Lust, Not Must: Luxe Beauty Products I Prefer Not To Be Without

You know there are always products that you buy even though you know logically, that there are lot of affordable alternatives? They aren’t a “MUST” and life most definitely can go on without them. However budget allowing, you will keep going for these - over cheaper alternatives - every time. 

Here are some of mine!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quads - so pricey, but so gorgeous. And the color combinations are always so beautifully put together that you don’t need to be great at color coordination to put a great eye look together.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balms - finding perfect lip balm is like finding a perfect mascara; everyone likes something different. And it's like Goldilocks trying different bowls of porridge when you're looking for the perfect one - some are not moisturizing enough, some are too gloopy and sticky, some are too runny, some are too thick... I always sigh despairingly at how expensive a tube of Fresh Sugar balm is compared to something I can pick up at the drugstore - but I always repurchase them. And I sigh and wish I was one of those for whom Maybelline Babylips works just fine.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks - no these are not the most expensive lipsticks I own; but I do use them up pretty darned fast because they are so soft and creamy and need lots of touching up through the day. But we still love them.

La Mer The Intensive Revitalizing Mask - sleeping packs and leave-on masks are a dime a dozen these days. So why do I have to fall in love with one of the most expensive ones around? This is instantly nourishing but still feels fresh on my dry skin. The comfortable feeling and glow lasts for the whole day.

Aurelia Bamboo Muslin Cloths - hot cloth cleansing has made a world of difference for my skin. It polishes and exfoliates without irritating my dry and semi-sensitive skin. And these anti-bacterial, ultra-soft muslins are still my favorite. I remove makeup and use a cream cleanser, then dampen one of these in hot water and finish my face cleansing routine with a few wipes. No foaming wash required.

Serge Lutens fragrances - no these aren’t the priciest as far as niche scents are concerned, but I definitely have more favorites from this line - and use these more - than my Frederic Malles or any of the other niche lines. So naturally I wish they were cheaper or came in larger, more economical sizes than the standard 50ml.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation and Concealer - this costs a veritable bomb. But it makes my skin feel so good and gives such a perfected, luminous, demi-matte finish that I just buy it against my better judgment. Plus, having a matching concealer in the cap is just - handy.

Natasha Denona 28 Palette Swatches and Overview

Natasha Denona is one of the new "It" brand among makeup afficionados, and one of their hero products is the 28 pan shadow palettes, which come in just 2 variations - Green-Brown, and Purple-Blue.

These are pricey - let's get that out of the way - each palette is US$239 - which may be a little too much to splash out at one shot if you're not sure about the quality and the type of shades that you're getting. But if you're building up your collection or you just love colors and variety in general, the fact is you're paying a little over $8 per shade, and with 2.5g of product per pan (a typical MAC pan has 1.5g) it's actually really good value for money if you will use a majority of the shades.

Otherwise, the purpose for my post is also for you to take note of individual colors that perform well and that you might especially like, because Natasha Denona shadows are available in singles, as well as 5-pan and 10-pan palettes, although you won't get each color at the same price of course.

Each palette is not plastic, but made of a sturdy padded magnetized "foam" that does absorb a bit of shock and reduces the chances of your shadows shattering during transportation. The bad thing about this is they are also quite a lot heavier than typical plastic palettes, if you're having to carry a lot of things around in your kit.

Quality and Pigmentation

For the most part, the shades are great quality. Highly-pigmented and smooth. But this also means fallout, which is normal for most brands.

I can't say all the shades are equally good though. Natasha Denona shadows are talc-based, so similar to other brands with talc-based formulas (think Morphe, etc) the metallics and pearls are outstanding; and the mattes tend to be a bit more inconsistent.

In the Green-Brown palettes, I would say the bulk of the shades are fair to great. There is maybe one matte shade (64V Shell) which is patchy and poorer in quality than the rest. But for the most part, you can use any one of the shades and be pretty confident it will perform well. As for the Purple-Blue palette, it's a lot less consistent. Several of the mattes (70P Cool Plum, 28V Electric Violet, 82V Nina's Orchid, and 24V Aubergine) are quite patchy and not as easy to work with if you want to build up intense color on the lids with these.


Colors

I have to say in terms of the color composition and choices, Purple-Blue is hands-down the winner for me. There are a lot more unique and wonderfully beautiful shades, including some incredible duochromes, and if you are going to be paying $239 for one premium palette, I wouldn't suggest going for the more "normal" Green-Brown since it's probably easier to find some comparable shades in other palettes and lines.

Then again if you want reliable quality and plenty of daily wearable options in one palette and don't already own lots of neutrals and warm tones, then Green-Brown would make sense for you, since there are a few more patchy, unpigmented "duds" in Purple-Blue, sadly. Still, I don't regret getting it because there are a lot more of the pretty shades.

And even with the Purple-Blue palette, there are a good number of neutral shades for you to "complete your look", if you don't want just purple and blue all over. Neither palette has a black, which I am fine with, because that's one of those utilitarian shades that I'd rather buy and restock separately in most cases.

For the looks below, I used several shades to try and test as many different shades and finishes as possible.

Green-Brown Look:

• 64V Shell as transition shade in socket
• 90V Sand storm in outer half of socket for warmth and dimension
• 78M Umber in outer corners for depth
• 14M Antique Olive in center of lid and along lower lash line
• Mix of 86P Golden Aquamarine and 16M Emerald Green in inner corners for a cool-green contrast
• 20M True Gold down the center of the lids for a pop of sparkle and shine on top of the Antique Olive shade
• I also used a charcoal grey pencil as liner, and 15M Bottle Green just on top of the liner in outer corners of my eyes for some depth

Eye look done using the Green-Brown 28 Palette

Purple-Blue Look:

• I applied navy blue pencil along the upper and lower lashes first, then applied shadows over top for a subtler, more pearlescent liner effect.
• 80M Piggy over inner half of lids
• 11V Steel Blue blended softly into socket line for subtle shading
• 05M Calypso Blue over outer half of lids (this gorgeous duochrome shade also "transforms" the look of the pencil and the matte socket shading beneath)
• 11M Metallic Steel Blue over the pencil to bring out more blue in the liner
• 04M Chromatic for a metallic platinum sparkle down the center of the lids
• 52M Golden Beige over entire brow bone area for a golden-peach contrast to the cool-toned look

Eye look done using the Purple-Blue 28 palette

Conclusion?

These are definitely worth checking out if you're a makeup fanatic.This is a great new line to try, and while the formulas aren't earth-shattering in any sense, it IS pretty good value.

If you're just starting out however, I might suggest going with cheaper lines just to stretch your dollars a bit before you commit to something as pricey as these. And you know yourself - if you're likely to use the same 4-5 colors daily and don't often veer out of your comfort zone, then it's really not worth buying a large palette anyway.

I will probably get more daily use out of the Green-Brown palette as a whole but there are some shades that are so great in the Purple-Blue palette that I would say it's still worth checking out if you're more of a cool-toned gal.

I do definitely recommend checking out some individual shades like 05M Calypso Blue, 01V Navy, 60M Golden Rose, and a whole range of the other metallics in this palette, if you don't want to get all 28 including the patchier shades. But just do your calculation, cos if you're getting a fair number of single shades, it might add up to the same amount as (or more than) the 28 palette, in which case you might as well just get the whole palette, duds and all.

Natasha Denona Blushes: Swatches and Review

Natasha Denona is a new indie-brand getting a fair amount of hype; they're probably better known for eye shadows (which I will review in the near future) but I was equally fascinated by the gorgeous blush duos.

Available on both natashadenona.com and beautylish.com at US$38 (both have free shipping over a certain purchase), there are 19 duos available.

What you want to take note of if you're buying more than one is that many of the shades (e.g. the soft blending shade on the left) are repeated across the palettes. But the primary factor for deciding which duo you get should still be the main blush shade on the right.

Natasha loves a glow - think pearlescent, radiant, NARS Orgasm-esque glow all over the cheeks, not just a little highlight on the top of the cheekbones. Which is beautiful - but also prone to emphasizing large pores and uneven skin texture if you're not careful. While there are a number of matte blush shades, they are always accompanied by a shimmery blending shade. As far as I can tell, the ones with a pastel pink on the left, called Renee's Pastel Pink, are the only ones with a matte blender.

I ordered 5 in various tones to try out, and the duos are named below. (They all follow the names of the shades on the right.)

Natasha Denona blush duos from left: 02 Light Antique Rose, 14 Golden Coral, and 15 Sheer Nude

Natasha Denona blush duos from left: 09 Matte Peachy Nude, and 13 Golden Caribbean Coral

The formula is ultra fine-grained and smooth and reminds me a little of Charlotte Tilbury blushes, but one difference is there is a lot of powder "kicked up" whenever you tap your brush in this product. You will see tons of loose blush powder all around the pan. It's not a big deal unless you are wearing black and get some powder on yourself, because the softness and the talc content is what allows the product to glide on and not bunch up or streak on the skin.

I applied this several times directly on un-powdered skin, and often the moisture from foundations will cause blushes to grab and look patchy, but not in the case of Natasha Denona blushes.

Pigmentation level looks strong, but they do go on a little softer than you'd expect, and you can build up if you need, so you get a good measure of control which is nice. As for lasting power, it's not as good as Tarte blushes, but it's decent - comparable to what I get with Chanel or Dior.

I have to say I really like the glow though. My favorite duo is the Golden Coral duo, which reminds me of a softer, more glowy combination of NARS' Hot Sand and Deep Throat blushes. The texture is very translucent and flattering, and the glowing sheen somehow sculpts the cheeks and adds dimension even without a contouring or bronzing powder. It's not flat-out metallic; in fact I'd say the glow is a bit more diffused than you get with blushes like Orgasm, but there is still no way I can pull this off on days I have any bumps or spots on my cheeks, because the sheen will still highlight them.

Natasha Denona blush duo 14 Golden Coral

Like Charlotte Tilbury's Cheek to Chic blushes, there is a specific technique to using the Natasha Denona blush duos. The recommended application is to brush the main blush shade over the cheeks first, then use the softer shade on the left to blend out the edges around the main color.

However, I also like:

• applying each of the shades on their own as a single shade (even the soft peachy-beige blending shade Toutou surprised me by looking fine as a very soft blush; if you have NC25 or lighter skin you can use most of the blender shades as blush)
• mixing both shades together for a softer medium shade to apply all over
• applying the blending shade over the cheeks and overlapping the cheekbones first, then going over with the deeper shade on the lower half of the area to add color and shape (see below)

All in all, I think they're actually surprisingly good value considering you get two shades and 14g per compact (a typical MAC blush has 6g of product and is not much cheaper if you're in Singapore). Plus, the whole presentation is lovely, with those sturdy, layered pink and white cases.

If you're a blush addict, love a good glow over your cheeks, and don't mind some powderiness on your pan (it doesn't go on powdery and chalky on the skin) these are a must-try.

Now I just wish the brand would come up with a 28 shade blush palette, considering their large lip and eye palettes are so popular. This way we can get a big mix of various shades without having to buy so many repeats in duos.