Front Row Beauty

Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer Review

February 21, 2012

I got asked about my thoughts on the Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer after I mentioned it was one of my all time favorite base products. Sunday Riley is a relatively new cosmetic brand – they are known for their skincares and they recently released a remarkable collection of makeup which is only available at Barneys for now. I was initially interested in their skin care products while I was browsing, but the gorgeous SA insisted that I should not miss the tinted primer which is their signature product. I normally do not like SAs trying to sell me a particular product, but I was totally sold after I noticed there were many gorgeous girls dropping by the counter just to pick up this primer. So I managed to get myself the last bottle of this on that day! *phew*..

The Sunday Riley Tinted Primer is housed in a plastic bottle, the packaging is sturdy but I won’t say luxurious. On the contrary, the ingredients are the most luxurious you could ever get for a tinted moisturizer and that’s what makes it stand out from norm. It has

– Peptide: for regeneration and anti-glycation.

– Sodium Hyaluronate : a form of hyarulonic acid that contains higher molecular weight (totally out of topic – most fillers are made of that) that leaves skin fine-textured and appear more plumped.

– Paraben Free

I thought it was a perfect formulation for me as I am constantly on the look out for products that prevent the first signs of aging and the first two ingredients are known for that. The texture is mousse-like and ultra lightweight, and it feels silky smooth and melts into the skin upon application. The use of hyaluronate never enhances the dry patches on the skin and keeps my skin hydrated throughout the day without getting greasy. The coverage is about the same as any sheer foundation, and it leaves the skin appearing more even toned, smooth and finely textured with a touch of dewiness. I normally let it settle for a few minutes, then quite amazingly, my skin appears noticeably more plumped and radiant, and the signs of dullness is diminished. I have seen such results with a good moisturizer, but for a makeup product that can deliver this it truly blows me away.

The Sunday Riley Tinted Primer can be worn alone for a sheer wash of color, or followed with your foundation if you prefer more coverage. As for my complexion, I like to use it alone with a touch of under eyes concealer and I’m good to go. It also keeps my base makeup looking like it’s freshly applied all day.

Full ingredient list:

Bottom Line: An amazing combination of a sheer foundation packed into an ultra luxurious moisturizer! I purchased mine here.

{ 34 comments }

Labels: FOUNDATION • Makeup Base • Sunday Riley

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Flirt and Royallieu Review and Swatch

February 18, 2012

Chanel is a brand that makes consistently great lip products, and out of all their lipsticks the Rouge Coco Shine wins my heart the most. So naturally I had to get my hands on their latest from the Spring 2012 Collection. I only bought the shade in Flirt 69, and passed on Candeur as I thought it looked very similiar to Royallieu 58 (limited edition) that I acquired a while ago but never had the opportunity to show you.

I had expressed my thoughts on Rouge Coco Shine Lipsticks in several of my previous posts, so I won’t repeat them here.

Flirt appears as a bright coral orange from the tube, but the sheer texture translated to a fresh pink coral color on my lips. I have been neglecting Rouge Coco Shine for a while, and wearing Flirt now just reminded me of how much I used to adore the finish. The wet glossy and moist semi-transparent texture gives an innocent and youthful finish to the lips, and the color just instantly brightens up my face.

Flirt Lip Swatch:

Full Face:

Royalleiu has never made it to the Australian shore. I bought it sight-unseen which I don’t normally do…and Royallieu proves that I have no luck with buying lipsticks this way. Had I tested this shade in real life, I would not have bought it. It is a very sheer pale nude pink shade when it is swatched on the skin. Unfortunately on my naturally pigmented lips, the pink color barely shows up! It works more like a glossy lip balm for me but with a a hint of mauve undertone. I personally do not like to wear lip shade that has a mauve or voilet hue to it as it just doesn’t look flattering against my skintone.

Here is a group swatch – noted that both Flirt and Royallieu shows up completely different on my lips than on my skin.

Left: Royallieu Right: Flirt

Bottom Line: Thumbs up for Flirt – a universally flattering Spring shade for everyone. As for Royallieu, though it is a beautiful color on its own, it takes the right complexion to pull it off and that is why I did not pick up Candeur.

{ 22 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • LIPSTICK

DIOR DIORSHOW NEW LOOK Mascara Review

February 15, 2012

Along with the Spring 2012 collection, Dior just released their latest mascara – DIORSHOW NEW LOOK in Australia.The original Dior DiorShow mascara was a phenomenal success, and I was blown away by how it performs against my poor Asian lashes so I have pretty much tried every single mascara Dior has released ever since (reviewed here). I bought this new mascara a while ago, and it wasn’t until yesterday that I tried it out. Bad timing – I shall never wear a new mascara on Valentines Day! I ended up with raccoon eyes every few hours on such a special occasion, needless to say I would never wear it again.

Before I am going to pass it on to my mum who recycles my “unwanted makeup” 😛 I want to quickly share my thoughts with you. Dior claims that the DIORSHOW NEW LOOK is an revolutionary mascara, with the combination of an exclusive nano-brush and a high precision serum treatment formula, it offers an unrivaled and spectacular volume multiplying effect. The serum treatment formula will also strengthen and repair your lashes day by day.

My thoughts on:

Brush: Has a unique design and is able to catch every single lash with precision definition.

Texture: It feels buttery soft and is neither too dry nor too wet, and it applies smoothly and feels feathery soft and lightweight on the lashes.

Effect: My lashes appear much thickened and slightly longer upon application, unfortunately it doesn’t hold the curl and weighs my lashes down immediately.

Lasting Power: very disappointed…

Bottom Line: Mascara is very subjective, and my review is based on my naturally straight Asian lashes with medium length and volume. My preference for a mascara is to give nice definition to my lashes and is able to hold the curl that can last the whole day without smudging. As much as I was impressed with the unique design of the brush and the texture, DIORSHOW NEW LOOK fails in holding the curl and smudges terribly throughout the day. Therefore it is not a good mascara for me, but it might work for those of you who have better lashes.

{ 12 comments }

Labels: DIOR • MASCARA

Chanel Spring 2012 – Blush Horizon de Chanel Review and Swatch

February 13, 2012

I am not in a makeup phase right now, so I was quite hesitant to buy the Blush Horizon de Chanel (Soft Glow Blush) from the Chanel Spring 2012 Collection given that it has received quite mixed reviews. I had no idea what made me bought it in the end but it was one of those “Don’t want to miss a LE Chanel” regretful purchases. By no means is the blush a bad product, but I just feel other than the alluring design there is nothing else about this product that really blows me away. And for such a high price tag, I expected a lot more than just a pretty package!

Blush Horizon de Chanel is packaged in a black mirrored compact. Different to the blushes from the previous releases, it comes with a seperate brush that is packed in a velvet pouch which I thought was cute. The brush feels surprisingly silky soft.

The blush powder is very buttery smooth and pigmented – one swipe is enough to show up on fair skin. There are small strips of white, beige and dark raspberry color mixed with the pink blush, and each strip contains different degrees of shimmer. When applied mixed together, as the name claims it gives a natural flush of pink with a soft glow. I was in love with this blush until I saw my face under direct sunlight – it can look too frosty and the shimmer flecks just enhances the size of the pores which is quite unflattering. After playing with it for a few days, my tip is to avoid the white and beige strips as much as you can for a less glittery finish.

On Me

I pulled out the Les Tendres De Chanel in Les Roses that I acquired when I was in Asia, and despite the size of the strips, don’t they look surprisingly similar?! This could be one of the reasons why I thought Blush Horizon de Chanel was not so unique.

On the skin, Blush Horizon appears slightly more peachy pink than Les Tendres. Both blushes are shimmery, but I personally prefer Les Tendres as it just looks more flattering on me without the obvious glitter.

So, have you picked up the Blush Horizon de Chanel? Do you love it or do you wish you could have spent the money on something else?

{ 27 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

FOTD: Le Metier de Beaute True Colour Eye Shadows in JOJO, CORINTHIAN and BORDEAUX

February 8, 2012

As promised this is my EOTD/FOTD wearing the gorgeous Le Metier de Beaute True Colour Eye Shadows in JOJO, CORINTHIAN and BORDEAUX. A preview picture first, I thought the eye shadows look much better on the eyes than how it appears in the swatch in my previous post. As Le Metier De Beaute claims – when the colors are layered together, they really bring out the complex undertone of each shade for a perfectly multi-dimensional effect! Overall I am very impressed.

I applied JOJO as a base color all over the eye socket, then applied BORDEAUX along the upper lash line and added CORINTHIAN to the outer v.

On the lower lash line, JOJO was applied on the inner corner and BORDEAUX was on the outer third.

Close-up shots:

FOTD:

Other products used:

Dior Radiant Base

Dior Natural Glow Hydrating Foundation

Nars blush in Sex Appeal

Nars lipstick in Belle De Jour

This could be the shortest post I have ever done haha…Work has been really taking a toll on me lately, and I am very sleep deprived so blogging on a frequent basis is quite challenging for me at the moment. The good news is that retail therapy still works for me, so I hope I will have some time to show you the highly anticipated Chanel 2012 Spring collection and the Burberry 2012 Spring collection in the near future!

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Le Metier De Beaute • NARS

Le Metier de Beaute True Colour Eye Shadows in JOJO, CORINTHIAN, BORDEAUX Reviews and Swatches

February 5, 2012

I finally got around to writing up a review for Le Metier de Beaute True Colour Eye Shadows (available here or here) during my recent visit to the States. I have been using them regularly lately, just to make sure my review is not based on my first impression as sometimes people do get a little overwhelmed (including me) with a brand new makeup, particularly with a highly exclusive brand like Le Metier de Beaute. As you all know, Le Metier de Beaute is difficult to get outside Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, and I get asked by several of my Non-US readers – are they really worth the hype? I can firmly say YES!

I purchased mine at Bergdorf Goodman, and I had quite a lengthy consultation with the senior Le Metier de Beaute Makeup Artist (who’s name is Dustin) so I might as well share my shopping experience with you. Dustin is extremely nice and friendly, not only did he teach me a lot about the brand in general, but he also offered me so many samples! Though I have seen swatches online millions of times, I was still overwhelmed with such a mass collection of beautiful eye shadows, and inevitably I couldn’t decide what to pick. Dustin recommended to pick four shades as a basic kit, and he started out looking at my natural complexion and recommended me the following:

Base Color: should match your natural skin color as closely as possible

Shading Color: 2-3 shades darker than your natural skin color

A color that adds warmth to your skin: clench your fist, and pick a color that matches the redness of your knuckle, and probably that is why every kaleidoscope kit I have seen there is always a reddish or plummish shade.

Crease color: Pick a dark color that complements the color of your eyes.

His color recommendation for me was:

JOJO as the base color:

CORINTHIAN as the shading color (yay I was VERY delighted that he picked the infamous taupe shade as my shading color)

BORDEAUX as the crease color, as he thinks the plummy undertone will bring out my brown eyes

I went against his fourth pick – a reddish color that matches the warm undertone of my skin. He swears that it would have worked for me because this is the technique being used on all the celebrities. But hay..do I have blonde hair and blue eyes?…knowing my face I just knew that any red shade on my eyes would make me look hideous.

The texture of Le Metier de Beaute Eye Shadows is to die for – creamy smooth that glides over the skin like silk, with just the right amount of shimmer that gives a luminous satiny sheen. I was impressed that they are the only eye shadows that are as firmly pressed as Suqqu eye shadows. The swatch below does not do these beautiufl eye shadows justice, as they look much better on the eyes, and I will be posting a eotd/fotd tomorrow as I don’t want to make this post too long.

Bottom Line: Le Metier de Beaute Eye Shadows are totally lust worthy! If you are new to this brand, I highly recommend that you invest in 3 to 4 classic shades to build up a basic kit that you can reach out for everyday.

{ 26 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • Le Metier De Beaute

The Romantic White Lace Dress

February 2, 2012

I have learnt a very important lesson for shopping at shopbop or any popular online clothing sites, that is – as soon as I see something I absolutely LOVE, just forget about my monthly budget and get it straight away! Otherwise it will be sold out in a blink of an eye. The Diane von Furstenberg Zarita Lace Dress was the lesson for me, it was on Shopbop a month ago, and I was trying to practice “wait till the next day, and get it if I am still thinking about it” tactic. And guess what, it was all gone the next day! I believe any shopaholic could relate to how frustrating that was. I had to wait a long time until it was restocked…relieved!

Diane von Furstenberg Zarita Lace Dress in White (available here), there are also the blue, nude, and black versions of it.

Chanel Pump from Fall 2011 -more info in this post

Chanel Medium Classic Double Flap with Gold Hardware

YSL Arty Ring in Green – more info in this post

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Labels: CHANEL • Fashion • OOTD • YSL

Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder Review

January 31, 2012

My quest for the perfect base makeup never seemed to end, until my most recent acquisition of the Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder that has really put my obsession to an end for now. I was at the counter with my friend wanting to buy another eyeshadow palette, and while she managed to get herself a beautiful new quad, I got sidetracked by the testers of the finishing powders. The minute I swiped my fingers across the powder, it was the silkiest and the finest powder I have ever touched. My desire for achieving the most flawless complexion intensified so I just became $100 poorer!

The packaging is tastefully plush – a sexy and masculine looking brown mirrored compact case with a gold magnetic closure embossed with Tom Ford.

I praised my love for the La Mer Loose Powder recently, on how incredibly light and silky fine the powder is. To me Tom Ford’s Translucent Finishing Powder is the compact version of it – it has an airy light and superfine texture that adheres to the skin like an invisible silky veil for a natural and luminous finish. I have been using the powder to set my makeup every morning, and it gives a shine-free and soft-focus finish with a better coverage than loose powder but just as natural looking. The powder diffuses the light to blur out the imperfection, and although a lot of companies have done the revolutionary “light reflecting” technology in their compact foundations/powders, Tom Ford is the only one that lived up to my expectation with such a lightweight texture of powder. It is also surprisingly long lasting and keeps my face shine-free for the whole day. Sometimes I use it to retouch my makeup throughout the day to freshen up, and it applies beautifully without caking up and looking blotchy. My only complaint is that the enclosed brush is a little prickly for my sensitive skin that has been spoiled by my Suqqu brushes lately.

I am using the shade Ivory Fawn which is the second lightest shade. I have also compared it with the lightest shade Alabaster Nude and they looked extremely similar in the pan! Even the SA was not able to tell the difference…Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder is available online here and here.

PS. I don’t have a swatch for you because it just disappears in the skin.

Updated with the Ingredient List:

{ 22 comments }

Labels: POWDER • Tom Ford

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