Blake Lively @ the Emmys: Makeup How-to

Celebrity Makeup Artist Kristofer Buckle used Dior Beauty products to create a stunning “golden goddess” look for “Gossip Girl” star Blake Lively at the 2009 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles this evening.

“I used a lot of warm, honey colors on her skin and lips to make her green eyes pop,” said Buckle. “Then I topped off the look with tons of DiorShow Blackout Mascara, which transformed her upper and lower lashes into expressive frames.” She also shared a tip, “I used Dior Eye Show in Undressed Beige on Blake’s cheekbones and shoulders to create an ethereal glow,” said Buckle. “It’s technically an eyeshadow but it works basically anywhere you want to reflect the light!”

Get the Look

• Skin: DiorSkin Airflash Spray Foundation in #301, Dior Skinflash #3 around the eyes.
• Lips: Dior Serum de Rouge Lipstick as a base with Dior Lip Polish in Radiance Expert on top.
• Eyes: DiorShow Blackout Mascara, Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Beige Messai #705
• Cheeks: DiorBronze Original Tan in Amber Tan #03

Dior Cristal Boreale Collection for Holiday 2009

Influenced by the ornate, corseted gowns and decorative broaches of the 18th Century Louis XVI style and inspired by the delicate light-reflecting qualities of crystal, each product in this exquisite color collection is like a tiny jewel. Featuring shades of petal pink, deep silver and a wide range of purples to create a luxurious and festive look for holiday.

Cristal Boreal Gloss Pendant ($80.00)

In the mid Fifties, inspired by the magnificence of Versailles, Christian Dior asked the Swarovski House to create a crystal that evoked the reflections of the sunlight going through the famous Galerie des Glaces in Versailles. This led to the creation of the Aurore Boréale crystal with its unique multi-colored reflections.

For its 2009 Christmas Look, Christian Dior Parfums has collaborated for the very first time with the Swarovski House to create an exceptional Star Product using the legendary Aurore Boréale crystal : “Cristal Boréal”. The oval pendant, inspired by the shape of the neo-Louis XVI chairs that Christian Dior loved, is adorned with 52 Swarovski crystals of which 4 are Aurore Boréale.
This pendant contains a crystal-effect gloss declined in one easy-to-wear shade: Pink Crystal. A true makeup jewel for precious iridescent lips. Availability: Specialty Stores

Cristal Boreal Silver Eyeshadow ($30.00)

This jewel-toned eyeshadow feature light-reflecting qualities and subtle colors for a delicate, shimmering effect. Embossed with a “crystal pattern” effect. Cristal Boreal Eyeshadow in Silver Gem.

Collection

• 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in Smoky Crystal #089 ($56.00)
• Style Liner in Sparkling Purple #174 ($31.00)
• Dior Vernis in Silver Purple #782 ($20.00)
• Dior Vernis in Black Sequins #905 (Sephora Only) ($20.00)

Cannage Palettes

Dior Couture Silver Cannage Clutch ($70.00)

This chic reusable clutch is a one-stop shop for all things glam, featuring a DiorBlush in a pretty pink shade, plum gloss, shimmering gold and matte brown eyeshadows and two brushes for easy application. Products can be removed to transform the gun-metal silver cannage outer case into the perfect carryall for a night out on the town. Availability: Sephora

Dior Red Cannage Lip Palette ($40.00)

This chic red patent palette makes the perfect holiday beauty accessory. Featuring a sheer balm, plum and berry lipstick shades and a light pink gloss, lips go easily (and stylishly) from day to night. Availability: Sephora

Dior Black Cannage Eye Palette ($40.00)

Create virtually any look—from work-appropriate subtlety to show-stopping party eyes—with this versatile palette. Featuring shades of brown, peach, copper and a must-have gold highlighter in Dior’s silky iridescent eyeshadow formula. Availability: Department Stores & Sephora

Dior Black Cannage Lip Palette ($40.00)

This festive black patent palette eliminates the need for lugging several lipsticks at once with its sleek packaging and go-anywhere shade range of plum, pinks and beige. Slips easily from work tote to evening clutch. Availability: Department Stores

Availability: October 2009 at Dior Beauty Counters Nationwide (except where specified).

* Note: We’re still working on getting some better pictures! :)

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Night Butterfly Quint

Dior’s Jazz Club Collection featured a great many items for the season, lots of smoky shades of shadows, pouty lip colors, and flawless skin could be seen.

Eyes

Night Butterfly 5-Colour Eyeshadow Quint ($56.00) is a stunning combination of lilacs, jewel-tone purples, and glittery black. It contains a medium jewel-toned purple with pink shimmer, a softer pink-lilac, a shimmery berry-wine, a soft, gray with brown tones, and the centerpiece is a matte black with silver glitter. All five colors were well-pigmented, and all but the center black shade was incredibly smooth. I found the black shade to be a tiny bit chalky, and the glitter, while pretty to look at, resulted in a fair amount of fall out. The black shade reminded me a lot of MAC’s Black Tied eyeshadow.

Smoky Jazz Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00) has four shades of eyeshadow, one shade of eyebrow powder, and one shade of eyeliner. In this palette, the eyeliner is a dark black, which wasn’t super creamy, so it made it a bit difficult to use. The brow powder shade was a cool-toned medium-dark brown. The four eyeshadow shades included a lightly grayed-black, cool-toned bronzy-taupe, medium silver, and a brighter silvery-frost. Pigmentation was so-so in these, but I felt like Dior’s singles, duos, and quint eyeshadows were much better in quality and pigmentation in comparison.

Purple Jazz Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00) has four shades of eyeshadow, one shade of eyebrow powder, and one shade of eyeliner. The eyeliner in this palette is a cranberry-burgundy shade, and again, not ultra creamym, making it less appealing. The brow powder was the same, cool-toned medium-dark brown as in the Smoky Jazz palette. The four eyeshadow shades included: a red-toned purple-plum, a cool-toned amethyst purple, a cool-toned shimmery taupe-brown, and an icy pink with silver shimmer. Again, pigmentation wasn’t the best in these, and I certainly couldn’t recommend these at the price point they’re at, because the quality just isn’t up to snuff.

Argentic 1-Colour Extreme Eyeshadow ($27.50) is a silvery, lightly-taupe shade of eyeshadow. It’s extremely shimmery and pigmented. (For the price, it should be!) Trendy Taupe 1-Colour Extreme Eyeshadow ($27.50) is a semi-matte deep brown that runs more neutral than warm or cool. Cocktail Look 2-Colour Eyeshadow ($35.00) is a duo featuring a semi-matte, satiny silver-gray and a shimmery confection pink.

Lips

• Taffeta Plum Ultra-Gloss Reflect ($25.50) is a semi-sheer plummy-raspberry with pink shimmer with a frosty finish.
• Draped Burgundy Ultra-Gloss Reflect ($25.50) is a semi-sheer deeper, reddish-burgundy with light golden shimmer.
• Mauve Royale Addict Lip Color ($26.00) is a shimmery pink with slight mauve tones. It has a bit of golden shimmer weaved throughout the shade. It felt semi-sheer to me.
• Decadent Plum Addict Lip Color ($26.00) is a rich, semi-opaque reddish-wine with plummy tones. It reminded me a bit of a red plum outside, just a little more vibrant. This one has more of a glossy sheen than any shimmer.
• Negligee Pink Addict Lip Color ($26.00) is an opaque, pinky-red with a glossy sheen and no real shimmer.
• Rose Nectar Creme de Gloss ($26.00) is a semi-sheer peachy-rose with golden shimmer with a frosty finish.
• Sweet Praline Creme de Gloss ($26.00) is a semi-sheer deeper, more brown version of Rose Nectar, with more of a soft coppery shimmer.

Nails

• Black Plum Vernis ($20.00) is a dark, burgundy-wine shade that goes on glossy and opaque.

The collection also included some permanent items being repromoted, such as Rose Diamond Skin Shimmer, Strawberry Sorbet and Rosebud Blushes.

Available: Nordstrom.com

See swatches and product photos… Continue reading »

Dior Jazz Club Collection for Fall 2009 Sneak Peek – Part 3

Dior’s Jazz Club will also include some single eyeshadows — Argentic and Trendy Taupe ($27.50 each). Argentic is pictured above, and it is a smoldering, gray-silver shade with flecks of black and just a touch of shimmer and lots of sheen. I also checked out Gold Touch, because I didn’t see Trendy Taupe around anywhere… and after seeing Gold Touch, it was like, “Trendy Taupe who?” Gold Touch is a rich, coppery gold with gold sheen and flecks of copper and bronze in it. It’s richly pigmented, as is Argentic, and both glide on smoothly.

Check out the swatches… Continue reading »

Dior Jazz Club Collection for Fall 2009 Sneak Peek – Part 2

Dior’s Jazz Club will see the release of two limited edition palettes — Smoky Jazz and Purple Jazz ($65.00 each). I managed to get my hands on the Smoky Jazz palette, and it has easily become one of my favorite smoky eyes palettes to-date. One of the major reasons I love it is that they’ve included a plastic slip that labels each of the eyeshadows in it. They help make it just a bit easier for you! Each palette includes a liner, eyebrow color, three eyeshadows, and a topcoat.

The packaging is sleek, with the patent-leather (I don’t know if it’s *real* leather) look on the outside. Inside reveals the products, along with two double-sided brushes. (As with most palettes, the included brushes are just so-so, and those who use full-sized brushes regularly won’t be apt to switch unless it’s an emergency.) I appreciate included brushes, but I rarely use them myself.

The shades are just right for a smoky eye, and I like that they include both a more subdued bronzy-gold shade as well as a bright silver. This lets you mix up your smoky eye as you desire, rather than just the default gray/silver smoky eye. The liner is quite intense, almost like a deep black-brown. It will work best when used with an angled brush for sure. Even though one shade is for brows, you could easily use that as a fourth shadow, too!

Check out the inside and swatches… Continue reading »

Dior Jazz Club Collection for Fall 2009 Sneak Peek – Part 1

Dior’s Jazz Club definitely caught a lot of your eyes when the information first rolled out. This week, we’ll be previewing some of the fall collections, and here’s our first preview item — Dior’s Neglige Pink Addict Lip Color ($26.00). It’s a pigmented, soft raspberry-pink shade that goes onto lips easily, smoothly, and leaves a soft, glistening sheen. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a color that’s opaque–yet is not even close to being over the top!

See swatches & a lip swatch! Continue reading »

Dior Jazz Club Collection for Fall 2009

Introducing Dior’s new look for Fall 2009, a chic and refined collection of smoky purples, greys and light pinks. Inspired by the daring, femme fatales of the Twenties and Thirties, the look of Jazz Club is seductive and glamorous, featuring a luminous complexion, smoldering eyes and bold shades on the lips and nails to create the perfect day-to-evening makeup.

Edited: Updated collection information & added a few more photos!

Dior Jazzclub

Directly inspired by the Dior Couture Jazzclub line, Dior Jazzclub is a Star Product especially designed for a day-to-evening lifestyle. This refined case offers the basics to make-up the eyes: eyeliner, eyebrow powder, eyeshadows and a top coat for the most natural to the most sophisticated makeup. MSRP: $65.00

• Availability: Smoky Jazz at Dior Counters Nationwide, Purple Jazz Nordstrom Exclusive.

1-Colour Extreme ($27.50)

• Trendy Taupe
• Argentic

5-Colour Eyeshadow ($56.00)

• Night Butterfly (173)

2-Colour Eyeshadow ($35.00)

• Cocktail Look (055)

Ultra-Gloss Reflect ($25.50)

• Taffeta Plum (787)
• Draped Burgundy (957)

Dior Addict Lipcolor ($26.00)

• Neglige Pink (673)
• Decadent Plum (943)

Crème de Gloss ($26.00)

• Sweet Praline (431)
• Rose Nectar (461)

Dior Vernis ($20.00)

• Red Dahlia (671) (Sephora Only)
• Black Plum (981) (Not Sephora)

Permanent

• Brow Styler in Universal Brown ($28.00)
• Diorliner in Plum ($31.00)
• Dior Contour in Thrilling Plum ($26.00)

Availability: August 2009

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Dior Nude Pink Designer Quint ($58.00) is designed to be an “all in one” palette. I tried out the Nude Pink Designer Quint, and while it looks stunning, it’s not my favorite Dior quint.

The two light pink shades (bottom left corner and top right corner) are extremely sheer, and the one on the top right corner is almost a bit glittery in texture (think lustres). The middle shade is stunning, as a gorgeous peachy-pink shimmer shade. The top left shade is a plummy pink with multicolored shimmer that goes on almost pinky/plummy brown. The bottom right shade is a creamy shadow/liner in a rich burgundy-wine shade. With this quint, I just don’t see a ton of looks popping out from it. They definitely could have varied the two light pinks up more–going light and medium, for instance.

I haven’t been able to swatch or see any of the other ones in person, but from photos, I’d have to say that the other Designer Quints look fantastic. The Nude Pink one is the only one that seems to fall short of the mark. Amber Design has a stunning combination of burgundies and peach and golds, while Navy Design has rich, smoldering blues and lighter blues. Green Design (Asia Exclusive) also looks gorgeous with mint greens and golden-toned forest greens. I’ll be sure to get swatches of the other ones once they’re out at my local Dior counter!

See swatches! Continue reading »

Dior’s Cristal Collection started popping at counters nationwide in the past week or so, and sure enough, my counter had all of the goodness on display last week, too! I already shared my excitement over Pop Diamond, so I’ll continue on with a full review of Dior’s newest collection.

Electric Lights Eyeshadow Quint ($56.00) is a bold combination of blue, teal, violet, and silvers. The palette will likely catch your eye, even if you’re not known to head in Dior’s direction. Like Chanel, not all Dior quints are made equal, but the overall consensus is they’re smooth, blendable shadows that feel ultra soft. All five shades are stunning, ranging from a soft, blue-teal to a duochrome silvery-blue to a bright, medium silver to a delicious sky blue to the stunning deep violet in the center. Really, there was just no way for me to walk away without buying it on sight!

The Bronze Couture Palette ($80.00) is a pricey little travel-sized case filled with a few Dior products. While everything is pretty to the eye, there’s nothing in this palette that would make me drop the amount of cash they’re asking. If I were you, I’d wait around and pick this up when the price drops–which Dior has been doing with the past few star products (e.g. Lady Dior)–if this is on your list.

High Shine Lipsticks ($26.00 each) were available in Artist Pink and Designer Coral at my local Nordstrom. (Dior’s summer collection selection varies from door to door, with some products being Sephora exclusives.) Artist Pink was a sheer, shimmery/glossy medium pink with warm undertones. Designer Coral is a sheer, coral-pink color with lots of gloss. Both are sheer, as the formula is designed to be.

Ultra Gloss Reflect ($25.50 each) was available in Vinyl Coral, which is a sheer more pink than coral gloss with tiny pink microglitter. Very summery, kind of like a watermelon-y shade. DiorKiss Gloss ($20.00) was available in Grenadine Syrup at my Nordies, and it is a semi-sheer, thick coral-orange gloss. It’s in a squeeze tube, and the texture felt nonsticky to me. While not included in a swatch (I forgot to take a photo before it chipped), Vernis ($20.00) in Bubble Gum is EXACTLY the same shade as Grenadine Syrup, seriously. I also tried Lip Glow Reviver Balm ($28.00) on the back of my hand, but since it’s a lip balm, it was virtually sheer. It kind of added a little sheen to my skin, but that was all I could see.

OVERALL, Dior’s Cristal Collection offers a lot of fun, summer-y shades of lipgloss and lipsticks paired with an outstanding shade of skin highlighter/blusher as well as a lovely cool-toned quint. I loved the new quint and skin shimmer the most (obviously!), and I would recommend taking a peek at both of those if you’re able to!

See more photos and swatches! Continue reading »

Dior Rose Brazilia Bronze Harmony Blush ($42.00) is new for summer from Dior. Rose Brazilia accompanied Coral Riviera, which I absolutely loved. Rose Brazilia is rosy shade of blush with a touch of peachiness to it. It has more warmth than I expected, but I’m quite content with the results! The shimmery gold flecks are an overlay, so they do not go through the blush itself. I do feel the blush has a bit of sheen/tiny shimmer throughout, so it isn’t a matte blush–just not filled with lots of shimmery bits. This is a great blush for everyday, natural looks, and just an overall nice piece to add to my blush collection.

See close-ups and swatches! Continue reading »