Guerlain Christmas Collection 2014: Un Soir A L’Opera

By Gladys in Eye Makeup, Face Makeup, Guerlain, Lips Makeup 0 Comment
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Today I am going to talk about the limited edition Guerlain Christmas Collection called ‘The Night at the Opera.’ The name gives away the main motive of this collection: boldness and luxuriousness of every item symbolizes chic, elegant and mysterious atmosphere of Paris L’Opera. Guerlain ingeniously combined the L’Opera motive with Christmas spirit: all colors in the collection are primarily gold and red, and represent both festive Christmas and the extravagantly opulent interior of Paris L’Opera.

Petrouchka palette

Petrouchka palette opened

Petrouchka palette (more pictures above)

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Dior ‘Diorsnow’ BB Eye Cream SPF 20 PA++

By Gladys in Dior, Eye Makeup 1 Comment
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(Another name: Diorsnow UV Protection BB Eye Sunscreen Crème)

This is the first (and so far the only) product I bought from the new Diorsnow collection. The purchase was rather impulsive: I was at Nordstrom and liked an idea of a BB eye cream. Especially the one that, according to the description, helps cover dark circles and has SPF 20. So, I decided to try it.

This eye cream comes in a small tube which reminds me of Diorskin Hydra Life BB Eye Creme (it was so heavy and cakey I couldn’t use it). Essentially it is the same tube but colored white. The packaging is very nice but nothing special.

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La Mer The Powder

By Gladys in Face Makeup, La Mer 0 Comment
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La Mer is famous for its skincare products – I am dreaming of those at night but still can’t make myself spend $200 on a tiny bottle with eye cream. The Powder is more reasonably priced – just $65 for a sizable container, and, in my opinion, is a good introduction to La Mer.

La Mer is very minimalistic and very expensive brand. Their products are basic – one type of powder, one type of foundation – but super solid and very high-quality.

La Mer powder was my first experience with loose powder (and the best one so far). For a long time I’ve been using compact powder and was a bit afraid of the whole concept of loose powder – seemed way too messy. When purchasing La Mer powder I combined my lust for this brand and curiosity for loose powder.

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Dior Addict Fluid Stick (in Vertigo)

By Gladys in Dior, Lips Makeup 0 Comment
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I was really excited when this product first came on the market: Dior has been advertising it for a long time and the whole concept sounded awesome and intriguing. This lipstick was supposed to be three in one: lipstick, lip gloss and stain. Once it became available, I bought it. It was a bit hard to pick a color because practically all colors in this Dior line are extremely bright – a bit too bright for my taste. To be fair, the description of this fluid stick does talk about “maximum color” and “sensational color payout”, and I should have paid attention to it. The thing is that I expected colors to be rich and deep but not that painfully bright. Also keep in mind that on the website (both Sephora and Nordstrom, at least) colors look more toned down than in reality. So, before purchasing this lipstick I would strongly recommend going to the store and trying it first.

I got this baby in Vertigo, which looked like classy deep pink. Packaging is very nice – at the first glance it looks like a lip gloss tube but if you turn it upside down, it looks like there is a lipstick inside. It is an optical illusion – it is really a fluid inside but the tube is shaped in such a way that fluid looks like a lipstick.

My first issues started with a brush. It is very inconvenient to use. A bit too big for this type of product – it is really hard to stay within the lip line when applying the fluid with it, and it also is very ticklish. I know, it sounds crazy but it’s true!

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Tony Moly Bbo Bbo Lip Balm (Honey and Blueberry scents)

By Gladys in Lips Makeup, Tony Moly 0 Comment
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This is one cute little lip balm. Tony Moly is a Korean firm which is not very popular in the States (yet), therefore you won’t find many of its products here. However, Sephora has recently started carrying this great lip balm and it conquered hearts of ladies, including mine, in a blink.

First of all, it is inexpensive. This balm costs $9 while Korres lip balm is $12 and Jack Black Intense Therapy lip balm is $7.50. Also, it is much cheaper than uber popular and overpriced Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment and is not worse than Sugar by any means. Second, packaging is so cute – the jar with lip balm is sitting in this red metallic lips-shaped case, which looks very funky and feels rather teenagerish – in a positive sense. I feel ten years younger when I hold this case in my hands – it’s pretty, cool and hipsterish – I wish there were treats like this when I was 16!

I don’t usually like lip balms in a jar because you have to use your fingers or a brush to apply it, however, I still like this lip balm. I don’t carry it in a bag – it doesn’t make sense to carry a brush around to moisture your lips – I keep it on my coffee table and apply it throughout the evening when I watch TV. The balm has a pleasant and natural smell of honey – it feels like you actually put some real honey on your lips. It is not waxy, heavy or sticky – I would say it has quite a perfect texture. It is clear-colored, so you don’t have to worry about balm residue on your fingers if you use them for application.

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Dior Crème de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm

By Gladys in Dior, Lips Makeup 1 Comment
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I am afraid a lot of my blogs will be dedicated to various lip products because I am completely obsessed with them. I spend a significant portion of my life (and funds) researching lip balms and lipsticks, lip glosses and stains. Partially my obsession can be justified: my lips are very dry and need constant nourishment. But to be honest, I just love all lip-related products. Today I would like to tell you about Dior famous Crème de Rose lip balm. A lot has been said about it but I still feel like the Internet can survive my two cents.

I can’t say that with Dior Crème de Rose my search really stopped (I don’t think it ever will – too much fun) but it did slow down.

First of all, it is quite pricey ($27) and I wouldn’t say that this price is necessarily justified for everybody. It all depends on how desperate you are with your lips. If you are lucky one and your lips are in pretty good condition and you just want a moisturizer – go with any drugstore chapstick or something reasonably priced like Jack Black or Tony Moly lip balm. If you are like me, that is, you have permanently dry lips (mine are so dry that bleed), tried dozens of lip balms and most of them didn’t work, I would definitely recommend trying Dior Crème de Rose.

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Benefit Cosmetics Majorette (Cream Blush)

By Gladys in Benefit Cosmetics, Face Makeup 0 Comment
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This little cutie is one of the best blushes I’ve had so far. Benefit Cosmetics surprises me from time to time with absolutely great products. Majorette is certainly one of those.

When I bought Majorette, I didn’t really need a blush. I bought it because I fell in love with its look and design. This piece of makeup looks like it came to us from the happy 20s – cute, feminine, and playful. The case has a mirror but I don’t use it – I normally apply blush at home in front of a big mirror. The case is small but because of its round shape I find it a bit awkward to carry in the purse. But again, I don’t really use blush outside my home.

Majorette is $28 – a bit expensive for blush.  I am not sure how long it will last, so I cannot tell if it is a good deal for the money. Moreover, this is a cream blush, and I usually finish my cream products much faster than powder ones.

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Dior Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Wear Makeup (Liquid Foundation)

By Gladys in Dior, Face Makeup 2 Comments
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Dior is great at face makeup. I have been using their powders and foundations, concealers and primers for years, and I can say that these products are of high quality and provide flawless look.

In this post I will talk specifically about Dior Diorskin Forever liquid foundation. The catchpoint of this particular product is that adapts to your skin type, sort of blends in it and therefore becomes your ‘second skin’ – Diorskin.

I bought this foundation in Peach 023 color – it is warm peachy beige which works perfectly for medium skin with yellow/peachy undertones. Sephora says that this color is best for light complexions with peachy undertones but I have to disagree. I have classic medium light complexion and Medium Beige 030 (“medium beige/for medium light complexions with neutral undertones”) or Sand 031 (“medium golden beige/for medium light complexions with yellow undertones”) are way too dark for me.

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Givenchy Poudre Première Mat and Translucent-Finish Loose Powder

By Gladys in Face Makeup, Givenchy 0 Comment
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Givenchy cosmetics is a bit of terra incognita for me. Before this powder, I had only one other product by this company – a lipstick. Purchase of this powder was rather spontaneous – I got a Sephora gift card and decided to spend it on something I normally wouldn’t buy. Givenchy loose powder caught my eye because of its beautiful packaging. For some reason, there are not many reviews on this powder in the Internet, and it seems unfair because the powder is quite good.

First of all, let’s start with the price. The powder costs $53-54, which is a lot but at the same time is sort of expected from a brand like Givenchy. For example, Dior loose powder is $52 – practically the same. However, although I don’t mind paying for quality and brand name, I feel a bit tricked because, in my opinion, there is not sufficient amount of powder in the case for this money. I have La Mer loose powder – it cost me a bit more, $65, but it’s a huge case with an incredible amount of powder. I think there is almost twice as much powder as there is in the Givenchy container.

Second thing I’d like to talk about is packaging. Minimalistic black enamel case with Givenchy logo on the top is stunning. This powder can easily serve as a beautiful décor piece on your vanity table. It looks so much more elegant than any other loose powder I’ve ever seen. I’d like to note though that this is not the powder you can carry in your purse – the case is big but fragile. For the same reasons I also never take it when I travel. This seems to be a problem with majority of loose powders – their cases are huge. I think only Bare Minerals make the powder case small enough but I really don’t like their powder. I do wish Givenchy, La Mer and other high-end brands start making travel-size makeup items.

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Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm

By Gladys in Dior, Lips Makeup 1 Comment
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I am a big fan of Dior products – they normally are of impeccable quality, have great packaging and are super stylish. Lip Glow Color Reviver balm is not an exception. This little balm is a perfect product for somebody who wants to look glowing and naturally beautiful, and at the same time doesn’t want to spend much time on makeup routine. First, I’ll tell you a bit about this product and then we’ll talk about the best way to wear it.

When I was first buying Lip Glow balm, I had my doubts. It is very expensive — $33, and it is hard to justify spending that much on a tinted lip balm. I risked it just because, as I said before, I love Dior and because Lip Glow looked very cute on the website. The balm comes in two colors – Pink, which is natural sheer pink, and Coral, sheer coral pink. I can’t say anything about coral: both times when I was buying it, it wasn’t available — but pink is amazing. In the tube it looks like babydoll pink but on the lips it transforms into very natural, sheer pinkish glow. I think this pink will flatter any complexion because it mostly enhances natural lip color (so, it will look a tiny bit different on every woman but at the same time will compliment them all) and gives lips pink tint instead of full color. The balm smells and tastes very well – refreshing and not overpowering. It is not sticky and has a good staying power – it won’t survive a meal but it will last you a couple of hours of drinks and conversation.

There are a few ways you can use Lip Glow. First, you can use it as a balm – as I said, it’s not sticky and, what’s even more important, it doesn’t migrate beyond the lip line, so you’ll never look like you just drank some olive oil. Also, it is very moisturizing due to the mango butter and loofah extract. Second, it works perfectly as a low-key daytime lipstick – sheer pink will look happening but natural on every lady and will be perfect for a day at the office as well as a bike trip (by the way, this balm has SPF 10), or workout at the gym. Third, you can apply Lip Glow as a moisturizer and lip primer before your principal lipstick – your lips will look fuller, feel softer and the lipstick color will stay longer.

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