Estee Lauder Violet Underground Pure Color Eyeshadow palette for Fall 2012!

Estee Lauder has released a new eyeshadow palette for fall 2012 and it's called Violet Underground.

Like the palette released for summer 2012, this eyeshadow palette consist of 5 eyeshadow colors. The colors in Violet Underground are more vibrant and are perfect for the upcoming fall season. 

I thought the texture would be simular to the geleé powders like the highligher Modern Mercury that was released awhile back this year but I can tell you now that they are not identical or even remotely close at all.

The texture of the magenta, blue, pink and brown shades are similar, very soft, almost powdery and pigmented as well. They don't contain shimmer in them but they do have a gorgeous satiny sheen once applied.

Some people complained that it wasn't very long lasting but if you wear it underneath an eye primer it should last much longer on your eyelids.

The black color in the middle has a different texture compared to the other shades. It's definitely matte and a bit chalky in my opinion.

Here are some swatches to give you an idea of how the colors like like when applied on the skin.

I tried to create an eye look with this palette. I was surprised how wearable it was.

What I did: the magenta color in the inner 1/3 of the eyelid, the blue shade on the outer 1/3 of the eyelid, the brown color in the crease and the black color in the outer V.

I know these colors may not be for everyone but I personally love these bright jewel tone colors!

As the fall season approaches, it's time to wear some color again!

Anyone already tried or swatched these in stores? I would love to know your opinion on them as well. 

Suqqu #14 Kosumosuiro quad (from the fall 2012 collection).

Today I have a little surprise to show you: the Suqqu #14 Kosumosuiro!

Suqqu has recently launched 3 new quads (of which 1 will be limited edition) for fall 2012, together with 5 new l/s, 2 new limited edition duo blushes, a pink loose powder and a new eye balm.

You're probably wondering what's so special about these quads. Unlike the other permanent palettes, these 3 new quads have a cream eyeshadow in them which can double up as a liner too.

The texture of the green cream eyeshadow is very creamy and not difficult to  blend with. It doesn't apply patchy but an eye primer is needed to make it last longer.

As mentioned before, the other shades are regular powder eyeshadow and have the same quality as the other Suqqu eyeshadows.

Texture is very refined and the shimmers (usually 2 of the 4 eyeshadows are shimmery while the other 2 are matte colors) in it are very subtle but gives a gorgeous finish nonetheless.

                                      In natural lighting



                                         Indoor lighting

I did 2 look with this quad and I really find this to be a great everyday neutral quad with the dark forest green shade that will give a 'pop' to make the whole look less boring.

The first looks is a simple wash of the neutral taupe shade on the eyelid with the dark green cream eyeshadow as a liner.

For the second look I use the dark green cream eyeshadow as a base all over the eyelid. The pink color on the inner 1/3 of the eyelid and the taupe color in the outer 1/3 of the eyelid and in the crease as well.

The matte white shade I used as a highlighter under the eyebrows.

The Suqqu fall collection already came out in Japan on the 10th of August and will also be available in the UK at Selfridges on the 30th of August.

Comparison: Chanel Fleur de Lotus JC vs. Malice JC.

So I have been asked to compare Chanel Fleur de Lotus JC to Malice JC since most people believe they are simular.

This post will hopefully answer that question for those people who were wondering about the difference between these 2 JC blushes.

I will take this oppurtunity to show the difference between a baked JC blush and the one that has been made the regular way.

Chanel Fleur de Lotus was released as part of an Asia exclusive collection. Due to the huge succes in Asia Chanel recently has decided to rerelease that same collection exclusively at Nordstrom in the US and it will a limited edition item again just like in Asia.

It's described as a coral/pink color that turns more pink once applied. Fleur de Lotus does contains tiny shimmers but they are not visible at all on the skin and gives a very natural flush to the cheeks.

This blush is a baked JC (the swirls in the blush gives it away) so the texture is harder but still smooth. Pigmentation is decent but not as good as the regular non baked JC blushes.

Malice is one of the newest JC blushes that has been released this year. It's one of the US versions so this means the blush has not been baked.

Texture is smooth and more powdery unlike the baked JC's and it definitely more pigmented than Fleur de Lotus.

Malice leans more to the peachy pink shade and the perfect color to give a fresh glow to your face. I haven't seen Malice released in Europe or Asia yet so I can't say for sure this blush will be readily available everywhere.


Here are some swatches to show you how they look like on the skin.

Hope this was somewhat helpful and I'm curious about your opinions on these Chanel blushes.

Do you like them in general or not? I would love to know your thoughts on them.

Shiseido new Lacquer Rouges!

So one of the newest rave in beauty community are the new Shiseido Lacquer Rouges that came out a few month ago.

It's supposed to a lipstick and a lipgloss all in one. The texture is not as dry as a regular lipstick and it gives a shiny finish just like a gloss.

There were 8 shades released world wide and I know that that Shiseido also made 4 Asia exclusive shades as well that can not be found in Europe or in the US.

From the 8 shades I only got 2, the RS 404 (Disco) and the RD 607 (Nocturne).

Disco is a bright candy pink color and although it looks scary in the tube, it's actually pretty wearable. 
Nocturne is a true blood red shade that can easily be worn for a night out or sheered out a little to wear during the day.

Here are some swatches. I thought Nocturne would be a good dupe for the (now discontinued) Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque but as you can see on the picture below, Dragon is more blue based and not as dark compared to Shiseido Nocturne.

The texture is kind of thick and very opaque. It does have a bit of a sticky feeling to it but not as sticky like regular lipgloss. It doesn't have a slip to it so it will stay on your lips better without bleeding or feathering.
When the color fades, it leaves a stain behind that will last for hours if you don't drink or eat. The lip lacquers do have a slight smell to it but nothing overpowering (even for the most sensitive noses).

It seems to be an upcoming trend for this fall because Guerlain just recently released some lip lacquers too of their own for this upcoming fall.

I will do a battle of the lip lacquers soon to see how these lip lacquers compare to the other ones that have been released. So definitely stay tuned for that!

Giorgio Armani new Eyes to Kill for Summer 2012!

This is already old news and I'm sure most of you have seen these ETK's at the counters already but I thought I would do a separate blog post about it anyway.

So Giorgio Armani has released new Eyes to Kill shades for this summer of 2012. All of these are limited edition so if you have a counter near you, I highly do recommand to check out these shades.

I only got 3 of the 6 new Eyes to Kill shades so I will do a little overview of them.

From what I can already is that the new shades are not as complex as the ones in their regular range.

The ETK #24 is a black golden shade which can be worn individually or paired with another lighter eyeshadow color.  Perfect for a easy smokey eye look by applying this as a wash of color on the eyelids.

Next one I got is the ETK # 25 and this reminded me a lot of the ETK #14 in their permanent range. I heard that #14 is not sold everywhere (like for example they don't carry #14 in the US). So if you have been looking for that particular shade and couldn't find it, the ETK #25 would be an excellent substitute. 

This shade has more of a golden undertone with a hint of black in it compared to #24 and it would be look stunning with any green or olive shade eyeshadow or just on its own.

The next and last ETK is probably the most unique one of the 6 (and my personal favorite) and it's #27.

A gorgeous purple color with subtle silver shimmer in it. I find this shade to be the most complex of the new shades that has been released. It' definitely more cool toned compare to the other colors but I can see this work on almost all skintone.

Here are some swatches that I did of the new ETK colors to give you an idea of how it looks when applied.

I find the texture of the Eyes to Kill shadow to be very smooth and silky. It can be applied with the fingers and it blends very easily.

A good drugstore dupe is the L'Oreal Infaillable eyeshadows and this shouldn't be a surprise for all the beauty addicts out there. L'Oreal owns Giorgio Armani cosmetics and also manufactures their make up line. But the Infaillable colors are not that complex compared to the Armani ETK's but the texture really is amazing, almost superior to the Armani ones in terms of pigmentation.
I will do a proper comparison soon.

To wrap this up, the new shades are nice but the shades are not really special or complex (except for #27) but for those who don't own colors similar to these, I would definitely check these out at the Armani counter.

Shu Uemura NEW Glitter Eye collection for summer 2012!

Ok I know I have been neglecting this blog for awhile and I do apologlize for that. But I promise you there will be lots of reviews and comparisons in the near future so stay tuned for sure. 

One of the items I got a few months back were the new Shu Uemura eye glitter from the Glitter Eye collections for summer 2012.

These new eyeshadows are glitters as their names already gave away.

The glitters are very sheer compared to the regular eyeshadows from Shu Uemura and can be applied over a regular eyeshadow to give it more dimension and complexity to a otherwise 'boring' eyeshadow.

The IR 115 is a beautiful soft pink shade with subtle hints of golden glitters in it. This shade would look gorgeous over a regular brown or taupe eyeshadow color.

This color is part of the range that is called 'SILK SMOOTH EYESHADOW' and is described as 'a brand new innovative silky texture with long-lasting sparkles'.

The G 331 is a pretty white gold color and it's the sheerest of the 4 I have purchased.

If you're looking for more brighter colors, the G 744 is a gorgeous purple shade and will add an extra oompf to any eyeshadow color you're wearing.

And last but not least, the teal shade that is called G 646 is probably my favorite of the 4 I got. It gives the right amount of 'pop' to your eye look without being too over the top or in your face. 

The texture is very smooth and easy to work with. These glitters can be applied with fingers or a brush (I prefer a brush though) and I have experienced zero fall out from these glitters.

Bear in mind I do always use a primer when I put on eyeshadow so that could be the reason as well.

I took the liberty to do some swatches as well for those who are curious how it looks like.

If you're a fan of glitter or sparkly eyeshadows, I highly suggest to check these out at your nearest Shu Uemura counter.

Shu Uemura Glitter Eye Collection For Summer 2012 is readily available at all Shu Uemura locations.

Laduréé cosmetics (haul + review)

Ladurée, named after the original founder Louis-Ernest Ladurée, is a luxury cakes and pastries brand based in Paris, France since 1862.

The inventor of the famous double-decker macaron has now come up with their own cosmetic line "The Merveilleuses de Ladurée" (or 'The Wonders of Ladurée') in a collaboration with Albion (who is also the manufacturer of the Anna Sui, Jill Stuart and Paul & Joe cosmetics).

It was set to debut first in Japan in February 2012 before being released in Europe, USA and the rest of Asia later on this year.

No need to say that I was thrilled to be able to try some of their products and I thought I would share my experience.
Since it has only been released in Japan, I had some help from a lovely girl in Japan who was able to purchase these Laduree products for me.

The products I will be reviewing are the pressed cheek blush in #01 and the Rose Petals #02.

Laduree pressed cheek blush #01.

The pressed cheek blush is, as the name already mentionned, a powder blush. Each blush is a refill so you have to purchase the case seperately.

The Laduree pressed blush case- outside packaging

Laduree pressed powder case opened

The Laduree case also comes with a brush.

I chose the color # 01 which is a gorgeous mauve/purple color. I don't have a color like that in my collection hence why my eye was drawn to that particular shade. The logo is very feminine and it suits the brand's image.

Laduree pressed cheek blush #01

The texture is kind of dry and hard and the pigmentation is only adequate. I can definitely see people with dry skin having issues with this blush because it will probably dissappear by the end of the day.

Personally it didn't find it to last too well on my combo/oily skin compared to Illamasqua blushes. By the end of the day most of it has faded. That being said I think most of the appeal lays in the packaging. The color range isn't that unique and most of the colors are very dupeable in my humble opinion.

Do I think it's worth the price tag? No but if you're a collector I suggest to look into these blushes merely because of the gorgeous packaging.

 Laduree Rose Petals #02.
I was most excited about the Rose Petals. They come in 3 different colors and I got #02 which is a very pretty warm pink color.

Simular to the pressed powder cheek blush, the case come seperately and is not included with the petals.
The packaging I got is the clear one (which I prefer) but apparently there is also a white case too that comes with a powder puff.

Laduree case for the rose petals (¥3150)

The rose petals came in plastic round box that was wrapped in a silk pouch. The refill rose petals cost ¥7350.

The rose petals are not made entirely out of make up. The make up has been put around a paper skeleton that has been made in the form of a rose petal.

I was sceptical about the pigmentation and the performance at first but I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth silky texture and the pigmenation is better than the pressed powder blushes. It lasted on my skin pretty well too during the day so overall, I'm very pleased with these petals.

This is definitely a luxury product and a collectors items. Is it worth the heavy price tag? Probably not but it sure is a must if you like luxurious and unique products and have a weak spot for pretty packaging (like I do).
The only (and obvious) thing is that these petals are not travel friendly. Although they are not extremely fragile, I would not suggest taking them with you when you travel because they will break or chip in your suitcase. I was surprised mine didn't get crushed during the shipping at all.

                              

I thought it would be helpfull to do some swatches so you can see the pigmentation of them yourself.

I took the liberty to swatch Shu Uemura P 14 Red as well side by side because I first thought that the Shu Uemura blush and the Rose Petals were very simular but they are not. The Shu Uemura P 14 Red is warmer and redder compared to the Laduree petals.

As you can see on the picture, the pressed powder blush #01 has the least pigmentation of them all. I had to swatch it a few times before it shows up at all on my skin and I'm not pale to begin with.

For me, the rose petals are definitely the winner here. If you have money to spend, I would highly suggest to try the rose petals. You can always put the rose petals in some other packaging in case you don't like the original Laduree case.

Finally I just want to say that I'm glad I had the chance to try these out and I want to thank the person again who was able to get these products for me.