Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chanel Spring 2012: Ombre D'eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow Source #40



A very unexpected purchase from the Chanel Spring 2012 collection for me was the Ombre D'eau in Source.  I almost missed this piece completely if not for one last glance at the collection when I was at the counter.  I had never tried Chanel's liquid eye shadow formula before, so I was intrigued.  When you collect cosmetics, you get to the point where there are few things that are truly new and intriguing.



The Ombre D'eau comes in a pretty weighty frosted glass container, and the applicator is a doe's foot sponge.  It can be worn alone or as a base for shadows.  They are crease-free and long lasting (around 8 hours without creasing without a primer and close to 12 hours without creasing with a primer).  However, because of the metallic, iridescent finish, my SA did not recommend this for folks with fine lines or wrinkles as the finish would emphasize these.  Even though these are long lasting, they are NOT waterproof.  In fact, they come off rather easily with just water.


You need to shake the bottle very well before application.  My SA recommended placing the product on the back of the hand and using a synthetic brush to apply rather than applying the product directly to your eye from the applicator.  This way, you have more control of the product and avoid over applying.  I found using your fingers to apply and blend works out just fine as well.  The formula dries down pretty quickly, so you have to work equally as quick to apply and blend out the edges.


The swatch above was with one swipe with the applicator.  The formula is buildable so you can go as subtle or striking as you wish with the finish.

I wasn't expecting much because pinks on my eyes usually make me look tired or sick.  Maybe it's because of the metallic/iridescent finish or perhaps the shade of pink is very pale, almost champagne-like, but it looked very pretty.  The results actually had a brightening effect on my eyes that made me look more awake and fresh.  I was instantly sold.

Since purchasing Source, I've been using it quite often.  It's amazingly easy to use, quick and perfect for those mornings (which is almost every day now with the baby) where you don't have more than 5 minutes to make yourself look presentable and I love how long it lasts.  At the end of the day, it still looks great.  The delicate pink is perfect for spring, but I think it's wearable year round.

Chanel's Ombre D'eau is $32 and available at Chanel.com and Chanel counters.


Thursday, January 5, 2012

Revlon Lip Butter Swatches

As promised, swatches of the Revlon Lip Butters I own.  Except for one.  I know, what kind of beauty blogger am I.  As I was editing these images, I realized I have one more lip butter.  The one that is missing is Berry Smoothie.  I'm not sure where I placed it, but I will edit this post with a swatch when I find it.  It's one of my favorites, so I hope I didn't lose it.  Click the image for full sized viewing.


And close ups:



I'm still figuring out how to capture lip swatches with my camera.  Like I mentioned before, I don't have a fancy camera, so I need to play around with the settings.  I think I got it though after playing around today.  I will also try to update with lip swatches because with the lip butters, I really feel a lot of these look different and much better on the lips.

Revlon Lip Butters



The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters have taken the makeup blogging world by storm.  It's difficult not to see why.  They are affordable and quality alternatives to the higher end sheer moisturizing lip products such as the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and YSL Volupte Sheer Candy.  Honestly, I think I like these better than Chanel and YSL (gasp!).  I have two swatches in this post. However, since photographing these, I have acquired 7 more for a total of 9 lip butters.  I will update this post with swatches of the others when I get the chance.

When I think of lip butter, I picture a lip balm in a tub type thing, a product that's meant to heal dry lips, and if there is color you bet it's sheer.  The Revlon lip butters are nothing like this.  They go on the lips buttery smooth like a lip balm, but they are not short on pigmentation.  These far exceeded my expectations on pigmentation.  In fact, when I tried one on for the first time, I really pressed down and began to apply heavily with the preconceived notion that "lip butter" would mean something very sheer.  Boy was I surprised.  Like any pigmented lip product, they can be applied lighter or more heavily to control the amount of color you would like.  Though these apply smoothly, feel extremely comfortable on the lips, and may seem like they are moisturizing, they don't add any moisture to your lips.  I also want to mention they are smell-less and tasteless.

Unfortunately, like many "moisturizing" lip products, the Revlon lip butters don't last on the lips for very long.  I find the need to reapply after 2 hours.  Another thing I don't like about the product is with the packaging.  The product is in your standard lipstick tube.  However, the cap is extra long leaving a little less than a quarter of an inch at the bottom where you pull the lipstick tube from the cap.  I often have some trouble pulling the lipstick out since there is so little to grip on the bottom.  It's sorta minor I guess but annoying none the less.

Here are swatches of Strawberry Shortcake and Sweet Tart:



Strawberry Shortcake


Sweet Tart




The Revlon lip butters are permanent and are appearing at your local drugstores, Ulta, and Target.  Depending on where you buy, they go between $5 - $7 and change.  I definitely recommend checking these out.  Especially in the colder weather, they are nice to wear when your lips need a break from dryer lipsticks. 







Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Chanel Spring 2012: Blush Horizon de Chanel



Chanel Spring 2012 is a collection of refreshing hues inspired by spring skies.  Shades of pink and coral typical of spring collections are found here with a splash of tangerine, this year's spring trend color.  Though I found many of the products to be very pretty, they weren't tempting enough for me to start burning plastic.  Coral doesn't really work for me, and I already own a lot of pink.  Most of the collection will be added to the permanent collection, so there is some time to pick up a few more things later on if I feel like it.  What I did pick up immediately was the star of the collection, the limited edition Blush Horizon de Chanel.



The blush is arranged in stripes of pink, coral, and white highlight with the pink on the top half of the blush and the coral at the bottom.  I like this because it's like having two blushes in one.  The pink gradient and coral gradient are large enough so that you may use one or the other.  The highlight is too small to swipe alone.  Or you can mix them together as you like.  Mixed, the overall color leans more pink than coral.

Though the colors of the blush are not unique, it imparts a beautiful, healthy glow on the cheeks.  A light hand is all you need to add a nice flush of color to your complexion.  The blush is easily buildable for more color.  The blush is not completely matte, yet not overly shimmery.  It really is just a glow on your face.

Here is a shot of the blush on me in sunlight.



The blush also comes with an angled brush with its own separate velvet pouch.  This brush is larger than the useless brushes that come with Chanel's joue contraste blushes and is much softer.  I actually found this brush to be rather functional.  It swipes across the blush perfectly and applies it nicely.  I actually used it to apply the blush in the photo above.



Overall, I am very pleased with this blush.  I normally don't splurge on blushes, but I am glad I got this one.  I definitely see myself reaching for this all season and beyond.

Blush Horizon de Chanel is $58 and available at Chanel counters and Chanel.com.