Helllooo again!

The final installment of my NARS swatch fest. Phew! But wasn’t it a tempting treat so far? Here’s more to fuel the fire!

NARS describes these as, ‘Modern Lipsticks so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture the sensation is audacious. Unabashed luxury glides on like satin across the lips with single-stroke coverage. A spectrum of 40 shades of unstoppable impact. Swipe on. Strike bold.

The product promises-

* One stroke full coverage, creamy wear.

* Luxurious texture enriched with ingredients to smooth & nourish lips

* Long Lasting

As stated on the NARS website these pretty much are full coverage opaque colour in one swipe, except for a few of the darker wine colours that didn’t quite hit that mark. The new and improved packaging is also an upgrade from the older version which was a rubbery plastic type that attracted a lot of dust and lint.

The Audacious packaging is much larger and is a smooth matte black with a magnetic closure which snaps into place when recapping. Feels much more luxurious and definitely worth the S$6 price hike. (These retail at S$44)

Todays 10 lipsticks are,

Row 1 top to bottom – Rita, Marlene, Olivia, Leslie, Sandra

Row 2 top to bottom – Jeanne, Deborah, Bette, Ingrid, Liv

Shade descriptions 

Row 1

Rita – A neutral leaning slightly warm, deep rich red! This applied ultra smooth and was opaque in one swipe.

Marlene – Described as a brightened brick red, this was a deep orangey brown red with warm undertones.

Olivia – A deep red with a brown undertone.

Leslie – A muted red brown shade.

Sandra – A brighter and warmer version of Leslie

A closer look,

Row 2

Jeanne – A cherry red with a warm undertone. This applied smooth and creamy and was full coverage on the lips in a single swipe.

Deborah – A warm chocolate shade

Bette – An ox blood deep red. This was one of the very few shades that applied almost sheer to medium coverage. The extra emollient formula went on with more slip.

Ingrid –  A deep muted burgundy red. It seemed as though the deep shades swatched rather different to the rest of the 40! This too was sheerer once applied. Although with several passes I achieved semi opaque coverage.

Liv – A cool toned deep violet. This too was a very emollient formula and applied rather patchy.

Top picks

So yet again my favourites were the deep reds! Woops! Hard to break that habit and Rita was my favourite hands down. I loved the richness of it and the formula was sublime.

Jeanne was my pick from the deeper wine shades. The formula was amazing and it’s a great shade for Fall!

Least favoured 

Deborah, as the colour was soo unattractive on my lips.

If I had to pick a poor shade based on texture it would be Liv.

**** STAY TUNED for lip swatches of my favourites and an overall review on formula and wear in the next post.

Other info

NARS is available in Singapore at TANGS Orchard as well as Robinsons Orchard.

*also note, Robinson will only be carrying 30 shades where as TANGS will be carrying the entire 40 (including the 10 exclusive shades)

Each lipstick comes with 0.14 Oz 4.2g of product and retails at SGD 44.

Lastly thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for the other swatches which I shall be posting within the next few days.

xx

Michelle.

Finally the MAC Brooke Shields collection hit the stores yesterday and here’s my review just in time.

From the assortment I received, I managed to test out the eyeshadow palette and lip cheek Cream Colour Base for a good while now, so I am comfortable putting my thoughts down. As you can see most of the collection is pretty much daily essentials for real woman like you and me and all the colours are workable in real life.

I specially loved how the collection is well thought out in aspects such as ease of use and multi functionality. And the sleek design is also nice without any unnecessarily bulky packaging like some companies do when it’s a LE collection.

Without further ado, let’s get down to the eye palette, Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow – Mortal

Here’s a closer look at the beautiful warm colour spectrum.

This palette contains 5 eyeshadows in a strip design. I personally prefer the round pan palettes as I feel it’s easier to get into the pan with my makeup brush without having to carefully dip it in and worry that the adjoining shade is going to somehow end up on my brush as well!. But of course using a smaller brush (specially when picking up the two uppermost and lowest shades) this can be used just fine.

The colours here are all warm and very wearable and these are actually my go to shades when it comes to everyday eye makeup.

I particularly love the peachy shade the most as it looks great as a wash of colour for lazy days when I can’t be bothered blending two to three shades for a day time look. (Good thing it was the widest strip in the palette!)

A quick shade guide

1st strip -A mauvey taupe. The colour payoff was impressive and was for the most part opaque in one swipe when swatched.

2nd strip -A warm copper. The colour payoff of this was top notch, it almost looked metallic. I believe this might be too warm for some skin tones but for those who love colours like this, the formula won’t disappoint! I found it buttery smooth and blended beautifully as well.

3rd strip – A shimmery peachy pink. This looked more shimmery when applied when compared to the first and the second colours. The colour payoff was better as well.

4th strip -shimmery beige (a perfect transition colour in this case). The colour was soft to the touch and applied well with a medium colour pay off.

5th strip – A pearly pinky white. This was finely milled and swatched sheer. It looked better applied on the eye and gave a diffused shimmer that didn’t look ott

Overall thoughts

The overall quality of the eyeshadows were good and there were no duds in this palette. I also didn’t notice much fall out during application and that they blended together easily without having to work at it.

Lastly, I believe this is a winning colour mix for those with warm complexions. And for those of you with heavy pink undertones this might be a bit too warm. Specially when the copper and the peach come to play.

Now onto the Cream Colour Base palette, Cherished.

A perfect product for those of us who like to keep just a few staples in our stash without having to buy a 101 products for daily use.

This duo comes with a bright coral pink and a soft burgundy.

Both feel extra emollient when swatched and isn’t what i’d call dangerously highly pigmented. it’s a good medium where you can apply in a hurry and not have to worry about having clown cheeks. And even if you do go a bit heavy handed, the texture is very easy to blend out.

Also these work just as well on the lips and feel somewhat like a tinted balm. And best of all they didn’t dry out the lips. Throughout wear it felt mildly hydrating too.

A closer look right at each perfect pan. I felt sooo bad disturbing this perfectly set cream… Arrrg! But it had to be done!

And swatches!

And onto lipstick!

The shade I received for review was Excite, a cremesheen lipstick.

This was a bright orange red with a soft shimmery satin finish. Although the colour may look daunting to some, rest assured that this is a sheer to medium coverage lipstick that departs just a juicy wash of orange red for a kissable pout. If you prefer a more intense look, a few additional passes gives a nice semi opaque wash of colour.

The lipstick was very comfortable to wear and lips felt hydrated. And although I didn’t test out longevity, judging by the texture i’d say you’d get a good 2-3 hours before having to re apply.

Here’s a swatch. This was taken with a few passes to build up intensity.

Now onto a quick look I created with these three products!

Please excuse the unruly brow hairs! In retrospect, should have used the brow fix gel ..

And a closer look at this gorgeous orange red lipstick when worn.

The bottom line

I really loved the Mortal eyeshadow palette and the Cream Duo set best and thought they were a very good buy. Mostly as I see myself using these types of shades on a regular basis.

As much as I loved the lipstick for it’s interesting colour I believe that the price was a bit on the steeper side (This retails at S$42)  compared to regular MAC lipsticks which retail at S$ 33 and may not be accessible to most.

*FYI, the price hike is duo to the fact that this lipstick has more product compared to regular MAC lipsticks. (Regular lipsticks contain 3g and this one contains 4.04g of product. A whole gram more!)

Collection info

The MAC Brooke Shields collection is now available at MAC stores island wide.

Pricing

The eyeshadow palette is priced at S$75  and the cream colour base at S$49

Lipstick will be retailing at S$ 42

Lastly thank you for reading and hope you found this post useful.

Wishing you a beautiful day ahead!

Michelle.

They don’t call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothing ;-) And todays post is all about getting you into the Holiday spirit and for all you makeup lovers, this is basically wonderland filled with wondrous surprises and gifting material galore.

So sit back and enjoy, MAC Holiday 2014!

I previewed 4 lines that are coming out this Christmas.

The Heirloom Mix

Keepsakes

Objects of Affection

Viva Glamourous

Here’s a peek at the makeup ‘mess’ I had the privilege of previewing!

As you can see, the theme is pretty uniform throughout the collection with beautiful glittery pouches and palettes adorned with cameo and pearl embellishments that scream Victorian.

Let’s first take a look at the Heirloom collection that has been quietly circling IG with little snippets of what’s to come.

(Note that this isn’t the entire collection, the range of Pressed pigments and some of the lipstick & Lipglasses are not included here)

Basically, pure holiday goodness. Red, glitter, shimmery packaging! And it all looks soooo…. FESTIVE!

If there was one thing i’d zero in on, it’s the hot pink lipstick No Faux Pas. A stunning matte that’s sure to make heads turn.

Here’re a closer look,

And some swatches!

The pigmentation of these matte lipsticks were amazing as always.

Next up, the glitters…

and of course I had to do dip my finger in just to show you what the colour looks like! Right?

In summary, here’re swatches of what was at hand (no pun intended)

Swatched here are (T-B)

Cremesheen Glass-

Romantic Overture (Clear base with sparkles), Seeking Adoration (Plummy Pink), Ceremonial (Hot pink with sparkles), Courting Chic (Deep berry with gold sparkles)

Matte Lipsticks-

No Faux Pas (hot pink), Sparks of romance (true red with golden frost), Salon Rouge (Clean Berry red)

Mineralize Blushes-

Sweet Sentiment (Rosy pink with shimmer), Modest Blush (Light baby salmon pink)

I also snapped a pic of the Eye Kohl,

Swatched here are Prunella (dark prune), Tarnish (dark green) and Feline black.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the forest green shade <3

Next up, Objects of Affection

These are mini colour sets of Lipglass and sets of pigments & glitter (my fave!)

Here’s a look at these glittery goodies!

The pigment & glitter boxes come in Gold and Beige, Silver and Blue, Pink and Rose and Deep bronze.

And a look at the Lipglass kits. This one’s pink and plum, one of the three that’s set to release.

There’s also a Nude and Red colour mix as well as a Nude and Coral mix.

Some swatches to tease you with!

Next up, the beautifully packaged Keepsakes with pretty pearl trimming and adorned with cameos in Ivory, Black and Pearl Grey casings.

The Keepsakes consists of two eye palettes, two face palettes, three sets each of lip & eye bags, three Keepsakes brush kits as well as some Lip + Eye kits too

Here’re the eye and face palettes

Inside….two of the three eye palettes.

Seen here are the Plum and Smoky mixes, missing here is the Beige mix.

Each palette contains a mix of your favourite MAC eyeshadow finishes, Frost, Veluxe Pearlfusion, Lustre, Matte and Satin.

Next up, two face palettes. A perfectly curated palette with lip, cheek and highlighter options. I really love that the creams are guarded under a clear flap, stops the eyeshadows mixing with the lipsticks. A pet peeve of mine!

These palettes are available in Natural (left) and Smoky (right) options.

Now onto the Lip & Eye pouches

There are three sets of each.

For the lips. Each pouch comes with lipstick, lipglass and a lip pencil. Available in three colour options.

Red, Nude and Coral.

Seen below is the red set. Ruby Woo. A classic MAC colour.

And then there are the eye sets that come in a pretty pearl trimmed pouch as well.

These contain extra dimension duo eyeshadows, mascara and eye pencils.

Another pretty gifting idea. The Keepsakes brush kits.

They come in three separate sets.

The Studio kit in Ivory, the Mineralize kit in pearl grey, and the In Extra Dimension kit in black. My personal favourites are the white handled ones, they look soo luxurious and a great basic travel set for gifting.

*All of these have shorter handles which make them perfect for travel. And the bristles are soft too.

So that’s the roundup of the very extensive portfolio of the keepsakes!

Now didn’t that leave you in a daze? It certainly did me with all the swatching and photographing!

So tell me, what caught your eye? For me it was the gorgeous white brushes, the mini glitter & pigment sets also not forgetting the gorgeous  Natural Face Palette in the Keepsakes! The list keeps getting longer and longer!

Good Morning!

So about a month back I was invited by Clé de Peau Beauté Singapore for a make over and preview of several new exciting launches. On this occasion I got to try the Radiant Fluid foundation first hand as well as learn a few valuable application tips.

As I was given the range of the newly released foundation, pre makeup bases & brushes for review, I quickly put them to the test the very next day! Fast forward a month later, here I am about to divulge all you need to know about this fabulous new find.

The Radiant Fluid Foundation is a new and improved version of the previous Refining Fluid Foundation. Both are lightweight foundations with sheer to medium coverage suitable for those who wish for a ‘my skin but better’ look.

As always let’s start this review with a quick note on packaging.

This foundation comes in a midnight blue plastic pump bottle with a gold cap.

What’s great about pump bottles is that it allows the product to stay fresh longer as it doesn’t come into direct contact with the environment which in turn allows a longer shelf life. And more often than not, they allow you to dispense just the right amount needed so there is minimal product wastage.

As much as I love heavy glass bottles for these types of high end foundations, I find this version actually more convenient for day to day use and most importantly, travel friendly!

Moving onto the product,

Clé de Peau Beauté describes the Radiant Fluid Foundation as ‘A completely new type of foundation that veils the skin with layers of light making your skin lustrously dewy and irresistible’.

The new ‘Microfacet’ technology used in creating this formula which controls the arrangement of foundation particles on the skin surface to optimize light reflection to create a radiance from the surface as well as within.

The most noticeable difference to me when comparing this foundation with the older version was that the radiance it gives was more refined. Almost like a glowy, ‘lit from within’ finish. Where as the older version was definitely more of a ‘wet’ satin dewy look.

For those of you who have used the refining fluid foundation before and are keen on trying this, it must be noted that O30 is a slightly less yellow toned than it used to be as well as a touch lighter. The new O30 that I have is almost a neutral beige undertone, so i’d suggest trying out a sample again in order to get a colour match without blindly reordering your existing shade.

Onto texture and formula

The Radiant Fluid foundation is a light density fluid foundation that glides on effortlessly. I like that it’s not a foundation that you need to work quickly with and just take your time applying it, enjoying the experience. although on rushed mornings I like to use just my fingers to apply this and it takes mere minutes. Fool proof formula as far as application goes.

The coverage is light and somewhat buildable. It corrects any unevenness in skin tone and gives the complexion a uniform appearance while concealing blemishes and pigmentation. You can also go over any areas that require more coverage such as the high points of the cheeks (where there’s usually pigmentation spots from sun exposure) and tap on a bit extra without it looking cakey or artificial, maintaining the natural skin like look.

Once set (and yes this does set! unlike most dewy finish foundations i’ve tried) it still does feel very comfortable on the face and keeps skin feeling hydrated. I also love that it doesn’t transfer throughout the day and stays put.

I find the formula of this is very forgiving when it comes to dry, flakey patches, something I deal with from time to time.

It also smooths the appearance of the skin giving it a healthier look overall.

Longevity & wear

Wear wise, this foundation promises to keep skin looking fresh throughout the day without the makeup looking ‘worn’. And I do agree with that statement to an extent, although I feel that the look does change throughout, just not in a bad way.

From application to 2 hours the foundation looked exactly as it was when first applied. As it hit’s the 2hr mark more dewiness develops but not to a point where it’s an ‘oily’ dewy look. Basically I didn’t feel the need to blot at this point.

After the 4 hour mark, I did blot my t-zone to refresh the look of the makeup. And then on I did need a few blots every couple of hours. *If you have normal to dry skin you’d probably not need to blot at all!

Here’s a look at how the Radiant Fluid foundation looks on my skin.

Shade range and product info

Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Fluide Foundation is available in 12 shades ranging from I10 (lightest for ivory skin tones) to O60 for the olive tan complexions. In Singapore we have an even limited shade range with colours running up to O40. Also keep in mind the CDP foundations are slightly more pink than other foundations, which is actually normal for Japanese brands. And it can be difficult to get a shade match if you are on the darker spectrum of the shade range, a common issue I face myself being a minority as far as colour matching goes in Singapore.

Pricing 

Radiant Fluid Foundation retails at S$175 and comes with 1oz 30ml of product.

Sheer Fluid veil primer retails at S$100 and comes with 1oz 30ml of product.

Concealer retails at S$116 (With two new shades Almond and Mocha being added to the existing 4)

Bottom line

At the price, this is definitely not a foundation that’s within everyones budget. However for those with the spending power I highly recommend you try this out as it gives a beautiful, natural finish to the skin.

Depending on what foundations you’ve been using in the past this could either be more matte or ‘oily’. As someone who always uses dewy foundations and rarely use matte ones I find this one to have much more oil control properties compared to the other dewy, skin like foundations such as the Chantecaille Future skin foundation, By Terry Sheer Expert and the Lancome Teint Miracle.

If you are someone who uses foundations such as Chanel Perfection Lumiere or D&G Perfect Matte liquid foundation, you’d find this is definitely something that requires more blotting during the day.

Here’re some swatch comparisons I put together

Overall, if you are able to find a good shade match, this is something i’d highly recommend. I love that it can be used even on rushed days and be applied with fingers and still get a great finish, I love that it keeps my skin feeling comfortable and never feel dehydrated. I also love that the new colour O30 is slightly less yellow toned and immediately gives my complexion a brightened effect.

In short, this is a dream foundation to girls who like skin like finishes and radiant foundations. It’s currently my holy grail, go-to for everyday wear.

*Clé de Peau Beauté counters can be found at Tangs Orchard as well as Takashimaya (Singapore)

Lastly thank you for reading, I hope this post was informative and useful!

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Michelle.

Welcome to another brush post!

Today is all about my very favourites when it comes to brushes, one’s i’m most likely to use every single day.

Overall my go-to brushes are the Tom Ford and Hakuhodo ones. I like them for durability and their soft feel.

As much as i’d love to love the likes of MAC or Sigma, I find them a bit too scratchy, especially now since i’ve been spoilt with these high quality luxury ones.

So here’s a look at my favourites. i’ve included face brushes as well as eye brushes.

Ok so jumping right in! Starting with eye brushes.

For the most part I use exclusively TF eye brushes. I love the longer handles of these that give the brushes good balance and also the brush shapes and density of the bristles are perfectly designed to suit my day to day needs of eyeshadow application.

For base colour application my go to is either the Hakuhodo J5523 or the Tom Ford 11.

The TF 11 is slightly larger than most round flat brushes i’ve come across and it’s easy to get quick and even coverage on the entire lid in half the time. I really love the density of this which is slightly bigger & chubbier than regular flat brushes and pick up more product. Also the bristles are made of very soft goat hair and feel whisper soft on the lid.

The Hakuhodo J5523 is my must have eye brush from all the Hakuhodo eye brushes. It’s a soft fluffy blender brush that’s perfectly shaped for softening the edges of your eyeshadow. Most day’s i’d use just this one brush to apply eyeshadow, blend and smoke out 2 to 3 shades of eyeshadow without having to change my brush. To read more on this brush, head here.

For a quick comparison here’s a look at brush tips. As you can see, the TF 13 is mush longer and round in bristle arrangement while the Hakuhodo is more of a fluffy paddle shape. This shorter bristle length allows for more control and firmer strokes, perfect for blending out eyeshadow with minimal effort.

The TF 14 is my go to for precision colour deposits such as the tear duct area as well as smoky under eye lining. The main difference between this and other pencil brushes I have in my stash is that this is more firmer yet still soft and non scratchy. Here’s a look at density and size next to a similar brush I own from Hakuhodo (P.S- i’ve no clue what this brush is, as the older Hakuhodo brushes didn’t come numbered!)

Now onto another must have brush from Hakuhodo, the J 4006. This is a brush specially created to take off any mascara clumps off your lashes. I believe everyone should own one of these as they do a fabulous job cleaning up excess mascara as well as separate clumped up lashes. I never forget to pack this even if i’m going on a short vacay.

Another two essential brushes in my stash are the Tom ford 12 and 15.

I find the Tom Ford 15 Eyeliner and Definer brush perfect for smudging. I use this after I line my eyes with a pencil liner and go over it with this brush to create a neat, yet softened liner look. I specially love that it’s firm and makes smudging a breeze as it offers more control. It’s also great for setting pencil liner with eyeshadow and allows you to work really close to the lash line.

Tom Ford 12 the Eyeshadow Contour brush (below right) is for those of you who like defined cut creases and allows you to create sharp graphic lines at the outer corner. I also like using this for creating a smokier thicker lined look as this is incredibly dense and is perfect for that.

The angled edge also is perfectly designed to fit the contours of the eye and glide across and is one of the more unique brush shapes that Tom Ford offers. I highly recommend this one.

On to face/complexion brushes.

I’ll be discussing 5 today. One bronzer brush, a blush brush, concealer brush, a brush designated for Guerlain Meteorites and a brush I use solely for applying powder around the under eye. As you can see, it’s a matter of finding brushes for your own personal needs whatever they may be!

Let’s start with the Tom Ford Bronzer brush. This is possibly the biggest powder brush known to man! Hakuhodo doesn’t offer anything quite similar to this mammoth of a brush. The bristles are tightly packed to create a fluffy, dense brush head which allows for covering a larger portion if your face in one swirl. If you apply your bronzer liberally all over the face, the extra large brush head works great for this. Also note the bristles are soft and feel very gentle on the skin.

As far as face brushes go, this is an indulgence!

Here’s a closer look at it’s fluffy white bristles against my tiny hand.

Next up, my another favourite Hakuhodo brush that I use exclusively with my Guerlain Meteorites. This is an ultra soft blue squirrel brush and quite delicate. The softest bristles I have come across.

The fineness of the bristles allow it to pick just the right amount of product to do a light dusting all over my face without overloading the product.

My only beef with this brush is that the slanted end of the handle makes the tip prone to chipping. And at this price range the last thing you need is a fragile handle. If I’d known, i’d have much rather picked up the same brush from the black S series brushes which are definitely sleeker.

Now on to blush brushes and I can finally say I have found the ONE. For the longest time I used my TF blush brush and none other, until…. I purchased the Chikuhodo Z4. It was one of the softest brushes in my collection. Of course only until the Hakuhodo pop up store set up camp at Takashimaya again and I had to go check out the Kokutan series and the rest was history as they say.

The Kokutan blush brush is the silkiest and softest cheek brush I have ever owned. The bristles are packed with medium density and are slightly longer than the Z4 which allows it more freedom of movement therefore making it whisper soft while applying your powders. The shape is similar to the Chikuhodo Z4 but flatter and larger.

In contrast to the Tom Ford brush which is designed with maximum density and a more domed end which allows for blending blush at a direct vertical angle as opposed to the Hakuhodo one which allows for sweeping brush strokes using the sides of the brush, between the two, the Hakuhodo is definitely better at adding a soft layer of colour and gradually building intensity. Also the difference in bristles, (the Hakuhodo blue squirrel compared to the Tom Fords goat hair) picks up much less product making it great for layered application rather than full on ‘POW’ blush application which works great for soft powdery blushes as well as highly pigmented ones where you want to pick up just a tiny bit at a time.

Here’s comparison photo of brush tips so you get a closer look at the size and shape.

Overall according to my needs, the Hakuhodo blush brush excels over the others. Of course this is highly subjective given each of your personal needs may be different to mine.

If you are someone who reach for less pigmented blushes or prefer and intense blush application using highly pigmented blushes, then i’d say go for the Tom Ford. You will love it.

Next let’s discuss my newest brush addition. The Kevyn Aucoin concealer brush which I just picked up mere months ago after lemming for years. Since I don’t buy brushes sight unseen, I had to wait for the chance to see these in person. Enter trip to London. I finally FINALLY saw it in person and yes, it was the perfect density and size for spot concealing.

The brush tip is very short and stubby. It’s also very densely packed giving it a very firm tip, which is perfect precision concealer application for hiding spots.

I also photographed it with a quarter so you could estimate just how small this is.

Finally let’s talk about the Chikuhodo Z5. Although this is retailed as a flat eye brush…

my preferred use for this is setting under eyes with powder. Let me tell you why.

If you look closely you’d notice that the brush is far too chubby in the middle to reach the inner corners of the eye effectively.

As much as I love big flat brushes for laying down colour, in comparison to the Tom Ford one I discussed before, this is just giant!

So I decided to put is to use as a face brush, on smaller areas of my face, such as the under eyes or around the nose; the size is perfect for this. The dense yet fluffy soft bristles pick up enough powder for setting and the softness of the bristles feel very gentle on the delicate under eye area which I usually handle with utmost care.

And there you have it. The round up of my favourites!

It’s taken me a while to find the perfect one for each task yet so worth it in the end. My next quest is finding the perfect powder brush and maybe an under eye concealer brush. I’ve been thinking of the Suqqu powder brush with it’s perfectly domed shape.. btI feel it might be slightly too big for my small face but if you have tried this, i’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Also let me know any other brush suggestions that you feel work great with powder, I definitely need help deciding where to start looking!

Hi Hi!

So I have finally rounded up my favourites from the NARS Audacious lipstick collection! And believe me it was no easy task!

As you could probably tell, to be fair I picked a few from each entry I posted previously. In case you missed them, read here, here, here and here.

While I give you the ‘It list’ I also wanted to share with you a more in depth review on each as I did test them out much longer.

As always, here’s some eye candy to start off!

7 NARS audacious lipsticks, one for each day of the week!

Left to right.

Julie, Barbara, Anita, Marissa, Grace, Carmen and Lana

1. Julie is a beautiful peachy shade that’s slightly drier than all the others here. And when I say slightly, I mean an absolute smidgen. This shade goes on semi opaque and wears well into 4 hrs. I feel that this would suit most fair to medium complexions and can look a bit pasty on darker medium skin tones.

2. Barbara is a neutral brown, pinky nude although it pulls slightly more pink on my very pigmented lips. Absolutely love this one. The texture of it is nice and goes on smooth and opaque. I love this for days when I play up my eyes a bit more.

3. Anita is my go to everyday shade. I believe this is a great MLBB lipstick. There’s slight pinkiness which retracts this from looking lifeless. The colour goes on opaque and I must note that this fades exceptionally well. As in you don’t necessarily notice that it’s wearing off (specially after meals). So I believe it’s a very good shade to invest in if you are someone who hates reapplying lipstick regularly.

4. Marissa. Definitely a must have for pink lovers. I like the subtle warmth in this which makes it quite flattering on many complexions. I liked the wear of this, although I eventually came to realise I liked my pinks more creamy and not this matte. However still a gorgeous lipstick that I feel you need to check out!

5. Grace. The ultimate girlie, bright! A must have in my opinion. The colour is just so beautiful and instantly brightening that the whole face looks lively. The texture of this was great and opaque in one pass.

Simply gorgeous!

6. Carman is a great red that I feel would be ideal for beginners as well as red addicts. This is a nice neutral red that makes your lips pop! Also teeth look whiter and complexion looks brighter.

This goes on fully opaque in one stroke, although i’d still recommend applying, blotting and applying lightly to reduce the chance of smudges.

7. Lana. The very first audacious lipstick I picked as a favourite. I adore orange toned lipsticks so it was hard to resist! The colour had a lot of slip which made it a bit difficult to maintain. One meal and you can clearly see the lipstick has worn off in the center of the lips. Other than that I had no complaints. It’s a bright and cheerful colour that definitely gets you noticed!

Overall thoughts

First off, in case you wondered if these lipsticks are drying, I am happy to say that they aren’t! Although they are not hydrating, they most certainly don’t make your lips drier. However I must mention that this formula emphasizes texture of the lips, so if you have lots of lip lines you might not like how these look once worn.

I feel that the richer, brighter shades had more slip and were the hardest to maintain. They also faded in a very noticeable way and was prone to smudging and feathering. Overall I felt that the nudes were the most user friendly if you are clumsy like me! However not dismissing the reds just yet, I feel the NARS Audacious lipstick reds were AMAZING. Be it warm, cool, neutral or deep, there’s one for everyone! And I think i’ll eventually end up owning all.

The coverage if these lipsticks are unrivaled. i’d go as far as saying these are THE most pigmented lipsticks i’ve ever tried. They are amazing.

Other Info

NARS Audacious collection is retailed at Tangs Orchard and Robinsons Heeran.

It’s that awesome time again! The bi-annual Shiseido sale we all look forward to!

Today was the media preview day and I went bright and early so I could grab some stuff and make it back home in time to photograph and get my blog post up so you can start making your shopping lists. I didn’t get much for myself, (let’s face it, I have more than I can possibly use up!) but of course I did shop for some of my friends who don’t live here, so they can enjoy some Shiseido and CDP goodies too.

As you may have noticed, from past sales. I usually make a beeline straight to the NARS and CDP stands. Little surprise there, as they are my favourite brands! However this time around I spent a little more time at Shiseido as well, mostly since I had just received some eye palettes and lip products from their Fall collection and i’m currently LOVING the texture of these.

So without boring you with words.. let’s take a look at what’s available.

First up, Clé de Peau Beauté lipsticks.

My two picks were R5 and T5. These retail at $35. A steal, given that they normally retail 100+!

I also picked up an Ettusais Lip Essence. Which I hear are excellent lip oils for nourishing lips and keeping them supple. So I picked up one :-) This was just $15.

Onto some really exciting stuff!

I was soo thrilled I got to pick up these…. the Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Colour Trios

This fabulous green trio GR 305 (How gorgeous is that khaki and sea foam green!) as well as the gorgeous orange black n silver trio OR 302 which I found very unique! At just 25$ per palette it was an amazing buy as they usually retail around $50 I believe.

Another great Shiseido buy that I highly recommend are their Lacquer Rouges. At the time I was there, testers weren’t out yet, so it was a bit difficult picking colours. However I didn’t leave empty handed, and brought home two lovely deep reds.

These rouge lacquers are liquid lipsticks which are incredibly vivid and opaque and are among my all time favourite Shiseido products. (Sale price- $20)

Lastly, NARS.

To be honest, NARS prices at the Shiseido sales are some of the best deals. The eyeshadow singles go at $18, palettes start at around $20 and this time there were also candles available for $35 which is heavily discounted! (Seen above is Acapulco, which smells like a mix of chocolate and vanilla! <3 )

I picked up two of the Voulez Vous Eye & Cheek palette which includes my all time favourite NARS blush, Deep Throat (left); Dolce Vita blush (right) and three limited edition eyeshadows as well as Lhasa, one of the permanent eyeshadows. At just $35 this is incredible value!

I also highly recommend checking out Lola Lola. A well pigmented & buttery smooth,medium warm brown.

Other products I highly recommend.

The Clé de Peau Beauté primers. Since these just got reformulated, they are getting rid of old stock!

Clé de Peau Beauté eyeshadow palettes.

Clé de Peau Beauté Voyage gift set. Packaging is beautiful and make gorgeous luxury gifts!

Shiseido sunscreens.

Ettusais powders & cheek products.

NARS brushes.

Tips for shopping

Check expiry dates. Some may have as few as 6 months left while others had 2-3 years to go, such as the NARS palette which was expiring March 2018!

Always head to your favourite brands first, chances are they are the popular stands and most of the good stuff sell out early. *Warning: on public days there can be a bit of pushing and shoving! So be prepared!

Lastly, go early. People start queueing as early as 9.00 a.m. And as they say, the early bird catches the worm and in order to get your hands on the best deals you need to make the effort.

Sale details, venue and times.

23rd Oct 2014 10 a.m to 8 p.m

24th Oct 2014 10 a.m to 8 p.m

Orchard Building Level 12 (This is the H&M Building)

1, Grange road, Singapore 239693

Lastly, happy shopping you guys!

xx

So there’s a new Naked Basics palette in town. And for once, here’s a review before it launches!

Essentially the Naked Basics 2 is a cooler cousin of the Naked Basics palette that launched before.

Packaging wise, it’s a no fuss design. The shell is made of hard plastic and is a matte surface that doesn’t attract fingerprints. The good sized mirror this carries is also rather handy if you need to touch up your eye makeup on the go.

Within there are 6 full size eyeshadows. All matte except for one, Skimp which is an iridescent oyster ivory.

The colours coordinate well with sufficient light, medium and dark shades and is a very well curated palette in my opinion.

Let’s take a look at swatches.

Skimp – Shimmering ivory. This applied sheer and was slightly powdery.

Stark – A matte, warm peachy cream. This too was powdery and slightly dry.

Frisk – A matte taupe with slight warm undertones. The pigmentation of this was medium. Applied smooth and was very soft to the touch and finely milled.

Cover – A medium brown with red undertones. Application was smooth and pigmentation was good.

Primal – A medium-dark matte brown leaning slightly warm. This was a tad powdery although it didn’t translate powdery when applied on the lids.

Undone – A neutral dark brown. This was the driest of the 6, and applied rather patchy. It was significantly difficult to blend due to it’s texture which made this the poorest performer in the palette.

Observations

On the whole, the texture of all the eyeshadows were very workable except for Undone. which seemed to stick to wherever it was placed and was quite stubborn as far as blending went.

Also worth noting, Skimp and Stark that swatched powdery never looked powdery once applied to the lids. In fact all I noticed was that some of the product seem to get lost between application and I could clearly see it flying all over while applying (nothing settled under my eye though thankfully).

All in all, the quality of the shadows were ok.

Now on to a softly defined day time look I created using this palette.

Starting with the full list of products I used for this look,

Complexion- Make Up Store CC foundation as base (which is actually a tad too dark for me so I had to take it down the neck also), Shiseido Powder foundation for setting, CDP Concealer for under eyes and covering redness.

Eyes- Edward Bess eye primer, Shu Uemura gel eyeliner (My HG), Dior IT Lash Mascara

Brows- Anastasia Brow Wiz

Lips- Nars Matte lipstick in Montego Bay.

Eyeshadows I used

Skimp, Stark, Cover, Primal & Undone.

Here’s one more set of swatches for easy reference :-)

Stark was my all-over-lid base shade, following with Skimp in the inner eye area. Then I used Cover for slight crease definition, and added Primal for outer corner shading and lining the lower lid, finishing off with Undone for lining outer corner of the lids before I went over with the Shu Uemura liner to add more definition.

Bottom line

Overall, these eyeshadows were very fine in texture and were soft and blendable. Even though some of them were on the powdery side, it didn’t necessarily affect the finished look. What I considered was that it was a well curated palette that performed well and works great for day to day makeup.

If you already own the Naked Basics palette and debating getting this, I can say that this palette leans considerably cooler compared to that and you won’t be duping it by any means.

*On a side note, the matte formula and relatively easy pigmentation made the colour Frisk an excellent contour shade (for pale complexions). The colour had enough grey in it to mimic natural shadows that occur on the face and is light enough for those of you who are very fair and find it hard sourcing an appropriate contour shade.

Product information

The palette comes with 6 x 1.3g product and retails at  SGD45

Available at all Sephora outlets 30th Oct onwards.

*Mine was a press sample sent for review.

Welcome to another Urban Decay eyeshadow post! This time a more colourful affair, fitting to say the least with the festive season lurking around the corner.

Here’s todays object of obsession, the Vice 3.

This time around there are a few packaging changes in comparison to last years Vice 2. The most obvious one being the palette now comes in a cushiony, zippered pouch. I love this new packaging element as it makes the palette more travel friendly.

Another noticeable difference is that the Vice 3 is significantly slimmer compared to the Vice 2. Also a welcome change.

And inside….

… are 20 eyeshadows. All brand new shades specially created for the Vice 3!

Colours range from palest pinks to emerald green to bright magenta. Basically it’s one mega palette packed with options.

The palette also comes with a dual ended brush for application. The quality of the brush is nice too, so I ended up using this for the eye looks I created.

Let’s start with a run down of the colours

Row 1

Truth- A pale, warm matte pink with pink micro shimmer which was only visible up on closer inspection. The texture was marginally dry but applied smooth with slight powderiness. When blended in, it had a nice sheen that looked pretty as a brow highlight.

Undone- A pinky beige in a matte-satin finish. The micro shimmer in this was silvery and made for a beautiful all over lid base shade. This too was a little dry when swatched and ever so slightly powdery. Pigmentation was also good.

Downfall- A warm tan matte. The texture of this was soft and applied smooth. A perfect transition shade for neutral eye looks.

DTF- A medium matte-satin brown with neutral pink undertones. The pigmentation of this was good and blends easily.

Row 2

Dragon- A shimmering emerald green. This applied sheer and the colour payoff was ok. In comparison to Urban Decay singles, this wasn’t quite as buttery soft as i’d like. Although with layering, it could be built up to good opacity.

Freeze- A muted medium teal blue with micro shimmer. This too had medium colour payoff and went on rather sheer.

Heroine- A matte navy blue with micro shimmer. The colour payoff of this was very good and fully opaque in one swipe. The added blue micro shimmer gives the eyeshadow depth, making it a rather interesting matte. On the down side, this was a smidgen dry.

Brokedown- A shimmering warm Khaki bronze. When swatched, the shimmer feels a bit chunky but applied infinitely better on the lids and go on smooth with good colour payoff.

Row 3

Vanity- A metallic eggplant with a blackened base. Colour payoff was good and applied smooth without any dryness. (On a side note, this swatch pic isn’t a good reference to actual colour as Vanity is much more murky and deeper than seen here. It was very difficult to photograph)

Lucky- A warm coppery bronze. The pigmentation of this was excellent and was ultra smooth and creamy.

Reign- A deep satin brown. This too had good pigmentation and swatches smooth.

Bobby Dazzle- A shimmering ivory with good colour pay off. I would love to pair this as a single colour eye look and red lips. has an almost angelic feel to it.

Row 4

Alien- A warm pink with golden iridescence. This has good pigmentation and applied soft. On the lids this wore slightly sheerer and needed building up.

Alchemy- A deep, reddened magenta. One of the most powdery shades. Although worth noting, the colour was vivid and workable once packed on. The star in my makeup look in fact surprisingly enough!

Bondage- A shimmery deep reddish purple. The pigmentation of this was excellent and had fully opaque colour pay off. On the downside, this colour had quite a bit of fall out.

Sonic- A metallic red rust colour. The colour payoff was excellent with a buttery smooth texture.

Row 5

Last Sin- A warm metallic champagne. The colour payoff of this was excellent but the texture was tricky to work with and didn’t adhere to the skin well loosing it’s metallic look and ending up looking more of a shimmer finish.

Angel- A warm taupey medium brown with silver shimmer. The formula of this feels harder resulting in less colour payoff making this sheer once applied and needed building up.

Defy- A deep warm matte brown with micro shimmer. The texture was slightly on the drier side and was powdery.

Revolver- A soft matte black with micro shimmer. This too was drier and harder in texture and applied powdery and very patchy.

Summary

Best performers- Lucky, Bondage, Sonic

Poor performers- Alchemy, Defy, Revolver

Now onto two looks created using the Vice 3, firstly a natural daytime look.

If you follow me on IG this is the makeup I used for my passport photograph. Softly defined eyes, to compliment a ‘no makeup’ makeup look.

Eyeshadows I used here are, Truth (inner corner and brow highlight), Undone (all over lid), Downfall for lining the lower lash line and blending out any edges on the lid and DTF + Reign for outer corner.

A closer look,

Next up, a more dramatic look for evenings.

I believe this plus a chunky, oversized cream sweater paired with jeans & knee high boots is the perfect combo for Autumn evening outings <3 Can’t wait to take this look for a test run next week!

Colours I used were, Alchemy (packed onto the lid), Bondage for the outer corner, Sonic for crease definition (just in the middle) and Downfall as a transition shade to blend. For the inner eye I used Alien.

And a closer look at the eye, (I didn’t use any false lashes as the intensity of the colours were drama enough! :-) )

Final thoughts

Overall I really liked the colour mix of the palette, and is incredible value for money as well as a very versatile palette. Even though the actual colours don’t quite meet the normal Urban Decay eyeshadow quality which is buttery smooth and creamy, I feel that the palette was still ok and quite workable. My one issue with most UD eyeshadows is that there is almost always fall out. So be sure to wear them with a primer and do your base makeup last! Cleaning up fall out is no fun, so it’s always good to take precautions :-)

So the bottom line, would I purchase this? The answer is yes! As it’s such good value for money! I’d actually love to give some as gifts to my girlfriends.

Product info

The Vice 3 retails at S$88 and come with 20x 0.8g of product.

Retails at all Sephora outlets.

*Mine was a sample sent for review.

When was the last time a bad colour job left your hair dry, brittle and basically ruined? For me it was last year in May. When my stylist wrecked my hair and I was left to deal with one awful mess to clean up. It’s been over a year now and I have finally managed to grow out the damaged bits and trim it off.

What made my hair somewhat manageable during this trying time was my intensive haircare routine. It helped moisturise and smooth my sad lifeless locks. And within a few months my hair ‘recovered’.

This post is dedicated specially to those of you who have either chemically treated hair, or heat damaged hair and are looking for solutions to repair your hair and reinstate it to it’s healthy glossy self.

Here’s a look at my daily hair maintenance line up.

As you can see, I am big on masks and conditioning!

However, just for sequence sake, let’s start with shampoo.

I have what you call a flaky scalp.

A dry scalp is what causes the flakiness and itchy tight feeling. To combat this condition, all you have to do is use a shampoo that balances the scalp and problem sorted. So far I have tried several products, ranging from Kerastase to Kiehls. Nothing seem to work as well as my new find, the Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo. This never leaves my scalp feeling uncomfortable or overly cleansed like other shampoos and my hair never feels dry either. It basically cleanses it just the right amount. I also really like the smell of this, an uplifting, fresh herby fragrance (this contains rosemary and ginger extracts) which is an excellent pick-me-up on groggy mornings. I’ll most definitely be repurchasing this.

Onto masks! And first up, Masque Force Architecte from the Kerastase Resistance line.

Of all haircare i’ve tried, I find that Kerastase makes the most deliciously fragranced ones, and this mask is no exception. It has a delightfully fruity fragrance that’s a pleasure to use and can be rather addictive.

I have been using this for close to 4 years, on and off whenever my hair has needed repairing and reconstruction. It’s my post colour conditioner basically. I find that this mask in place of conditioner after my shampoo is the best for combatting any damage caused by chemical treatment. If you don’t have severly damaged hair, i’d recommend using this once a week or so just to repair hair from regular heat styling.

Post masking, I used this next product.

Kerastase Resistance, Ciment Thermique.

A leave in conditioner for heat activated reconstruction. I know this conditioning routine sounds a bit extreme, but given the situation my hair was in, it was a necessity. Nowadays I just use this as a pre styling balm to protect my hair from heat.

I dispense a tiny quantity of this and run it through the ends of my hair where most dryness is visible and proceed to blow drying.

Next up, two newer additions that made it to my routine in recent months. My hair is not in the same horrific condition it once was, and is now what can be considered normal hair. And these two masks are perfect for normal to dry hair (resulting from regular colouring or heat styling).

Let’s start with a budget friendly drugstore option. The Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, Shine mask.

Aussie has been a brand i’d been wanting to try for the longest time. And as always, Singapore doesn’t seem to have this -.-. Luckily for me, I managed to pick this mask and several other Aussie masks when I was in London a few months back and have been loving it since. For the price, I feel it’s an excellent mask. Retails less than $10 if i’m not mistaken.

The mask is fruity, similar to the Kerastase and texture wise somewhat similar as well. It deep conditions and leaves hair feeling soft and manageable. I also really love the dispenser of this, it’s a thin diaphragm at the bottom of the bottle that squirts out product when squeezed. Soooo shower friendly. No more fumbling around unscrewing caps and what not. On the down side, i’d be petrified to travel with this as any unintentional squeezes would result in a suitcase full of hair mask!

Last to the discussion O&M Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque.

I can’t begin to tell you how truly deep conditioning this is. If you have flat hair or very fine hair, this might end up a bit too conditioning, if that were ever possible.

This mask leaves hair soo silky, it literally slides between your fingers as you wash off the excess product. And styling is also made easier as there are virtually no tangles. Just silky, smooth hair that you’d want to flip around all day. Btw, did I mention this smells of Creme Brulee?!!

The active ingredients in this is basically a cocktail of ‘Australian native oils’ such as Sweet Almond oil, Jojoba seed oil and Argan oil. All good things as far as nourished hair goes.

If you were on the market for a new DEEEEPLY moisturising mask. Try this.  

*Before I conclude this post, I also want to touch on some other important details about this brand as well.

Original & Mineral is an Australian company which uses NO Sulfates, Parabens, Triclosan, MIT, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Sodium Chloride and animal testing. They strive to weed out any harsh chemicals from their haircare products while promising the same incredible results that other professional haircare brands offer. A win win situation if you ask me :-) Stoked to try more from this line.

Other Information

Kerastase – Can be purchased at most salons. I believe the price is somewhere around SGD 40.

Aussie- At Boots and Target. Pricing around USD 10

Sachajuan- Purchased this online, it’s available at Net-a-Porter (USD 31) as well as Luxola SG at SGD 38.

O&M- Purchased mine from Luxola SG. Retails at SGD 45.

Hello there! Firstly, it’s been a loooong absence! Sorry bout that. Blogging had to take a back seat since i’ve been on vacation. Rested and rejuvenated, here I am with another post. Hope it’ll be worth your while. So if you remember, quite some time ago I did a preview and swatch post on the MAC Holiday collections that were set to come out this year.

Since then I did try out a few of their seasonal goodies and also purchased a few more to add to my testing bag. The favourites of course being the lipsticks. So today i’m here to share my thoughts on these as well as some lip swatches of how they look on. As always let’s start with some eye candy.

All three lipsticks released were in the regular MAC matte formula. The only exception being Sparks of Romance that was matte but with multi coloured glitter (which is not too visible in face to face contact)

  No Faux Pas - A neutral leaning slightly warm, bright medium pink. This applied evenly and smooth with pretty much full coverage in a single stroke. This was my favourite from the bunch as far as colour was concerned. And if you know me by now, I find it hard to resist a good bright lipstick! Salon Rouge - A neutral deep rich burgundy red. This applied with ease achieving semi opaque coverage in a single stroke and was easily buildable to richer opacity in 2-3 passes. Sparks of Romance - A warm, medium, brightened red. Application was slightly draggy and felt gritty due to the glitter particles. The coverage was good and wore well without much transferring.

Overall these wore well into 6-7 hours and looked fresh throughout with minimal fading. I managed to eat meals and drink coffee without the worry of having to reapply. The MAC matte lipsticks are some of my favourite mattes and they are awesome quality for the price. From the three, Sparks of Romance was the most noticeably drying with Salon Rouge being the least.

Now onto some swatches starting with No Faux Pas which I love pairing with ‘nude eyes’ dressed with just mascara and a skin toned eyeshadow.

Salon Rouge

Sparks of Romance

Final thoughts

If you are into reds and on the look out for a more winter appropriate option, Salon Rouge would make an excellent addition. I really love that it’s a nice transition shade for those of you who have mixed feelings about sporting vampy lips. For a fresh take on holiday lipstick picks, No Faux Pas would be my recommendation. This looks stunning paired with a LBD and a fresher and less boring take on the classic (yawn) black dress and red lip holiday look. As much as I like the brighter and complexion enhancing tone of Sparks of Romance, I didn’t quite enjoy applying this as it can get a bit draggy and gritty due to the glitter content.

Other info This collection is currently available at all MAC counters each retailing at SGD32 Part of my trio was sent by MAC for review and some I purchased myself.

Lastly thank you for stopping by and wishing you a lovely weekend!

Michelle.

Hi There!

Sharing a quick post of swatches of the Tom Ford Lips and Boys today. A fabulous collection of 50 lipsticks with a provocative ad campaign to support it. As you may already know, these went on a one day only sale at Selfridges two days ago and I could not resist picking up some for myself.

As much as I hate buying blind, I figured this might very well be the only chance of me getting ahold of these and I caved. Finally I ended up with two choices, Diego and Alejandro. One Orangey red and one plummy deep red!

Fast forward to two days later I got the chance to preview these ‘boys’ and I am happy to report I am very satisfied with my purchases and can rest easy. So for those of you who don’t have a Tom Ford counter nearby I’ve compiled a little edit of 14 lipsticks which I consider my favourites after a long swatch fest of trying out 50 sinful Tom Ford lipsticks! Hope you enjoy!

Swatches in natural lighting

Shade descriptions & Collection details 

Row 1

Patrick – A light pinky peach

Mathew – A light peachy coral (Slightly deeper version of Patrick)

Michael – A medium rose pink

Diego – A warm bright red orange

Rafael – A warm bright red orange (Marginally brighter than Diego)

Giacomo – A medium berry rose

Adriano – A medium warm coral

Row 2

Flynn – A light pinky nude

Julien – A light warm medium dusky rose meets mauve

Alexander – A light warm sugar pink

Preston – A light warm pink with slight lilac tones

Justin – A medium bright pink

Alejandro – A warm muted deep red

Wez- A deep warm berry shade

According to the information provided to me, 14 of the shades are repromotes or existing shades.

Here’s the list in case you need to cross checked with your current collection.

Holden – Vanilla Suede

Beau – Blush Nude

Henry – Warm Sable

Addison – Pink dusk

James – Twist of Fate

Richard – Neglegee

Cooper – Pure Pink

Adriano – True Coral

Alejandro – Slander

Collin – Indian Rose

Cary – Casa blanca

Didier – Morrocan Rouge

Xavier – Violet Fetale

Leonardo – Smoked Red

Finish and texture The collection featured quite a number of frosty and shimmer shades in contrast to the regular Tom Ford lipstick line up, which features mostly cream or satin finishes. The ones featured here were some of the more pigmented colours and swatched buttery smooth. They were very comfortable on the lips and of high quality as expected of Tom Ford products.

Formula According to the press release, these lipsticks are said to be formulated with rare and exotic ingredients such as Soja seed extract, Brazilian Marumaru butter and chamomilla flower oil to create an ultra creamy texture with incredibly smooth application, which I believe reflects in the higher price point of these lipsticks.

Packaging and Pricing These mini lipsticks are packaged identical to the full sized lipsticks. The quality feels the same, though much lighter in weight which make them perfect for touch ups and fit into the tiniest of clutches.

Lastly, here’re my Top 5 picks from the new colours. These were stunning worn, and very well pigmented! <3

Patrick

Matthew

Alexander

Flynn

Diego

Other info The entire collection will release on the 2nd January 2015 and continue to retail till the end of February, after which they will be withdrawn from the counter. Each lipstick will be retailing at S$50 each and with every trio of lipsticks purchased, you will be entitled to a very cute gift box (seen above).

Nothing takes up more time during Christmas than gift shopping. And each year i’ve noticed the list keeps growing and growing & GROWING to the point where it becomes less fun seeking out that perfect gift for your loved one.

So early November when I was invited to preview Crabtree & Evelyns extensive seasonal gifting selection, I was thrilled at the opportunity to make my lists leisurely and get to the store before the best stuff sold out!

Since it’s the first weekend of December and many of you are starting to shop for those all important gifts, I hope my little gift guide comes handy to plan your purchases before heading to the store where you are bound to be overwhelmed.

So here’s a bunch of stuff that I thought would fit various budgets and came packaged so beautifully, half of the work is already done.

Welcome to Crabtree & Evelyns Christmas 2014 collection!

As always my eyes go right to the prettiest packaging >.<

Like this gorgeous diffuser, first thing on my list! And it even makes a gorgeous yet functional table centerpiece!

The clay dove is just the perfect design detail that makes this gift extra special don’t you think? <3

This one’s priced at S$98.

Next up, candles! To fill your homes with the warming scent of winter berries or a mix of balsams and citrus infused with star anise.

These come in several sizes and make for lovely gifts. Prices start at S$38 for the small one, S$50 for the large and S$75 for the extra large three wick candle (seen above).

There’s also corresponding room sprays S$30 and fragrance oil S$18.

No Crabtree & Evelyn gift guide is complete without some of their most popular items. The hand cream sets! A complete sell out each year, these come in boxes of 12, 6 and 3. Priced at $78, $55, $30 respectively.

I also think they make excellent stocking stuffers as each work out to just over S$6! With one set you have 12 stocking stuffers sorted! Easy peasy!

Another C&E speciality are their delicious english cookies, preserves and fudge!

They all come packaged soo beautifully. I personally like those in the tins. They feel more substantial.

Here’s half a kilo of biscuits in a barrel! Flavours include, Lemon and white chocolate, Triple chocolate chunk and Strawberries and cream. This set retails at S$68.

P.S- There are also biscuit tins in musical box versions! How fun!

If you are looking for hamper style assortments. You are covered! Here’s a drool worthy set of preserves, biscuits and tea in a collectible tin. Retails at S$68.

And how adorable is the packaging!!!!

Last but not least, decadent holiday hampers that come beautiful red boxes and also in picnic basket style wicker boxes for the generous gift giver. Prices start from S$80 for this small box, seen below; ranging up to S$300 for boxes filled with an assortment of biscuits, fudge, preserves, sparkling wine and much more!

So there you have it! My mini tour of Crabtree & Evelyns holiday offerings. There’s of course 100+ gifts in store to brows through! And I promise you, you are bound to find the perfect gift, if not several with just one trip!

Happy shopping my dears :-)

If glitzy, glamourous makeup isn’t your preferred holiday look, here’s a post for you! My take on NARS Holiday 2014.

starting with todays menu,

Opal Coast Eyeshadow single

Ukraine Blush

Corsica Lip Gloss

Femme Fleur Lipstick

Algonquin Nail Polish

First up, Opal Coast. A beautiful, frosty white which swatches smooth and evenly.

Ukraine is a reddned, cranberry brown in a satin finish.

Femme Fleur is a warm medium, shimmery brown with a copper tone.

Corsica is a rose brown gloss with a satin finish.

Now onto a look created with this collection, something I believe would look beautiful paired with a white or ivory dress.

For the eyes I started off with a neutral shimmery nude base and then added Opal coast on top as a shimmer coat. As you can see I concentrated the colour towards the center of the lid. I then added the same shimmery nude to the tear duct for an intense inner eye highlight to make the eyes pop.

For lips I used Corsica by itself. No lip liner or lipstick beneath. Following with the blusher and some Kevyn Aucoin highlighter on the high points of my face to catch the light and add some dimension.

Overall thoughts

I believe the lipsticks and glosses from this collection were particularly good. Specially the red one Deadly Catch which I swatched in store and of course Corsica which is now permanently in my makeup bag.

I also loved the quality of the blush. Well pigmented, soft & blendable which was very much worth the price. Overall the collection is rather nice to own, specially with it’s limited edition packaging which is always something special.

Other info

The NARS Holiday collection is already available at Tangs beauty department as well as Robinsons.

Given that most of these last months have been spent living out of a suitcase, it’s been rather difficult to determine favourites each month. Luckily December was more anchored and I have had decent access to makeup and I finally put together an informative (In my opinion at least) post on what I have been reaching for the most these holidays. Please note, some of the products are fairly new to me and are first impressions and by no means what i’d call a ‘proper review’. This post is purely me sharing favourites and I hope you find it useful!

Anyways, chatter aside, here’s the menu for today!   As you may have noticed, I haven’t included any eyeshadows as there were just too many favourites to cover, I thought i’d edit it and focus on the most used. First up a bunch of lipsticks I have been enjoying loads.. maybe just a bit too much come to think about it, as I’ve clearly neglected everything else I had brought along with me!

  Left to right, it’s Alexander, Matthew, Ruby Rush & First Time. From the latest Tom Ford releases the clear winners to me were the matte lipsticks, excelling in texture as well as coverage. They aren’t as drying as regular matte lipsticks and are perfect for those with eternally parched lips like mine. If you are a red lipstick lover i’d suggest Ruby Rush. It’s currently my favourite red and last hours upon hours without any fading or slipping around. It’s a prefect candidate for party looks as it’s pretty ‘sip resistant’. For nude lip lovers First Time would be an ideal choice. A warm brown beige, this would suit most complexions below NC35 beautifully. And of course, the pigmentation of these are just stellar and unrivaled.

Moving on to the 50 Lips and Boys released I have been wearing mostly Matthew and Alexander. Between the two i’d say Alexander was harder to wear (in terms of tone) and application was rather tricky too, but still made it to my favourites as it was a rather unique pink in my collection. Matthew on the other hand was a dream as far as application is concerned and was very similar to the regular Tom Ford lipstick formula. I believe it’s a must have for spring or summer and truth be told who could possibly resist such a pretty peachy coral, yes? Next up two darlings from Hourglass.

So I may be a bit late to rave about how amazing Hourglass blushes are. Mostly due to the fact that I am easily put off by overhyped products also I wasn’t reaching for my one and only Hourglass Ambient Powder as much as i’d like. Luckily for me, Hourglass recently released their blushes in palette form! And the exclusive shade that was included in this palette was just too tempting to pass. I use this on days where I just can’t decide which blush to pair with my makeup (which are most days, since i’m eternally running late!). All of them are very flattering and pretty much suit every day-makeup look I have ever worn! The blushes are easy to work with and add a youthful glow. I also love that these blend like a dream and diffuse the colour for an almost airbrushed glowy look even if you use a s***** brush. Hourglass blushes are a great beginners product to invest in. Two thumbs up!

Apart from that I also have been enjoying the Hourglass Ambient powder in Luminous light paired with this (blush palette) as well as other blushes for a subtle daytime highlight. Although Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight still remains my HG highlighter, the Hourglass one is a close second for it’s ease of use and complexion friendly colour.

Next up, is this fabulous new addition to my complexion product arsenal. The Gucci Luxe Finishing Powder. This ultra finely milled powder glides on like silk and sets makeup without the powdery look. No more powdery, cake face! On oily to combination skin this lasts around 3 hours before the first blot (just around the t-zone) therefore I can’t say it has commendable oil control properties. However I still love this for ease of use and is the very first pressed setting powder i’ve truly loved as most pressed setting powders can be very noticeable and powdery once applied. P.S- The shade I use is 040 Medium which suits light medium complexions.

Now onto a holiday release for 2014. The Guerlain Meteorites Perles d’Etoile. I have been using this as a warming blush paired with a red lip. It adds just enough colour for a rich festive look. I believe it’s important to stress that this LE version is more shimmery compared to the regular meteorites in the permanent collection and has a reddish golden glow. For those of you who are very light in colour the red may show up excessively, i’d suggest taking out the red ball (I only had one in my tin!) and using just the rest for a beigey golden glimmer. It’s actually a very wearable shimmer that doesn’t look cheap or loud. I highly recommend this product.

More holiday releases, and one random eye liner. From the Nars holiday release one of my favourites have been this ultra wearable lip gloss Corsica. I have been reaching for this a TONNE. A perfect my-lips-but-better colour for medium complexions as well as flattering pinky brown for lighter complexions, this one’s a work horse.

Next up, my favourite highlighter for the eyes. Lithe, from the MAC Gold-Beige pigments set from MAC Holiday 2014 gifting collection. This pigment is ultra fine and looks amazing as a inner eye highlight. It isn’t overly warm and the beigey tones pretty much make it a suit-all-complexions shade. I also like pretty much all the colours in this pigment set, especially the matte brown one! Just gorgeous.

Another recent release that has been much loved is my Ettusais Creamy Lip Crayon. I love the pink one best from the five that released. They are easy to use and take up minimal space in ones handbag for quick touch ups. On top of that these have Rose Hip oil for conditioning the lips and are fragrance free, which makes this a winner to me!

Lastly, Eyeko Eye Do eyeliner. I have mentioned this several times before as one of those fool proof eyeliners that are very easy to use. I love the felt tip that gives maximum control while the precision tip easily creates an enviable flick to your cat eye liner looks. It’s my go to these days and I am already on my second one. My only beef with this product is that if I open the cap in a hurry i’ve noticed the ink splashes! I have experienced this a few times and have now learnt to open the cap slooooowlllyyy.. apart from that little annoyance, it’s a great product.

For blush options, my favourites are NARS Madly (a warm beige) & NARS Ukraine blush (a deep cranberry shade). Madly has been my go to blush topped with Hourglass Luminous light powder. And for a pop of colour I use Ukraine on just the apples of my cheeks for a very season appropriate flush. Both are highly pigmented and last all day (i’m talking well over 7-8 hours, maybe even more). I specially recommend Madly for day to day wear for adding a soft contour and colour to your cheeks. Excellent product as expected by NARS.

Another unexpected favourite from daily blushes has been Modest Blush by MAC from their holiday release, The Heirloom Collection. It’s a soft dusty pink which adds the subtlest flush. I love how easily this blends and is very finely milled. Something i’d recommend to girls who love a girly flush and colour phobic.

So girls, that’s rounds up my favourites for the month of December, all amazing products in terms of quality and wear.

Which products have you been enjoying lately? If there are any you’ve found back up worthy or repurchasing, please share! I’d love to hear suggestions.

Hello! Welcome to the very first post of the year! And it’s something I am very passionate and excited to write about. Blushes.

With my tanned skin making an appearance, I have been scrambling around to find a blush that suits my now richer, golden tone. Although I don’t really have many blushes with me, I still managed to scrape the bottom of my travel makeup kit to grab these goodies.

So far, all I have been wearing has been NARS Ukraine from the holiday release this year (I have already reviewed it here in case you want to take a peek) but thankfully here’s the new bunch i’m travelling to the beach with next week (give or take a few) and I won’t have to stay bound to one blush!!

As you can see there’s a good variety of blushes suitable for day as well as night, although I mostly picked golden & russet shades which go really great with a tan.

Some swatches (On bare skin, no primer).

and a closer look,

 Lancome Rose Paradis

Reviewed once before over here. This is a bright, medium hot pink with excellent pigmentation. Rose Paradis is very smooth and blends well and I never experience any powderiness or dryness which is actually quite common in matte blushes.

My preferred method of use is applying this over a neutral blush just to the apples of my cheeks for an added pop of colour. But of course, this looks stunning worn all by itself too.

NARS Ukraine 

Already reviewed here. A deep russet brown with red undertones.

This pairs really well with winter pale skin and red lips, as well as tanned skin with coral or nude makeup, therefore an ultimate multitasker with excellent pigmentation and soft blendable texture.

Gucci Soft Peach

This one’s a new addition and my very first Gucci blush, all thanks to my lovely friend Sandy also know as The Beauty Banker.

Soft Peach is a medium peach blush with slight red undertone. 

And according to first impressions, it’s one of the most pigmented high end blushes I own. I also love how finely milled and soft the formula is.. I definitely will need to get more!

Chanel In Love 

In Love is a golden beige with soft coral tinge and gold shimmer.

As per all Chanel blushes, the pigmentation is medium, finely milled and blends effortlessly for a natural looking flush.

RMK Matte Shiny Cheeks 01

This RMK blush is the lightest pick from todays 5 blushes, and it was an unexpected love affair with this peach baby. Although the ‘heart’ does swatch slightly powdery, thankfully it doesn’t look powdery when worn and is a very easy to use colour.

The golden beige that surrounds the heart can be used on top of the peach or used separately as a highlighter. It’s an ingenious design which combines functionality with value for money something I appreciate.

Final Thoughts 

From this selection, the best pigmentation and quality was the NARS and Gucci. Both amazing in terms of formula.

On a side note, the Gucci makeup line truly blew me away with it’s incredible quality. Which is expected at that price bracket to be honest and stay tuned for more Gucci reviews soon!

Recommendations

For dark medium complexions (NC 35 – NC 45)  – NARS Ukraine, Gucci Soft Peach & Lancome Rose Paradis

For light medium complexions (NC 25- NC 35)  – RMK Matte Shiny Cheeks 01 (LE release from Autumn which should still be available at the counter, fingers crossed), Chanel In Love.

Lastly, thank you for stopping by, I hope you found this post useful. And happy Saturday to you!

xx

Hi There!

How’s the beginning of the year been treating you so far? Good I hope!

In my case, the start of the year has been somewhat busy and I have just returned back to the city from a week long stay at the beach.

So today I dumped out the contents of my makeup bag so I can share with you a couple of things that have been proving quite useful while I was away!

Here’s a little peek.

As you can see i’ve changed my makeup bag, yet again. This time I swapped it for a very light weight, black Ferragamo version which basically was free. It’s the Qatar airways travel pouch from my last trip. The case can be wiped clean and is pretty sturdy and most of all it’s the lightest makeup bag I have ever owned! Which means… I get to stuff it with even more product without it weighing a tonne!

What’s inside?

As always i’ve got my Chanel mirror and Hakuhodo lip brush in there, staples. In addition, this time I also have a brow brush, also by Hakuhodo which I use with my Tri Brow palette by Make Up Store. The Make Up Store brow powder is a new addition to my stash. And is great for speedy brows. In the event I don’t have time to whip out my Anastasia Brow Wiz, this is my next best option. On it’s own it doesn’t give me a perfectly defined brow as I do have rather patchy brow hair which also is very fine! But when i’m running late, i’d rather have presentable brows than no brows at all!

In the event you do have rather neat groomed brows without too many bald spots and you want some extra definition, a brow powder will be your friend. It’s easy to use and gives your brows a very natural finish.

On regular days I use my Anastasia Brow Wiz to fill in bald spots and give the ends of my brows a bit more definition by using the darkest shade in my Make Up Store Tri Brow. It really defines them well and gives the illusion on a fuller, more youthful brow.

Next up, lips. I haven’t got any lipsticks in there. Mainly cos I don’t wear lipstick while i’m chilling at the beach, unless it’s dinner of course and I whip out a bright orange.

The three products I relied on were the Tom Ford Rose Crush Gloss, my very first Tom Ford gloss, Tarte Blissful Lip Surgence lip gloss that came in a Sephora lip kit set, (I never really went out and purchased this) and my holy grail lip balm, the Ettusais Lip Essence. In fact I’m just reapplying it right now.

The Tom Ford lip glosses truly are hard to beat. They are non sticky, highly pigmented (as far as lip glosses are concerned) and long lasting. Rose Crush is my most used colour and it goes really well with medium tanned complexions. I highly recommend this.

The Tarte Blissful gloss is a sheer peach coral shade. Smells like sugary vanilla and does a good job of keeping the lips hydrated. I enjoyed this gloss, although for some, the smell could end up a bit overpowering.

For skincare, I relied on my Crabtree & Evelyn handcream in Caribbean Island Wild Flowers & the Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++.

Truth be told, I packed this C&E handcream for it’s very beach appropriate, fresh smell and pretty packaging with the coral motif. There I said it. However C&E is in fact one of my current favourite hand cream formulations as it’s hydrating, yet non greasy. It’s a good medium between my heavy La Mer handcream and other lighter options like the L’Occitane ones.

The Kiehls sunscreen on the other hand was as essential. I use this for my arms and chest, hence why I have it in this lager size. For the face I strictly rely on my Avene one which has SPF 30. I don’t take that around in my makeup bag as I never reapply my sunscreen on my face. Bad I know. But I do liberally apply the Kiehl’s one on my arms every 2-3 hours or so. It’s a nice light texture and doesn’t have that god awful, typical, old-school sunscreen smell.

Next up two perfume samples I carry for touching up. My favourite between the two, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria in Manderine Basilic. I love the fresh zesty fragrance of this and pairs well with humid, sweaty weather. I plan on purchasing the full size when I go back to Singapore next week.

The other newer addition was the Giorgio Armani Si Perfume. Something a little too sweet for my liking, but it came in my travel pouch so I let it be there.

Last but not least, two essentials. Oil blotters by The Body Shop (a must in this crazy humidity) and a mini deodorant spray by Sephora. Normally I would stock up on the Sephora Deodorant Wipes. They are easy to carry in your bag and great for a quick freshening up midday. I picked up the spray this time around as I believe it was something new at Sephora SG. Since i’m yet to use this, can’t tell you anything except that it will fit into your tiniest of clutches, no problem :-)

So that concludes my ‘What’s in my bag’ mini post! I hope you found it a useful read and discovered something new.

Wishing you a great start to the week AND new year, Michelle.

Since the first edition of spring makeup collections have started showing up at counters, i’m sure you are curious to see what Tom Ford Beauty has in store for the season yes?

Well so was I! And today I had the opportunity to experience this collection first hand through a very special person, Patrick Eichler; the Education Director for Tom Ford Beauty Asia Pacific who walked me through the new products and gave me the full Tom Ford transformation complete with shading & illuminating!

I must admit my first preview for Spring has been a very good one!

Let’s begin with a peek at the yet to be, ‘makeup mess’ for the day. Loads of TF just waiting to be used!

The Tom Ford Beauty Spring 2015 collection consists of the following,

Three Limited Edition Eye Duos (Wet & Dry formula) – Raw Jade, Ripe Plum, Crushed Indigo

Three Limited Edition Nail Lacquers – Bitter Bitch, Indigo Night, Black Jade

Two Limited Edition Mascaras – Teal Intense & Black Plum

Also releasing alongside (a little earlier, in February) are 4 new Lip Shines – Lust, Unabashed, Sultry, Frivolous

As you may have noticed by now, the Tom Ford Beauty spring collection is anything but your typical spring colour palette. From rich khaki hues to deep blues, the collection has a mysterious, raw, untamed feel.

Intense eye looks uncommon during spring, were boldly taken to another level with the unexpected release of the wet & dry Eye duos bringing out an almost metallic look to these shimmering colours. I’m happy to say it was so typically Tom Ford, and nothing i’d have expected!

A closer look at the gorgeous palette Crushed Indigo,

And here’re some swatches in artificial lighting

The eyeshadows were all super soft and creamy in keeping with regular Tom Ford standards, and I must say the duo chrome whites on the left side were an unexpected sweet surprise! Anything but your everyday highlighter shade. They glisten in beautiful opal pinks, icy cool blues and minty sage green.

Here’re some more swatches. This time outdoors in natural lighting (all on bare skin and just single swipes)

Onto more colour! Mascara.

I adore the chunky wand of the Tom Ford mascara. They really thicken up the lashes with minimum effort and deliver rich colour.

Makes me wonder why I never picked up the original black version!

Next up, Nail Lacquers (L-R : Bitter Bitch, Indigo Night, Black Jade)

Of the three, the two pearl finish polishes on the left are brand new, limited edition colours. Bitter Bitch, as you may know is a repromote from Fall 2013, one of Tom Fords most sort after polishes. Glad it’s back!

Lastly, Lip Shines! (L-R : Lust, Unabashed, Sultry, Frivolous)

I must confess it’s my very first time sampling the Lip Shines as I am more of a medium to full coverage kinda gal. But the juicy, kissable texture of the Lip Shines have won me over and got me wanting more. Totally bowled over by it’s smooth coverage and impressive colour payoff.

My pick of the lot was Sultry, a warm, medium apricot shade. Pairs perfectly with my new Raw Jade Duo! Just delicious!

Lastly here’s the look Patrick created, moi as model ;-)

He went for very natural, glistening skin using a light powder foundation and enhanced my bone structure with some light contouring.

Products used for this look were:

Eye Duos, Raw Jade, Ripe Plum. Blush in Savage. Some extra definition for the cheekbones using Shade & Illuminate Intensity 1 and for the lips, a swipe of Lip Shine in the colour Lust.

So there you have it, a little preview of Tom Ford Beauty Spring.

I hope this post was useful and I will follow it up with reviews of the products I came home with as well as precise launch dates and the price list. If you have any questions about this release, please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as time permits.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead, Michelle.

December to me was a month of palette reviews.

Among the many I sampled and blogged about, there was a distinct favourite. And it was by far the most used palette this season.

Introducing the CDP Holiday Makeup Coffret. My new go-to palette.

It comes with everything you need to create a fabulous day or night look without breaking a sweat. Although I have been mainly using this as an eye palette (it comes with blush options too) I find it’s a great all in one palette. Specially if you are into more mature and subdued eye makeup, like myself.

Without too much rambling, here’s the said palette that’s captured my heart.

As you can see the palette packaging in itself’s a work of art, which was in fact specially for Clé de Peau Beauté by Swash London the masters of whimsical and thought provoking prints & designs. I love it for it’s collectors appeal. Unique and something unusual.

The packaging itself is sturdy and feels weighty and luxurious and by no means something too fragile or flimsy to pack for your next holiday or even as a staple in your makeup bag.

This makeup coffret comes with one Extra Rich Lipstick, a Perfect Lash Mascara (both travel size) and the eye and cheek palette.

And a close up of the lipstick. A beautiful, deep wine shade.

Overall the palette and the lipstick leans warm. Making it very wearable.

The palette contains 3 eyeshadows and 2 blushes.

Top to bottom-

Eyeshadow

Shade 1- A dark, smokey plummy brown.

Shade 2- A medium taupe with subtle mauve tones.

Shade 3- A high shimmer beige champagne.

Blush

Shade 1- A light warm pink

Shade 2- A light peachy apricot

Touching on texture and formula, the eyeshadows are all a shimmer finish and are on par with the newly reformulated eyeshadow formula which apply silky and smooth. While testing this out, I found that the darkest shade had a little bit of fall out during application and suggest a good primer to prep the lids. Other than that, the eyeshadows were pretty phenomenal.

On to blushes. These were matte and very finely milled. No powderiness was observed.

The lipstick was ultra comfortable to wear and well pigmented. I love how it glides on creamy and smooth. I also noticed it wasn’t as drying as some of the other CDP lipsticks I owned, which is great!

Lastly the mascara is ideal for a subtle yet defined lash look. I wouldn’t call this a night time mascara as it doesn’t do much for volume or length, I like it mostly for day time use and the fact that it’s water resistant makes it budge proof and lasts throughout the day without any flakiness or smudging.

Wrapping up this review, here’s a look created with this palette.

I only used the eyeshadows in this case and created a smokey, glowy look which is actually wearable post holiday!

And a closer look at the eyes. I really love how the champagne shade highlights the inner eye. So shimmery!

Quick run down of products I used to create this look,

Eyeliner- Urban decay Smog

Mascara- Eyeko

Lips- Tom Ford Lip gloss in Rose Crush

Cheeks- Nars Madly topped with Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Luminous light.

Brows- Anastasia Brow Wiz

Contour – Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette (I used the shade Frisk to give some added definition to the nose)

Other important info!

This palette is still available for purchase at Clé de Peau Beauté counters although the pressed powder and the gloss trios are long gone!

Priced at SGD 250 it’s definitely a splurge. In the event you do happen to pass through the Duty Free though, you can even pick one up there at a discounted price! I feel it’s a absolutely gorgeous product that’d make a lovely gift or a little treat for oneself.

*Mine was a press sample sent for review.

Hello! Todays post is all about Tom Fords spring nail polish release, Indigo Night. As you might have already seen here, Tom Ford Spring 2015 is anything but your average spring makeup release. Something which I find very refreshing!

So for spring, you can expect three new polishes. Two are brand new shades and one a repromote.

33 Black Jade – a bottle green with micro shimmer

34 Indigo Night – a deep midnight blue with micro shimmer

04 Bitter Bitch – a muddy vampy noir shade

According to Tom Ford these new colours are designed to ‘expose similar layers of light and shimmer that resemble the multi-dimensional luminescence of a dragonfly’.

First things first, Tom Ford nail polishes aren’t my go-to/favourite polish formula. I always found they were either too runny for my liking or too thick in some cases. Therefore I only own just one polish and I purchased it solely because it was a colour too perfect to pass up! And that’s Coral Blame.

That being said, I know many other bloggers adore the consistency of the TF lacquers. Basically it’s down to personal preference. So don’t be disappointed just yet! It’s a gorgeous polish to add to your collection.

As with all things Tom Ford, the packaging is very sexy, angular and edgy. And most of all, it looks and feels luxurious.

Unlike other high end lacquer bottle caps (Dior, Chanel, YSL etc), this one cannot be removed or separated from the brush and is attached directly to it.

Once the bottle’s opened it reveals a rather long brush with an old school, slim, brush applicator. I like that it’s perfect for those with slim nail beds like me.

The formula is a slightly runny one. Although not overly runny that it’s difficult to control the flow of polish.

I find that overloading the brush with polish is where the problems begin. So always pick up a moderate amount before attempting to apply, or the lacquer would pool up against the sides of the nail and result in a bit of a bothersome cleanup job after. I’m speaking from experience!

Here’s my manicure with just two coats. I like that it’s pretty opaque and the colour is much deeper and richer than anticipated. It looks rather sophisticated.

And here’s a closer look at the micro shimmer. (This one was taken after a top coat, pretty evident by it’s glossy finish)

Click on image for a even closer look!

Overall thoughts

The final result was nice. No streaking and the colour was beautiful. I also like that it’s a two coater as nothing annoys me more than a time consuming three coat manicure (that’s excluding base and top coat!).

The only downside is that the consistency is not my favourite as I am partial to the thicker formulas such as Dior.

Other info

The Tom Ford polishes contain 12 ml of product. 2 ml more than Dior and 1ml less than Chanel.

This collection is set to release in March at Tangs Beauty department and will retail at SGD48.

*Mine was a sample sent for review. Thank you Adeline! :-)

P.S- Stay tuned for more Tom Ford Spring reviews!

And lastly, a happy weekend to all of you!