Monday, April 27th, 2009
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 →
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
Dior Pop Diamond Skin Shimmer
($43.00) is the latest limited edition DiorSkin Shimmer Powder. Amber Diamond and Rose Diamond are permanent Skin Shimmers, and last year saw limited edition Copper Diamond. If you’ve been reading for a few months, you probably know my obsession with both Amber Diamond and Rose Diamond. As soon as I heard Pop Diamond was coming out with Dior’s Cristal Collection, I swooned.
For anyone who felt like Rose Diamond ran too cool for them, I definitely suggest sneaking a peek at Pop Diamond. Pop Diamond is pinky-peach, which makes it a much warmer color to wear. I don’t feel it is overly warm, though, so I still think it is a universally flattering shade, like the other Skin Shimmers. I also think it is different enough from Rose Diamond to merit owning both–Rose Diamond is a cooler, paler pink, whereas Pop Diamond is a brighter, warmer pink with more gold/peach sheen.
Overall, I am happy with my purchase. I saw it on the displayer, and I was like, “One please!” I actually just caved and bought Copper Diamond off StrawberryNet this morning, so I can own them all.
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Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Get Sunkissed Without the Risk: Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil ($52.00 for 1.7 oz.)
Josie Maran has created Bronzing Argan Oil to keep you get that sunkissed look without the sun. It’s a lightweight moisturizer that can be used all over–your body, face, and even hair. I like it on legs over all else, but the “bronze shimmer” is subtle enough to be used on the face. It’s really a natural glow, a bit bronzing but more brightening, than anything else, too. It has an earthy orange-y citrus scent, which I do like more than the scent of Josie Maran’s original Argan Oil. It’s worked so far on my acne-prone skin without incident (yay!), and I think those of you who have great skin already, this is a nice way to enhance it without covering anything up, too.
Ingredients: Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Silica, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil May Also Contain:Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide.
Josie Maran’s products are formulated to be more organic and natural. Her Argan Oil products contain 100% Organic Argan Oil. It’s Earth Month, so for those looking to go be a little more natural in their beauty regimens might want to check out Josie Maran’s line of products. I like that the Josie Maran website offers detailed information about ingredients, packaging, and a great symbol key to put it all in perspective.
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
Get Sunkissed Without the Risk: Best Bronzers for Over $30
Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powder
($65.00) contains four shades that go from light to dark. They can be used together, swirled, or alone for personalization, which is definitely nice. The compact is large enough where you can feasibly use one or two shades alone, rather than all four. What I love about this bronzer is it feels silky and smooth, very finely milled. It feels weightless, and it looks very, very natural. It has a subtle shimmer sheen when applied, but the shimmer isn’t overly so. It falls into the category of “sophisticated” shimmer–the kind that doesn’t accentuate facial flaws.
Guerlain Terracotta Mineral Loose Powder
($65.00) is a sheer-to-medium buildable, loose bronzer. It’s new for the spring/summer season, and included with the bronzer pot is a miniature kabuki brush. It is available in three shades: Light, Medium, and Dark. Light is probably going to be too light for most; this shade is most suitable for those who want just the faintest (and I mean faintest!) hint of color on them–perhaps as an allover powder vs. where the sun hits. Medium is a more universal shade that doesn’t go on glowing orange. It didn’t feel like there was any shimmer in it to me, and I did find it fairly blendable. The biggest downside is that it can get messy. Being a loose powder means that you may find a cloud of bronzer poof when you open the container, and you may get more powder than you’d like on your brush.
Dior Bronze Collagen Activ Bronzer
($48.00) is a new bronzer from Dior that is designed to help smooth and fill fine lines. It’s not just makeup, it’s makeup with skincare ingredients in it. The bronzer also has SPF25, which is nice, though not necessary (I’m already going to wear SPF all over my face, so my bronzer doesn’t have to have it). The new bronzer comes in four shades: Healthy Tan, Honey Tan, Amber Tan, and Spicy Tan. It’s near matte in finish, and it gives you a glowy, sunkissed look that looks very natural–no orange glow here. I found this particular bronzer very blendable upon application, and it felt softer and less powdery, too.
What’s your favorite bronzer?
Monday, March 30th, 2009
Get Sunkissed Without the Risk: Best Bronzers for $30 or Less
Prescriptives Mineral Bronzer
($30.00) is available in both Cool and Warm, which is something I can really appreciate from Prescriptives. I can just imagine some of the trials our cool-toned beauty addicts have to go through to find a bronzer that works well. I picked up the Warm Mineral Bronzer, and it’s smooth, silky in texture, and it gives me a subtle, natural glow. There is shimmer in it, which Prescriptives calls Radiance Emitting Crystals Complex (R.E.C.) — a combination of amethyst, rose quartz, and calcite. It’s oil-free and talc-free for those concerned about ingredients and oil.
MAC Bronzing Powder
($21.00) comes in three shades: Golden, Refined Golden, and Bronze. Golden is suitable for paler to medium-toned complexions, and it is not quite as pigmented as the other two shades. Refined Golden is a good color for those who are medium-toned in complexion, though it does seem to run a little peachier/orange-y if you are really cool-toned. Bronze is best suited for deeper complexions, and it does have some shimmer in its finish. MAC’s Bronzing Powder does seem to run a bit more pigmented than the typical bronzer, so take heed and use a light hand when you first give it a try. The shimmer may be too much or too little, depending on your preference, but the wear time is tops for this bronzer.
Smashbox Bronze Lights
($28.00) is available in two shades: Suntanned Matte and Sunkissed Matte. Bronze Lights is a silky, matte bronzer–aka no shimmer or glitter or any frostiness in its finish. Those with larger pores, skin concerns, or signs of aging will appreciate Bronze Lights’ lack of shimmer. It’s also a nice way to get a beautiful, sunkissed glow, which you can always highlight with your favorite highlighter. I often prefer to highlight separately, because then I can actually highlight, rather than just have shimmer everywhere I applied the bronzer. (In my case, I like to highlight the tops of cheekbones.) Sunkissed Matte will best suit paler and peachier/pinker complexions, I think, while Suntanned Matte is better for medium to dark complexions as it’s more on the brown side. I didn’t find either to run orange, though!
We’ve got three more top picks for bronzers! Continue reading →
Sunday, March 29th, 2009
Laura Mercier’s Gilded Garden Collection debuted for the spring season with several fun, perfect-for-spring products. The collection included eyeshadows in Lilac, Marigold, Orchid, and Pink Tulip ($22.00 each); Stickgloss in Azalea and Tiger Lily ($20.00 each); and Lip Stains in English Rose and Hibiscus ($20.00 each); and the Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc ($38.00).
The Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc features a pretty flowery pattern in it, which just screams “SPRING!” to me. The two large flowers in a coral-pink and fuchsia-pink are slightly raised. They’re raised enough that I wasn’t able to swatch through to see if they go all the way through the powder. (But I’m hoping they do.)
This Shimmer Bloc is much like Bobbi Brown’s Shimmerbricks in the texture and finish–smooth, but still quite frosty. If you’re not a fan of noticeable shimmer/frost, then I’d definitely stay clear of this. If, however, you love Shimmerbricks, you’ll want to check out Laura Mercier’s Shimmer Blocs.
The overall color you get when swirling the entire Shimmer Bloc together is a almost neutral-but-slightly-cool, frosty pink. It can be used as a blusher or to highlight your favorite pink blushes.
Anyone else have this?
See close-ups and swatches… Continue reading →
