The Makeup Box

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Dior Spring 2015 Kingdom of Colors - Dior Vernis 294 Lady and Top Coat Eclosion 001

Dior Vernis in Top Coat Eclosion 001 and 294 Lady

Dior's Spring 2015 Kingdom of Colors features quite a fun and eclectic mix of colors, but there are 2 particularly fun items that I've been playing with the past week.

2 of the 4 varnishes launched with the collection;

294 Lady - a dusty mauve-pink creme

001 Top Coat Eclosion - a multi-colored and -shaped speckled top-coat in opaque pastel colors

If you want the ladylike look for Spring, 294 Lady is perfect. But if you like things a little more "Springy" and fun, that top-coat works beautifully over any bright or pastel creme polish.

Applied over pastels, they looks like little sprinkles on a cupcake. Yum.

Dior Vernis 294 Lady, with Blossoming Top Coat 001

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

MAC Ultimate Collection Lipstick Swatches and Sheer Mystery Powder Overview

MAC Ultimate Collection Lipsticks

MAC has just launched their version of "luxe" makeup in the form of the Ultimate collection, which includes 10 new lipstick colors and Sheer Mystery compact powders.

The formulas and packaging at first glance look like the love-child between the MAC Mineralize series and the limited edition Marcel Wanders collection from awhile back. And if you thought so you aren't that far off.

The Mineralize range is a bit of a premium range compared to the regular formulas anyway. The Ultimate collection is something of a step up on top of that. And Marcel DID design all the packaging, which explains the prismatic, sculptural shapes.

Ultimate Sheer Mystery Powder compact case

Truth be told, I LIKE the original MAC packaging. And I LIKE MAC's mid-range pricing and strong colors and textures. That's what's great about MAC.

Now that's not to say I don't like the Ultimate collection. In fact, I think it's a great range for people who are used to luxury brands and the plusher, more conditioning, more forgiving textures and colors.

As a case in point, the lipsticks in the Ultimate collection are very smooth, satiny (not too glossy and not too matte), and consistently creamy. You won't find Mattes and you won't find Lusters (which I don't like in general). Neither will you find long-wearing Satins or strongly-pigmented Amplifieds. The lipstick textures have a soft sheen and colors that are flattering and easy to wear but not extremely adventurous as far as MAC goes.

Warm to neutral Ultimate lipstick swatches: Audacious, Ravishingly Rich, Fashion Fruit, Soft Pout, In Vogue

Cool neutral and pink Ultimate lipstick swatches: Marque, Lover's Street, Femme De-Luxe, Catharina, and To Savour

I'll even go so far as to say these textures and colors wouldn't look out of place at a Chanel counter.

But there-in lies the problem of course. It's a nice range, and it is the sort of colors and textures that appeal to people who purchase from Chanel and Dior, etc. But it's MAC, not Chanel. And they'd mostly be lying if they said they'd pay a Chanel price if the exact same lipstick was popped in a plain non-branded case.

And these are a bit like that to me. At SGD41 per lipstick, it's in the same price category as the luxury brands. But without that luxury association. If you already like MAC to begin with - like me - you won't see the point of picking these over the regular collection unless there's a color that you just cannot live without.

You tell me. What do you think of the new range? Love? Pass?

MAC Sheer Mystery Powder in Medium Plus

I do have to say though. I love the texture of the pressed Sheer Mystery powder. This was the surprise hit for me.

It's the silkiest and least powdery-looking matte powder I've tried in awhile.

Sheer Mystery Powder on bare skin - before and after

It mattifies and blurs imperfections without settling into lines, grabbing in spots, or even looking overtly like makeup. It's won the seat of honor in my bag after I used it twice. Because I think it's one of the best touch-up powders around right now.

There is ONE minor flaw that bugs me though. That cool leather-backed puff gets stuck in the mirror compartment under the lid CONSTANTLY. And it's happened with every single tester I've seen so far.

Sheer Mystery Powder sponge stuck in the mirror well

If anyone tells me that's done on purpose - I'll laugh - 'cos only someone who doesn't use compact powders would design it like that on purpose.

There are TWO things we need to do when we flip open ANY powder compact.

Quickly check our face in the mirror
Pick up the puff and touch up our face

In this case, you can't do either without digging at the puff for a few moments. I always need to be careful not to let it slip off and drop on the ground or other dirty surfaces. And who wants to look at the powder or the ugly underside of the puff and touch it directly with dirty fingers every time we need to dig it out???

If they can fix this one design flaw, it would be perfect. Cos I got stares when I was out touching up with this. The compact DOES look wicked cool.

And the powder looks darned good on the face, dammit. So I put up with the puff being stuck in the lid. (Until something else comes along that I fall in love with.)

Have you tried it yet?

Saturday, January 3, 2015

7 Great Ruby Red Lipsticks

If you missed my post last week on Dayre, here is a recap of 7 great reds that I'm currently loving.

L'oreal Colour Riche in Bloody Mary

L'oreal Colour Riche is a great range for satin-textured, high-coverage lipsticks. And it seems the updated range is also packaged a little better (I haven't experienced any smooshing against the insides of the tube yet, as the older range frequently did).

Bloody Mary is a very deep scarlet creme lipstick that is a true red. Not too brown, not too blue, not too orange.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 250 Standout

I'm a long-time fan of Revlon's Colorburst Matte Balm range, and one of the very first shades that I grabbed for when they launched was the deep red, 250 Standout. These aren't as intense as the Super Lustrous mattes but they sure do the best job of marrying matte intensity with hydrating comfort.

Revlon Super Lustrous Matte in Revlon Retro Red

You can't mention drugstore mattes without mentioning Revlon Super Lustrous Matte lipsticks. And while the darling for the last few years is the classic Really Red, my personal fave is actually the newer shade, Retro Red.

This is a deeper blue-based red which is much more intense and creamy than Really Red, which is a waxier, thinner, older formula that actually doesn't build up very well. Retro Red is less brown-toned, opaque enough to stay truer on dark or brown-pigmented lips, and and will not look orange on darker skins.

Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick in R17 Red Flame

Laneige is better known outside Asia for their skincare items, but if you ever get the chance to try out their Serum Intense lipstick range, make sure you check them out because they are the most gorgeously glossy and hydrating lipsticks. And the best thing is they don't go on all sheer. The color actually builds up to a good intensity.

MAC Russian Red

No lover of deep matte reds can be unfamiliar with the queen of deep reds for long. Russian Red was created in the 90s by MAC founder Frank Toskan for the Material Girl herself. Madonna wore Russian Red throughout her Blonde Ambition tour and that helped kickstart MAC's journey from a little-known artists' brand into the mega-brand it is today.

This is one of those deep reds that never looks garish and bright. It's just a touch darker than crimson, and there's a certain regal beauty to it. Whether you have dark skin, dark hair, red hair, or are as platinum as Mads herself, this is a shade that will probably look good on you.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture 55 Rouge Anonyme

On the slightly lighter and brighter side of things, there's Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Pur Couture No 55 Rouge Anonyme. This shimmery red has both warm AND cool undertones, so it manages to be vibrant and neutral at the same time.

It's not as opaque as many Rouge Pur Coutures but it is a great, creamy, easy-to-wear shade for those who don't like things too deep and serious.

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Charlotte

One of my absolute favorites this year has been NARS' Audacious Lipstick in Charlotte. Actually there are LOTS of shades I love in the Audacious range. But for Fall/Winter, Charlotte is it.

This dark cherry-oxblood shade is so chic. And when reds go deep, they actually work like neutrals and go with most hair and skin colors. I love wearing these with soft shimmery taupes and soft greys on the lids.

Tom Ford Lips & Boys in Leonardo

The last shade I've been loving recently is Tom Ford's Lips and Boys lipstick in Leonardo, which is a re-release of Smoked Red, a subtly shimmery deep cherry red. It's not as intense or opaque as Nars Charlotte but it's a gorgeous cool-toned red that looks very sultry and makes the teeth look white.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Chanel Printemps 2015 Reverie Parisian Spring Makeup Picks

Can I just begin by saying I LOVE the Chanel Printemps 2015 Reverie Parisian makeup ad? That grouping of kohl-rimmed eyes, pale fresh skin, soft cheeks and a deep cyclamen berry mouth is just beyond gorgeous.

The key piece I did NOT get was the pretty dusty rose blush. Beautiful as it is, the color swatched on the skin was just a little too similar to tons of other dusty natural pink shades in the Chanel (or even Bourjois) range.

I was personally just more attracted to the unique deep violet-rose lip and nail shade.

It's not quite red enough to be berry, too deep to be fuchsia, not bright enough to be magenta, and not crazy enough to be called a purple.

It's just - pretty!

Now, UNLIKE the campaign visuals (where it looks like a deep rose shade), the actual shade is a lot more violet in real life. And for some reason the pics also seem to be showing up much brighter and more blue on Blogger than it does on my main blog. (What's up with that, Blogspot?)

If the lipstick looks just a bit too blue-toned or deep for you, go with the glossimer. 194 Crazy Fuchsia is definitely one of Chanel's more pigmented Glossimers, and will give you good color payoff while having a softer, shimmery dimensionality and translucency.

The violet iridescence is suspended in a reddened-pink base so it's also a good deal more neutral. Not quite so cool toned.

The nail polish is a true cool-toned deep berry shade with a subtle blue-ish pearl running through it. Again, it is much more violet than it appears in the campaign image above, but I actually love it more in real life. Rose is not a hard color to find. This sort of a deep berry is much more unique, fun and edgy.

Have you checked out the range yet?

Estee Lauder Little Black Primer for Lashes

Happy New Year!

I'm kicking off 2015 with a review and demo of Estee Lauder's new Little Black Primer.

What it aims to be is a lash primer that can work 3 ways.

Tint: As a dark tint for light lashes

Amplify: As a base to create volume and length under your regular mascara

Set: As a protective top coat to set mascaras and make them more waterproof, more smudge-resistant and longer-wearing.

The concept is so simple and so logical that I'm actually surprised nobody came up with the idea before this. We always used those white lash primers before, and they're fine for bulking up lashes, but not everyone knows how to work with those, and if you're not careful, you end up with grey-looking strands where your mascara hasn't covered it completely.

So theoretically, this is an EXTREMELY interesting product. The only thing left is to see how well it performs on all 3 fronts.

So I tested it with a cheap (but good) drugstore mascara that I'm using daily. Nothing high-end, nothing waterproof.

The verdict?

As a tint/mascara - GOOD. I have black lashes, so I can't really tell you how good it would be as a lash tint. What I can say is that it doesn't look as black as true black mascaras do, but it looks really nice as a soft, hyper-natural mascara on its own for those who don't want dramatic lashes. I would wear it on its own any day.

As a lash primer - QUITE GOOD. This does lift and bulk up lashes. The water-resistant formula also helps to hold curl a bit longer. But you will have a bit of problems with clumping or thick twig-like tips, although I can't say this is a problem that is unique to the product as it happens with pretty much every primer. From a distance it does look fab. If people are going to look at you up-close, I think avoid lash primers in general unless you have a lot of time to comb out clumps.

As an overcoat - HIT AND MISS. It does do a pretty great job of making a non-waterproof mascara waterproof but like all other products, it is not magic and can't resist oil and grease. Also, if you try to build it on top of mascara, you WILL make your lashes look more clumpy than usual.

Tips for use:

It builds quite nicely so you can wear two coats of this and just ditch regular mascara.

For the most naturally glam look, apply regular mascara, and then apply this just to the lashes nearer the roots. This bulks up the base which is where it's most needed, doesn't make the tips clumpy, and should be able to give a bit of extra "hold" to your curled lashes.

For best effect if you have straight downward-pointing lashes, finish with heated lash curlers as a last step. These are still the only tools I've tried that can make stubborn lashes hold their curl all day.

The Little Black Primer launches at all Lauder counters this month and retails at SGD40.

Belif Peat Miracle Revital Range

Belif is a popular Korean herbal skincare brand which is well-known for its adherence to 5 credos:

True Ingredients - only carefully selected natural herbal ingredients are used
True Formulas - the brand uses traditional extraction methods and processes to preserve natural ingredients
True Benefits - quality of the products takes emphasis over packaging
True Safety - no synthetic preservatives, colors, fragrances, mineral oils or animal derivatives are used in their formulas
True Timelessness - they stay away from fanciful fad ingredients and use herbal formulas that aim to stand the test of time

Peat Miracle Revival range is one of their newer anti-aging, skin rejuvenating lines.

If you've never heard of peat extract, it's a rare extract harvested from unpolluted earth deep under the surface in a few specific geological areas of the world. The "magic ingredients" created by fermentation of diverse organic matter are humic substances, including humic acid, which is not only antibacterial but also anti-inflammatory, and believed to be beneficial to skin regeneration. In fact, it's being studied for AIDS treatment. But I do need to point out that the exact benefits for skincare are still being studied so I steered away from reading too much marketing copy from Belif, because I wanted to try it for myself and see what it was really good for.

After using the products for about a month straight, this is what I think!

Peat miracle revital serum concentrate

The peat miracle revital serum concentrate is a viscous, clear, cooling gel which feels a little like hyaluronic acid. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave any greasy residue.

If you have oily skin, this is one of the key products in the range you should start with because some of the other products are heavier in texture and possibly not that fantastic for oily skins, even though they aren't greasy per se. It's quite a refreshing and soothing product.

Belif Peat miracle revital cream

The Peat Miracle Revital Cream is cream with medium thickness but it does absorb into my dry skin quite well and the hydration lasts for a few hours. It's actually not a greasy cream at all. Good if you have normal to slightly-dry skin. I'm not too certain if those with oilier skins would enjoy something of this texture in the day, but it could work at night, in air-conditioning or in colder environments.

And the fresh herbal smell is just beautiful. I really enjoy the texture and scent every time I apply it.

Peat Miracle Revital Eye Cream

The Peat Miracle Revital Eye Cream is meant to stimulate collagen production. In my month of using it, I can't really see any big change in skin texture and tone but that's normal with any topical product. Don't expect miracle results in a month, whatever the name says.

It does do a pretty good job of keeping my parched under-eye area hydrated and supple, without causing any milia seeds or clogs.

If you have combination skin or oily skin but a few dry areas, I'd suggest getting the serum and the eye cream. Like the face cream, this has that same fresh light herbal scent.

Peat Miracle Revital Mask

Now here's one of my favorite products from the range. This was actually one of the last products I tried (I used the rest of the range about 3-4 weeks before I even popped this out, as I'm not someone to use clay masks regularly due to my drier skin.)

But I love it.

It works like a non-drying clay mask and cleans the skin, but it doesn't cause my skin to sting, and it doesn't dry it out. How's that for a good alternative to the usual masks that suck the moisture right out of your skin?

Then again, this is probably the reason why it might be a good option for normal to dry or mature skins, but not for very oily and congested skins. Not that it would do any harm. You just wouldn't see as much of an effect.

Final Verdict?

I'd say it's a great range for people who want skincare for first-signs of aging, who are experiencing a bit of dryness/dullness, some fine lines and slight slackness. Not so much for very mature skins or advanced signs of aging.

This is a good affordable alternative to expensive skincare if you're in your late 20s to mid-30s, if you don't have special needs such as acne or extreme sensitivity.