Marc Jacobs The Siren (Summer 2014)

Despite being a neutrals gal at heart, I'm always on the lookout for that one perfect colorful palette. You know, the only palette that will satisfy all of my colorful shades needs. Supposedly. I passed on the Urban Decay Electric, because to be honest, the fact that not all of the colors are safe around the eye area scared me a bit. Okay, a lot.

So when I saw that Marc Jacobs had released The Siren palette, I couldn't help but place an order. Sleek packaging with seven beautiful colors? Sold.

First things first, the goods. I have always been a fan of Marc Jacobs' packaging, especially with his 7-pan eyeshadow palettes. This was no exception, and the glossy white packaging really complemented my glossy black Starlet palette -- quite possibly the only palette from his permanent line that I can wholeheartedly recommend. They are super slim and compact in nature, and they don't attract fingerprints in the same manner as NARS. I had heard that The Siren was designed to mimic the keys to a piano, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

Onto the not-so-goods: the shadows themselves, with swatches to prove.

1. Slightly shimmery white: Easily my least favorite shadow, this not only swatches chalkily but applies patchily too.
2. Slightly shimmery burgundy red: Like the white, this is on the drier side as far as shadows go but applies slightly better.
3. Shimmery, metallic copper bronze: My favorite shade of the seven, this is beautiful and a dream to work with. Highly pigmented and very blendable!
4. Shimmery, metallic gold: My second least favorite shade, this reminds me a lot of MAC lustre formula eyeshadows (translate: glitter-laden with poor pigmentation.)
5. Shimmery aquamarine: Another disappointment of a shade, this needed a white base in order for it to show up true to color on the eyes.
6. Slightly shimmery blue: Very dry in nature and nowhere as vibrant as the color seen in the pan.
7. Shimmery dark teal: One of the better performers, this actually applies well and blends effortlessly.

As you can tell, chalky and dry seems to be the common theme when it comes to the shadows of this palette. With only two stand out, note-worthy shades, I cannot recommend snatching The Siren -- which is a shame, since it is pretty to look at. For the luxury brand and price tag of Marc Jacobs, the performance should not be questionable.

 
On the topic of luxury, might I also add that the included sponge tip applicator is absolutely flimsy and useless? If Dior includes two sponge tip double-ended(!!) applicators with its quints, the least MJ could do is make it double-ended, right? Or not include it at all, because quite frankly, it's insulting for those of us who actually reach for such applicators from time to time.

I had high hopes for (and wanted to like) this palette, but truth be told, it fell short of my expectations. A friend and I were just talking about how there might possibly be different batches of The Siren, since some palettes actually swatch better than others. That might be the case, and if you're one who's willing to take the risk, you might be able to snatch a better performing septet of a palette. This currently retails for $59 at Sephora -- in stores and online. Despite it being dubbed as "Limited Edition", I really cannot see this palette selling out. If anything, I'm half expecting it to show up under Sephora's sale section within the next few weeks.

Three Cosmetics: 4D Eye Palette in 09 Star Guitar and Color Veil for Cheeks in 17 Wind Swept Soul

Continuing on with my Japanese cosmetics addiction, I bring you Three Cosmetics! Like all other brands, I prefer starting off with eyeshadows (palettes, preferably) and cheek products, just to get an idea of how the line fares. One can only imagine my excitement when I saw the quads Three offered and the wide range of blushers available!

Wanting to pick up a palette that was slightly out of my comfort zone of neutrals, I opted for 09 Star Guitar (admittedly, partly due to the name.) The light gray compact itself is sleek, but attracts fingerprints and dirt in the same manner as NARS packaging. I personally don't care for it, nor do I have anything against it. In the end, what matters is what's inside, right? The included applicators are different from the traditional Japanese eyeshadow palettes. It comes with a rather large, yet soft, flat eyeshadow brush and a dual-ended applicator consisting of a pointed, sponge-tipped applicator on one end and a flat, synthetic smudger on the other.

A closer look at the colors...
1. Shimmery light dusty pink, this is a lovely inner corner and browbone highlight. This is the most sheer shadow of the four.
2. Satin, neutral-toned dark brown. Highly pigmented and buttery smooth, this is a great crease color or as a liner shade.
3. Multi-colored glitter shade with light beige base color. Hands down, the most finely-milled glitter shadow I've ever come across, this serves as a fantastic glitter topcoat over other shadows.
4. Plum cream shadow. The texture of this cream shadow is velvety and nothing like I've ever felt -- cream shadow-wise. This acts as a nice cream color base or as a liner.

I have to say that these are some of the easiest shadows I have ever worked with. True to the nature of Japanese eyeshadows, they are soft yet buildable in pigmentation. What makes these shadows so great is the fact that these hardly take any effort to blend and to intensify. They also layer beautifully, and the number of looks one can create with this palette alone is endless! Longevity-speaking, they last all day on my oily (yet primed) lids. I did notice slight fading after a long workout session but no creasing, not even with the plum cream shade! One concern I had with this palette, however, is the possibility of the aforementioned cream shadow drying out. The OCD in me simply prefers cream eyeshadows in pot or pencil form, rather than in compact form and, thus, having it exposed to air every time I reach for the palette for the other shades.

Overall, a great mix of warm and cool-toned shades. I've always shied away from warm purples, as they tend to give my eyes the bruised look effect, but I'm happy to say that these colors do work well with my NC25 skin tone.

Moving on to the only blush I picked up: #17 Wind Swept Soul. I initially went for this light pinky-nude shade, in particular, because I thought it would pair nicely with the purple-themed eyeshadow palette. Not only does it pair well with the quad, but I find that it complements a smokey eye look in general! This blusher just adds the perfect hint of color to the cheeks without detracting from the overall look. I prefer applying this closer to my ears and temples than to the apples of my cheeks though.

Texture-wise, it wipes the floor with NARS blushes (and I wish I wasn't exaggerating.) It is somehow soft without being powdery, light in color yet still pigmented. That said, I think this blush is more suited for folks with skin tones up to NC/NW30. It is similar in color and in nature to Tarte's blush in Exposed; it has slightly more pink undertones, but like Exposed, it is one of those blushers that can give definition to your cheeks without additional contour.

To say that I am impressed by the performances of both the palette and the blusher would be an understatement. In fact, I already have a growing list of other items I want to check out from Three Cosmetics, including yet another neutrals palette, as well as their pencil liners. Thankfully, most of the products are part of the permanent line. I have only seen Three Cosmetics available online and from Asian cosmetics retailers like Mihokoshop and Ichibankao at the moment here in the states. An eyeshadow palette will run anywhere from $75-$85 USD and the blusher $35-$45USD . If you are wanting to explore a different and more exclusive line of makeup, I cannot recommend Three Cosmetics enough!

Kanebo Lunasol 15th Anniversary Makeup Palette

I go through phases with Western and Eastern beauty brands, and judging from the title, you can probably tell that I am back on my Asian cosmetics kick. Lunasol will always hold a special place in my heart as the first high end Japanese makeup brand that started my uphill Japanese cosmetics climb. Jill Stuart followed closely afterwards, and then Suqqu.

Being on the higher end of Kanebo's family tree, I would say that Lunasol is geared more towards the 25+, working age crowd. That said, Lunasol's eyeshadows -- while almost always in the neutrals zone -- are consistently chock full of microglitter and shimmer. If you are one to shy away from shimmer or deem such finishes inappropriate for the office, their eyeshadows are not for you. Matte eyeshadows simply do not exist in the world of Lunasol (nor most other Japanese beauty brands actually.) Take a look.

Eyeshadows:
-Eyeshadow #1: This is straight up, multi-dimensional glitter and serves as a topcoat over the other eyeshadows. Much softer in texture than Tom Ford with no fallout issues whatsoever.
-Eyeshadow #2: Shimmery white, this is the least shimmery of the bunch and serves as an excellent inner corner highlight.
-Eyeshadow #3: Shimmery and metallic light beige with microglitter, this works beautifully as an all over lid color.
-Eyeshadow #4: Shimmery and metallic beige with stronger pink undertones and microglitter, this is another great all over lid color.
-Eyeshadow #5: Shimmery and metallic light bronze, this is probably the smoothest color of the six and extremely soft in texture.
-Eyeshadow #6: Shimmery dark brown with gold shimmer, this is my favorite as it is ultra-pigmented and blends like a dream, with minimal fallout.

Lunasol eyeshadows have always impressed me, but these simply take the cake in terms of ease of use, pigmentation, and lasting power -- easily 10 hours with no fading at all over primer! What sets this palette apart from the other Lunasol quads I own is that I can easily pick up the shades with my eyeshadow brushes, and the color in the pan is the color I saw on my lids. In the past, I had always turned to the sponge tip applicators and/or fingers in order to intensify most of my Lunasol (and other Japanese brand) eyeshadows, as they tend to be more sheer than their Western counterparts. More sheer, yet still as high of a quality as they get though!

Face and Cheek:
-Face powder: Despite the division in the pan, I'm going to just call it the face powder as a whole. The left side is reminiscent of Guerlain Meteorites, albeit a more stark and sparkly version, whereas the right side is your traditional setting powder suitable for those up to NC/NW25 skin tones.
-Blusher: This is also divided, with one half being peachy-coral and the other half being rosy pink. I would not call either shimmery, although they do give a noticeable glow when applied. Buildable in pigmentation and blends effortlessly, this really took me by surprise.

I had minor gripes with both products. With the face powder, it was next to impossible to solely pick up product from one half of the pan unless I went in with a blush brush. Eventually, I gave up and just swirled a powder brush across the entire pan, and surprisingly, it gave the perfect balance of mattifying and illuminating finish to my face. My biggest gripe with the blusher was the utter fact that Lunasol decided to stamp '15th Lunasol' in bronzey, chocolate brown lettering. I practically had to take off the top layers of the blush in order to remove any traces of said bronze-copper shades to prevent myself from looking as though I had mistakenly dipped my blush brush into the eyeshadows instead! Apart from that, I was very happy with how well the face powder and blusher wore on me.

Extras:
-Liquid Lips: To be honest, this was a sheer gloss on my pigmented lips despite the peachy-coral color in the tube. It did wear comfortably with no tingling sensation and kept my lips hydrated though.
-High Stylized Mascara: Nothing to write home about, as I did not see any lengthening nor volumizing effects with this. Then again, I am probably not the best person to judge non-waterproof mascaras, seeing how I only wear them a handful of times throughout the year.

Lunasol really knocked it out of the park with this all-in-one palette. It did come with sponge tip applicators and a brush that was rather useless, but as I had mentioned before, I didn't feel the need for the applicators this time around. I had never tried Lunasol's face and cheek products before, so this was a great way for me to try the rest of the line, and I can see myself picking up a few more blushers in the future. Despite the palette looking rather travel-friendly, I would advise not traveling with it (or be extremely careful if you do.) When I received mine, bits and pieces of the face powder had gotten all over the palette, so I did spend quite a bit of time wiping everything down. I think that just goes to show the soft nature of the products, but it does not detract from the overall quality at all!

The 15th Anniversary palette is -- as you might have guessed -- limited edition, so if you fancy snagging a collector's piece that is functional and actually delivers, I would recommend getting your hands on it soon. I had seen this palette running anywhere from $90-$110 USD, which is very reasonable when you break down the cost of this palette for each individual product.

Tom Ford Eye and Cheek Compact in Unabashed

 

Tom  Ford's eye and cheek compact in Unabashed, limited edition for Summer 2014, needs no introduction. It had makeup addicts all around the world calling department stores to pre-order back in February, when leaked images surfaced on many social medias. Heck, it had my heart racing a mile a minute when I first saw said images! As many of you may already know, it is housed in the same compact as Tom Ford bronzers, except in the ivory and gold packaging that I simply adore (and clearly cannot get enough of.) There is quite a bit of product in the compact, so I personally think it warrants the $95 price tag. Of course, if you're a makeup collector, this palette is a no-brainer of a purchase.

 

To start, there are three eyeshadows in the left column. At the very top is a light beige-y glitter shadow that works best as an eyeshadow topper. Alone, it really just provides glitter with no noticeable base color. Like all Tom Ford glitter shadows (which I like to call 'adult glitter'), this is a dream to work with, and I did not experience any fallout. Next, is a cool-toned, matte, grayish taupe shade. It is probably the easiest shadow of the three to work with, as it is incredibly smooth. I also learned that this works quite nicely as a cheek contour. So, if you feel as though you had missed out on Chanel's Notorious sculpting veil, give this a go. You might find that it gives the same effect! Lastly, there's the striking matte royal blue shade. Royal in more ways than one, i.e. a royal pain to remove when swatched on my arm and when applied on my eyes! Word of caution: this shadow in particular does stain, especially on bare skin! This is extremely pigmented, however, when it is blended out, it becomes more of a dark teal color. (I intentionally blended out the edges of this shade in my swatches below so you can see what I mean.) This is probably my least favorite shade of the three, as it is quite dry in nature.

Moving on to the "bronzer" and blush, and I say bronzer with quotation marks because technically, the top pan acts more like a highlighter. (You really should not attempt to warm up your complexion with such a frosty, borderline metallic, product unless your goal is to look like a walking disco ball.) As a highlighter, it is stunning! However, on my NC25 skin tone, I find it a bit too dark of a highlighter (or at least dark enough that I can't achieve the lifted cheekbones effect when applied with a traditional highlighter brush.) Thankfully, I find that with a fan brush, all is well, and it has earned a spot in my Top 10 Highlighters of all time! Like the matte taupey gray eyeshadow, this is also multi-functional. I've used this as a lid color several times, and it works just as phenomenally!

The star of the palette, in my opinion, is the warm pink blush that some have deemed the adult version of NARS Orgasm. I can see why with its strong golden lean and frostiness, but that's where the similarities end. This blush is undoubtedly smoother and easier to blend than the infamous O. Despite it being frosty, it also never accentuated my pores (which can happen with Orgasm at times.) It reminded me a lot of Tom Ford's blush in Love Lust, so I went ahead and did comparison swatches (see below.) I would say if Love Lust and Frantic Pink had a baby, this would be it. That said, if Tom Ford ever releases this blush in a single form, I will be the first in line to pick it up. I love it that much!

In conclusion, Unabashed is a welcome addition to my embarrrassingly growing TF collection (and my palette collection, in general.) I was wary of ordering the palette in the beginning, because this is the first eye and cheek palette he has ever released, so I didn't know how it would compare to the top-notch quality of his permanent line eyeshadows and blushers. I am happy to report that both cheek products perform just as well as his blushers, in terms of pigmentation, blendability and lasting power (well over 10 hours with no signs of fading!) As far as the eyeshadows go, apart from the royal blue, the glitter and matte shades are comparable to the shadows from his quads and trios. (Read: amazing!) I did hear folks passing on the palette because it resembled the limited edition trio in She Wolf, but rest assured, they are not similar in my opinion. If anything, I would say the glitter shade is most similar to the one in Silvered Topaz. I wasn't able to find a dupe to the matte taupey gray shadow in any of the quads I currently own, but I still went ahead and swatched the shadows in the matte gray color family from both the She Wolf and Silvered Topaz palettes.

I have seen Unabashed popping up online from time to time on Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Bloomingdale's. If you are still on the fence about this palette, I would recommend snatching it up before it sells out completely -- something I can foresee happening in the very near future -- and see for yourself if it is worth keeping. I promise that this is one palette you will be happy to have in your own collection!

Giorgio Armani Belladonna Palette - Highlight

Aside from palettes, a good highlighter is my second biggest weakness. Forget the fact that I probably own multiple highlighters that are practically exact dupes of each other, I still cherish them all equally. It is rare for me to go a day (when wearing makeup) without adding some glow to the top of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, my cupid's bow, and my chin. It is even more rare for me to be able to find a highlighter that serves all said purposes and acts as good eyeshadow when sweeped across the lids. Say 'Hello' to the latest highlighter addition to my collection: Giorgio Armani's Belladonna. A beauty indeed!

At $88, I would be lying if I were to say I had no reservations whatsoever when placing my order. I actually waited several weeks after the product launched before biting the bullet and, boy, was I glad I did. Belladonna is a stunner! Armani had referred to this as a "universal" highlighter, and I could see why. It gives a soft peachy-beige illumination that suits both warm and cool-toned folks. With one sweep of a brush, it gives a subtle glow. However, when built up to three sweeps, it can get quite frosty but never looking over the top.

What sets Belladonna apart from the other highlighters in my collection is how versatile it is. On days when I'm running late, I would quickly sweep the product over my eyes and just apply mascara, and it manages to somehow still give me a polished, wide-awake look. That is definitely something I cannot pull off with all highlighters, as they can make one look rather garish very quickly. The lasting power on the eyes is just as impressive as it is on the cheeks -- a solid ten hours with no signs of fading! Might I also add that the texture is unbelievable! It is buttery and incredibly finely-milled to the touch, and it simply glides on the face when applied with minimal effort.

The compact itself is plastic and a tad bulky for just a highlighter (as opposed to the same packaging which contained previous Armani face and eye palettes.) The bottom tier houses a brush that is a-okay, in my opinion. I still prefer the face brushes that usually come with Chanel and Dior products over the one that comes with Belladonna. For the hefty price, I expected a softer and fluffier brush, but it is still convenient for touch-ups on the go.

Armani's Belladonna is currently showing availability on Nordstrom.com, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and on the Armani site itself. I know Armani offers 20% off from time to time on its website, but if you don't want to risk Belladonna selling out before then, I would highly suggest checking out the closest department store to you instead. It is one product you do not want to miss out on!

YSL Rosy Blush/Face Collector Palette

When I saw fellow Instagrammers posting pictures of the Yves Saint Laurent Rosy Blush palette, limited edition for Spring 2014, I knew it'd be mine. I have always had good luck with YSL blushes, whether it be cream or powder, so I had really high hopes for this as well. And how could I not with its lovely design and packaging? I mean, it only took a good two weeks of my having the blush sitting on display on my vanity before I finally dipped a brush in it. It truly is a piece of art in of itself!

However, upon first application, I knew calling the product a blush was very inaccurate. In fact, I had to build up the color in order for it to show up as possibly a highlighter. With one swipe, I was left with silver glitter on my cheekbones. It wasn't until three swipes later, when I was able to see some color with a hint of illumination. As a fan and collector of highlighters, it is safe to say I have quite the range -- from the ones that are blatantly in your face to the most subtle of subtle. Disappointingly enough, I wouldn't even categorize YSL's Rosy Blush as even a subtle highlighter, since it does not give enough luminosity to enhance my cheekbones. It really just sits on top of my blush, while adding a silvery glitter aspect.

(Swatches: Three swipes, Blended)

Collector palette? I couldn't have agreed more, since I feel that this palette does serve that purpose. At a $50 price tag though? I'll leave it to your judgment. I can see this face palette working better and more beautifully on fair skin tones, as well as when paired with a more cool-toned blush. Even then, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend the product, because it is rather chalky and not what I would imagine meeting the standards of folks who are fans of YSL's other cheek products.

I have heard that this palette is selling out fairly quickly. I managed to snatch mine from my local Saks for $50, as Nordstrom was not carrying it. I do want to point out the price difference I had noticed -- it was showing up as $46 on the YSL website but is currently showing out of stock. Therefore, your local Saks or even Neiman Marcus might be your best bet if you are planning on tracking one down.

Laura Mercier Color to Go: Natural Nudes

I'm a strong supporter that one can never have enough neutral palettes! Not just any neutral palette, but one that is extremely compact and travel-friendly.

Take a look.

The top tier boasts three office-friendly shades and one of Laura Mercier's infamous cakeliner. The quality and blendability of the eyeshadows are similar to that in her permanent range. My favorite look to create is pretty self-explanatory: buttercream as in inner corner highlight and under the browbone, rosewood on the lid, and cocoa brown in the crease. As for the cakeliner, I have to admit I don't find myself reaching for it as much as I should. Having to wet my brush with water or with the tightline activator in order to get the most out of the product can be a hassle on days when I'm pressed for time.

Now the cheek colors have been compared -- understandably so -- to NARS Laguna and Orgasm. Truth be told, the similarities are there when swatched on bare skin. However, they translate differently when applied on the face and certainly in the wear times. The Matte Bronze inside this palette stays true to its color without any signs of oxidation, unlike NARS Laguna that tends to oxidize an odd shade of orange as the day goes on. The blush, Sweet Mandarin, is a more mature, subtle version of NARS Orgasm, as it does not boast quite the shimmer factor. The formula of both the bronzer and blush is unbelievably smooth and pigmented.

Laura Mercier really knocked it out of the park with this palette. If there was one thing missing, it would be a highlighter. However, seeing how Colors to Go are released usually around the holiday season, maybe she'll incorporate one in her next palette for Holiday 2014!

Last time I checked, this was sold out on Lauramercier.com. Fret not, as Neiman Marcus and Macy's online are both still showing availability, as should your local Laura Mercier counters.