YSL Shocking: Swatches

Okay, here's what came home with me from the YSL Shocking Collection:

Mascara in Black

Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils 

Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils (Gel Eye Liner)
 Sea Black   Ashy Black

Jade Black   Deep Black

Bronze Black

Sea Black

 Ashy Black

Jade Black

Deep Black

Bronze Black

Sea, Ashy, Jade, Deep, Bronze

These gel liners are VERY strong... even when I took them off with makeup remover... a black stain remained. All of the colors are black based, so if you dip the brush in and then wipe on white tissue, the resulting color is BLACK. It's the freakiest thing. I'm really in love with all of them. I even nearly got Cherry Black (the purple) but it was already sold out!

If you're looking for a good gel liner with serious color payoff, you really can't go wrong with these. They have excellent slip, and they do NOT MOVE once they've set.

FOTD: Pop Art Pink

Okay, this is was admittedly slap-dash. I was moving fast with no plan and worried about daily crap... like everything but concentrating on doing my makeup. SMH. Anyways... here it is:

FACE

Chanel Perfection Lumiere (Beige-Ambre 64)

Armani Blushing Fabric in #1

Armani Gold Shimmer Powder (highlight)

EYES
Suqqu Eyebrow Pen in Moss Green
Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshadow in #9
Kat Von D Eyeliner (lashline)
Stila Smudge Stick in Stone (waterline)
MAC False Lashes Mascara

LIPS

Kate Spade Supercalifragilipstick in Pop Art Pink

Chanel Perfection Lumiere: Beige-Ambre 64

Okay, let's try this again. So I traded in Ambre 94, for Beige-Ambre 64.

This is better... right? Now this is swatched VERY HEAVY, so keep that in mind. You can actually sheer this foundation out a lot more than what I've done for this post. This color is more neutral than Ambre 94, which I think is better suited to folks with red undertones. Mine are distinctly yellow, and this foundation color works well... I think. I LOVE this formula. It's light and sets with no issues. Keeper!

*Those stripes on  my arm are from the YSL swatches... which I cleaned off with MAKEUP REMOVER before swatching the foundation. As you can see.. there's still some residual staining.*

Giorgio Armani: Holiday 2011

Armani is taking a 'brighter' approach to the Holidays this season, with a new selection of Eyes to Kill silk Eyeshadows and a cool metallic palette:

I love the Old Hollywood Glamour feel that the promo picture exudes... just sultry and feminine and lovely.

Without a doubt, the ETK's will be mine! I'm a sucker for that formula, pigmentation and incredible staying power. I wonder what the 'marbled' one is going to look like? I can't wait to see them in person and test them!

I'm on the fence about the palettes. I love the IDEA of Armani palettes, but the truth is that I rarely use them. I don't really know why... I think they tend to get lost in my kit or something. I'll see what happens when they are released, and I can really inspect them up close.

I'm looking forward to this collection. I like the idea of  'brightening up' for Holidays.

Shocking Behavior from YSL

I got a chance to play with items from the new 'Shocking' YSL collection:

Love the promo picture... very clean and bold. I initially was only interested in the Shocking Mascara... but I've since expanded that interest to the other items offered in the collection:

The pen is noteworthy. It goes on very black, and dries to what I believe is a latex finish. I don't have as much control of it as I do the Kat Von D version, and I think that this pen dispenses a lot  more product at once. I know I'd  have to practice with this to get it right.

Love the mascara! It's designed to volumize and lengthen in one swipe. No dozens of coats of mascara to get the job done.

These gel-liners... OMG. I really thought that I wasn't going to care... but I swatched them and they are GORGEOUS! There are only two pots that are pedestrian to me: the purple and the olive green colors. Everyone has those, and YSL doesn't do anything much different than the other companies in terms of color and shading. But the black, the grey, the blue, and the green are insane! They're all black-based color, and the pigmentation is intense. Plus, the shimmer is 'in' the product... not just in the pot. So when you put it on, you maintain that same integrity in terms of depth and shimmer. Love that!

I'm going to have practical pictures, swatches, and application this week... so stay tuned. Ciao for now!

FOTD: Orange & Brown

Now, it's true that when I'm rushing... I tend to reach for orange. It's a flattering color on me, really easy to blend into my warmed toned skin, and hard for me to screw up:

FACE

Chanel Perfection Lumiere (Beige Ambre 64)

Kevyn Aucoin Diaphonous Radiance Powder

Armani Blushing Fabric in Sienna
Chantecaille Whale Compact (highlight)

EYES

Suqqu Eyebrow Pen in Brown

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in 24 (lids/under waterline)

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in 162 (outer corners)

By Terry Crayon Kohl Terrybly in Brown Stellar

Clinique High Impact Mascara

LIPS

Ellis Faas Milky Lips in L204

Covet-Worthy: Suqqu Eyebrow Pens

These are totally worth the currency conversion. It took some doing, but I finally got my hands on the Suqqu Eyebrow pens. I saw MUA Lisa Eldridge using one in her YT videos... and fell in love. They arrived yesterday, and they are totally worth every single penny.

The pens come in two colors: brown and moss green. Now, you'd think the green would be weird for a  brow color, but it's not. It's actually a charcoal color that is perfect for folks with black hair. I took a picture of the green pen so that you can see how 'green' it is. But look what happens when I put it on:

before

after

Looks TOTALLY natural, and not like you've 'done' your eyebrows. I love them both. If I can swing the $$, I'm going to get another couple of pens, because these are totally worth a backup.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere: The Darker Shades

At the request of a blog follower, I swatched the darkest shades of Chanel's Perfection Lumiere that I could find. The numbers were out of order... but I did the best I could:

These were the darkest Amber shades that I could find: 104, 114, 134, and 154

I also have to make a correction. It turns out that I am NOT Amber 94... which is really too orange for me. I'm actually Beige Amber 64, which is totally neutral and matches my skin perfectly. I'll be swapping out the Amber 94 for my proper color this week.

Fall Favorites at Space NK

I got a chance to join the folks at Space NK to preview Nicky Kinnard's picks for the Autumn/Winter/Holiday season.

There were lots of new products and makeovers and a the most FABULOUS gift (yours with a 75.00 purchase.. which is NOT hard at Space NK):

So I browsed and gabbed a bit, and browsed some more, and gabbed some more... and let Edwin convince me to buy things that I DO NOT NEED:

The new By Terry Kohl pencils... like a DREAM. I don't have any good shimmer pencils in my kit, so these were a must have. And as far as the black... well, can you REALLY have too many black kohl pencils?

Atmosphere:

That's Edwin on the right... the one who keeps me informed about all the latest and greatest of everything Space NK has to offer... and helps feed my By Terry addiction whenever I can afford it.

My haul consisted mainly of By Terry... three pencils, Touche Veloutee (can't live without it!), and a new colored mascara (Terrybly has allegedly been reformulated).

More pictures and swatches to come...

Ciao for now!