EYESHADOW

Just a quick post letting all of the Tom Ford Australian fans know that the Tom Ford Beauty Summer 2014 Collection is finally out here! The Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette has been sold out globally, and since Australia is the last country receiving the Tom Ford collection (welcome to the life of a beauty enthusiast who resides in Australia..), there are still limited numbers available here. I just got mine and words cannot express how gorgeous this palette is in real life. Love the glitter and the taupe eye shadows, and the blush is such a pretty color. Other products from the collection include a Skin Illuminator and two Lip Shimmers.

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It is no secret that Chanel makes my heart flutter. I wasn’t planning to get that many items from the PLUMES PRECIEUSES De CHANEL Holiday 2014 Collection, but I succumbed when I saw them in real life. They are simply stunning and all look very flattering on my skin tone with the items I picked.  Today’s review is for the Chanel Joues Contraste Blush CARESSE 180 and the Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow Envol 847.

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I won’t go into the details of the texture of Joues Contraste Blush as they have been reviewed many times on my blog. In short they are ‘baked’ to perfection – very smooth, finely milled and easy to apply.  CARESSE looked like a plain pale peach with micro silver shimmer from the pan, but once I tried it on my face I just couldn’t let it go. It shows up as a soft wash of coral peach with a hint of rose-gold undertone with the signature Chanel soft glow that gives a youthful, glowy and plumped effect.  This color made me appear a lot more revived as soon as I had it on my face after a long day of work, and I knew I had to bring it home and it will be the workhorse blush as part my everyday makeup items. It has medium opacity and it can be applied sheer or layered for more color.

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The Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow in Envol is another must buy item from this collection for the neutral makeup lovers. The color is very similar to the CARESSE blush, but more translucent and shimmery with a stronger undertone of rose gold. It provides a soft and shimmery wash of color which serves as a good wash for the eyelid, as well as for highlighting purpose. The color, wearability and its versatility makes this a worthy purchase.  I have mentioned that I adore the formulation of the Illusion D’Ombre cream eyeshadow –   the cushiony soft texture makes it easy to apply and blend, and the shimmery finish is neither metallic nor frosty. The longevity is also outstanding. I have had cream eye shadows from other brands which were purchased around the same time as my first few Chanel Illusion D’ombre,  and they have all dried up since then, except for the Chanel ones which are still performing as good as they were new.

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Left: Caresse Sheer Swatch, Middle Caresse Heavy Swatch, Right Envol

chanel-joues-constraste-blush-caresse-180-illusion-d'ombre-eyeshadow-envol-847-review-swatchCloser look

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Today’s review is for the most beautiful eyeshadow palette that Tom Ford has ever released – The Nude Dip Eye Color Quad from the Fall 2014 collection, and the Contouring Cheek Color Duo Stroked. I don’t really go out of my way to buy things, as my motto has always been “if it’s meant to be mine it will be”. But I hunted frantically for this quad (see this post) as it’s simply too irresistible!

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As the name suggests, the colors of this quad are very neutral and nude in a very elegant and sophisticated way. The texture is buttery and extremely finely milled, so I prefer to use a dense eyeshadow brush to apply these shadows to get the maximum impact. All the shades are highly shimmery and that’s the beauty of this quad. Had this quad been in a normal matte to satin finish, then it would have certainly lost its glamourous appeal and made it too common. Since the colors are so soft and neutral, the high shimmer gives a glistening effect that just makes your eye makeup stand out more. Of course you can always tune it down by using a less dense brush.

Color Description

Top Left – beige champagne

Top Right – peachy-pink champagne

Bottom Left – cool taupe

Bottom Right – cool chocolate brown in satin finish

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Except for the dark brown shade, the rest of them are classic colors for a wash of color on the lid. I like to layer them to get a soft gradient look for more depth and dimension. When these colors are layered together, the combination pulls quite cool on me.

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On my cheeks is the Tom Ford Contouring Cheek Color Duo which is another must have from his Fall 2014 Collection. This palette is actually quite good value for money as you get both the highlighter and the blush for a much cheaper price than if you buy them individually from Tom Ford. The blush appears to be a saturated coral from the pan, and I was a little worried that it might pull too dark and brown on me. It actually transforms to a very fresh, bright yet soft coral when I applied it gently. The highlighter also deserves a thumbs up – it gives a translucent veil of glow on the cheekbones that works well with my skin tone, and it is just as good as the highlighter in the Filmstar palette by Charlotte Tilbury (reviewed here)!

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Close up

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Total look

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tom-ford-nude-dip-eye-color-quad-review-swatch-fotd-2Other products used:

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation

Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder (reviewed here)

Elegance Perfect Brow Powder (reviewed here)

Tom Ford Lip Color Twist of Fate (reviewed here)

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I am so excited to show you my recent purchase of the Tom Ford Fall 2014 Collection! After seeing the Tom Ford 2014 Fall makeup reviews and pictures trickling on the internet , I couldn’t wait until November to buy them in Australia. So as soon as I saw the collection available online including the highly coveted Eye Shadow Quad in Nude Dip, I placed my order through ShopandBox which is a parcel forwarding online service company that helps you to shop anything globally (not just from one country). My experience with them has been wonderful. The entire purchase process was simple and quick – I sent them the links where I wanted to purchase and they pretty much placed the order for me within hours after confirmation. The communication has been extremely prompt and friendly so I highly recommend this company if there is any thing you’d like to source that aren’t available in your country!

tom-ford-makeup-2014-fall-collectionI bought all of these at Harvey Nichols through ShopandBox which is the only shop that has Nude Dip online. The Contouring Color Cheek Duo in Stroke and the Lip Color in Twist of Fate can be found at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus which is currently running a Beauty Event.

 

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Charlotte Tilbury has been officially launched in the US as they are now available at Nordstrom online!  I know that many beauty enthusiasts are eager to dip their toes into the new makeup line, so I thought I’ll share my review for one of the best products from her line which is the Luxury Eye Shadow Palette in Dolce Vita. It’s absolutely stunning and I have been wearing it every single day since I had it!

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If you have seen this post,  you would know that I have ranted about the packaging of some of her products. Fortunately, this eyeshadow palette is quite weighty and feels sturdy in the hand. What’s missing from the palette is the mini size applicators! I don’t mind not having them, but it just means that I will not carry this palette with me in my makeup pouch for retouch as I don’t like to bring an extra set of eyeshadow brushes/applicators.

On to the stunning eye shadows themselves. Dolce Vita is a very bold and rich eye shadow palette – they are neutral colors yet quite unique and edgy that make you instantly drawn to them. The texture is silky smooth (except for the copper glitter shade) so it  applies evenly and easy to blend, and the pigmentation is ultra rich which reminded me of those ultra pigmented Nars eye shadows. A very gentle dip into the eye shadow is enough to do the whole eye for a natural look.

The colors look different depending on the angles you are looking at

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The colors are versatile all year around. The bronze and coppery colors are perfect for the warm weather, and they also have a hint of  burgundy and olive undertones which makes them great for fall as well. I didn’t think this would be an everyday palette for me, until I had them on and for some magic reason the colors just make my eyes appear brighter and more sparkly, and they look really flattering against my complexion.

Color Description:

Top Left –  Pinky beige champagne color (soft shimmer) that you can never have too many of.

Top Right – Copper with a burgundy undertone with silver shimmer in satin finish.

Bottom Left – Warm gold with visible glitters in a sparkly and metallic finish. This is my favorite shade as it is ‘dramatic’ but wearable. It feels quite creamy and dense for a glittery shade and it applies with no fall-out. I like to dab a little bit of this on to the center of the lid, and the metallic sheen of this shade is to just die for.

Bottom Right – Medium khaki brown with gold shimmer. It’s very pigmented so I like to use this shade on the outer-v gently as well as lining the lash line.

charlotte-tilbury-luxury-eyeshadow-palette-the-dolce-vita-review-swatch-3At a different angle that shows how beautiful the gold shade is!

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In my FOTD, I am wearing the champagne color as a base color, then blend the burgundy shade from the lash line in to the crease. The gold shade is added over the burgundy color for a pop of sparkle, and the khaki shade is added to the outer-v and along the lower lash line.

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Other products used in the FOTD include

YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation (review coming soon)

Giorgio Armani Cheek Fabric 502 SKIN (reviewed here)

Chanel Le Volume Mascara

Guerlain KISSKISS Lip Colour 325 Rouge Kiss (reviewed here) – need to get more colors from this range, absolutely love it!

Bottom Line: If you want to try out the Charlotte Tilbury line, I highly recommend this beautiful eye shadow palette. You can find her new beauty line at Nordstrom online in the US, Selfridges in the UK, and Net-A-Porter world wide.

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I was going to post my review for the Giorgio Armani Cheek Fabric Blushes which I have already sneak peeked on my Instagram, but I got sidetracked with the arrival of my Charlotte Tilbury Order from Net-A-Porter (as mentioned in my previous post they are currently offering free shipping to certain countries for all orders). Always enjoy the shipping service provided by NAP as it took only 2 days for the package to arrive! This is my first Charlotte Tilbury purchase and my feelings for the products are quite mixed as some are absolutely fantastic whereas some are let downs, so I thought I’ll quickly share my initial thoughts.

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Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette The Dolce Vita – Absolutely Amazing! This is my favorite product out of this order, and I would say if you can only have one product from this line – this is the one!  The picture doesn’t do this eye shadow palette justice, as it looks far more beautiful and complex in real life. Review for this product will be posted shortly.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow – Another must-have product from this line. I am not a fan of using shimmery bronzer on me, however this product surpassed my expectations. Both the bronzer and the highlighter are stunning and look flattering on my skin tone. If you apply the shimmery bronzer light handed, it gives a lovely warm glow to this face that works for my fair complexion. Review for this product will be posted shortly.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Coachella Coral and B*tch Perfect –  My feelings for the lipsticks are mixed – love the colors and the quality of the lipstick, but I am quite peeved at the packaging. It is very lightweight and looks quite cheap for its price (nowhere near as luxurious as the YSL or Tom Ford lipsticks). Somehow I feel that the packaging is “inspired” by those free Estee Lauder lipsticks that are always included in their gift-with-purchases during the Christmas time lol..

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lacquer Hall of Fame – I am sorry to say that but I am very disappointed with this lip gloss. The swatch online shows a lovely milky pink color, but the actual color is pretty much transparent. I don’t mind a clear lip gloss if the quality is great, but this product looks and feels downright cheap, and it has a typical vanilla scent that reminds me of those cheap $2 lip glosses you find at the sales bin at the local drugstore.

 

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I love looking at new makeup, as much as I love having my wardrobe filled with brand new clothes with tags on. Is there a name for such a syndrome?! Anyway I finally decided to use my beloved Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow 16 HANASHOUBU for the first time last week which I have had for quite a while. It is such a beautiful palette that is not so neutral so I decided to take some FOTDs.

I fell in love with this palette as soon as I saw the preview picture from its Spring 2014 collection. A bright lavender is the only pop of color I feel comfortable having it on my eyes other than the usual neutral shades, and I have 100% faith in this palette by Suqqu. The rest of the colors are beautiful neutrals that complement the purple. The quality is as good as an eye shadow can get in a refined and elegant way. All shades are velvety smooth, soft, and adhere to the skin beautifully without enhancing any dry lines on your eyes. All the colors have a soft shimmer with a delicate gleam.

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Color Description:

Top Left: Milky vanilla with shimmer that makes a perfect base color

Top Right: Medium taupe brown with shimmer – perfect neutral brown shade for my complexion

Bottom Left: Lavender with iridescent shimmer that is highly pigmented

Bottom Right: Nude pink with shimmer (slightly more sparkly) that is great for highlightingsuqqu-blend-color-eye-shadow-16-Hanashoubu-spring-2014-review-swatch-3

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FOTD

I applied the vanilla shade all over the lid, then the taupe brown along the upper lash line then I layered the lavender on top to create a soft smoky look.

For the lower lash line, I just lined the lavender shade along the outer 2/3, and highlight the inner corner with the pale pink shade.

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suqqu-blend-color-eye-shadow-16-Hanashoubu-spring-2014-review-swatch-fotd-2Full list of products used:

Suqqu Cream Foundation (reviewed here)

Givenchy Translucent Loose Powder (mine is in the old version packaging)

Chanel Le Volume Mascara

Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Nectar

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush 02 (currently comparing them with the new GA blushes)

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Beauty Wishlist

July 27, 2014

My current beauty wishlist include some neutral eye shadow palettes, a foundation and some fragrances which are the 3 main things I am obsessed with lately. The most exciting product has to be the new Tom Ford’s Traceless Perfecting Foundation that has just been released – I haven’t bought any Tom Ford’s foundations yet because I was eagerly awaiting for this one! My second must purchase item is the Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatica as my all time favorite fragrance is the Bottega Veneta Eau De Parfume, and this lighter and fresher version of it sounds alluring!
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