Very YSL Palette: Swatches & Review

A Duty Free exclusive palette, YSL's international makeup artist Lloyd Simmonds took the traveler's lifestyle as inspiration to create the Very YSL Palette.

with 4 eyeshadows, 2 lip colors, a blush/highlighter plus 3 applicators, it's a steal at SGD68 (approx. USD54)

The patent fuchsia case with the gold plated YSL logo is reason enough to get this palette if you are a packaging junkie like me. :P

The chic palette is safely housed inside a very durable box with cardboard lining to provide more support for its fragile content.

I love how thin it is compared to other travel palettes I saw at DFS (Dior, Lancome). To those interested in the dimensions, palette size is 13cm (length) x 6.5cm (width) x 1.4cm (thickness). It easily fits inside my cosmetic pouch.

palette size compared to a BB Torch

with subtle cheek and eyeshadow shades, a full makeover can be achieved especially when the bold lip colors are swiped onto the lips.

swatches:

sheer pink blusher with gold micro shimmer, creamy pink & fuchsia lipsticks, shimmery rose, shimmery lilac, taupe & violet eyeshadows.

The colors in this palette are rather sheer save for the darkest eyeshadow and the lipsticks. The blusher shows up when layered on, but I think it is more of a highlighter to enhance (a more pigmented blush) and add glow to the cheeks. I like to think of it as a highlighter version of NARS Orgasm.

The eyeshadows are mediocre I must say, the texture is not as smooth as other eyeshadows I have tried, but to be fair, the 4 shades complement each other as well as the whole palette. I can definitely pull off a whole look with this, all I need is base makeup and mascara! :)

I hope this helps all the traveling lovelies, who might be considering this palette.

Happy Monday!

♡,

G

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review + Swatches

If you usually shy away from matte lip formulas because they tend to dry and chap your puckers, you might want to check out these NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. The formula glides on smoothly and dries into a velvety soft, matte lip color. Has anyone noticed I have been in a matte lip kick lately? *puckers up*

"NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream straddles the line between lipstick and gloss with a creamy, lustrous formula and soft matte finish that exudes a sensual glow."

my small SMLC collection ^_^

Milan, Addis Ababa, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo

swatches:

Milan (rose pink), Addis Ababa (fuschia), Antwerp (coral), Amsterdam (coral-red), Monte Carlo (deep red)

+++ The Positive +++

◆ comfortable to wear, lips feels soft & pillowy

◆ easy to use, doe foot applicator

◆ lasts 4-5 hours on me

◆ not drying (but not moisturizing either)

◆ vibrant, opaque pigmentation

◆ affordable Php330 (approx. USD8) + shipping

◆ available through local sellers, got mine from Digital Traincase

--- The Negative ---

◆ may enhance lip lines

◆ incredibly addictive LOL :P

My favorites are Milan and Antwerp, they brighten up my NC30 complexion in an instant! Well, all of them do, but Milan and Antwerp are the easiest to wear for work color-wise. All I do is exfoliate my lips to provide a smooth canvas for the lip cream and it looks UH-mazing. Do you fancy matte lips like me?

kiss kiss! 

♡,

G

NARS Fall 2011: Haul and FOTD's

When given the time to play at makeup counters, I make the most out of it. I went to the NARS boutique yesterday intending to get 2 Multiples for my friend Vicky, but ended up with almost the entire fall collection. LOL. Story of my junkie life.

Ze haul:

*Please note that some of the items in the photo are for friends, okay thats just two, but still! haha. Please let me shake off some guilt :P

I got the popular Outremer eyeshadow single, Mascate & Montego Bay Pure Matte Lipsticks, Pago Pago Lipstick & Galion nail polish.

swatches for the lipsticks:

(top to bottom) Montego Bay, Mascate, Pago Pago

EOTD featuring Outremer:

Outremer surprised me as I thought I wouldn't be able to pull off the bright blue color, but a little blending with a golden champagne shade (Alhambra) tamed the brightness of the shadow, making it very wearable. 

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Montego Bay on lips:

as you can see from afar Outremer looks almost smoky, here I asked MUA to pair it with Montego Bay, a rose-pink matte lipstick. This look makes Outremer more appropriate for a "day" look.

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Mascate on lips:

sorry for the blurry photo, MUA has shaky hands. LOL. with this look, all I can say is WOW, I feel like the gal from Captain America with the matte, bold red lip! It made me look different and a tad more confident! wooo!

Outremer on eyes, Beverly Hills Multiple on cheeks, Pago Pago on lips:

If you don't find matte lips exciting, Pago Pago might be your pick, its an almost nude, sheer pink lip color with fine shimmer to provide that fabulous looking shine. The formula is moisturizing and lasted 5 hours on me, but I think it can go farther than that. I really do! TIP: Pago Pago looks beautiful layered on top of Montego Bay. It freshens it up and makes it more youthful.

for my Manila based lovelies, NARS will be having a consumer workshop for the Fall collection on the 8th of September, 4:00PM at the NARS boutique, Rustan's Makati. Please RSVP Armie @ 63.917.5118400 I won't be able to go but if you can, go enjoy and get some useful tips from the international MUA's! :)

I hope you enjoyed this post. Happy Monday! 

♡,

G

ps. Galion swatches/NOTD will be posted soon! ;)

Dior Addict Lipstick in 322 Beige Perfection, 333 Nude

The new Dior Addicts are high-shine, lightweight, moisturizing lip colors similar to CHANEL's Rouge Coco Shines.

I got 322 Beige Perfection and 333 Nude because my collection needed more natural looking lip colors. These retail for HKD230 (approx. USD29) each which is very close to the US price.

packaging comparison: top, old Dior Addict vs. bottom, new Dior Addict

I actually prefer the old Dior Addict packaging because its simpler and the duo-chrome effect is more obvious. The new tube, confused me at first. In the Dior counter, I tried twisting and pulling what I thought was a cap, but that was just my excitement, I later learned that you only have to pull the "knob" gently out of the duo-chrome DIOR tube just like the old one. Silly me.

322 Beige Perfection

322 Beige Perfection is a shining rosy pink. The formula feels a tad gritty because of the micro shimmer, but I can definitely feel the improvement from the old Addicts where the shimmer can really be felt as they are slightly bigger. I really like this shade, it looks pretty but still natural. The shiny effect makes my lips look plump.

333 Nude

333 Nude is a milky peach kind of nude which I find really flattering on my NC30 skin tone. It is tricky to find a pretty, nude lipstick because it tends to wash out complexions. But this one enhances my overall look, not over empowering, not hard to match with eye and cheek colors. So far the second most beautiful nude lipstick in my collection (Guerlain Rouge G Gardenia is numero uno). The texture of 333 actually reminds me of YSL's Rouge Voluptes, so creamy. Its definitely a winner in my book!

left: 322 Beige Perfection right: 333 Nude

The lipsticks have a "melt in your lips" texture which feels luxurious yet comfortable. My only gripe about the new formula is that it tends to dry and chap my lips after a few hours of wear which is ironic since these are supposed to be moisturizing lip colors. I would  recommend exfoliating the lips before wearing to minimize chapping.

Short Comparison for Dior Addict and CHANEL Rouge Coco Shine:

Pigmentation: Dior = CHANEL

Moisturizing ability: Dior < CHANEL

Price: Dior < CHANEL

Shine: Dior = CHANEL

Velvety feel: Dior = CHANEL

Longevity of wear: Dior > CHANEL

Shade selection: Dior (56) > CHANEL (25)

Hope this helps. Thanks for reading!

♡,

G