Color Me Loud

Chanel Variations Collection hit the stores around the world, well not exactly because it seems Germany is getting those not until the beginning of April and I haven't seen them yet in France either. It would be a long month waiting to get them all, so thanks to a dear friend, I sneaked this nail polish from Belgium. I have also heard people driving across the border to get some of the items *chuckles*, you can't hold a beauty addict can you?

Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur

Alright, rule is a rule, I rarely buy lipstick without trying. But nail polish? Give'em all to me! So it was clear that I wanted it, the new nail polish of Chanel was calling my name using key words such as "berry", "plummy", "dark". Here it is, love at first sight for Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Couer, the one and only nail polish of Variations Collection.

It has a great consistency, some might even find one coat to be enough. I used two coats for the photos below (including nail wheel comparisons). The first photo is the most "color accurate". Coup de Coeur is a dark (but not blackened nor vamp) reddish plum. Under warm rays of direct sun light, it appears to be more red than a plum or berry. Also with artificial light, it appears more of a red.

Swatch in shadow (most color accurate): Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur

Here it is with direct sun light, looking more red than the photo above, but you can still see the berry tones. Isn't that gorgeous?

Swatch with direct sun light: Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur

As pretty as Coup de Coeur is, I knew I would have some close shades in my stash. Two years ago when April was released, I was head over heals with it. I am usually not a "red nailed" girl, but April is that one nail polish that I reached for again and again. When I swatched Coup de Coeur, it reminded me of it.

Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur and some similar shades from my stash

As I suspected, Chanel #533 April and #609 Coup de Coeur are very close. Coup de Coeur has slightly more blue in it but practically I can almost see no difference when I swatch them side by side. Below you can see that April is a tad warmer.

Guerlain #168 L'Heure Bleue is also very close to Coup de Coeur. L'Heure Bleue is just a tad darker and slightly warmer. Chanel Infidele is like a lighter version of Coup de Coeur.

Nail wheel comparison of Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur and similar shades from my stash

Chanel's reds which are close to Coup de Coeur, #487 Rouge Fatal and #455 Lotus Rouge, are both darker and warmer. A recent release, #581 Cinema is also darker and just a tad warmer. Chanel #589 Elixir is warmer and lighter. I also included one nail polish I happened to find in my stash from Sparitual called Worldly Wise. I think this one is not available anymore but it was one of the closest shades I have, just saying, you may have it in your stash by chance ;-)

Nail wheel comparison of Chanel Le Vernis #609 Coup de Coeur and similar shades from my stash

Final thoughts: The brand new Le Vernis from Chanel, #609 Coup de Coeur is a dream for those of you who like their creams in berries and plums or red lover who would like to spice it up a little. Variations collection is available in US and most of Europe, it will be available in Germany in the beginning of April.

Do you find Coup de Coeur different enough to justify a purchase? Are you eyeing anything from Variations collection?

Center piece of Laura Mercier's Spring Collection is a very chic and sleek palette for eyes and cheeks, named Enlightenment proper to Renaissance theme of the collection. Upper lid of the compact doesn't stay up but opens all the way back, this is I tried different angles on this picture.

Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette for Spring 2014 Renaissance Collection

My last experience with Laura Mercier Holiday Palette must have set a flag in my brain which enables me to buy each and every palette they release at the moment. Artist's Palette from holidays became my everyday complimentary eye shadow palette to deepen crease, set eye liner and add inner corner highlight. I loved the fact that I could get all those regular eye shadows in great quality in one single package. What it also did was to increase my expectation for the following palettes to come as it was such a perfect product at a great price point.

Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette, nail polish Rescue Beauty Lounge Naked Without Polish

Enlightenment Palette is divided into three sections, the middle section has four limited edition eye shadows. Right and left there are one blush each. The names of the products are written right under them which makes this all very easy to review for you beauty bloggers out there (one plus point!). Upper lid has a large mirror, which is great for travelling but since it doesn't stay up, you have to probably hold this one with one hand to be able to use it. The closing stripe is magnetic to hold the upper lid in place.

Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette for Spring 2014 Renaissance Collection

The pan size is big enough to easily swirl brush around the eye shadows and blushes. I really like the design, which is practical and chic.

Close-up: Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette

Left side of the compact has a darker blush, called blushing, a pigmented reddish coral. Blush on the right hand side is called Awakening. I like this one since it gives a healthy flush for daily use. Two can be combined for more defined cheekbones or mixed to create new shades. I really love how they apply and blend but I found out that they didn't last very long on me. On 5 hours mark, I checked to see that they faded considerably. I was using a mix of shades so I don't know if I can say this for both of the shades though.

Swatch of blushes in Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette

Believe me I swatched the eye shadows at the counter before I decided to get the palette. It must have been that way, I swatched Grace, which is a gorgeous taupe and later I must have passed out from how pretty it is so is this why I don't remember the others?

Anyway, look at those, pretty? To me they are a little too frosty :-( I don't mind them being all light shades because I can always compliment them with a darker shade from my beloved Artists' Palette but that frost didn't apply all that well on me. I wished those had the same quality of Laura Mercier's Luster Eye Colors. *sigh*

Here are the shade described:

Angelic: Light warm ivory, frosty/metallic finish

Grace: Light to mid toned cool taupe, frosty/metallic finish

Pure Glow: Light to mid toned copper,

Innocence: Light cool champagne with a tad of pink, frosty/metallic finish

Swatch of eye shadows in Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette

Here is a quick look to give you an idea. I am wearing Grace on eyes (deepened the crease with two of the darkest eye shadows from LM Artists' Palette) and a mix of Awakening and Blushing on the cheeks. No doubt that it is a fresh springy look. Eye shadow lasted all day, blush was almost invisible after 6-7 hours.

FOTD with Laura Mercier Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette

I might be the odd one out not liking this chic, spring-light palette because it looks so beautiful on Make-up Magpie and Beauty Reflections. So don't let my review hold you back, be sure to check these out too.

Final thoughts: I can't all that well understand the concept of this product and to me it lacks some versatility as well as quality since blush didn't have lasting power and eye shadows were rather too frosty. I would rather go with a palette which has a range of permanent ones in, but as said, that is probably just me.

Now I would like to try Laura Mercier's Nordstrom Exclusive palette. This one is composed of brand's great quality permanent eye shadows, yay!

Have you checked Enlightenment Eye & Cheek Palette out? What are your thoughts?

After a long waiting, praying and hoping everything goes smoothly, customs decided to let go off my package, so let the Jardin de Camélias Collection reviews begin! *trumpets*

First a few words about the collection. Chanel releases each year an Asia Exclusive collection around Lunar New Year. The collection is then also released in US, as an online exclusive and unfortunately no where else in the world.

Having I felt in love with the eye shadow quad last year (remember? check out my review here), this year I decided to asked a dear blogger friend for a favour. She was very nice to get me a few items at the time of the release in Singapore in the beginning of February.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Sakura

I would like to start with Joues Contraste #87 Sakura. Sakura means cherry blossom in Japanese. Oh remember me trying to learn Japanese from Suqqu quads? It didn't really worked last time with Honey Brown (which I wrongly interpreted as Honey and Tea lol) but this time around I am sure (almost). Such a pretty spring appropriate name it is.

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Sakura

Sakura is a light pink blush, which has similar shimmery finish to beloved Rose Initiale. These are all baked version Joues Contraste so come in a 4g regular JC compact. As much as I don't like Chanel's baked eye shadow formula, I do like their baked blushes. They apply and blend wonderfully and they have very good longevity. Althought I like using my Tom Ford Cheek Brush with those, which I found to give the best results, today I applied that one with Suqqu Cheek Brush and loved it that way too.

Close-up: Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Sakura

Below you see a swatch on my arm. I am going to post FOTD with Eyeshadow post, so stay tuned for that. On my arm it looks a bit lighter since my arm is darker than my face (sun screen is the one to blame) but still you can see for a light to medium or medium complexion, Sakura gives a lovely natural flush. For deeper skin toned however, it might be too light.

Swatch: Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Sakura

I pulled out some favorite pinks from my JC collection to compare with Sakura. I also included #87 Emotion in the comparison since it has the same number as Sakura, which is a bit confusing. I assure you though, they are very different. I don't know what really went wrong at Chanel Headquarters while giving it a number :-p

Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Sakura and similar Joues Contraste

Sakura fits perfectly between Rose Initiale and Discretion (reviewed here and here). It is a cooler and slightly lighter version of Rose Initiale. You see that Pink Explosion is close in terms of coolness but darker. (below Emotion should have the number #87)

Swatch comparisons of other Joues Contraste vs. #87 Sakura -> Note: Emotion is #87

For more swatches & comparison, check out Beauty Look Book and Temptalia.

Final thoughts: Very pretty blush for upcoming Spring. Today I am wearing it and after 8 hours the color is almost intact (there is only slight fading). If you have fair, light, medium complexion and have access to this collection be sure to check it out.

Are you also tempted by products which are harder to get?

The second piece I purchased from Chanel's Jardin de Camélias Collection is a limited creme eye shadow, Illusion d'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents. I won't wait until the end of the post to tell you what I feel about this one. It is love. It is my favorite piece of the collection. I love the beautiful sheen and the unique color.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents for Jardin de Camélias Collection

As gorgeous as it is, it is hard to capture the real beauty in pictures. At some angles, it looks more red, more fuchsia or more pink. Once applied, it looks like a jelly sugary desert (maybe like this one here?). It is certainly a very playful shade, a unique addition to my collection.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents

I pulled out some of the pinkish Illusion d'Ombres to compare with Rose des Vents but I knew already that nothing would be like it.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents and similar Illusion D'Ombres

Here is the proof. #93 Impulsion or #82 Emerville both look like they are tones of white ones compared to the more pigmented Rose des Vents. #88 Abstraction is also a light peachy pink. #86 Ebloui has more brown in it. After doing that I also compared Rose des Vents to Armani Eyes To Kill #7 (not shown) , which is a rose gold shade. Rose des Vents has more blue in it and it is more interesting than any of those, the only question was left to be answered, would it be wearable?

Comparison swatch: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents and similar Illusion D'Ombres

The answer is yes! I wore it today to work. As vivid and interesting as it is, also very wearable. Below you can see the look I created using Jarden Zen eye shadow quad from the same collection (review follows shortly) to define the crease and outer corner. All over the lid you can see Rose des Vents. In person, this one looks much better since some gorgeous light reflections are added.

In-action: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #94 in Rose des Vents together with Jarden Zen Eye Shadow Quad

I am loving the last additions to Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre range. I feel like those started having some properties which are not easy to be realized by powder products. I loved Impulsion more as a base more than on its own but Rose des Vents can be used either way.

Final thoughts: Both thumbs up. For me Rose des Vents is my choice from Jardin de Camélias Collection, so be sure to check it out in case you have access to this rather restricted collection.

What tones of pink do you find wearable for you?

The last piece I would like to present from Chanel's Asia/chanel.com exclusive Jardin de Camélias Collection is eye shadow quad, Ombres Tracees in Jardin Zen.

Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

After combination of warm shades and reddish pinks for Chanel's Spring Collection, these cooler, dustier notes of Jardin Zen excited me much more. Three of the shades are light to medium naturals while one shade, black, is really dark. Light to medium colors apply rather sheer once worn dry and opaque if used damp. I prefer wet application since it also brings out the shimmery texture of the shades and make them look more complex.

Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

Although Jardin Zen has lovely prints on its eye shadows, the eye shadows are baked. These type of formula weights much less than the powder quads released in US. Jardin Zen has generous 2 g of products. As for your reference, usually Chanel baked quads have 1.2 g, which correspond to around 6.8 g of non-baked formula.

Close-up: Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

Below swatches are done dry. First shade is a mid-toned dusty cool purple grey, which is as you can imagine my favorite of the bunch. Second shade is a light cool gold with satin finish. Next to it there is a light pink shade, which is not very cool nor warm. The last shade is a very pigmented, satin to matte black, which is great for definition or as eye liner.

Swatch: Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

Below is the first look I did with using only Jardin Zen Quad on the lids. I applied the gold and pink shades to the inner corner, blending into the purple grey and defining the look with black.

In-action: Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

Below is the whole look with Jardin Zen on the eyes. You can also see Joues Contraste #87 in Sakura (reviewed here) in action. On the lips I am wearing Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Sweet Spot.

FOTD: Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad

I found that Jardin Zen combines wonderfully with Illusion d'Ombre in Rose des Vents (reviewed here). I already posted the eye look in the last post but here is the whole look with Sakura on cheeks and Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte #32 Corail Jalouse on lips.

FOTD: Chanel Ombres Tracees Jardin Zen Eye Shadow Quad and Illusion d'Ombre in Rose des Vents

Final thoughts: I love how grayish purple combines with pinks. I find it better than the warm plums and reddish pinks of Spring collection. I also think the pieces of this collection coordinate very nicely with one another. I am loving Jardin Zen, especially once combined with Illusion d'Ombre in Rose des Vents and Sakura on the cheeks.

Anything on your radar from this collection?

Wish you all a great Sunday!

Today I was painting my nails with one of the nudes of OPI from their Brazil Collection, which is just released in February. Then I was like, wait a minute, this one reminds me of another pretty nude which I just happened to review... So I snapped a few photos to show you that.

Meet OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around (I always find the names of their polishes so much fun).

OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around for Brazil Collection, in natural light

I really like Brazil Collection, which is full of gorgeous cremes to wear all year around. You can find all the shades swatched at PolishAholic. My choices are Live.Love.Carnaval, Next Stop Bikini Zone, Taupe-less Beach and Where did Suzi's Man-go and Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. I am trying hard not to get more of these though.

OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around for Brazil Collection, in natural light

Don't Bossa Nova Me Around has some pink and even lavender in the mix to brighten up your nails and avoids them from looking dull. I really like the formula too. It is a little thick but if you like you can even get along with just one coat, which is really rare for such a light shade. And one more bonus, it is in no ways streaky.

OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around for Brazil Collection, with flash

So here is the surprise of this post, OPI's new shade Don't Bossa Nova Me Around looks similar to the new Spring/Summer Nude of Tom Ford, Sugar Dune! Do you remember how much I was in love with that shade? Check out the review post to see that I haven't found anything remotely close in my mini(!) nail polish stash. Well, things change, take a look at it yourself...

Comparison in natural light: OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around vs. Tom Ford Sugar Dune

They are not dupes but certainly they are very close. A lovely reader Siri Lovise Eliassen asked me to find a dupe for Sigar Dune. I can happily say that you can go with this $7 bottle if you are reluctant to invest your $$$s on Mr.Ford's Sugar Dune. As for the differences, OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around is slightly lighter (whiter) and slightly cooler, which tells me, some of you who found TF one to be not very flattering (especially on lighter skin tones) might find OPI to be a better match. Carefully I have to write one more thing here, I do prefer OPI DBNMA's formula and opaqueness to TF's SD. Just saying.

Comparison with flash: OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around vs. Tom Ford Sugar Dune

Final thoughts: I am loving OPI's Brazil Collection and one of the shades I do enjoy very much at the moment is happened to be very close to Tom Ford's Sugar Dune, which was the favorite nail polish from his Spring/Summer Lip/Nail Collection.

Are you eyeing any of the polishes from OPI Brazil Collection?

Have you also noticed that most of permanent Dior nail polishes are out of stock on online retailers? That is because we are expecting a whole range renewal with new formula and brush soon, very soon. I was checking out everyday here and there and look what I have stumbled upon... Three of yet to be released Dior Addict Fluid Sticks!

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage, #551 Aventure and #575 Wonderland

Fluid Sticks, fun name! These are liquid lipsticks with similar concepts to Glossy Stains of YSL, Lip Maestro of Giorgio Armani or Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss from Chanel. More opaque and pigmented than a lip gloss with a longer wear time. Size of the tube is the same as Dior Addict Gloss and the opening is also similar. Dior Addict Fluid Sticks contain 5.5 g/0.18 OZ product (while Dior Addict Gloss has 6.5 g/0.21 OZ)

Size comparison: Dior Addict Fluid Sticks vs. Dior Addict Gloss and Dior Addict Lipstick

A nice detail is how half of the tube is left transparent to show the color of the lipstick inside the tube as opposed to having all the tube transparent like Dior Addict Glosses. The transparent part is also shaped like a regular lipstick bullet. I find this design very creative and cute.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage, #551 Aventure and #575 Wonderland

Once the lid turned, the applicator can be pulled out. Fluid Sticks have sponge applicator instead of brush applicator like Dior Addict Lip Glosses. Applicator is small and helps to apply this pigmented formula with a good precision.

Applicators: Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage, #551 Aventure and #575 Wonderland

Three shades I acquired are #338 Mirage, a soft orangy coral which looks very natural on the lips, #551 Aventure a full on water melon red and #575 Wonderland a reddish pink. For the ones who followed oscars last weekend, here is a secret, Jennifer Lawrence was wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in #338 Mirage (you can check her make up and breakdown here). I spotted also at least 3 more celebrities with different tones of Dior Addicd Fluid Sticks, which makes sense for red carpet because of the staying power of these.

Swatches: Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage, #551 Aventure and #575 Wonderland

Here are the comparisons to a few of the liquid lipsticks I have from Giorgio Armani and YSL. Below all are swatched by one pass. You can also see that Giorgio Armani is more opaque (and upon removal more staining). YSL Rebel Nudes are more transparent but I found Glossy Stains to be close in opaqueness.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks #338 Mirage, #551 Aventure and #575 Wonderland, comparison swatches

I also made a photo of the ingredients for those of you who might want to check them out. I wore #551 Aventure today and it was very bright (a bit too bright for my liking) right after application. Then it faded a little after 2-3 hours and I really liked it at this stage. At 5 hour mark I went to eating and the half of the lipstick was still on although I drank coffee and snacked in between so it was rather impressive.

Add captionDior Addict Fluid Sticks, Ingredients list of #551 Aventure

Also worth to mention is that these are perfumed but scent do fade once applied so I haven't noticed it during wearing. Upon application, I found them to be moisturizing and after they faded, they didn't dry out my lips. I found mine at eBay but these will be released on the 15th of March. Also note that the three shades I presented will all have a matching nail polish soon (check out promo of nail polishes here)

Final thoughts: What a lovely surprise from Dior, I love low maintenance lip sticks that don't dry my lips so I will surely check other shades of Fluid Sticks once they are released. Do expect another post with lip swatches and FOTDs after I test them properly this week. First impressions are very positive though.

Do you like liquid lipstick formulas? Will you be checking Fluid Sticks out?

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday, it was very warm and sunny here today so I was inspired to put up a post that reflects the mood.

Burberry #415 Pale Yellow, Deborah Lippmann Build Me Up Buttercup, Butter London Jasper

You are shy of yellows? I selected three wearable yellows for your spring tips, Burberry #415 Pale Yellow from Spring/Summer 2014 Collection, Deborah Lippmann's Build Me Up Buttercup from her newly released Spring Collection and Butter London Jasper from the last year's Spring collection of the brand, which is still available in stores.

Burberry #415 Pale Yellow, Deborah Lippmann Build Me Up Buttercup, Butter London Jasper (flower source)

I would like to start with Burberry #415 Pale Yellow, which must be the most unique of the bunch. This one is a mustardy take on light yellow, which leans slightly green at times. It is not a mustard color though, which would be darker and denser than that. It is like a more care free lighter version of mustard if that makes sense. It has great formula, no streakiness and it is opaque in two layers. Now I will tell you the best thing about it, ready? The following swatch is taken after it was on my nails for four full days! I really like the wear time of Burberry nail polishes and this one is no exception.

Burberry #415 Pale Yellow

Next one on the list must be the most wearable yellow I own, Deborah Lippmann's Build Me Up Buttercup is from her brand new Spring Reveries Collection. Build Me Up Buttercup makes what you would never think that it would exist: Creme yellow one-coater! No Streakiness either. For the below swatches I applied two coats just for consistency throughout the post but one was really enough. I have to mention this though, to make it happen, the formula is rather thick so you need more precision during application.

Deborah Lippmann Build Me Up Buttercup

Butter London Jasper is one of those lively yellows which are not too over the top so still wearable. Below I applied two coats which is enough for full opacity. The first coat might seem a little streaky but everything evens out on the second coat. Another lovely shade which would also take your nails to Summer and look fabulous once you put a little tan on.

Butter London Jasper

I don't have many yellows in my collection but I pulled out two that I know to check out how they all compare.

Burberry #415 Pale Yellow, Deborah Lippmann Build Me Up Buttercup, Butter London Jasper vs.
Chanel #577 Mimosa, Dior #118 Acapulco

Both Chanel's #577 Mimosa and Dior's #118 Acapulco are denser yellows and doesn't resemble the other three. You can see why I said "mustard" about Burberry, since it is a little darker and slightly greenish once compared to others. Deborah Lippmann's Build Me Up Buttercup has tiny bit of peach in that which makes it "nude" among yellows if that makes sense. Butter London Jasper must be the most cheerful lemony yellow with some white in it.

Burberry #415 Pale Yellow, Deborah Lippmann Build Me Up Buttercup, Butter London Jasper vs.
Chanel #577 Mimosa, Dior #118 Acapulco

Final thoughts: Yellow is a color I don't reach for very often but this Spring I am determined to wear it more often. After all we know that saffron/mustardy shades are very en vogue so you can't go wrong with Burberry's Pale Yellow if you want to catch the trends. If that would be too scary for you, check out Deborah Lippmann's Build Me Up Buttercup for a more wearable option.

Do you like yellow on your tips and toes?

Chanel released eight new quads and discontinued many of the existing ones. Today I at the Chanel counter in Breuninger, Stuttgart and lovely Sales Ladies & Gents supported me as I played with the quads and took many pictures. At first I wanted to make some photos because I couldn't swatched them all at once to decide, then I thought maybe it could be helpful for you too, so I would like to share the swatches and my first impression notes with you. There are also four new eye liners, three of them are going to be permanent, the swatches of those are at the end of the post. The swatches are at the same order as on the lovely display below.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Collection for Spring 2014, all shades on display

#232 Tisse Venitien

Top left: Deep satin forest green with a tad of blue (leans teal)

Top right: Light satin pink

Bottom left: Gorgeous complex green taupe with metallic finish

Bottom right: Very deep black with green hue, satin to matte finish

Impressions: This one is very pretty, therefore one of the two quads I took home with me. Pink is great to brighten inner corner, metallic shade is very complex and darker shades are without shimmer for proper deepening effect. (Note: Below darkest shade on the bottom right is swatched left most since there was no space left on right :-} )

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tisse Venitien

#202 Tisse Camelia

Top left: Mid-toned mauve taupe with shimmery finish

Top right: Light warm white with satin to shimmery finish

Bottom left: Light peachy pink with satin to shimmery finish

Bottom right: Deep cool brown with satin finish

Impressions: This quad is one of the softly pigmented ones with more satin to shimmer finishes. I got this one sight unseen before I could swatch them today so it should be on its way to me at the moment. I love the color concept of it but about the intensity, I will write once more after I try it.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #202 Tisse Camelia

#208 Tisse Gabrielle

Top left: Deep grey with blue/green shimmers, metallic finish

Top right: Light ivory with satin to shimmery finish

Bottom left: Deep purple/taupe with multi colored shimmer, I love this one!

Bottom right: A deep matte black

Impressions: This one is one of my favorites along with Tisse Venitien, therefore is the second one which came home with me. Lovely complex and pigmented shades and the matte black is just right for crease as well as liner. Expect to see this one in action very soon.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #208 Tisse Gabrielle

#226 Tisse Rivoli

Top Left: A deep coolish brown taupe with very complex shimmer and metallic finish

Top right: Very light peach with satin to shimmery finish

Bottom left: Warm mid-toned bronze with metallic finish

Bottom right: Deep warm bronze with satin to matte finish

Impressions: That shade on top left is to die for, seriously. Rivoli is going to me my next pick, very pretty. I can see blue eyes rocking this quad but it would also work wonderfully on warm complexions. On me it may be a little meh, but I don't care because I want that taupe ;-)

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tisse Rivoli

#224 Tisse Riviera

Top left: Mid-toned cool blue with metal finish

Top right: Very light off-white pulling slightly pink with satin to matte finish, not very pigmented

Bottom left: Light bluish grey/silver with metallic finish

Bottom right: Deep cool matte black

Impressions: I like three of the shades (light pink didn't perform very good). This quad is the only really cool one among eight, so if this is what you want, you may want to check it out. Matte black and mid toned metallic blue were the best performers.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #224 Tisse Riviera

#204 Tisse Vendome

Top left: Mid-toned khaki brown with satin to shimmery finish

Top right: Light off-white with peach undertones, satin to shimmery finish

Bottom left: Mid-toned very pigmented peach with satin to shimmery finish

Bottom right: Deep warm matte brown

Impressions: All four shades perform very good. Peach is very pigmented and gorgeous. Deepest shades is not very dark. It has a very interesting combination of khaki and peach. This would look fabulous on warm complexions.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #204 Tisse Vendome

#214 Tisse Mademoiselle
Top left: Mid-toned golden brown with satin to shimmery finish
Top right: Light off-white with yellow undertones, satin finish
Bottom left: Light gold with satin to shimmery finish
Bottom right: Deep brown with green undertones, satin to shimmery finish

Impressions: This one is my least favorite of the bunch. All the shades are rather soft and shimmery including the darkest shade. Wished that the gold would be as gorgeous as the metallic shades e.g. taupe in Tisse Venitien and wished the darkest shade would be more matte, but maybe it is just me.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #214 Tisse Mademoiselle

#228 Tisse Cambon
Top left: Mid-toned mauve taupe with shimmery finish
Top right: Light warm off-white with satin finish, not very pigmented
Bottom left: Mid-toned peachy pink with subtle golden shimmer
Bottom right: Deep reddish purple with matte finish

Impressions: This quad is very close to Chanel's Spring Quad and Duo. Taupe is lovely but white doesn't perform very good. Iridescent quality of pink is very pretty, wished purple would be a little deeper though.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #228 Tisse Cambon

Here are the swatches of four new shades of Long Lasting Eyeliner, Iris is a very pretty shimmery purple with blue undertones, Blue Metallique is a shimmery mid-toned blue. Smokey Grey is the only limited edition of the bunch and the only matte one, can be very handy if you like a softer liner on you lower lash line. Marron Glace is a warm bronze shade with gorgeous shimmer.

Chanel Long Lasting Eyeliner new shade swatches

Here is a very nice construction that was delivered to Breuninger Stuttgart, SA told me that there are only three of these in Germany, so I took a picture for you. Those were real quads, 45 of those were stuck around a cube, very cute.

Stuttgart Breuninger received one of the three fun Les 4 Ombres Cube which are being displayed in Germany.

My favorites of the collection are Tisse Venitien, Tisse Gabrielle and Tisse Rivoli but I like almost all of them since they seem to have a consistent quality across the board. I will review the ones I picked in more detail soon. Good news is that they are permanent. New quads have 2g of eye shadows and retail for 50€ in Germany.

Have you checked these out? Which of them are your favorites?

After swatching all the eight new eye shadow quads from Chanel, without loosing time I started playing around with them. The first one I got to try out, #232 Tissé Vénitien, must be one of the most beautiful green quads I own to date...

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien

Let me start by saying that I was not expecting all that much from the new quads because I had bad experience with the old formula and before those were released, I promised myself not to get another one of the old baked ones, like ever. Did they hear me? In one way or another my wish was granted and here it is, looks baked but it is not, or is it? The ingredients are very close to Asia/Chanel.com Exclusive quads such as Delicatesse (reviewed here) or Jardin Zen (reviewed recently here) but I would say these are even better in terms of pigmentation.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien, close up

I especially liked the complexity of the metallic shades. Look at that greenish taupe, isn't that gorgeous? I am not going to list all the shades once more since I have done it before. Instead let me talk about how it felt during application. I used a dense Hakuhodo brush (G5507) and applied them dry over Nars Pro-prime. Building up color was very easy. I didn't experience any fall out during application.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien, swatch

I applied the pink shade at inner corner, taupe from 1/3 of the lid outwards. Then I deepened the corner and the crease with teal shade and deepened them further with the deepest shade from the quad.

In-Action: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien, Eyes

I combined this eye makeup with yet to be released Dior Fluid Stick in Mirage (swatched here) on lips and Chanel Creme Blush Chamade (reviewed here) on cheeks.

FOTD: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien

Tissé Vénitien reminded me of one of my other beloved green quads, Dior Bonne Etoile from Mystic Metallics Collection (Fall 2013) so I brought them side by side and swatched four closest shade of the quint (I left out the center brown shade).

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien vs. Dior 5 Couleur #384 Bonne Etoile

These two palettes have a similar metallic and green combination to them, but for me they are still different enough to justify owning both. If you don't own any of them (and considering to get one, since Bonne Etoile is still available in Germany) my pick would be Tissé Vénitien because the deeper shade has less shimmer and taupe is more metallic and complex.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien vs. Dior 5 Couleur #384 Bonne Etoile

A last point, longevity. I was very much impressed. I put the make up on at 8 am and at 8 pm it was still intact until I decided to remove it. I have to say though I don't have oily lids so your mileage may vary.

Here is one more picture, if you still haven't made up your mind...

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #232 Tissé Vénitien

Final thoughts: No fall out, check. Longevity, check. Pigmentation, check. Complexity of shades, check. Versatility, check. Ease of application, check. I would say this might be my favorite of the bunch but wait until I try the other three...

Another green quad? Yay or nay?

Summer gets closer every day. After a winter which was milder than usual, I might almost jump right into summer months. We started seeing pieces of Summer 2014 Collections being revealed. One thing that gets me excited each year are the gorgeous bronzers. This Summer, Givenchy has one of those beauties, which I would like to share with you today. Look closer...

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine has very pretty three dimensional design framed with chain embossment which is also printed on its lid. It has a large mirror for touch ups on the go. This one is #02 Douce Croisière so I am assuming there is at least another shade too.

For the curious minds: I found my Terre Exotique at eBay but according to this post, it should be released soon.

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer

I can't get enough of this... I love how light plays with its surface, just so beautiful...

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer

I pulled out some of my favorite bronzers from Chanel, Guerlain, Tom Ford and Dior to see how Terra Exotique compares to those.

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer vs. Dior/Chanel/Guerlain/Tom Ford bronzers

Terre Exotique is as light as Diorskin Nude Tan #002 Sunlight but cooler. Tom Ford Gold Dust is darker and warmer. Guerlain Terracotta #03 Naturel Brunettes (reviewed here) is also darker and warmer. Chanel Soleil Tan Sable Rose pulls more pink.

Givenchy Terre Exotique is the coolest of all the bronzers I own, which is a yay for me since I always find bronzers to be way too warm for my liking. If you can see the reflections below, Terre Exotique is not as matte as, say Guerlain Naturel Brunettes but it is not shimmery either. It has a very fine subtle shimmer.

Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer vs. Dior/Chanel/Guerlain/Tom Ford bronzers

Below I applied Terre Exotique on the high points of my face and as a contour under the cheekbones. Since the undertones is rather cool, I find it working beautifully as a contour. The shimmer translates onto cheeks as a beautiful natural sheen, providing dimension. Can you tell I am so excited about this one? On a side note lipstick I am wearing is Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipstick in Fluttering Sighs*. On eyes I have Chanel Tisse Rivoli (for full set of swatches check here), which I will be reviewing soon.

FOTD with Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine Bronzer

Final thoughts: Givenchy Croisière Terre Exotique Poudre Bonne Mine is more than a pretty face. I love the consistency which is soft but not too much so the design stays on longer and it doesn't kick excess powder. It is a generous 16 g so the retail price (which should be around 45 EUR) is reasonable. But what I love most about this one is its cool undertones and very fine shimmer to give a lit within kind of look. Highly recommended.

What is on your radar from Summer Collections?

Product marked with * is PR Sample.

Summary of the previous episodes

Spring of 2014, Chanel has recently reformulated their eye shadow quads and released eight new combinations. The day they arrived in Germany, Sara went for a big swatch party at the counter. Then returned home with two of her favorite quads and a long wish list. Love would be an understatement, she was head over heels with the first quad she tried, #232 Tissé Vénitien . This magically doubled the number of her quads to four. In this episode, she is going to try the second quad, a natural one with gorgeous shimmer, #226 Tissé Rivoli.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

Since the first time I touched #226 Tissé Rivoli, I can't forget about the texture of the shade on top left corner. This one is a cooler take on natural with subtle, not over the top fine multi-colored shimmer with some serious dimension going on.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

All Tisse Eyeshadow Quads are so pretty to look at since their surface are made to resemble the texture of a Chanel Tweed Jacket. This is why they reflect the light in a gorgeous way.

Close-up: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

I have taken almost a hundred photos, trying to capture how pretty the shimmer of the top left shade is but I couldn't come remotely close to what it looks like in person. Here are two of my tried with studio light and under afternoon sun.

Indoor swatch with studio lights: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

Outdoor swatch with afternoon sun: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

The shades are mostly natural to cool with exception of the darkest shade which is a warmer brown. They are all creamy, soft to touch and very pigmented. I haven't experienced any fall out with these either, the only problem I had was the urge to resist applying top left shade all over the lid (and rest of my face) because it is pretty! But at the same time, this shade is rather dark and takes over the lid space, muting the other gorgeousness, but if this is what it takes, be it! In this recent look, I had it all over my lid. Today just for the purpose of demonstration, I applied the lightest shade on the inner corner, golden rose taupe (bottom left) on the middle blended into darker taupe (top left) on the outer lid. I defined the crease and outer corner further with the darkest shade (deep warm brown, bottom right).

In-action: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

#226 Tissé Rivoli is a taupe lover's dream and I really like the fact that it is not too warm. It should work on a wide range of complexions.

Here are the products used for this look:

Complexion:

Guerlain BB Creme in light, Dior Hydra BB Eye Creme #1, Rouge Bunny Rouge Impalpable Finishing Powder #055 Diaphanous*

Eyes:

#226 Tissé Rivoli, Nars Pro-Prime, Suqqu Brow Pencil, Le Volume de Chanel Mascara, Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof #906 Marron Glace

Cheeks:

Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder, Chanel Joues Contraste #87 Emotion

Lips:

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Dédicace

FOTD: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli

I checked my stash to see what would be the closest match from recent releases. I was (not) surprised to find out that one of my other all time favorite Chanel quad came close to Tissé Rivoli...

Comparison Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli vs. #39 Raffinement

Chanel Les 4 Ombres #39 Raffinement is a warmer and less complex version of Tissé Rivoli. These are close but not dupes. Raffinement has some gold/bronze tones while Rivoli leans more rose/taupe. For my complexion, I prefer Rivoli over Raffinement. At the moment Raffinement is available in US but it is mostly sold out in Germany.

Comparison indoor swatch: Chanel Les 4 Ombres #226 Tissé Rivoli vs. #39 Raffinement

Final thoughts: I am not going to rave about how much I love the new formulation of Chanel again. If you want to invest in a quad which you will use often, if you like taupe, if you want to try Chanel's new formula on a safe and natural palette, I recommend checking out Tissé Rivoli.

Taupe or beige? Which is your favorite?

Product marked with * is PR Sample.

I was tagged by Jenny from Belletristic Beauty, so here it goes with 30 random facts you wouldn't like to know about me.

My favorite color is purple (as if you haven't known it yet ;-)
I dyed parts of my hair in pink, purple or blue during university.
The first eye shadow quad I purchased was from Chanel, before that I was using make-up from my mother or what my aunt was giving me.
Aside from my obsession to collect make-up, I also like collecting academical degrees. Until now I have BS (Bachelor of Science), MS (Master of Science), MM (Master of Music) and PhD. Nowadays I have my eyes on the next one...
During my studies of electronics engineering, I found the joy in long electronics lab hours by designing necklace and armbands from capacitors, resistors and transistors. During one of my internships, I was bored by not having anything to do and and started painting woman figures on copper boards using soldering material. I offered my art work(!) later to the employees.
My favorite dish is meatballs with french fries (how unhealthy of me!).
I like listening to Shostakovic, Debussy and Arvo Pärt. But my favorite composer of all times must be Beethoven, my favorite piece is his 9th. Preparing the chorus part with instrumental recitative right before putting it into words... Genius! But I shall stop here, I can write a whole essay on 9th and what I feel listening to it but this is supposed to be a beauty blog...
My favorite sport activity at the moment is Zumba. I used to play tennis but I haven't done it for so long, I am afraid I might not be able to meet the ball anymore :-}
I also like swimming, especially in the sea while watching the fishes. But I am very afraid of deep dark seas, my worst nightmares have big waves in the ocean.
I love listening to Jefferson Airplane and I was obsessed with Grace Slick during high school. Talking of white rabbit, my all time fav children book is Alice in Wonderland.
I do makeup everyday but some times I forget to apply mascara and I don't notice it until I take a selfie.
I have no problem with spiders but I don't like the idea of meeting a snake in person.
I used to sing in an alternative rock band before, during and after university for over 10 years.
I used to play keyboard and guitar in my first band and had to start singing before a concert because the vocalist was a nightmare. After that concert, I never stopped doing that.
I once dated each one of identical twins. Not at once!
Aside from my ears I never had piercings but I used to pierce my nails and hang some rings during university.
My favorite composer to play on the piano is Chopin. After playing a few of his works, I attempted playing one of his "advanced" pieces which led my piano teacher making me promise I won't do that again without her guidance :-} I thought I was doing just fine :-p
I am a cat person. I previously had two cats, one of them was just two weeks ago when I found her, she was too young to drink from a cup so I used to feed her with a baby bottle.
I found it awful to kill insects just because they entered the flat so over the years I developed effective methods to get them out without giving them harm.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with a serious illness which I found out the next day after my wedding. Over the coarse of treatment which took six months I had to stop working. During this time I reflected upon life and change some of my points of view. At that time I also went through a spring cleaning of friends.
I took courses on history of cinema and I love watching independent movies. I used to watch over 40 movies in two weeks during film festivals. This is how I once won a whole day cruise with directors by showing the number of tickets I had.
My favorite era is Impressionism, both art and music.
I love contouring but I am too lazy to highlight.
I can't watch (good quality) horror movies. I can't sleep for days after watching one. Same goes for ones with a lot of violence in them.
Aside from a full time job and blogging, I also teach at a local university as a side job.
I have brown hair but a part of it has pigmentation deficiency since my birth so this part is light blonde. You might think I dyed my hair (and many don't believe me) but at the moment the my hair is not dyed.
I don't like rules and think they kill the creativity.
My favorite city is Rome. I love everything about it, especially the history, the people and ice-cream!
My favorite cuisine is Japanese, I could eat Sashimi everyday! My visit to Japan must have been my favorite travel ever. I just wished I would have known more about make-up and brushes back then.
I almost never watched TV my whole life, but I can safely say that I am internet addicted.

Phew... Could you make it until here? Thanks sticking up with my randomness.
Now comes the fun part for me, I should pick up whom to tag, lol. *evil look and grin*
*drums* so here it goes...

Linda from Silverkis
Ebru from ChicScience
Jaa from HelloJaa
Helena from Icaria's
Jo from MakeupRemastered
Once you write your posts, please let me know so I can link your posts.

Anything you could relate with from my facts? What were these?

This post was prepared some time ago but because of emergency call (Chanel new quads and Givenchy bronzer) it was delayed. Here is to something a little bit different than what you see at the counters, if you are living outside of Asia because Maquillage is Asia Exclusive line of Shiseido. Today I would like to present you True Eye Shadow Palette in BR722 which is from their permanent line.

Shiseido Maquillage True Eyeshadow in BR722

True Eye Shadow palettes have 5 shades. The compact is divided into four. Two of the darkest colors share one space. Bottom left there is a matte shade to use as a base or on the crease to make blending easier. I assume other palettes have a similar concept. The idea of dark shade not dominating the palette can be explained considering popular Asian make-up preferences, since these are used more as a liner. I would rather get a little more of the dark shades but my complaints stop right here because I was smitten with everything else...

Shiseido Maquillage True Eyeshadow in BR722

Close-up: Shiseido Maquillage True Eyeshadow in BR722

BR722 is composed of:

Top left: light champagne with peachy undertones, shimmery finish
Bottom left: Light skin color shade with matte finish
Top right: Medium to light peach shade with shimmery finish
Bottom right (left side): Medium bronze with rose undertones with subtle shimmer
Bottom right (right side): Deep brown with very subtle shimmer.

The shades are all very pigmented and soft to touch. Once applied on the eyes, shimmer is very subdued, even with light shades. They also don't accentuate fine lines so they would also work on mature skin.

Swatch: Shiseido Maquillage True Eyeshadow in BR722

Below I opted for a more intensive look. I used top right shade all over the lid, top left on the inner corner and darker shades to define the crease.

Today I am wearing this palette again with a softer look. I love it both ways, the shades and the subtle shimmer is very pretty on the eyes. Also it blends like a dream. All thumbs up for this formula.

In-action: Shiseido Maquillage True Eyeshadow in BR722

I got my palette sent from Singapore (thanks so much to a dear friend. Hugs! she knows who she is). If you are tempted though, you can find them at Ichibankao (link is just for your convenience, not affiliated). These palettes have only 3,5 g of product but their prices are reasonable (4650 JPY including shipping, which is like 33 EUR/$45 at the moment). Go ahead and pull the trigger if you are feeling a little adventurous and want to try a new formula, I don't think you will regret it. ;-)

Final thoughts: Dear Shiseido, what about slightly changing the form (making dark shades taking more space) and bringing Maquillage to rest of the world?

What was your last blind buy?

That was unexpected. Today I went to Giorgio Armani Counter to check bronzers and blushes and look what I have found.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles

I don't remember seeing promotion pictures of this range but Armani have done it before, I mean keeping it all secret and releasing a whole range. It was a very nice surprise, I remember counter manager telling me that they are expecting a new range of single eye shadows sometime last year so in the end it was expected but maybe it was me who was not informed.

I played around with these for almost an hour and took some photos for you. I really liked the arrangement (above) of the shades like a wave. They are divided into three categories, matte, vivid and satin. I was a little confused that all bright purples, pinks and that acid green was classified as satin, not vivid. I even thought for a brief moment if they made a mistake while setting up the display. I don't think it is the case though because numbers increase and each category have different number of eye shadows.

Matte range: 6 eye shadows here. They are all very pigmented. Here are some photos and swatches.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, matte range

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles #1, #2 and #3

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles #4, #5 and #6

Vivid range (as I said, I am very confused about this name) consists of 8 eye shadows, they are shimmery naturals. The range offers cool and warm shades as well as deep and light ones. All of them were very pigmented, #10 was a little less pigmented than the others. My favorites here are #9 and #14. Enjoy some swatches.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, vivid range

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #7, #8 and #9

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #10, #11 and #12

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #13 and #14

Satin range (wouldn't vivid be more appropriate?) consist of 10 eye shadow singles. Isn't it great to see an acid green as a permanent shade of a high-end brand? What about those blush type of colors, #22, #23, #24? Bravo Maestro!

Those were also very pigmented, a few of the shade were somehow a little drier in this category than the others. My picks are #15, #18 and #21. There was only one shade which didn't perform all that well, that was the orange one #24, was a little dry and less pigmented than the others. But all in all all thumbs up. Enjoy some more swatches.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, satin range

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #15, #16 and #17

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #18, #19 and #20

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #20 and #21

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles, #22, #23 and #24

Final thoughts: A very fun range from Giorgio Armani, which reminds me why I like his line of make-up so much. If you found the last releases of some other brands (!) a little boring, these are for you. Regardless of what your taste is, I am sure you can find shades you would like here.

I picked up #9 Tadzio for the time being. I forgot to mention they all have unique names but it was not provided on the display. I will test Tadzio and let you know how it performs on the lids. If those perform as good as they swatch, I may need to get all of them. ;-)

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eye Shadow Singles contain 1.75 g of product and cost 32€ in Germany.

Which one is your favorite shade?

If you had seen my last post, you already know that I ran into Giorgio Armani's Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadows when i was least expecting them and swatched all the shades at the counter for my and your reference. I came back home with #9 Tadzio to play with and get to know the formula better. Today I would like to share my thoughts about Tadzio for you.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

From the new range, Tadzio particularly caught my attention since it looked like one of those natural shade which are universally flattering. Tadzio is not very shimmery nor it is flat. It is a brown but not very warm.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

On the swatch you can see the fine silvery shimmer, which is not over the top but very pretty. Tadzio is also not very light, which makes it useable for deeper skin tones as well.

Close-up and swatch: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

The compact of Macro-Color Eyeshadow range is similar to Eyes To Kill Palettes, but smaller. You can see how they compare at the photo below, Another difference is that Eyes To Kill Palette compacts have a magnetic closure but Macro-Eyeshadow compacts are mechanical.

Size comparison between Eyes To Kill Eye Shadow Palette and Macro-Color Solo Eye Shadow Compacts

I pulled out some similar shades from my stash. I did this while room was a little dark so some of the shades turned out to be quiet different. Le Metier de Beaute's Corinthian has more red, Burberry Pale Barley is lighter and less shimmery, Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird is more purple, Bohemian Waxwing is close but lighter and less shimmery. Urban Decay Sidecar is close but more frosty, Urban Decay Smog is warmer and more gold.

All in all no dupes for Tadzio in my collection that I could find. If you would like other comparisons, please leave a comment below and I will update this post.

Comparisons for Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

Tadzio applies like a dream, it blends easily and shows up nicely on my lids. It gives a natural look, yet not boring. Below I haven't even used a liner along upper lash line.

In-action: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

Here is the products I used for this make-up:

Complexion:

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau BB Creme in Light, Dior Hydra Eye Creme #1, Rouge Bunny Rouge Impalpable Finishing Powder #055 Diaphanous

Eyes:

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio, Nars Pro-Prime, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Twice Baked (under eyes and on the water line), Laura Mercier Rich Cocoa Eye Shadow (lightly padded on the crease), Laura Mercier Full Blown Lash Building Mascara

Cheeks:

Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder, Diorsnow Fresh Cheeks Glowing Color Powder Brush

Lips:

Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Sweet Spot

FOTD with Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio

I would like to also include the ingredients list for your convenience.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadow #9 Tadzio, list of ingredients

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Solo Eyeshadows are 1.75g (0.061OZ) and retail for 32 EUR in Germany (no US price information yet)

Final thoughts: I really like the formula. Tadzio can become one of those cult shades along with Burberry's Pale Barley and LMdB's Corinthian. Admitedly I like this one even more than other two...

Will you be checking Tadzio out?

I have a few posts lined up for this week and firstly I would like to talk about a product I always wanted to try out but lost in the hectic of limited collections, somehow couldn't do it earlier. Rouge Bunny Rouge's Fire Drops.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

There were times when Rouge Bunny Rouge Online Store was not available and we would order them from Zuneta (an online shop doesn't exist anymore) and those pretty tubes were always out of stock. I am so glad that those days are over.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

Loose Pigment is stored in a chic transparent tube, very pretty packaging as we would expect from Rouge Bunny Rouge. Once the black cap is off, there is a stopper which can be pulled out of the tube.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

At one end of the stopper there is a slim pointed sponge to pick up the product. Now I have read some mixed reviews about the usefulness of this since some people do like using brushes. I have to say, I prefer this packaging to some other open ones which makes loose glitter get all over the place once you want to get just a tiny bit of it out. I also prefer this design to the package of Guerlain's Fard Metal from last summer, which were really very hard to work with. With Fire Drops I take the sponge out, it doesn't kick any powder around. I gently tap it at the back of my hand and work with my brush from there. If I am late in the morning, I found myself padding them directly on my lids using the sponge and it worked well that way too.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

Now getting over the fact that the packaging is so pretty and useful, let's talk about how these perform. Fire Drops are called "Loose Glitter Pigments" which I think might be a little confusing for some. They are certainly shimmery but the shimmer is finer than what I would call a glitter. They have a beautiful iridescent quality to them and some transparency which makes them qualify for an application on top of your eye shadow to give a little bit of something to an eye look. I opted for three shades,

Eaten all the Cherries: Love the name! This is a light pink with golden shimmer. The shimmer can be seen easily, which makes the shade appear duo chrome.

Wishing for Wings: A soft lavender which gives the subtle iridescent glow once padded on a natural base.

Caress of Mink: Mid-toned bronze brown. This one is the most opaque of Fire Drops range and therefore Can be used all over the lid for a natural eye look with a unique transparency and glow.

Swatch: Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

Below I applied the shades directly on my eye primer. I used Caress of Mink on the outer corner, Eaten all the Cherries on the inner corner and Wishing for Wings in the middle. You can see the soft iridescent look these give, which doesn't look like any of the products I have in my stash. Since the line of Rouge Bunny Rouge is about that understated beauty, I can understand that their way of defining a glitter is fine, iridescent and transparent but in no ways over the top.

In-action: Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

Here is the whole look, coupled with a silk scarf since how these shadows play with light reminded me of silk fabric. On my lips I am wearing Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipstick in Fluttering Sighs.

FOTD: Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops in Eaten all the Cherries, Wishing for Wings, Caress of Mink

Another way to use Fire Drops is to pad them over a darker matte base. To show you how they perform that way, I would like to first introduce Silk Aether Long Lasting Cream Eye Shadow in Chiffon Ringlet. Chiffon Ringlet is a medium to deep natural brown and has a cream to liquid consistency which can be sheered out or build up.

Silk Aether Long Lasting Cream Eye Shadow in Chiffon Ringlet

For the eye look below, I applied Chiffon Ringlet all over the lid and padded Fire Drops in Eaten all the Cherries on the inner corner and Caress of Mink on the outer corner. As you see the matte quality of Chiffon Ringlet takes down the iridescent shimmery quality of Fire Drops a little, which turns out to be a very wearable everyday natural look.

For eyes I also padded some Dramatic Lash Mascara Mega Plums in Oxblood Panache over my Chanel Le Volume Mascara in Noir to make the green of my eyes pop. I lined my upper lashline as well as my water line with Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eye Pancil with Lola.

Silk Aether in Chiffon Ringlet as a base to Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries and Caress of Mink

For my Rouge Bunny Rouge face below (can we call it like this? ;-) ) I am also wearing Colour Burst Lipstick in The Plot Thickens, Original Skin Blush in Orpheline. Oh and I am using their loose finishing powder for the last weeks which you had already seen in several FOTDs lately. I intend to review it soon.

Just a hint, I padded some Eaten all the Cherries on the top of my cheeks as highlighter, it worked really well.

FOTD: Silk Aether in Chiffon Ringlet, Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments in Eaten all the Cherries and Caress of Mink

For the swatches of all shades, check Karima's epic post and more beautiful swatches and ingredients list pay a visit to Dr. Ebru.

Visit their online boutique to check for Fire Drops and many other pretties: Germany or USA (not affiliated, link is provided just for your convenience)

Final thoughts: Fire Drops is a unique product for its fine shimmer, semi-transparent and seriously pretty iridescent quality. Rouge Bunny Rouge redefines glitter in a unique way, very much fitting to the idea of their make-up line; understated natural beauty.

Have you tried Fire Drops? What is your favorite Rouge Bunny Rouge product?

This post contains PR-Samples sent for my consideration. I am not compensated for my review. My thoughts, eye balls and face are all mine and I prefer that it stays that way since my first priority are you, you and you (my lovely readers). Bisous.

Today was the day I lost myself at the Dior Counter, yesterday I lost myself between boxes. when I arrived yesterday, all of the new Dior arrivals were in boxes and I insisted in getting a few of the nail polishes. In the end a very nice SA at the counter helped me and we were able to fish out some of the shades I wanted. Today I went there again to see how the setup looked and took a few photos. I already reviewed three shades of Dior Addict Fluidsticks and wore it on a few FOTDs past weeks. I usually don't like counter swatch type of posts but I have seen that you found it helpful, so here comes another one (and there will be another one shortly). I can understand that if you are far away from a counter, these may help. For me it also helps to see all shades together before I narrow my list to a few shades to try.

Display for Dior Addict Fluid Sticks, Breuninger Stuttgart

If you want to know how these wear and feel, check my previous post but all in all I found them to be hydrating and applies beautifully on the lips. I didn't experience bleeding. Staying power was good too. What I like most about the line is that they have nudes as well as brights and the shades have a transparency to make them more wearable. Below they look like bullets aren't they?

Display for Dior Addict Fluid Sticks, Breuninger Stuttgart

Here are the first five shades:
#219 Whisper Beige
#239 Frisson
#338 Mirage
#373 Rieuse: One of my favorites, such a pretty coral!
#389 Kiss Me

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks, #389, #373, #338, #239, #219

Dior Addict Fluid Stick Swatches, #389, #373, #338, #239, #219

The second lot is as follow:
#479 Magique: Another lovely shade which tempts me
#551 Aventure
#575 Wonderland
#619: I don't know the name and looks like this one is not available in US. I love the shade!
#639: Artifice

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks, #639, #619, #575, #551, #479

Dior Addict Fluid Stick Swatches, #639, #619, #575, #551, #479

And the last lot:
#753 Open Me
#754 Pandore
#869 Vie d'enfer
#872: Another one which is not available in US
#975 Minuit
#995 Intrigue

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks, #995, #975, #872, #869, #754, #753

Dior Addict Fluid Stick swatches, #995, #975, #872, #869, #754, #753

Together with Dior Fluid Sticks and Gel Effect Nail Polishes, also three new shades of Dior Addict and Dior Addict Extreme are released.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks together with new shades for Dior Addict and Addict Extreme

Here are the swatches of new shades:
Dior Addict Extreme #338 Mirage
Dior Addict #338 Mirage
Dior Addict Extreme #551Aventure
Dior Addict #551 Aventure

Dior Addict and Addict Extreme swatches in #338 Mirage and #551 Aventure

Dior Addict Extreme #575 Wonderland
Dior Addict #575 Wonderland
Dior Addict Extreme #754 Pandore
Dior Addict #754 Pandore

Dior Addict and Addict Extreme swatches in #575 Wonderland and #754 Pandore

And here is the lipstick paradise, complete with their latest release of gloss stains.

Dior Addict Display, Lipstick Paradise

Have you already chose your shade?

Together with Addict Fluid Sticks (reviewed here, swatches of all shades are here), Dior also renewed their new nail polish formula and their permanent range of nail polishes. New formula offers a shiny finish similar to gel polish. The brush of Dior (mostly loved but also hated by some) went through a revision and became slimmer. It is still flat but less fluffy, almost the same brush as the one of Dior Gel Top Coat. Although I liked their old brush too, I found this one also easy to work with. I purchased ~~some~~ most of the new shades while skipping the repromotes. Not to end up with a monster post with 200 photos, I am going to divide the swatches and comparisons into several posts. Today I would like to share the first four shades, #758 Victoire, #769 Front Row, #661 Bonheur and #268 Ruban with you.

Dior Vernis #758 Victoire, #769 Front Row, #661 Bonheur, #268 Ruban Gel Effect Nail Polish

Today it was a very sunny and warm day in Stuttgart so I managed to take photos with direct sun light as well as in shadow to give you a better idea of the color.

#661 Bonheur is a cool mid-toned pink with creme finish. This one applied wonderfully, it becomes opaque with two layers. The consistency is not thick nor thin, the finish is very glossy. Below you can see the photos with two coats and without a top coat. Most of these shades become even more glossy in a gel like way if Dior's Gel Top Coat is applied on it.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #661 Bonheur Gel Effect Nail Polish

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #661 Bonheur Gel Effect Nail Polish

#268 Ruban is a pale pink with silver shimmer, which has a frosty finish on the nails, similar to Dior release from last Spring (Princess, Spring Ball etc.). The consistency was good but this nail polish was rather half transparent, so after three coats, I still had visible nail line. If you don't like this, you may not like Ruban. Other than that it is a lovely girly shade which is also office appropriate.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #268 Ruban Gel Effect Nail Polish

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #268 Ruban Gel Effect Nail Polish

I swatched similar shades to #661 Bonheur, I found no dupes but many shades in my stash were reasonably close, those were Chanel #519 Rose Exuberant ( a little cooler), Dior #678 Creoles (a little redder) and Dior #579 Plaza (the closest, which is a tad warmer than Bonheur).

I had no nail polishes which were close to #268 Ruban but this must be because I do avoid very pale pinks and peaches generally, lol. I wanted to check it with Princess because two have similar finish but Ruban is paler and cooler. Dior #357 Peony was warmer but close. Chanel #517 Mistral had also a similar sinieh but was warmer with more peach tones.

Comparisons of Dior Vernis #661 Bonheur and #268 Ruban with similar shades

#769 Front Row is a medium pink with metallic fuchsia shimmer. These type of metallic shades bring out the gel shine finish of Dior's new formula and end up looking stunning under different lights. I really liked this one and ended up wearing it after the swatches (and I am wearing it as I am typing these lines). I also added Dior Gel Top Coat which strengthens the gel shine effect. I am not a fan of strong reds and pinks but I really liked that one.

Below you can see Front Row with two coats, without top coat. The consistency was lovely, no issues at all with the formula.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #769 Front Row Gel Effect Nail Polish

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #769 Front Row Gel Effect Nail Polish

The last polish I would like to share with you in Part 1 of my review is a bright red with golden metallic shimmer called #758 Victoire. The golden shimmer is more apparent in the bottle. On the nails it transforms the red to an orange red. Again another shade to show off the new gel shine effect, therefore I couldn't help but took one more photo of this one. Lovely formula, opaque with two coats, perfect consistency.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #758 Victoire Gel Effect Nail Polish

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #758 Victoire Gel Effect Nail Polish

I knew I had a dupe of #769 Front Row, it is #541 Tentation. They are really very very similar and if you own Chanel one already, you may want to skip Front Row. In case you are considering to buy one of these, I would go with Front Row because of the lovely shiny finish. Actually I was no fan of Tentation but I ended up loving Front Row because of this.

#758 Victoire is also very close to a previous Dior release, #651 Merveille. Victoire is slightly darker but the golden shimmer is the same. A recent Dior release #657 Trafalgar is close to Victoire without the golden shimmer and it is a tad lighter and more orange.

Comparisons of Dior Vernis #769 Front Row and #758 Victoire with similar shades

These do definitely perform better with Dior Gel Effect Top Coat. My favorite of the bunch if #769 Front Row. I am wearing it at the moment and will report on how long lasting they are as soon as I finish testing them. Tomorrow swatch and comparison madness continues, so stay tuned.

Any of these catching your eye?

Today I would like to share Part 2 of my review and comparisons of Dior's new gel shine formula with you. After this post, i was considering to compare nail polish brushes of different brands, please leave a comment if you think that would be helpful. As I stated in my previous post (Part 1), the new brush is very close to Gel Effect Top Coat brush.

At Part 1, I presented you some cheerful colors, here comes taupe & grey: #403 Palais Royal, #803 Metal Montaigne and #494 Junon.

Dior Vernis #403 Palais Royal, #803 Metal Montaigne, #494 Junon Gel Effect Nail Polish

EDIT: Before I even released this post, there were questions regarding the brush of the new Dior nail polishes, so I managed to get a photo for you below. New Dior brush is close to YSL brush, thiner and a tad longer than old Dior brush but still it is wider than Chanel's. Hope that helps.

Comparison of brushes from Chanel, Dior (old), Dior (new), YSL and Guerlain nail polishes

#403 Palais Royal is a mid-toned taupe creme. It is not warm nor cool, which makes it more interesting for me compared to the older taupe of Dior, Trench. Because of this slight coolness once compared to other taupes, I find Palais Royal more modern. The formula is great, it is opaque with two coats, below it is swatched without a top coat.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #403 Palais Royal

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #403 Palais Royal

I like taupes on my tips, so here is an extended comparison. Chanel #559 Frenzy is lighter, Armani #104 Greige is also lighter and cooler. Dior #306 Gris Trianon is lighter and slightly cooler. YSL #39 Gris Gallery is lighter and a tad warmer. Armani #105 Taupe Greige is the closest of the bunch but it is a tad more mauve. Chanel #505 Particuliere is warmer and slightly darker. Dior #223 Trench is warmer, therefore for me the new shade #403 Palais Royal is a modernized version of Trench.

Comparison of Dior Vernis #403 Palais Royal with similar shades

Talking about grey, #494 Junon is a mid-toned bluish grey creme. The formula of this one was also great, not too thin nor too thick, self-leveling and opaque with two coats. It appears very blue on the photos but I found it to be more grey in real life. I also swatched it against some blues later on and have seen that Junon was looking more grey. To me Junon is one of the modern and edgy shades of the new Dior nail polish line.

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #494 Junon

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #494 Junon

I was expecting #803 Metal Montaigne to be metallic, but it has more of a pearly finish. It is a deep anthracite with very fine silver shimmer, which gives that pearly effect. The formula was again perfect, below you see it with two coats and no top coat. Metal Montaigne is not really a very new shade but while testing Front Row, I found out that this type of pearly finish has more of a gel shine effect once worn together with Gel Effect Top Coat, so I can't wait to have Metal Montaigne on all my fingers. By the way check out how beautiful it shines with direct sun light <3

Swatch (shadow): Dior Vernis #803 Metal Montaigne

Swatch (sun): Dior Vernis #803 Metal Montaigne

Dior Metal Montaigne is close to Chanel Steel but definitely is a revamped version with a prettier shimmer. Chanel Black Pearl leans more blue, Dior #072 Metallic Silver is more metallic, less pearly.

Dior #497 Junon leans more blue than Dior #707 Gris Montaigne. YSL #38 Gris Underground has a similar blue tingle but is much lighter. Burberry #203 Storm Grey is also another blue leaning grey which is darker than Junon.

Comparison of Dior Vernis #803 Metal Montaigne and #494 Junon with similar shades

I am going to review three more shades soon, which are on their way to me at the moment.

Intermediate thoughts: I am loving the shiny finish of these and how they look on the nails. I am still testing Front Row (reviewed here) and I don't have even minor tip wear after 3 days although I am constantly typing. I will let you know at Part 3 how the test ends ;-)

Dior Couture Colour Gel Shine and Long Wear Nail Polishes are already available internationally and retail around 23€ for 10 ml.

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