Summer 2011: Soleil Tan de Chanel in Bronze Corail

It's Harvest Festival this week in Sabah and Sarawak. Kotobian tadau do tagazo do kaamatan, tanak negeri Sabah!)

I think there is an unwritten Law of Shopping which runs thus: "When you have nothing to buy and have no plans to buy anything, you WILL end up buying something -- something expensive."

Take two weeks ago for example. I dropped by the Chanel counter to pick up a lip pencil for my mother. It was just supposed to be a quick dash in and out as I had the item on hold for the longest time. I was chatting to the MUA, Adeline, when my eye fell on the Summer 2011 makeup collection. She followed my gaze.

"Pretty, right?" she commented. "We just launched it yesterday. Customers have been calling non-stop for weeks to see it has arrived. Some came in minutes when they heard it was here. Think we'll be sold out soon. Want to try?"

I sat, she demonstrated and I was conquered. I have a sneaking weakness for coral blushes and this particular shade made my cheeks look so pretty and glowy, I fell head over heels in love. The coral blush made my skin look like they were glowing from within.

"How many palettes do you have left?" I asked.

Adeline smiled. "Just two."

Weekend Sneak Peek: Soleil Tan de Chanel in Bronze Corail

Bought this the day after the Summer Collection 2011 launched in Sabah. I bought the second last powder in Bronze Corail, meaning that there's only one left at Suria Sabah. Rush if you want this ladies!

Glowy Maui ~

Oh Bobbi. How you do me in.

I first laid eyes on Bobbi's Illuminating Bronzer Powder many months back when it was first out. Of the many colours I saw, Maui stood out. It was a gorgeous coral, with gold shimmer.

Where others saw a bronzer, I saw blush. And when I swatched it, my heart told me it was love-worthy. It was beyond beautiful. But I walked away. Because logic told me I did.not.need. another coral blush. I walked away.


And three months later, I was back at the Bobbi Brown counter, making a purchase. I could not resist its siren-song.

With my favourite blush brush, it applies like a dream. Three swipes is all it takes to get me glowing. Faking the glow never got easier.

Encased in black casing, complete with a big mirror, Bobbi packs in a lotta blush. All 9gms of it.

It's gorgeous. All coral and shimmery gold. For all of One-hundred and fifteen.


Oh Bobbi. How you do me in.

Review: Revlon Beyond Naturals Bronze/Blush & Liptints with SPF15

I love it when I've been eyeing a product, really wanting it, but being a good girl and not buying it... and then have those exact products land on my desk.

Not that getting the Beyond Naturals bronze/blush in peach and the lipting in berry stopped me from spending. I loved the tint so much that when I saw it on sale that evening for RM24.50 (NP RM31.90) I immediately snapped up a tube in rosy pink. And now having used the bronze/blush for awhile, I'm eyeing the one in pink! Help!

Lip Tint with SPF15
It's ironic that the main complaint for these two products is that the lip tint is too pigmented, and the blush/bronze isn't pigmented enough! If you're expecting faint colour from these lippies, you won't get it. They are quite pigmented. What makes them a lip tint and not a lipstick is the formula. Instead of laying down a thicker creamy layer, this makes it look like your lips have been stained. The finish is not glossy but it's not matte either - it just looks like your lips with a slick of lipbalm

(L-R) Berry, Rosy Pink

I love both shades I have. Berry would be awesome in autumn (wrong country I know) but I can see myself using this for days when I want my makeup to be richer. Christmas dinners perhaps paired with a gold toned dress or deep rich jewel tones.

Berry

Rosy Pink is my honest to goodness MLBB shade (pic under Bronze/Blush section). Here's how Syen and I chose ours MLBB shades from this range. We both swatched Rosy Pink and Rosy on our hands and I swear Rosy looked more orange on me than on her, while Rosy Pink looked more pink on her than on me. Our chosen shades don't just perk up our lips they flatter our skintones. Syen reports that Rosy makes her face look brighter and fresher and I can say the same for Rosy Pink. So there's your shade selection guide right there!

The berry scents make the liptints smell of jam, or of berry-flavoured candy. I adore it although some ladies may find it cloying or too juvenile. The SPF15 included makes these liptints seem so wholesome - like non-makeup, makeup. Which is partially why they're so attractive I believe. We all have days where much as we love makeup we want to be naturally lovely without it. These liptints not only let me fake the look, they let me lie to me!

Bronze / Blush in Peach

Sorry for the weird hair, it was freshly washed in the pic. When swatched, the bronze/blush in Peach is not pigmented in the least. But when applied it gives your face a glow. Not a sparkly disco-ball glow, but one that makes you look like you've had 8-hrs sleep and a lovely walk in the park under a sunny sky. Sunkissed and happy. I find myself slightly addicted to it, and if I wasn't almost absolutely sure that the Pink shade would look precisely the same on my cheeks, and these duos didn't cost RM53 a pop, I would run out a buy another.

The bronzer is pigmented enough to contour and the blush bright enough to highlight and give your cheeks a pop. But neither are pigmented enough to make you look clownish. Fabulous, no?

I often use just the bronzer under my cheek bones, swirl both colours together and blend it into my cheeks as a blush, and apply only the peach shade on my apples for a pop. Perfect faking it. I rather wish they'd bring in the eye palette I KNOW I'd love it. Natural fuss-free browns in finger-friendly formula (for days when coffee has no effect and brushes require more IQ than you have alert braincells for). I can see myself bringing the collection on a holiday and being happy as a bug in a rug.

Conclusion
Revlon has hit the nail on the head with their Beyond Naturals collection. Great no-makeup, makeup they make you look like a prettier you. Even for makeup junkies like myself, that's sometimes all I really want.

Duped: Benefit's 10 Highlighter/ Bronzer Duo (Again)

This is the second Benefit 10 dupe featured on So Loverly! You can read all about the first one here and Kahani's rave on the real deal here

I stumbled upon the new Australis Duo Powders a few days ago and was thinking, "Hmm... This looks familiar... " when lightbulbs started going off in my head.

"NARS Blush and Bronzing Duos! Eh, no... The NARS powders are in separate pans and e.l.f. does their dupe."

Then I got it.

"Benefit's 10!"

So smack me and call me a dodo, it took me that long to figure it out. The square compact, the dual toned powder and the large brush would have had anyone else squealing "DUPE" within 3 seconds. Even the application instructions are similar to Benefit's sexy sweep.

I have only checked these out at Target but from what i have seen so far, the Australis Powder Duos seems a lot more travel-friendly from Benefit's 10. The packaging isn't as pretty as Benefit's 10 as it comes in a plain black square, palm-sized plastic compact. But it seems to be pretty sturdy with a good clip and there are two compartments -- one for the brush and another for the powder -- and a mirror.

A point in the Australis Duo's favour is that this comes in 3 different shades (from left to right in the picture): Sunkissed Glimmer, Rosy Bronze and Sunkissed Gold. Sunkisser Glimmer is more of a highlighter/ bronzer duo whilst the other two are blush/ bronzer duos. I would recommend Sunkissed Glimmer for the really fair, Sunkissed Gold for those with fair to light/ medium tones and Rosy Bronze for darker skin tones. I am personally lemming for Rosy Bronze as a blush/ bronzer and Sunkissed Gold as a highlighter/ bronzer.

I don't have swatches of these (lighting in Target is horrible!) but the powder duos seems to be rather smooth and pigmented with a light shimmery finish. I was pleased to see that it was pretty-discrete shimmery, not in-your-face-disco-ball shimmery.

These would be lovely products for the summer and I think Australis made a mistake by not launching them earlier in the year. However, this doesn't seem to have affected sales as Sunkissed Glimmer was completely sold out when I spotted these the other day.

I haven't had the chance to try Benefit's 10 so I can't say for sure how well these two products compare in quality. Judging from the packaging (travel-friendly packaging is always a big point for me), variety and price, I think the Australis Powder Duo wins out for me. Instead of spending AUD 49, I could buy all 3 duos and have change for a movie.

The Australis Powder Duos is a Target exclusive product so hop over to your nearest Target and check it out!

Cafe Me Likey!

A while back, when I posted about my first NYX haul, a reader, Engmin asked if I could do a post showing how to use the NYX Mosaic Powder in Cafe.

Of course I can! =)

Many apologies it's taken a little while, but here it is!

Although it does look rather dark and foreboding in the pan, I'm pleased to announce that it's actually one very friendly bronzer. Instead of giving you streaks of brown, this one is actually gives you more of a golden glow. Which is just lovely.

Here, I've applied only some foundation and powder, before I dust on any bronzer or blush. As you can see, my skin looks somewhat sallow and pale.

So the next step is to use a nice fluffy brush, like say this Coastal Scents one, and lightly dust Cafe on. Just smile, and dust dust dust on your cheeks. Like how you would apply your blush. I like to have the brush go over the area again in a circular buffing manner too. As I didn't find Cafe very pigmented, I could apply up to about three swipes.

Also, after dusting on your cheeks, just lightly go over your forehead and the bridge of your nose, where the sun would hit your face. It'll perk up your complexion in no time.

As you can see here, my complexion seems to have brightened a little. And as you should also be able to see, even after three swipes, it still looks very natural. So don't worry about adding a little more of that Mosaic Powder. You won't end up looking like you fell in the mudpond, promise!

And to finish up the simple look, I just added a wee bit of Bobbi Brown's Nectar blush to the apples of my cheeks. Add lipbalm, and voila! Done!

Oooh, just a little note that I love to use my EcoTools blush brush for bright pigmented blushers. It seems to pick up less pigment and diffuses it nicely over the cheek area for a quick and no-fuss blush application. LOVE!

Easy peasy right? If you don't have Nectar, any bright pink, peach or coral blush should do as well.

Hope this was helpful, Engmin. Do let me know if you've rocked it! =)

Duped: Benefit's Ten Highlighter/Bronzer Duo

You may mock it's admittedly ludicrous name, but in being a rather decent dupe of a product over 21X it's cost, Nose Shadow will have the last laugh!

Ok, so that was a tad over the top. But seriously, finding a credible dupe for RM5 is every budget beauty maven's dream! I won't pretend that the Nose Shadow here is the equal of Benefit's Ten in functioning as a highlighter and bronzer, but it may surpass its more expensive rival as a contour palette!

Read on for a comparison.


Found in Daiso (The Curve, Mutiara Damansara) Nose Shadow is marketed as err... powder for contouring your nose. And in actual fact it does work very well as a mini contour palette. In a sturdy plastic case, it features a sheer, matte, medium-dark brown shade for contouring, and a sheer, matte white shade for highlighting.

Because both shades are matte, I believe Nose Shadow surpasses Benefit's Ten for use on an oily nose, and in terms of natural contouring for day-wear all over the face. However, the shimmery pretty bronzy and pale pink shades in Ten make it more glamourous for night-use, and prettier as a day-time bronzer & highlighter.

In a nutshell, Nose Shadow is more natural, and is for straight up countouring. While Ten is more glowy, and works better as a bronzer/highlighter/blush.

Oh, and if you want to do the "Sexy Sweep" I don't see why it won't work just as well with the half-and-half Nose Shadow as it does with Benefit's Ten.

Usage

For both products, my brush of choice is the petite fibre optic blush brush from Silk Naturals. It lays down a sheer and natural amount of pigment that can be built up, and it's small head (1.5cm in diameter) allows precision and control around the nose and under the cheek bones.

I brush the brown/countouring shade down the side of my nose from my tear ducts to my nostrils (Tyra's tip to focus attention on the eyes), under my cheek bones, along my hair-line and the sides of my face (to make my face appear less round), and under my chin to define my jawline. I then dust the white/pink/highlighting shade on my cheek bones, verrryyy lightly down my nose bridge, on my eye brow bone, and on the tip of my chin. And oh, for plumper lips it really does work to dust some highlighter above the top lip, and countourer under the bottom lip.

Then using a tip from Leesha of xsparkage, I blend the highlighter and contourer on my cheeks with a sheer blush and dust face powder over the whole to give it a more natural look.

For more contouring tips, watch Leesha's great video. Warning, it will make you want to rush out and buy that gorgeous Coastal Scents contour and blush palette! (Note I'm rather addicted to Leesha's great vids. Unlike many other You Tubers she's articulate, not-annoying, not too fast or slow, and her videos are pretty educational! Check out "the perfect red lip tute" too).

NYX Haul: Round One

Hehe. After reading and hearing so much about NYX, I think it's about time I finally got my grubby little paws on them.

Okay, actually I had no choice. Dear Bee shot us an email one fine day saying Cherry Culture was having discounts on all NYX products. What's a makeup addict to do but throw in her order, right?

And it was really hilarious how Kahani and I did it. We were both rushing for tight deadlines, but Bee's time-constrained offer was too tempting to pass up. And the addicts in us would NOT relent.

So we ended up juggling between writing our stories, browsing for products on Cherry Culture, then researching them on MUA, AND chatting on Gtalk to compare notes. It was a true test of multitasking skills, I tell you. Thank goodness we're women! Girl Power!!! =D

So read on for more haul piccies and the rundown of what I got!

(From left: NYX blush in Peach, Mosaic Powder in Cafe, blush in Natural.)

After being dubbed Blush Princess, how could I not order a few blushers for starters right? I had heard that the blushers were good, and after trying them out, I must say they do not disappoint. Love Cafe, especially. It works really great as a bronzer.

I also made an order of three eyeshadow trios.

(From left: 1. Copacabana, 2. Barely There/Champagne/RootBeer, and 3.Spring Leaf/Lime Green/Green Tea)

(Both Kahani and I ordered a RootBeer trio each after reading the raves on MUA. And it really is that good! Loves it! Especially the middle colour, Champagne.)

(I haven't played as much with Copacabana, so can't say as much.)

(The Spring Leaf trio is a nice basic palette for green eyes. I used this for a green and bronze look recently, and it worked out nicely.)

(The haul was supposed to have stopped with the trios, but at the very last minute, and no thanks to more raves from MUA, I ended with two eyeshadow singles too - Earthy and Mermaid Green. Earthy is a lovely lovely taupe, and Mermaid Green is a very pretty deep green.)

So there you go. My first NYX haul. I'm rather glad the photos stayed pretty true to the actual colours of the products. What do you girls think? Quite the hoarder, aren't I?

And oh, by the way, if you're wondering why I named this post Round One... it's because I like the stuff I got so much, that I've already made another NYX order from Cherry Culture! LOL.

And this time, I ordered even MORE stuff. So wait up for the next haul post when it arrives.

*Sigh*

What can I say? Makeup and books are my crack.

Total RAVE: Benefit Box-O-Powder in 10

I had my doubts about its usefulness when I bought it. But warehouse sales bring reservations down so I picked it up, and I'm so glad I did!

Sure you can get as pretty a bronzer and highlighter separately for less, and normally I would, but it's so handy to have them both in this adorable wee box.

I find myself reaching for this daily as it gives me a subtle glow - the healthy-skin, JLo kind. Plus I can use it to contour my features quickly and easily without looking odd in broad daylight.

Bronzer
This is my favourite part of the box. It's a wonderful shade of bronzer - slightly shimmery but not straight-up bling. It doesn't turn orange, or red, and is very fine and sheer so it blends naturally into my complexion. Yet it's the perfect shade to contour the sides of my face, along the sides of my nose and my jawline while giving me a sun-kissed look.

Highlighter
The highlighter is actually pretty darned shimmery, so apply with a light hand! I usually dust the bronzer where I want to contour and where the sun touches my face with a blush brush (mine is by now-discountinued line, Pout). Then lightly dust the highlighter exactly where I want it, with a blush brush on the apples of my cheek, and with my Everyday Minerals eye kabuki down the bridge of my nose.

Brush
Although Benefit suggests you use their flat, square brush to do the 'sexy sweep':

I say you get better results with your normal makeup brushes. However if you're on the go, it's not a bad brush at all!

The price of this in Malaysia is absolutely silly at RM129. If I can't repurchase it at a massive discount again, I may buy it from the US at $28 - or just make do with SN's Hoola Bronzer dupe and a shimmery highlighter.

Psst!
When creating intense, dramatic looks like a sizzling smokey eye, or a retro red lip, keeping blush to a minimum is a good idea. This product is perfect for nights out as it gives the 'glow' so you won't look washed out. But it isn't really a blush so your face won't look too hectic.

Product Review: The Body Shop Sun Lustre Bronzer & Brush (So pretty!)

Just take a moment, breath deeply and gaze at one of the prettiest makeup sets I've seen in awhile. For that much pretty I can forgive much. Fortunately there's not much to forgive! The Sun Lustre Bronzer and Brush duo is really very lovely.

To be honest and above board, I must confess that I didn't buy the brush and compact. It was given to me by the lovely Gemma of Shiny Media after she completed her review of it for Kiss and Makeup. I fell in love with it on sight and she generously let me have it.

Sun Lustre Bronzer
Did I mention just HOW pretty this compact is? And big, I haven't mentioned this yet, it's HUGE. It's the diameter of one of their tubs of Body Butter. The lovely bronze compact feels solid and well-made and the mirror is gorgeously large - almost framing my entire face. The swirly etchings in the product are quite deep and should last awhile if I'm gentle on it. Initially the product was coated in chunky glitter which horrified me slightly until I realised it was only the surface, and once brushed away the bronzer is still shimmery, but only with very fine golden particles that don't turn me into a psychedelic disco ball!

The bronzer comes in two shades, Bronze Gleam (a golden tan) and Radiant Blush (a pinky golden brown). I have Bronze Gleam and it is indeed lovely. It provides a sheer wash of golden tan colour that is subtle yet visible, providing my sun-deprived skin (curse you English weather) with a natural sun-kissed look that doesn't have the least bit of red or orange in it.

The bronzer is also scented with what the body-shop describes as "bronzed chamomile". Personally, I think of it as a powdery, slightly floral, coconutty scent. It is quite strong in the compact but fades quickly after application. I don't love it but I don't mind it. It's a pleasant enough scent and it does smell summery, plus it doesn't break me out which was my first worry (of course).

All in all, yes you can find bronzers of equal calibre for less than £16, but the gorgeous vintage-y compact and the beautiful presentation makes me forgive it for costing so much!

Sun Lustre Brush
This is an luxurious, beautiful brush that looks amazing with the compact. It is well made, with heft, and a solid feel and the slightly shimmery bristles are extremely soft, but is it worth the £14 price tag?

If you think the look alone is enough, then I suppose it is. But personally I could never steel myself to buy it at that price when any large fluffy brush would do the trick. This brush may look like a kabuki, but it isn't. It's a lot looser and less dense. It does apply a nice sheer wash of colour, but you can find that elsewhere for much cheaper.

Also, while I'm all for synthetic bristles so the poor animals can keep their tails, I really don't think it's fair to charge top dollar for sythetic. Plus the brush has shed a little despite no washing and minimal usage. But it is really very gorgeous. So if you've been wanting a quality bronzing / shimmer brush and would like it to sit around on your vanity looking amazing, this could be the brush for you!

Product Review: Everyday Minerals

Sometime back I ordered the Free Everyday Mineral Sample Kit. It arrived in five adorable jars containing:

• Matte Foundation in Olive Fair & Light Olive
• Intensive Foundation in Light Olive
• Concealer in Intensive Light
• Sparkle Bronzer

After using the products for the last week or so, here's my take on them.

Foundations
I was very impressed with the shades available. The numerous colours even come in 6 different undertones - including the rare and coveted Olive. Initially I was dubious. The last thing I wanted to do was buy a foundation that made me look like this:However, the clear and detailed descriptions provided convinced me. Until now I had always assumed that I was either "warm" or "golden" but truthfully, the former has always been a wee bit beige and the latter a wee bit yellow on me. The Everyday Mineral description opened my eyes:

"If you look at the underside of your arm, your veins are probably greenish. You tan very easily and never burn. You can not wear pastel colors, bold colors work much better on you!! You have probably found that many foundation colors end up looking ashy or pink on your skin"

All the above, with the exception of the bit on pastel colours (I look good in pastel AND bold. HAH. I just have to change my blush and/or lippie), is absolutely true. And sure enough Light Olive in the Matte formulation proved to be just right for me. Olive Fair was a bit too light, and Light Olive in Intensive is too dark!

Matte Foundation
This formulation is the one I prefer by far. Its coverage appeared smoother and heavier to me, and of course, on my terribly oily skin it wore better. However, its coverage was not as complete as J.Lynne's foundation, nor did it hold off the oilies as well even when combined with J.Lynne's matte primer.

It applied well, leaving me with that air-brushed look that only mineral foundations provide. However I was blotting in 2 hours of appliaction, and had to continually touch up during the day. Under this assault the coverage got a little cakey and patchy.

At $12 for a large foundation it is more affordable than J.Lynne and if my skin ever calms down a little I will probably go for it as it is a lovely foundation.

Intensive Foundation
Everyday Minerals intensive foundation is definitely not for me, although others may perfer it. I found that the colour was distinctly darker in the pot than the matte formulation and applied darker too. Its coverage is light - medium and is comparable with Silk Naturals. It has a more shimmery finish though, which is nice, but completely useless against the oilies. I oiled up in an hour and it just melted away by the end of the day.

If you prefer a lighter, more light-reflecting coverage though, this is the foundation for you. Only remember that the shades do seem to run rather dark.

Concealer
This would have been a lovely product if it wasn't too light for me. It covers completely and feels light and airy. It doesn't appear cakey (or at least I'm sure it wouldn't if it matched me better) and lasts quite well throughout the blotting and touching up. This light shade proved to be really quite good at hiding undereye circles without creasing, providing I used a light hand to avoid undereye racoon circles. I may give this concealer another try in a shade that matches me better and provide a fuller review. At $8 for a full size it's pretty good value for money, but a sample pot will last you ages.

Sparkle Bronzer
Described as a "deeper bronzer with a fine hint of sparkle, ideal for light to tan complexion" this product turned out to be a rather alarmingly dark brown in the pot with lots of multicoloured shimmer!

Applied it actually looks quite good, but it's highly pigmented and needs a light and cautious hand. The first time I was in a rush and just slapped it on I looked like I'd been in a dirt-wrestling match!

Colour-wise it's ok. The shimmer isn't too crazy when used, although it's not really subtle enough either. The colour also has a slight reddish undertone which I'm not crazy about as it doesn't look as flattering as golden-toned bronzers, and it really looks awful as an eyeshadow. I look like my eyes are irritated, which is a shame because it is so pigmented it would make a great eyeshadow.

Conclusion
Everyday Minerals is a good solid line of cosmetics that won't disappint, but I wasn't blown away by any of their products. Do give their free sample kit a try as its amazing value and the products could be just what you're looking for. I may give it another go myself as my ambivalence could be simply due to poor colour choice.