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Nars Pierre Hardy: Boys Don’t Cry and Rotonde Blushes

May 052013

Nars has engaged in an artist collaboration with Pierre Hardy, the French designer who has designed for Hermès and is known for his gorgeous shoes. Some of his designs are very geometric, a theme picked up the design of this cosmetics collaboration.

The collection includes two Both are impressive.

Boys Don’t Cry is a beautiful reddened coral, which reminds me of a fruit punch flavor. This is a beautiful face-brightening color that will look amazing on warm and cool skin tones. It has plenty of pigment, so it should show on all ranges of skin tones.

Nars Pierre Hardy Blushes2

The gold imprint overspray will wear off after a few uses. After it’s gone, the blush is matte in texture. It’s nicely milled.

Nars Pierre Hardy Blushes boys don't cry1

Although it looks bright in the pan, I found that using a my standard blush brushes worked well. I adore this color for summer. Here is Boys Don’t Cry on Liz:

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Swatches of Boys Don’t Cry on the left (swatched light and heavy) along with Rotonde on the right:

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Nars Rotonde for Pierre Hardy is summer-friendly, brightening orange-peach.

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This is a gorgeous warm orange that looks amazing with summer brights.

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I have to use care applying this one– my Nars Yachiyo brush works well, as does a duo fibre brush. On Liz:

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I was really impressed with the quality of these vibrant blushes. They have very good staying powder, I was able to get a good 10-hour day out of them. If you love these colors, these are well worth a look. In fact, I’ll say that you really should look at Boy’s Don’t Cry–it’s an unusual color and absolutely gorgeous.

These blushes were sent to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review. This post includes affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup).

Available on Narscosmetics.com, Nordstrom.com, Barneys.com and elsewhere.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

Diorskin Nude BB Cream: My Thoughts

Dior, Foundation 22 Responses »

Apr 242013

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Over the past several weeks, Dior has released the Diorskin Nude BB Creme ($44/1 oz.). I bought the Diorskin Nude with some hesitancy, because I really love Diorsnow UV Shield BB Creme. I really like the Diorsnow BB Creme’s SPF 50 rating, the medium coverage, and the overall feel and look when applied. Parenthetically, the Diorsnow BB Creme has never left me with a single clogged pore. Nonetheless, in the interest of Dior science, I took the plunge to try the Diorskin Nude version.

Dior BB Cream07

One advantage to the new Diorskin BB Creme is that it is offered in four shades. Although some lines have only one colors, others have five–like Goldilocks, Dior must have decided that four shades are just right. You can see swatches of all colors on Karen’s site at the Makeup and Beauty Blog. After doing a swatch test at Nordstrom’s counter, I found that Diorskin #002 was a good match for my Chanel Claire/Ivoire, MAC NC15/20 skintone.

Dior BB Cream swatches1 copy

Here are some comparisons with Diorskin Nude BB Creme in #002, Diorsnow UV Shield BB Creme, Nars Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska, Chanel Perfection Lumiere #20 Beige, MAC Pro Longwear NC 15, and Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in #118. Of all of the swatches, above, Diorskin Nude BB Creme is the sheerest. However, Diorskin Nude BB Creme is genius when layered. I was able to add 2 and 3 layers over problematic areas without getting any texture or caking up.

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Diorskin Nude BB Creme is rated at SPF 10, a significant difference from Diorsnow UV Shield’s SPF 50. As California moves into the sunniest season, this lower sunscreen rating makes Diorsnow UV Shield a better product in my calculation. Yes, I do use a separate sunscreen but it’s nice to have on those rushed days. Of course, Diorsnow’s very limited available shade range is a great downside.

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Diorskin Nude BB Creme has the easy travel portability, similar to the squeeze tube of the Nars Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturizer (reviewed here). Between those two, Nars Tinted Moisturizer has a larger available color range, stronger coverage, and lasts longer throughout the day. Also, Nars Tinted Moisturizer has SPF 30 plus skin care ingredients that help reduce dark spots and hyper pigmentation. Diorskin Nude does not advertise those qualities.

Dior BB Cream swatches2

I noticed that Diorskin Nude BB Creme has a long dry-down period. This means that the product seemed to stay moist on my skin for a good 20 minutes before I felt that it had settled down. I don’t like to apply blush over wet foundation, because it can go patchy. I usually resolved this by adding Nars Light Reflecting Loose Powder on top, so that I could proceed to add powder blush or bronzer faster.

Overall, Diorskin Nude BB Creme gives a nice, natural, sheer, glowy coverage. It feels much more like a light tinted moisturizer than a BB creme, nonetheless the 4-shade range is an advantage.

My personal take is that the higher-SPF coverage products in my drawer (Nars Tinted Moisturizer and Diorsnow UV Shield BB Creme) are better suited to my own needs. However, I’ve come to recognize that foundations and base products are very much “your mileage may vary” type products. Dior’s offering fills a nice niche for those looking for a simple, comfortable, moisturizing, and sheer product.

Ingredient and use listing (click to enlarge):

This post contains affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup)

Perricone MD Acyl-Glutathione Deep Crease Serum Review

Perricone MD, Skin care 5 Responses »

Apr 212013

Perricone MD Acyl Serum08

One new release in the skincare world is Perricone MD’s Acyl-Glutathione Deep Crease Serum ($155/ 1 oz.). This is a multi-tasking anti-aging treatment. One of its best features if the ability to soften fine lines

Perricone MD Acyl Serum14

This is a gently scented spot treatment that is to be applied to expression lines, lines, and creases. This is recommended for the “11″ that sometimes appear between the eyebrows, across the forehead, in the contours of the mouth (marionette lines), and anywhere else that lines are starting to form. Essentially, the product includes a derivative of Acyl-Glutathione which is intended to replace ingredients in the skin that tend to dissipate with age. For those versed in chemistry, here is one of the Perricone patent applications that describes the technology and the effects.

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The product is intended to gives an immediate smoothing effect to fine lines and lessen creases. Once again, Perricone MD has delivered. I found that the product was effective even on the first application. I’d really like to avoid using needles as long as possible, thank you very much. This serum works to soften expression lines and creases caused by facial movements and age. Unlike Botox, this product is not intended to be invasive–you still have full muscle control of course.

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The first time that I used the product, I found how quickly and completely the Perricone MD’s Acyl-Glutathione Deep Crease Serum does work. The results were truly visible. I applied this serum on some of the fine lines that traverse my forehead, and after about ten minutes they had smoothed to nothing. One area that looks like it’s on its way to a crease was far smoother and less deep. It also took care of some “11′s” that I’d developed from squinting at my computer all day. Excellent.

I’ve never had a moisturizer deliver results even close to Perricone MD’s Acyl-Glutathione Deep Crease Serum. When I used the product twice a day as suggested, the results continue to work. Ingredients (click to enlarge):

Users should keep in mind this serum is not a moisturizer, and that it can be layered with outer Perricone MD products. For example, I’ll layer this with my favorite Perricone eye treatments, including the Perricone MD Acyl-Glutathione Eye Lid Serum together with Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester and a moisturizer on my face.

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Overall: Great product that truly delivered for me. Bravo Perricone!

Through Friday April 26th, Perricone MD is is running a 20% off promotion with code SPRING20.

Available at Sephora.com, Perricone MD’s website and other retailers that carry the line.

Perricone MD sent Cafe Makeup this product for consideration for review. This review includes an affiliate link (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup).

MAC PRO Nudes & Metallics: The Metallics Reviewed and Swatched

Eyeshadow, MAC 8 Responses »

Apr 182013

Mac Nudes & Metallics Group 21

MAC is just releasing a Pro-only collection called Nudes & Metallics, which consists of coordinating eyeshadows and lipsticks. Essentially, the Nudes collection includes four light-to-dark shades in soft finishes. As the name suggests, the Metallics are richly pigmented, metal-shine colors. Although I do not typically buy much MAC, this pro release had the promise of satisfying my craving for neutrals with a twist, so I invested in the eyeshadows of this collection.

Details on this release are little hard to track down. According to Temptalia, the collection is MAC PRO store (4/18/13) and PRO Online only (mid June 2013). Non-PRO members should buy from a Pro store now, because non-pro members do not have access to the MAC Pro online site.

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