Etude House released a rather interesting Spring Collection this year and of course the Muse couldn’t resist picking up most of it for herself!
The Collection consisted of an array of “Peach” Themed items. One item in particular that caught my eye was the Pore Erasing Peach Base. This quite reminded me of Benefit Erase Paste which I didn’t have the best experience with. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment but I decided that I needed to try the Pore Erasing Base because I had convinced myself that it had to be better than Benefit’s version! It’s 11,000 Won for the entire jar that’s under $10 USD! It’s freaking huge at 0.88oz!
I tested it this morning and it’s not anything like Erase Paste. It’s a pre-makeup primer through and through and sadly my hope that it would have some concealing benefits were quickly dashed as soon as I got it on my skin. I don’t have large pores however this is perfect for creating a smooth, matte finish on your face prior to foundation and makeup. This carries a beautiful scent of peaches as well. Understandably some girls prefer cosmetics without scent but I don’t mind in the least! Whether this allows my makeup to last longer throughout the day remains to be seen but right now I’m loving this as a pre-foundation prep! The texture is quite like Smashbox Photofinish Primer but I felt like it was a bit more moisturizing and blended easier plus I didn’t get a breakout after using it where as with Smashbox’s primer pimples crop up! I did notice although it wasn’t concealing it did lighten my face up a tad bit and almost made me appear ghost like but after applying the next stage of my makeup that effect was gone thankfully.
For the price I think it’s well worth looking into and trying out if you can get your hands on it! The good news is I got a small sample of this with my purchase and I’m giving it away to the first person that comments and is willing to review it for Musings of a Muse. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this so if you’re willing to review it give a yell! The first person who comments I’ll ship it out to and I’ll expect a review back within a week or so explaining if you loved it, hated it, etc…!
Sample of Etude House Peach Pore Erasing Base for Review!
I also got the Peach Skin Pact which is best used for setting the Pore Erasing Base. The formula is obviously very good for oily skin types and offers very nice matte coverage. Good for touch ups and setting your foundation plus the compact is so bloody cute it’s no great chore to tote this around with you! I’ll make proper use of this come Summer when my skin decides to take a field trip from dry and venture into oily!
My entire routine for makeup this morning consisted of using the Etude House Pore Peach Base and setting it with the Peach Skin Pact. I used no other foundation in my makeup process as I wanted to dupe the entire look from the video how to on the Etude House website. I don’t normally use powder as my sole foundation since I feel like I need better coverage plus powder wears off very quickly throughout the day! I’m curious if the base will keep the powder intact all day which is why I’m experimenting going without my normal foundation! If it works I’ll be doing this all Summer long as my makeup feels very light today which will be perfect for Summer! This, like the pore base, carries the sweet scent of peaches which I absolutely adore!
I got two of the Peach Cheek Blushers as well which are basically an exact dupe of Lorac’s Cheek Stamp that was released last season. These appear to be very sheer but they are not. They hold a beautiful pigmentation for an item that’s so cheap! The formula is a bit chalky but that’s simply because it’s catering to an Asian skin type that may be oily. The concept and idea of a cheek stamp is of course awesome not only for ease of application but for the cute factor! I’ve personally never tried Lorac’s version so I couldn’t say how good it is but I’m glad I decided to give these a shot. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept I’ll briefly explain. Basically this is a circle sponge that has blusher in the lid of the product. The sponge is saturated with the powder and you can pop it out and “stamp” it onto your cheeks for a pinch of color!
Lorac’s Cheek Stamp
I ended up purchasing the eyeshadow quad that was used in the Etude video as well. It’s actually not LE and is part of the normal collection but I was so juiced over the look they created using everything that I wanted to try and dupe the entire look thus this palette got tucked into my shopping list! It’s basically a quad of four shimmering shades that are very sheer but can be built up. They have about the same pigmentation as a Majolica Majorca Majolook palette. The shades in this particular palette are white, baby pink, light blue, and yellow. The shadows do have the standard chalky texture most Asian brands sport but I don’t mind as I’m used to this from various Japanese brands. They hold a beautiful shimmer and blend very well!
I also got the Peach Beam Blusher which reminds me of a MAC MSF. It has a metallic shimmer finish that’s applies as a highlight but is pigmented enough to act as a blush! The effect is a beautiful glow! If you enjoy tanned skin during the Summer I imagine this will be very fitting for not only highlighting your cheeks but giving you a beautiful peach kissed look!
Color Me Nude Lip Concealer also ended up on my shopping list! MAC makes a similar lip concealer but in a pot form. Basically it concealers your lips and primes them for lipstick or gloss. Supposedly when your lips are primed with a concealer your glosses and lipsticks appear more vibrant and bright! As I said MAC’s version comes in a pot and this just seems easier and convenient in stick form! I haven’t yet tried this and will be doing a review of it shortly!
Staying on track with dupes Etude House also released Tear Drop Lash which is identical to Givenchy’s Lash Sparkles and Dior’s Lash Pearls. This is basically a wand that distributes little tear drops onto your lashes for a bit of an interesting “teardrop” effect! The applicator appears to be thought out a bit better than both Dior and Givenchy’s version! It’s a flat square plastic applicator with a tiny hole. It works quite well at disturbing the product and applying it right on the tips of the lashes! Very nice effect! I wish I can get a really close up image of my eyes so you can see the effect!
Finally I got the Peach Water Gloss which smells amazing and tastes just as good! I used it this morning and I love how well it applies. It’s a bit sheer but the formula is nice and watery which makes it feel very light on the lips and not tacky or sticky on the lips!
I got some cool freebies as well which were a cellular phone charm that houses an Etude gloss and a mini toner/lotion set.
All and all I’m thrilled to bits with the collection and it cost me under $85 USD for the entire lot of goodies I got. Inexpensive cosmetics that actually work well totally make the Muse’s day!
This morning as I mentioned I used almost all the collection to create a beautiful peachy pink look that’s both fresh, fun, and girly! I love how the peach contrasts so beautifully with the pink in my FOTD! I’d normally never pair up peaches and pinks but this came out so well that I’ll be doing so from now on!
My attempt to dupe the Etude look as seen on the video!
What I Used:
Eyes Etude House Cute and Sexy Eye Quad KATE Gel Mascara Etude House Tear Drop Lash
Face Etude House Pore Erasing Peach Base Etude House Peach Skin Pact Etude House Peach Beam Blusher Etude House Peach Cheek Blusher
Lips Etude House Peach Water Gloss
The Peach Makeup Collection from Etude House is most definately Muse Approved!
Click here to learn more about Etude House and other brilliant Korean Brands!
Dior’s Summer Collection has been available at Nordies, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, and a few other select locations for a month or more now (not officially). Sephora is finally updating it’s catalog with the Summer Collection as well. Dior’s Summer Collection is officially being launched in Japan as of April the 25th so I thought to coincide with that I’d post my review of the collection today!
The Dior Japan site has been updated to reflect the new collection for a few weeks now however, as always, the US site is still displaying the Spring Collection and being bloody slow about getting the update live (we probably won’t see an update until June or more).
As you already know from reading my constant rantings and ravings I am not a sun seeker which means of course this collection holds little appeal for me. The Collection consists of two new colors of High Shine Lipstick, two new colors of the single eyeshadows, two new palettes, and various other bits and bobs.
And of course the Pièce de Résistance of the Collection being the Golden Dior Pendant which houses a bronze gold highlighter cream to use on cheeks, face, and lips. Europe and Asia have two color selections for the pendant which are a gold and pink color while here within the US we are only getting the gold color.
Unlike the Spring Collection which I over indulged in, the Summer Collection held little appeal and I only ended up getting the three Dior Addict Ultra Glosses from the entire lot of items released.
The colors released ended up being very Muse friendly and I am loving the corals, golds, and beiges found in each of the newest glosses. I think these will not only work great in the Summer but well into the Fall!
Three colors were released of the Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect so I ended up with all three colors. I’ve always collected the Limited Editions of Addict Gloss but I haven’t done so in a while however with the Spring release I found myself using my LE glosses more and more thus that was part of the reason I picked these up!
The gloss formula is very good. Not too sticky, not to tacky but just right. It’s long wearing, holds nice shimmer and shine, and the price isn’t too bad at $24.50 USD per a gloss.
I took a few swatches for you so you can compare the various colors. Beige Moire is obviously very clear and sheer but it has a beautiful touch of gold shimmer which looks brilliant over peaches and corals. Beige Lurex is a beautiful bronze chocolate with hints of orange and gold shimmer. And finally Corail Lame is a gorgeous coral that borders an orange with touches of gold shimmer!
All three glosses are gorgeous but Beige Lurex and Corail Lame are my two favorites and worth picking up if you want something to pair up with a bronzed look this Summer or in my case a fresh peachy look!
Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect is Muse Approved for purchase! I’m enjoying these latest releases and look forward to using them this Summer!
Click here to catch up on my review and first impressions of Dior’s Spring Collection 2008!
Click here to enjoy my review on Dior’s newest lipstick!
Click here to find out why you should be purchasing your Dior abroad!
Click here to see my FOTD using Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in Beige Lurex!
PS I failed to mention that I’ve added a secret little sale page to my blog! I’ll be updating this with tons of stuff soon as I am doing Spring Cleaning this weekend!
I got my very first Cosme Decorte haul a few days ago! This isn’t really a review as of yet just my general impressions of the items. I’ll follow with a review and FOTD shortly.
Mmmm……..Not sure what I think of this quite yet. I really love how beautiful the palette is for sure. It’s an array of five colors which includes a beautiful gold sparkling base that I’m loving. The four other colors are two accent colors one deep mustard and one cranberry, one nuance color which is a bubblegum pink color, and finally a shading color which is a dark chocolate brown.
The palette is entitled Classy Sexy and if the colors are anything to go by that’s exactly the look you can pull off with this! A beautiful, classy, slightly sexy eye look!
I’ve never been tempted to order any of the palettes prior to this as they carry a high price tag of $55 USD or so which seems absurd to say the least, hell even Givenchy and Chanel is $5-$6 cheaper than this!
But I did come across a rather large stash of Magie Deco on one of the shops I was discussing in my prior Guide to Japanese Cosmetics Shopping post. I got this from Facial Shop and I ordered the palette for $44.99 USD which is a damn deep discount.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the palette as of yet. It’s very beautiful but I do feel a slight tinge of disappointment at the price tag.
The palette itself is gorgeous. It’s a beautiful shiny pink mirror compact with gold edging that’s very elegant. Inside are the five shadows and two brushes. And still after all this I’m wondering at the price tag! I guess I have to try it to see if it’s really worth it in the long run!
I also picked up a Fairy Eyes which is a shimmering cream shadow. This is pretty brilliant. Yes, I normally have a deep dislike for cream shadows but I couldn’t resist one that was so full of sparkle, shimmer, and shine. I got mine in a frosty white and after swatching it I’d say the sparkle and shimmer is just right and I’m looking forward to using this as an all over wash with a beautiful black liner for an understated, yet elegant look! This normally retails for $20 USD or so but I got it from Facial Shop for $17.99 USD! Mind you the prices also include shipping so obviously you can see it’s a super deal!
I’ve been wandering around the Cosme Decorte website for ages and I literally drool at the model images and looks created using the products but I fail to have the same wow aspiring feeling I did when I finally got a palette for my own! Maybe the color selection is the problem? I’m unsure!
The instruction booklet is available both in Japanese and English which I appreciate greatly. I wish they included an eye chart but I imagine I can get tons of inspiration off the website as they have many great eye charts available to look at!
All in all I am liking the items but haven’t yet felt any love for the palette! I’m hoping once I try it out for myself I’ll feel quite differently!
Review and FOTD to follow very soon so keep your eyes open!
I got my MAC DressCamp over the weekend but was too busy to play with it or use any of it! However, I thought I’d post pictures and just a general first impressions of the items for you guys!
The Collection is very, very nice! As you probably know from my past posts it sold out rather quickly but I was lucky enough to nab it all!
My favorite in the lot was of course the gorgeous palette and the lipglass in She-Gold. I wasn’t loving the lippie in Too Fab or the lipglass in Fashion but I got them anyway since I’m such an addict!
The palette is perfection in my personal opinion! The blush is a beautiful bright pink with just the faintest touch of gold shimmer. Strangely enough the blush is actually labeled by MAC as being a Beauty Powder. It appears pigmented enough to work as a blusher but I haven’t yet tried it on so I’m not entirely sure! From swatching I can tell it was nicely pigmented and had a nice bit of shimmer to it!
The shadows compliment each other brilliantly as well and it should be easy enough to create a perfect look with all three! I think the gold in this palette quite reminds me of Golden Lemon Pigment. It’s a very true yellow gold and has a beautiful shimmer to it! The other two shades are pretty as well but I think the gold stands out from the rest!
Fashion Lipglass and Too Fab Lipstick are virtually the same color which is perfectly fine if you want to add a bit of a glossy top coat to your lipstick. I’m not completely sold on the color as it’s a very loud bubblegum pink that doesn’t particularly suit my skin tone.
She-Gold Lipglass is brilliant! I don’t own any gold lipglosses and this will be a perfect addition to my collection as a topcoat for peaches, corals, or even pink lipsticks! It has quite a bit of shimmery gold to it and it compliments the colors of the palette brilliantly!
I took a few swatches of the palette, lipglasses, and lipstick but they came out a bit crummy! Sorry I’m still learning good swatch technique!
From Left to Right: Fashion Lipglass, She-Gold Lipglass, and Too Fab Lipstick
MAC DressCamp Palette Swatches
From Left to Right: MAC DressCamp Palette Swatches and MAC DressCamp Lipglass and Lipstick Swatches With Flash
Without Flash
The Collection is truly unique and very pretty! I’m eager to try them on! FOTD to follow shortly!
I got Heatherette tonight! Wahoooooo! My MA at Macy’s called me around 3:30 this afternoon and said, “It’s hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
So of course after the longest work day ever I headed over to pick me up some!
The first thing I need to mention is the fact that Fafi is better. Sorry kids! I like Fafi’s color selection way better! Heatherette is definately a beautiful collection but Fafi still has my heart!
Ok! Anyway!
I got a majority of it of course because as you know the Muse is sick, diseased, obsessed, and generally addicted to MAC crack! The best news is I got my new digital camera in the mail today so you’re going to be treated to some high quality pics!
I’m just starting to learn the new cam so if pictures aren’t fab gimme time to firgure out all the bells and whistles on this thing and we’ll be good to go!
The palettes aren’t really much to write home about in all honesty. The compacts are gorgeous, pink, and glittery but aside from that the colors within aren’t so wow aspiring. The 1st contains Hoppin’ which is your best bet for a brow highlighter. It sort of reminds me of Shroom but not quite the same. It’s a creamy pale peach with a pearl finish. The next color is Mood Ring which is a sea foam green and the last color is Cloudburst which is a sparkling navy blue! Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Cloudburst part of Blue Storm’s release? I’m too lazy to go look through my shadows at the moment but it seems vaguely familiar to me!
The 2nd palette is my favorite of the two but yet again the colors aren’t exactly anything to get to hyper over! Baby Petals is a very pale pink, V.I.P. is a bubblegum pink, and Cassette is a dark shade of purple. Unlike the first palette these colors all work well together and little thought goes into what sort of look you can create!
Beauty Powders are of course a fast favorite for me! I’m utterly addicted to Beauty Powders and I’m officially chuffed when they are released in the LE packaging! Smooth Harmony is a muddy beige color that I’m not thrilled with but of course like the sick person I am it ended up in my cart! Alpha Girl deserves some of your attention because it’s quite a delightful shade of fleshy peach that I’m absolutely loving! Both are worth having a look at but Alpha Girl is the best of the two!
I got three of the four lipsticks released one of which I’m considering returning because it looks a bit too nude for my taste. My two favorites of the lipsticks are Lollipop Loving and Hollywood Nights. Lollipop Loving is a beautiful coral with bits of gold shimmer and Hollywood Nights is a bright fuschia! I also got Melrose Mood which is a nude pink but I think it’ll go back. It’s way to mod for me to pull off even though it looks so beautiful on the display!
The lipglasses I ended up with were Sock Hop which will go well with Lollipop Loving. It’s a beautiful true coral peach that’s very flattering for the Summer! I also got Style Minx which is a hot fuschia and of course it compliments Hollywood Nights beautifully! And lastly I got Starlet Kiss which is a lovely true pink! I’m wondering if I try some Melrose Mood with some Starlet Kiss if it’ll look good..hmmmm….!
The dual pencils are the stars of the collection! These are something to get excited about in my opinion! One side is a regular pencil while the other side sports a soft sparkle pencil! Cheers! I got all four because I was easily tempted by both the price and the awesome color selection! I always find MAC pencils easy to work with and these are no exception! The color combs are gorgeous as well ranging from purples, blues, golds, and silver! Very nice!
Lastly I got one pigment which was Pink Pearl. This reminds me of the pink piggie released with the Sweetie Cake Collection, the name of which escapes me at the moment (I believe it was Pink Mauved). The color is nice but I’d have loved a truer pink! We don’t have nearly enough true pink pigments in the catalog! Jardin Aires I skipped as I have it already and it’s a repromote from a past collection!
I didn’t get the glitters simply because I already have Reflects Gold and 3D Silver is lovely but I’ll never use up that much glitter! I did get a healthy sample from my MA which will last me years I’m sure!
Overall, the collection is lovely and worth some of your time and money however I found Fafi was a much better release color wise however Heatherette does deserve the award for better packaging! No stickers here. All the packaging is printed on and you won’t be running into any peeling sticker drama a la Fafi!
Another fine collection from MAC and I’m excited to start creating some looks with it! Fafi is my truest love at the moment but Heatherette comes in a quick second!
How about you?
Got any of this yet?
Want it?
Love it?
Feeling love for Heatherette or Fafi?
How about the pic
Tell the Muse!
PS What do you think of the pictures taken with my new digital camera?
I was lucky enough to get a few of the MAC Beauty Powders today! I’m pretty excited as they are bloody good! I got four of the eight and I’m currently wanting the rest!
They are terribly good and I must say I’m impressed with these for shizzle! I highly suggest motoring to your nearest counter or freestanding store to have a lookee!
I’m slightly puzzled over the “Beauty Powder” terminology and I’m thinking that’s just a fancy word for blush because these are sincerely pigmented, silky, smooth, and as easily blendable as a blush so where the term “beauty powder” comes into play I’m clueless about. As I had mentioned in a previous post most of my beauty powders from MAC are either filled with shimmer or are sort of a matte highlight powder or touch up powder where as these are full blown blushes in my humblest opinion! I guess this is MAC’s solution of combing two great products, blush and beauty powder, and coming up with one awesome product! On a side note these are pretty damn pigmented and pack a bunch so you might want to be very light with your hand during application!
MAC Beauty Powders from Past Collections From Left to Right Barbie Loves MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom, MAC Fafi Beauty Powder in Belightful, MAC Novel Twist Beauty Powder in Sun Twist
Old Beauty Powder vs New Beauty Powder Blushes
These are smaller then standard powders I have or have come across. They are the size of a regular MAC blush and carry the same price tag of $17.50 USD. The product is extremely pigmented with a tiny sheen of pearl that really lights up my face! Within the colors released there are at least two or three you’ll want to take home for your very own or you might be diseased as I am and want to collect them all!
The colors I ended up with were Joyous, Sweetness, Serenely, and True Romantic. Joyous and Sweetness are probably my fav of the four. Joyous is a candy peach color where as Sweetness is a bright bubblegum pink. Serenely is a deep desert, dusky coral with bits of brown and rose and True Romantic is Dusty Pink.
Joyous
True Romantic
Serenely
Sweetness
From left to right: Joyous, True Romantic, Serenely, and Sweetness
Two brushes were released as well with the collection one of which I’m currently loving. The 169 is LE and quite a gorgeous little brush to use with these powders. 169 is pretty similar to the standard catalog 168. The differences I noticed between the two were that the 168 is a fuller brush where as the 169 seemed less so. I already own a few of the 168′s from various brush sets I’ve purchased so I’m quite pleased to now have the full size 169 in my beauty arsenal. This particular style brush is excellent for blush application, under eye powder application, touch ups, and setting powder on. I’m particularly loving the way this dusts the beauty powders on and gives me a natural flush to my cheeks! Very nice brush and worth taking a look at if you’re in store!
From top to bottom: MAC 169 and MAC 168SE
All in all the collection is quite nice and I’m impressed! I’ll be doing some FOTD pictures with the blushes on shortly so stay tuned!
Pop’s new palette got a little love from me earlier today when I posted about it! Click here to see my original post.
Soon after my post the need for this little palette grew and I found myself skipping my way (not literally but isn’t it damn hysterical to picture the Muse skipping?) to Sephora a little while ago to pick it up!
It’s been a very long, busy week at work with many late nights so I deserved a little pick me up treat! The palette is all I wanted it to be and I’m hopeful I can get some decent looks out of it!
It’s pretty tiny for $22 USD and it’s not super duper pigmented so you’ll have to build up color a bit but I think it’s fair enough to say that it’s a pretty sweet little array of ultra cool shadows! I love that I can have six luscious neon shades in one place! These totally work together for some vibrant, loud looks! The inside cover suggests a few ideas for using the palette which is a nice little touch!
Seriously for $22 bucks it’s well worth it in my opinion! If you want to re-live the 80′s or you’re just looking for something fresh and fun for the Summer this be the palette for you!
The Muse thinks she may approve it but she has to give it a test run tomorrow! Stay tuned for an FOTD!
Some swatches as requested by a reader:
Sorry but my cam kinda takes crummy swatch photos! These are actually way more vibrant then they look on the back of my arm!
I got something kinda sorta interesting to show you guys today and I have to post this super quickly I’m extremely busy at work today! If I owe you an e-mail or a reply to a comment I promise I’ll get to it soonish! I’m just a bit backed up due to work, life, the universe, and everything!
Albion Eprise has released it’s Spring Collection and one item that particularly caught my eye was the Water Face Color. Before I introduce you to the Water Face Color allow me to babble a bit about the new Collection.
I personally left behind a majority of the Spring Collection but it did have some very interesting pieces! The Collection consists of some very pretty items and unlike most of the releases this Season I’ve noticed that this particular Collection consists of some very fresh and interesting colors. Albion Eprise is obviously making it’s own kind of music with their Collection!
I feel a real sense of Spring with these colors and I was tempted to purchase a majority of this collection for that reason but I was good and only indulged in two pieces. Basically they went with really bold lips and really soft eyes which I totally love!
The lippies are almost all very bright reds and pinks while the eye colors are very soft blues, greens, and purples.
The release consists of a beautiful array of lipsticks, three new colors in the Creamy Eye Color, three new nail varnish colors, lipliners, and the Water Face Color Blush which ended up in my cart!
As I said I skipped all of these delightful goodies and went for just the Water Face Color Blush. They blush was released in five colors and I ended up with two. All in all I thought it was rather the best of the lot of items! They have some really cute cartoon promo images using the cosmetics and this in itself almost convinced me to buy the entire lot of items used on each face but I was good!
Ok enough babbling on to the review!
As I was saying I ended up with the Water Face Color and these are so, so, so interesting! The blushes come in a heavy glass bottle that’s quite cute. These are truly interesting as they aren’t quite a stain but they almost give you the same effect as one. On top of each bottle is a stopper which you place your finger over and proceed to tilt the bottle upside down to distribute a bit of the color on the tip of your finger for application! Not alot of product comes out of the bottle using this method which is good because you can slowly build the color up on your cheeks or use a lighter hand for a more natural, fresh look!
The texture is a silky cool liquid that’s quite pigmented and beautiful. I found I got a beautiful flush of color to my cheeks when using this. This doesn’t dry as a powder nor does it really give you the benefits of a stain. It’s like nothing I’ve really tried on the market before and reminds me a little bit of Hard Candy’s Sweet Cheeks Liquid Blush but not quite as the texture is more water based where as the Sweet Cheeks is more thick. The blush is very lightweight and has excellent staying power. I imagine this is going to work excellent in humid weather!
If you’re seeking a very light, refreshing blush this might very well be something you’d be interested in purchasing! The colors are natural and beautiful and the formula is light and refreshing! I find it especially flawless on my combination skin (which is more dry right now in the cold weather)!
Overall, I’m very impressed with these! The entire Spring Collection from Albion Eprise appears very wearable and beautiful and I feel the need to go back for a second helping of this fabulous line up!
I’m really lagging behind with this review! I meant to do it last week but Fafi took up residence on my blog and I was obsessing over it so this particular collection got shoved behind!
The good news is I’m here this morning to review it for you, babble a bit, and give you my 1st impressions of the KATE Spring Collection for 2008!
My original impression of the new KATE line was a bit of a snore. I was on a bit of a Spicy overload as I have practically every single palette in the Spicy line so new ones did kinda make me take pause and wonder did I need these? I guess it got the better of me and I did end up indulging in some of the new line up!
One item that particularly caught my eye was the newest color in the Glamtrick palettes. In keeping with the current flair of green that’s splashed all over the place KATE released a greenish Glamtrick palette that I am absolutely in love with at the moment! This palette contains an assortment of shimmering shades to make up that perfect green eye look and if you’re so inclined you might want to dab a bit of purple in somewhere to create the coveted green and purple look that’s so popular at the moment! The palette contains 4 shadows total and one liner color. The colors are a range of greens, silvers, and white while the liner is a deep dark forest green. The entire affair is pure perfection in my eyes and I’ve been eager to try this out since getting it!
Glamtrick in GN-1
Speaking of palettes the newest ones to grace KATE’s line are the Line Spicy N Collection. Nothing to new about these aside from colors. The line consists of two shadows and two liners that you can interchange to create some very simple yet bold looks! I got two color selections from the give offered.
You don’t absolutely have to run out and get these. They are very nice color combos but aren’t something you have to have if you currently have a large wish list I’d say push these to the bottom! I ended up purchasing them because in all honesty they are cheap as stale chips so I firgured I might as well! But if you’re unable to get them at retail I suggest picking up the newest Glamtrick instead!
The two color selections I purchased were GD-1 and PK-1. PK-1 contains a shimmering pink eyeshadow and a beige shadow with complimenting liners of white and beige while GD-1 contains shimmering shadows in gold and brown and liners in blue and white.
GD-1
PK1
KATE also introduced a square cut eye liner which I am in love with. This is a very chunky square cut liner that contours perfectly to the lash line. I love it simply because it creates a rather gorgeous smoked out eye without the need for smudging it yourself. The liner is quite thick so you can create a large outlandish line or you can rub it along your lash line for a very smokey look! This is most definately worth picking up and is truly a gem of a liner! Ideally you can create a thin line with it if you desire but it’ll take a bit of work however using it as a tool for creating a thick line or just for smudging some liner on is absolutely perfect! I adore that this eliminates one step in creating a smoked out liner look! When “smoking” my liner I normally line and then proceed to smudge with a q-tip, brush, or finger however with this liner I can smudge as I walk it across my lashline! Sheer perfection! Good job with this KATE!
I ended up purchasing the newest KATE Gel Mascara as well which I’ve already reviewed in a prior post! Click here for details!
Last but not least are the newest colors in the Powder Gel Liner! I already have a majority of the gel liners and these new colors particularly caught my eye. Both are metallic, shimmering shades of gold and silver and simply gorgeous! I’ve already used the gold in a few of my past FOTD’s from last week and the week before! I’m super chuffed with these. The liner formula is absolutely dreamy and a bit different from past KATE gel liners. It’s almost like applying a thin layer of powdered shimmer onto my lashline! So pretty and unique! For my Maquillage lovers you’ll be happy to know that they did similar color releases with their Spring line up! I was debating on the KATE and the Maquillage ones for a while and just ended up with KATE because it was cheaper plus I’ve tried them before and was happy with the results!
Overall, the collection has some really great items in it! I highly suggest nabbing the new square cut liner, the gel liners, and the new Glamtrick palette!
Ok. I came, I saw, and I conquered Fafi today. I picked up my bits just a little while ago from Nordies and it’s a nice haul of MAC that has some ups and downs which I’ll of course share you with you fine folk!
So if you live under a rock or you just haven’t heard MAC’s latest collection is designed by French artist Fafi!
The collection consists of an array of vibrant, bold shades that’ll sure to please the make up adventurer. It’s generally a super collection because some of the colors are truly outstanding however as with all MAC collections you’ll run into one or two items that seem to be a complete rerun!
I’ve been collecting MAC for about…mmmm maybe a year and a half? Maybe more but I’m not entirely sure to be honest. Some of you have fell off the MAC bandwagon a long, long, long time ago but I’m still riding my MAC high and for some reason I haven’t quite come down from my trip as of yet. I’m hoping I’ll come down soon because boy I’ll be richer that’s for sure but the fact is I love MAC. It’s high quality with a low price tag. Sincerely who doesn’t like that cocktail? I’m far from a diehard considering I cheat with so many other brands but I still do have a special place in my heart for MAC. Those of you who long fell off the train or just never boarded it I definately give props too because I sincerely find it difficult to just say no to MAC!
Fafi has a good few flaws so I’d best lay them out before getting to the good stuff! The biggest flaw, biggest BOO!, and biggest rant goes to the fact that the cute Fafinettes displayed on the packaging are labels and by the very way not only are they sticky labels but they are peeling off right out of the bloody box! I’m looking through BRAND NEW, IN THE BOX lippies that I purchased and I’m noticing tears on the label already! What the hell MAC?
I’m wondering was this to save money or just pure dumb laziness! I read about this before and was a tad worried but convinced myself it’d be fine. Wrong. Not only does this make the compacts, quads, and lipstick tubes look cheap but also totally ruins my day that they are peeling freaking off right in front of my eyes.
Great.
Fact is you aren’t going to be towing any of it around ladies. Granted these are items we’ll probably keep the boxes for and place them in the beauty vault but some people do like to tote these things around for the cute factor and honestly it’s now pretty bloody impractical since you have to worry about the labels peeling off if they rub against other bits in your makeup case.
I’m puzzling and wondering what the hell MAC was thinking!?
MAC redeems itself by actually printing the emblem on the beauty powders but the quads, lipglasses, and lipsticks are all stickers!
Another rant from your Muse. I’m simply hating the fact that they have decided it was ok to do the same exact image on ever Beauty Powder, lipstick tube, etc…..So we got three incredible beauty powders couldn’t they do a different image on each powder? A little rotation couldn’t hurt anyone could it? I’m now the proud owner of four of the six lipsticks released with again, the same image. Rotate? Variety? Please? It would have been super cute to have at least two images on the lipsticks and maybe three separate images on the Beauty Powders! The quads I guess I could forgive. Minor rant but seriously hello? It’s variety calling.
The streets of New York are lined with slushy snow and little droplets of icy rain are pelting away since this afternoon thus the Muse wasn’t too inspired to head to her freestanding store so she got lazy and went to Nordies for her lot of goods which means she missed out on the tote bag and dolls! But hey I guess it’s good as it’s money saved? Or maybe not as I’m sure I’ll be tempted to head in and grab them shortly. Either way I did luck out because my gorgeous MA had waited for me as her shift ends at 6and I was running late at work so she waited PLUS treated me to dinner after I shopped Fafi! I felt special!
I’m possibly through with my ranting as of now so I guess I can settle in on the raving!
The lippies is the collection are solid gold for me. Really bright, bold shades that I wouldn’t normally pick up but I was feeling daring so they most definately ended up in my bag! I got 4 of the 6 released.
I got Utterly Frivolous which is a pretty matte coral with a bit of pink to it. I also got Strawbaby which is my favorite of the lot! It’s a pretty deep rose, gorgeous in my book. Flash-n-Dash also ended up in my bag. This is pretty bold and falls into the neon pinky orange category, it’s very un-Musey but I couldn’t resist! Fun n’ Sexy passed under my radar as well and it is absolutely shockingly pink with a fuschia edge if ever I did see one!
Utterly Frivolously , Strawbaby, Fun n’ Sexy, and Flash-n-Dash
Lipglasses I only got two and I left the other two. Squeeze It quite reminded me of the color Happening Gal that was released with the Barbie Loves MAC Collection so I safely skipped it. I did end up with Totally It and Cult Fave. Totally It is a bit similar to Malibu Barbie but it’s a bit more vibrant and will go well with the Fun n’ Sexy lippie! Cult Fave is a rather natural shimmering pink shade.
Totally It and Cult Fave
Both blushes TOTALLY ended up in my cart. Real winners in my opinion! Fashion Frenzy is a blushing pink while Hipness is a kicking peach!
Hipness and Fashion Frenzy
Beauty Powders that were released with this collection are definately worth your cash! I got all three as they are most definately too difficult to pass up! Sassed-Up is a peach with gold sparkles while Verve-Acious is a beautiful beige with gold sparkle. Now the problem is I got all three of the powders but my MA stuck two of Sassed-Up in my bag! Duh! I have to go back for Belightful! I’ll be sure to post pics when I have it!
Verve-Acious
Sassed Up
Last but never least our quads. From what I understand only two of the colors in both quads are repromotes but don’t quote me. I loved the colors and even though I have similar shades you know I can’t say no! Fafi 2 is my favorite and very Spring! The palette is perfect aside from one shade which is Prankster. Prankster is navy blue and just not as beautiful nor as complimenting as the other shades in the palette. Gold, Coral, and Light Green all shimmer and wink at me in this quad! Love, Love, Love it! Definitely worth picking up! Fafi 1 has some very nice colors as well but another weird bluish black awaits us in the quad. Mmm oh well! Pink, Cream, and Beige are colors found in Fafi 1.
Fafi 1
Fafi 2
I picked up the small makeup case and the LE bag with brush as well which are both very cute!
Overall, it’s a nice collection as I said with some minor flaws.
Items that are definately worth picking up:
Beauty Powders Fafi 2 Blushes Strawbaby Lipstick
Paint Pots didn’t call to me. I find them difficult to work with so I skipped all of them! Everything else is repromoted such as mascara and such! Nail Varnish…well…we all know the drama of my nails so a skip for me.
I can’t stick a Muse Approved sticker on this. It’s VERY nice but it just can’t get the Muse’s approval with the shabby design! It really disappointed me in that aspect and it’s a bit unforgivable! I expect more from MAC! Let’s hope the same mistakes aren’t made with Heatherette! If so, we’ll all have to go on strike from MAC!
So how about you my pretties?
What did you get?
What did you love?
Hate?
Just not a MAC girl?
Tell me allllllllllll about it! Or send me your haul pics and reviews at musings.of.a.muse@gmail.com
I’d love to see and post ‘em for others to see if you’re so inclined to share
I need to relax. What better way to relax then to blog?
Japanese Spring Collection week continues with the eagerly anticipated X Disney Collection! I blogged about this Collection not so long ago in a prior post (Click for details!) and soon after I knew I had to have the entire set!
How freaking cute is the packaging on this? My god I’m in love!
The collection consists of a lip treatment, handcream, and face powders.
My favorite of the collection are the two face powders! The packaging is like Guerlain’s Meteorites but a tiny bit smaller in size. I was somewhat disappointed by the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of powder beads inside but the packaging, quality, and pigment of the product make up for it!
The powders come in two shades one of which is a beautiful pink! The packaging on the pink shade features Flower, the lovable skunk from Bambi! Awwww! These come with a cute powder puff with ribbon which really makes me love it even more for the girlish Victorian factor! I can’t help myself I love cute cosmetics! Don’t you!?
The pink is a beautiful shade and can be worn alone if you so desire or used as a highlighter. The color is pigmented enough that you can easily get away with using it as a blush! I guess the puff isn’t a conventional way of applying but it works well enough for dotting onto your cheeks! I used some of this last night but decided to use my #187 to pick up the color! It worked a treat because the #187 didn’t become saturated with color it just picked up enough to highlight my chubby cheeks hehe!
The peach color features Bambi on the box! Oh my god so cute! I wanna lick the box! My favorite is Flower but I love Bambi just as much! The peach does remind me of the Jill Stuart Blush in 05 Orange Blush (Click here to see the color) and I found it a bit chalky in comparison to the silky texture of the pink. However, it needs to be tested a bit more prior to making my final decision! Like the pink it’s nicely pigmented to use as a blush or a highlighter! Yet again a disappointing amount of product but hey we got the cute packaging right? Right!
The other two items in the set were a handcream and a lip treatment. The handcream is a lovely cooling, moisturizing orange scented cream for your hands. Nothing really special here but the packaging does include Lady from Lady and the Tramp!
The lip treatment is quite yummie tasting but don’t be fooled into thinking it’ll be good for use with lipstick or as a glossy finish for your lips. This is a lip treatment so it’s good to moisturize but doesn’t leave your lips glossy or shiny! It’s most definately not good for use over lipsticks either. The packaging features sweet Marie from The AristoCats! Awwwwwwwwww! I’m so in love. Did I mention that?
I can’t squeal enough about this collection! It’s so cute!
Overall, a job well done for Paul & Joe! A beautiful selection of very cute items!
I’m positive many of you will be hyper and happy about this entry as I know quite a majority of my readers are big Lavshuca fans (as am I!).
I was excited and disappointed with the Spring releases as the colors ended up being very dark and dull. My excitement at the release of new palettes was definately high however my first glimpse left me feeling rather crestfallen with the color selection being so very “un-Spring” like!
The current palettes, entitled Noble On Eyes, have evolved yet again and although they remain familiar in size they differ in small ways from the standard Grade Eye Select Palettes in the general catalog.
I was in high debate if I wanted any of this collection but as I am such a mush I gave into temptation and got all five palettes released and three of the new lipshades!
A few of the differences that I took note of were the fact that the palette now consists of three colors instead of the standard four shades, the applicator is no longer a dual tipped sponge, it now has a brush on one end and a sponge liner brush on the other side, and the packaging of the palette is slightly different in color and design. The new packaging carries a floral cut along the outer edge all the way around and the color went from pinkish purple to a dark purplish pink.
Evolution of the Lavshuca Palette
Most shocking is the fact that each of these palettes appear to carry all the same dark base colors while leaving us with one vibrant shade for our lid! Le Sigh! How very boring!
However, the good news is that each has a bit of a lighter or darker shade to it so really even though they appear the same they have little tiny differences! Still disappointing none the less but at least it’s not a total loss that I have five palettes with the exact same colors!
The palettes come in a pink, blue, green, orange, and tan variation. To create your look with these you’ll be using the lightest shade (on the bottom left corner) on your highbrow as a highlighter and also as a liner for your bottom lash line. You’ll use the middle color on your crease and the dark shade (upper right hand) as a liner. This is basically what I can glean from the diagram. Hmm. Sounds interesting!? I guess it’s best we use our imaginations while applying and see what we can do with such wonky colors!
From what I can see BR1 and BG1 carry the same base colors while the middle color is different! PK1 may look dark but actually the lower left hand corner color appears to be a very sandy pink color to my eyes! GN1′s lower color is a golden sheen while OR1 is a sandy beige.
The upper color is mostly the same in three out of five of the palettes. OR1, BG1, and BR1 appear the be the same while GN1 is a lighter variation and PK1 is the lightest in the lot!
So even though they appear to carry the same colors they are very slightly different from each other aside from BR1 and BG1.
The Spring Collection happened to bring a new color release for the Grade Color Select palettes which I didn’t get as it was blacks and grays and I have plenty of each. Sadly, no new colors for the Grade Eye Select which may mean they are phasing them out of the catalog. I hope not as they are actually my favorite! We shall see what Summer brings!
It deserves to be mentioned that color pay off is what you make of it. A lighter hand will get you a beautiful natural look while a heavier hand that’s packing on color with leave you with a more bolder, vibrant look. Lavshuca shadows have good pigment to them and with a little work you can create a lovely eye with them!
I used BG1 this morning and sadly it came out a complete mess to me. Working the darker browns with the lighter aqua shade in the palette was difficult at best. The completed look, to me, appears very washed out and just ugly. I’m really not loving how these combine! Although they look great on Puffy in the promo images I am unable to prefect the same look. Using the darkest shade to line the aqua just made it a mess so I ended up removing it and tried applying the darker shade to my lid while highlighting with the aqua, again I got crummy results. I somehow ended up with the lightest shade highlighting my highbrow, the aqua all over my crease and lid, and the darkest shade applied lightly on my lid and lining my upper lashline! After all this drama I think it came out crap! Maybe I was rushing too much this morning so I can’t give these a totally bad review yet! I have to test a bit more to make my final decision.
With the palettes they also introduced a brand new lipstick entitled Rouge Essence Bar. To me it’s basically the same old standard lipsticks but in keeping with the current theme they just packaged it different. However, the formula for these does appear creamier and less gritty then the original lipshades. I find the old lipshades had glitter in them and weren’t as flawless to apply as these are plus they had a bit of a gritty feel to them! These are very moisturizing and creamy and have excellent color payoff and indeed they do have a touch of shimmer! I think I may want a few more of these! I ended up purchasing three colors.
RS1, RD2, and RD1
Evolution of Lavshuca’s Lipstick
I’ll be uploading my FOTD later today so you can see one of the palettes in action! I’m not particularly thrilled with these to be honest and I think you can safely skip these if you’re unable to locate them at retail price. If you’re a collector or you can get these at retail they may very well be worth picking up. The lipsticks are a definite buy as I found them very good quality!
Overall, a little bit of a disappointing collection!
Got some of this? Want it? Loving the shades of the Noble Eye Palettes? Not so much?
Hold onto your seats we are reboarding the Bobbi Brown Train and my week of Spring Collection reviews continues!
Taking a little break from the Japanese front today I bring you a Spring Collection from the US shores!
I’ve had bumpy rides with Bobbi Brown before but I gave into my need for more Bobbi last week when I seen her on QVC.
I dunno what it is but QVC really sells me on cosmetics! Damn them straight to hell and back (scratch the back part! Let them stay in hell and rot!).
Seriously, you know how it is when you watch QVC and that sudden hardcore NEED rocks your world and before long you find yourself snatching up the phone like the QVC agoraphobia fan club that does daily calls to review cosmetics and skincare they are using in the comfort of their own homes since they don’t venture outside the house!
Wow..that was rather dramatic wasn’t it? But truth be told in that statement my friends! I want to know these people who call QVC at 4AM, my god maybe I’m one of them (no I’m not! I haven’t reached that height of insanity yet thanks very much!)!
Anyway.
As I’ve been saying for the past few days I’ve tivo’ed Bobbi’s episodes like the mad little lady I am and watched them over the past few days and Bobbi sold me on a few of her items. I think maybe it was that host Lisa that really sold me on the items I purchased. You know the one? She acts like you’ll never ever in this lifetime or your second (if you believe in that sort of thing) will you be able to get this super rare, ultra limited edition palette! MY GOD GET IT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! WE ONLY HAVE 2 IN STOCK! IF YOU MISS THIS YOU’LL NEVER GET IT AGAIN (Two days later you find it at your local Cosmetics Company Outlet for half the price!)!!!!!!
Wow….what was I saying?
Oh yes, Bobbi Brown.
Anyway, I was watching Bobbi slather concealer on a model’s eye while making her up with the Pink Raspberry Palette and in that instant, as Bobbi multitasked through a look like the ultra awesome wizard she is, I realized I too, must OWN this palette!
I had previously seen the palette in action on Erika’s blog, Makeup Bag, and as gorgeous as Erika looked sporting the palette I just felt it wasn’t me.
The hot pinks and dark shadows just weren’t calling my name at all however I did end up purchasing two of the potted rouge colors from this collection previously from Nordies which I meant to review but never got around too! Lucky you I’m going to do it all in one big post (prepared to be bored or enlightened or a little of both)!
After watching Bobbi work her magic with the palette I wandered over to her website and started browsing the Pink Raspberry Collection and a few clicks later I had a cart full of stuff I didn’t need but was lemming rather hard (and I didn’t have to pay $4 bucks or more per an item to get it shipped to me! Screw you QVC stop trying to make money off me with your damn stupid shipping costs!)!
Somehow, I’m not even sure how, I ended up with all of the Pink Raspberry Collection and I’m hear now to tell say that you too need all of the collection too simply because I don’t want to be alone with my sickness.
No seriously you really need to check some of this collection out because it has some rather great items!
I think what really sold me on this was the promo images of the models! They look so fresh and naturally beautiful with their full, pink glossy lips and lovely pink cheeks!
The palette is really a gorgeous yet simple affair that contains some rather vibrant yet elegant shades! At $55 USD it isn’t totally cheap but you’re getting a nice bit of product for the price and high quality product at that. However, you can safely skip this unless you’re really lemming it hard or you like simple makeup! The look this creates is very simple, pretty but still somewhat dull in my opinion! The shadows are matte and plain but the blush somehow makes up for that and when used together you get rather vibrant eyes with popping cheeks if that makes sense at all!
You’ll get a beautiful pink blush, two lip creams, and two shadows. The pink blush is definately the gem in the palette! It’s vibrant and contracts beautifully with the darker eyeshadow as I mentioned above!
By the very way, strangely enough after ordering this I ended up going to the Cosmetics Company Outlet and finding the Bridal Palette from last year for half the price with almost identical colors in it. It’s the story of my life to miss steals and deals sigh!
Overall, it’s a beautiful palette for the Spring and it can be worked right into everyday use and remains “season-less” for me as it’s perfect for a casual Spring or Summer day! If you so please you can spice up Fall and Winter with a bit of pink as well and use it then!
However I hate the fact that the powder gets in the lipcreams and such! Palettes like this normally get a pass up by me because they are so messy but this one was too pretty to pass up so I guess I’ll live!
A month or so ago I had purchased the potted rogue for cheeks and lips and these definately deserve a look at! I got my colors in Pink Raspberry and Raspberry, one is a light true pink color while the other is a deep pink. These are $22 USD each and have a fitting price tag as they contain a good bit of product for the price plus the colors are pigmented and longwearing!
As I’ve mentioned in my last few posts I am now officially part of some sort of Pink Gloss club! I’ve been snatching up Pink Glosses left and right and it appears it’s the height of fashion in my little world (I rule there so back off! You can visit if you behave yourself!) .
I got the two glosses that came with this collection which I originally said wouldn’t look good at all on me. I’m about to contradict myself so hold onto your panties!
I’ve since fallen in love with Pink Popsicle which is a very deep pink gloss! If that wasn’t enough I went and got the Glitter Lipgloss as well in Pink Raspberry! Both are ultra beautiful! Particular Pink Popsicle which makes my lips pop and sizzle! I particular love the applicator on these as it picks up plenty of product to get my lips nice and shiny with little effort! I’m also deeply in lust with the pigmentation as I don’t need to stain my lips prior to use since the color is deep enough to wear on it’s very own!
Pink Popsicle
Pink Raspberry
Finally after much debate I ended up with the lip pencils and guess what? I love ‘em! I’m not much of a lip pencil fan and I’m also not one for lining my lips but these are too cool! They are super moisturizing and again, like the gloss, very pigmented! A little swipe of these, some gloss on top and you’ll be looking posh!
To wrap up all my gushing (by now you wanna vomit) I must say that the collection is great. Previously I was thinking that it wasn’t so wonderful but after trying this stuff for myself it’s making it’s way onto my favorite list for the Spring!
You seriously have to take a look at the Bobbi Brown website or head to your local counter and have a peek! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with a few of these items and want them for yourself!
The Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry Collection could possibly be one of the best Spring Collections released western side!
I’ll happily stick the Muse Approved sticker on these items!
I know I’m overdosing everyone on pictures lately but I thought it would make up for the fact that my camera takes such crummy swatch shots. At least you can have a general idea of how the makeup looks on so I’ll be including FOTD’s with each of the reviews I do this week!
Below I used the Pink Raspberry Palette plus Pink Popsicle Lipgloss. I found it came out simply nice. Nothing too crazy but not too boring either. Interesting FOTD I’d call it! I’m less then flawless this morning as you can fine lines on my right hand eye due to Bobbi’s Concealer Palette that I reviewed yesterday. It hasn’t been 20 minutes since I put it on and already I have creasing into my fine lines! Rant! I also happened to use Majolica Majorca’s newest lash extender in this FOTD which I’ll be reviewing for you later this week!
Got some of this already?
Love it? Want it? Hate it?
Tell the Muse what your thoughts are!
Click here to read about my original train trip with Bobbi Brown!
Click here to read my original impressions of the Pink Raspberry Collection!
Click here to read my mad ravings for the Bobbi Brown Metallics Collection!
Click here to read about the Pink Quartz Limited Edition Shimmer Brick!
Click here to read my latest post and review about the Bobbi Brown Concealer Palette!
At the rate I’m going I could have reviewed Aube’s Holiday/Winter Collection next season! Sorry about the delay getting this out!
I’ve had this collection for a while and I haven’t yet tried any of it but last night I decided to finally crack it open and take a peek at the colors!
When the collection came onto the scene I wasn’t too tempted but later on I decided that I needed to add some of it to my beauty arsenal!
They released a pressed powder with this that a friend of mine was unable to locate sadly so I missed out on that! Out of all the goodies I only ended up with three items which were the newest Jewerly Shower Eyes and the two loose shimmering powders!
The palette is quite gorgeous although not what I expected. Upon seeing the promo images it appeared the model was sporting a white sparkling baby blue look but upon getting the palette I learned the colors are a tad bit different and it left me slightly puzzling over the best way to get her look but that hasn’t swayed me from loving it!
The main color in the palette is a cream gold sparkle followed by a beige bronze color and a dark chocolate liner color. The Shower part of the palette (and star of the shower in my opinion) is the light blue gold infused cream color! It’s a beautiful shade and it really sparks up the main colors of the palette! I’m not going into detail about application here but if you’re interested in understanding how the palette works do click here to review my main review on Aube’s Jewelry Shower palettes! My sole rant about the palette was the packaging. I was slightly disappointed that the packaging wasn’t the standard shiny metallic style. It seemed they changed the compact to a matte finish instead of the regular shiny metallic compact! I really liked the pretty pink shimmer to the old compacts!
Old Packaging vs New Packaging
The palette sold very well in Japan from what I understand as my mate had a difficult time locating it upon it’s release!
The other two items I got were the loose shimmering powders which come in a nice glass bottle. I really love the presentation on these and the packaging is ultra cute however application is a bit messy! The powders come in a nail polish style bottle but they do not have an attached applicator. I thought this would come with a spatula applicator or a brush of some sort attached to the bottle topper but that’s not the case sadly. In order to apply you have to tip the bottle while stopping it with a finger tip and then lightly dab the powder where you want it! It’s a wonderful silky, sparkly powder that can used on your face, cheeks, or body however application is a tad bit messy with just a fingertip for applying. I guess you can use a really slim brush to fit into the bottle and take a little powder out at a time but I’m still wishing these came with an applicator of their own! The two shades available were gold and pink and both are well worth getting as they are truly beautiful shimmering shades!
Overall, I really like this collection and I’m glad I decided to get some of it! I highly recommend at least nabbing the palette if you have the means of locating it!
I picked up Dior’s Spring Collection recently and I was waiting to review it as I wanted to do an FOTD with most of what I purchased but I never got a chance to dig into this yet and time is a wasting so I thought I’d do the pictures and my general first impressions that way if you’re currently wanting this you can at least see what it’s like before you buy!
The Collection consists of 4 glosses, two shadow palettes, two shimmer powders, and one special powder palette.
I ended up getting one shadow palette, one shimmer powder, one gloss, and the special powder palette. In all honesty I wanted everything all at once and right away but I practiced some sort of willpower since some of it wasn’t going to work on me!
Obviously, by now you’ve all heard of the Limited Edition Flower Blossom Face Powder Palette and if you haven’t you must be living under a rock (lucky you it’s cheaper under there!). The piece is obviously the star of the show here and it’s quite gorgeous. I’m absolutely in love with and it’s made it’s way into my beauty vault never to see the light of day again! I was considering buying an oxygenated tank to put it in but decided that might be a bit much.
Ok, seriously. It’s rather beautiful and of course I don’t want to use it and neither will you if you buy it! I lightly swiped my finger across it and it’s a very fine, silky powder that appears quite pigmented. How pigmented it is remains to be seen because as the moment I can’t actually bring myself to put my brush into it and smear the beautifully embedded spring bouquet design on top that features flowers, ladybugs, and butterflies!
If you’re a serious collector you’re going to want this and I highly recommend going to your counter now to get it because it appears to be selling rather quickly according to my MA at the Dior Counter. He said he got 50 pieces in stock and when I purchased mine was down to 3!
The palette is $52 USD which is a hefty price tag but in my humblest opinion well worth it if you’re a fan of Dior. The palette is beautiful however I found that I was slightly disappointed with the case. It’s the standard Dior logo case that this comes in. You’d think they’d have done something a bit different for such a gorgeous powder! Seriously, a standard plastic palette seemed…I dunno…blah! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it came in something like the heavy duty silver case that the Dior Confidential Powder came in!?
Aside, from that minor rant I’m very happy with the powder and pleased to have such an interesting piece to add to my Dior Collection! It’s definately Muse Approved for purchase!
I went picture happy with the palette so you can get a feel for what it looks like:
Next up the shimmer powder….
The Shimmer powder comes in two versions, a bronze peach color and a pink color. I ended up with the pink and I did want the bronze peach but as I said I was being good and only buying what I knew I’d use.
You can actually avoid purchasing these for now as they aren’t LE and will be available for quite a while. I just ended up giving into temptation because I’m so diseased.
They aren’t so great actually. I ended swiping this on my wrist at the counter not my face and it seemed quite nice at the time but when I used it on my face at home I didn’t get much of a color pay off or much shimmer for that matter! However, that’s not my final take on the powder! I have to try this better before making my final decision on it! It’s so pretty that I can’t give it a poor review as of yet! After a bit more testing I’ll make my final analysis!
Out of the two eyeshadow palettes I picked up Pink May which is an array of lovely pinks and purples! The colors in this particular shadow palette were beautiful and it appeared that this was what they used on the model in the promo picture which is why I leaned towards it although at the moment I am currently wanting the other shadow palette too now! The palettes are $52 USD which is a bit steep but the color payoff is excellent so it’s worth the price for such a beautiful, pigmented palette!
Dior has a knack for making me scratch my head sometimes with the color combinations and this palette was no different as a few of the colors just didn’t make complete sense to me! Included was a peach color which I’m trying to figure out the best way to incorporate it into my final look but aside from that the palette is beautiful! You’ll get a very lovely deep pink color, a beautiful deep purple, a lighter lilac color, an off gold color, and lastly a peach. The colors are all truly gorgeous and all very wearable!
The last item I picked up was an a Dior Addict gloss! This was one item that called to me when I seen it and I had to have it. The strange thing is I knew this would look like rubbish on me as it’s such a garish pink color. I refer to it as bubblegum pink! I never look good in bubblegum pink colors! They make my already full face even fuller!
However, to my utter delight and shock after layering this on it made me look quite lovely! It goes well with fresh pink cheeks and just gives me a youthful look! It’s a beautiful color and I’m very happy I decided on purchasing it! Out of all the glosses this was by far the prettiest! Again, the model in the promo images are what sold me on the color!
The gloss texture somewhat sucks as it slips and slides right off your lips and applies streaky as I find this happens with ALL Dior Addict glosses however with a bit of practice and some layering you can get a lovely full lip look! Application just takes a bit of practice! This is actually my 2nd favorite item out of my purchases, 1st being, of course, the Flower Blossom Powder!
Overall, the collection is positively beautiful and there is definately something for everyone in the lot of items introduced!
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