Bronzers - Café Makeup

Dior Paradise Duo Blush and Bronzer Duos: Pink Glow #1 and Coral Glow #2

May 162013

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 203 Dior does bronzers so well. This summer’s release include two blush/bronzer duos–the Dior Nude Tan Paradise Blush & Bronzer Duos in Pink Glow #1 and Coral Glow #2 ($56 each) They’re both beautiful.

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 207

Both are packed in a velveteen slipcover together with a small kabuki brush (which has its own velveteen slipcover).

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 202

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Blush & Bronzer in Pink Glow #2 has a lighter bronzer color and a cool-toned pink blush.

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 11a

As with other Dior bronzers, the powder is finely milled and has a flattering sheen that mimics a healthy skin texture (without sparkle or shimmer).

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 14

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Blush & Bronzer in Coral Glow #2 has a slightly deeper bronzer and warm coral blush that packs a beautiful pigmentation level.

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 205a

Like Pink Glow, Coral glow has the same beautiful Dior texture.

Dior Paradise Duo Bronzer 206a

The split pans are relatively small, but it is possible to keep the application separate by using a small headed highlighter or blush brush. To play with the blush and bronzer portions separately, I’ve been using this Hakuhodo H2109 blush brush, which has a small, dense head.

Hakuhodo H21091

Another good choice is a MAC 165 Cheek & Highlighter brush. Of course, any blush/powder brush can be used if you with to swirl the colors together, which gives a beautiful effect as well. Here are swatches of both bronzers, separately and mixed. As you can see, mixing Pink Glow with the bronzer really warms up the color nicely. In fact, the more that you mix Dior Pink Glow with the bronzer the coolness of the pink blush disappears almost entirely:

Dior Paradise Bronzer Swatches3

Here is Liz in Dior Pink Glow #1:

Dior Bronzer Paradise No 1a

And here she is in Dior Coral Glow #2:

Dior Bronzer Paradise No. 2b

As you might expect, we love these (Liz prefers Coral Glow, I love both). Another lovely summer bronzer set from Dior–well done, beautifully executed in its packaging and quality.

Available at: Nordstrom.com, Sephora.com, and other Dior points of sale.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see About Cafe Makeup.

Nars Hearts New York Set: Review

Blush, Bronzers, NARS, Powder 17 Responses »

May 072013

Nars Loves NYC03a

Just as I’m heading to New York City for a short trip, this incredible NARS Hearts New York City set ($65) arrived on my doorstep. Start spreading the news, Cafe Makeup loves this set. As much as we are on the road, this combination of neutrals with an edge combination is perfect for travel, or to keep in a bag for an ultra-long day away from home. The palette is slim, sturdy, and perfect for slipping into that tight bit of space.

This contains:

Amour Blush: Dusty rose with a hint of peach
Biarritz single eyeshadow: neutral cream colored beige matte
Nepal single eyeshadow: Soft, shimmery peach rose
New York single eyeshadow: Plum brown matte
Galapagos single eyeshadow: Bitter chocolate infused with gold
Laguna Bronzer: a soft, slightly warm-to-neural everyday bronzer
Chinatown nail polish
Dolce Vita lipgloss

Nars Loves NYC01

The palette holds the powder products. I love that the lipgloss is separate, and that the palette has no creams (which can get messy over time) The palette has an enormous mirror, which is perfect for travel.

Nars Loves NYC08

I cannot think of a more efficient or perfect set up. I’ve loved Galapagos for so long, it’s a perfect liner color. The warm Nepal and the cool blue-burgundy New York play well together. Biarritz is an understated ivory matte which says “sophisticated.”

Nars Loves NYC06 eyeshadows 1a

The Amour/Laguna combination is a perfect goes-with-anything combination. This palette was made for us. Here’s Liz using Amour, Laguna, Nepal (lid wash) and Galapagos (in crease and beyond):

Nars Hearts NYC Look 2

Application was pretty fool proof. I didn’t notice any difference between the single version of Galapagos and the one in this set. Liz applied Nepal and Galapagos on her lids with the Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush, with a touch of Biarritz in the corner of her eyes. It was fast and foolproof. You can see how beautifully Nars Galapagos and Nepal do together on her lids (no base):

Nars Loves NY

Liz is also wearing Dolce Vita in both pictures (above), which is one of the only glosses that I’ve already gone through twice:

Nars Loves NYC10

Dolce Vita gloss is a true “your lips but better” shade that goes anywhere.

Nars Loves NYC11

Nars Dolce Vita on Liz:

Nars Dolce Vita

Nars Chinatown is a beautiful vampy dark red:

Nars Loves NYC12

This dries to a shiny hard finish with full saturation in two coats. The texture is thin but highly pigmented:

Nars China town

I love Nars Chinatown (no topcoat):

Nars Loves NYC18

Swatches of all shades in the palette:

Nars Hearts New York Swatches1

Overall, Cafe Makeup hearts the Nars Hearts New York City set. I love how all of the products come packaged together for a well-coordinated, sophisticated look. For us, this set was a 100% winner.

This is available online at Nars Cosmetics, and will become available soon at select retailers (Barneys, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fith Avenue, Henri Bendel, and Bloomingdale’s Soho).

New Armani Fluid Sheers: Nos. 8, 9, and 12

Blush, Bronzers, Giorgio Armani 8 Responses »

May 042013

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles01a

We’ve been playing with the re-formulated Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheers ($59 each) in three shades:

Number 8, a sheer pearly pink
Number 9, a vibrant complex raspberry red
Number 12, a deep bronze-tan

The packaging is a slight modification of the earlier version, with a clear container that feels a bit like a heavy plexiglas.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles02a

There’s a spout to keep the product fresh, clean, and sanitary. These are far more controllable than the Make Up For Ever fluid blush, it’s possible to get a head-of-the-pin amount with very gentle pressure.

Giorgio Armani Spout

The light pink pearly Armani Fluid Sheer Number 8 (#8) is a cool shimmery highlight color that gives a bit of sparkle and opalescence.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles05

We’re still playing with these, but I find the texture and feel of this Number 8 as very similar to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfecters. It’s pretty. This gives a more subtle than Nars Copacabana Illuminator, so if the Nars was “too much” for you, you’ll love the Armani.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles06

This particular shade is a true highlight on us (Chanel Cameo/Ivoire, MAC NC15ish) who are pale and warm. You’d really have to layer this to get a blush color.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottle 31

In contrast, Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer No. 9 is a true liquid blush. Even when this is worn sheerly, it leaves a color of shimmery cool raspberry red.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottle 34

We found this was very pretty, and extremely long lasting throughout the day. Once this one sets, it doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles10

Finally, Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer Number 12 is a highly pigmented, deep brown-bronze. This bronze is deep, yet sheer. There seems to be a bit of red in this bronze, which makes it nice o use on either cool or warm skin tones.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles03

Those with lighter skin tones looking for a barely-there bronze should keep looking. There’s a soft pretty glow to this color that I love, but I have to be careful applying this. For me, the best way to use these was using a blush brush. I’ve been using the Armani Blush Brush ($44) which is awesome. For some reason, this brush has the ability to be both acceptably soft, yet still be able to pick up pigment from those softly-pigmented, very subtle blushes.

GA Fluid Sheer Bottles12

It also works beautifully with the two liquid Armani Fluid Sheers that have the most color–Number 9 and Number 12. I place a bit of both (sometimes I mix them) on one side of the brush, and just barely touch the color on cheeks, then blend blend blend with the dry side. This technique can be used with any blush brush, it is not necessary to get Armani’s (although I do love this one).

Here are some just-from-the-spount swatches of these. As you can see, these pack plenty of color:

GA Fluid Sheer Swatches1

Here they are sheered out. In the last two swatches, I’ve mixed the pink and the red into the bronze.

GA Fluid Sheer Swatches2a

You can vary the warmth of the bronze color significantly by adding any other color. Another set of swatches:

GA Fluid Sheer Swatches5

Here are the three (each worn separately) applied sheerly on Liz:

Overall, I’m loving these. I like the customizability of the color, the longevity, and the ease. To me, these are a sophisticated take on liquid blushes/highlighters. If you want a subtle texture, these are well worth a look. Liz is less comfortable with the liquid format, she’s a powder blush fan all the way.

If you have any swatch requests, please leave them in the comments. I’ve been very busy over the past few weeks finishing a project, but I’ll have more time for the next several to post more frequently. You should also see The Beauty Look Book’s review of Numbers 5 and 8 (I want to pick up Number 5 next, based on Sabrina’s review).

Available at Nordstrom and other Armani sources. This post contains affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup).

Guerlain Terracotta Four Seasons Bronzers: Nude, Natural Blondes and Medium Blondes

Bronzers, Guerlain 19 Responses »

Apr 172013

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers2

Lately I’ve been testing three of Guerlain’s Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzers in Nude 00, Naturel Blondes 02, and Moyen Blondes #04 ($75 each/ 0.35 oz.). These were part of a recent comprehensive release by Guerlain, which considerable expanded their shade range for the 4 Seasons line. You can see all of the shades here at The Beauty Look Book. These come inside a tortoiseshell compact that is both beautiful and quite strong and sturdy. The shape fits comfortably in a side pocket of one’s purse, beach tote or carry on.

Guerlain four seasons case

Although I am beyond pleased to see this French company offer shade ranges that will look beautiful on women of all skin tones, I chose Nude (Nude #00), Natural Blondes (Naturel Blondes #02), and Medium Blondes (Moyen Blondes #04) because they fell at the lighter end of the spectrum range to coordinate with my skin tone (MAC NC15/20, Chanel Claire/Ivoire, Guerlain #2).

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers3

Although the price point of these is high, the quality level is excellent. These are incredibly finely milled. Applying them is a luxurious feeling, and they meld beautifully to the skin. These bronzers would never even come close to highlighting or creating imperfections. The formula is truly superb. As you can tell, these bronzers each have four shades that allows you to emphasize certain tones in different seasons for different effects. I think the brush head would have be fairly small to get precise effects (something like a small face highlighter or small contour). I use my standard brushes and swirl over the top.

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers1

Here are my thoughts about the colors that I’ve tried on my skin tone. Starting with Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons in Nude 00, this color gives a barely perceptible, natural glow.

The slight pink mixes with the warmer bronzer colors to give a very natural finish. This adds a touch of natural color that helps me look alive, especially when I’m wearing a medium coverage foundation which covers my natural skin tone variation. It’s a good “winter bronzer” color, when you aren’t expected to show much sun (although it certainly could be worn by those with pale skin tones who love to enhance their natural coloring with just a touch).

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers No.002

Nude is a good daytime office bronzer, it doesn’t look like I’ve flown to Hawaii over the weekend. Instead it’s a “is she wearing bronzer?” type of natural look.

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers No. 21

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seaonss in Naturel Blondes 02 gives me a standard bronzer look, sort of similar to Edward Bess Daydream in tonality. I cannot say it more accurately than this–> Naturel Blondes will be a perfect everyday bronzer for summer.

One of the quarters has a very slight touch of shimmer, which mixes with the other powders to give a natural skin effect. There is nothing over the top about this shimmer. Here is Liz wearing Guerlain Naturel Blondes, topped with Burberry Coral Pink Blush and Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Yu.

Nars Yu2

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Medium Blondes (Moyen Blondes) on my skin tone is a high drama bronzer that I absolutely love.

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers No. 41

As the sun is filling out California spring skies, I’ve enjoying it’s beautiful glow. As with the others, the powder is excellent quality, so that it melds with my skin. Unlike the others, this one does give me a “I’m just back from Hawaii” tan glow.

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers No. 42

Although this color will not be for everyone (some may find it too obvious), I find that I love this bronzer particularly when I’m wearing nude tones (which otherwise cause me to fade out), or very vibrant corals and pinks (when my face needs some color for balance).

Here are swatches of all three shades, which don’t do the bronzers justice. One really has to try them on the skin to see how they look once applied.

Guerlain Four Seasons Bronzers4

A reader asks a good question–how does Nude 00 compare to last year’s Burberry Sheer Summer Glow palette? Here are some swatches that show that Burberry’s Summer Glow is swatching much more bronzy/shimmery than Guerlain’s 4 Seasons Nude 00:

Guerlain 4 seasons comparisons1a

Overall, this trio is a beautiful selection of shades. The quality is excellent, really worthy of a luxury line.

Available at Nordstrom.com and other Guerlain counters.

Cafe Makeup received Nars Yu without charge for consideration for review. This post includes affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup)

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Face & Eye Palette Swatches and Review

Bronzers, Eyeshadow, Giorgio Armani 10 Responses »

Apr 142013

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Face & Eye Palette ($88), also called the Armani Bronze All-Over Palette, is built for luxury travel. This small, sturdy palette has a large bronzer and three beautiful shimmery peach-based shadows on the lower level.

Armani Summer 2013 Palette17

First up, the beautiful metallic overspray gives a lush, red-carpet glamor to the bronzer. Opening the palette for the first time is a breathtaking experience for those who love a luxury presentation.

Armani Summer 2013 Palette01

Close up of the Armani signature on the ridged top:

Once the overspray is brushed away, a warm shimmery bronzer remains without the metallic drama:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette d1 Here is Liz wearing the Giorgio Armani Summer Face & Eye palette’s bronzer on her cheeks, over Chanel Perfection Lumiere in 32 Rose Beige:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette c2

Here are some comparisons with other bronzers in the same shade range. I found that Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Face & Eye palettes bronzer was more shimmery than Tom Ford’s Gold Dust. It seems a bit lighter than Guerlain Terracotta Four Seasons in #2 Naturel Blondes and Chanel Terra Ambre:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette b2

The eyeshadow portion of the Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Face & Eye Palette includes three shimmery eyeshadow shades–a light pearly cream highlighter, a light shimmery peach, and a deep warm brown.

Armani Summer 2013 Palette05

To my eye, these colors are quite similar to the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Shimmer in Mirage. Two of the shades look identical, and the highlighter is certainly close enough to render Mirage duplicative if you already have the Armani Summer 2013 palette:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette b1

On Liz:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette a1

Eyes open:

Armani Summer 2013 Palette a2

Overall, the Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Face & Eye Palette has a gorgeous presentation–the overspray on this is a stunner. Underneath, you’ll find a pretty, finely milled warm-toned bronzer. As you lift the bronzer, underneath you’ll find smooth, shimmery eyeshadow that is beautiful and wearable.

Available on Armani’s online site, and soon to appear everywhere Giorgio Armani Beauty is sold. This post contains an affiliate link (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup)

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