MAC Retrospeck vs. Estee Lauder Glistening Gold

By request, here is a quick comparison of MAC's Retrospeck (Lustre finish/$14.50 for .05 oz) and Estee Lauder's Pure Color Eyeshadow in Glistening Gold (Metallic finish/$20 for .07 oz). These are very similar shades and I would go so far as to say they are almost interchangeable. The differences are subtle--as you can see in the photos Retrospeck is a tad warmer. They are both sheer and shimmery and useful for adding brightness and sparkle to an area, or as a quick all-over wash. I wore both today and didn't detect much of a difference in texture, pigmentation, or wear. Both have just a bit of fallout if not used over a base. At this point I wouldn't say I prefer one over the other, but maybe over time one will emerge as the winner!

Below left in sunlight and to the right, with flash:

Swatches in indoor lighting below:

In sunlight:

May the luck o' the Irish be with you

Wishing all who celebrate it, a happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you remember your green today? I am a big fan of the color green, but only have a few green pieces in my wardrobe and likewise in my makeup collection. Although I do have a handful (OK, maybe two handfuls) of green nail polishes and eye shadows, it's just not a color I reach for that often, and when I do I tend to go for deep, almost-black greens like NARS Zulu. But on a day like today, I thought it more fitting to use a bit of a brighter green (but still not too bright): OPI's Jade is the New Black, from the Hong Kong collection of Spring 2010.

Green jewelry is a quick way to get in the spirit if you don't want to commit to a green outfit or nails. :) 

Gold vermeil earrings with natural stones from Banana Republic (a couple of years old)

Argento Vivo earrings and necklace, Nordstrom ca. 2008

   

And more green...

 Studio M dress, Macy's Summer '10

My love for ruffles is still going strong -- I like the way they drape on this top, and its shade of soft seafoam green is unexpectedly pretty. A fabric-covered button at the back neckline is a nice extra touch.

Ruffled blouse, Kenar

A final look at Jade is the New Black:

Trish McEvoy Glamorous Eye Shadow & Dual Resort Bronzer from the Resort 2011 Collection

Hi everyone. I hope your week is off to a great start! Can it really be Monday already?

Today I have some photos of two pieces I purchased from Trish McEvoy's Resort collection which was released a couple of months ago. I took these photos a while back and then life got in the way and I haven't had a chance to post them until now, but the eyeshadow ($16) and bronzer ($35) are not limited edition products and are currently available at trishmcevoy.com and local counters.

This was a small collection that included some existing products, such as the Dual Resort bronzer, and the #30 Eye Blending Brush, along with a new Classic Lip Color in Natural 16 (not pictured), a new Eye Base Essentials in Rested, and the new eyeshadow featured here, a plum/mulberry wine shade called Glamorous.

Left: Glamorous eyeshadow  Right: Dual Resort Bronzer

When I purchased Dual Resort sight unseen from the Trish website, I wondered what the difference is between Dual Resort and Dual Resort 2 bronzer, which I've had for a while. I hope these photos will be helpful to show the variation between these two. They are both lovely and flattering shades and have a soft and buttery texture. Dual Resort 2 is slightly darker and warmer on application  and may be preferred by those with deeper skin tones; however, I can use either of these on my fair-medium skin (I match to Bobbi Brown Sand). The lighter half of Dual Resort makes a nice subtle highlighter. 

The picture below is most accurate color-wise: 

You can see that the All Over Face Color quad is the darkest when all four shades are swirled together. Of course, you can always go lighter by just picking up the two lighter shades on your brush.

Glamorous is a nice addition to the Trish McEvoy permanent eyeshadow collection. It has medium pigmentation the usual nice smooth Trish texture. This is the kind of shade, though, that must be used carefully as it does have reddish tones which can potentially make one look bruised, sickly or tired. To counteract this effect I make sure to use lots of mascara and a dark eyeliner near the lashline. 

Just for fun I've included some comparisons below with some of the other shadows in my collection. The darkest "definer" shadows, Amethyst, Deep Amethyst, and Deep Aubergine are designed to be liners when used with a liquid transformer.

A closer view of the lighter shades which don't show up well on my skin: 

Here is Glamorous used on outer lid and crease, with Lilac to blend out center of lid and above crease, and Gilded Lily (pictured here) as an inner corner highlight, with Deep Amethyst as liner along with Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liner in Zero on outer corners for more definition. Mascara: Make Up Forever's Smoky Lash in black.

Thanks for visiting! 

Lisa Eldridge and Chanel

Hi everyone and happy Friday! Below is a short video recently posted on the Chanel Makeup Confidential site of makeup artist Lisa Eldridge using some of the products from the spring collection, Les Perles de Chanel. I subscribe to Lisa's newsletter and youtube channel and always enjoy watching her techniques to quickly transform from bare-faced to beautifully defined. Here she does an eye look using the Ombres Perlées palette. This might be helpful to those of you who own this palette or who may still be thinking of purchasing it. (I don't have this one, but did get the Regard Perlé eye quad from this collection back in December.)