Addiction Damask Rose cheek stick

Addiction by Kose came out with new cheek sticks not so long after the release of their fall collection and one of them, Damask Rose, cought my eye.

As I'm a fan of their cheek sticks, of course I had to get my paws on it  I had to order it once it came out.

For those who are not familiar with cheek sticks, they are basically a cream blush in a stick form. The Addiction ones are made like a lipstick bullet and can be used on the cheeks and on the lips as well.

Damask Rose is a beautiful deep rosy pink and this shade is nothing like what I have so it kind of fills a particular gap in my stash.

Addiction Damask Rose cheek stick

The texture is really creamy and blends like a dream on the skin. Even people with dry skin will be able to use it.
As mentionned before the cheeks sticks can also be used on the lips but I personnaly prefer to use it on the cheeks because they cause my lips to dry out a little.

Damask Rose is one of the more pigmented one of the range and only a tiny amount is needed to get that healthy flush on the cheeks.

Here are some swatches of Damask Rose compared to other shades that were kind of simular but none of them were exact dupes.

Swatches in natural lighting

Indoor lighting

1. Addiction Damask Rose cheek stick: a deep rose colour

2. Addiction Amazing cheek stick: a cool candy pink shade

3. Kevyn Aucoin Myracle powder blush: more of a cool blue toned pink

4. Tom Ford Narcissist blush: a cool toned pink

Small update on the last swatch. For some reason, I thought it was the Addiction cream blush from the holiday palette untill I realise that shade is much darker and warmer than Tom Ford Narcissist. My apologies for the confusion.

The cheek sticks are one of the stand outs in the Addiction range (besides their eyeshadows and blushes) and I hightly recommand to try them out. 

The Addiction cheek sticks retail for 2940 Japanese Yen and can be purchased only in Japan. Online retailers like Ichibankao sell them too but with a markup.

Chanel Eclats du Soir de Chanel Holiday 2012 collection!

This year Chanel came out with a festive but rather uninspired collection for this holiday season called 'Eclats du Soir'.

Although this collection is luxurious with that touch of elegance which is so typical for Chanel, it pales in comparision with other holiday collections out there.
I know many of you might disagree with me but this has not been their best collection so far.

Chanel holiday 2012 collection

The eye shadow quad is called 'Harmonie du Soir' and it looks simular to Topkapi which was released in the holiday 2011 collection.

These colours are softer and more muted compared to the original Topkapi. It created a pretty everyday look but none of the shades gives enough dimension that I'm looking for in a great eye look. The colours of Topkapi seem to work more harmonious together than Harmonie du Soir which is the reason why I decided not to get it.
The 2 items I did get from this collection is the #307 L'Impatiente Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick and the #637 Malice nailpolish.

L'Impatiente is a very dark berry red colour that doesn't go as black on the lips when it has been build up. The shade looks darker in the tube than in real life which makes it shade really wearable compared to the oxblood lip shades that have been so popular recently in the make up world.
Texture is not as creamy as the regular Rouge Allure but still comfortable on the lips with a matte finish. The colour really is gorgeous but hardly unique. It wasn't drying on my lips but I heard some people who have issues with the Rouge Allure Velvet texture so test it first before buying it.
For those who wants a wearable, not in your face dark vampy lip shade; L'Impatiente will be right up your alley.

Here are some swatches of L'Impatiente itself and compared with other simular lip shades.

Chanel L'Impatiente RAV swatch

From L to R: Chanel L'Impatiente, Chanel Rouge Noir

and Tom Ford Black Orchid.

Next item I purchased is the Malice nailpolish. At first I thought it would be very simular to my beloved Rouge Noir nailpolish but afterwards I saw that I was wrong.

Chanel Malice nailpolish

Malice is darker and is more of a burgundy red on the nails. Like all Chanel polishes, a base coat is needed to make it last longer. The practical brush that comes with it makes application really easy and since it's so opaque, 1 coat would probably be enough.

Texure is creamy and rich and with very subtle ruby sparkles in it that catches the light and like most Chanel polishes it gives a glossy finish on the nails.

Malice polish on my nails.

Chanel nailpolishes are not my favorite in term of texture and longevity but the colours really do make up for that.


L'Impatiente retails for $32 USD or (30,50 EUR) and Malice for $26 USD (or 22, 50 EUR) and both can be purchased at any Chanel counter and online.

Guerlain Wulong meteorites pressed powder (from the Liu Holiday 2012 collection).

One of bigger holiday collections this year is probably the Guerlain one.

Every year they come out with a couple of palettes, new lipsticks and of course new meteorites perles (and usually a spraying powder as well).

This year collection is called Liu and is inspired by the brand's classic fragrance Liu, which was at the time inspired by the heroine of Puccini's opera 'Turandot'. A lot of Oriental hues featured in this collection which makes this limited edition collection exquisite as only Guerlain can be.

Guerlain Liu holiday 2012 collection

This collection is bigger compared to most other high end brands like Chanel or Dior.
It consists of:

- Ecrin 4 couleurs eyeshadow quad ($59) which is called 'Turandot'
- Liu Eyes & Lips Calligraphy ($79) palette which contains 4 eyeshadows and 2 lipsticks. This palette is inspired by the city of Shanghai in the 1920's.
- 2 Shine Automatique lipsticks ($35 each) in Altoum (a yellow gold shade) and Lou-Ling (a berry red shade)
- 2 nailpolishes ($35 each) in Lou-Ling and Altoum to go with the lipsticks
- Liu Perfumed Shimmer powder ($88)
- Perles du Dragon meteorites perles ($58): dedicated to 2012, the year of the dragon.
- Wulong pressed meteorites powder ($170)

At first glance, I thought I would walk out with the Calligraphy and the Dragon meteorites perles for sure but I decided that I would probably have no use for them anyway.

The Wulong pressed powder was very eyecatching as well but for that price, I would rather buy more shoes or clothes it would have been more wise and responsible to spend that kind of money on other things instead.

But faith has decided otherwise and I got the Wulong powder as a gift from a person who is really dear to me. No need to say that I was over filled with joy so it seems appropriate that Wulong should get its own post (and review) here.

As usual the packaging of any Guerlain powders are to die for and this year they didn't disappoint for sure.

Like most of the Guerlain powder items, the powder comes in an elegant and luxury velvet pouch to protect the packaging from scratches or other dammages.

The black and pink case is made from a heavy and sturdy metal material and won't be prone to break easily. Safe to carry around in a handbag although I can see some might find it a little too heavy to use it on a daily basis.

The best part is that it's refillable so once the powder is finished, it's easily replacable by the Voyage meteorites refill powder. It will fit into this Wulong case perfectly.

Front

Back

The powder itself is supposed to be the pressed version of the meteorites perles which Guerlain is very famous for.

Although I'm not the biggest fan of those meteorites perles, the pressed powder is definitely easier to use and to carry around. Instead of swirling a brush in a cup with loose powder perles, this powder can be used like any other type of pressed powder.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the case is the smell. All of the Guerlain products have a scent to them but this one in particular was heavily scented.
Reminds me of the smell of very sweet candy which can be a turn off for most people. Although I do have a sensitive nose, the smell in particular doesn't seem to bother me.

The mosaic pattern of the powder is colored but once applied to the skin it's totally translucent and therefore perfect to use it as a setting or 'all over' powder.

Guerlain Wulong meteorites pressed powder

When first looked at it there are some tiny subtle shimmer particles in this powder but they seem to disappear once applied to the skin.

This makes it an excellent finishing powder after applying make up and for touch ups during the day if the heavy packaging isn't an issue of course.

Guerlain Wulong swatch

To conclude all of this, it's a nice but don't expect any miracles from this powder since it's hardly a life changing product.

The Guerlain Wulong powder is an absolute splurge, considering the $170 price tag but is it a must have item? In my humble opinion no it is not worth that much but for those who are looking to own something luxurious, this Wulong powder will be right up your alley.

Guerlain Wulong powder is a limited edition product and can be purchased at any Guerlain counters.