Deborah Lippmann Staccato Collection I’m Not Edible, Polka Dots and Moonbeams & Rockin’ Robin

Posted on April 4, 2013 by admin

DL I'm not edible, Rockin' Robin & Polka Dots and Moonbeams 1 I love how fun new nail polish trends are! Deborah Lippmann’s Staccato Collection for this Spring is ice-cream themed, and even though I am not a big ice cream fan, I certainly wouldn’t mind my nails looking like it!
According to Deborah Lippmann:

“When creating this formula, I was thinking of ways to make black glitter wearable. I like how the glitter pops with a crème base, and I love that we took very wearable spring shades and gave them more pizzazz – even a bit of an edge.”

DL I'm not edible, Rockin' Robin & Polka Dots and Moonbeams 6

All these are thicker in texture than most Deborah Lippmann polishes, but it’s most probably to suspend the black glitters in the polish. Application is still very easy as the polish self-levels after each coat, and the black glitters are easily and evenly distributed. I love how the black glitters from the first coat turns to grayish after putting on the second coat! You can get an opaque finish with 2 careful coats. DL I'm not edible swatch 16 I’m Not Edible is a bubble gum pink creme with speckled black glitters.
DL I'm not edible swatch 15 DL I'm not edible Swatch 14

Polka Dots and Moonbeams is a white creme base with speckled black glitters. This reminds me so so much of cookies and creme. Rockin’ Robin is a mint green creme with speckled black glitters. My favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate, so Rockin’ Robin has got to be my pick out of the three. DL Rockin' Robin Swatch 11 I only have one polish to compare with Rockin’ Robin, and that’s Illamasqua’s Fragile Nail Varnish (from I’mperfection Collection). Fragile doesn’t have the mint in it, it’s a light sky blue with multi-sized black glitters.

You can find these at any Joyce Beauty counters or Boutiques in Hong Kong. I got mine at Hysan Place. They are each HKD 210.

Dior Sparkling Shine Collection Vernis 553 Princess, 343 Spring Ball, 433 Délice and 643 Diablotine

Posted on April 3, 2013 by admin

Dior Vernis 553 Princess, 343 Spring Ball, 433 Delice, 643 Diablotine Dior released a newly formulated line of Dior Addict Glosses, and accompanying this new launch are 4 new Nail Vernis from the Sparkling Shine Collection – 553 Princess, 343 Spring Ball, 433 Délice and 643 Diablotine.I am in love with these polishes. They all are pigmented, especially Délice and Diablotine, with only 2 coats for an opaque finish. They are slightly thicker in texture, but application was still easy. The sparkles that they give are absolutely gorgeous, it felt like applying lipglosses on my nails! No wonder Dior released these with the new Dior Addict Gloss line!

553 Princess is a sparkling carnation pink with loads of silver and pink shimmers. This is the polish in the collection that I am least excited about. However, It’s pretty nonetheless and it is of excellent quality.

Dior Vernis 553 Princess Dior Vernis 553 Princess 10 Dior Vernis 553 Princess 11

343 Spring Ball is a sparkling peachy pink packed with gold, pink and silver shimmers. 433 Délice is bright sparkling coral with orange/gold, pink and silver shimmers. This is definitely my favorite from the four, it’s gorgeous.

And lastly is 643 Diablotine, which is a beautiful sparkling red coral with also pink, gold and silver shimmer, another amazingly pigmented polish from the collection.

For comparison, I have here all Dior polishes: Rosy Bow (reviewed here), Indie Orange (more pictures here), Rivera (reviewed here) and Calypso (reviewed here).

Dior Vernis Princess, Spring Ball, Delice and Diablotine Nail wheel 5 Rosy Bow is almost the exact dupe of Princess, minus the sparkles. Indie Orange is a dimmed version of Spring Ball, and with only gold shimmers.

Rivera and Délice has a very similar base shade, Délice has shimmer while Rivera doesn’t, so Rivera appears to be more vibrant. Same thing goes with Diablotine and Calypso, but Calypso has a slight pinkish tone to it.

I really love these shades, and I apologize that my photos don’t seem to capture the shimmers well. If you have seen them in person, you’ll know what I mean. (As you may have also noticed, I am experimenting with some new photography “techniques”, hopefully you’re liking them!)

I am also trying the Dior Gel Top Coat, which I am loving so far. I will write a review on it as soon as I find the time!

Chanel Le Blanc Les Delices de Chanel Collection Illusion d’Ombre 90 Convoitise

Posted on April 3, 2013 by admin

Another item from Chanel’s Asia-exclusive Les Delices de Chanel Collection is the Illusion d’Ombre in 90 Convoitise. This item is also available in the Jeux de Regards collection, so even though it’s in an asia-exclusive collection, this is also available in any other parts of the world that carries the Jeux de Regards collection.

Originally I was a little skeptical about getting this, since it reminds me a lot of the Illusion d’Ombre in Apparence from last Holiday’s collection. But in the end I caved and I’m very happy with this addition to my small Illusion d’Ombre collection.
Convoitise is a sparkly pale champagne silverish gold. It blends with my skintone well because of the underlying pink shimmer in it. The texture is just like the other Illusion d’Ombres, it’s spongy soft and easy to blend. The color is great for most skin-tones, and also for everyday wear. I have been using this a lot lately for a clean look (sometimes paired with liquid liner), and also as a base. I definitely need a primer underneath Convoitise as I have oily lids, but I did notice my eye makeup lasts a lot longer (about 10 to 12 hours) with Convoitise underneath as a base shade.

One thing to note is that the best way to use this product is with fingers. I have no idea how to use the product with the eyeliner-like brush provided by Chanel. It just doesn’t seem to pick up much product. As I have mentioned above, Convoitise reminds me of Apparence which was released in the last Holiday Collection. So here’s some comparison pictures and swatches!

Apparence is more gold compared to Convoitise, which has a stronger silver hue. Other than that, they both are similar in terms of wear and texture. I love them both, but perhaps I love Convoitise a little more. It just gives a subtle but pretty sheen to my eyes for a no-makeup look, which I find myself starting to wear more often lately.

Dior Addict Gloss Swatches and Dior Addict Lipstick & Dior Addict Extreme Spring Ball, Delice, Princess and Diablotine Swatches

Posted on April 2, 2013 by admin

According to Dior:

“Color is essential to beauty. Lipstick is a fashion accessory.”

In the creative energy backstage, Dior Addict is a declaration of love for fashion, an electrifying whirlwind of colors. 2013 brings a new declaration of color: Dior Addict Gloss is the new magical touch of fashion and shine.

A burst of laughter, a dash of gloss. Looking into the mirror, the Addict icon playfully creates her color manifesto. A wonderful, passionate game that sweeps her into a whirlwind of 24 full-fashion glossy shades.

A magical formula that gives lips unprecedented shine and incredible comfort. Its secret: The Mirror Shine Complex, polarized crystalline micro-spheres adjust the reflection of light to create the magic of a perfect mirror.

The gel lip care formula, enriched with hyaluronic acid spheres, plumps and moisturizes lips for an intense volume-boosting effect.

A range of 24 new bright, pop colors for an irresistibly vivacious woman who turns heads and draws all eyes.

12 Sparkling: The star shades. The perfect dose of tone on tone glitter, for elegant lips with just the right shine.

6 Pearly: extremely exquisite pearlescent pigments for delicate color and delectable volume.

6 Pure: like a shot of pigments, pure shine to create an entire wardrobe of finishes: milky, syrupy or vinyl-effect lacquer.

013 Etoile, 063 Fascinate, 153 Premiere Soiree, 216 Beige Songe, 223 Angelique (not available in HK yet), 227 Ambre Lumiere, 257 Venus and 267 Nuit de Juin (not available in HK yet).
333 Bal d’Ete, *343 Spring Ball, 363 Dormeuse, 413 Eclipse, *433 Delice, 452 Ailee, 453 Dolly Pink, and *553 Princess. 556 Excentrique, 557 Midnight Pink, 583 Papillon, 593 Coquette, *643 Diablotine, 662 Rose en Diable, 664 Fairy Pink and 686 Fancy Purple. * – 4 Gloss it-shades.

Spring Ball – A soft and tender nude shade. The light and delicate radiance of the ball gowns so dear to Monsieur Dior.

Diablotine – Gives a colorful, sassy display of the sensual red of a fiery seductress or the Trafalgar dress of a Dior runway show.

Princess - A pop pink, impetuous and joyful. The mischievous elegance of princesses dressed by the Couturier.

Delice - A bright, hot coral that invites flirtatious glances, like a craving for a delectable fragrance…

4 shades of Dior Addict Lipstick and 4 more sophisticated shades of Dior Addict Extreme, created in the same colors as the 4 Gloss it-shades.

Dior Addict Extreme: 343 Spring Ball, 433 Delice, 553 Princess and 643 Diablotine. Dior Addict Lipstick: 343 Spring Ball, 433 Delice, 553 Princess and 643 Diablotine.
When I swatched the Dior Addict Glosses, they felt smooth and moisturizing just like the recent Giorgio Armani Flash lacquers (swatched here). However Flash Lacquer seem to have better pigmentation, are glossier and have more variety in shades. Therefore I only went home with 433 Delice.

Have you had a chance to try both Dior Addict Glosses and Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquers? What are your thoughts?

Chanel Le Blanc Les Delices de Chanel Collection Ombres Fleuries Quadra Eyeshadow Palette Delicatesse

Posted on April 1, 2013 by admin

Chanel’s Les Delices de Chanel Collection is an Asia-exclusive collection released this Spring along with new Le Blanc skincare products. It’s moderate-sized collection with a few limited edition products, and the one that definitely caught my eye is the Delicatesse Ombre Fleuries Quadra Eyeshadow Palette. The shadows are beautifully embossed with camilla flowers, I almost didn’t want to swatch the palette because just look how gorgeous the palette is! As for the shades themselves, they have a very similar texture with the Harmonie du Soir Palette from last Holiday’s Palette (reviewed here). They’re just as well pigmented and buttery soft. The shades are a highly metallic aqua silver green, a pearly white with subtle but noticeable celadon shimmers, a shimmery peachy pink, and a soft plumy maroon.
Chanel suggests to layer the pearly white shade on top of the maroon for an almost duo chrome effect, and here I have tried all the other combinations available with maroon as a base. (sorry for the inconsistent lighting!)

From left to right: Pearly white on maroon, peachy pink on maroon and silver green on maroon, and just maroon.

This palette is very easy to use, and with a primer I get a good 10 hours of wear with only minor creases at the inner corners of my oily eyelids. I honestly could not decide which shade is my favorite in the palette, they look gorgeous individually, but also stunning together.

I have been very impressed with recent Chanel palette releases, they’re both beautiful in color and in quality. I guess it is safe to say that you can never go wrong with Chanel eyeshadow palettes!

Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer Swatches

Posted on March 28, 2013 by admin

Today I have for you the Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer swatches!

“Giorgio Armani premieres Flash Lacquer, a crystal shine lip gloss with glowing light and color to reinvent classical gloss.

For the first time, a lip gloss has been formulated with an ingenious self-smoothing texture that weaves an elastic crystal clear film that always reshapes.

Based on the Shape & Shine Memory technology, the new formula follows lips movements and always recreates a perfectly smooth film. Light can be thrown back on every point of the surface for a higher reflection.

A Collection of 18 brilliant colors in three effects -

Linda Cantello – International Make-Up Artist for Giorgio Armani Beauty interprets Giorgio Armani’s art of color crafting in 3 stories of 18 shades: Lacquers – Enamels – Midnight Shimmer.”
These Flash Lacquers are incredibly glossy, and most of them are very pigmented. The shimmers are absolutely gorgeous, they’re moisturizing.

I purchased 202, 303, 522 and 526, and can’t wait to try them out!

You can find these at any Giorgio Armani Beauty counters in Hong Kong at HKD 260 apiece. A few shades are already sold out, but they should be restocking early next week.

DiorSnow Frost Bloom Collection 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette 334 Frost Bloom

Posted on March 23, 2013 by admin

This Frost Bloom 5 Couleurs Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette is another color product from Dior’s Asia-exclusive DiorSnow Frost Bloom Collection released this Spring. While I absolutely adore the nail polishes (reviewed here), the Frost Bloom palette is a disappointment.
The palette looks stunning in promotional pictures, so I purchased this palette unseen with the help from my mum while I was in the States the past month. As someone who’s obsessed with makeup, when you finally get the pretty eyeshadow palette in front of you, your first instinct would be to swatch the palette. I did and I regret it. If I had gone to the counter myself, I could have swatched the palette in the counter and made the right decision to not purchase this. (I couldn’t return it since the return policy in Hong Kong is very strict.)

So what’s wrong with this palette? While the shades look very pretty in the pan, once swatched most of them are simply washes of pearly white-toned colors that look too similar to be in the same palette. We have a frosty light powder blue, frosty sea foam green, another frosty sea foam green but minty, a satin water blue, and lastly a satin peony pink.

The shadows themselves are soft, but could do better in terms of pigmentation. I had to swatch heavier than usual for the swatches below. On my eyes, the pink lost its color so I just get a frosty wash of white. The other shades besides the water blue all look too similar on my lids. For this palette, Dior could have added more variety in the shade selection.

As for wear time, I get a decent 6 hours with a primer underneath, but I honestly expect at least 8 hours from a Dior palette, which also comes with a high price tag.

I seriously doubt that this palette is going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re a fan of light pearly eye looks you may find a liking for this palette since the shades do look very pretty individually and they perform decently. But I would only recommend this if you truly love these shades.

This collection is exclusive to Asia, I am not sure if they will be available in other countries in the future. You can find this collection at any Dior counters all over Hong Kong.

DiorSnow Frost Bloom Collection Nail Vernis 205 Crystal, 307 Nymphea & 357 Peony

Posted on March 17, 2013 by admin

Dior’s Snow Collection is an Asia-exclusive collection released this spring. As a loyal Dior polish fan and collector, I purchased all three polishes from the collection, and love all of them!

205 Crystal is a translucent base packed with iridescent micro glitters. Dior did a great job naming this polish since it definitely reminds me of crystal or snow.

It’s very sheer, that I think it only works as a top coat. I have below a swatch of a white base with Crystal on top. See what I mean when I say it reminds me of crystal or snow?307 Nymphea is a light minty blue. I apologize that my pictures couldn’t capture the hint of green in Nymphea, but I assure you that it’s there!

The texture of this polish is thin. I experience pooling during application so I suggest applying with care. There’s minor streaking during the first coat, but a careful second coat gives full opacity, or else there will be bald spots. It has a highly glossy finish that I didn’t put on a top coat for the swatches. And here are some photos of Nymphea with Crystal on top. 357 Peony is described as a soft peony pink. It’s a very feminine color, and even though it is very pretty, I am not exactly thrilled to see another pink polish from Dior this spring. (Dior’s main Spring collection, Cherie Bow, has two pink polishes, see review here.) Peony also has a thin texture, but not as thin as Nymphea. I did not experience too much pooling during application. Application was smooth and still has to be careful. Two coats give full opacity. And this also has a glossy finish, so I didn’t put on a top coat for the swatches.
And here are photos of Peony with Crystal on top.

I have China Glaze’s Kinetic Candy, NARS’ Kutki, Essie’s Mint Candy Apple, Dior’s Saint Tropez and Chanel’s Coco Blue for comparisons.
The hint of green in Nymphea is most visible here, especially beside NARS’ Kutki and Essie’s Mint Candy Apple which is a true mint. And I have Chanel’s May, Dior’s Rosy Bow and Tutu (Cherie Bow Collection), Essie’s We’re in it Together, and Laura Mercier’s Oh La La for comparison.Dior’s Peony has a bit of a coral quality in it, and is definitely softer compared to the recent Rosy Bow.Overall I do like the colors a lot, and even though Dior’s Peony is just another pink released this spring, I do prefer Peony over Rosy Bow and Tutu. Crystal works very nicely as a top coat, and as you can see from the photos above, it subtly transformed Peony and Nymphea to a frosty snowy finish. Nymphea is a little hard to work with because of the thin texture, but I am willing to work around it since the color is very pretty.

I am not sure if this Asia-exclusive collection will be available elsewhere in the future, but you can find these polishes at any Dior counters in Hong Kong at 195 HKD apiece.

YSL Spring 2013 Arty Stone Collection Y Facettes Palette

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

YSL’s Y Facettes Palette from this Spring’s Arty Stone Collection is probably one of the palettes that I really thought I would give a pass when I saw the promotional pictures. Yes it looks pretty but it just doesn’t seem to be something that I can wear often. And the disappointment from using the last holiday palette is another reason why I was a bit hesitant to get this palette.

Well, luckily I got to try this palette fully during the pre-launching event, and I have to say this palette performs so well both dry and wet, unlike the Holiday Palette!Just like previous collections, YSL does a little something to the packaging of their star product in the collection. This time the top of the palette features Y facets all over. The palette is all shimmery and consists of four jewel tone shades. The top left corner is Malachite, a frosty grassy green. Top right corner is Fluorite, a sheer shimmery candy pink. The bottom left corner is Amethyst, a frosty violet mauve. And the bottom right corner is Azurite, a shimmery medium blue.

This palette, which is a YSL Pure Chromatics Palette is intended to be used both wet and dry, using them wet would add intensity to the colors. But honestly I find the intensity from using them dry is very strong already and I rarely find the need to use the palette wet for better colors at all. And for someone who’s always look for convenience and of course performance in high end makeup brands, this is a huge plus for me. (That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t like the last YSL holiday palette.)

Below are swatches which were done dry.
Below are swatches which were done wet.

I can’t choose a favorite out of the four shades but I do find myself reaching for the taupe shade the most. I love how shimmery but soft the color is!

For longevity, these shadows are not particularly long wearing but I do get a decent wear of about 6-8 hours. I only see minor creases afterwards.

These shadows are very soft and blend easily. And the shades work very nicely with each other too. This is definitely one of the fun palettes to play with this season. I am very grateful that I currently on a month-long no-work trip, because that means I can get playful with my makeup and won’t have to worry about appropriateness!

Guerlain Spring 2013 Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre

Posted on February 21, 2013 by admin

Now that all the spring collections are already out here in Hong Kong, I am so glad to see that the spring palettes are all very different, which is a good thing for me as a beauty junkie, but not so for my wallet… (sigh…) The only green shadows that I own are from the YSL palette from last year’s Fall collection. So when I saw Guerlain’s Coup de Foudre palette I couldn’t resist, especially when the palette includes a coral shade that makes it a lot more interesting. The shades are all shimmery, the left shade is an olive coppery green, the top shade is a coral with golden shimmers, the bottom is a frosty sea foam green, and the right shade is a steel grey with a hint of green.

I thought at first that I may not be able to use the coral shade much, since it’s such an unusual shade, it seems a little too ‘interesting’ to incorporate it into the green eye look. Coral shades tend to make my eyes swollen so that’s also a problem. I used the coral shade on my lower inner lash line for an accent, or used it as a blush, which surprisingly doesn’t fade until about 6 hours of wear on my oily skin.

The shades are very pigmented, and so buttery soft. I did not experience any fall outs during application or wear. The steel grey is definitely my favourite with the hint of green it has. It is pretty long wearing since I find creases only after about 8 hours of wear with primer.

I really enjoy using this palette, and can’t wait to try more Guerlain shadows since this is my first!

kai's obsessions

Obsessions and random things… but mostly about beauty…