January 2016

Aquazurra is taking the fashion world by storm over the past few years, and is certainly setting himself as a shoe trend setter who is also becoming my favorite shoe brand to collect. I own several pairs of them (see my post here and here), and my newest addition is the iconic Sexy Thing Suede Sandals in nude color (finally!). I love their shoes – they are sexy and young with a chic edge to it (not the usual boring pumps), and are comfortable for heels as they are very lightweight yet sturdy.

This style is the most classic from Aquazurra, and it comes in a rainbow of colors as well as different heights of heels (love this gray pair as well!). Most of their sandals can also be worn as cut-out booties, so they make great transitional pieces to wear into the winter. If I make an investment on shoes, they always have to be work appropriate but also great for styling with causal (off duty) wears and this pair ticks all the checkboxes!

OOTD:

Maje khaki suede skirt (on sale here in Australia)

Saint Laurent Bag (bought here)

 

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aquazurra-sexy-thing-suede-sandals-booties-nude-review-ootd-look-2Aquazurra shoes are currently the cheapest on NAP for shipping to Australia but they have limited colors. I bought mine here for the 10cm heel, and they are also on Neiman Marcus in the US.

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This spring Chanel has released a limited edition nail color 683 Sunrise Trip in a newly reformulated gel formula! I am absolutely smitten with the exclusive formula to this spring collection, and it got me very excited about the upcoming nail polish collection in a newly renovated formula by Chanel. The new collection is called Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color available in 15 shades (some are new, some are the classic shades) will be launching very soon worldwide. Note that Sunrise Trip is actually labelled Nail Gloss on the packaging, which suggests to me it might be of a different formula to the new collection.

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The Sunrise Trip (bought here in Australia) is a bluish purple color with no shimmer. It has a fluid gel consistency and it glides on very smoothly and applies streak free. It is more opaque than the regular Chanel Nail Color, and with 2 coats it gives a full opaque and the glossiest gel-like finish. I have had the color on for 2 weeks and there was only 1 tiny chip thus far (without any nail base coat), so I am very impressed with the longevity of this new formula. The shine also lasts about a week before it starts to fade. Last but not least, it is also easy to remove with any regular nail polish remover.

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Here is a preview picture of the new nail collection from Collection that I shared on my instagram. More information can be found on Chanel.com.

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The Limited Edition Chanel Sunkiss Ribbon Blush from the LA Sunrise Spring 2016 collection is definitely the item to look out for this season (available online here in Australia). It looks gorgeous in the pan, and just as equally pretty on the face. As for the other items from the collection, I have only picked up the Le Vernis Sunrise Trip, and passed the rest.

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It has an ultra buttery creamy texture and is smooth to apply. In terms of pigmentation, it is one of those ‘rare’ blushes from Chanel that offers extremely intense color payoff, and it even puts a Nars blush to shame when I did a quick comparison. Each of the color strips are equally pigmented (not one color significantly more pigmented than the other), so when they are mixed together, you get an even blend of color. There is a small amount of shimmer in the blush, and once applied it translates to a cream finish with a soft glow on the skin.

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What I love about this product is that it contains all sorts of colors for a blush – there is the cool fuchsia, a soft pink, an orange, a rosy pink, and a soft brown color, which makes it very fun and versatile to apply. You can mix all the colors together for a base color, and it translates to a complex peachy pink color with a coral undertone. Since each color is highly pigmented, you can also layer another single color on top just to make the color pop a little.

Swatch clockwise

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All colors mixed

chanel-sunkiss-ribbon-blush-LA-sunrise-2016-spring-collection-review-swatch-5Comparing it to Nars Orgasm

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FOTD (picture was taken with the CASIO Selfie Camera TR35!)chanel-sunkiss-ribbon-blush-LA-sunrise-2016-spring-collection-review-swatch-7

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Today’s review is for the highly in-demand highlighter – the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Champagne Pop Pressed Powder . Their shimmering skin perfector products (come in liquid, pressed powder and cream forms) have always been the best sellers for Becca, especially with shades like Opal and Moonstone that are the absolute staples in many beauty guru’s makeup kit. The Champagne Pop, released in collaboration with youtube guru Jaclyn Hill combining with her fan base, was pretty much set for an immediate success as it was sold out worldwide for a long time.  It is now finally back in stock at Sephora Australia.

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Texture

It feels buttery soft and creamy to the touch, and silky smooth to apply with the tiniest amount of product going a long way. For $38 each, the texture is as superb as the higher end highlighters such as Tom Ford’s and Charlotte Tilbury’s.

Finish

Ultra pigmented and shimmery. It’s not the usual illuminating highlighter that adds just a soft glow to your face – this offers some serious highlighting effect which is best for creating a glamorous sculpted and lifted glow to the cheekbones. I would not recommend applying this all over the cheeks and forehead as it will just look too shimmery under daylight. For application, I like to use an ultra soft and fluffy brush for picking up less product for a softer finish.

Color

Absolutely breathtaking! It is a warm pale peachy gold shimmer with a hint of rose gold sheen, and this color would look absolute perfect on medium warm skin tone. On my NC15-20 complexion, it leaves a tinge of color and looks slightly too warm on my skin. It’s best to be used on top of a peachy, or peachy pink blushes (such as classic the Nars Orgasm) so the colors compliment. I have used it with cool pink blushes and they seemed a little odd together.

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Swatch

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Comparison swatches with Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar (review); Tom Ford Illuminating Duo Moonlight (review); Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Pink; Nars Albatross (in the swatch only)

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My blogging mojo is finally back after a much-needed lazy but wonderful short holiday break! Starting the new year with a new foundation review – the latest Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation (also available on Chanel.com ). This new range came to my radar as soon as I saw the preview picture last year, and I am thrilled to find that this is officially my favorite foundation by Chanel as of now!

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Texture

It has a lightweight creamy consistency that is different to the usual liquid foundation. It is almost similar to a tinted cream consistency but applies more opaque with a better coverage. This creamy foundation melds into the skin with minimum blending required and leaves no streaks nor dry patches. It also feels weightless and breathable on the skin which is ideal for the spring and summer time.

Coverage

Like most Chanel foundations, the Les Beiges offers sheer to medium coverage. On me it requires less than a pump for a sheer coverage, and buildable to a fuller coverage with 1 and a half pump. Since this foundation has a thicker and more opaque texture than a liquid foundation, I find that half a pump of this gives the same coverage as with a full pump of a typical liquid foundation.  It covers most of the mild imperfections and redness, and also covers the pores exceptionally well. In comparison, I would say the coverage of this one is better than Chanel Vitalumiere AQUA, MUFE Ultra HD Foundation (review), and on par with Chanel Perfection Lumiere (review) or Dior Diorskin Star Foundation (review).

Finish

Every good foundation has one element that stands out, and to me the finish of Les Beiges is absolutely unbeatable. It is exactly what I am after from a foundation to use in the warm weather season, and I am completely obsessed with this healthy glow that it gives. Once applied, it settles into a dry finish so no loose powder is required after that. The finish is very natural and porcelain-like – it’s not dewy but it makes the skin look more smooth and creamy, and gives a radiant glow that doesn’t look so artificial. I like to apply this foundation with a sponge (highly recommend the Shu Uemura Sponge) rather than the foundation brush, and if I just tap the foundation into the skin with a sponge, it gives the best result for a more flawless finish.

Lasting Power

Thumbs up for lasting power as well. It controls the oil really well over 7-8 hours of wear, and keeps the complexion looking fresh with no oxidation. To retain the coverage, you will need a bit of retouch once a day.

Color Match

I bought shade 10 (the lightest shade) which has a neutral undertone and is a great match for my skin at the moment (NC10-15).

chanel-les-beiges-healthy-glow-foundation-review-shade-10-comparison-swatchpictures are taken under natural light

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chanel-les-beiges-healthy-glow-foundation-review-shade-10-comparison-swatch-2Bottom Line: If you are generally a Chanel foundation fan, you will fall in love with this new foundation. I actually think this is the best foundation Chanel has ever released for my skin type. The Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow retails for AUD$89, and is now available here and here in Australia.

 

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