October 2012

I really appreciate the way Becca release their makeup collections. They are one of the very few beauty houses (or perhaps the only) that schedule releases depending on the season of the country. The Becca Endless Summer 2012 Makeup Collection is just out in Australia. Whilst I find myself inevitably drawn to the dark and plummy shades from the current fall collection, it is refreshing to see the bright, tropical and summery hues.

Allow me to say – the Endless Summer Collection is the best collection Becca has ever done. Every shade is well edited for spring and summer, and the texture is superb. I had a very hard time limiting myself to a few products. After fiddling at the counter for 30 minutes, I settled with the Becca Ultimate Color Gloss Malibu Punch and their famous Beach Tint in Lychee. There were other products such as their Mineral Blushes that I was that close to buying, and even now I just can’t seem to get them out of my mind!

Becca-Ultimate-Color-Gloss-Malibu-Punch-spirng-endless-summer-2012-collection

The Becca Ultimate Color Gloss in Malibu Punch is a very intense and bright tangerine shade. This shade is worn by the model in their promotion campaign (here), and it looked absolutely stunning on her so it became their best selling shade from this range. Although it’s called a gloss, it almost feels like a liquid lipstick as the pigmentation is so intense, and delivers the ultimate bold color with a high glossy shine whilst feeling weightless on the lips. The lasting power is also phenomenal, as there is still a stain left on my lips after 4 to 5 hours of wear. Compared to the much raved YSL Glossy Stain, the Becca Ultimate Color Gloss truly deserves more credit, if not better.

I did my makeup differently in my FOTD today. To accentuate the bold lip color, I applied more-than-usual amount of bronzer in Nars Laguna along the cheeks and the jawline for a touch of sun-kissed warmth. Nars Luster is applied along the hollow of my cheekbones for a more defined look.  My eye makeup using Burberry Midnight Brown (reviewed here) is also more smoky hence it looks more dramatic than what I would normally wear. The overall result – romantic but with sharpness.

Other products used: Suqqu Moisturizing Cream Foundation( LOVE it!) and Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in 6.

Becca-Ultimate-Color-Gloss-Malibu-Punch-endless-summer-2012-collection-swatch-fotd-1Becca-Ultimate-Color-Gloss-Malibu-Punch-endless-summer-2012-collection-swatch-fotd-1

Becca-Ultimate-Color-Gloss-Malibu-Punch-endless-summer-2012-collection-swatch-fotd-3The Becca Ultimate Color Gloss retails for USD$24 and the entire Becca Line is available at Sephora now! I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$42.

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Leopard Denim

October 9, 2012

The denim trend has evolved from bright and pastel solid hues to intricate and flamboyant printed patterns this fall.  I found this pair of  leopard print Jeans from Zara recently and I believe it was for less than $100! Being quite a Jeans snob, I am surprised how great the fit is. The dark blue hue helps to make the leopard pattern look subtle. To balance the leopard feature, I paired it with an Equipment shirt (which is hands down the best shirt) in a neutral tone for an urban and polished look.

leopard-print-jeans-frbequipment-shirt-dune-frb

leopard-print-jeans-Christian-Louboutin-No-Privé-Black-patentEquipment Shirt in Dune (bought here),

Zara Leopard Print Jeans (similar here or here),

Christian Louboutin No Privé in Black,

Hermés CDC Black Cuff

Hermés H Belt

Ray Ban Wayfarer (link here)

 

 

 

 

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rose-obsessionClockwise:

By Terry TEINT DE ROSE – the most luxurious primer made of premium rose extract and provides a golden rosey glow to the skin.

Duchess Marden Skincare Line Everything from this natural brand is made of pure Damascena Roses. The textures, scents and sensations are delightful and sensuous.

Diptyque ROSES Candle – Diptyque makes my favorite candles. I love most of their scents and ROSES makes my house smell like heaven.

Jo Malone Red Roses Room Spray – Another clean and relaxing rosey scent. I like to lightly spray my room every night before I go to bed which guarantees a good nights sleep 🙂

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I knew this would happen when I jumped on the Burberry Makeup wagon a while back – my addiction for them is growing at a “non-rational” pace. I have collected most of the items that I have set my eyes on, and today’s review is for the lust-worthy Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Mulberry and Midnight Brown. Both are dark neutral shades with an edge which is right up my alley. I bought them at the Burberry counter without even swatching them, so that was how confident I was with them!

Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-Mulberry-Midnight-Brown-1Mulberry is from the Burberry Fall 2012 Makeup Collection. A deep burgundy brown shade with iridescent micro shimmer, which looks absolutely gorgeous from the pan. The color translates to the skin quite accurately, with a much stronger mauve undertone compared to Midnight Brown (see my swatch below). Just like the other Burberry eye shadows – the ultra finely-milled texture gives a silky satin finish with a gleam. Although it is a stunning shade on its own, it’s not the easiest color to work with for my skin tone. I needed to be quite cautious with the intensity during application, otherwise it could have looked a little muddy on me. But once I had made it work I loved the finish.

Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-Mulberry-swatchMidnight Brown is the clear winner between the two. I have read raving reviews and it completely lived up to my every single expectation! It is a taupe shade with gold and silver micro shimmer, and translates to a beautiful complex chestnut brown (with one swipe only) shade with a slight gold tinge on the skin, and you can build up the brown intensity by layering more. As I twist my hand to a different angle I see the undertone variations. It’s almost like looking at 50 shades of brown (and that’s my corny joke of the day!)

Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-midnight-brown-swatch

Left to Right: Mulberry; Midnight Brown

Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-Mulberry-Midnight-Brown-swatchesWearing Mulberry alone

Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-Mulberry-swatch-fotd-1Burberry-Sheer-Eyeshadow-Mulberry-swatch-fotd-2Note: Pictures of wearing Midnight Brown will be shown in my Becca Summer 2012 Makeup Collection Review post which has just been released in Australia.

Bottom Line: If you are still hesitating to get Midnight Brown, then you gotta pull the trigger now! It’s one of the most classic, complex taupe brown shades I have ever  used! Mulberry is a nice-to-have but not a must-to-have imho. Both eye shadows are available here and here in the US, and for Australian customers you can buy them through Harrods with international shipping available (which I find is the cheapest after the deduction of VAT). In case you don’t know, Harrods is doing 10% off on everything this weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

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The Chanel Pearl Glow Powder has been on my radar for sooo long ever since I read about it on Sabrina’s blog. It’s a limited edition Asia exclusive highlighter which was released as part of the Le Blanc collection a while back. Although Chanel had similar highlighting powders in the subsequent releases worldwide, I just felt this one could be the best one ever made by Chanel based on Sabrina’s reviews and swatches here and here. I was finally be able to procure this product at a duty free shop through my friend. *Yay*chanel-pearl-glow-illuminating-powder-1

I don’t think I have ever mentioned how much I love contouring and particularly highlighting  – a few highlights/shades here and there on the face makes a huge difference to define my typically flat Asian bone structure, as well as adding a nice glow to the skin. I don’t contour everyday as it requires more skill and patience, but I use highlighters religiously. My go-to highlighter is in powder form – it’s fuss free and quick to use as the last step of my makeup.

On to the product itself, the size of the compact is the same as Chanel JC. Instead of including a not-so-functional mini brush, the Pearl Glow Powder comes with a large and fat sponge applicator which feels very soft and velvety. It picks up more product than a brush and it’s great for blending.

The powder is very buttery soft, smooth, and highly pigmented. It contains tons of pearly gold micro-shimmer but rest assured, they won’t make your face sparkly. It shows up as pearly soft beige on me with a tinge of gold undertone. The color is very user-friendly and works brilliantly for my skin tone as it brightens as well as adds a bit of warmth rather than silvery or metallic.  What makes this product stand out from the norm is the incredibly radiant finish. It adds a lovely soft pearly sheen to the skin that almost has a wet-effect. I’m always curious about how they make the models’ complexion look so fresh and glowing backstage, and I think I have found the answer to that!

Comparison Swatches:

From left to right: Chanel Lumiére Sculptée; Chanel Pearl Glow; Chanel Ombres Tissées Iridescent Effects Eyes in Beiges; Giorgio Armani Sheer Shimmer 1, Nars Nico, Nars Albatross

chanel-pearl-glow-illuminating-powder-comparison-swatches

chanel-pearl-glow-illuminating-powder-comparison-swatchesWearing Chanel Pearl along the cheekbone, T-zone including the nose bridge, along the Cupid’s bow and the chin

chanel-pearl-glow-illuminating-powder-comparison-swatch-fotd-1chanel-pearl-glow-illuminating-powder-comparison-swatch-fotd-2

Bottom Line: Possibly the best powder highlighter I own!

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My Long Weekend

October 1, 2012

Clockwise:

Trimmed and colored my hair with balayage again at Brad Ngata@Ivy. My HD gave me a full packet of of KERASTASE samples 🙂

Surfing and internet shopping

Reading through piles of unread magz for this month

Painted my nails with Chanel Vendetta (swatched here) with a matte top coat.

 

 

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