Fables in Fashion

I’m slowly working my way through Chanel’s Holiday 2011 collection, you’ll have to forgive me as I’ve been pretty slack with going through a bunch of holiday 2011 related products, which means January may be filled with them. Which may not be such a bad thing, as most of the holiday collections are now slowly going on sale to make way for Spring 2012 So if I review something you like, you might be able to grab it for a lower price! *am wishing the same could have been said for me….*

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this particular lipstick, for one I really love the colour. It’s very wearable and it’s convinced me that I need to invest in more similar colours, as I tend to always go for nude beige shades (Estee Lauder’s Nude Almond is my current go to lipstick), but now I’m thinking I may need to switch to more Rosey Pink shades.

But aside from the colour (which actually contains tiny red / hot pink micro shimmers), I think the lipstick itself is pretty average. It isn’t terribly moisturising nor creamy (which are two big personal musts for me). However because of it’s stickier / drier nature it did last on the lips longer than most of my other lipsticks. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a drying lipstick at all, it’s just not as moisturising as say the Coco Shine lipsticks… but I would recommend using a lip balm before applying this lipstick if you want to ensure your lips don’t dry out.

The package is kinda cute, it has this push down / pop up feature. It doesn’t improve usability, nor does it make it any more difficult. It’s just a nice twist to the usual I purchased this lipstick for $32US from Neimus Marcus via a mail forwarding service

Hello lover~~~ I need to apologise up front with the sheer amount of neutral palettes I seem to be working my way through. I must be going through some phase, it’s quite disturbing. That said, I’m stilling going to tell you what I think of this palette. Chanel’s Eyeshadow Quad in Prelude, what an elegant name!

Prelude predominately contains neutral matte shades, which means it is likely to appeal to almost everyone, especially those who work in a more conservative corporate environment or with boring tastes, aka me.

The pigmentation was, for Chanel, impressive. Most of the Chanel palettes I’ve been through always give just a sheer wash of colour with a bunch of shimmer, this is a step up. It’s certainly not at the level of say Inglot, but honestly I wouldn’t want something as pigmented as Inglot shadows to use in the morning. Those types of shadows take a great deal of concentration and precision to make sure you don’t over apply, both traits I lack in the morning (and let’s face it, most of the time)

At least with this palette it gives me greater control and gradation aka idiot proof.

As you can see with the swatches above and the demo below, the colours are safe, neutral and highly work appropriate. Absolutely one of my new favourite palettes to use in the mornings, and admittedly it adds a touch of class to my usual morning routine…. I’m aware of how shallow that sounds, but I am the writer of a makeup blog so…

I’m going to yet again be a terrible blogger and say I have no idea how much this palette goes for in Australia, I purchased it whilst in HK (or the US, I can’t remember now, this is what you get for over-hauling :/) (you’re seeing my haul in trickles, I don’t yet have the courage to show you everything I bought in one shot). It’s a lovely neutral palette for those of you with the cash, but obviously if that is something you’re strapped for there are many cheaper alternatives in the market.

More Chanel polish? I think I’m addicted… these polishes are probably old news for most of you, so old I can’t find them on the official Chanel website anymore. Never the less, I wanted to post them just because. My lovely friend Amanda from Hong Kong helped me purchase all three.

Amanda has some seriously high class taste, she’s convinced me to delve more into By Terry and La Mer, which I now have a few upcoming reviews for you soon She’s my high end makeup buddy and is the min result why I’ve been delving further into high end lately (and in the future) :3 Suffice to say my bank account doesn’t love Amanda as much as I do.

This collection was released early in September to coincide with the global Fashion’s Night Out event. The formula for all three polishes are impressive, I didn’t experience any streakiness or issues. I feel bad recommending them knowing they are not longer available, I swear I will try and post faster in the future! Till then, 2 coats as usual, no top.

Blue Boy

Blue Rebel

Coco Blue

Oh Chanel, be still my beating heart (and wallet).

Before HK I almost never gave Chanel a second look. I mean I’ve always loved their hand bags and accessories, but when it came to cosmetics and skin care I didn’t bother because the prices here are just insane.

But in HK, we’re in a whole different ball game. Not only were the prices close to 30-40% cheaper, but admittedly working as an expat has some pretty awesome perks and I wasn’t about to ignore the position I found myself in. (Unfortunately I think I’m officially addicted now -_-)

As you know, I’ve been rather addicted to pressed pigments lately, so I made sure to grab a few from Chanel’s Fall 2011 collection.

Each pot came with a little brush that was useable, I alternated between the brush and my fingers

So my thoughts, be prepared for shimmer, because as you can see in the swatches below these pigments are jam packed to the brim with it. As a result, these would work great for over the lid or highlighting areas of your eyes, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the crease. I personally prefer matte shades for creating any kind of depth.

The texture was a little strange to me, they felt a bit like jelly yet weren’t wet upon application. Had to stop myself from getting too carried away with squishing them hehe. Overall, they are lovely little luxuries, but you honestly don’t need to be going around spending crazy amounts of this particular product. It’s nice to have, but I can’t see it adding any true value to a person’s collection.

Above: Emerveille all over the lid and Illusoire in the crease. Below: Fantasme all over the lid on top of Emerveille and Illusoire.

I believe in Australia they are going for about $48AUD each, significantly less in Hong Kong, but unfortunately I can’t remember the price

Pros:

• Great mix between lipstick and lip gloss
• Leave a beautiful shine
• Pigmentation is medium to sheer
• Lips feel hydrated
• Solid metal packaging, clip on lid

Cons:

• Has the trademark Chanel rose scent
• Doesn’t last very long

Price: $50AU

Rating:

Where: David Jones, Myer & Chanel.

Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine range is probably one of my favourite everyday lipsticks ever! You can read my review over the colour Unique which I wrote back in March here.

If I could, I would collect all the shades because I feel like the colours are sheer, yet pigmented enough to be wearable at work / daily, whilst still being incredibly moisturising. They are like a level just above a good quality lip balm.

Unfortunately with most sheer products, they wear off faster (that’s physics for you) and I don’t think I’ll ever crave the subtle rose scent that most Chanel lip products have. Fortunately I’ve found that these line of lipsticks are much less potent than their previous lines. Love it

Again, Chanel is a luxury brand, so be prepared to pay a luxury price tag! Ouch

Pros:

• Smooth non-sticky formula
• Easy to use applicator
• Sheer enough to be used on top of lipstick
• Pigmented enough to use on it’s own

Cons:

• None

Price: $42AU

Rating:

Where: David Jones, Myer and Chanel

I don’t usually wear gloss day to day, but if I ever do, it’s always my Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss which sits in my day to day makeup bag. It’s one of the few glosses I’ve found to actually not be THAT sticky.

Admittedly all glosses are sticky to a certain degree, but in comparison to say Lancome’s Juicy Tubes, these are a mile less sticky.

This particular shade Bon Bon sits in the pink family with gold micro shimmers. Perfect for my skin tone, soft and natural.

Big fan of the applicator as well, very easy for me to use both sizes to shape the gloss to my lips. Photo below is me with the gloss alone, which is the way I usually wear it because I dislike contaminating the applicator with lipstick. (Though when I do pair it with lipstick, I’ll put some of the product on the back of my hand and then use a lip brush… yes I’m anal like that!)

Price point is probably the only thing to really consider hard here though, I mean… $42AU is a lot of money for gloss…

Time for a little colour after the last couple of colour-less chapters! This is my second attempt at a disco look, after my first less than successful attempt! I wanted to do a bit of a twist, and decided to extend the design into my hair, which would have looked a ton better if my hair colour was lighter!

Apologises with some of the cutting of the video, a couple of very minor steps were cut out for the sake of trying to keep the video to 5 minutes.

Hope you enjoy, and as always if you have any questions or future requests, feel free to let me know~

MAC Prep + Prime – Skin Base Visage
Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation – 117
MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 30+ – NC20
NARS Laguna Bronzer
NARS Powder Blush – Orgasm
Canmake Highlighter – 01
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Electric Blue
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Hot Pink
Eyeko Duo Colour Pencil For Eyes – Electric Purple
Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Eye Shadow Palette
NYX Glitter Cream Pallet – Ocean Breeze
NYX Glitterati Cream Pallet – Glitterama
NYX Glitter Mania – Purple
Milani Crystal Eyez – Beautifully Brillant
MAC Fluidline – Blacktrack
L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara – Black
DUO Eyelash Adhesive
Bebe Lip Pencil – Naturel
MAC Lipstick – Angel
Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer – 96

MAC 130
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki – F84
Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki – F80
Sigma SS168
e.l.f Contour Brush
MAC 209
Sigma SS252
Sigma SS266
Lancome Lip Brush
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler