Saks Friends & Family: Chanel Glossimers

I took advantage of the Saks Friends & Family discount to stock up on some Chanel Glossimers. I was unable to resist the attraction of the sparkles and shimmer underneath the strategically-placed department store lighting. Oh so bad for my wallet!

Meteore #128
Pin-up #42
Sunset Gold #64
Paillettes #93
Mica #131
Galactic #98
Seashell #87
Twinkle #11
Silex #126

My go-to Glossimer over the last year or so has been Beige Guitare #121. Although there are many other similar glosses on the market, none are quite as pretty! Following are a few comparisons. Note that Burt's Bees is more transparent & less frosty than the others, but is a nice natural alternative.

While at Saks today I stopped by the new Kilian perfume counter and was lucky enough to be given a couple of small samples by my knowledgeable sales associate, Walter. I was impressed by some of Kilian's unique scents and sophisticated black packaging. Walter explained that Kilian is a member of the Hennessy family (famous for their cognac), and for years he worked as a "nose" for such perfume houses as Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, among others, but grew tired of scents being produced only for mass market appeal rather than for the actual art of the fragrance, so he decided to create his own line. I really liked Back to Black, an interesting unisex scent with notes of tobacco and honey.

This weekend I've noticed a few women sporting the cute new Tiffany-blue Chanel nail polish, Nouvelle Vague. This shade could be hard to pull off depending on your outfit, but I think it looks especially nice when worn on the toes with a white summer dress. And it would definitely look great poolside! 

And lastly, here's a look at a cute set of OPI polishes I picked up at Sephora today:

(Modern Flower mini collection, $18)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Some Current Favorites

• Nude/taupe/beige nails
• Pink/gold/peach lips topped with sparkly gloss
• A champagne-gold eye with smudged-out black kohl liner
• Bright peachy-pink blush, applied with a light hand

1. Trish McEvoy Classic Eye Pencil Black
2. Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Zero
3. YSL Golden Gloss #26
4. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Sex Machine
5. NARS Lip Gloss Sweet Dreams
6. MAC Nail Lacquer Abalone Shell
7. Essie Tartufo
8. Essie Be Right Bag
9. 29 Reserves Wine Nectar
10. Chanel Glossimer 128 Meteore
11. Chanel Aqualumiere 92 Monte-Carlo
12. Chanel fluid iridescent eyeshadow 90 Delta
13. Nars blush Amour

Chanel Aqualumiere Monte-Carlo is a nice mix of bright pink & subtle gold shimmer

Essie's Tartufo is a pretty, neutral taupey-beige, made more interesting by a touch of pink iridescence

Nars Amour is a super-pigmented, bright watermelon-pink

Swatches from left to right:  

• Trish McEvoy eye pencil Black
• Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil Zero
• Chanel fluid eyeshadow Delta #90
• Chanel Glossimer Meteore #128
• YSL Golden Gloss #26
• 29 Reserves lipstick Wine Nectar
• Chanel Aqualumiere Monte-Carlo #92
• Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Sex Machine
• Nars lip gloss Sweet Dreams

Introducing guest "product evaluator" Miss Kitty! 

Jemma Kidd Neutral Eyeshadows with Comparisons

After seeing the Jemma Kidd products for months in my local Target, I finally decided to try out some of the eyeshadows. I ordered the shade Vintage on Target.com because it was out of stock in-store. It's a really lovely champagne color with just the right amount of shimmer. I wasn't expecting it to be so pretty on. The pigmentation, texture and lasting power are great. In fact, I am liking this particular shade just as much, if not more, than some of my Bobbi Brown neutrals. After my success with Vintage I picked up a few of the other neutral shades: Editor, a very pretty silvery-plummy taupe, and In Season, a shimmery sandy tan, and the golden/bronzey duo Boho. These shadows look a lot better on than they do in the pan. My favorites are Vintage, with Editor coming in second. Target carries this line and the singles are available for $16, duos for $18. Jemma Kidd cosmetics can also be found at select Neiman Marcus stores, Bloomingdales, and Space NK in New York and New Jersey. There is also a Jemma Kidd "Make Up School" collection that is available at Beauty.com and Dermstore. I haven't tried any of these products out though.

Onward to the photos!

The colors look dull in the pan, possibly due to the embossed JK design. They are more shimmery on application.

VINTAGE Comparison & Swatches:

(Note: I used two different cameras for the product images & swatches, so tones are a little different.)

1. Nars: Silk Road duo
2. Nars: Bohemian Gold duo
3. Bobbi Brown: Nude Beach
4. MAC: Hey (Veluxe Pearl)
5. Chanel: Sillage
6. Bobbi Brown: Copper Sand
7. Bobbi Brown: Champagne Quartz
8. Lorac: Serenity
9. Smashbox: Shell
10. Jemma Kidd: Vintage

More views in different lighting:

The swatch below is more true to life than the others:

IN SEASON Comparison & Swatches:

1. Nars: Hula Hula duo
2. Nars: Indian Summer duo
3. Bare Minerals: Summer
4. Nars: Cyprus
5. Paul & Joe Beaute: 92
6. Bobbi Brown: Golden Leaf
7. Jemma Kidd: In Season

Being much darker, "Golden Leaf" isn't really comparable to the others, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the slight olive tone of "In Season."

Another view:

EDITOR Comparisons & Swatches:

1. Bare Minerals: Queen Tiffany
2. Chanel: Safari
3. Bobbi Brown: Java
4. Nars: Brousse duo
5. MAC: Prepped for Glamour
6. Origins: Cocoa Powder
7. Nars: Cairo
8. Origins: Frosty Fudge
9. Chantecaille: Granite
10. Bobbi Brown: Stone
11. Jemma Kidd: Editor
    
    

Pink Highlighters and Face Powders

Spring is the perfect time to add a touch of pink to your makeup routine. Here is a sampling of some pink-toned highlighters and face powders:

(Correction: The Laura Mercier Shimmberblock pictured below was mislabeled - it is actually Pink Mosaic not Orchid.)

Although Paul & Joe's Canyon Face Powder is described as a "clear pink," as you can see by the swatch, it leans toward the peachy side and doesn't have a lot of shimmer in comparison to the others.

1. Laura Mercier Pink Mosaic Shimmer Block
2. Becca Shimmer Powder Princess
3. Paul & Joe Beaute Face Powder 16 Canyon
4. Sephora Pink / Rose Highlighting Powder
5. Bobbi Brown Rose Shimmer Brick
6. Christian Dior Rose Diamond Shimmer Powder
7. Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Face Highlighter
8. Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmer Brick

Another view in different lighting:

Happy Easter

Picked up a pretty new metallic lavender nail polish today -- a nice shade for spring, I thought. Pictured below: Sephora metallic nail polish in the shade M14 Tectonic.