Year: 2012

NARS Andy Warhol Collection

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I heard about NARS’s collaboration with Andy Warhol back in late August, but really didn’t think much of it after reading not-so-stellar reviews. However, upon a second look, I’ve found a few products I wouldn’t mind trying out. For the record, I love NARS. The first product of theirs I’ve ever tried was, of course, Orgasm (in blush form). Scandalous name, but really after typing it out and saying it so many times, it has no meaning to me anymore. Except a pretty pink flushed blush, that is! It would be a while before I purchased any more NARS products, mainly because I didn’t really know what I wanted to try out. Then, I came back to a NARS counter and purchased a sheer, dark lipstick (Vendanges) and my first hint of love for eyeshadows (Ramatuelle). And now I’m pretty much in love. So, the Andy Warhol collection comes in three “waves”—a holiday collection, a gift set collection, and one that’s exclusive to Sephora. I won’t bother with the Sephora collection, because they don’t accept …

Lady Dior Web Documentary

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While looking for my favorite Spring 2013 looks on the runway, I stumbled upon a sweet video made for The House of Dior. Part 4 of the web documentary, Lady Dior, it features charming illustrations and a song with the lyrics written and sung by Marion Cotillard. Entitled Lily’s Body, the fourth episode depicts the history of Dior in a romantic, Parisienne animation. Naturally, I looked for the rest. Episode 1: Fantasia – Marion Cotillard visits the Dior workshops and oversees the work on her gown for Cannes. Episode 2: Up and Up – In which we get a peek at the beautiful, constructed dress, some behind-the-scenes shots at photoshoots, and a glimpse of her singing a Beirut song. “The expertise of so many people at the service of one person’s imagination, craftsmanship at the service of art: I find it all quite fascinating.” — Marion Cottillard Episode 3: La métamorphose – A photoshoot for Dior with Marion Cottilard donning some very beautiful haute couture dresses. It’s better to watch them all in order. I …

Playlist: Playing with Prestigious Bordeaux

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So, I woke up this morning and thought about playing with my new Prestigious Bordeaux eye and cheek palette from Shu Uemura’s Karl Lagerfeld collection, which I reviewed here. (image from here) Bordeaux is a mix of red and violet, with a hint of brown (see here). A color close to it is Pantone’s 221 (which they call Rose Pink for some reason). The Prestigious Palette shades seems to be a deconstruction of the color, separating the tones into their own pans. Since there are two distinct group of colors—purple and brown—in the palette, I wanted to try out looks that don’t result into a muddy mess. I looked at Patricia Lee’s tutorials, since she posted about two looks that used the purples and the browns. Anyway, I tried. (Also, please remember that I did this after waking up. The only products on my face are Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer, a bit of concealer, Smith’s Rosebud Salve on the lips, and the palette colors itself. My hair is funny.) My (actual) right eye, …

bareMinerals: A Vision in Velvet

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Before you say anything, I know this is a lot of product. Yep, I know that it’s like A LOT. bareMinerals A Vision in Velvet is a set of twenty mineral eyeshadows. I know it looks like a lot, but that’s because it is. A Vision in Velvet, which is part of bareMinerals’ holiday collection, is a limited edition eyecolor collection with 10 velvet colors and 10 satin colors. I first saw it on Temptalia and I hounded it until I found it at the Nordstrom website, before it was available on bareescentuals.com. They come in twenty individual pots with a sifter, a sticker (to keep them neat) and a twist-on golden cap. Very festive, I think, especially when they are on view in an entire row. This is what the pots look like without the sifter. Ideally, it’s supposed to keep the product within some reasonable area of neatness, but I find that sticking it back on wastes a ton of product, since they adhere to the sticky side. In the end, I threw …

bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Happy Place

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My first encounter with the bareMinerals Ready series was a bored wait for a train. My sister and I went to Sephora to pass the time, and I just could not leave without getting one of these wonderful palettes. I left with the duo in Scenic Route, and I have been hankering for a few more of these ever since. When I was purchasing my Guerlain Turandot quad, I couldn’t resist putting one of these palettes in my shopping cart—this time, a quad—so I picked one of the Limited Edition shades from their Supernatural collection. The Happy Place has four shades, all of which have their own name! How awesome is that? Great for tutorials and reviews. The case is a sturdy rubberized contraption (the finish is like that of the NARS compacts and palettes) with a double-ended applicator and a full-sized mirror. I love the bareMinerals’ plastic protectors. IT IS SAYING HELLO TO ME. Swatched, L-R: Peace, Exhale, Imagine, Euphoria Peace is a soft pale peach that’s perfect for a neutral base. Exhale is …

Counter Swatch: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

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These babies caught my eye while I was browsing Watsons with my mom last Sunday. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are like little chubby crayons, much different from their previous lip stain line, which were more like felt-tip markers. I swatched all the available shades there, but didn’t bother to look at the names, but I am quite certain these are the names, L-R by row: (1) Rendezvous, Smitten, (2) Darling, Sweetheart, (3) Charm, Precious, (4) Cherish, Lovesick. I’ll check again, though. These are heavyweight stains. After swatching, I went around stores looking at clothes (of course, careful not to stain them), and they didn’t budge. The gloss wore away pretty quickly, but the colors stayed put. I had to wipe these off to swatch some Shu Uemura items, and there were a few leftover stains, particularly from the two bottom shades. The product’s name—Kissable—has just been brought to light. One thing I like about these are that they are retractable—no sharpening and (in theory) no wasted product! The formulation is oddly creamy for …

Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura: Prestigious Bordeaux Eye and Cheek Palette & Painting Liner

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In the next few days, I’ll be posting about what I will call my Holiday Haul, to justify my recent purchases. This is my first dip into collection anticipation, and it’s deeply unsettling (not really) how much makeup I think I “need to have.” Here is one such item, the Prestigious Bordeaux Eye and Cheek Palette by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura. The palette consists of two Silk Smooth eyeshadows, three eyeshadows, and a deep pinky burnt red blush. It’s a compact enough size, with two double-ended applicators (sponge-tip and brush) and a mirror on the cover, in the shape of Mon Shu! Which I love, but cannot say as to whether it’s practical for use as a mirror or not. Swatches! The Silk Smooth eye shadows (richer, more pigmented color, and that fricken’ beautiful texture) are the first and third shades. In between are the eyeshadows: a shimmery lilac, a gorgeous gold great for highlighting, and a warm, desaturated peach satin shade. Lastly, there is the sole blush color, which I would actually look …