Front Row Beauty

NEW IN: Michael Kors

November 21, 2012

I am going through a major shoe phase lately, and the fact that there are a lot of nice booties rolling out amongst the US shopping sites is not helping to curb my obsession at all. I bought this pair of gorgeous KORS Michael Kors Shailyn Wedge Booties a few weeks ago (bought here) – the sharp pointed toe is a little Givenchy inspired (high end version here) and I just love it. It’s a pair of very classic black booties with an edge, and as you know I am all about classic with an edge for fashion, as well as for makeup! The quality looks just as good and they feel comfy. I haven’t had a chance to wear them out yet, but will report back in my future OOTD.

BTW, shopbop is having another awesome deal at the moment. Enter promo code BIGEVENT12 for the below deals. I noticed that some of the hot goodies saved in my wishlist have already sold out..but I managed to get this Helmut Lang! Yay 🙂

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Labels: ACCESSORY • Fashion • SHOES • SHOP

Good Deals

November 20, 2012

Just a quick update on some of the good deals from the ClickFrenzy Sales that stopped the entire nation (and the internet :P). In case you don’t know what ClickFrenzy is – it is Australia first national online-only mega-sale that was launched to compete with America’s Cyber Monday sales.

1. My favorite Australian brand SABA is having a 25% on all full priced items with free delivery.

2. 20% off storewide at WANTED Shoes Co. Enter code WANTEDFRENZY at checkout.

3. 20% off Storewide at PEEPTOE. Enter PEEPFRENZY at checkout.

4. Save 25% storewide at SkinCareStore (the Australian site of skinstore.com). Enter promo code CLICK25.

5. I know some of you are die hard fans of Alannah Hill. Enter AHFRENZY at checkout for 20% off storewide.

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Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 and Eyebrow Brush S Review

November 19, 2012

I often receive emails from my readers sharing their love for Suqqu products with me, and it is very flattering to hear that they find my reviews helpful for their purchases. To date Suqqu remains one of my favorite makeup brands. There are a lot of other great brands out there, but every time I use a new Suqqu product, it always blows me away. For instance, the Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 with the Eyebrow Brush S are just the perfect combo – they are officially my holy grail eyebrow products now.

There are two eyebrow powders in the palette – one is a medium brown shade and the second one is a moss green shade which allows you to mix the colors to your desire. The light brown shade shown on the right is perfect for contouring the nose or eye socket. You can hardly see this shade in my swatch which is why, ironically, what makes it a perfect contouring shade! As usual Suqqu product design is always very attentive, as the palette comes with a brow brush and a shading brush. The quality of both brushes are excellent for their mini size.

The powder is ultra smooth, very pigmented and long lasting. The most outstanding quality is that it is a perfect ashy brown palette for my complexion and hair coloring. The shade moss green is brown based with a tiny tinge of green to it. It might sound ‘strange’ but it’s a very common color used in Asian cosmetics. We refer to this shade as a ‘natural linen’ color. Since most Asians have black to black-brown hair, and red is the most dominant color in black, a tinge of green mixed with brown helps to counteract the red tone. This helps to lighten the hair with an ashy tone.

Compared to Laura Mercier Eyebrow Palette 01 Ashy Blonde and Shu Uemura Hard Formula 6

The Suqqu Eyebrow Brush S is the thinnest eyebrow brush I’ve ever used compared to other brands, so it gives the most precise and thin stroke that really mimics the natural eyebrow hair. Most eyebrow brushes including Stila and MAC are very firm and stiff, but the bristles of this Suqqu brush are firm yet soft (which might not make sense until you try it!), so it is a very directional brush for application and allows you to define and shape the brows better.

Left: Stila Eyebrow Brush Right: Suqqu

As you can see, the thickness of Suqqu is only half of Stila!Both products are available on Selfridges here and here.

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Labels: BRUSHES • Eyebrow Pen • Laura Mercier • Shu Uemura • SUQQU

Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette 524 Fairy Golds Review, Swatches and FOTD

November 17, 2012

This is another eyeshadow review for the Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette in 524 Fairy Golds (Limited Edition) from the Grand Bal Holiday 2012 Collection. My compulsive makeup hoarding is getting a little out of control lately as I am completely engulfed by the waves of new eye shadows being released at the moment. But what could be a better time to shop than this festive time of the year?!

Before I start my review, please allow me to ramble about the sub-par service at various Dior counters. The SAs were either busy chatting or showed no interest in doing their jobs at 3 different counters I visited! Whilst most of the other cosmetic counters thrive to deliver the best possible customer service in such a competitive economy, it was such a let down experience from a premium beauty house like Dior.

Nonetheless, this did not distract me from buying this uber gorgeous eyeshadow quint. It’s a neutral eye shadow palette with some of the most beautiful sparkly shimmery shades I have ever seen – and that is what drew me in the most! I love a sparkly shade when it is done right. It needs to have the perfect spongy creamy texture (not gritty) and adheres without any fallout, and most importantly it needs to be sparkly in a grown-up way. And the color is important too, as it needs to be subtle but you can still see the color with some translucency so it doesn’t overpower the base eye color when you apply the sparkly shade on top. This Dior quint ticked all the boxes.

COLORS

Top Left: Shimmery champagne pinky beige

Top Right: Rusty gold with a sparkly finish

Middle: Silvery white with a sparkly finish

Bottom Left: Shimmery mushroom taupe

Bottom Right: Shimmery chocolate brown

All shades are rich in pigmentation, feel buttery soft and blend so well. As mentioned above, the two sparkly shades are exceptionally superior and rivals the Tom Ford which I thought were the best!

SWATCHES:

FOTD:

Upper Lid: Applied the beige color all over the eyelid, then I blended the light taupe color from the upper lash into the eye socket. The dark brown shade was only added to the outer-v, and I used my finger to pat the gold sparkly shade on the inner corner, and the silvery white shade on top for an ultra sparkly festive look!

Lower Lid: The white sparkly on the inner third, and the brown on the outer third.

It is worth nothing that I have been obsessed with highlighting and contouring lately, so I have used more-than-the-usual amount of base product to create a luminous complexion that also looks more defined.

OTHER PRODUCTS:

Face: Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation (discontinued) mixed with Dr Jart+ Waterfuse Moist BB Cream.

Highlight & Contour: Prescriptives Contour Stick (discontinued) + Nars Copacabana Illuminator. YSL Touche Eclat for under eye concealing.

Blush: Chanel JC in Rouge

Lipstick: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine SS BG 957 (reviewed here) + MAC Dazzleglass Glamour

Bottom Line: A perfect eye shadow palette for a touch of sparkly glamour this festive season.

I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$99. The Dior Palette can be purchased here in the US. You can also get this new collection including the palette here with free international delivery, and use the code GIFT10 for 10% off!

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Labels: BB Cream • DIOR • EYESHADOW • FOTD • FOUNDATION • HIGHLIGHTER • Laura Mercier • MAC • Makeup Base • NARS • Shu Uemura • YSL

Statement Shirt – Cheetahs on me!

November 14, 2012

My obsession with leopard and cheetah print has elevated to a higher level – I am wearing a shirt with literally wild prints of cheetahs all over it and I love it! I spotted this quirky shirt from TopShop in Sydney. It is very well made and looks actually quite expensive. The skirt is by Alexander Wang. I have had this skirt for over 2 years now and it is one of the best purchases I ever made! It is so easy to wear and literally goes with everything. You can never go wrong with his basics and this skirt is one of those classic items that I want to have in multiple colors (currently eyeing the burgundy version).

Cheetah Shirt – Topshop (link here or here)

Skirt – T by Alexander Wang (bought here)

Clutch – Celine

Necklace – Noir Jewelery

Booties – Alexander Wang

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Labels: ACCESSORY • ALEXANDER WANG • CELINE • Fashion • OOTD • Topshop

Burberry Complete Eye Palettes in No.2 Mocha and No.6 Plum Pink Review and Swatches

November 13, 2012

Burberry has finally released their first eyeshadow palettes! I picked up two – the Complete Eye Palette in No.2 Mocha and No.06 Plum Pink, and there is a total of six palettes in the release. All the shades from this collection are new, except the No.7 Pink Taupe Palette which is made of existing colors from the single eye shadow including Pale Barley, Rosewood, Midnight Brown, etc (if you don’t have them yet you need to get No.7 as it’s made of their best selling colors!!)

I took a lot of pictures just in case you are curious to see what the packaging is like for the new palette. The size of compact is similar to the Chanel Quad, as with most high end eye shadows, the palette comes with a velvet pouch. The most interesting feature of the packaging would be the placement of the applicators – they are stored inside the pocket of the velvet pouch rather than inside the compact. I am not really sure how practical this feature is as I never carry these makeup pouches with me… The applicators include one sponge, one brush, and one eyeliner brush.

The actual mirrored case feels sturdy and weighty, and has a magnetic closure. As you can see, the eye shadows are embossed with their signature check patterns. If there is one thing I don’t like about the design is the sizing differences in the eye shadows in the palette.The lightest and the darkest shade appears to be half the size of the two mid-tone shades. But for most of my palettes, it is always the highlighting shade that gets the most use!

The quality of the eye shadows in the palettes feel the same as their single eye shadows – ultra smooth, buttery and nicely pigmented. I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet, but they swatched like a dream and just felt so luxurious.

No. 6 Plum Pink is the first one that caught my attention when the Burberry SA showcased the entire collection to me. The palette has a mixture of undertones of plummy, mauvey and taupey, and they are just right up my alley! These shades are classic yet trendy with an edge, and they are very easy to wear and versatile enough to create different looks from day to night.

No. 6 Plum Pink swatched from top to bottom. The top three shades are shimmery with a satin finish, and the bottom shade is semi-matte.

Plum Pink compared with Burberry Single Eye Shadows in Pale Barley (third right), Midnight Brown (2nd to the right), Mulberry (far right)

No.2 Mocha is another signature and classic palette that Burberry is known for. It contains four beautiful fool-proof earthy neutral shades with a beige to brown undertone which would look flattering on most people. They might not be the most unique shades but I am obsessed with neutral eye shadow palettes – particularly by the luxurious brands!
No. 2 Mocha swatched from top to bottom. The top shade is matte and it is almost the same color as my skin. The other three shades are shimmery with a satin finish.

The bottom brown shade looks very similar to Midnight brown in the pan, so I have done another comparison swatch.

Left (Mocha), Right (Midnight Brown)

The Burberry Complete Eye Palette retails for $85 in Australia. I bought mine at David Jones. They are on sale at Saks now, and they are available online here with international shipping available and VAT deduction!

Have you seen them in person yet? Are you planning to get any of these beautiful palettes?

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Labels: BURBERRY BEAUTY • EYESHADOW

Loving Right Now

November 10, 2012

Hi everyone, happy weekend! You may have noticed that I’ve been really into doing ‘instagram-inspired’ posts lately. They are fun to do and allow me to share more frivolous things!

1. MOSCHINO Teddy Bear iPhone Case (bought here): It is the cutest iPhone case I have ever seen!! I wanted it so much when it was first released which was before the release of iPhone 5, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to upgrade my phone. I have now decided to keep my iPhone 4s so…bear with me 😉 By the way Shopbop has started its latest SALE with up to 70% off days ago, and I just placed a massive order which I am so excited about!

2. St Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion (bought here): It transforms my pale light reflective legs into sun-kissed color – instantly!

3&4. Everyday hair styling: I have been asked about how I style my hair, so these two pictures pretty much show how I style my hair every morning. The large hair rollers are by Denman (bought here), and I blast them with hot air for a few seconds before putting them on my hair. They make my deadly straight hair more bouncy, and gives a nice smooth wave. I then lightly spray my hair with the Oribe dry texture spray for some texture.

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Labels: HAIRCARE • SHOP • St Tropez

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in 74 Ultra Rose Review and Swatches

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.

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • DIOR • NARS

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