Monthly Archives: July 2011

MAC My Paradise Cheek Powder – Surf, Baby! Collection (swatches, review & comparison)

July 8, 2011

The most sought after and coveted item from MAC’s Surf, Baby! Collection has got to be ‘My Paradise’ Cheek Powder, and with just cause! Not only is this blush visually stunning, but the shade it imparts is (surprisingly, for such a vibrant hue) naturally fresh looking and the powder itself is so finely milled, that it blends seamlessly into your skin. The gold overspray adds a touch of pizzazz when used as a highlighter, or blended with the powder, lends a beautiful luminosity. All swatches were done over MAC’s Studio Fix Powder in C4.

Gritting my teeth against spoiling the utter beauty of this blush, I gingerly approached it to begin my swatching. Sure that the gold overspray would disappear like a puff of smoke with the first brush stroke, I was actually surprised to note that while the smallest pieces of gold did fade quite a bit, the larger hibiscus flower still looked….perfect! Seen in full sunlight above and from left to right: blended, the coral shade, the gold shade. Here’s the interesting part; the shade of the blush itself is rather vibrant and almost scarily orange leaning, HOWEVER once swatched on the the skin, it magically transforms into this amazing sun-kissed peachy-coral flush. Of course, testing a blush on your arm is not the same as trying it out on your face, but by swatching over a base as I did here, you get a fairly accurate hue.

Even shaded light does not detract from this beautiful shade and I was so pleased to see that while the product appears to be richly pigmented, it applies much less so, leaving you the option of layering it, if you wanted to increase the intensity. The gold, when blended with the main colour, does not overpower it but gives this delicate, almost fairy-light look to the overall finish……can you tell how much I’m LOVING this?!

When MAC launched their ‘To The Beach Collection’ last summer, ‘Marine Life’ sold out so fast, it became almost legendary. Lucky enough to snag one, I confess that up until now, I have NEVER swatched or even tried it. Having heard that its gold overspray was whisper thin and not wanting to destroy its intricate look, it remained untouched – but with ‘My Paradise’ now in my hands, I absolutely had to compare the two. First of all, ‘My Paradise’ is labelled as a Cheek Powder versus the High-Light Powder of ‘Marine Life’. Also, this year’s version has a less finicky golden overspray and just the one shade, versus ‘Marine Life’s’ pink and coral tones. The quality of the powder with both, is the same and even the gold hue is quite similar.

From left to right: ‘Marine Life’ fully blended, ‘My Paradise’ fully blended, ‘My Paradise’ coral and ‘My Paradise’ gold. When seen in full sun, as in the photo above, you can see the differences between the two powders, with ‘Marine Life’ having a pink cast to it and looking slightly more pigmented as well, possibly due to the red-leaning base of its coral segment.

Even in shaded light, you can still tell the differences between the two powders, although it’s interesting to note that the coral of ‘My Paradise’ swatched alone (2nd from the right), most resembles the blended swatch of ‘Marine Life’ (left), leading me to believe that ‘My Paradise’s’ gold overspray acts almost as a dampening agent to the overall finish.

Final thoughts: No question, ‘My Paradise’ is not only my favourite item from this entire collection, but I will regret not getting a back-up as this blush just really seems to work on my skin. The worst part is knowing that with use, the gold overspray will eventually disappear, but the main shade is still absolutely lovely AND totally wearable on its own. While MAC has produced several coral/peach blushes over the years, in my opinion, they got it absolutely perfect with ‘My Paradise’!

MAC Skinsheen Bronzer Sticks – Surf, Baby! Collection (swatches, review & comparisons)

July 7, 2011

For Summer 2011, MAC’s fabulous Surf, Baby! Collection included their new and limited edition Skinsheen Bronzer Sticks. Available in three shades, these are similar in concept to NARS’ Multiples, which are essentially a crème face product in tube form, or in this case, bronzer sticks. All swatches are shown in two formats – applied straight and blended out, as well as in both direct sunlight and shaded light, to give you the most accurate depiction of the true shades.

The three limited edition Skinsheen Bronzer Stick shades are (from left to right): Billionaire Bronze, Tan-Tint and Gilty Bronze.

‘Tan-Tint’ is easily the lightest hue of the three, as well as the shade which will be most suited to fairer complexions, due to its rosy undertones.

‘Billionaire Bronze’ is definitely the deepest shade of the set, with an orangey leaning cast, making it more suitable for medium to darker complexions, or anyone wishing to simulate a deeper tanned look.

‘Gilty Bronze’ seems to be a perfect mix of the other two shades in this set, but with the inclusion of delicate shimmer to add a subtle glow and a little more “oomph” to the overall finish.

Believing that ‘Gilty Bronze’ was close to NARS’ ‘Laguna’ Multiple (reviewed here), I decided to compare the two, but the only qualities they share is the format they come in, as well as the addition of shimmer. Both bronzers have 0.5 oz/14g of product, but the NARS is US $39.00 compared to US $29.50 for the MAC – a hefty price difference. I found the NARS to be less pigmented, which could either work for or against your needs; on the plus side, you can achieve a much more subtle look with ‘Laguna’ as it sheers out easier. I also noticed that the formula glided better on the skin as well, making it simple to apply it straight from the tube and then blended with your fingers. ‘Gilty Bronze’ in comparison, is highly pigmented so you use significantly less product, and due to its drier consistency, definitely needs to be applied with a brush for proper blending. Lastly, ‘Laguna’ seems to bear more shimmer, although it does come off as sparcely spaced, due to its sheerer formula, compared to the denser but less shimmer of ‘Gilty Bronze’. Swatches above: the two inner shades are ‘Gilty Bronze’, while the two outer shades are ‘Laguna’.

I decided to also include ‘Weekend’ Creme Bronzer from MAC’s To The Beach Collection of last year (Summer 2010), to round off my crème bronzer review. The swatches above are shown in the following order, and from left to right: Laguna (NARS), Gilty Bronze, Billionaire Bronze, Tan-Tint, Weekend. The differences between last year’s crème bronzer and this year’s incarnations, is that ‘Weekend’ seems to bear a similar formula to that of the NARS, meaning it has more slip and glides easier on the skin and is somewhat moisturizing as well, but does not have the same staying power as the Skinsheens do. In colour, it also appears to be the more sheer sister to ‘Tan-Tint’, but with ‘Gilty Bronze’s’ shimmer.

As previously mentioned, in order to get the most believable look with the Skinsheen formula, I found that using MAC’s #190 foundation brush, worked the best. This is a medium handled brush, with soft, flexible bristles that enable you to achieve a smooth and flawless finish with such ease…one of my all-time favourite brushes to use!

Final thoughts: If the success of how quickly MAC’s Skinsheen Bronzer Sticks sold at the counter and online is anything to go buy, something tells me that they just might become a part of the permanent lineup. The pros of this product: so highly pigmented, that very little really does go a long way. They also appear to be very long-wearing (I easily got about 8 hours worth before I noticed any fading) and price-wise, especially compared to NARS’, you certainly get more bang for your buck. The cons: drier formula which also dries fairly quickly, so you need to work fast to achieve a smooth blended look, and only available in these three shades (but they can be blended for a custom look). Even though these are all limited edition products, they can still be found online and at most MAC counters…but you’d better hurry!

Happy 17th Birthday, Baby Girl!!

July 6, 2011

Today is my daughter Anna’s 17th birthday!! Let’s see….17 years ago today, I brought forth into this world, the most amazing little girl, who just also happened to have turned into the seriously awesome young woman that she is today! Our (mine and my husband’s, that is…cause he deserves some credit here too!) joy and fierce pride in this baby girl knows no bounds and from the day she was born, magic and so much love came into all our lives. She touches everyone she meets in such a special way, and to be lucky enough to know Anna, is a gift in itself!

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY, ANNA!

……with love, love and even more forever love from mom & dad! Always enjoy good health, tons of love, the joy of great friends, and never stop living life to the fullest…..have yourself a grand adventure, today and every day!

China Glaze – Crackle Metals (swatches & review)

July 5, 2011

For Summer 2011, China Glaze is rocking it out with Crackle Metals! This is a collection of six metallic textured polishes that just ooze urban mod appeal. In order to best showcase the glimmering finish of these beauties, I opted to layer each shade over a deep onyx base, in this case a-england’s ‘Camelot’ (reviewed here) and like magic, the metallic crackles that began appearing were nothing short of brilliant. All swatches are with a-england’s ‘The Knight’ base coat and ‘The Shield’ top coat, two coats of ‘Camelot’ as a base and one layer of each Crackle Metal polish.

As soon as I layered ‘Tarnished Gold’ over the base, the image that was brought to mind was the look of lush brocade fabric. This is more of an old gold, with myriad glimmering specks in its base, giving it an added depth. The formula flowed well and with China Glaze’s excellent brush, it was easy to control how much to apply. Love this contrast!

What I really liked about ‘Latticed Lilac’ was how soft this shade appears, even as a metallic finish. A beautiful yet delicate-looking dusty mauve, this has both silver and pink tones in its base which gives it a cooler look, yet comes so alive in the sunlight.

‘Oxidized Aqua’ quite literally stunned me with its oceanic mystery. A silvery aqua hue, it just seems to pop against a darker base with neither one overpowering the other. With a slight nod to teal, this combo will look amazing against lightly tanned skin…perfection!

Only when I layered ‘Cracked Medallion’ over the base, did I see what colour it truly was: rose gold. I absolutely love the stunning finish of this effect and could not stop staring at the prismatic effect on my nails in the sunlight. Even the name brings to mind some precious artifact glinting in the sun…much like the finish of this lacquer!

Somewhat deeper in tone, and certainly more densely coloured than OPI’s Silver Shatter (reviewed here and here), ‘Platinum Pieces’ still manages to perfectly marry an edgy vibe with a lacy femininity. It has such an earthy yet cool look to it, like piles of antique silver coins strewn across your fingertips.

For those wanting to channel their inner bad babe, but with a more girly vibe, ‘Haute Metal’ expertly fits that bill. A dusty mauve-rose tone but done in a modern metallic finish takes this shade from tea-time to party-time, but always with a sophisticated finale.

Final thoughts: We have all seen textured polishes by now and have become basically experts at applying them; this collection of Crackle Metals takes this trend to a whole new level by somehow managing to mature the look with the addition of this new gleaming finish. The shades themselves are an oxymoron; visually varied yet muted at the same time…amazing! What makes this finish unique is not only the multitude of multi-coloured shimmer deep within, but by how great the formula is….in a word, goof-proof. Just remember to let your base shade completely dry prior to applying the crackle. Available for a limited time wherever China Glaze products are sold, for more information please feel free to visit the company’s site here.

*Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

CHANEL Collection de Byzance – First Look!

July 2, 2011

Drawn by the opulence of the Byzantine era, CHANEL’s Collection de Byzance channels the brooding lushness of the period with a limited edition capsule collection in tones of glimmering gold and sultry red. Peter Philips, CHANEL’s Global Creative Director, looked to the history of Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I, and her distinctive fierce cosmetic look of a red line drawn on her eyelid (which also followed the shape of her brows), as the inspiration for his runway looks.

The earthy yet jewel-rich shades of the ‘Regard Signé de CHANEL in Topkapi’ eyeshadow quad, are a quartet of creamy powder hues in shades of copper, taupe, gold and bronze, all done in the quilted pattern of the buttons found on a CHANEL jacket.

Above is a view of the Topkapi Palace gates in Istanbul, Turkey, where one can easily understand why Mademoiselle Coco was so fascinated by all things Byzantium, in particular the spectacular opulence as evidenced by the elaborate scrollwork.

‘Joues Contraste Rouge’ powder blush, to perhaps add a sultry bloom to your cheeks.

The glimmering golden hue of ‘Joues Contraste Or’ powder blush to add a subtle, yet seductive glow.

Rouge Allure lipstick in ‘Rouge Byzantin’ will impart a moisturizing ruby flush to your lips.

A view of Peter Philips transforming a model into a Byzantine goddess, echoing Empress Theordora’s unique look.

The fashion forward Empress Theodora and her innovative eye makeup.

Note how the looks created on the above CHANEL models, expertly marries a look from the past into this historically rich runway collection.

Final thoughts: I was informed that this was to be a very limited collection and that it would be available only at specific CHANEL boutiques, however I know that you can now view and purchase the products through CHANEL’s website, although Canadian consumers (like yours truly) are not able to do so…which is highly disappointing, not to mention frustrating. CHANEL, if you’re listening, time to adjust your website restrictions to accommodate your numerous Canadian fans, please! Apart from that, the Topkapi eyeshadow quad looks to have all the makings of a stellar compact but I don’t think I will be attempting the “Theodora” look anytime soon!