Who wouldn't like a pretty grey on the tips, especially coming with one of my favorite nail polish formulas.
Burberry Nail Polish #200 Steel Grey: My pick from recently released Burberry nail polish line. I believe it is very unique with a golden shimmer on its dark grey basis. I am loving the Burberry nail polishes at the moment, only wished their brushes would be softer.

Category Collections

Spring, Summer, Fall and Holiday Collections, they were all sneak peeked and wondered. Now that I have reviewed many products from all of those, I would like to pick a few which excited me most.

My Choice for best collection of 2013: I believe a collection is successful once every product harmoniously work together. This year there has been releases which knocked me off my feet like Armani's Fall shades of duo-chromes or Chanel's unexpected summer collection. Among them Chanel's Holiday Collection stood up for me in terms of incorporation of the pieces. Blush works wonderfully with the eye shadow palette, which looks like an everyday quint but has a subtle twist and leans slightly plummy on the eyes. Creme Eye Shadows worked on their own or as a base for the quint, giving it different faces. I loved how shimmer mascara and liner worked with the rest of the eye look and how different lipsticks converted it all for day or night. Therefore my pick is:

Chanel Holiday 2013 Nuit Infinie de Chanel (reviewed here, here, here and here)

Also very excited about:

Tom Ford Summer 2013: Simple, pretty and polished. Everything worked so well together to give a soft summer look.
Dior Fall 2013 Mystic Metallics (check some of the products here, here and here): Two pretty eye shadow quints, creme eye shadows and two gorgeous nail polishes, this collection was a winner for me.
Armani Fall 2013 Kaleidoscope (also here, here and here): I was falling for each and every product at this collection and ended up purchasing almost everything. Only wished the eyes and the lips would work better together.
Chanel Summer 2013 L'ete Papillon de Chanel (check some of the product reviews here, here and here): A complete surprise from Chanel, it was either love or hate for most and for me it was love. I used the eye shadow sticks during summer and fall, loving the crazy colored mascara and funky nail polishes.

Anything caught your eye which are also your favorites? Which nail polish, lipstick or palette you ended up loving this year? Which collection appealed to you most?

Happy new year to all of you!

I would like to post one more "best of" kind of post before it is too late but today I couldn't resist the temptation of showing you those two fresh beauties from Dior Spring 2014 Collection. I got hold of them thanks to a dear friend Teresa, about whom I would like to talk about in a separate post which is in planning phase at the moment.

To my knowledge, Dior is going to release four new nail polishes in Europe, #187 Perle which is a top coat for a frost finish, #204 Porcelaine (given as cornflower blue), #777 Bloom (given as pure fuchsia) and #457 Bouquet (soft peach). The latter seems to be missing at US releases but instead there are two other shades listed, called #132 Blossom and #192 Pampille.

I got hold of #204 Porcelaine and #457 Bouquet at the moment, which I would like to share with you today.

Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine and #457 Bouquet from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

Dior Vernis #457 Bouquet is a mid-toned pinky coral/peach creme which has rather a bright hue than soft in my opinion. It is not neon nor too bright but it is lively. It has the perfect formula which lives up to Dior Vernis standards and two coats are perfect for full opacity.

Dior Vernis #457 Bouquet

I suspected there would be some shades which are really close to that one in my stash since Bouquet doesn't appear to have a very original color...

Dior Vernis #457 Bouquet and other similar nail polishes from my stash

...but once compared to similar shades, I have seen it is more brighter than many I own. Bouquet looks more pink than the corals and more peach than the pinks. It is like a coral sister of Rosy Bow from last year's Dior Spring Collection. Dior Bikini and Sunnies are both darker, Dior Spring Ball is close but has shimmer. Chanel May and Dior Princess are both more pink and Chanel Orange Fizz (discontinued) is darker. The closest shade I found is Butter London's Trout Pout which lean slightly more pink. I couldn't find any dupes for Dior Bouquet in my stash but I think if you have Trout Pout, you are very close.

Comparison swatches for Dior Vernis #457 Bouquet and other similar nail polishes from my stash

Next there comes #204 Porcelaine which I was super excited about since such shades are not released very often by brands such as Dior. Porcelaine is a pale pastel baby blue creme. We know these type of shades may be streaky. Porcelain ended up being smooth on my nails but needed three coats to be that way. The first one or even two coats were rather streaky. Good news is that though, it dries so quickly that you simply don't need to wait between each coat.

Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine

I pulled out some similar shades from my stash to see if I own anything close to Porcelaine.

Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine and other similar nail polishes from my stash

Did you know that Chanel Riva is green? LOL. I didn't. It seems Dior Porcelaine is so blue that everything else seems to be green next to it. Porcelain is like a lighter Coco Blue in that sense, which is also a true blue in my book. Butter London Fiver, Chanel Crystal Blue, Dior Nymphea are all more green, Chanel Riva is more subdued and pulls greener. China Glaze Sea Spray and Chanel Sky Line are also darker. You see Dior Porcelain basically glows, which I think would look fab with a tan during summer too.

Comparison swatches for Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine and other similar nail polishes from my stash

Final thoughts: Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine is a lovely blue which is unique, needs 3 coats for a smooth opaque application. #457 Bouquet is a more common but a lovely shade and does have the perfect formula.

Are you ready for Spring? What is your favorite nail color during the upcoming season?

The second product I would like to show you from Dior's Spring collection is a lovely blush called Corail Bagatelle. My first post was about the nails, you can find the swatches and comparison of two of the nail polishes of this collection here.

Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

Diorblush #763 in Corail Bagatelle has a special edition design with a cute bow and Dior written on it with hand writing style. The compact is the same as the regular Diorblush which is reformulated and released together with Fall 2013 collection. I didn't have time to try out one myself so this is my first Dior blush to date and I am loving the formula. It is generously sized with 7,5 g/0.26 OZ and retails about 42 EUR/ $42. In US, this is about the same price as Chanel blush, which has only 6g of product (and 4g in Europe because of the baked formula but this can't be compared directly). I am loving the fact that make-up not only gets more expensive (*cough* Armani?) but sometimes also more affordable.

Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

The brush included in the compact is angled such as the ones in their regular range. I am guessing the hairs are synthetic but it is very soft to the touch and I find it useful for touch-ups on the go. I also like how bottom of the right side of the compact which is designed for brush is rounded so that brush comes out easily by a sliding motion. Those kind of details make a make-up enthusiast's heart beat faster.

Close-up: Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

Below you can see Corail Bagatelle swatched. The shade is a pink coral or I would call it a mid-toned neutral pink with a touch of coral. It looks very natural as a blush on my NC25 arm. Corail Bagatelle is more of a matte/satin finish and doesn't have shimmer but it doesn't look flat either.

Swatch: Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

I tried to find the closest blush shades from my stash and pulled out Chanel Joues Contraste in #71 Malice, #72 Rose Initialle as well as Guerlain Madame Rougit (reviewed here) and Armani Eccentrico.

Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle and similar shades in my stash

The closest shade among those is Chanel #72 Rose Initiale but its finish is different. Corail Bagatelle is more of a matte while Rose Initiale has shimmer. I always wanted a matte version of Rose Initiale, which is one of my mostly used blushed to date. I included Malice in the comparison to show you how Corail Bagatelle looks beside what I would call a coral blush. Guerlain's Madame Rougit is also close in shade but is a bit darker once compared to Corail Bagatelle. Armani Eccentrico is more blue based and cool. I am going to post a FOTD with the next post so you can see how it looks on the cheeks.

Swatch: Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle and similar shades in my stash

Final thoughts: Diorblush #763 Corail Bagatelle has a lovely finely milled not-shimmery texture. It is very smooth and pigmented and the shade is perfectly balanced between cool and warm. I think it will be flaterring across different skin tones and different age groups. It is limited edition and will soon be released in Europe and as of yesterday available in US.

What is your go-to blush? Do you prefer matte or shimmery texture for your blushes?

Slowly it is time to open a new tab for the blog and sum up "Spring 2014" collections. I have already written about two of the nail polishes (Porcelaine and Bouquet) and the prettiest blush ever from Dior's Trianon collection. I am seriously having a crash on Corail Bagatelle (reviewed here) at the moment, for me it has been the "highlight" of this collection. Today I have one of the two mono eye shadows and one of the four lipsticks of Trianon for you, which will follow with a FOTD at the end of the post, combined with Corail Bagatelle on cheeks as promised.

Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

The eye shadow quads of Trianon are composed of pastels, which I don't like on myself very much. I am sure they will appeal to the pastel lovers out there though, both look very pretty in the pan. I selected Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition in #761 Angélique for the eyes. If you follow me you may know I am crazy about purples and this is why I couldn't resist that one. Look how pretty it is with the embossed little bow on that...

Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Angélique is a vibrant mid-toned purple but it is not neon. It looks a little iridescent though and have sparse silver glitter, which doesn't transfer to lids that way. It rather makes it appear less flat and more complex. Diorshow Monos can be used wet or dry, below I swatched it dry. For a more dramatic look, one could use it wet but I think it is dramatic enough for me even dry. I don't know how Angélique compares to the permanent shade of Diorshow Mono in #176 Lilas Mitzah (which also has 1,7 and 6 in its number, is it coincidence?) since I don't own that one but I guess they are close, so you may want to skip Angélique if you already have Lilas Mitzah.

Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

For below eye look, I used Angélique all over the lid as well as along the bottom lash line. I applied black eye liner (Slim Eyeliner from Eyeko) on top and blended the crease with Laura Mercier's Plum Smoke and added Violet Ink to outer lid for definition, both from their Artist's Palette (reviewed here, was LE but the shades can be purchased individually as well). I then added some mascara to top and bottom lashes (YSL Baby Doll). I applied the eye shadows over Dior's new Eye Primer, which I am testing at the moment and will be reviewing soon.

In-action: Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

The next item I would like to show you is a very pretty cool spring pink from the same collection. I haven't reviewed Dior Rouge's new formula but you must have heard everyone raving about it. It is super moisturizing and pigmented. I will definitely wear Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane this spring very often.

Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane looks more coral in the tube but transfers on the lips as a more of a cool-toned mid pink. I would recommend you to try it on though and don't take my word for it. You know the reason why I don't do lipstick reviews that often, because the lipsticks tend to look different on my lips than they do on others to the natural pigmentation of my lips.

Lip swatch: Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Isn't that funny both Angélique and Courtisane have the same number, #761. I think it is just coincidence though (another one?). I would rather wear them one by one since the purple eye and the cool pink lippie is a bit too much for me but just for the sake of demonstration, here they are together.

Eyes: Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique

Cheeks: Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle

Lips: Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane

Also used DIOR Glow Maximizer Light Boosting Primer and DIOR Backstage Eye Prime Long-wear & Smoothing Eye Primer for this look together with Chanel Aqua Lumiere Foundation in B30.

FOTD: Diorshow Mono #761 Angélique, Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane and Diorblush #763 Corail Bagatelle

Final thoughts: I love both of the additions to my Spring stash, lovely formulas from Dior both for Diorshow mono and Rouge Dior. If you like purples and pinks, make sure to check them out.

Cool pink lippie with purple strong eye, what do you think? Would you wear it?

Today I have three pieces of the Givenchy Spring 2014 Collection to share with you. As the brands are releasing their pink dominating pieces for Spring, I was wondering if it could get more "Rose" than that. Givenchy's answer to my question is the name of their collection, "Over Rose". I don't know if someone would come up with another collection named "Ultra Rose" or "Mega Rose" but at the moment, this is as pink as it gets. The collection has supposedly even a pink mascara! Check out the promo photos here.

Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction, Le Vernis #16 Rose Addiction, Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation

From the three pieces I would like to introduce you today, I would like to start with the nail polish. Le Vernis #16 in Rose Addiction.

Givenchy Le Vernis #16 Rose Addiction

Rose Addiction is a crelly (creme/jelly) and therefore has a semi transparent touch to it. Below you can see two coats applied, which still shows my strong nail line a little. If you wouldn't like that I think you can go with three coats and you would be fine. Color is a bright blue based pink, which doesn't look neon and is wearable. It is also glossy without a top coat but I still prefer to apply top coat with those to make nail polishes last longer (below you see it without top coat though). If you hear me talking here and there about it, you may already know that I am not a fan of Givenchy's nail polish formula, especially after getting chips from both of their Fall 2013 nail polishes (which I didn't review although I swatched and even took a chipped photo of it and decided to give it another go). I think though Rose Addiction may last longer because of its jelly like consistency. I have to still test it over some days and let you know.

Givenchy Le Vernis #16 Rose Addiction

Next piece is my favorite of the collection, Rouge Interdit Shine #36 in Rose Sensation. Rouge Interdit is a sheer formula which is very hydrating so the strong color you see on the tube doesn't transfer to the lips that way but it still has enough pigment to show up. Rose Sensation doesn't have shimmer, is more like a lip balm with a very pretty pinkish coral color. It wears very well for a sheer lipstick. I had it on for over 2 hours and I received a compliment on this lipstick from hubby after that so it must have been fully intact at that time. Then we went to eat lunch so it was the end of the testing time ;-)

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation

On my lips it looks more pink than coral but you will see below on my arm swatch that it looks more coral so I believe on some it will pull more coral than pink.

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation

The last piece I could get my hands on is my first Le Prisme. I would like to try one of these for so long. Les Prismes are composed of two layers. The second layer could be slid forward. In it, it has three applicators, two sponged tipped ones with round and pointed edge and a brush to blend. These can be useful on the go for some, for me they are just cuteness factor for the compact. Upper layer has four eye shadows which are all satin or shimmery. Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction has a peach, pink and bronze theme.

Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction

Here are the shades of Rose Attraction:

Upper left: Soft bronze brown with satin finish. This one applied very nicely on the crease, giving a soft but yet defined look. I thought it wouldn't show but it was rather pigmented.

Upper right: Light peachy pink with satin finish. This also performed very well. The peach tones made it also flattering since it is difficult for me to pull off very pastel pink looks.

Bottom left: Blue based pink with fuchsia shimmer, very shimmery that it is almost a frost (but also not quiet). I don't know what to say about this shade, its pretty shimmer didn't apply the same way on my lids and it made the whole thing look much pinker than I would like. The consistency of this shade is very soft and buttery but it is rather transparent so I am thinking it would better be layered over a darker base. I will let you know once I try it out. This one is definitely an interesting consistency/finish combination so needs a bit of experimenting.

Bottom right: Very light champagne shimmer. I like this layered on others, especially on the inner corner. It can be picked up with fingers and padded onto the lid gently. I found the consistency to be smooth and it applies well without many fall out.

Close-up: Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction

Below you can see swatches of Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation and Le Prisme in #86 Rose Attraction. I have no idea why my arm appeared three shades darker but it must have been strange light usage, have to find a better position for next time. ;-)

Swatches: Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation (left), Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction (right)

Here is Rose Attraction on the eyes, peach shade (upper right) on inner corner, pink shade (bottom left) applied to mid lid, brown (upper left) applied to the crease and shimmer (bottom right) padded on inner to medium lid. I like how "not that pastel" this look is and have to admit that in real life it looked much prettier with shimmer, which I unfortunately couldn't capture here.

In-action: Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction

Here is the full face look with Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation on lips, Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction on eyes, Guerlain Crazy Terracotta (reviewed here) on cheeks. All in all I like the natural yet rosy look. I am not blown away by the eye shadow quad but I still find it pretty and spring appropriate.

FOTD with Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction (eyes), Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation (lips)

Final thoughts: I am loving Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation. I have to play with the eye shadow quad and nail polish a bit more to be able to decide about them. If i were to select one product, it would be the lip stick. There should also be a lip and cheeks palette from this collection which captures my attention. I gotta check that one out too.

Are you loving all the pink releases for Spring or are you already tired of it? Eyeing any products from Givenchy?

What I have for you today is super pretty. The hearts must have stopped at the time the first promo pictures were released... It is... YSL's Flower Crush Palette from their Spring 2014 Collection.

Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette Rosy Blush Blush Duo

The outer design of it made me sigh before I ever opened the compact to see the blush. It is scattered modern pink figure on YSL's signature golden compact, so slim and elegant.

Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette Rosy Blush Blush Duo

Once you open the compact, you see the gorgeous irregular design, not only in terms of lines reaching the center but also randomly scattered pink shade on peach back ground. If you move it under yellow/low light, you see the reflections of multi colored shimmer on the surface winking at you, inviting you to touch it. But you are afraid to do so. Such a heartbreakingly happy moment if there is such a thing. I think this palette turned me into a poet, seriously...

Close-up: Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette Rosy Blush Blush Duo

If you ever find the courage to spoil this beauty, you end up with a very sheer, pink highlighter carrying that multi colored shimmer in a gorgeous way. wait a minute, wasn't this supposed to be a blush? You read once more what is written on the compact "Fower Crush Palette Rosy Blush". You read further "Blush Duo". Duo? Blush?

You start searching for the meaning of all these words. They can only be a kind of secret to be solved, in another mysterious world, which this beautiful compact already took you. In this world, you don't take words seriously nor literally. Who cares what it is called? It is super pretty and it shines like no other does, so why bother.

Swatch: Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette Rosy Blush Blush Duo

Yes I said it does shine like no other. Let me try to show you that... *Pulls out some similar highlighters and blushes from her stash*: Chantecaille, Les Petales de Rose, which must have been my favorite rose toned highlighter to date, MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Adored, which I fell in love after Cafe Make-up's review here, one of my lightest blushes Chanel's newly released Joues Contraste in #86 Discretion (reviewed here and here) and YSL gorgeous highlighter from one of my favorite collection of theirs (Holiday 2012), Boreal Palette Polar Light.

Comparison to similar highlighters and blushes: Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette

Below they are swatched from lightest to darkest. You see that even my lightest blush is darker than Flower Crush. Chantecaille Les Petales de Rose is slightly lighter, MAC Adored is more beige/peach, Discretion is a tad darker. The closest shade is Chanel's Discretion, which also has very similar shimmer, but not as pretty as Flower Crush. It is hard to capture the shimmer under low light, so I highly recommend checking this out in person.

Comparison swatches together with similar highlighters and blushes: Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette

Also see Silverkis' review here, she was able to build up the color and says it can be used as a blush! I should work harder it seems. ;-)

Final thoughts: Blush duo? Duo maybe (peach and scattered pink design) but blush? I think it is a pretty highlighter with a gorgeous design and breath taking shimmer. Just know what you are getting and you will love it.

Have you checked out YSL's Spring collection yet? I am pondering about probably not that pigmented, yes or no, or no or yes... Have to check it out in person. This collection is released a few days ago in US and should be in Europe very soon.

Spring Collection from Chanel was launched almost three weeks ago in US. Last week I spotted the items in some counters in Stuttgart but they are still not available online. Because of an issue with a lost package between US and Germany (the second one in the last two months), I was trying to resist purchasing some items considering the case of a rare event of the package being found (!). Still two of the nail polishes came home with me. Today I would like to present you Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage and #603 Charivari.

Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage and #603 Charivari from Notes de Printemps Spring 2014 Collection

Note to myself: Get some scores of Stravinsky for the next Chanel post, fits better than Moonlight Sonata ;-)

Le Vernis #Tapage is a bright pinkish red shade with creme finish. It has a very good consistency and is opaque almost with one coat. As the name Tapage suggests (noise in french), this one is not that subdued. To me it has a cheerful and easy going nature, perfect for spring and summer.

Swatch: Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage (without flash)

Swatch: Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage (with flash)

Tapage is once red, once pink and even a little orange. I pulled out some similar colors from my stash to see if I had something similar.

Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage and similar shades from my stash

Chanel #581 Cinema (reviewed here), Chanel #129 Image Rose (discontinued) and Chanel #589 Elixir (reviewed here) are all much darker than Tapage. Chanel #441 Cherry is lighter although it is the only shade which is swatched with three coats below. Tom Ford #14 Scarlet Chinois is probably the most closest I have, which is a tad darker and redder. Chanel #677 Rouge Rubis from 2013 Holiday collection is also slightly darker but close. Tapage is like a care free cooler younger sister of Rouge Rubis.

Nail wheel comparison of Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage and similar shades from my stash

Another loud music in repertoire of Chanel for this Spring is #603 Charivari. As I love wearing dark nail polish, I was most excited about this one. It is a deep aubergine creme with a slight milky quality to it which makes it different than the other Chanel vamps. The consistency is again very good, I used two coats for swatches but could easily stop at one.

Swatch: Chanel Le Vernis #603 Charivari (without flash)

Swatch: Chanel Le Vernis #603 Charivari (with flash)

I knew that the comparison of Charivari wouldn't be easy given the number of Vampy polishes I own. Here is an attempt...

Chanel Le Vernis #603 Charivari and similar shades from my stash

Below I swatched every shade with only one coat since it is easier to spot the difference of such dark colors by doing so.

Chanel #599 Provocation, #573 Accessoire and #18 Rouge Noire and #113 Koala (discontinued) are all redder and doesn't have the blue hues of Charivari.

Chanel #583 Taboo is more purple and has red shimmer. *sigh* Each time I swatch it the beauty of this one still make me sigh.

Tom Ford Bitter Bitch appear very close in the bottle but once swatched, it is warmer, pulling more brown.

YSL #40 Sepia 4E Art is more purple and a tad lighter.

Chanel #509 Paradoxal and #603 Charivari are close but Charivari is darker, less milkier. Paradoxal additionally has a gorgeous shimmer which makes it appear more complex on the nails.

Chanel #563 Vertigo, which is one of my favorite Vamps from Chanel to date is very close to Charivari but I find Vertigo prettier on me since I like its reddish hidden shimmer of it.

Nail wheel comparison: Chanel Le Vernis #603 Charivari and similar shades from my stash

Final thoughts: Two new nail polishes from Chanel are a dream to work with. These are also a kind of alternative to the "occupy pastel movement" for Spring, which is really a good thing if you want to escape from girly pinks and pretty baby blues. You may still want to check your stash first though, since it is very likely that you have something similar in there.

Vamp on the nails for Springs? What do you think?

I was detrained not to get any "pastel" eye shadows this Spring but this one made me change my mind...

Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Dior's make-up palette for glowing eyes & fresh complexion. Dior released two of these palettes, but in Germany we received only #001 Favorite. You can see them swatched together here. Favorite has given me a feeling of luxury as no other make-up product had done before. I was very excited already after removing the transparency and taking out the grey ultra smooth velvet pouch out of the box.

Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

The experience is full of pretty details such as a small tag indicating some details (Made in France, 6g, the name of the palette etc.) and the magnetic closure which works like a magic. The backside of the pouch has a pocket for the cute brush with a bow on it. Aww the tiny bow has letters C D on it. Sunny reports that she had made the kitty test on the brush and that it is probably real hair. I also believe it is made of goat.

Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

The palette consist of a blush in the center and four eye shadows around it. Dior defines of the these eye shadows as "eyeliner" shade. It is a black shade with matte finish but luckily it is not as dry as some of Dior's eye liner shades in their glow palettes (remember Silver Glow?) so it can also be used to define the crease.

Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Other three shades are a very light peachy pink with satin to metallic finish, a semi opaque grass green with satin finish and a gorgeous bronze shade with satin finish. I think after seeing how the bronze plays with the light once applied wet, I was sold on this palette.

Close-up: Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Blush in the middle is a rather light one and as the name suggests gives a fresh complexion. It does show on me once applied with a dense brush (like Tom Ford Cheek Brush). I would say I am the border though, anyone darker than NC25 may not be able to use it as a blush. I compared that blush at the counter to the #946 Pink Reverie which is also released with this collection. Pink Reverie is a lighter pink with more blue undertones.

Swatch: Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Once I applied the palette to the eyes, its magic was kind of over for me. Although it gave a nice soft look, which is great for spring time, I was not impressed with how the eye shadows performed. Although they are very soft and finely milled, and come to life once applied wet, they somehow lacked the pigmentation in my book. But maybe it is just me because I like very pigmented eye shadows. For the below look I used the pink at the inner corner, bronze and green on the lid and used black for definition and along the lash line as a liner.

In-action: Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

I combined this look with the new permanent lipstick released together with Trianon collection, Rouge Dior #531 Rose Crinoline. It is a perfect peachy nude for the upcoming season. I find the new formula of Dior is also very hydrating and pigmented.

Rouge Dior #531 Rose Crinoline from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection

Below you can see lipstick, blush and eye shadow combo all together. A soft green eye, very subtle blush and nude lips. I had some issues during application, like blush kicking off some dust and covering the eye shadows (had to be puffed away) and green muddying the gorgeous bronze once applied close. I think the most interesting part of this journey was unpacking this pretty compact and getting to know the details. I don't know if this experience is worth the price though...

FOTD: Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite and Rouge Dior #531 Rose Crinoline

Final thoughts: Great for those with fair skin or ones who would like a soft eye look.

How important is the packaging for you? Would you prefer affordable prices coming with less quality packaging?

Dior 5 Couleurs #634 Golden Flower from Golden Winter Holiday 2013 Collection

Chanel Joues Contraste #84 Accent from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

Chanel Ombres Matelassees Charming Eye Shadow Palette from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder #001 Rose D'Or from Dior Golden Winter Holiday 2013 Collection

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion Swatch & Comparison

Burberry Nail Polishes #200 Steel Grey, #202 Metallic Khaki, #203 Storm Grey, #106 Dark Trench, #103 Ash Rose, #303 Oxblood Review, Swatches & Comparison

Suqqu Christmas Kit B, Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Quad EX-19 Toryokuzora, Review & Story

Wayne Goss Limited Edition Christmas Brush Review & Comparison

Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer Angel Wings & Butterfly Wings from White Magic Collection Holiday 2013

Le Métier De Beauté Gravite Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, Review & Swatches

Giorgio Armani Belladonna Highlighting Palette from Effetto Nudo Spring 2014 Collection, Swatches & Comparison

Best of 2013 Part I: Blush, Bronzer, Eye Shadow Quad, Eye Shadow Single

Best of 2013 Part II: Lipstick, Palette, Nail Polish and Collections

Dior Vernis #204 Porcelaine and #457 Bouquet from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014, Swatch & Comparison

Diorblush Trianon Edition #763 Corail Bagatelle from Trianon Collection for Spring 2014, Swatch & Comparison

Dior Diorshow Mono Trianon Edition #761 Angélique, Rouge Dior #761 Courtisane from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection, Swatches & FOTD

Givenchy Le Prisme #86 Rose Attraction, Le Vernis #16 Rose Addiction, Rouge Interdit Shine #36 Rose Sensation from Over Rose Spring 2014 Collection, Review, Swatches & FOTD

Yves Saint Laurent Flower Crush Palette Rosy Blush Blush Duo from Spring 2014 Flower Crush Collection, Swatches & Comparison

Chanel Le Vernis #605 Tapage and #603 Charivari from Notes de Printemps Spring 2014 Collection, Swatch & Comparison

Dior Trianon Make-up Palette #001 Favorite and Rouge Dior #531 Rose Crinoline from Trianon Spring 2014 Collection, Review & Swatches