Kosé Esprique Precious Dual Gradation Eyes D-2 EOTD

After my pleasant experience with Esprique Precious Dress On Shiny Eyes palettes, it was inevitable to want another palette from the brand, so I picked up D-2 from the Dual Gradation Eyes. A part of their Spring 2011 collection. These are available locally, I bought mine at Rustan's Shangri-la for Php1,450. Surprisingly, price is better there compared to adambeauty! :)

Here is the palette:

Esprique Precious always have very nice compact designs, this one reminds me of MiuMiu Harlequin designs. :)

D-2 has the most gorgeous shade of moss green (A), the main reason why I wanted this palette.

it comes with 2 handy dual-sided applicators which comes standard with Japanese eyeshadow palettes and a plastic sleeve with quick instructions on how to use all 5 shades.

This is the most adorable eyeshadow design I've ever seen in my beauty junkie life, the tiny hearts collectively make a clover shape, which I think is perfect for spring theme! 

The texture of the eyeshadows are soft and buttery, color payoff is superb and staying power is great! The only thing I don't like is the fallout. I always end up with bits of dark powder and loads of shimmer on my face after applying the eyeshadows. >.< 

I recommend putting on eye makeup first before foundation so you won't look like you fell face flat on a floor full of shimmer.

swatches on bare skin:

swatches with primer:

soft and shimmery white cream base, moss green, dark taupe, pinkish cream and apricot highlighters

As you can see its very pigmented they swatch easily even without primer, but I still use primer to minimize fallout and prolong wear.

simple EOTD:

I just followed the recommended application shown in the plastic sleeve, also using Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing mascara if anyone is curious.

Overall a nice palette to have if you like shimmery eyeshadows, but if I can find a dupe for the moss green shade, I'd get that since I already have a lot of palettes with the same cream base, and super shimmery highlight shades.

Thank you for reading!

♡,

G

Spring 2011: Shu Uemura Morphorium Blue Palette

For their spring collection, Shu Uemura turned to the rain forests for inspiration. Aptly named Morphorium, they took the bright colors of the tropical butterfly and successfully made a bold looking palette which will make any beauty junkie weak in the knees.

morpho |ˈmôrfō| noun ( pl. -phos)

a large tropical butterfly, the male of which has bright blue iridescent wings. Native to the Central and South American rain forests.

here's what I got from the workshop last weekend. I took advantage of the exclusive discount as I've been wanting this palette since I saw the ads online! :D

A standard in their palettes, the Morphorium Blue pans are housed in a sturdy plastic case. It's a bit heavy, but I like it better that way. It makes it feel luxurious to touch and carry. The big mirror makes it more travel-friendly.

palette includes 2 dual ended applicators. I like the long and slim sponge applicators, it makes the powder shadows glide on smoothly to my skin. The brush ended one is useless for me. Sorry to say.

the shimmery butterfly overspray will be washed out with wear.

swatches on bare skin:

L-R: (powder eyeshadows) Matte deep purple, pearlescent bright blue, shimmery green which turns golden on the skin and shimmery bronze (cream shadow/liner).

with primer:

blusher:

a cool toned pale pink 

its a great idea to put a faint colored blush in this palette because the eye shadows are already bright and vibrant. The cheeks and lips should be toned down a bit. Its all about the EYES. ^_^

random box photo lol!

As for quality, its standard Shu Uemura, which only means greatness. The shadows are smooth and silky especially the bright blue and the bronze cream shadow/liner. They last the whole day, no fallout even without primer. The blush is also really nice minus the silver shimmer overspray. I just want to brush it off to get to the pale pink blush! xD

If you're a Shu Uemura fan, you like palettes and you're in the mood to sport bright colored eyes this season (which I think is the perfect time to try wearing colorful makeup), this palette is worth checking out in my opinion. I'll do my best to post an EOTD or a FOTD soon. Must look for more ideas on how to wear it! Suggestions are very much welcome. ;)

Thank you for reading!

♡,

G

Spring 2011: Lunasol Ocean Scene Eyes in 01 Warm Ocean, 05 Colorful Ocean

If you have been reading my blog a long time, you will know that Lunasol is my favorite label for eyeshadow palettes. The quality is superb and the color combinations always work together beautifully. This Spring, they focused on the sparkle and nuance of the ocean scene, hence the name of the collection.

There are 5 palettes available and they are all so gorgeous and tempting but I chose the colorful palettes because spring and summer are most the appropriate seasons to play up with fun and vibrant shades. I purchased 01 Warm Ocean and 05 Colorful Ocean on adambeauty.com which has the best price for asian cosmetics, shipping is very cheap too. I got my order in a week. (please note that I'm not affiliated with this store, just a regular customer) ^_~

Description from Lunasol: The scene of a boundless ocean will be released once the palette is opened. This is a four-color eye shadow set that captures the various aspects of the ocean.

Adopts Soft Powder Formula, which delivers a moist, smooth texture, and recreates the ocean’s wateriness and clarity with Ocean Nuance Color. Makes the eyes look so beautiful and creates highly translucent and wet-looking eyes.


01 Warm Ocean

soft pink, light blue, pearly white and deep plum shades

swatch:

<- no primer / with primer (UDPP) ->

02 Colorful Ocean

pearly pink, sky blue, canary yellow, hazelnut brown

swatch:

<- no primer / with primer (UDPP) ->

Pretty colors right? Don't be afraid of the colors that you see as these apply quite sheer on the lids, making them very wearable. The shadows are very fine milled and super soft to the touch. I've only tried 05 as of writing this post and I have to tell you that hazelnut brown shade in the palette is LOVE.

If you are a fan of Lunasol, you don't want to miss this collection, get an eyeshadow palette. Any palette! You will know what I mean when you touch the heavenly smoothness of the shadows.

Are you lovelies ready for spring time? :)
♡,
G

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N in 09 Midnight Shine and 10 Vintage Decor

If Jill Stuart, Jelly and Shimmer are very appealing words to you, these little poopsies are definitely going in to your list after reading this post. Sorry! :P

Packaging is lovely as usual, this is Jill Stuart were talking about after all...

i love touching the embossed details on the carton! XD

feminine detailing on the cover...

scalloped edged glass pots...

and fluffy eye jellies in the most gorgeous colors!

I love the spongey, bouncy and smooth texture of these eye jellies, the scent is also very appealing to ladies who like sweet and flowery fragrance. Its not a problem if you don't have quick hands when applying cream/jelly eye shadows as these jellies don't dry up insanely fast unlike MUFE Aqua Creams. One more thing, these jellies don't crease on the lids. Yay!

09 Midnight Shine

deep blue with red undertones, reminds me of an eggplant. XD

10 Vintage Decor

a sparkly taupe. :)

swatches on bare skin (no primer):

GORGEOUS shades! I think these 2 are the most pigmented ones out of all the eye jellies from JS. 

Staying power is really good, especially if you don't rub your eyes. But I still suggest using eyeshadow primer before applying the eye jellies to make sure the pigments and shimmer stay put. Removal is easy, warm water and mild soap will do if you don't use primer (I tried this on the swatches).

With only 10 days 'til Christmas, is anyone still looking for something sparkly to stuff their girly friends stockings? Fret not my lovelies, I think I've found the perfect little pots your friends wont mind digging in to.

Ho Ho Ho!

♡,

G

ps. Its Lurvey's birthday today! Happy Birthday my love! ^_^

Becca Cream Eyeshadows: Graphite and Patina

My cream eyeshadow phase hasn't ended just yet... 

Lunasol Aurorized Eyes 05 Contrast Variation, Glamour Lips S 49 Deep Rose Red

As promised, here are the swatches for the Lunasol products I purchased after the makeover event a week ago. (I know... I'm so behind! haha) Ironically, I didn't get any of the new collection stuff they used on me that day, instead, I went for what I would say my perfect "Autumn look" combination. I'm loving these two! :)

friendly warning: enabling may occur. lol >:)

Lunasol's luxe and sleek bronze packaging.

Lavshuca Light Mix Eyes in Pk-1 + Updates

How's it going lovelies? I apologize for my short blogger absence, just got lazy busy over the past few days, but I'm back and ready to face a good week ahead. However, I'm sad that one of my blogger buddies, Jian of Pinkfishpie is quitting Blogger because she has to focus on medical school, but I understand her decision and wish her the best. I'll miss you Jian!

Moving on, I finally managed to get this palette out of the box, let it see the sun after making it sit in my cosmetic drawer since June. It was a new release back then... got it from SASA for HKD98 (approx. USD13). But you can also purchase this from a variety of online sellers like ichibankao and adambeauty if you don't have easier access to japanese cosmetics.

Packaging is cute and princessy with the pans shaped like petals of a flower. There's also an "L" in fancy script engraved on the plastic cover, a special treat if your name starts with letter "L". ^_~

Birthday Love from Ehlee!

I'm not done with the love packs just yet, the other day I received a package from my super sweet and pretty blogger friend/ plushie sister Ehlee of superwoolu, all the way from Canada! 


 [click on the links to see "E's plushies", "G's plushies"]


Moving on, here's my first blogger love pack/ birthday present from Ehlee!

A Sweet Change + Maquillage Eyes Creator 3D in BE763

Happy weekend dah-lins! As you might have noticed already, I've changed my blog background! :) I have been feeling under the weather recently so I thought of doing some changes to uplift my mood (yeah, because happiness is a choice sometimes! ^_~) I wanted something light colored, pleasant, sweet and cute so i chose this, it has the perfect dose of girly-ness, just what I need! :) 

I also have something to share with you, I got the limited edition Eyes Creator BE763 from Maquillage's Spring 2010 collection and I can't take my eyes off of it! (please forgive me for the terrible pun)  It's so pretty!

The palette comes in the large and sleek compact similar to the Face Creator compact, but this has a pearly/milky finish to it.

The labels on the plastic insert is always a good touch.

The ripples on the shadows and the shell + star prints on the cream base and gel liner are so cute, but will be wiped out when the palette is used. :(

swatches:

The smooth texture, silkiness and soft shades make it a really nice palette, color payoff is slightly sheer (even the liner color) but totally detectable and the combinations are perfect for a spring time light makeup look. For sparkles, there's quite a lot of shimmer on the gold shadow. I know I don't need another neutral/soft colored palette and the colors are very dupe-able but I just had to have it! Plus Maquillage never fails me when it comes to the quality of their products. If you are hunting for an eyeshadow palette with soft spring time shades, you might want to check this out. :)

Lunasol 10th Anniversary Makeup Palette

Seriously, sometimes I wish that I had an event to go to everyday or that I had 10 faces (not!) just to use the things in my collection. LOL. I also wish I had discovered my love of cosmetics sooner. Im such a late bloomer! heehee. which leads me to my actual post subject: the Lunasol 10th Anniversary Makeup Palette. I know its been out for a long while but I have been resisting, telling myself I don't want the mascara and the lip gloss, it would be a waste if I bought it. But after seeing the beige beige palettes get more attention recently, it ignited my interest for the palette (the beauty blogging world is such a tempting place to be in!) since i like neutral shades and the blush is super pretty, I finally got myself a set. woohoo! :)

The box and the palette pouch:

the patent brown pouch looks so sleek and pretty, too bad it's a fingerprint magnet. :(

What's inside:

In one palette, you get full sized best sellers: Skin Modeling Eyes in 01 Beige Beige, Coloring Cheeks in Reddish Beige, Full Glamour Gloss N in Ex 08 Beige Coral, Noble Shade Liner Ex 01 Deep Brown and High Stylized Mascara EL in 01 Black (smaller size)

Product close ups:

High Stylized Mascara EL Black

The mascara is mediocre, it doesn't curl or lengthen my lashes that much, the only thing I like about it is the wand. As facebook users would say: UNLIKE! hahaha! I'd rather stick with Lancôme and Majolica Majorca mascaras.

Full Glamor Gloss N in Ex 08 Beige Coral:

The gloss has a pretty shade of coral-pink and lots of shimmers which gives off a really pretty pout, it doesn't dry my lips that much like other glosses (hello NARS). See Blushed Wombat's extensive review and swatches here. Her lip swatches are amazing :)

Noble Shade Liner in Ex 01 Deep Brown:

I LOOOVE this liner! the applicator brush is just perfect (not too thin or thick for me), its easy to manipulate and the shade is a really beautiful chocolate brown with micro shimmers. It does not smudge and it dries quite fast. 5 stars! :)

swatches:

Overall, I really like this set, it would be great for traveling. The colors are all very wearable for everyday, I think it has a good value for money because you get a full sized eyeshadow palette, blush + highlighter and gloss plus the handy sized mascara and the eyeliner. Another LUNASOL LOVE! ♥.♥-

Guerlain Cherry Blossom for Spring 2010

EDIT: Swatches are now up!

One word: GORGEOUS. I wasn't really planning on hauling that fun friday night, but when I passed by the Guerlain counter at Rustan's, I was greeted by a selling event featuring the Cherry Blossom collection which I have been lemming for since November 2009. Well, I am happy to report that the wait has been worth it! :)

Here are some pretty photos of the blush and eyeshadow quad:

I love how elegant the case looks. The simplicity of the delicate black creates a beautiful contrast with the colorful eyeshadows/blush when you open the case.

Blush Éclat Cherry Blossom 07 & Ombre Éclat 408 Jeu d'Ombrelles

The blush, when applied, creates a light, pretty pastel pink flush.

Blush Éclat Cherry Blossom 07 swatch:

No, that's not a bruise on my arm, that's actually the blush swatch ;) i hope you can see it!

MA did a good job on giving me tips and a mini tutorial on how to blend the colors in the palette.

Eyeshadow palette 408 Jeu d'Ombrelles swatches:

colors from left to right: upper left, upper right, lower left and lower right

I like the combination of the upper left and lower right shade, perfect for a sweet daytime look! Just blend in the darker colors for a soft smoky eye look.

I am officially declaring that I am a giddy Guerlain fan. I really love the texture of their eyeshadows. MA also tried the Ombre Eclat Eyeshadow Primer on me, which I loved, and now lemming for. Oh dear. Good thing it was OOS. hahaha! I should just remind myself that gorgeous things really come to those who wait. ^_~  

Have a happy weekend!

♡,

G

ps. The MAC Spring Color Forecast collection will be available today at MAC counters/stores (except Marrionaud, Mall of Asia which will be launching the collection on Sunday) MAC junkies rejoice! ;)