Midsummer Newbies

Summer is still blooming around...perhaps it is more drying to skin than you anticipated. Or, when going city-tripping you can find your pores going congested like nothing else.

• For the occasional bout of dryness I gotten myself this cute Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin pill mask. I've been sheetmasking before K-beauty gotten mainstream and it's fun they have gotten easier available. 
• I've already gotten the Boscia Detoxing Black Cleanser in a sample size, and absolutely loved the warming effect on the skin. I love this liquid form of charcoal cleansing and I noticed it really helped getting to those pesky blackheads. Something not many products are effective off with my skin.

I also went on the bandwagon with Son & Park's Beauty water...

Ohh, I really love how the air in the water is looking in the bottle.

I had to decorate it with my Luxdivine (etsy) armband and the scarf is D&G summer collection.

I rediscovered cheeks with NARS Nars-issist Dual intensity blush palette.

 It is certainly a fantastic blending blush texture...I'm smitten. My cheeks glowwwww...

I have been upping up my foundation game with an oldie and a newbie:

• Mac Face & Body is and oldie but still high in the ranks of makeupartists. I've picked a darker colour for my body as I have some white spots that I need to even out.
• Nars Velvet Matte Skin tint is new on the market. I was not enterely sure as the colours tend to look a bit too yellow for my colouring, but they look velvety and real on (self-)tan skin. I still think the gap between Cusco and Annapurna is too large in colour dept.

One of the Sephora Beauty reward boxes contained Alterna. I love their Caviar Protein line but feel (and can see) that my hair might be healthy enough to alternate with moisture. So bring on the moisture with the CaviarAnti Ageing Replenishing Moisture line.

Ok, I say I'm team Alterna but I also have team Christophe Robin and I've been enjoying some other shampoos lately as well. But in the end Alterna would be my desert island brand!

Last but not least, nails. Since everybody and their grandma have been into nailart, gellnails everything etc, I have been neglecting my mani with a simple coat of strenghtener. Very sheer, kinda blah.

• I thought some Chanel could bring back my colour game: Turban looks bright enough for summer and classic enough for always.

• Another pretty one is the Damask Rose from & Other Stories. It looks so foiled on nails, incredible.

These have been some of my midsummer hauls. I'm already eyeing up some of the Autumn lines. Kose Addiction by Ayako has released these amazing new eyeshadows with names like Dancer in the Dark, Hazy Night, Volcano & Modern Nostalgia. The colours are as awesome to boot with their names and instagram is not holding too many secrets when recently renewed (just browse on the Japanese names). 

As for skincare, I think I will hold on on some new finds that I will review soon for it. I'm kinda behind my reviews: being stuck into the instagram picturing mode makes me kind of lazy on the writing front...It does make me attempt to make prettier photos : )

Tom Ford Lipstick to Boys Luciano, Michael, Cooper & Pablo

Ohhh, I've gotten giddy today for receiving my Tom Ford Lipstick to Boys. 

Finally I could buy something unswatched and slightly dangerous for not really knowing what to get. Normally you can see/read about all beauty with the elite/always-gettin'it-first likes of Temptalia and Wayne Goss. Temptalia still got it first but not like 10 months before. Seems Tom Ford has been democratic about his lippies!

Weather has been more than horrible today, so my apologies for the lack of light and goosebumps. I photoshopped a bit but I did not want to alter the original colour, so some might be not so light.

I picked four brights based on my earlier Tom Ford lipxperience. I adore Violet Fatale. I like my Spanish Pink as well but I think Tom Ford does the brights a bit better.

 * Violets to Orchids Pablo

 

Tom Ford Pablo looks like a pure colder Purple. I immediately thought of Bite Beauty Violet.

Also, my 1st Tom Ford Violet Fatale from the regular line & YSL Glossy Stain Violine Out of Control:

Tom Ford Violet Fatale looks so demure next to Pablo! It is a softer pinker hue compared to the blueness of Pablo. Bite Beauty Violet is even a more shocking Blue pink. TF Pablo is slightly sheerer than the other TF lipsticks, hence it wears beautifully sophisticated with the right kind of edge.

* REDS, Luciano

I figured Luciano would be a close sibling to Cherry Lush. In fact, they are family: Luciano is a hint more muted and rosier.

 

I added YSL Glossy Stain in Rose Tempura 13 for another reference. Rose Tempura is a deeper pinker hue. All of them are in the group of Rosy Reds.

* Fushia to Magentas: Cooper

  I have absolutely no dupe of this colour but Dior addict lipstick show 778 is slightly close. Cooper has more red in it and is more opaque.

Multifaceted flecks

TF Cooper: the lushious finish from another angle

 * Pop Pinks to Roses: Michael

 

Michael looks deceptively demure in murky daylight but wait until you swatch him with some other poppy peachy/pinks:

I've been comparing it with NARS Audacious Kelly, Guerlain Chamade (164) Rouge Automatique, Chanel Scintillantes 124 , Deliplus Mate 01 

Picture 1 shows how poppy pink Michael can look, and picture 2 shows his peachier side. I have no close due but Deliplus Mate 01, a Spanish supermarket brand, comes closest.

Conclusion: I love them all and they are all such originals in my stash. 

Ps: I've skipped the background story with the Tom Ford promotion about the fantasy about the threesome...I agree Tom Ford picked some handsome guys online to pose with the girls: if only they came with the lipstick! As for fantasies, a guy once wanted to include a girl but I guess the only threesome for me would me be pushing the other girl away, and perhaps hurting him too for suggesting. But a suggestive promo never hurt any cosmetic brand, right?

The Blush of my dreams & other newbies I'd been eager to get...

Holy purchasy October...

I've finally caved on a couple of items that were very wishlist for a while. 

It has been a yes/no/yes/not-yet debate, resulting into visiting certain sites frequently, making a cart, leaving the cart behind, getting reminders from websites I have a cart (I KNOW, it's so hard to forget), pretending I don't want it, visiting the same reviews over-and-over again to decide I still want it...

I've scored the most perfect blush I have encountered in a while: Meet my Surratt La Vie en Rose.

After falling in love with the neutral Grisalle shader (here) I upgraded towards colour. I picked a colour most closely to my own flushed cheeks (after working out/being embarrased/in love, ect): a rosy flush. 

Picking a colour like this is like adding youth to your face. It's my effortless colour, though I need a softer brush for application (think NARS Mie Kabuki) as it is delightfully pigmented. 

I have been wearing this blush 7 days in a row: a record! Then I decided my other ones felt neglected and I went for some peachy pink again: sometimes I like to look made-up dolly instead of natural :).

The other haul: my 1st Suqqu & Chanel brush.

After debating for more than 1 year I've finally have my 1st Suqqu blend palette in the most neutral no. 10 Kochueza. As for elegance sake, I added the Chanel brush No. 19 for eyes that is supposed to be quite the catch (review here & here)

I'm glad I caved to see what's the deal about Suqqu blend, but I'm also slighty underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong: Suqqu's texture is simply amazing, but the colours are too neutral for me. It's a "maybe in 3 years"-type of palette.

And finally that horribly pricy Tom Ford brush no. 2: foundation-time.

Tom Ford's brush no 2 feels slightly too limp. Oh gosh, I could imagine telling mr. Ford that his brush it too limp, and then I couldn't. Perhaps I'm too used to Real Technique's expert face brush firmer bristles. Temptalia reviewed this one as the most flawless foundation-brush ever and I'm probably not that used to it yet....

*Practice-makes-perfect?*

And sorry, I don't have any reviews or swatches going on yet. It's been busy and if it wasn't, it was just too cloudy for photos outside. I might take it slower on this blog as I'm slightly too obsessive/high maintainance on beauty lately: think full-face makeup to the gym whereas the other girls go bravely barefaced (or mascara only). Just a bit easier on being pretty on the outside to focus more on my inner beauty, or such... :). Well, we'll see...

Surratt Lipslique in Perfectioniste

Everything lipstick is always permitted in love & war

Or for my 2nd Surratt I picked a lipstick with the quintessential name Perfectioniste:

It has been described as a 'Pinky Rose' which is an easy 'me'-colour. Or, it has been for a couple of years. Lately I venture i
on newer lipshades that are different from the inoffensiveness of rosy nude. For oldtime sake, and the heck of comparing it with my other rosy ones, I took this one:

I cannot think of any product-hoarding, newbie-curious beautyblogger who is not slightly a perfectionist at heart. A beautiful Dior lipstick: so nice, but that latest edition of Chanel might be better for that specific occasion.

My lastest precious lipstick falls into the thin & portable form.

We've seen a black tube before, but a closer look shows a graduation between a matte and a slightly glimmery surface. It twists up at the bottom.


The colour of my new lipstick did not dissapoint.

Though it looks like your average peachy pink, it has a vividy blue-pink dimension that shows in the swatches.

The formula feels a bit waxy. Now I'm spoiled to bits with cushiony lipsticks. In this case, comparing will do too:

I'll keep it a bit more specific and bring in the names & numbers (& repeat swatches later):

1. Christian Dior Serum De Rouge - No. 740 Rosewood Serum
2.  Mac Slimshine Lipstick Intimidate
3. Lavshuca Moist Melting Rouge RS 2
4. Shiseido Maquillage moisture rouge rs305

5.  Marc Jacobs Beauty 110 Role Play

6. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 52 Fetiche

7. Lavshuca Moist Melting Rouge PK 6

8. Benefit lipstick Um Um Uh

9. Giorgio Armani sheer transparant lipstick 10

 

 So let's do the swatches again:

1. Dior 740 is a different hue (brownish rose) but I put it in to show a different opacity compared to Surratt: Dior feels creamier instead of waxy and covers the lip better.
2. MAC Intimate is a hint cooler than Surrat, also with a dewier look.
3. Lavshuca rs 2 is rosier and is my favourite formula of all lipsticks featured.
4. Maquillage has a more nude/rosy tone.
5. Marc Jacobs RolePlay is the sheerest one and feels light but not too moisturizing.

5. Marc Jacobs Roleplay, as before with a sidenote of it looking less pink and more mauvy/nude.
6. Chanel Fetiche has more of a mauve/rosy undertone.
7. Lavshuca PK6 is a rosy nude with no real pink notes
8. Benefit is another mauvy/rosy MLLB
9. Armani 10 is a brownish rosy with a sheer untertone.

What makes Surratt Perfectioniste so cool is the way it lights up pink in certain light, and looks like the demure MLBB in other light:

Airplane view!

Conclusion: Sweet & different enough with that cheeky pink glow.
 

Talking about lipstick & war (more here):

I just love these glossy posters

Beauty Newbies

Weather is still nicely summery even if it's getting closer to Autumn. I still felt like grabbing some autumn-like purchases: 

1. You have probably seen Rouge Bunny Rouge's latest Chronos palette on all the grande beautyblogs. Me too, so when my fave high-cover foundation of '14 (see here) was on sale, I added this palette for beauty's sake. 

2. I've already started sampling some new oils for when Autumn weather will appear. I've been reading plenty about YÜLI Skincare: SpiritBeautyLounge has a sampling service which makes it affordable to try out. 

3. Candles: How Autumn/Winter they are to me. I still picked out the tropically Gardenia based 'Je t'aime Jane' from Bella Freud's line. I mean, my blog is called 'Birkinbagbeauty' because I love Jane Birkin so I couldn't resist a candle in her homage.

4. Chanel quad in Poésie: The national beautystores have 25% off on eyeshadows and this L.E Chanel was finally in stock. It's described as a set of the most effortless neutrals by most beautyblogs: Probably dupable but still highly chanel and supereasy on undecided mornings of 'how to dress the eyes'.

Kanebo Kate Colouricious Diamond in BR-3

I seem to have a penchant for mauve-toned palettes:  When Kanebo Kate reworked something 'Beyonce'-liciously named  palette and added some Diamonds (hi Rihanna) I caved again...

The palette is in Kate's neutral and more grown-up theme and has some excellent glow-factor:

The palette exist of some flat pans (1 & 2) and some heaved pans (2, 3, 4) that remind me of baked eyeshadows. I actually think that they are baked eyeshadows, at least peachy shade no 3 gives that flecksy "baked eyeshadow" quality.

I thought the colour-scheme was most similar to my Chanel Seduction palette  and Burberry Plum Pink 06.

My intuition has been right, however, the glow/lustrous/flecks/glimmer factor is a different story.

cool winter light ouside, no sun

The difference in glowiness if most visible under flash-light:

This is what makes Japanese eyeshadows so desirable in my opinion: they bring an amount of glow to the eyeshadow that brings eyes and forward.

Visuals:

• Kate CL Diamond shade 1, the whitest. It has a fleck-sy texture which shimmers silvery cool. It absolutely doesn't compare with either Burberry nor Chanel. Chanel lightest colour is sandy brown and opaque with a hint of a glow. Burberry is a peachy sand with some opacity and a low amount of shimmer.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 3 is a fleck-sy peach with a cooler undertone. I think this one layers well in the middle of the moving eyelid for an extra hint of light. Again, Chanel & Burberry do not compare at all. Both Chanel & Burberry are opaque. Chanel's 'peach' lingers towards terracotta sand and Burberry's directs towards a brownish mauve.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 4 is a gorgeous shimmery mauve with a silvery undertone. I think it is opaque but nowhere near the matte-ness of Chanel & Burberry.  I like how shade 3 lingers between Chanel & Burberry's 2 & 3 colours.  Burberry's 3 shade hints towards a burgundy mauve and has a gorgeous glow, but not as shimmery as Kate. Chanel 3 is a couple of tones deeper and has a hint of pinkish glow over it.
• Kate CL Diamond Shade 5 is the strongest colour qualitywise with a high opacity and still a good amount of interesting, multidimensional glow. It looks like a cool brown in the pan but on the skin it is almost a greyish black. Perhaps the multiflecks have something to do with it. Chanel's 4 shade comes close to it but only a more matte & a one-dimensional glow. Burberry is definitely more brown.

Texture/quality:

Kate Colouricious Diamond applies almost creamy but as you can see from the swatches (with crappy brushes -> my good brushes were getting a wash) they do need a bit of work and an extra layer. There is a difference in opacity which makes some colours more prone to fade than others (colour 1 & 2). The darkest colour is a dream in both texture, blending and the multiflecked quality that is still office appropriate.

Overal:

The theme of a mauve-based palette is similar to the likes of Chanel & Burberry but the colour payoff and the glow is quite different. I really like this palette because the sublime shimmer brings my eyes more alive and it blends a bit easier. I mix Kate up with either Burberry or Chanel for a mauve-ish eye.

Conclusion:

Fame isn't always better and the shyer sisters of the cosmetic branches have some good values out there1

Availability:

I got mine from adambeauty.com for $17 
 

1Ofcourse, when living in Japan Kate might be just as big as Chanel or Burberry but hey...for the Western posse

The Spoiled Christmas...

Before we forget about the gluttony & decadence that is called Christmas...

This perfume set By Killian is in synch with the real desire of Travel to Shanghai, same as the Australia resolution. Also, I will need to look for the Best of '14 Perfume winner in advance ; )

for Da Peepers....

Yes, after declaring LMDB Bauhaus as my fave pair of eyeshadows '13 I was bound to buy 'Carnaby Street' on sale!

How can I not love these set of glowy neutrals: I cannot get enough of the peach colour and the taupe below is a eyeshadow dream. All of the colours are winners in the 'subtle but not too subtle' range of eyemakeup!

Last, but not least...Chanel Ultra Rose:

I was craving for a vivid cool pink blush: it was either NARS Gaiety or Desire, and then I found this post from Indigo Kir Royale that made it Gaiety & Desire's baby, only in zeee Chanel quality.
 
Ps: Some of these were self-indulgences from either sales or mere lust-have-ism.