Spring to Summer with Dior Crush Glow

I promised I would do a look using Dior’s Crush Glow Eyeshadow Palette, and I used it on Friday for a quick and easy look. It’s funny — I loved this look in person, but I felt like a lot of the subtlies of the shades didn’t pick-up so much on camera. It’s a great warm-toned palette for soft and subtle looks, though. I can definitely see it working as a travel palette for many.

P.S. – Normally, I’d opt for a more neutral highlighter, particularly since I am warmer toned, an icy pink is not-so-neutral on me, but per my usual routine, I like to try and stay within a palette as much as possible. So just between you and me, you may want to go for a warmer highlighter (or one with less frost in its finish to tone it down, too).

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion (matte base), Dior Crush Glow Eyeshadow Palette (iced pink, peachy-gold, coral, plummy-mauve), Urban Decay Bourbon 24/7 Liner (brown), Dior Extase Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140)
• Cheeks: Benefit Sugarbomb (peachy-pink), Guerlain Beige Tint Meteorites (soft shimmering beige highlighter)
• Lips: Dolce & Gabbana Emotion Shine Lipstick (pinked mauve), MAC Just Add Colour Lipglass (fuchsia)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Eden Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply the icy pink eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply the gold eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with the coral eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend the plummy-mauve eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Lightly tap and brush the gold eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep the icy pink eyeshadowas a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Bourbon eyeliner on the lower lash line and the gold eyeshadow lightly patted below the lower lash line with the 219 brush. Finish by sweeping lashes with Extase mascara.

For cheeks, apply Sugarbomb blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Highlight cheekbones with Beige Tint meteorites with the 165.

For lips, apply Emotion lipstick first, and then layer Prep for Colour lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Summer Preview: Dolce & Gabbana Midnight Bloom — Shine Lipsticks & Lipgloss

To finish off our Dolce & Gabbana summer preview of the Midnight Bloom Collection, today we’ll look at two new shades of Shine Lipstick (Delicate and Emotion) and one new shade of Lipgloss (Delicious). Shine Lipsticks retail for $30, while Lipglosses retail for $29. Dolce & Gabbana (the makeup!) is only available at Saks.

Shine Lipstick ($30.00)

• Emotion (53) is a pinked mauve with a champagne-pink-gold shimmer. It’s like a champagne bronze kissed with fairytale plum. It really does deserve such a whimsical description. These two shades of Shine Lipsticks are particularly lovely–it’s almost like a duochrome eyeshadow, but you know, *lipstick*!
• Delicate (56) is a softened coral-peach color base with golden peach and gold shimmer and a champagne sheen. Like Delicate, it has that mix of sheen, frost, shimmer, and color. I’d say this wasn’t quite as opaque as Delicate, but it is still a medium coverage lipstick.

I tried Gold Shine Lipstick last December, and even though the color was totally fun and funky (and definitely not similar to anything I already owned, which is kind of a big deal for me!), it didn’t sell me on the Shine formula like these do. Gold showed me lots of shimmer–borderline glitter–but these are softer, smoother. They wear well (four to six hours on me) without drying out lips. Both shades applied evenly and gave nearly opaque color (you can always tell by my lip “freckle”), even though “shine” makes me think sheerer coverage.

If you’re sensitive to scent, you may not like the rosy scent that accompanies Dolce & Gabbana’s lipsticks, though. Packaging is in line with the rest of Dolce & Gabbana: gold metal that looks and feels luxe (nice weight to the lipsticks) but still holds fingerprints. (Seriously, isn’t it about time sometime invented fingerprint-proof metal for cosmetics?)

Lipgloss ($29.00)

• Delicious (73) is a medium coral-orange cream finish gloss. It is nearly opaque (again, my lip “freckle” is nearly hidden). Dolce & Gabbana described the shade as “candy pink,” but I really don’t think it fits. I just don’t see any pink whatsoever in this. I even have a slightly naturally rosy pucker, so you’d think it would emphasize the pink, but this reads coral on my lips. Not that that’s an issue, though, because it’s a very fun, summer-appropriate shade. It’s creamy enough to give you that no-shimmer, high-gloss look and doesn’t settle into lip lines much (less noticeable from a normal viewing distance than upclose!).

Dolce & Gabbana’s Lipgloss is slightly tacky, though I wouldn’t describe it as sticky–just not non-sticky entirely. I typically get about three hours of wear with the gloss alone, which is about average to a little above average for a gloss on me. Like the Shine Lipsticks, it is rose-scented, so sensitive-sniffers beware! Packaging is a clear base with a “gold” metal cap, and of course, pricing is that of a high-end, more luxe brand (think Chanel, Guerlain, etc.).

Dolce & Gabbana is always an indulgence, but in the past few months, I’ve found more products to love than ones that disappoint. I remember being a little wary in the beginning, but their products have really worked well for me so far!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re a fan of shimmer and sheen in your lipstick and don’t mind paying for it, the two new shades of Shine Lipstick are beautiful. Delicate will work beautifully on both cool and warm skin tones, while Emotion will work better on warmer skin tones but is still wearable for those with cooler skin tones (but you may want to pair it with cooler eyes!). Delicious Lipgloss is fun but it’s a warmer coral, so it is better suited for warmer skin tones and would look nice over Emotion.

Availability: May 2010 at Saks

See more photos & swatches!

Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick: Emotion (56) & Delicate (53)

Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick: Emotion (56) & Delicate (53)

Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick: Delicate (53) & Emotion (56)

Dolce & Gabbana Delicious (73) Lipgloss

Dolce & Gabbana Delicious (73) Lipgloss, Emotion (56), Delicate (53)

Dolce & Gabbana Emotion (56) Shine Lipstick

Dolce & Gabbana Emotion (56) Shine Lipstick

Dolce & Gabbana Delicate (53) Shine Lipstick

Dolce & Gabbana Delicate (53) Shine Lipstick

Dolce & Gabbana Delicious (73) Lipgloss

Dolce & Gabbana Delicious (73) Lipgloss