Blog Post Series, Tom Ford Quads IX: The Coolest, #14 Ice Queen

We have a new Tom Ford Palette on board! So cool for my Blog Post Series and beyond. I mean it is really cool, it is the "Ice Queen" *a cold wind blows*.

Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

I don't know how the weather is at where you are right now but here it is sunny and still over 15°C which makes it hard for me to talk about ice, snow and winter. Nevertheless I wanted to feature "the new palette" as soon as possible so rushed to the post office yesterday before bringing my car to the service for check-up. As they were doing their job, I rushed home and took advantage of the sun to make some good pictures. Following you see pictures of me turning the palette around to get as much sun as possible to shine on it.

Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

I tried hard to capture the blue tingle of the palette with no success. It looks very silvery/grey but there is a tad of blue in there. I am wearing this one today and asked my hubby what color I am wearing, he said it is grey with a light blue hint. This is exactly how it applies on the lids.

Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

Now a close-up before we start with the swatches. Sorry for the blurry quality of that one, I would love to edit it once I am home but I will be away until next week. I am driving to Berlin tonight. So much for "Tom Ford" since I will be visiting Tom Ford counter there, which we unfortunately don't have in Stuttgart yet. I have some brushes on my wish list for so long now and I am planning to play around with them.

Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

Swatches reveal the first three shades (from the swatches below) would make a bluish grey trio similar to In The Pink. These three are very close in color but different in texture. For those of you who said "In The Pink" was lacking a definition shade when we discussed about it back then, are in luck since this time the fourth shade is a deep matte as you wished. The last three shades on the other hand, look like a cooler version of She-Wolf which I love. But then does the first shade really add that much to the last three? It surely does a nice highlight on inner corner but I guess that is it for me. For frost/metallic lovers out there, this shade has certainly more to offer.

Here goes the shade descriptions:

Top left: Cool white with frost finish

Top right: Semi opaque silver glitter on light grey base

Bottom left: Light grey with a hint of blue, satin finish

Bottom right: Very deep grey leaning slightly blue, matte finish

Swatch under sun: Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

Below you can see what I am wearing today on my eyes. I applied the light satin grey (bottom left) all over the lid, defined the outer corner and crease with deep matte grey (bottom right). I then added some of the frosty white (top left) to highlight the inner corner and padded some of the glitter (top right) sparsely on the lid to add a bit of oomph. The quality of the shadows are superb. The shades are buttery to touch and blend effortlessly. The glitter shade is also of superb quality and sticks on my dry lids without a problem and doesn't wonder around my face. 

All in all this shade combination is not the most flattering one for me, but it certainly works on my NC20-25 complexion. I have to note here though that I have rather natural undertones (e.g. NC and NW both work on me). I can imagine this one may pull very cool and crash on some complexions with strong warm/yellow undertones.

In-action: Tom Ford Quad #14 Ice Queen

Also check out Jenny's beautiful pictures and swatches here.

Final thoughts: A great basic palette from Tom Ford for those of you ladies out there who would like to add an icy bit of something to their make-up. 

Ice Queen is released in US but not yet in Germany. I got mine from eBay from an Italian seller. This indicates it should arrive here soonish.

What do you think, loving it or leaving it? Do you like your eyes ice cold?

Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

For holidays, Clarins recently released a natural palette with ten eye shadows.

How said than done, but take a moment to think about it. We are talking about something like UD's Naked, something good, something which, I think, is ever better. Check this out...

Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

The palette has a sleek package with a rubber band to make sure the top lid stays in place. For less than 40€, you even get a full sized two ended brush, which I didn't care about that much but surely comes handy when you are travelling. If you like sticking to your favorite brushes, you may as well use the space available and exchange it with this one. The top lid has a large sized mirror and the plastic cover has some sketches with ideas about how these shadows can be placed. The eye shadows are 0.04oz /1.1g each, same size as in quads and here there are 10 of them! Could it get better?

Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

The answer is yes! It certainly gets better once you start touching, playing with these and see how buttery they feel and how easily they blend. We are talking about lovely texture and good color pay-off. There is definitely a balance between light and dark, warm and cool.

Close-up: Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

The left side of the palette consists of lighter shades.

#1: Skin color (at least to my NC20-25 skin) with matte finish.  
#2: Very light beige with shimmery finish.
#3: Light pink with shimmery finish
#4: Light rosewood with matte finish
#5: Light taupe, leaning pink, with frost finish

Swatch of Shades 1 to 5: Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

#6: Mid-toned bronze with subtle golden shimmer, satin finish,
#7: Deep warm bronze with satin finish
#8: Gorgeous mid-toned pink leaning taupe with silver shimmer, satin finish.
#9: Mid-toned brown with silver shimmer, satin finish.
#10: Khaki-leaning deep brown with golden shimmer, satin finish.

Swatch of Shades 6 to 10: Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette

I have to admit I am not a fan of UD Naked Palettes, since I find the texture too frosty for my taste and it looks almost falling off my rather dry eye lids, making them appear much older. The Essentials Eye Make-up Palette on the other hand is almost the perfect natural palette for me. It is pretty close to being my dream basic palette with just one exception: Wished there would be a darker shade, like a dark cool brown with matte texture instead of #6 or #7 which are quiet close.

Below I applied three shades on my lids, #2 (inner lid), #9 (all over lid) and #7 (definition/crease) and used #1 to blend on the crease. I am just starting to explore the many possibilities you can get with so many pretty neutrals.

In-action: Clarins The Essentials, Eye Make-up Palette, used shades: #2, #7, #9

Final thoughts: Clarins goes on impressing with the quality they deliver for affordable prices. The Essentials  is definitely great value for your money. If you like your easy, everyday neutrals, you can't go wrong with it. It is limited and retails for 39 € in Germany, at Clarins' website or for £35.00 at Escentuals.

Do you like the concept of "basic neutrals" palette or would you rather go for one which has more interesting colors mixed in between?

Diorific Vernis #128 Winter, #751 Marilyn, #775 Royale, #995 Minuit & Diorific Lipstick swatches from Dior Golden Winter Holiday 2013 Collection

To get us slowly into holiday mood, Dior released four new and one repromoted shades in their cute Diorific bottles which we got to know and adore already last year. Three of the four new shades landed to Germany last week and I played around with these today, to share my thoughts with you.

These look like Christmas decoration rather than nail polishes, aren't they so lovely?  

Diorific Vernis (left to right) #128 Winter, #751 Marilyn, #775 Royale, #995 Minuit

I would like to start with #751 Marilyn, the repromote shade, which was a definite hit last year. It is a classical blue based red, which would bring the Hollywood glamour to all regardless of the skin tone. This has jelly creamy formula but becomes opaque in two coats. The consistency is a little thinner compared to real cremes, therefore a careful application is needed to get clean cuticles.

Diorific Vernis #751 Marilyn

#775 Royale is the pink sister of Marilyn. It is a pinkish red the same crelly (creme/jelly) texture. If you find reds rather boring, you might want to go for a vivid holiday shade with a twist. Royale is opaque in two coats and consistency is the same as Marilyn.

Diorific Vernis #775 Royale

Since Royale appears more red in some lightning, it may look similar to Marilyn. Below I am wearing Marilyn on all fingers but the middle finger, which has Royale on for a comparison.

Diorific Vernis #751 Marilyn vs. #775 Royale (mid finger)

#128 Winter is a sheer white base packed with white shimmer. The shimmer reminds me of snow flecks on a winter landscape. The shade is really very pretty in bottle as well as on the nails. The only problem is the sheerness. After three coats, you can still see the nail line, so if you don't like sheer nail polishes, this one might not be for you. 

Diorific Vernis #128 Winter alone and as top coat on #751 Marilyn, #775 Royale, #995 Minuit

I also tried Winter as a top coat on other polishes in the collection. Below you can see Winter on Royale, Marilyn and Minuit. I think it works as a top coat but much prettier on its own.

Diorific Vernis #128 Winter alone and as top coat on #751 Marilyn, #775 Royale, #995 Minuit

The last one I would like to talk about is #995 Minuit. This one is a love at first side for me. One brush on the nail and I was head over heels. The slightly jelly dark aubergine base is already pretty on its own but together with the red and silver shimmer, which is also visible on the nails, it becomes a truly unique beauty. Minuit has perfect formula and it is opaque in two coats. I found the consistency to be a little thicker therefore better than the other three shades. 

Diorific Vernis #995 Minuit

It is difficult to capture Minuit's true beauty on two dimensions but here is another try with direct sun light hitting on the nails. Needless to say that Minuit is my favorite of the bunch. I am considering a backup of this one.

Diorific Vernis #995 Minuit

Dior also released six new Diorific Lipsticks, which I swatched at the counter. The photo is not very good since I took it with my phone but I would like to share it with you to give you an idea. The shades are: #38 Diva (repromote), #41 Etoile, #042 Winter, #43 Joy, #45 Royale and #46 Minuit. Until now I haven't picked any yet since I would like to take my time and try them out. After swatching them briefly, I can say that #46 Minuit looks like the most unique of the bunch because of its pretty shimmer. #43 Joy looks like a nice nude for me and #45 Royale is worth checking out. #38 Diva is a repromote from last year, which I already own and it is very close to #42 Winter.

Diorific Lipstick Swatches from Golden Winter Collection

Hollywood glamour with Marilyn and Royale, sexy understated vampy Minuit or snow flecks on the nails with Winter? Which one is your favorite Diorific Vernis?

Diorific Vernis #128 Winter, #751 Marilyn, #775 Royale, #995 Minuit

Final thoughts: Royale is a nice alternative to classical red, Winter is the sheer beauty of the holiday season and Minuit is to die for. I love the packaging too. These are now available worldwide, except Royale which seems to be only released in Europe (and Asia?).

Have you checked out Dior Holiday Collection yet?

Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter Holiday 2013 Collection

The first holiday collection which reached Germany is Dior's Golden Winter. I really appreciate the companies who release their products almost at the same time around the globe and Dior is one of them. I played with Golden Winter Collection at the counter and I would like to write my impressions as another post but first things first, I would like to introduce you one of the two quints released for this holiday season. Welcome Golden Snow, GS, stands for shimmer, glitter and glory.

Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter

I pondered for a long time. The reason behind that was that the darker palette was cooler and the lighter one was warmer. It is usually the other way around, so this made me confuse. So much that my ordering process reflected my undecided mind. I ordered Golden Flower quint first, then called to cancel the order and ordered once more with Golden Winter. 

Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter

The shades can be described as follows:

• Top left: Very pale pink (almost white) with frosty finish
• Top right: Golden shimmer/glitter. Base color is rather opaque so the finish is a cross between glitter and metallic.
• Bottom right: Black with a tingle of deep dark blue. Finish is near matte with a few scattered shimmer particles. This one is a little dry to touch and appears to be not as pigmented as the other shades but applies beautifully on the lid and has zero fallout, reminds me why i prefer my matte definition shades a little dry.
• Bottom left: A pinkish purple with frosty finish. I love this shade although I am no fan of frosts because on the lid it doesn't reflect the way it does on the arm swatch below.
• Center: A shimmery/glittery silver. Again the texture is a cross between glitter and metallic.

Close-up:Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter

After playing around with Golden Winter, I can safely say that I don't own anything with shade combination coming close to that one. The gold and silver glitters are rather dense and opaque so once layered, the shade below more or less disappears. Those two has to be applied sparingly. Purple shade is beautiful, being my favorite of the bunch. I love the dark shade too, defines beautifully without fall out.

The uniqueness of this palette comes from the fact that, it does make "silver" work for my complexion which is one of the hardest shades to pull off for me. Having a plummy base and adding a bit of gold on silver definitely does make it work on me.

Swatch: Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter

Below you see my first attempt on an eye look with Golden Winter. After applying purple (bottom left) all over the lid and defining with the black shade (bottom right) I patted some silver and gold on the lid randomly. You see the result is rather silver since it takes over the scene and doesn't let others in but I like  the subtle metallic look it gives. I have some other ideas with this quint. I will let you know after I try!

In-action: Dior 5 Couleurs #644 Golden Snow from Golden Winter

Final thoughts: Magic of Golden Winter quint of Dior makes Silver Eyes possible to pull off for me and fellow warm skinned ladies. Glitter shades are rather opaque so should be used sparingly. All in all a nice addition for proper holiday glam.

Have you checked out Dior Holiday? Are you eyeing anything?

Friday Fun with Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

After my last fun look with Addiction Ready to Wear Eye Palette #04 Mudd Club (here), nemesis86 managed to convince me to get my hands on the newly released #05 Departures Palette. I was pondering about that one but after her comments I pulled the trigger and placed my first order to Ichibankao. I was very surprised to receive it pretty fast and the communication with the customer service was very good. And once I opened the envelope...

Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

... I was smitten by the color combination, the pretty texture and overall uniqueness of that one, even to my unreasonable stash. Check this out...

Close-up: Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

Then I touched it and I knew it would never be the same! Buttery and so pigmented...

Top right: Khaki pulling bronze shade with golden shimmer.
Top left: Semi transparent periwinkle with glittery finish.
Bottom right: Must be the prettiest burgundy shade I own, with multi colored shimmer
Bottom left: Mid-toned gray/taupe with matte finish. 

Swatch with direct sunlight: Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

These can be layered like no other. I was having so much fun mixing and matching, I don't even know which shade was applied where but I am guessing that khaki/bronze (inner lid), burgundy(outer lid and crease), matte taupe (blend), periwinkle shimmer (mid lid for dimension)

This picture doesn't really do it justice. In real life, it was prettier.

In-action: Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

My only slight disappointment was a few minutes after when I applied the periwinkle glitter. At first application, it looked breathtaking but in a few minutes it started to fade and blend and I assure you I was not touching it. I looked if there is a fall out but none, zero, nothing at all. Where was the periwinkle shade then? I have no idea but I solved this situation by gently tapping another layer of it by my fingers and voilà, it stayed put.

FOTD: Addiction Ready To Wear Palette #05 in Departure

Final thoughts: Love, love, love that one. How come I waited so long!

What do you do when you would like to have some fun with your make-up? Bright lips? Graphic Eye liner? Let me know.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation & #837 Fatal from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

This year Santa brings us two brand new Illusion d'Ombres from Chanel, #827 Initiation and #837 Fatal. The eye shadows in this line are known with their pretty to touch bouncy consistency, complex  shimmer and buildable pretty colors. 

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation & #837 Fatal

Illusion d'Ombre #837 Fatal has my name written all over it. If they would ask me what color to design, surely my answer would be "a reddish plum!". Fatal is not your ordinary reddish plum though, it is one with fine silver shimmer which makes it so unique and pretty. 

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #837 Fatal

#857 Initiation is what makes your holiday wishes come true, it is golden and very sparkly. Certainly not for matte lovers but it adds an interesting dimension to any of your mattes if you ever get bored or would like to go for a statement eye. The base shade is more natural than any other gold Illusion d'Ombres since it leans beige/brown. 

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation

Below you can see comparison swatches:

#837 Fatal

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre #83 Illusoire and Diorshow Fusion Mono #881 in Hypnotique (reviewed previously here) are both more grey/taupe purples. Chanel Illusion d'Ombre #86 Ebloui leans more brown.

#827 Initiation

Last year' holiday Illusion d'Ombre in #817 Apparence is more yellow/gold. Closest shade I could find to Initiation is Diorshow Fusion Mono #661 Meteore (previously reviewed here) which leans a tad more brown and is darker, denser.

Stash comparison under sun light: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation & #837 Fatal

Below I applied Fatal all over the lid and used Initiation very lightly on the inner corner. I found it to be very sparkly, so tried to tone it down by applying a little more Fatal on top so mostly what you see in this picture is Fatal.

In-action: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation & #837 Fatal

I love the effortless natural look Fatal gives me. Nowadays I enjoy combining it with YSL Rebel Nudes Glossy Stain #101 in Nude Provocateur which has similar reflective property. Here is rest of the face.

FOTD: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre #827 Initiation & #837 Fatal

Final thoughts: Fatal is nothing but love. If those weren't be water based, I would seriously consider a back up. Initiation is a nice natural color for those who like some sparkle on their lids.

Are you eyeing anything from Chanel Holiday Collection? I am still waiting for the eye palette with a big curiosity.

Fall Favorites: Butter London Brown Sugar Nail Polish

I am planning to write a few fun posts this week, sharing with you what I am enjoying right now. After one very random and quick decision at the shopping moll last week and I brought this little beauty with me home, Butter London's Brown Sugar.

Butter London Brown Sugar Nail Polish

I swatched Brown Sugar over a tape before buying but you know those swatches are almost never shows what it would look like on the nail. It just gave me a slight idea about the colour (luckily not brown as the name indicates) and that it has some scattered glitter in it. Although I am not a glitter fan, recently I found out that I am liking sparse glitter on a creme or metallic base more and more. If you remember my favourite summer nail polish, you know what I mean. Another reason why I love Excalibur so much was the foil finish. I am also reaching for foil finishes more than the metallic ones this year, finding these more modern.

Now after the first proper encounter with Butter London's Brown Sugar, I was head over heels! Look at this, doesn't it remind you of a fall scene with sun hitting on the delicate leaves of a Japanese Maple, which is dressed in reddish pink?

Indoors Swatch: Butter London Brown Sugar Nail Polish

After putting Brown Sugar on, I went out for a dinner with a friend. It was in an Italian Restaurant with candles on the tables. I couldn't help myself looking at my nails all the time because of how the sparse light from the candles played with the small silvery glitter pieces as well as the bigger golden ones. I think you have to see this one in person to understand what I mean.

Outdoors Swatch: Butter London Brown Sugar Nail Polish

Brown Sugar appears pink in some angles, copper in another. Golden flecks makes it even more interesting. It is so pretty, not too glittery, not too over the top but very unique and offers you many faces to discover in different light conditions. It is definitely a stunner, so far my favourite nail polish this fall.

Outdoors Swatch: Butter London Brown Sugar Nail Polish

Short notes on application: Two coats were enough for full coverage, I like the consistency and it ends up being rather smooth to touch since the glitters doesn't stick out of the base. The photos are with one coat of top coat. Removing was easier than most of glittery nail polishes.

Final thoughts: Nothing but love. Butter London's Brown sugar is for those of you who are searching for the unique nail polish to bring stunning fall colours on the nails. 

Buyer's tip for Germany: You can subscribe for news letter at Butter London Germany web page, to get %10 off for your next order. You can also find many sold out shades from previous collections or exclusive shades such as Two Fingered Salute at their on-line shop. 

What is your favourite fall nail polish this year?

Chanel Le Vernis #677 Rouge Rubis from Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday 2013 Collection

After my back-breaking encounter with Cinema and the fifty shades of red, I was praying to nail polish gods that Chanel wouldn't release another red for at least for another year. But it seems but my voice was lost in the hollows of beauty blogosphere or maybe there were many others who were praying for another red. Who knows, maybe it was meant to be but today my desk was looking exactly like this...

Chanel Le Vernis #677 Rouge Rubis together with similar reds from my stash

It is the official start of Holiday 2013 collections review in Color Me Loud, *trumpets, drums and vuvuzelas*. I will probably start with another tab next to Fall 2013 one after getting a few more posts done. I am happy to start the review with such a cheerful shade, a vivid glossy red with blue undertones, here is Rouge Rubis on the nails against the beautiful blue fall sky of today.

Chanel Le Vernis #677 Rouge Rubis outdoors

It is a red even I like to wear and was perfectly matching today's happy fall mood with sun and no clouds. Yes it is one of a gleeful red but manages to stay understated too. I think this is one of the things Chanel does to perfection, just the right balance to being noticed without screaming, if that makes sense. I was very curious to see how this red with a unique mood effect compared to other thousand reds in my stash.

Stash Comparison for Chanel Le Vernis #677 Rouge Rubis

At this point I would like to say that it is unique but unfortunately there are close shades to Rouge Rubis but the good (bad?) news is that there is no perfect match. Chanel #473 Coromandel is more orange, Chanel #159 Fire is a tad darker, Diorific #751 Marilyn and Dior #999 Rouge lean more blue, Chanel #475 Dragon and #581 Cinema are darker. Chanel #587 Rouge Carat has shimmer.  Chanel #08 Pirate is more blue based.

The closest of the two shades are Tom Ford #13 Carnal Red from the permanent collection and Laura Mercier's Moderne Red from last year's holiday collection. Moderne Red is a tad lighter though but Carnal Red is quiet close. Just saying, in case you have this one already in your stash.

Nail wheel swatches for Chanel Le Vernis #677 Rouge Rubis

Check out beautiful photos and swatches in Belletristic Beauty, more comparisons in Beauty Look Book and Chahevu (in German).

Final thoughts: Rouge Rubis is a happy red which manages to be unique among Chanel's hundreds of other reds. It is perfect for sunny fall weather as well as holidays and Christmas. Let the holiday season begin!

Do you like wearing red on your nails? What kind of red do you prefer?

MAC Eye Shadow X4 in Showstopper from Gorgeous Eyes Collection

Lately it has been a challenge to keep up with all the collections MAC has been releasing. Six new quads must have been caught my selective attention. I can imagine some of the commands my brain was sending around: eye shadow, quad, eyes, gorgeous, taupe, take out CC, order!

Actually it has been a little more complex than that. I have read in some blog that the blogger loved this and it almost became her go-to quad. I always save these kind of information in case I have to act for a quick order. Showstopper quad sold out in less than a day in Germany without leaving any trace behind, even at MAC online shop and online retailers.

MAC Eye Shadow X4 in Showstopper

Once you see the shades, it is no brainer to guess that this one would be popular. Peachy, taupe tones with a natural matte brown defining shade and the price is in somewhat lower range than other brands such as Dior, Chanel or Guerlain. On the other hand, MAC is known for the inconsistent quality throughout their limited edition quads. I purchased that one sight unseen and I have to admit, I was a little let down.

Close-up: MAC Eye Shadow X4 in Showstopper

Shades are as follows:

• A light peachy ivory with matte finish. (top left)
• Light peach with satin finish. (top right)
• Mid-tone taupe with shimmery finish. This particular shade produced a lot of fall out during application. (bottom left)
• A deep cool leaning brown with matte finish. This one could be a little more pigmented and less powdery. (bottom right)

After trying those out on the eyes, I have to admit that I was not impressed. It was rather difficult to work with them considering the fall out and pigmentation issues. The end result was not that bad though. My expectations were raised too high by the fellow blogger who raved about it. I must have been expecting a flawless result.

Swatch under direct sun light: MAC Eye Shadow X4 in Showstopper

An everyday palette? I seriously don't have time to make it work everyday. I would rather invest in one which might cost like 20% more but saves me half the time. I wished MAC's palettes would be as good quality as their singles.

Below I applied the satin peach (top right) all over the lid, then tried to apply the taupe (bottom left) with minimum to no success (as you see peach turned a little more taupe). Then defined the crease with the brown shade (bottom right) and blended it towards the brow bone with the matte ivory (top left).

In-action: MAC Eye Shadow X4 in Showstopper

Final thoughts: Too bad that taupe had fall out and brown was not that pigmented. But anyway it is sold out so quickly that probably I shouldn't be hoping for a better quality from the next quad either. After seeing their summer quads, I thought these were improving...

How do you feel about the quality of recent MAC eye shadow quads? Have you made any purchases?