SHINE, SHIMMER & SPARKLE

The post is up - it has photos, swatches and details of the Pro Conceal and Correct Palette in Dark as well as details on new additions to the MAC Studio Fix line (Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation). 

I LOVE the casing - packaging is always just a bonus feature for me but these little cases are really pretty. 

Just when you're done oohing and aahing on the outside, the ooh-and-ahh version 2.0 commences when you take a look at what awaits you inside.

Looovely looovely loooooovely. The eyeshadows were pressed to resemble woven mesh fabric - like glistening sequins on a glitzy dress. When swatched, you can tell that there tiny micro-sparkles are enmeshed in the silky eyeshadow -  the micro-sparkles are smooth and create a subtle sparkling effect on the eye. Lancôme recommends that these eyeshadows can be used either wet or dry.

These are swatches of all 3 shades I managed to take during the preview. The shot below is a better shot of the 2 shades I have with me right now, Fil D'Or and Fil D'Argent.

The formula of these eyeshadows are stellar - very smooth and wonderful colour payoff. I like using these wet or with a damp sponge applicator - I usually use a brush with all my eyeshadows but I felt with these, they glistened and glowed the best when used with a sponge applicator.

Fil D'Argent is a warm taupe with very little grey or purple tones. Fil D'Or is a rich bronzed gold.

I used both the shades recently in a similar style - the Lancôme Petit Trésors all over the lids, paired with a deeper shade in the crease. I think I like them both paired with a warm bronzey brown in the crease, after experimenting with a few shades.

Here, I paired Fil D'Argent with a wash of Make Up Store Jubilee (blackened gold) in the crease.

Base: Olay White Radiance Sunblock; Smashbox Hydrating Primer; Shu Uemura Smooth Fit Fluid Foundation in 743 Rich Beige; Laura Mercier Secret Camoflage Concealer in SC-&; Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder in Golden Orange.

Eyes: Lancôme Petit Trésor in Fil D'Argent; Make Up Store Microshadow in Jubilee; MAC Prolongwear Eyeshadow in Carefree (browbone highlight); Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner in Black; Clio Gelpresso (waterline); MUFE Aqua Cream in Black (lower lashline); Lancome Doll Eyes Waterproof Mascara

Cheeks: NARS Torrid

Lips: Lancôme L'Absolu Nu in Prune Resille 

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In this shot, I paired Fil D'Or with MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Spectacle Of Yourself in the crease.

 
Base: Same as listed above

Eyes: Lancôme Petit Trésor in Fil D'Or; MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Spectacle Of Yourself; MAC Prolongwear Eyeshadow in Carefree (browbone highlight); Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner in Black; Too Faced Perfect Eyeliner in Perfect Peacock (waterline); MUFE Aqua Cream in Black (lower lashline).

Cheeks: NARS Gold Member Creme Blush; Chanel Joues Contraste in Rouge

Lips: Lancôme L'Abosolu Nu in Prune Resille

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I was tempted to pick up the other shade in the Petit Trésor range too and the lipstick in L'Absolu Rouge in 375 which was also released in the Holiday collection, pictured in the collage below (click to enlarge)

With much restraint, I stopped myself ... only to allow myself to be tempted by the lure of the metallic eyeliners from the same collection - I picked up Taupe Brilliant with the kind help of Elaine and Lynn who purchased it in Hong Kong for me and I cannot wait to see it!

I love the Petit Trésor Eyeshadows - perhaps even more than the new Lancôme Ombre Hypnôse Mono eyeshadow formula and hope that they will release more shades in this gorgeous finish. Totally worth the money (even cheaper in Hong Kong, I hear)! 

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Thanks for stopping by always and have a beautiful day ahead!

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Disclaimer: Fil D'Argent was provided for consideration, together with Les Paillettes Aux Yeux. Fil D'Or was purchased with my own money. All opinions expressed are my own and are unbiased.

Hope you had a fab Christmas and are all happily gearing up for the New Year festivities :)

A little while ago, I received some products from CLIO's Art Collection. In this entry, I'd like to focus on the Art Blusher and Art Eyeshadow 1.5 (I'll feature the Twisturn Eyeliners in a separate entry). 

The Art Collection was created in 2005 and was very popular in Korea after its inception - the packaging features art work by various artists and was declared as a best-selling range instantly. While the packaging is a draw, I really love the eyeshadow trio and the blush and can understand why this collection drew rave reviews. 

Before I move on to the blush and the eyeshadow, here's a quick look at the lipstick and lipgloss.

Available in 6 shades - Red, Pink Beige, Orange Coral, Vanilla Pink, Paris Pink and Grace Pink, the Art Lipstick (SGD$23.90) contains sunflower oil and kernel oil to keep lips moisturised. 

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The Art Lipgloss (SGD$23.90) is also available in 6 shades - Nude Cherry, Glow Orange, Pink Shot, Glam Cocoa, Lucid Peach and Apricot Peach. The highlight of the gloss apart from its Vitamin C and E enriched formula is the dual-sided applicator - one side is a flocked padded applicator while the other is a spatula. Chantana has clear pictures of the applicator and swatches of the lipgloss in Glam Cocoa HERE

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Moving on to the Art Blusher and the Art Shadow 1.5 - I love these!

The Art Blusher (SGD$33.90) is available in 4 shades - Peach, Pink, Rose Pink and Orange Peach. It is available in either a single solid colour or a marblelised variation. The blusher I received is in 4 Rose Pink and is a single, solid shade.

It comes packaged with a semi-circle shaped flat brush with very soft bristles - the brush is not scratchy but I prefer using my own blush brush with this blusher for a more controlled application.

The blush itself reminds me of the Mineralised blushes from MAC. The texture is smooth with no grittiness at all and when worn, it has a lovely glow to it. Rose Pink is a medium rose shade interlaced with very fine golden micro-shimmer that makes for a very glowy cheek.

In the swatch shot above, I swatched it a little more heavily so that you can see the glowy, iridescent blush.

And finally, we have the Art Eyeshadow 1.5 - these are available as Duos (SGD$23.90) or as Trios (SGD$25.90). As with all baked eyeshadows, thesecan be used dry (for a natural look) or wet / foiled for greater intensity. there are 14 shades available in all.

I received mine in a versatile colour combination - 405 Forte Gold Green.

Forte Goldgreen is a lovely trio of a Khaki Olive Green, a pinked brown and a white-gold. All 3 shades had excellent colour pay off, with greater intensity when used with a damp brush.

I liked how the trio was more or less pretty evenly split - some baked eyeshadows have an obscene amount of one shade in particular and a way smaller portion allocated to another (and more often than not, the shade I like the most will be in the teeniest section!). A regular sized eyeshadow brush (I'm using the flat eyeshadow brush from The Body Shop) fits perfectly in the different sections without messing up the other shades.

Here is a simple look I pulled together using the Art Blusher in Rose Pink and the Art Eyeshadow 1.5 in Forte Goldgreen.

I used the Khaki Olive Green all over my lids, the pinked-brown on my crease and the white gold on my browbone; I used all of the eyeshadows with a damp brush.

Base and Foundation: Olay White Radiance Sunblock; RMK Creamy Polished Base in 00; Shu Uemura Smooth Fit Fluid Foundation in 734 Rich Beige; Laura Mercier Secret Camoflage Concealer in SC-7; Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder in Golden Orange.

Eyes: CLIO Art Eyeshadow 1.5 in Forte Goldgreen; CLIO Gelpresso in Golden Black (waterline); Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner in Black (upper lashline); MUFE Aqua Cream in Black (lower lashline); Dollywink Volume Mascara in Black.

Cheeks: CLIO Art Blusher in Rose Pink

Lips: Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in RD305 Nymph

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CLIO Professional point makeup is available exclusively in all Watsons stores - I adore the Gelpressos and have a stash of them. From the Art Collection, the baked blushers are really worth a look. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend ahead ;)

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Disclaimer: CLIO products featured were furnished for review purposes by the brand. All opinions expressed are my own and are unbiased.

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I misted my brush with a little MAC Fix+ (or you can use MUFE's version of Mist & Fix) and it lasted the whole evening with zero fallout - I can get my chum Elaine to vouch for that. In real life, the turquoise tones are more vibrant and jewel-like.

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In the last few months, I've gone off chemical hair dyes - I've gone back to my old ways of using henna to deepen the colour of my hair and the regular use of herbal oils with Indian herbs like Amla (Indian Gooseberry), Soapnut etc leave my hair healthier, more voluminous but also a little more tangled. Oils and washing powders containing Amla or Indian Gooseberry are known to deepen hair colour and strengthen hair from root but have a terrible resin that tangles hair to no end.

Out of sheer desperation and tired of fighting with the tangles, I pumped a little of the Kérastase Elixir Ultime into my damp hair and the tangles combed out. After a quick and gentle blow-dry, my hair was easy to comb, still voluminous but softer and smoother.

After about 2 weeks of continous usage, I really feel a vast difference to my hair - it's much smoother and softer and in general, has far less tangles. And this results in less breakage and so much less frustration. The great thing is that the oil, once dried, doesn't even feel like oil in my hair - hair just feels conditioned but not oily and heavy which is exactly what I want.

So that's how it works! For me, that is ...

Moringa Immortel - the green bottle contains a beautifying oil for damaged and weakened hair. It contains the Oléo-Complex and Moringa extract - the Moringa tree is famed for its resilience in the most adverse of conditions. Moringa Immortel also contains Vitamins A, C, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium which instantly fortify and replenish hair. The scent is inspired by Flower by Kenzo, a slightly sporty fragrance with woody, oriental and citrus notes.

Impérial Tea - the pink bottle contains a beautifying oil for colour-treated hair. It contains the Oléo-Complex and Imperial Tea extract which has an intense concentration of anti-oxidants to neutralise free radicals that damage and age hair. The flavanoids, anti-oxidants and epigallocatechins present in Imperial Tea protect hair against external aggressors and leave hair radiant and glossy. The scent is inspired by one of my current favourite fragrances, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle - a soft floral with gentle fruit notes.

All Kérastase Elixir Oils retail at SGD$66 for 125ml at authorised Kérastase salons. I have my eye on the Impérial Tea and Rose Millénaire variants but at the rate I'm using my current Elixir Ultime, one tiny pump at a time, it's going to be a while before I should think about trying these new ones out. 

If you're looking to shake up your hair routine for the upcoming New Year or you want to give your hair some TLC after all the styling stress during the party season, these fortifying, beautifying hair oils from Kérastase might be an option for you.