Tortoiseshell and rose blossom

I was excited when I got my hands on Bobbi Brown's tortoiseshell palette in Bronze - which is actually just a bunch of neutral and unexciting colours, I suppose, but great.basics. These are the colours I wear most often. These days I feel too self-conscious wearing bright colours on my face.

So with my eyes looking natural, I thought I'd play up the lips a bit. I just wanted something new and different and it took me one minute to decide on a bright pink lipstick called Rose Blossom. I tried on the limited edition shade - nude rose? - but it didn't suit me; it just looked blah on me.

Face: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B50 Beige Sienne, Bobbi Brown corrector in Bisque, Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder 2

Cheeks: Chanel Solein Tan in Bronze Corail

Eyes: Bobbi Brown White, Bronze Tortoiseshell Eye Palette, Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in black, Dior waterproof eyeliner in black, Chanel Sublime mascara in black

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40, B50, Bobbi Brown Rose Blossom

The foundation is still the same Vitalumiere Aqua by Chanel but a shade darker than last time. I couldn't make up my mind for a while but I think I do like this. I can't compare it with any other Chanel foundations but it's supposed to give that 'my skin but better' look. It has an SPF of 15, it's light and gives more coverage than eg MAC's Face and Body, which is ultra sheer. The packaging is perfect, in my opinion, because it's small, plastic and travel-friendly; I really don't need glass bottles.

As for concealer... well, I'm still experimenting. I'm not 100% satisfied with Bobbi's corrector+concealer stuff because the product(s) become visible on my skin after an hour or two. So at the moment I'm just using the corrector, applying the foundation over it, and setting it with the magic powder.

Chanel fall collection 2010: Enigma, Inimitable Intense, Paradoxal

I finally went to pick up my reserved goodies... and I must say, I'm rather pleased with my latest Chanel purchases.

I picked up the Enigma (19) eyeshadow quad without even swatching it, which (thinking about it now) is usually a silly thing to do but I wanted it. That's a good enough reason, right?

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I also got the new Inimitable Intense mascara, this simply being the technologically more advanced, more intense version of the already existing Inimitable. It holds the curl all day and gives my lashes a dramatic boost. Yes, I really like it! (and how gorgeous is/are the model(s)? Not sure if it's the same person?)

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And I picked up Paradoxal (509), obviously. It's usually more purple than grey but it depends on the light. I applied two coats. (On the right: with a ham, cheese and mushroom crepe.)

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I got some samples of the Beauté Initiale skincare. Has anyone tried it?

NARS fall collection 2010

There were two products that I (desperately) wanted from the newest NARS collection and here they are!

The real must was the eyeshadow duo in Rajasthan. I adore the light golden-bronze colour (they call it "glazed almond") on the left. It has some shimmer but no glitter. It's gorgeous. And for the crease or as an eyeliner, the charcoal / navy-peacock blue colour is just right. A perfect duo! I'm afraid the swatch does not do it any justice.

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Blush in Douceur. I love the way they've described it: "A soft pink-brown hue imparts a honeyed brown kiss of innocence on cheeks." Kiss of innocence? Yes, please! For some people it is probably more of a contour product, though.

I swatched Douceur (left, heavily) along with Madly and Orgasm, the only other powder blushes I have from NARS. It was a nice try but I don't think the colours swatched too well. 

 Douceur, Madly, Orgasm

What's on your NARS wishlist? 

I'm Ready-To-Glow with Dior

My most recent purchase is this limited edition iridescent eyeshadow palette from Dior: #649 Ready-To Glow.

I took it with me on my recent trip and it turned out to be a useful all-in-one palette: apart from doing the obvious and using all the colours as eyeshadow, I used the dark colours as eyeliner, the pink and coral as a highlighter and the brown to fill in the eyebrows.

The colours - apart from the brown in the middle - are all very sheer and shimmery. I have to mix the colours together (usually with the brown), otherwise I only have a hint of almost colourless, frosty shimmer on the eyelids. I'm especially disappointed with the 'taupe' (top right hand corner); stronger pigmentation would have been nice.

Also, I'm just not impressed with the CD hologram on the case. Chanel's simple black case with the wonderful logo has so much more "oohh-ahhh" impact than this hi-tech blue.

FYI: this came with it.

How important is packaging to you? 

The great big MAC Pret-a-Papier haul and review

This is one of those times when I think, "It's a good thing my husband doesn't read my blog!"... because I ended up getting quite a few things from MAC (and not just what's in the photo!). Here is the Pret-a-Papier collection.

Let's start.
I adore blush. Especially in pink, coral and sometimes also bronze (but not plum, for example). So no surprise here that I had to get both Instant Chic (a pink coral sheertone) and Light over Dark, which is a two-toned mineralize blush. Light over Dark could be used as eyeshadow, too, by the way.

In the swatch, Instant Chic is on the left. It swatched nicely but it's quite sheer when applied to the cheeks with a brush (as you will see in a different swatch). It's a pretty colour. Quite matte.

Then we have Light over Dark. In the middle, the light colour on top, the darker colour on the bottom, and swirled together is the colour on the right. You need to apply this with a light hand because it is well pigmented. I like the colour - perfect for those sunny summer days - and the shimmer that you always get with the mineralize blushes.

Here is another swatch, this time applied with a brush (131) over Studio Sculpt foundation in NC30. In the photo below, Instant Chic looks plum. The colour in the photo above is more accurate.

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I got two (lustre) lipsticks, both perfect for spring/summer. Dressmaker, Dressmaker is a beautiful, soft pink coral that blends in nicely with the rest of the face and make-up (if you know what I mean); I love it. Made to Order is a deeper coral. It's absolutely wearable. They're both incredibly pretty.

Made to Order (L) and Dressmaker, Dressmaker (R)

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I only got one eyeshadow, Tissueweight (frost). It is a... pink beige, perhaps? It would make a good highlighter, depending on your skintone. It is not as pink as it looks in this photo.

I swatched Tissueweight with some like colours (all from MAC). It's like a pinkier version of Shroom.

L to R: Tissueweight, Jest, Naked Lunch, Shroom

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I also got the Paint Pot in coral crepe. This is brighter than I thought. I tried sheering it out but this is about as sheer as it will get (without using anything to dilute it or anything).

Here it is again (referring to the swatches below). The lighting is different.

Top picture: swatched on its own again. It actually makes a pretty blush!

Middle: combined with Tissueweight eyeshadow. Not really a combination I like.

Bottom: combined with Mythology eyeshadow. Now this is pretty! First I swatched Mythology on its own. It's hardly visible but to be fair, it's without a base. Below it, I applied it over coral crepe and look how nice that is. It goes well with Smut, for example.

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I decided to get the chromagraphic pencil after I read it was safe for the waterline. It's very soft and easy to blend. I tried NW15/NW20 but for me it was too light on the waterline and obvious - just like those white pencils that have always been on the market. I got NW25/NC30 and it looks more natural.

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The nail lacquer, Originality, is a frosty gold. When I first saw it, I got excited because I thought it was similar to Mercenary (Style Warriors collection). But Mercenary is a deeper bronze, which - to be honest - I prefer to the much more golden Originality.

I did not get the other nail lacquer from this collection - I thought it was just a blah brown, rather ugly.

Top row: Originality.
Bottom row: Originality and Mercenary. (Thumb: Mercenary)

And that's it!

Sorry this was such a long post but I hope that was useful. Do let me know what you plan on getting and then how you like them when you get them!

A dark eyeshadow, a dark base

I was in the mood for some dramatic eye make-up the other day. I decided on MAC's Prussian, a colour described as a "deep sea blue" on their website.

I also pulled out MAC's paint pot (a cream shadow) in Blackground (black).

And out of curiosity, I swatched Prussian on my arm, with and without the dark base.

What a huge difference. Of course, it depends on the look you're going for but the real colour and depth of Prussian only comes out when applied over a dark base (which doesn't have to be black, by the way).

If you have eyeshadows that you're not happy with - maybe the colour or pigmentation is not quite what you'd imagined - experiment. If I hadn't known about using this black cream shadow, I might have tossed out Prussian...