Chanel Summer collection Lilium eye quad

Next in line for my Chanel summer review - Lilium eye shadow quad. The colors in this quad are not your typical "summer" type colors, but it is a very nice break from the sea of brights usually slated for summer. The colors are pigmented, but not too dark.

The eyeshadows in the Chanel quad can be used wet or dry. However, I so very rarely use wet/dry products wet. I don't know if it's because I'm afraid they'll crease, or simply because I don't like the feel of damp products on my eyelids - I just use 'em all dry.

The four coordinating colors are actually light and shimmery. The darker green in the upper right hand corner isn't as dark on the eye as you would think. It makes a great contour right at the lash line and directly below. I would guess if I were to use any of the colors wet, I would maybe use that color wet right along the lashline.

The two colors on the left, the shimmery pale pink and the shimmery light lime, are very lovely as an all-over color wash. And the taupe in the lower right-hand corner is my favorite of the quad. Like Elvira of Pink Sith, I, too, am a complete sucker for a lovely taupe eyeshadow.

I do think these would work better on lighter skintones, and I'm on the paler side (NC25 at the most), so I really like how these look on my skin. I do love this quad. In fact, I loved most of this summer collection and had to stop myself from buying the entire collection.

One more Chanel review to go - mascara...

Chanel Summer collection Bronze Corail

I'm not one for bronzers. I'm naturally fairly pale, and I tend to keep that paleness throughout the summertime thanks to loads of SPF. I've tried bronzers before, and they usually end up looking muddy on me. And if I tried using them all over, I'd end up looking like a reject from Jersey Shore. So, I usually end up not buying them. Chanel's new bronzer - Bronze Corail - spoke to me. It said, "buy me... buy me now.. I am different, you will see!"

Of course, I'm never one to deny the siren call of Chanel. But, you may ask, what is the difference between this and every other bronzer out there? Well, this bronzer is made up of 4 different shades that can be swirled together for a lovely effect.

The bottom stripe is a very lovely coral color. My monitor is making it show up as somewhat pinkish, but trust me, it is coral. The top two colors are slightly shimmery, but not overwhelmingly so, just enough. And the wide, flat brush is surprisingly useful, although I would probably still prefer to use a regular blush brush. The compact itself is nice and solid. I also love that the iconic Cs are gold instead of the typical white.

You can use the top two as almost a highlighter, closer to the top of the cheekbones, while the bottom two can be use together on the apples of the cheeks. I actually prefer to swirl all four colors together and use as a blush. It gives a lovely, peachy-tan glow to the cheeks - not quite bronzer, but not quite blush. I actually had people tell me that I am glowing when I wear this (although, to be honest, once people see my growing belly, they automatically say I'm glowing).

The top of the photo shows the 4 individual colors. All 4 are swirled underneath.

I love this bronzer. I have been using this every day since buying it. I think this will gets lots and lots of summer usage.

Up next - Chanel summer eyes.. eeeeeee

Vacation!

Hello all - I've just returned from a week-long vacation with the in-laws (oh, no. I absolutely will NOT bore you with those details) and have a whole bunch of posts in store. I've managed to get my grubby little hands on the new Dior nail polish, Butter London polishes, Chanel Summer Quad and Chanel bronzer.. oh yes.. the posts will be coming!

L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator

In my last post I talked about the Bzzagent site. Along with the eyeshadow, they also sent me the L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator in Black Quartz. Again, this was made for brown eyes. The concept of this mascara is that one end is a lengthening black mascara, and the other end is a glittery "illuminating" topcoat of sorts. The one for the brown eyes is a copper illumination.

The black mascara on its own worked well. Nothing earth-shattering, but a decent mascara. I used two coats here to show it on its own.

Then you add the illuminating top coat. Although, once the black mascara dries (as this did while I was snapping pictures) it doesn't go on very well, kind of clumpy.

However, that is easily remedied by quickly applying the illuminating coat while the base is still slightly wet.

Now, from a head-on shot, the glittery topcoat isn't very evident. But if I turned my head to the side a little bit:

It was *very* evident. It was also kind of cool. I like this idea. Not for everyday use, of course, but for a special night out to add a little extra bling, I think it's a great idea. There is only one thing I didn't like:

If you look under my bottom lashes, there was quite a bit of glitter fallout. Although, easily remedied by a quick swipe of a makeup removed soaked Q-tip. I would use this. I actually quite like this.

*Product reviewed was sent to me for consideration. All opinions are my own.

L'Oreal One Sweep eyeshadow

Many months ago I joined a website called Bzzagent. I love survey-type sites. I belong to a bunch of them, this one is sort of like that, except sometimes they send you samples to try out. They are contacted by brands to begin a word of mouth campaign - you like the product and you pass that info along. This time, I was sent both L'Oreal One Sweep eyeshadow and L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator mascara, both for brown eyes. This post will deal with the eyeshadow.

The premise for this eyeshadow is that you can apply 3 colors (brow, crease and lid) all in one sweep of the specially designed sponge.

The one I was sent had a purple shade for the lid, a shimmery mauve for the crease and a pink for the brow. These are designed for brown eyes, although I hate that designation.

The large, oddly shaped sponge is designed to mimic the shape of the eyelid. One side of the sponge is for the right eye, and you turn it over for the left eye.

One sweep (hence the name) of the sponge on the pan, and then one sweep onto the eyelid will result in a perfectly done eye.

Except, it doesn't quite work that way.

Getting the color on the sponge and then getting the color from the sponge onto the eye is a very tricky step. It's hard to get an even color, and when it does get onto the eye, it is not very pigmented, as I couldn't get either of the pinks to show up at all. I couldn't get an even distribution of color, especially close to the lash line. I could get a thin line of purple near the lash line.

I suspect that maybe with a smaller sponge, or even a brush, you could get a decent look from this, but that would defeat the purpose of the product. As it is now, I don't think I would ever buy it on my own, nor would I recommend it.

*product reviewed was sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.

OPI DS coronation

I quickly talked about OPI DS Coronation in my holo comparison post some time back. My holographic love is completely documented here on this blog. So it's no surprise that when I was unsure of what color to paint my nails, holographic polish was right at the top of that list.

This one isn't as linear as some others, but it is quite nice.

Oh, how I love this color, and holographics.

Chanel Summer Nail Polish collection swatches

I've been stalking the Norstrom and Neiman Marcus Chanel counters for the newest Chanel polish collection. Tonight, I lucked out!

Mimosa, Morning Rose, Miami Peach

I picked up Mimosa (Yellow with shimmer, apparently THE summer color this year) and Morning Rose ( a light pink with golden shimmer) from Nordstrom's. I also wandered into Neiman Marcus and scooped up Miami Peach (Peach with golden shimmer). Miami Peach is an exclusive color only found at Nieman's.

As usual, I am in love with Chanel polishes, and these are no exception. Many people, including me, are looking for that great, unusual, un-dupable color and sometimes we gloss over a very lovely "typical" color. Obviously Mimosa is different, even though it seems that everyone may be putting out a yellow nail polish this summer, but Morning Rose and Miami Peach are simply well developed and executed wearable summer colors.

First up, Mimosa:

Of the three, this had the most issues with application. Like many yellow polishes, it was a bit streaky. This swatch is three coats with no top or base coat. The third coat was necessary to hide the streaks. I have read (I don't remember where, if you know, please let me know in the comments and I'll update the post) that the best way to apply this polish is to apply a base coat, then a coat of Seche Vite, and then two coats of Mimosa - something about the stickiness of the Seche Vite helps with the application. I found that three coats did the job nicely.

Update: Lucy of Lucy's Beauty Obsessions has informed me that the source for this tip is from British Beauty Blogger. Thanks, Lucy!

The color is very opaque, even with just the two coats. The shimmer is VERY evident in light and shade. I think this will look very nice in the middle of summer once my skin has a little bit of color to it.

Morning Rose was just a very lovely shimmery pink. It looks sheer, but trust me, after two coats it was opaque, just a light color. The shimmer is a bit more subtle in this one, but definitely visible. This is a fantastic color to wear to work. I absolutely love this one.

I think I will be getting a lot of use out of this one.

Last up is the Neiman Marcus exclusive color, Miami Peach:

Again, another winner. Like Morning Rose, this was perfect in two coats. A lovely peach color with a subtle golden shimmer. This was a little less opaque than Morning Rose, but I still liked it in two coats.

This is another perfect summer office color. Just for kicks, I have included a comparison shot between Miami Peach and Morning Rose to show the difference:

Definitely worth getting both. Chanel has hit a homerun with these polishes.

Me + Blue - Justin Bieber collection

Being that there is no 12 year old girl living in this house, I'm not very familiar with Justin Bieber. I know tween girls go nuts over him, and that he actually possesses drumming talent, but other than that - nothing. The spitfire (thankfully) prefers the Ramones thanks to the dearest, so there is no Bieber played in this house. So, when Nicole by OPI came out with the Justin Bieber collection, the first thing I thought was "huh?" then I saw the collection and thought "meh.." But then a little glimmer caught my eye. Was that... a... holographic glimmer?

Why, yes it is! Me + Blue (which I'm guessing is a song of his?) is a bright medium blue with a smattering of holographic glitter in it. I immediately grabbed it. After I got it on my nails, I'm back to "meh".

The formula and application was good, albeit a wee bit chunky, but not annoyingly so. It has the wide brush that I love. But I just wasn't feeling the color.

Then I thought I'd try putting a holographic top coat on top of this color. I grabbed my Nicole by OPI Make a Comet-ment, which is a clear polish jam packed with silver and holographic glitter, and layered two coats over the two coats of Me + Blue that was already on my nails.

That significantly lightened the color and gave it a glittery, silvery hue, while adding more holographic glitter to it.

Just for a comparison, here's a picture of the color with and without the holographic topcoat.

I wanted to like this color. I really did. But, like Justin Bieber himself, I think I'm just too old for this color.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Monte Carlo

Yesterday Chanel released their Rouge Coco Shine collection. It is a new sheer, moisturizing lipcolor that comes in 25 new shades. The spokesmodel for this new collection is the very lovely Vanessa Paradis, aka Mrs Johnny Depp. Chanel released Boy - a sheer pink, in a limited release back in February. The whole collection is available now, and retails for $32.

Being a Chanel junkie, I ran to Macy's yesterday to pick one up. After trying a few colors, and having the sales associate color waaaay outside my lipline, I settled on Monte Carlo, a sheer deep pink.

The formula is very moisturizing, and very sheer, just like it claims to. In comparison to the Dior Addict lipcolors, it is just as moisturizing, but Chanel is a bit less pigmented. In order to get a swatch to show up, I had to swipe quite a few times. Although it didn't take as many to show up on my lips.

Depending on how pigmented your lips are, the pigmentation may be a bit underwhelming for this lipcolor. My lips are fairly pigmented on their own, so I chose a bit of a darker color and it showed up nicely.

Just a hint of color. I have a feeling some of the lighter colors, like Boy, may not show up as well on my lips. If you are a bit paler then me (I'm an NC25 in MAC), then the lighter colors will show up better. The nice thing about the counters is if you grab a color, they will give you a sample card with 4 colors on it and a little application brush.

It comes with Adventure, Liberte, Boy and Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, it contains one of the colors I bought, but hey, a sample is a sample, right? On the whole, I do like these lipsticks, and I probably will be purchasing more. Of the two - Dior Addict and Rouge Coco Shine - I think I actually slightly prefer the Dior Addicts.

Enjoy!

Dior Addict Lipstick review and swatches

Dior has recently revamped and relaunched their Addict line of Lipsticks. This newest incarnation is said to have 25% less wax and contain a reflecting gel to make the formula extremely smooth and shiny. Does it live up to these new claims?

The ad campaign features a very lovely Kate Moss sporting some extreme winged eyeliner. Because j'adore Dior (heh) lip products, I knew I would have to try some of these. During a recent Nordstroms visit, I nabbed two of these lovlies.

I picked up 750 - Rock N Roll and 881 - Fashion week. They have the same casing, with a cylindrical shaped product rather than a bullet-shaped one. One issue I do have is with that bulb on the end of the tube. It makes it near impossible to store my Dior lipsticks label side up - because they wobble - but I can deal with this inconvenience.

Top - 881 Fashion Week, Bottom - 750 Rock N Roll

These lipsticks to go on sheer. Some colors are more sheer than others. I was looking for ones that were more on the sheer side, and I succeeded.

Fashion Week is a sheer plum with a subtle shimmer. The first picture shows the product that is more true to color, the second picture is to show the shimmer.

Rock N Roll is a sheer orangey red. I can't pull off red very well, but when it's sheer and with a tinge of orange, I think I can handle that one.

Pigmentation was surprisingly good for lipsticks that are sheer. The texture of the lipstick is exactly what they say it is, soft and creamy. It glides on and shines very nicely. The color does fade quicker than normal lipsticks. I got a little over 2 hours for this, where I get a little over 3 hours for some of the nicer formulas of lipsticks (I tend to rub my lips together a lot, other people get longer wear out of lipsticks).

Dior nailed this one. I have plans to collect more of the line as I think these are great for spring and summer lips - pigmented, but still sheer and shiny. They retail for $28, and are well worth it.