The summer 2013 makeup collection has started rolling out across major department stores in Australia. I really wanted to check out the products in person so I made an effort to go to the store and waddled along each counter. After a major debating of “Do I really need this blue/green color”, I only got one product in the end which is the beautiful and wearable Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo 002 Coral Glow from its Summer 2013 collection. I probably will pass on the rest of the Dior and Chanel collections as the color theme of this year is not so appealing to me though they are beautiful to look at.
The Dior Paradise Duo Coral Glow is a stunner as well as it makes a very practical bronzer/blush duo for everyday use. There are 2 colors to choose from and I picked the coral color (instead of pink) as I always love the healthy look of a hint of bronzer with coral cheeks for a sun-kissed look. It comes with an uber cute mini kabuki brush which is very soft and fluffy for its size. The texture is absolutely superb – buttery soft and richly pigmented. Compared to the blush duo from Dior’s Spring Cherie Bow Collection, I much prefer this one as the texture is softer and smoother. I liked the Cherie Bow blush initially (when it was brand new), but I found there was a change in the texture after it was opened for some time, and now it has become chalky and dry which was disappointing! Anyhow, the quality of this is fantastic and I believe it will stay good for a very long time.
The color of the bronzing powder is very wearable for my NC15-20 skin tone. It doesn’t look completely matte in the pan, but when it is applied it blends into my skin naturally without making me look too tanned or orange. It can be used either as a contour product if applied sheer, or as a bronzer for a touch of sun-kissed look. The color of the blush is pink coral with a hint of watermelon undertone. I absolutely adore this color, as it instantly adds a pop of fresh and summery color with a youthful glow to the face. I have been reaching for it everyday and it lasts on me the whole day.
Left and right mixed
ON ME: Applied the bronzing powder underneath the cheekbones, as well as along the jaw lines. And applied the blush slightly above the apple of the cheeks.
Bottom Line: One of the must have blush/bronzer product to have amongst all the summer 2013 collections! I bought the Dior Paradise Duo for $82 in Australia. It is available on here or here in the US, or on Harrods with international shipping available with 20% off VAT deductions at the checkout.
by Reika on April 22, 2013
The YSL Creme de Blush 9 from its 2013 Spring Collection is a stunner for anyone who is on the quest for a perfect shade of baby pink blush. I spotted this blush by accident when I was actually shopping for the Rouge Volupte Shine lipsticks, and as soon as I swatched this blush on my skin I knew I had to have this one! It is a match made in heaven for anyone with a neutral to cool skin tone. YSL excels in coming up with nude and pale pink shades with blue undertone that helps to counteract the redness. These shades might not be for everyone, but once you find a good match for your skin tone, you will probably stick to it forever.
I adore the packaging of Creme de Blush which looks like a little gem-box. The texture is much better than what I expected for a cream blush. It is a silicone based creamy blush and although I don’t normally like makeup products overloaded with silicone, this blush is just right. It feels moderately creamy without the grease, and it has enough slip in it so it glides on to the skin smoothly and evenly. The blush is very finely milled and the silicone indeed helps with concealing the pores and dry patches. It sets into a powdery and semi-matte finish.
Swatch
I pulled out some of my cool pink (varies from baby pink to bubblegum pink) cream blushes. Although YSL 09 leans cool, its still has some warmth compared to the other shades which makes it very versatile and wearable on most skin tones.
From Left to Right: YSL Cream Blush 09, Etude House Lip & Cheek 02; Canmake Cream Cheek 03; RMK Light Pink ; Addiction Cheek Stick Amazing (review coming soon!)
Bottom Line: Gotta have it! I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$65. It is available here in the US , or here with international shipping with VAT deduction upon checkout.
by Reika on February 27, 2013
The DIOR Cherie Bow is a collection that catches my heart this season. The theme is just so pretty, delicate and pink. I can’t pass by a beautiful blush like the DIOR Cherie Bow Blush in 729 Pink Happiness. It’s one of the most-wanted items for me from this collection when I first saw the preview, and after have been wearing it for the past few weeks it totally lived up to my expectations.
DIOR Cherie Bow Blush 729 is a dual pink powder blush in neutral pink. One side of the blush is matte, and the other side is slightly shimmer. I always like blushes that come with different textures, so it won’t look too flat on the face and always seem to make the application easier for a natural layering effect. The texture is standard Dior. It’s very densely packed so it doesn’t get powdery when you swirl the brush over. The powder feels silky smooth, and the pigmentation is good enough to show with a few swipes. For application, you can apply the matte side first then add the shimmering part for a layering effect. Or you can mix them up then apply as a lazy person like me would do! The results are the same – it adds a delicate touch of pink to the cheeks with a soft glow. It is not an overpowering pink, but pretty enough to give you a youthful look and make the face look more alive .
Swatches: Left: Matte, Middle: Shimmer, Right: Mixed
FOTD wearing Dior Cherie Blush in 729, and the Dior Diorshow Mono Eye Shadows in Spencer and Tweed (reviewed here) on my upper lid, and only Spencer on my lower lid.
On my face which is very tanned at the moment, the blush shows up very close to a neutral pink with a hint of coral.
Bottom Line: Definitely a must have blush if pink is your weakness! I bought mine in Australia for $75. It is also available here in the US, or here that ships internationally except Australia..
On a side note, a good news for the fashion fellas! Shopbop is holding its annual Spring Event with the following discounts. I always prefer this type of event as it applies to all merchandise (not just for the past season items), and I have so many items on my wishlist but I need to narrow them down from a maternal perspective which is very challenging 
by Reika on November 27, 2012
Tom Ford’s Private Blend Lipstick Black Orchid is the one and only vampy lipstick that I have bought this season. It is a very bold and daring deep wine color with the most intense pigmentation – it’s one of those dramatic shades that gives you an attitude and a ‘bad-girl’ look, and makes you feel powerful!
I have expressed how I feel about Tom Ford’s lipsticks in my previous post, so I won’t repeat that again here. In short every inch of Tom Ford lipstick is totally luxurious and I just absolutely love them. From packaging to the most fashion-forward color selection, I cannot pick a single fault. I love the texture with most of the shades that I have tried, but I have some issues with this particular shade.
Black Orchid gives a satiny finish. The texture feels the same as the others and it still glides on ultra smooth. Unfortunately it enhances every single dry patch/skin on my lips which I was not even aware of, so the finish looked very uneven on my lips. You may not be able to see this in my FOTD, but that’s because I had spent a great deal of time to make it work with a lip brush by applying a thin layer over and over until it looked reasonably even. This lipstick will not work for me if it is directly applied from the tube. However, to be fair, I have experienced the same issue with vampy lipsticks of other high-end brands as well. The highly raved Chanel and YSL also added more dry lines to my lips than I thought.
In this FOTD, I am wearing the Tom Ford Black Orchid in full opaque layer. I probably applied 5 thins layers of it and I blotted my lips between each application. I am also wearing it as a blush (as suggested by Claire – check out her awesome blog here!) I applied the color on the back of my hand and mixed it with Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè so it turned into a cream blush. It goes on pink with a plummy undertone, and the Embryolisse Cream gives a lovely dewy finish.
If you don’t feel comfortable wearing such a bold shade out (including me…), you can wear it as a lip stain. I have a FOTD showing this, and I paired it with a clear lip gloss to take away the dryness.
I bought mine at David Jones for a record high of AUD$65. It is available in the US here and here. Good news to the fellow Aussies – international delivery of Tom Ford makeup is now available at Harrods with 10% VAT deduction off the retail price.
by Reika on November 9, 2012
Whilst everyone’s attention is on the drool-worthy Eclats du Soir de Chanel Collection (reviewed here), Chanel has quietly released two new Joues Contraste Blushes in #74 Ultra Rose and Rouge as part of their permanent collection. I picked up #74 Ultra Rose recently, and the Rouge is a re-promotion from the Byzance de Chanel collection which has been reviewed here.
I first heard about the release on Jen’s blog here, and I literally stomped out to the shop straight away. In my opinion, Ultra Rose should be renamed to Ultra Neon Bubble Gum Pink. I have a fair share of cool pink blushes in my makeup stash but this one completely outshines the others in terms of color and opacity. It’s the brightest, most pigmented bubble gum pink blush I have ever owned!
As far as I know, Ultra Rose only comes in the euro baked version. In general JC in baked version can be slightly less pigmented than the US version, but rest assured the pigmentation of this one is insanely pigmented (on par with Rouge if you know I mean…). There is no visible shimmer in this blush, but it gives a beautiful glow to the skin and that’s exactly what I love about the baked version. The formulation somewhat manages to add a touch of translucent lit-within glow to the finish. As you can see from the comparison swatch below, the JC Ultra Rose has the most beautiful sheen compared to blushes of other formulations.
Some comparison swatches:
clockwise: Chanel Tweed Fuchsia, Chanel JC Ultra Rose, Dior Rosy Glow, Nars Desire
Compared to Chanel JC Pink Explosion and Malice
I have been wearing this blush a lot lately and I will show you a FOTD with it shortly. When it is applied sparingly, Ultra rose gives a beautiful cool pink flush that really brightens the complexion and yet is still very wearable on fair skin.
Chanel Joues Contraste Blush retails for $73 in Australia.
by Reika on September 23, 2012
I bought some makeup from the Chanel Fall 2012 Collection months ago including the Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE and the Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE and I finally got the time to play around with them. A bit of a delay..but with a somewhat busy work schedule, I have not been very prompt with reviewing the new makeup collections lately. I hope I will be more productive in the coming months.
The Chanel Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE is a beautiful neutral eye shadow. It is a universally flattering champagne color with high shine micro shimmer. The luxurious Chanel packaging and the texture justifies the high price tag for a single eyeshadow – buttery soft, smooth and very finely milled. There are more budget friendly dupes in the market such as Stila Kitten, or MAC Naked Lunch. I can easily enlist at least 20 different brands that make the same shade, and yes I have them all! But I can never resist a timeless champagne colored eyeshadow that I can use everyday, especially since it is embossed with the legendary interlock C!
On Me:
The Chanel Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE is a beautiful rosey pink blush with a neutral undertone. Mine is in the US version so as you all know – the texture is softer and more pigmented. It has a satin finish and it has a great lasting power on my combination skin. I would call this a grown-up pink that would complement any makeup look, and the subtle rosey hue appears to make my complexion look more energized.
Lastly, I wanted to give a special mention to my lip color! I suddenly developed an odd obsession for vampy lip color (which is totally not me) since I missed the Chanel PROVOCANTE. And I found this abandoned Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rose Malicieux (bought here) lying in the corner of my drawer (bought it by mistake due to the incorrect online swatch) which I have not even opened. Then I topped it with Stila Lip Glaze in Majesty (another forgotten makeup item…). And voila..I got a nice deep rosey plummy color..though it’s not quite the vampy color. The moral of the story is..don’t throw out your old makeup unless they are expired 
You never know when you will rekindle the love with them!
The Chanel 2012 Fall Makeup Collection can be purchased here in the US. International order is available here.
by Reika on September 18, 2012
I made a huge discovery during my trip – that is, I was advised by the Suqqu MUA that I have a cool skin-tone. And that basically means I should always go for pink-based foundation as opposed to yellow, and any pink with a blue undertone would suit me more. It totally explains why I always inevitably gravitate towards cool pink! And that was the perfect excuse for me to buy the Jill Stuart Mixed Blush in 108 Berry Tiramisu from the Patisserie Collection.
The Jill Stuart Mixed Blush is their signature product – the line offers an array of different shades of pink that would rival any small girl’s closet. I personally find them irresistible. The ultimate girly packaging, and it has 4 different shades of color which allows for mix and match. It also comes with a beautifully designed decent-sized portable brush that has the best quality compared to other brushes of the same size. Pigmentation is not so crazy, but good enough to show up with a few swipes using the JS brush (or my Suqqu Cheek Brush). 108 Berry Tiramisu comes with a pale pink (top left), a soft apricot (top right), a berry pink (bottom left) and a light mauvey brown (bottom right). Except the berry pink which is highly pigmented, the rest is all (purposely) very sheer and swatch pretty much translucent. When they are mixed together, it translates to a most perfect shade of milky pink on my NC15/20 skin. The finish is semi-matte, with a touch of soft glow. I was really blown away by how pretty it was.
Swatch:
On me:
Jill Stuart is the master of pretty and girly makeup (available here)! Have you tried any of them and what is your favorite shade? And I’m interested to know how many of you know your skin-tone (cool/neutral/warm)? Please share
by Reika on June 26, 2012
I withdrew from MAC a long time ago unless something spectacular came up. When Elaine sent me a picture of MAC Crew Highlight Powder from the HEY, SAILOR! COLOR Collection at 1 am, I was instantly mesmerized by the fact it comes with three of my all time favorite shades of pink, lavender and peach all in one, so there was no way I was going to miss out on it! I literally rushed to MAC in Myer the next day only to find that it was sold out within days after being released, but luckily enough I got hold of it from DJ.
MAC Crew is a beauty powder. MAC always describe them as a highlight powder, but I find most of the beauty powders can be used as blushes for my skin tone as I always prefer softly pigmented blushes more than opaque. The pearly white base color has micro shimmer in it, and each individual pastel color is very pigmented. When swirling together, it blends into a soft petal pink that also adds a soft glow to your complexion. I don’t have a huge collection of MAC makeup, but compared to what I have, I find that the texture is better as it feels more creamy and finely milled. On my NC15-20 skin tone, it applies and blends with a breeze. The lasting power is above average – 5 to 6 hours on me during winter.
On me:
Bottom Line: You need this one in your life if you like pastel pink blush.
