4/28/2018

All You Need Are Blush & Macarons! Lancome French Temptation Collection Blushes

I would have to say, my favorite pieces from Lancome's French Temptation Collection are the blushers, of course.

I got both of the Le Teint Blush & Blender Duos, and one of the two Light Cream Duo Cushions. The other duo cushion, 02 Refreshing Pistachio & Pinky Peach are meant to be used as a primer to correct redness, and brighten dull skin. Not a fan of the cushion formula, it was an easy pass for me.

I had my first "blonde" moment, as it took me a good minute to realized that these macaron-shaped thingies were sponge blenders.

The macaron shaped packaging of the Le Teint Blush & Blender Duos in 01 Rose Whipped Cream Blush & Pistachio Blender, and 02 Coral Whipped Cream Blush & Raspberry Blender are cute, but confusing. For example, the rose blush is in the coral-colored macaron, and the coral shade is in the pink one.

The blushes have a firm, creamy, mousse-like consistency; they are not sticky nor wet. Instead, they have a pleasant, soft powdery-velvet texture. I was highly impressed with how intensely pigmented these blushes are. Sometimes cream blusher can disappear when blending them out, but not these Macaroons! They are very easy to apply, blend out, and achieve the desired flush effect. I've used my fingers, the macaroon blenders, beauty blenders, and brushes, and the end result was always lovely. Apart from using them on the cheeks, I've tried both shades on the lids, and lips. I found them too drying for the lips, but gorgeous on the lids, especially 02 coral.

The Light Cream Duo Cushion compact is fairly large; it practically covers the palm of my hand.

I love how the collection's graphic print was extended to the cushion puff; thus, giving it a wardrobe change for Spring.

I solely purchased the 01 Juicy Berry & Luminous Peach Light Cream Duo Cushion for the blush side. The highlighter side does give a subtle dewy sheen, but it contains silver micro shimmer that migrates all over the face once the product dries down. I'm not keen on the micro shimmer, at all! At the counter, I fell for the shade of the blush half of this duo. The blush has the same consistency, and finish, as the other Lancome cushion blushes; hence, giving the complexion a dewy, wash of color.

From left to right: 01 Rose Whipped Cream Blush, 02 Coral Whipped Cream Blush, 01 Juicy Berry & Luminous Peach Light Cream Duo Cushion.

01 Rose Whipped Cream Blush: a warm, yellow-toned, medium pink.

02 Coral Whipped Cream Blush: a vibrant, reddish-coral.

01 Juicy Berry & Luminous Peach Light Cream Duo Cushion: a watermelon pink and a peachy beige with silver micro-glitter.

Between the Le Teint Blush & Blender Duos and the two Light Cream Duo Cushion, the Le Teint Blush & Blender Duos are my favorite. They perform beautifully, look stunning, and wear for over 8+ hours. I keep trying to give these cushion blushes a chance, but I don't think they are for me.

Have you tried any of the blushes from the French Temptation Collection?

4/25/2018

Icing on the Nails...Lancome 430 Icing Pink Le Vernis

In your nail polish collection, which color do you have the least of? For reasons unbeknownst to me, that shade would be pink...and to be specific, the paler shades of pink.

I really like the red, pink and white graphic print of the exterior packaging.

Lancome changed their polish bottles some time ago, and I love the chic new form.

The top of the removable black plastic is adorned with an embossed gold colored plate with the brand's rose logo.

Part of Lancome's French Temptation Spring 2018 Collection, 430 Icing pink is a soft grayish-tinged, lavender-baby pink pastel. with a pink and muted lavender duochrome. The flashes of pink and muted lavender give the polish a special uniqueness, and warmth.

The formula is sheer, but goes on easily and evenly. Depending on your application, and nail line, you can get full coverage with two coats. I love the look of a third coat, which I don' mind doing because the vernis is fun to apply.

By no means is the finish dull. however, Icing Pink does need a top coat to amp up the shine. The polish wore for five days without incident.

A stunning color for Spring, I feel Lancome captured the sugary wonders of French pasties when they created 430 Icing pink.

Did you purchase any polishes from the Lancome's French Temptation Collection?

4/16/2018

Every Rose Has Its Torn...Sabon Rose Tea Shower Oil

Let me preface this post by saying, I love Sabon! With that said, I didn't like March's body wash, the Rose Tea Shower Oil.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm not fan of rose-scented things. I know, I can hear you saying, "then why buy a rose fragranced shower oil, silly?!" Although I don't like rose, I am a big fan of tea scents, and hoped the tea would tame the former.

A limited edition release in Japan, the Rose Tea Shower Oil smelled nice in store; a good balance of tea, with a rose that wasn't noxious. However, after a week of use, the rose notes seemed to come to the foreground...and, not a "pleasant aroma to my sense of smell" way. I found myself using more pumps than needed, just so I can be the shower oil sooner.

Have you tried Sabon's Rose Tea Shower Oil?

4/12/2018

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned...O.P.I Nail Lacquer

My third Helmer filing cabinet (i.e. where I store my nail polishes) is about to reach full capacity, and I really, REALLY don't want to get a fourth. Therefore, it's time to shop my collection, and see if there are any polishes I can get rid of.

First lacquer on the proverbial chopping block is one that I haven't worn in a while, O.P.I's Worth a Pretty Penne.

Released as part of the Fall 2015 Venice Collection, I've always been more inclined to wear Worth a Pretty Penne in the Spring; I consider it to be a pastel version of copper.

Worth a Pretty Penne is a warm, soft rosy-copper foil loaded with micro silver, pink and copper shimmers.

The formula is very watery, yet applies easily, and is opaque in one coat. However, I like to apply a second coat just to give the shade extra depth. Worth a Pretty Penne benefits from being chock-full of micro shimmers as they help to level out the polish and camouflage brush strokes. The lacquer dries down without any texture, but the finish is a little dull; this can be corrected with a good top coat. As for wear time, Worth a Pretty Penne got its first chip on day five.

Originally, I thought Worth a Pretty Penne was going to be on the outs, but I've fallen in love with it again, and it's a keeper.

Worth a Pretty Penne is available on sallybeauty.com. Btw, Sally's is offering a buy 1 get 1 for 50% off mix & match on selected polishes at the moment.

4/08/2018

Can I Help To Cheer You? Coloured Raine Cheers to the Beauty

Hey guys!

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's almost been 3 months since my last post! To those who emailed me privately, asking if I was okay and/or if I had stopped blogging, I want to thank you (again) for your concerns and taking the time to write me. Also, a BIG thank you to everyone on the blog, for sticking with me during this lengthy absence. I will explain why I've been absent for so long, but that's a post for another day.

Before I get into all the Spring beauty products, (as this was the last post in queue before I went MIA) I need to be done with the Coloured Raine "Cheers to the Beauty" Palette. I'm kinda working backwards because this is my second palette from Coloured Raine. I previously purchased Queen of hearts (a long time ago), but this one is going up first.

Lured in by the 1920s-inspired promotional imagery for Cheers to the Beauty, I thought it would be fun to use the palette for a 1920s-themed New Year's Eve I was attending.

Since that evening, I'm been using the palette on and off. And, I must report, that I'm not all that satisfied with it.

Cheers to the Beauty houses 12 eyeshadows and a highlighter (which also looks lovely on the eyes). All the shades are pretty, But, as much as I love green shadows (Lord knows I do), the shade just sticks out like a sore thumb. It feels misplaced and, in my opinion, makes the palette less cohesive. The palette suffers from a lack of a dark, matte shade to add dimension and depth. Instead of the green, I would have included a matte version of black Butterfly (hold the shimmers, please).

From left to right: Boutineer, Powder Room, Rose, Iconic, Diamond Jubilee, Opulence.

Boutineer: a soft, warm peachy-beige matte.

Powder Room: a warm, slighty-muted medium peach matte.

Rose: an intense, tarnished yellow-gold metallic.

Iconic: a rich, medium brown-based taupe metallic.

Diamond Jubilee: a bright, silver with gray undertones metallic.

Opulence: an intense, electrified cobalt blue metallic with violet shimmer.

From left to right: Raise a Glass, Vintage Feels, Debonair, Nightingale, Grandeur, Black Butterfly.

Raise a Glass: a muted, warm, plummy-brownish rose matte.

Vintage Feels: a muted, burnt terracotta matte with micro gold glitter.

Debonair: a warm, muted sangria red matte.

Nightingale: a rich, tarnished, brown-based, antiqued gold metallic.

Grandeur: a rich, blackened-based emerald green metallic.

Black Butterfly: a deep, blackened, midnight bluish-purple metallic with violet and blue shimmer.

Luxurious Bling.

Luxurious Bling: a warm, peachy-beige with a golden-pinkish-peach duochrome.

Below is one of the looks I wore a lot using Cheers to the Beauty. I accidentally deleted the folder with the other three looks I created from the palette. So, I'll have to recreate and post them at a later time.

Look Breakdown:

Face:

Victoria beckham Estee Lauder Morning Aura Illuminating Creme.
Dior Star Studio Makeup Spectacular Brightening Weightless Perfection in 030.
Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette (Used Shadowplay to contour).
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Blissful.
Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder in 2.
Coloured Raine Cheers to the Beauty Palette (used Luxurious Bling to highlight).
Eyes:

B & C Browlash EX Water Strong W Eyebrow in Grey Brown.
Bye Bye Under Eye Illumination Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer in Medium.
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes (used to set the concealer).
Mac Pro Long Wear Paint Pot in Utterly Becoming (used as a base).

MAC Eye Shadow in Brule (all over the lid).
Coloured Raine Cheers to the Beauty Palette:
Boutineer (placed all over the lid).
Powder Room (blended into the crease).
Raise a Glass (blended all over the lid and lower lashline).
Luxurious Bling (patted in the center of the lid and in the inner corner).
Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Wonder Blacks Mascara Smudge Proof in Wonderful Blacks.

Lips:
Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipstick in 109.

Let's start with the positives: all 12 shadows and highlighter are very well pigmented, with great color payoff. They apply and blend smooth and evenly.

These are not negatives for me, but the matte shadows had a good amount of kick-up, and the majority of the metallics were crumbly in the pan.

What I did find annoying was the eye primer game I had to play with the shadows. If I wasn't wearing the right primer underneath, the shadows would fade and crease within 3 to 4 hours.

I had no issue with the highlighter. Again, great color payoff, with a pretty duochrome shift. It didn't emphasize pores or enhance any unsightly texture of the skin.

I like the palette, but I'm not in love with it. It's definitely not a "must have." However, the more I use Cheers to the Beauty, the more I enjoy and appreciate it.