Chanel L'Été papillon summer collection 2013

The summer is coming up soon so let's talk about summer collections shall we?

The Chanel one is one of the few that I was excited about and the collection is called 'l'Eté Papillon' collection which basically means 'the Butterfly collection'.

And if you take a look at the collection, the name would make a lot of sense because of the bright summery colours that very much remind me of the colours of a butterfly.

Besides the usual lipglosses, nailpolishes and lipsticks Chanel came out with something new for this summer and they are the eyeshadow sticks (or crayons as I would like to call them) which was the main reason I have been eyeing this collection.

Personally I love eyeshadow stick and some of my favorites are the By Terry Ombre Blackstars, Kiko eyeshadow sticks and the one made by Topshop are very nice and are quite simular to the By Terry ones (for those who are looking for a cheaper and more accessible alternative).

Another eyecatcher in this collection are the coloured Inimitable mascaras to complete the butterfly look this summer.

So needless to say that my main focus is on the eyeshadow crayons and I got 4 of them. To my surprise when I was playing with the mascaras I found it to be very pigmented and easy to apply. So I decided to give one a try and purchased the yellow mascara as well.

The texture of the Chanel eyeshadow sticks is creamy, pigmented, quite shimmery and glides over your eyelid when you applied but they are not as buttery soft like the By Terry Ombre Blackstars.

They also contain a lot of shimmer in them but I haven't experienced any fallout so far (but I do suggest to use a good eye primer underneath). In terms of shades the Chanel ones are definitely more complex but the shade range is quite limited (only 6 colours in total) compared to the Kiko or By Terry eyeshadow sticks. 
The first one I got is called Pink Lagoon and as the name says, it's a cool bright vivid pink. Perfect for an easy wash on the eyelid when you have to run out the door in the morning.

Chanel Pink Lagoon

This collection wouldn't be called the Butterfly if there wasn't a green shade so Chanel created Jade Shore. A mint green colour for a pop of colour during the hot summer days.

Chanel Jade Shore

Chanel didn't forget those who love neutral colours to wear everyday to work so Moon River will fulfill that purpose without any issues. A gorgeous taupe with a hint of silvery shimmers in it will compliment any eye colour. 

Chanel Moon River

Last shade I bought is the black one and it's called Black Stream. It looks scary in the tube but the shimmers in them makes Black Stream a perfect shade to use as a base underneath another eyeshadow colour or as a simpel eyeliner that you can easily smudge out for a more natural effect.

Here are the swatches that I took side by side but the pictures don't do the shades justice to be honest.

Indoor lighting (from L to R):

Pink Lagoon - Jade Shore - Moon River - Black Stream

Same swatches in outdoor lighting.

Some people have noticed that Jade Shore is quite simular to Rouge Bunny Rouge 'Periwinkle Cardinal' and some have also wondered if it was any different from the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Rivière (which was an Asia exclusive shade from last year).

Since I own both of these, I swatched it side by side to see if they were identical and I'm pleased to say that all 3 of them are different enough to not be called dupes of one another.
Rivière is lighter and cooler while Periwinkle Cardinal is a tad darker compared to Jade Shore.

Swatches from L to R:

Chanel Jade Shore - Chanel Rivière -

Rouge Bunny Rouge Periwinkle Cardinal 

The yellow Chanel Inimitable mascara is called 'Zest'  and was quite easy to apply mainly because of the wand that is made from rubber and is designed to give your lashes volume and seperates them at the same time.

A quick look that I did using all 4 of the Chanel eyeshadow crayons and the yellow Inimitable mascara.

The Chanel eyeshadow crayons (limited edition) retail for  $34 USD / 28 EUR each and the Inimitable mascara for $30 USD / 28 EUR and can be purchased an any Chanel counter or online at the Chanel site.

Givenchy Le Rouge #310 Croisière Coral (summer collection 2013)

Givenchy came out with 2 new Le Rouge lipsticks and as a huge fan of these lipsticks, of course I had to check them out.

The one that stood out immediately was #310 Croisière Coral and purchased it without any hesitation.

Givenchy Le Rouge #310 Croisière Coral.

Croisière Coral is a corally pink shade and an absolute stunner in this collection. The other Le Rouge lipstick in the summer collection was Croisière Fushia and as the name already suggests, it's a fushia colour with a hint of pink in it.

As you can see, instead of the regular black leather case, the lipsticks in this collection both have a white packaging which is the only thing they changed.

Texture is creamy with a silicony feel to it without being slippery on the lips. Someone mentionned before that it's quite simular to the Addiction cheek sticks in terms of texture and I have to agree.

For those who have very dry lips, a balm underneath will definitely help to make this lipstick go on smoother. Quite long lasting and not drying on the lips whatsoever.

Some comparision swatches to see if they are any dupes out there and as you can see on the picture, I don't have a shade like Croisière Coral in my stash yet so this lipstick will fill that niche perfectly.

From L to R:

Hourglass Muse - Nars Lodhi - Givenchy Croisière Coral -

Paul&Joe Merry-Go-Around - Lancome Corset

lipswatch of Givenchy #310 Croisère Coral

The Givenchy Le Rouge lipsticks retail for $36 USD / 34,50 EUR and can be purchased at any Givenchy counter.

Dior mono eyeshadow 2013 in Tweed and Camouflage

When I walked passed a Dior counter awhile back I noticed they have released new single eyeshadows. The colour range surprisingly caught my eye, more brighter and bolder shades which is not very typical for Dior.

To satisfy my curiosity I got 2 of them: #477 Camouflage and #760 Tweed.

Tweed is a gorgeous taupe colour with a hint of plum and reminded me a lot of Chanel Fauve eyeshadow although they don't look simular at all in the pan.

Dior mono eyeshadow in Tweed

Dior mono #760 Tweed

Camouflage is a khaki green shade and maybe not the most unique one of the bunch but I can see this being well loved for my everyday, work safe make up looks.

Dior mono eyeshadow in Camouflage

Dior mono #477 Camoufalge

Texture-wise these eyeshadow are kind of dry feeling but quite pigmented with complex subtle shimmers in them. Although they are not buttery soft, it is powdery but won't cause any fallout once applied on the eyelid.

Some people compained about these eyeshadows not being very long lasting but I have to disagree with this. After applying an eye primer, the eyeshadow went on smoothly and lasted throughout the whole day.

So I mentioned that Tweed reminded me of Chanel Fauve when I swatched it. Well I took the liberty to swatch them side by side so you can see and judge for yourself.

From L to R:

Chanel Fauve - Dior Tweed

Quite simular no? Fauve is a tad darker with a more purpleish undertone while Tweed definitely leans more to the taupe side.

I also swatched other dark green eyeshadow I could find in my stash to see if one of them would be a dupe for Camouflage.

Swatches indoor- From L to R:

Chanel Fauve - Dior Tweed - Dior Camouflage -

By Terry #05 Dapple Bronze - Suqqu Kokedama (dark green one)

Same swatches- outdoor lighting

Most of the green shades are close but I wouldn't call any of them an exact dupe for Camouflage.

To conclude this review, I did a quick look with these Dior mono eyeshadows. I find that the swatches don't do the shades any justice.

Once applied on the lid, you can see the complexity of the shades much better.

The Dior mono eyeshadow retail for $29 USD/ 28 EUR each and can be found at any Dior counter.

Lise Watier vs. Essence glitter eyeshadow brush

Most of my reviews so far are about make up products and certain collections which was never my first intention to do so in the first place. I got sidetracked I guess but I wanted to focus on brushes as well so today will be the first of (hopefully) many brush reviews.

For the loose pigment fans out there, I don't  need to explain how difficult and messy it can be to apply loose pigment eyeshadow (esp. if you're using natural hair brushes) so for that purpose Lise Watier has come out with a glitter eyeshadow brush.

It seems to be quite popular because when I was rumbling through the clearance bin at a local drugstore, I discovered that Essence has made one as well for a limited collection in the past.

What's so interesting about these kind of brushes is that's made of a silicony material that will make any loose pigment of glitter stick to it better and therefore makes it easier to apply it.

The brush is shaped as typical sponge applicator to give a precise application. But because of the silicony rubber material it's not the easiest brush to blend shades but then again bear in mind that the purpose of this brush is application and nothing else besides that.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Essence one is very simular to the more expensive Lise Watier brush in size.

If you take a look at the sides of the brushes, the Lise Watier one is a bit thicker at the wider part where the ferrule starts but it's hardly noticable in real life.

Ok now to the part about how it performs. Do these brushes make a lot of difference in applying loose eyeshadow? I will test it out with my Fyrinnae pigments.

Anyone who is familiar with Fyrinnae loose pigments knows that it can be a pain in the ass buttocks and has a lot of fallout when not applied properly.

So this is how it looks if I just apply the pigment with a natural hair brush.

Lots of fallout and messy which was to expected from loose eyeshadow.

Now using the Lise Watier and Essence glitter eyeshadow brush.

From L to R:

Lise Watier - Essence

A lot more precise and minimal fallout when I applied these. The loose eyeshadow adhere better to the silicony material than to natural hair brushes and gives a better result.

They perform equilly the same so it's impossible to tell that the one is better than the other.

Another great thing about these is that they are washable after each use. Just soap and water will do the trick to make them spot clean again and they dry almost immediately.

The Lise Watier glitter eyeshadow brush retails for $15 USD and can be purchased online on their website and ships only to the US and Canada for now.

The Essence multi tasker brush cost 1,29 EUR but was part of a limited collection is not available anymore. Essence can be found at Ulta (US) and at several drugstores in the EU.

Nars Satin lip pencils

Although I generally don't consider myself as a huge Nars fan, their lip pencils are definitely one of their better products in my humble opinion.

When I heard that they were going to release a new formula in February, called the Satin lip pencils, of course I had to go ahead and order so I could try these for myself.

Trying to restrain myself I only got 5 of them: Yu, Luxembourg, Lodhi, Golshan and Isola Bella.

Packaging is simular to the other lip pencils they make, black tube with a colored bottom end to indicate the shade.

The positive thing is that it's a sleek tube and not made of rubber like the blushes so it's much easier to clean. But the (only) negative thing I have to add is that you have to sharpen these lip pencils (unlike BITE beauty or Addiction lip crayons) which seems to be a bit of a waste to be honest, especially considering the amount of money you pay for these.

The texture is extremely creamy and glides on your lips like butter. Quite pigmented (especially the darker shades) and fairly long lasting on me and fades to a prety stain on my lips.

It sure feels slippery on the lips at first but when it settles it will be quite hard remove. I also find the shade range of the Satin lip pencils to be a tad better because it gives a bit more variety compared to the other lip pencil ranges.


Golshan.

Described as a 'spiced wine' and I quite agree. It's definitely a warm toned red without being too bright.

Me wearing Nars Golshan

Luxembourg.

A very interesting shade and according to Nars a 'vivid watermelon' shade. On me it has more of a red undertone to it but quite bright nonetheless.

Me wearing Nars Luxembourg.

Lodhi.

Any coral lovers will definitely love Lodhi. Although it's been described as a 'vibrant coral' I don't find it to be that vibrant at all on the lips. Very natural and perfect for everyday wear.

Me wearing Nars Lodhi.

Yu.

A shocking pink and the brightest shade of the whole range. It's cool toned so I was worried it would not look good with my rather warm Asian skintone but surprisingly I find it very wearable.

Me wearing Nars Yu.

Isola Bella

The most natural looking shade and definitely falls under the catagory 'My lips but better' shades. It's a peachy beige shade with a little hint of brown in it. A must have for those who love nude shades.

Me wearing Nars Isola Bella.

Here are some swatches on my arm to conclude this review.

Indoor swatches- From L to R:

Isola Bella - Lodhi - Yu- Luxembourg- Golshan

Same swatches- outdoor lighting.

The Nars Satin lip pencils retail for $25 USD/ 25 EUR and can be purchased online on the Nars website and at any Nars counter.