Lancôme Blush Subtil Palette #02 Nectar Lace

Tags

blush, Lancôme Blush Subtil Palette #02 Nectar Lace, Lancome, Nectar Lace, palettereview, swatches

I have no idea why, but for whatever reason I kept postponing this review for the longest time.

This is the Lancôme Blush Subtil Palette #02 Nectar Lace, one of the most beautiful face palettes I had the chance to use! Briefly though… As I discovered something else that caught my attention and made me “hide” Nectar Lace under a pile of other beautiful blushers, powders and highlighters…

The packaging is so sleek and elegant, and the signature golden rose in bloom gives it a plus of class and style.

This is a lovely trio made of a contour shade, a gorgeous blush and a pretty warm highlighter. The blusher was the one that I was mostly drawn to, and the main reason why I got it. It seemed like the perfect dupe for NARS’ Orgasm, which I had swatched once in Milan but never bought!

The blush in the Nectar Lace palette is definitely a gorgeous peachy-pink, with specks of golden glitter through it. It’s very pigmented but a little bit too “dusty” for my liking, without it necessarily being finely milled. But it definitely gives “a flush of happiness” to your entire face.

It’s an excellent option for spring and summer, but I don’t see why you couldn’t wear it all-year-round.

The highlighter is the second best thing is this palette. It’s a warm, golden shade… Somewhere along the lines of Becca‘s Opal, if you know what I mean! Maybe something close to the infamous Champagne Pop – at least it looks so from the swatches I saw online!

My least favourite is the contouring shade which I find too warm and orange-y for my skin tone ( this palette was made for medium to dark skin tones anyway, but I simply couldn’t resist that blush! I mean… Could you?! ). It is also kind of patch-y and really hard to blend. Nothing can beat my Kevyn Aucoin Medium or the Tom Ford Terra.

Here you have the swatches. Pretty, aren’t they?!

Definitely check this little palette out, especially if you have the right skin colour! It would look amazingly on your skin!

For the obvious reasons I told you about at the beginning of this post, I’m selling this beauty hoping that it will find itself a better owner to love and cherish it the way I should. See my on-going blog sale here! Have a look! Who knows, you might find something that you can’t live without there!?

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie 

 

 

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NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross – review

Tags

#narsissist, Albatross, blush, highlighter, Highlighting Blush Powder, NARS, NARS Highlighting Blush Powder Albatross, review, swatches

F*** that little Mouse,

Cuz I’m an Albatraoz!…

AronChupa*

[ Pardon the nasty language lovelies, but this tune starts playing inside my head every time I see the NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross. Plus it’s such an amazing working out beat, don’t you think?! ]

Now, check out this highlighters reviewing spree I’ve been lately!? I did Tom Ford, BECCA Cosmetics, Kevyn Aucoin and now this amazing NARS number here… Isn’t it gorgeous!?

NARS Albatross is marketed as a highlighting blusher, but if you think “traditional “blushers ( like most of NARS blushers that in a single swipe pack on a lot of colour on your cheeks, for instance! ), please hold it right there!

Albatross is rather a highlighter than a blusher! More of an extra-step in your makeup routine, meant to add +glow to your face if you’re into that kind of look. Therefore I don’t think it should be considered or used by itself as a blusher only!

No room for disappointments with this one though!… Because it is a highlighting powder with such a gorgeous golden sheen – the perfect balance between an almost translucent white base and the most glorious gold shimmers! When applied, the powder reveals cool-toned white undertones sprinkled with the most finely milled shimmers, that create such a beautiful radiance to the skin, instantly brightening your whole makeup!

The powder is so finely milled that it feels so soft and feathery on the skin! It’s a real pleasure to apply and it blends flawlessly into your makeup! It doesn’t sit on top of your cream products and it doesn’t make them look heavy!

In fact I’ve used it several times on top of my favourite cream highlighter the Kevyn Aucoin Candelight to set it and, I kid you not, this combination lasted me all day! Plus the final result was mind blowing – it created nothing but a lightweight, “luminous glow”**.

[ Don’t be put off by the glitters you see in the swatches above as Albatross transfers as such a natural colour on the cheeks! ]

Albatross is part of the Highlighting Blush series, NARS designed to help illuminate your complexion rather than to add colour.

Beside Albatross you also have:

– Miss Liberty – a “soft shimmering peach”**

– New Order – a “sheer highlighter with golden shimmer”** and purple undertones

– Satellite of Love – a “sparkling gold sand”**

Great product and so many options, right? What do you think about it lovelies?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

 

 

 

INTERESTING FACT:

– *AronChupa – I’m an Albatraoz

• **description taken from NARS EU website, where these shades are also available for purchase!

NARS Deep Throat Blush – review, comparisons, swatches

Tags

#narsissist, blush, comparisons, Deep Throat, NARS, review, swatches

I’m fairly new to NARS products but they’re definitely some of my favourites I have tried so far! So I can fit into the #narsissist tag as well as any NARS long time lover out there! You know what I mean, right?

Knowing my obsession with blushers, these were one of the first products I had my eyes on. I really wanted their cult product Orgasm, but when I got the chance to swatch, I decided that the glittery show it put on wasn’t for me… So I went for a mild version of it… Deep Throat.

NARS Deep Throat Blush is a “flirty, sheer peach”* with fine, golden shimmers that gives your cheeks the most beautiful, natural look. It can easily fit in the family of the peachy-corals as well, but a warmer one due to the pink undertones that makes it the perfect balance between a true coral that can often pull out orange on certain complexions, and those red blushers. This will never happen with Deep Throat!

Made with the finest milled powder, you can bet on a soft, blendable texture and an application with a minimum of effort thanks to highest-intensity hues. This is not the most pigmented NARS blusher ( think Exibit A! ). Applied with a light hand it transfers on the cheeks more of a pigmented highlighter, which makes it excellent for an everyday wear. But don’t worry it can be built up to a higher intensity and still look naturally gorgeous!

This is a swatch-comparison I did a while back when I wrote the review on my Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blusher in Love Glow, where you can see comparisons of several blushers from my collection that are pretty similar to Deep Throat.

[ Can you sense a theme here?! But believe me, they all are unique in their own way! At least I can see the difference!… ]

The packaging is the slick, ruberized one NARS has us used with! Lovely, but not practical because it collects fingerprints like crazy! But if that doesn’t bother you that’s fine! I, for once, I’m mesmerized with what’s inside it to see whatever flaws it might have!

Overall, I’m really pleased with how this one performs on me! It has everything  expected from a blush in the most balanced way possible! I definitely recommend Deep Throat for those of you who like a natural, effortless, soft look!

Have you tried NARS blushers yet? what do you think, they’re worth the hype? And what would you recommend to try next?

*Description taken from NARS website.

Two Spring Blushes DOLCE & GABBANA #10 Nude and #33 Rosebud

Tags

#10 Nude, #33 Rosebud, blush, D&G, Dolce & Gabbana, Dolce & Gabbana The Blush Luminous Cheek Colour, review, swatches

Maybe it’s because I can finally enjoy the most welcomed Spring weather ( hello May! ), but lately I’ve been trying to do less of a “heavy” makeup. And with the weather changing and getting warmer, I finally ditched the bold, dark, plummy, wine lip and the festive reds ( well, that’s not entirely true! ) for softer pink colours. I also reached more for my BB Creams and my lightweight formula foundations from NARS and Dior, instead of a heavy-duty base, like the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk.

My blush preferences also changed inevitably! Not only the colours I wanted were more pink and peachy, but I didn’t wanted my blushes to be obvious, to sit on my skin, if that makes any sense…

I couldn’t wait to use the Dolce & Gabbana The Blush Luminous Cheek Colour, since I purchased them last autumn and they’ve been waiting in their drawer as impatiently as myself, for the first signs of Spring!

These two blushes are exactly what I’m looking for at the moment! They do an amazing job at just “melting” into your makeup base, giving you that partially translucent look, yet “enough” amount of colour for a fresh-looking face appropriate for the Spring season.

 – this is a photo I published on my Instagram account that everybody seemed to love

Last year in Spring, I focused myself mainly on “obvious” pinks choosing blushes like Dior Rosy Glow #001 Petal, Chanel Joue Contraste #72 Rose Initiale or #86 Discrétion. This year I went for a more neutral look, starting with this Dolce & Gabbana The Blush Luminous Cheek Colour, in #10 Nude.

You’d be tempted to say that Nude is definitely a peach shade from the way it appears in its chic, gold-metal case compact. But this slightly peachy, soft powder goes definitely nude on the skin, as its name suggests –  maybe with the slightest tinge of peach…

It’s one of those neutral blush shades that is great for contouring as well ( of course, for certain skin tones ) or for adding just a hint of discreet warmth to your cheeks. I used it both ways and the result was lovely! Even if it’s an absolutely gorgeous colour, I think it works the best for fair to medium skin tones… I’m afraid it may be too light to show up on complexions darker than that.

On the other hand, the Dolce & Gabbana The Blush Luminous Cheek Colour, in #33 Rosebud would be a safer choice for almost all skin tones; perfect for all those seeking for a “natural glow”, with a healthy pop of colour.

Of course, I still couldn’t resist this little pink treasure here!

Even if you can notice some peachy undertones in it, Rosebud gives away the most beautiful, soft pink, healthy flush on my cheeks. I love how fresh makes my complexion look, and goes so well with different lipsticks – both with soft pink colours, and with bright pinks to bold fuchsias, as well.

Here you have the swatches:

– Dolce & Gabbana #10 Nude

– Dolce & Gabbana #33 Rosebud

Both blushers are finely milled and feel soft to the touch, very blendable and last well on the cheeks. I recon, Nude and Rosebud are not terribly unique shades, but they definitely are very natural and flattering on the skin. And I think that precisely for not being that intensely pigmented colours, they make an excellent choice for these warm Spring days!

What are your blush options this Spring? Please share!

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

 

INTERESTING FACTS:

– here’s a video on how the fabulous Pat McGrath used these blushers ( not these particular two, but other amazing colours that might also interest you! Just saying! ) to create a gorgeous summer makeup look, for the Dolce&Gabbana SS13 Fashion Show. Mood: Sicilian summer. If you miss summer, you have to watch this!

Source: Dolce & Gabbana on You Tube.

– also, here you have another look created by the same amazingly talented Pat McGrath at Dolce & Gabbana’s sneak preview of their recently released first-ever matte lipstick, the Dolce Matte Lipstick.

– photo credits: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com

– the look for the actual campaign is the work of Makeup Artist Tom Pecheux, another talented MUA. See the behind the scenes of the whole campaign, here and a few more pictures down below.

– as seen on www.dolcegabbana.com

New in… NARS #narsissist

Tags

#narsissist, Albatross, Alhambra, Ashes to Ashes, blush, Cordura, Deep Throat, eyeshadow, haul, Mekong, Melusine, NARS

How much I wished to be able to use the #narsissist in my Instagram photos you have no idea! 

Now that Selfridges.com did me this immense joy and made shipping available for some selected NARS items, this is the final result! A bunch of eyeshadows and two beautiful, beautiful blushes!

I’ll take the blushes out of the way first, as they were the first that went into my cart!

So, without second thoughts, I picked Deep Throat, one of NARS‘ cult favourite blushes among the beauty addicts all-over the world. It’s one of their most best selling blushes, right next to Orgasm ( which btw wasn’t available ).

And my second pick was this gorgeous highlighting, gold hued blush with an absolutely gorgeous name: Albatross. Can’t wait to use this one too!

My favourite makeup God, Peter Philips from Dior ( I’m sure you already know who I’m talking about if you followed my makeup obsessive rambles for a while! ) used this amazing pink-toned highlighting Diorblush in #536 Peach Splendor for the makeup look on the Ready-to-Wear Spring 2015 Colection. I instantly felt in love with the colour and the soft, diffused effect on the cheeks ( You can read the whole post about the entire Dior S/S 2015 makeup collection here).

I have high hopes that with Albatross I will get the same soft effect: a golden, diffused touch!

As you can see I went a bit eyeshadow crazy too! According to the reviews I red online, these are amazing as well! So I got myself “a few” to try out!

Of course I went for neutrals first! Alhambra – a beautiful little palette I see myself reaching for everyday. Cordura, another beautiful eyeshadow palette, the colours are more dark and intense, excellent for a smokey eye. Alhambra and Cordura coordinate themselves in colour so a combination between the two is most likely to happen!

The last eyeshadow palette I went for was in a bolder colour combination! It has this name that always puts a smile on my face: Mélusine. Behind this lovely name there’s also a funny character… But I will tell you more about it when I will write a proper review.

I also picked two gorgeous single eye shadows, one in a not-so-surprisingly taupe colour Ashes to Ashes and another one, Mekong, in the most gorgeous deep, dark chocolate brown, with iridescent specks of glitter… just because it was too gorgeous not to! […]

This was it… For now!

Next I would love to get my hands on a couple of their new Audacious Lipsticks Collection lipsticks ( I currently have 5 on my list!? ), but most of the shades I want are only for English buyers with the Buy&Collect program or they’re currently out of stock.

Same questions as in my previous “New in…”, the Charlotte Tilbury makeup post…  What recommendations do you have for me? What are your NARS favourites and what should I get next? And, of course, what product do you want me to review first?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush Palette – review, swatches… It’s good to have great friends that make your every wish come true!

Tags

Ambient Lighting Blush Palette, blush, Hourglass, Incandescent Electra, Luminous Flush, Mood Exposure

When I blogged the launch of this little gem ( Literally! Look how gorgeous and sparkly it is! ), back in September, I was browsing the new, updated Hourglass website for new shades to add to my shopping list! I knew for sure I wanted Mood Exposure and another one… Imagine my excitement when I saw what the Palette looked like…

I was waiting for a palette with my favourite Ambient Lighting Blushes ever since Hourglass released the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette. The concept was so well received that I thought to myself ” no way they will pass on coming on the market with a blush palette too! “. It turned out I was anticipating correctly…

Mood Exposure is the right colour for Autumn in my opinion! It was the first shadow I was drawn to when these blushes were released, but always found myself excuses not to buy it. I can describe it, as the majority of the bloggers did: a “soft plum”! A delicate plum combined with soft rosy hues and with subtle warm undertones peeking through ( see swatches in the picture below ). It looks more neutral and cool in the pan but applied and blended it gives my cheeks such a beautiful, natural colour with a light satin finish!

Lumious Flush on the other hand is a brighter colour! In the pan, it looks like a bright-pink coral with warm undertones. It definitely leaves a more golden-champagny-luminous finish to your skin.

Luminous Flush is a weird one. In some lights it might look pinkier almost fuchsia-like but in certain lights it can be considered a solid coral. It also depends on the undertones of your skin. On me it shows up more as pink with soft coral undertones, since I have more rosy undertones. I haven’t use it yet on someone with yellow, golden skin… Oh, how I’d love to see how it works on such beautiful skin type!

They both are in the permanent line, Mood Exposure being already on my wish list and a Luminous Flush I wasn’t even contemplating the idea of thinking I might want it! And how glad I am it came in this palette because it truly is a gorgeous colour!

But the cherry on top has to be the Limited Edition shade, Incandescent Electra! It took me quite a while to find the right words to describe such a gorgeous colour! Just take a moment to look at it… It is a gorgeous, gorgeous blush! The colour is unique, not like anything else I have in my perennial growing makeup collection!… It’s a cool peach blush which on my pale skin looks more of a cute baby rose, so fragile and delicate, with warm undertones and a luminous finish…

 – from Left to Right: Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra, Mood Exposure.

For more details on the composition of these blushes you can find in a previous review I did on my other two Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes I own: Ethereal Glow and Dim Infusion, and the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette.

I want to remind you though, that Hourglass products are paraben, talc, fragrance, nano-particle and gluten free.

Thank you, Gods of Makeup… and my beautiful friend Marie, who lives in England at the moment. She was sweet enough to snatch one Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette for me and send it as an early birthday present! ( Wow! Birthday next month?! Already?! Getting irreversibly old, people! I AM getting old… )

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE # 72, ROSE INITIALE

Tags

blush, chanel, high end, Joues Contraste, makeup, peach, pink, review, swatches

My fascination with Chanel makeup goes back so many years! I clearly remember the day I bought my first item. It was an Aqualumière Lip Gloss, in a rosy shade; sadly I don’t remember the name of it, nor the number… But I know it was similar in color to Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick – Magnolia ( # 117 ), in a lip gloss formula.

Today I’ m bringing you a review on a Chanel favourite that has a special meaning to me. Here you have my very first Chanel blush in Rose Initiale, #72.

It came out with Les Essentials de Chanel Fall 2012 Collection and it was a great addition to the permanent line. The instant I saw it, I fell in love. ( I know! You are right! I have a weird relationship with my makeup… Anyone else?… No? Oh! ok!… )

It is a warm-ish pink that doesn’t lean too warm. It shows a bit of peach in it and this makes it suitable for many skin tones. I see it similar to NARS Orgasm, except without, the overpowering shimmer. I’m not a fan of glittery blushes!

The pigmentation of a Chanel blush never disappointed me. It wasn’t the case with Rose Initiale either. Like many Chanel blushes it is just the right amount of colour; not too little, not too much. It is great for an everyday blush, but I find it easily buildable for a night out.

        – Chanel Joues Contraste #72 Rose Initiale, heavily swatched and a just a swipe of color

The formulation is very soft, very smooth and a little bit powdery, but only because it is so finely mild. It is a good thing that when applied on your cheeks it doesn’t make you look as if you put flour on your face.

I wore it without any fading problems for about 8 hours, at work. After that I reapplied it a bit.

Another plus: it smells like a bunch of roses, picked up from a french garden, in the morning.

The compact is all black with the Chanel logo ( No surprise there! ). The entire lid is a large mirror on the inside, and it comes with a little brush, that you already know I use without complaining.  For best results, use a decent size brush, or the one you are used to and use the little brush that comes with the compact for touch ups, or if you are on the go.

See you soon, beautiful people!

xx, Annie

CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE powder blush in no 86 DISCRÉTION

Tags

blush, chanel, cosmetic, Discrétion, Joues Contraste, makeup, review, rose, scent, soft pink, spring

Ah! Chanel… Every girl’s dream!

Who wouldn’t love a bit of Chanel blush on their cheeks?!

My favourite at the moment is the Chanel Joue Contraste powder blush in Discrétion, #86. I bought it last fall from my local Sephora, on an absolute whim, because I was actually looking for the perfect nude lipstick ( still looking for that one!… ). So, the beauty and the delicacy of the Joue Contrastes lured me in – once again – and made me bring this beauty home with me.

The colour is a soft, light pink with a neutral almost warm undertone. In some lights you can even see a hint of coral undertone in it. But what attracted me to this blush in the first place was the color it presents in the pan. I looks like a pale baby pink, with iridescent micro shimmers; that will not transfer a lot on the cheeks. The shade itself is soft, it has a decent pigmentation and it can be build up easily; as you can see in the swatches below.

         – for comparison you can see JC Blush  #86 – Discrétion ( bottom ) swatched heavily and then light, next to JC Blush #72 Rose – Initiale ( top ).

I find the texture of this blush more powdery than what Chanel blushes got me used to. It feels noticeably more buttery soft than the other JC of baked version in the permanent line, that’s why I recommend applying it with a softer or finer bristled brush – like Tom Ford’s blush brush. But I’m also applying it with the brush that comes with it. No complains there!

With Discrétion, I usually need one or two swipes for the colour to show on my face the way I like it. With the other JCs I own, that are in baked formula also, I have to insist a bit more to obtain the natural flush of colour I like.

It smells like roses, which is the signature scent for all the Chanel makeup products. When I use this blush my whole room smells like roses for a while.

The packaging is sleek, as Chanel used us with; black with the well known white CC logo. It comes with the usual external packaging, the black velvet pouch, a brush that I, personally, am ok with and when you open it for the first time you can see a plastic dome that protects the blush itself. ( That is if/when you recover yourself from that rose scent that will literally hit you in the face, with all it’s awesomenes… )

Bottom line: Chanel Joue Contraste Blush #86 Discrétion is a must have in your blush collection if you like pretty, pink, soft blushes.

See you soon, beautiful people!

xx, Annie