A Bedtime Indulgence with Vanilla & Anise
Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise Body Creme ($75.00 for 5.9 fl. oz.) is a decadent scent indulgence for the body. It’s expensive, but it’s a definite luxury. Vanilla & Anise is new for spring, and it is delicious! It’s times like these that I wish I had a more sophisticated sniffer, because I’ve been bumbling over how to describe this scent for the past week!
Top Notes: Sicilian Bergamot, Tunisian Neroli, Wild Fennel Flower, Star Anise
Heart Notes: Oleander, Tuberose, Frangipani, Purple Vanilla Orchid
Base notes: Clove, Tonka, White Amber, Creamy Musks, Vanilla Bourbon Absolute, Vetiver Haiti
Initially, it has a spicy, lightly vanilla scent mixed with a sharper citrus taste, which is pleasant and enjoyable, but the dry down is fantastic. It’s like a heady, seductive mix of tempered vanilla and amber with an almost woody feel. The vanilla notes you find in this scent is not the vanilla cupcake scent you’ll find at a bakery. It has a definite sweetness to it, but it’s not cloying or sugary-sweet.
Though the scent is the most important part of the product, I was particularly impressed by how well and long it wears. I’ve been using this before I go to bed on my arms and legs, and the scent lingers beautifully. I find a lot of scented body lotions and creams don’t last long and often have a stale smell, if they do last a few hours. Vanilla & Anise stays with me until I wake up and take a shower, though it has gently worn over through the night–but I can still smell it on me without trying.
The Body Creme also does a bang-up job keeping my dragon-lady legs at bay, which I was surprised at as well. I just imagined that, despite enjoying Jo Malone products in the past, it wouldn’t be a truly rich and luxurious body cream, but it was and is. The texture of the Body Creme is certainly rich, but it’s creamy without being too thick or stiff. You don’t need much (which is good, ’cause you don’t get much!), and despite being a richer cream, it absorbs within minutes and doesn’t leave behind any greasiness or stickiness.
Last night, I walked into the office, and my boyfriend instantly took notice and was like, “Mmm!” It’s always a wonderful thing when you and your significant other can agree on your beauty favorites!
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re a Jo Malone fan and haven’t yet tried a body creme, you might want to try a sample if you’re able to–you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was. A supreme indulgence but a very much worth it indulgence!
Availability: Nordstrom
Travel with Urban Decay This Summer
Urban Decay Summer of Love Shadow Palette ($29.00) is a new-for-summer eyeshadow palette that features four eyeshadows (0.04 oz. each), a miniature Sin Primer Potion (0.09 fl. oz.), and miniature Bourbon 24/7 Eye Pencil (0.03 oz.). The eyeshadows included in the palette are Flash (bright iridescent purple), Maui Wowie (medium gold with silver glitter), Chopper (coppery fawn with silver microglitter), and Smog (deep coppery bronze).
Everything in the palette is available individually, should you only fall in love with one of the shades! As such, everything included is also permanent. However, for those who do not already have the majority of these eyeshadows either individually or in various past-released palettes, you get a good amount of product in the palette itself.
Normal eyeshadows are 0.05 oz. (and retail for $17) while the palette versions are 0.03 oz. — still plenty to use. The eyeliner is typically 0.04 oz. (and retails for $17) but 0.03 oz. in the palette. Plus, you do get the mini-sized Sin Primer Potion (my least favorite of the primers, though–so metallic!). All in all, the palette is a good deal with lots of value–if you don’t already own the shades in it.
- Flash is a cool-toned violet purple with a slight iridescence. It’s very smooth, pigmented, and vibrant.
- Maui Wowie is an antique gold with silver glitter. It has great color pay off, and I swear this version felt so much smoother than the one included in the Alice in Wonderland palette, which felt much grittier. You may encounter some fall out with this shade from the glitter.
- Chopper is a muted copper with a gilded-bronze sheen/shimmer. It has nice pigmentation and applies smoothly.
- Smog is a deepened chocolate brown with a warm bronze sheen. It, too, is a vibrant shade that has rich pigmentation.
Urban Decay seems to really love releasing summer palettes with a series of browns and then a pop of color. (Remember Get Baked from last year?) I do like this color variation a lot better than last year’s, because I feel like there is a good amount of differentiation between each shade.
The packaging fits with their theme–definitely groovy and all that–but I’m not digging the vintage photographs on the back. I would have personally loved to have seen the floral pattern continue around the mirror, like it did in Get Baked. It’s cool that the graphic designer’s parents are now immortalized in a makeup palette, but for me, it’s just, “Who are these random people?” Like the majority of Urban Decay products, it is made out of sturdy cardboard. I like these flip-open palettes, because they’re slim, streamlined, and easy to travel with and store.
It’s a nice option for a summer palette, but as always, I wish Urban Decay would release new shades of eyeshadows rather than using their permanent shadows. It makes it hard to purchase as a fan, just because you probably own all of them with the palettes you already have! Maybe Urban Decay should make palette forms available of all their eyehadows so we can just mix and match throughout the year!
P.S. – I think I have enough mini-sized Bourbon liners to get me through year 3000.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you don’t own a lot of Urban Decay eyeshadows, this palette makes a fun option for some summery shades. It’s a great value if you don’t have any of the shades, and the quality of the products within the palette are tops. It’s easily skipped if you own half or more of the shades/products in it.
Availability: Urban Decay
Guerlain Beige Tint Meteorites ($56.00 for 1.2 oz.) is one of three new shades released with Guerlain Meteorite Perles Collection, due out in May. The two other shades that will be available are Rose Tint and Gold Tint. The new Meteorites are designed to enhance/correct certain issues with skin.
From the press release, “[A] rosy complexion tends to show redness, while a beige complexion turns grey with the onset of fatigue and a golden complexion becomes yellow and dull. As the uncontested expert in color and powder, Guerlain has created three different Météorites Perles color harmonies to address the ways that different skin tones reflect color and light, in line with the principles of the color wheel and interaction of secondary colors.
Which one is for you?
- Harmony 01 / Teint Rose (Rose Tint) corrects by using mauve to reflect light and brightening the complexion along with green to reduce redness; pink to give skin a more even look; and white for illumination, gold for “radiance.” I think this is suitable for those with cooler undertones, rosacea, or uneven or reddened skin.
- Harmony 02 / Teint Beige (Beige Tint) corrects with mauve and pink to keep skin from looking dull; beige and apricot beige to add warmth; and white and white gold to reflect light. I think this is suitable for most skin tones, though warmer skin tones may find this more beneficial than those with particularly cool undertones; also good for those with more neutral or beige undertones.
- Harmony 03 / Teint Dore (Gold Tint) corrects with mauve and blue to eliminate yellowness amongst a golden tone; beige and chocolate beige enhance golden tones; and white gold reflects light while pearly apricot brightens. I think this is suitable for those with yellow, golden, or olive undertones to bring out the natural warmth in the complexion.
Keep in mind that Meteorites are not an opaque powder in the least bit! Just like traditional Meteorites, the ones from Meteorites Perles have the same feel and texture. I’ve only tried Beige Tint in person thus far, which is a good thing, considering it’s the one that matches me best. I think I could also work with the Gold Tint as well, but it may be more of a definite highlighter than all over powder. We shall have to wait and see on that aspect!
Beige Tint contains several different colored spheres ranging from champagne-peach, peach-apricot, shimmering white, pinky-apricot, darkened apricot, and lilac. On skin, it has a champagne-lilac illuminating base with sparkles of gold and champagne. It’s a soft, fine-milled shimmer/illuminating powder that looks subtle against skin, even when used all-over. If you do choose to use it as an all-over face powder, using a fluffier or stippling brush ensures you don’t overdo it. Otherwise, it can be used as a light highlighter wherever you want to reflect light (usually cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, etc.).
The Meteorites Perles Meteorites are packaged in a “metal” container. I think it’s more of a harder, metal-like plastic than pure metal (it just doesn’t have the weight of metal), but it’s certainly an upgrade from some of the cardboard-esque packaging they’ve used in the past. Though I don’t mind myself, since it’s still pretty, more eco-friendly than plastic, and I don’t carry my makeup around very often, except when I travel (then I bring the whole bathroom… and the bathroom sink!). It’s sleek, classy, and elegant–I love it.
The very idea of running out of one of the Meteorites is not something I can fathom, because it takes so little to get what you want out of it as a highlighter/illuminator. I think one will last you quite awhile (aka years), but it does carry a steeper price tag than other high-end highlighters–though in line with Guerlain’s pricing point overall.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 5/5
Recommendation: I think this is suitable for most skin tones, though warmer skin tones may find this more beneficial than those with particularly cool undertones; also good for those with more neutral or beige undertones. For those with cooler or pinker undertones, consider Rose Tint; and for those with more golden and yellow undertones, consider Gold Tint.
Availability: May 2010
Make Up For Ever #5 Nip Slip HD Blush
More on Make Up For Ever HD Blush
A few weeks ago, I reviewed Make Up For Ever’s HD Blush in three shades (#3 Truth or Dare, #4 Walk of Shame, and #6 Quickie). Today, I’m sharing with you three more shades and a run-down of them, but this is less a review as it is simply showing you what three other shades look like in real life.
I did, however, receive a full-size sample of #5 Nip Slip (can you believe they got away with that name?!), so I can confirm what I thought previously: the pump delivery system does pump out way too much if you simply do one pump. You really have to be careful and squeeze out just the tiniest bit. It’s better to go under than over, because you’ll end up wasting a good bit otherwise. I actually think I may prefer using them out of the 5-gram sample jars, just because I don’t have to worry about getting too much at once!
- Nip Slip (#5) is a neutral, slightly yellow-toned pink that would look beautiful and fresh on both cool and warm skin tones. I think this is a good shade for light to medium to dark skin tones, too — it’s very buildable, so you can achieve that brighter pop of pink if you so desire.
- Star Struck (#14) is a soft apricot peach that goes on more orange-apricot when blended and smoothed onto skin. Despite having a stronger orange tone, it’s not overly warm. It almost reads neutral to me, but I’d err on the side of warm.
- First Kiss (#12) is a brightened orange with a soft shimmer/satin-y sheen built-in. It’s not neon orange, but it’s not quite the “bright apricot” that Sephora describes it as (even when it’s been blended out). This is definitely one of the more pigmented shades, so go easy if you want softer, sheerer color. It’s easier to intensify than it is to mute!
Other shades include: Innuendo #1 (vibrant plum), Caught in the Act #2 (bright raspberry), One Too Many #7 (peachy beige), PDA #8 (pinky nude), In the Spotlight #9 (nude), Skinny Dipping #10 (light orange brown), Mistaken Identity #11 (redwood brown), Smooth Talker #13 (vibrant pale pink). I previously reviewed Truth or Dare #3 (hot pink), Walk of Shame #4 (bubblegum pink), and Quickie #6 (salmon pink) here.
Make Up For Ever’s HD Blush wears well throughout the day. It’s easy to use, because it blends and softens without a lot of work, making it harder to make mistakes as long as you use less. You do not need to use a lot–I can’t stress it enough–we’re not even talking a pea-size of product. We’re talking about a pin-drop-size! One bottle will last you quite awhile, I’d imagine.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 3/5
Recommendation: Those who are always looking for longer wearing products should check out the new HD Blush line-up, because these cream blushes stand up to day-long wear without fading!
Availability: Sephora
Long-wearing Liquid Liner with Milani Infinite
Milani Infinite Liquid Liner ($5.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a long-wearing liquid liner that is available in five shades (and new for spring): Infinite (blue), Endless (purple), Eternal (green), Forever (brown), and Everlast (black). I test drove three of the five shades (but I’ll be reviewing the other two later down the line, not to worry!) over the past few weeks, and I gotta say, these hold up to their name!
- Eternal is a medium grassy-green with yellow undertones, gold sheen, and a metallic finish. It reminded me of MAC Lucky Green Eyeshadow, but in a liquid liner format. It’s just a smidgen greener than MAC Greenplay Liquidlast.
- Infinite is a bright medium blue with a slightly metallic finish/sheen. It’s a dead ringer for MAC Blue Herizon Liquidlast–total dupe.
- Everlast is a matte, flat black. It’ll apply quite glossy initially, but once it dries down, it will be a flat, but intense, black. I don’t own MAC Point Black Liquidlast, but from the swatches I’ve done of it in the past, the two should be incredibly interchangeable.
The good: These will wear and wear and wear. They won’t budge or smudge until you’re ready to take them off. They’re also water-resistant and crease-proof, so they’re perfect for summer days spent at the beach, ocean, or pool. The shade range has two more everyday/wearable shades (Forever and Everlast) and three “fun” shades (Endless, Eternal, and Infinite), so it’s a nice mix. I, of course, would love to see Milani expand the color range–I want to see some teals, pinks, duochrome kind of colors.
The bad: They can take awhile to dry if you apply too heavily. If you apply a thin layer, drying time is around twenty to thirty seconds, but if you go thicker, you’re looking at over a minute. I found they stayed wet a little long for my personal preference, but once I was aware of it, it wasn’t an actual issue when I used them. The brush itself is a little on the large side, which made it difficult to apply straight from the tube, so I did opt to use a thin, angled brush to apply it instead.
Taking them off can be a challenge if you’re not used to incredibly long-wearing makeup, but I found that a good oil-based remover like Lancome’s Bi-Facil or shu uemura’s cleansing oil did the trick. I like Bi-Facil on a cotton swab, because it allows me to get everything off in just one swipe.
These are very, very similar to MAC’s Liquidlast Liners–from the shades themselves to how well they wear. Liquidlast Liners run a bit thicker (but not actually thick) than Milani’s Infinite, which feels kind of thin, but the pigmentation is the same on both. Liquidlast Liners retail for $17.50 a pop for 0.085 fl. oz. while Infinites retail for $5.99 a pop for 0.17 fl. oz. (That’s a third of the cost for twice the product!)
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 3/5
Recommendation: If you love liquid liner and want one that keeps on going long after the sun goes down, Milani offers a truly long-wearing product. Oh, and if you love MAC Liquidlast Liners, then I think you’d love these, too!
Availability: Milani
Dolce & Gabbana — Summer Preview — Laguna Eyeshadow Duo
Laguna Eyeshadow Duo ($36.00 for 0.17 oz.) is new for Dolce & Gabbana’s summer collection (due out in May), and I’m excited to show you a sneak preview of this perfect-for-summer duo! It includes a softly teal-shimmered muted sky blue and a rich, blackened forest green with gold and green shimmer.
At first, I thought that the bluish side was like Benefit’s Mermaid Eyeshadow, but it’s not. It’s more like a blue version, if anything, but after looking at both, they’re definitely not similar. The forest green shade originally reminded me of NARS Night Porter, but the finish is softer and smoother and it’s a shimmer/sheen rather than a glitter finish.
The texture of Dolce & Gabbana eyeshadows is amazing. It’s soft, smooth, and buttery. I love that Dolce & Gabbana puts out colors amongst more muted shades, too, because I think it gives them more variety. But even better is that their colors actually show-up true-to-pan!
Surprisingly, Dolce & Gabbana is cheaper by the ounce than NARS Eyeshadow Duos–$211/oz. vs. $228/oz. (and not so surprisingly, cheaper than NARS, Make Up For Ever, and MAC singles), but you do get the luxe, “gold” metal casing for your buck, too (but it does hold fingerprints as is typical with metal packaging). I’m actually surprised that these are priced so similarly to NARS Eyeshadow Duos, because the Dolce & Gabbana line-up is more comparable to Chanel and Dior in terms of pricing, typically.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love really smooth eyeshadows that go on like butter, Dolce & Gabbana Eyeshadow Duos hit the mark. If you’ve been hunting for a blue that’s not too bright or overwhelming, you may find this duo works well. I think this duo in particularly is suitable for both cool and warm skin tones, too!
Availability: May 2010 at Saks Fith Avenue
