Kose Addiction Autumn 2012

Kose Addiction will be releasing some new additions in their single eyeshadows for their Desert Fall range

And, quite new, they added a couple of Kohl Eyeliners in powder (eyeshadow) form as well.

I found some swatches over here , La Mournia, Sheltering Sky and Mustard Tree: the Kohl Eyeliner powder duos can be found lower on the page
And here are the colours White Pepper, Sand Dune & Morrocan Rose.

There will also be two nailpolishes that builds upon the Desert Rose theme.

 Two of these bottles can be seen over here.

I kinda like the yellow Tumeric colour: it's dusky enough not to be considered perky summer but still quite bright for autumn. The orangy red Le Mépris might be that perfect orangy red but I have to see it swatched first.

I'd normally would jump up and down for anything blush related, but these blush-mixes might have too much bronzer/orangy tones going on, although Brown Toast seems to have a pinkier left side.

The model-make up video can be seen over here.

Obviously, she's a model and for a face/cosmetic related high profile brand so she must be gorgeous. However, I love the fact that she can transform from standard beautiful to glamourously gorgeous with the right smokey eyes.

I welcome the return of the bold eye , because, honestly, with my skinnier lips the bold-lip trend of the last couple of years was not always my most to-go-for area.

Based on the swatches and the gorgeousness of the darkened purple based in the promotion picture I think I am coveting over the Eyekohl Mix Duo in Night Dive the most.

Kose Addiction Cheekstick in Rose Bar 06

This spring I fell in love with the texture, durability and colour of my first Addiction cheekstick in Revenge (here). I had it compared against a couple of other hybrid multitaskers and I found it to be the ultimate no 1.

 I still love this colour a lot, but as I've been blogging lately I feel the need to return to my original favourite colour for autumn: a more muted rose. Kose Addiction doesn't have the largest colour selection on the cheeksticks yet (but wait for Autumn to have four new ones) but they have two muted rosy colours.

From the two muted Rosy's I picked the non-shimmery one: Rose Bar 06

Their beautiful and minimalistic outer cast doesn't say anything about the colour inside. The deep fuschia colour is a part of Ayako's detailed design. I actually like how she put the DD  of ADDiction in a rounder way.

The colour is a bit lighter than I expected. Still a delightfully Rose with a velvety texture.

I remembered stating my reason for going for Revenge first this spring because I considered having multiple dupes of this colour already. But I wouldn't be a beauty-blogger if I didn't see the nuances in one muted rose over another. 

 

Blatantly, in the field of cream-cheeks I have not even sister to compare it with, only some cousins in the powder department. Only in the lipstick part I can say it looks close to Hourglass Fresco, only a couple of tones lighter. So I'm happy not having close dupes!

I am really delighted with this colour as a blush. I know it can work as a lipstick as well, and I raved about this with the Revenge colour, but it's a bit too MLBB to wear it on its own. On the other hand, it makes the perfect foil for a multidimentional lipgloss.

This is another masterpiece from Ayako's Addiction and their hybrid Cheek/lipsticks become truely my must-have staple. I am looking forward to the pinky & salmony hue that will be released this autumn.

(I bought mine at ichibankao)

Indian Summer Pinks

Sorry for the lack of updates. The state of Limbo between late summer and pre-fall has left me somewhat uninspired on the beauty front. Skincare-wise I noticed my skin is getting lazier, so I had the clarity of mind to use absolutely nothing for nightcare for a couple of days, and tadaah, when I used my potions again it did a better job: (some) result.

I'm just going to review the pinks (corals) from the Summer-Faves list in more detail.

Introducting in clockwise rotation:

• NARS Deep Throat:
• Bobbi Brown Pale Pink: as said, not really pale at all.
• Shu Uemura Pulse: a limited edition from, I think 2009 (?). Get it returned, Shu!

On superficial inspection you can see Shu Pulse and NARS DT are quite similar. Namewise both  should leave pulses racing, sorry for the lame joke. Both having a powder finish, some golden flecks but really tiny and both between coral pink & pinky coral.

On closer inspection I find Shu Uemura's Pulse to be slightly darker and less poppy: more muted. It has a hint more coral in it, thus the pinky-factor is less obvious.
That's a good thing for me because I give away/swap most pinky blushes for being too pretent-young on my face. I don't like the only-bronze  look either because that can actually age, but too much pink is too dolly for me.

Conclusion: I reach for Shu Uemura Pulse more often, but I like NARS DT on nights out for a more obvious flush.

Bobbi Brown Pale Pink looks like the odd one out being so much more pinkier compared to those two, but it leans towards a cooler rosier hue. I just have to compare it with other swatches soon. I prefer creams on days I have little going on makeupwise. It's an easy all-tasker too for creating a monomatic lip/cheek combination that makes the face look balanced but not too made up.

I will be reaching for my muted rosy tones soon: a review of the Kose Addiction Rose Bar is coming up.

Beauty & Finance

I and most of my fellow beautybloggers I follow spend quite some money on beauty. Sometimes I see other women getting good or better results on the mix of long-time favourites and not-too-expensive cosmetics they use.

Just a question: how is that for you? What is your reason for spending more whereas something less expensive could give an equal performance?

Burberry haul incl. Beauty Glow

"Once upon a time there was a makeup-fan who liked to look like a natural beauty...
[insert story-line/plot/obstruction/handsome Prince...] 
She went to the Burberry counter again". 

Ok, so my storyline of the modern damsel needs some more tweeking and perhaps you guys can give me some suggestions of

1. what the handsome prince should look like
2. how long the Cinderella-effect of the makeup will be
3. If she will get free Burberry makeup for life?

But I can still talk about that beautiful GWP I got...

Official Haul: my 1st Burberry lipgloss, Blush & thát GWP

I kind of have been ranting about the cheapskate anthics of the makeup counter SA's lately. The Guerlain lipstick retailed officially for a whopping €30 and I got nothing (not mentioning the store *Cough -IciParis *)  and another one gave me a Estee Lauder moisturizer. Nice, but most of my readers know my skin needs something more than Estee to feel content.

this is what we call a GWP

 But this SA is a true gem, and gave me a gem-like box as well:

Officially I had to purchase over 75 but she gave me the choice of this or a mini-lipstick at 60 ♥♥♥. I already got the mini 04 Cameo Pink and gave it away for being too light on me, so this one was totally tickling all my cosmetic senses.

• rosy colour!
• Hybrid!
• sophisticated packaging
• tiny/travel size packaging
• thát box
• Burberry
• reaaally hard-to-get

This is actually the colour I like having for a blush. I talked in my Summer Faves about reaching for the generic Corals (corally pinks) when in summer. However,  in Autumn/Winter/(Spring) I prefer to look like a healthier version of me instead of having sweet Barbie cheeks: hence, the Rosy pinks come in again!

 I always want to keep the virgin state of my newest makeup items the longest as possible, so I really suffered while making this swatch for you readers (*be thankful*): Ok, I actually have an excuse to use it now because I swatched it ;D

I will recap on it when I have used it some more, but for the moment:

• semi-hybrid: perhaps more suitable for lips than cheeks but still good for cheeks. Somewhat like Julie Hewitt Cheekies.
• Glossy (see swatch)
• Neutral to cool pinky Rose (hurray)
• matches lipgloss in Blush 04 (also see swatch)
• Cinderella effect? I will report back later on how long it lasts

Codage Summertime Serum: recap

I'm all about mysteries...and cosmetics: combine this and we have a fascination for trying out French skincare. It's just that one of the mysteries is that most French women stay quite beautiful even they claim to have more hedonistic lifestyles. With their pharmacies full with cosmetic beautifyers you will think that the products must be doing something right.

As for the mystery of Codage Summertime, it plays a bit of smoke-and-mirrors of what is actually in there. It's a bit like that other mysterious Esthederm brand that Lisa Elderidge is so fan of. She likes their sunblocks but they don't state nowhere what the actual factor of protection is or whether they have PA++ or not. I actually tried their No Sun sunblock, and it's not that good because I returned from the beach with some 'lovely' new pigment spots. When that happens my interest in a brand is soon over: it might be mysterious but it has to do something that claims it will do.

sorry about the grubby label: I took it on travels, etc

I disgress, Codage has been a brand not often reviewed and Summertime was so new when I bought it I just had to research it for my own curiosity, vanity and for the blog ofcourse!

Their claims:

better view on their website

I totally agree upon these elements more necessary towards summer skincare. The only thing I am quite puzzled about is the Chemistry part.

The only chemistry I wondered about during Chemistry lessons was whether I had chemistry with my oh-so-unattainable-beautiful-bad-boy in another class. but I actually have no idea if these numerics have any real value. I think the actual percentage of people who use this product and actually know it the numerics (are they called like that, see? too much dreaming) are real or fake. But they look "scientific" and that is often enough.

The actual ingredients:

 The bottle:

I have been using it somewhat regularly and sometimes not so continiously for a month:

• silicony feel to it: somewhat similar as the Korean or other Asian nightime masks
• easy to dose droplet: press out as much or as little as you'd like
• as the slippery feel stays on for more than 10 minutes, I used it as a nighttime product
• So their claim "01 moisture without oiliness"? is somewhat true: it doesn't look too oily on the skin and somewhat false: it feels oily and if you use it in the morning it might interfere with your makeup
• I like it for warmer days: oils are normally my way to go but when warmer I need something not-a-real-oil but slippery enough to get some moisture in
• Whitening/brightening: not sure because I use it with plenty other brighteners, eg vitamine C serum.
• "02 Sooth the skin from agressions?": Somewhat! the slightly silicony feel in the beginning is somewhat calming but I think that the Nude Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum does a better job at penetrating into the dermis (=skin- hey, I did pay some attention at Chemistry!) and providing the skin with soothers/anti-agers/brighteners than this serum.
• "03 protect from heath & pollution": I changed my routine to use it merely for nighttime, so I cannot really reflect on this part as the daily protector. 
• "04 Increase tanning and protect from the sun". Somewhat an oxymoron: but I understand some people like to get a real tan but a gradual one that doesn't really harm or damages their skincells a lot. I never tried it without sunblock and I wouldn't test it either because of my proneness to freckles & pigment spots. I think the slightly slippery feel has some protection factor in itself and the sunrays will take more time to penetrate into the skin.
• Minimizing pores (not a claim, but relevant for the review)? No, not really.
• Softer skin? Yes, it makes the skin feel soft the next morning
• Minimizing wrinkles? Somewhat. But they don't claim to be an anti-aging product. Thus,
• I think this product is more suitable for age-group 18-32! It protects against the fact summer & summer behaviour can wreck havock on skin and younger people can prevent or correct their sun-tastic times.

Conclusion:
I like this product, only more as a "supporting actress" instead of the "main player",  because my skin needs something more at the mature age of *-censored-by-author-*. It's on the cheaper side of skincare and I think it can be a welcome addition to people aged 18-32 as an easy way to keep their dermis young. I think I won't repurchase, but I might repurchase it as well. I'm fickle with these things.

Availability:
Colette.fr has it for € 45 but on the Codage website they have a sampling program, so you can try out this or the other products as well for less €.

Newbies: Dita von Teese for Artdeco 645 & Sasa

I don't have anything specific today but to share my newbies. I've gotta wait patiently and oogle over other blogger's new Autumn releases  and make endless lust-must-love lists before I can finally swatch them over here.

 In the meanwhile,  Dita Von Teese Lipstick for ArtDeco.

My lips have been thinking they are pouty & sultry lately so they want intense colours these days. I've answered to their femme-fatale needs, but still kept it slightly fuschia for the summer factor.

Beautiful metallic case with tiny silver flecks, Dita's face & her signature.

Well, Dita knows something about sultry lips so I was completely confident this lipstick would have some burlesque aura.

It is indeed a velvety, close to matte deep Fuschia that tends to go to the Cherry side. It is high textured, feels delicate on the mouth and has excellent pigmentation.

the benefits of sunblock: I wish I had Dita's flawlessness too

Miss Von Teese knows her lippies...good she knew how to get rid of that weird Gothic dude too.


Haul 2: A smaller haul from sasa.com:

I have a bit of a love-indifference relationship with sasa.com. I love the fact they store so much under good prices, and I love the fact they have these awesome low free shipping deals going on lately.
The indifference comes that they let products dissapear from their website just when you realise you like them enough to reorder.

Good that I am fickle enough to go for something else easily.


Oh, duh, the things I got?

• Another Sunblock from Kose Suncut UV (Japanese sunblocks are a summer staple). 
• SK II eyemask: never used them. Curious if they live up to the raves.
  
• Suki Blotting sheets. Summer = nosy oils oily noses *needs* blotsheets
  
• Kose Naive facewash with Lotus: I still have the Nuxe 3 Micelaire Mousse but this one can stay in my beauty-cabinet until the Nuxe is finished.

ok, that was over $19 so that is it

Weekly Photo Challenge Yumeko: the Summer favourites

I will join one of Yumeko's photo-challenges for the first time and tell about some specific summer-favourites of mine. Read about the original challenge on Yumeko's blog here:

1. First Base:- Base Makeup

1. Green People Sun Lotion SPF25 Medium (Edelweiss Extract) This 82% organic, *just* SPF 25 is blocking the sunrays quite well and it's whitening Edelweis Extract actually does something more. 2. Kiss Me Sunkiller Whitening Water SPF 50+. If I really want protection and keep my face light/N20-ish; I reach for Japanese sunblocks, period! 3. NARS Tinted foundation in St. Moritz (review). I almost HG-ed my new Koh Ren Doh 123 but this is a darker tint which makes up for the fact my sunblocks worked too well keeping me paler. 4. Kanebo Freshel BB MoistLife (review). City-protection! The easy route being quite protected & covered and having anti-ageing/other benefits. 5. Lotree Rosa Davurica Powder Pact 25 (review) My fave summer-powder on the road. 6. Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch. Cover enough & handy enough for diminishing post seasalt-water redness.

2. Second Base -Point Makeup
2.a. The Cheeky chatters...

1. Shu Uemura Pulse. In summer I often reach for a colour that DrivellerKate would call a "platonic colour" because it's so innocent.  Corals are perfect for creating that "standard sweet-girl look" that I make extra generic with a (faux) tan and faux-or-real smile. And my darling platonic blush. ofcourse.
2. NARS with that name that shouldn't be mentioned... I told my friend I wouldn't pay for anything called that so I got it by trading for another blush. For it's unromantic/technical connotations with either the film or activity it's a beautiful platonic pinky-peach done right like NARS can. 
3. Bobbi Brown Pale Pink: I have no idea what's so pale about this pink because it's medium toned pink but I like it's cooler hue a lot.
4. Giorgio Armani bronzer in 01: There is absolutely no orangy colour in it which makes it better for neutral to cooler skintones: it applies sheer and suits lighter complexions.
5. DeliPlus Color Colerete Multicolor:These are quite cheap & handy from the Spanish supermarkets and I picked it up during my travels.

2B-Let the eyes & lips have it!

1& 2. Teals, aquas & turquoises....bring them on...let my eyes reflect all tropical oceans. (Lunasol reviewed).3. The unbulgable Mascaras! (review) Kiss Me Heroine Make Curl Impact & Frame is the Superqueen of staying put... The Dejavu Tiny Sniper gives that cute Twiggy underlash look for sultry-hot nights. 4. Kiko! Lots of their waterproof eyecrayons. 5 Gold! Eyes need Paul & Joe eyegloss in 01 and for lips I have a French Lipgloss from Gloss Frisson that adds warmth. 6. My slightly battered case of Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Chamade 164. 

Base 3: Sunshielding Accessories:

Hats, Topshop sunglasses & scarfs...All there!

Base 4: the un-pong-ers

Perfume-wise, I have been loving the Annick Goutale Nimfeo Mio for a couple of summers and this year's new love is L'Été En Douce.

5. Base 5: The Rest:

 1.Xen Tan Self Tan Extra Dark. My fave self tan for face is the Collistar one, but for the body I use this. 2. Shower stuff...I live on mini's and showers with warmer weather. 3. Getting Footsy: Foot-healing balms such as Alexandro Pedix is for making up to my feet when I'd put them in unsuitable shoes. The Chanel Mimosa '11 is for a fun summer pedi. 4. Organic post-beach care: Wearing a high-duty Japanese sunscreen needs a good cleansing balm to get everything off, otherwise it's pimple time: Suti is quite good at it. Pukka's firming Face oil  is so lovely for treating post-beach skin.5. Rohto eyedrops:  Rohto is quite good in taking some seasalt-water redness out. Also nice when flying a lot.

Also a special mention to all my hairstuff I reviewed over here...

I would be fantastic if everyone tries to join this challenge and tell us what your summer-musthaves are! RougeDeluxe has joined as well. So comment on Yumeko's Bittenbefore blog over here and get writing, photographing and publishing!

Koh Ren Doh MaiFanshi Moisture Foundation 123

The joy of receiving this so-hard-to-get item...

I could have bought this item by the American Barneys, who do international shipping. However, the shipping costs always withheld me from it. Then came that perfect opportinity that a darling girl on Makeupalley offered me a custom purchase. That was total bliss.

Ingredients:

It is, relatively, a short list and filled with some good ingredients. I always like to go as natural or organic as possible. Still, vanity stays strong too so it has to deliver as well.

Indeed, they go rather no-nonsense have good ingredients:

On the claim that the foundation will give matte complexion? Ehm, let's go to the swatches later.

The tube is rather small and the lenght of a NARS multiple, slightly larger. After all, it is just 20 mg or 0.71 oz.

Swatch, sunlight .

Swatch, sunlight and slightly blended, not completely.

Colourwise, I am totally happy with this colour. Considering my arm is as tanned as my face is at the moment, it is almost as perfect as a match. Sometimes Asian brands go slightly yellow on my skin, not a problem as it conceals possible redness a bit better, but a complete match is always the best.

Swatch, totally blended, un-foundationed (& whiter) skin below for colour/glow-reference:

As for the matte claim? It is nowhere near matte but that is why I like it, the excellent glow.

Verdict:

• gorgeous foundation that is more of a tinted moisturizer in its light coverage.
• I'd say the colour spectrum is neutral, perhaps a tint of warmth.
• Suitable for N 25-30 skintones
• GLOW: totally believable as having 9 hours sleep, detoxed for 3 days on fruit-juices, biological food, etc, having 3 yoga guru's on speed-dial (or better, in  one of your extra houses) never smoked, never going out, living in the New-Zealand country-side without any polution or sun-damage...you get the idea.
• Coverage: I believe it's light but the package says you can layer it for more coverage.
• Scent: None
• Irritation-level: None 
• Price: Yikes! $62 (and my shipping will be $30 something) But I think I'd still stock up and order from Barneys (here) if I cannot get a cp in the future.

Conclusion:

Having many good foundations (Lunasol Water Foundation, NARS sheer Foundation, etc) makes any claim I make of finding another good one slightly questionable. However, I never uttered the worlds HG about a foundation yet but this one comes close to it, really close. The only thing is that my skin is quite good now without foundation, so I wonder how this will perform when my skin needs more help.