Platinum Pink Shimmer Brick
Bobbi Brown’s Platinum Collection for Spring is a small launch that features a new shimmer brick, Platinum Pink ($40), four shades of Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow ($22), and three shades of (Shimmering) Lip Gloss ($20). The collection is available at Nordstrom.com
, for those looking to buy online.
I know for most of you, the item that stands out is the shimmer brick, and thus, let’s review the shimmer brick, shall we?
With five stripes of color, shimmer bricks can be used as eyeshadows, highlighters, or blushers. They can be used wet or dry, because they’re very much like baked products. Platinum Pink has a very spring-into-summer kind of feel to me (almost more summer than spring, to be honest). I remember a few readers were concerned with a silver stripe of color, but not to fear, the silver is flecked so much with a yellow-gold sheen it won’t look awkward or misplaced on your face. The colors look pretty when swatched alone, and when swirled and swatched as one, you get a slightly-cool pastel pink shimmery shade.
I find I use my shimmer bricks mostly as blushers/highlighters, so I’m always more interested in seeing how they work together than alone. I do like the shade they create, and the color shows up so-so on my cheeks. It’s not an ultra deep pigmented pink on my cheeks, but it’s a subtle pink flush appropriate for daytime wear or to match bolder eyes/lips with. Shimmer bricks, by their nature, have a lot of shimmer. This one is definitely shimmery, but I wouldn’t call it glittery or chunky in its shimmer either. Of course, if you’re more into subtle shimmer/sheen, I’d pass on the shimmer bricks (if you aren’t able to try them in person, that is, otherwise, at least try!) and opt for something like Dior’s Rose Diamond or Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer, which have a more “sophisticated” sheen.
See swatches, plus a mini-review of Confetti Lip Gloss… Continue reading →
Remember how there was one Le Metier de Beaute gloss that slipped away (aka out of stock)? I ordered it off of Neiman Marcus Online last week (they had free shipping!), and it arrived yesterday. I thought I’d share it, because I love, love, LOVE IT!
The color is Papaya Creme ($36), and it’s this beautiful, shimmering shade of coppery-peachy-gold. The color itself is stunning (at least to me!), but the magic lies in the gloss’ pigmentation and wearing power. It goes on so much like it swatches, and in a gloss, this doesn’t happen nearly enough (Hello Kitty glosses, I’m talkin’ to you!). These glosses also wear for hours without touchups required, too!
See a skin swatch and product image of Papaya Creme… Continue reading →
Framboise Creme
Yesterday I posted about my new favorite lipgloss, and here are lip swatches of the three I featured 
Tell me Framboise Creme doesn’t get you just a lil’ bit excited?
See lip swatches of Dubai and Apricot Creme… Continue reading →
Apricot Creme, Dubai, Framboise Creme
Temptalia Approved: Le Metier de Beaute Lip Gloss
While in New York, I was scoping out Bergdorf Goodman’s (for the first time!), and I came across a brand I had never heard of before: Le Metier de Beaute. I was drawn to the brand partially because it was totally new to me, but their lipglosses just called to me–and for good reason, too!
LMdB has several types of lip gloss available. They have Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss ($32) and Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss ($36). Additionally, they have Lip Creme Lip Gloss ($36), which is a more pigmented formula with a lacquer sheen finish. I ended up wanting four glosses (three of them Lip Cremes)–seriously, I stopped letting myself swatch for fear of adding more–but they were out of one so I only left with three. (But don’t worry, I ordered the fourth off of Neiman’s a few days ago!)
I picked up Dubai Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss immediately. It has this duochrome shimmer to it; it’s gold flecked , but there’s fuchsia and maybe even some coolness to it. It is a sheer gloss (hence the name), so don’t expect over the top pigmentation. The amount of shimmer reminds me of YSL’s Golden Glosses. Totally drawn to this tube like a moth to a flame, just because of the shimmer.
I swatched Apricot Creme and fell in love! It’s a nude gloss, but it’s not just a sheer wash of shimmer kind of nude… it leaves a beigey-peachy color on my lips with an ultra glossy finish. It has just a touch of golden shimmer, but it isn’t too much, so the gloss still looks quite creamy overall.
When I swatched Framboise Creme, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Really, truly — it was just that pigmented. It’s this delicious shade of deep, ruby red with a little bit of fiery shimmer. Just something about the base color and the way it interacts with the shimmer makes it such a standout shade. There are many glosses I’ve come across that are this intense, this color-rich. And yes, it really does go on pigmented on the lips (lip swatches are coming soon!). It’s not a misleading shade whatsoever!
There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to these glosses in terms of quality. The price is higher than I’d like, but considering I’d like all of the glosses… of course it’s higher than I’d like. They do make nice souvenirs from my trip to NY, and a worthwhile indulgence from time to time. I do wish they were available at more doors, but at least they’re available online at neimanmarcus.com.
See swatches! Continue reading →
Maharani Henna
Finally, the last products to cover from Givenchy’s Maharani Collection are the two new Rouge Interdit Satin Lipsticks ($27.00 each) in Maharani Rose and Maharani Henna, as well as their Precious Sari Glittering Eyeshadow ($26.00 each) in Maharani Silver and Maharani Gold.
Maharani Henna is a brickish red that goes on smoothly with lots of richness in color. It’s a toned down red for those who find colors like MAC Russian Red just too bold for them to pull off. This is also more of an orange-based red, which may suit some better than blue-based reds. I think if it was more of a jewel-toned red, I might be all over it, but I’m not so excited over this brick-red shade.
Maharani Rose is an opaque medium pink with fairly neutral undretones (doesn’t read too cool or too warm for me). There’s a nice sheen and glossiness to it when swatched, and I love that it’s truly pink. It’s not sheer at all, so you know what you’re getting into. I would say it leans towards being a strawberry-pink over a pastel pink as well. While the shade itself isn’t necessary original, it’s a good color and the Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick formula is fabulous, so it’s an excellent choice for those who don’t have something similar.
The Precious Sari Glittering Eyeshadows are liquid, metallic shadows. The formula is gel-based and not oily, so it should hold up for at least a few hours on your lids (I haven’t tried it on my lids, I can’t verify wear time). Maharani Silver is exactly that–bold, shimmery metallic silver! Similarly, Maharani Gold is a metallic gold with a little more depth and deepness in color than say gold jewelry, but I think it actually makes it more wearable as it is not as bright.
See swatches & photos! Continue reading →
Tiger Lily Fresh Bloom Eyeshadow
Clinique’s Fresh Bloom Spring 2009 Collection is really the epitome of spring colors and shades. The promotional images for the launch indicated so, and the products themselves don’t disappoint! I think the Fresh Bloom eyeshadows ($16.50) are darling; the colors are all universally wearable. They’re colorful, but not overly so; they’re not colors you couldn’t work into your office makeup (for most of you, at least!). All four have good color pigmentation, and most of the colors have fairly frosty finishes.
Tiger Lily is a duo of light peachy-pink and coppery-peach.
Maple Blossom is a duo of silvery-gray and brownish-silver (like MAC Club, but better).
Apple Blossom is a duo of soft, whitish-silver and subdued pale, pastel green.
Cherry Blossom is a duo of a whitish-pink and light raspberry-pink.
Clinique also launched four shades of their Long Last Glosswear ($14.00) in Air Kiss, First Blush, Honey Shimmer, and Whisper. I only had the chance to check out First Blush (sheer peachy-pink) and Honey Shimmer (sheer reddish-copper with pink shimmer). I love the Long Last Glosswear formula for its long-lasting power, and I would definitely love to see some really bold, opaque shades launched in the future, as the two I tried from this launch were sheer like others I have tried before. Honey Shimmer was less sheer than First Blush, though.
Temptalia Recommendations
Must-haves: Cherry Blossom (more for a blusher, though!)
Nice-to-haves: Maple Blossom, Long Last Glosswears
Skip: This collection if pastels aren’t your bag!
See photos & swatches! Continue reading →
