Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush Review, Photos, Swatches!

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting BlushHourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush ($35) is a lovely medium warm pink with a satiny finish. It looks like a fairly cool-toned pink in the compact, and even swatched with the finger, but on the cheeks the pink really warms up to my skin. The color has a Spring/Summer pink vibe as it pulls pinky-peach on the cheeks. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting line of blushes are still fairly new, with the initial launch this past February. These blushes combine Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powder - which is a luminous finishing powder, swirled with a natural hue. When the two are combined, your cheeks will be left with beautiful, natural glowing color that is full of dimension. Sounds wonderful, right?

Well, I haven't tried Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders, but from what I've gathered is that it's a powder that won't highlight your imperfections (like those that tend to settle in or highlight the pores or look heavy, dull or powdery on the skin) but, it will give your skin a "lit-from-within" sort of glow and give the appearance of softer, younger skin. It also claims to make your skin look great in any lighting situation you are in (bright sunlight, candlelight, etc.) The powder took off pretty well, so Hourglass created a blush with the same concept.

I've had this blush for a few months now, and I've been using it regularly. As a die-hard blush lover, I'm a huge fan of baked blushes because I love the texture of them and how easy they are to blend. This blush is super soft to the touch and blending with it is so simple. Worst case scenario, if you didn't have a blush brush on hand, you can use your fingertips to apply this blush and it wouldn't look like it. It has a nice satin finish that isn't shimmery or frosty. It just gives a slight glow to the skin when the light hits your cheeks.

The lasting power is pretty average for me. I typically never re-apply blush throughout the day, but if I was planning on going out for the night, I would most likely have to reapply this blush mid-day as it fades pretty significantly by the evening.

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Chanel Surprenante (129) Rouge Allure Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches!

Chanel Surprenante (129) Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick ($35) is a vibrant, medium watermelon pink. It has a little bit of a frost and shimmer to it, but it's pretty subtle, and actually looks matte on my lips in low lighting. I'm not really a fan of frost, but it's subtle enough where it's not a deal breaker for me. It's very pretty and I think a color that is well suited for the Spring.

The coverage is mostly opaque with one coat and applies smoothly to the lips with a satiny feel. I originally thought that the formula would be drying, but it actually feels pretty good on my lips despite the fact that it's not a moisturizing formula. It makes my lips look soft and pillowy when I wear it alone, but I like jazzing it up with a layer of glossimer over top to really make the color glisten. Unfortunately, if you apply it over dry or chapped lips, the dryness will be accentuated. This lipstick lasts a bit longer on my lips compared to some of my other lipsticks - maybe around 4 hours or so.

Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick Swatch
Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick on my lips

Friday, April 4, 2014

Chanel Amour (166) Glossimer Review, Photos, Swatches!

Chanel Amour Glossimer

Chanel Amour Glossimer

Chanel Amour Glossimer ($29.50) is a vibrant coral pink with fine multi-colored shimmer. This color in my eyes is the definition of Spring/Summer, and is a fabulous shade to rock all season long. Much like Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick (in my previous post), it's a great color for those with warm, golden undertones and will brighten the face instantly. The coverage is light but buildable, and pairs really well on top of any pink, peach or coral lipstick and it also looks great all on it's own.

Chanel Glossimers is one of my favorite formulas of lipgloss (alongside NARS and Bobbi Brown). The formula isn't thick and pasty, nor is it thin and watery. It's perfectly in the middle where you'd want it to be. It's thick enough to where it will adhere to your lips and last for several hours, and when you rub your lips together they will feel silky smooth and glossy - no stickiness what-so-ever. They are also packed with shine as most of the shades contain tiny particles of shimmer so your lips will glisten.

Also, this is one of the few lip products that I can get away with without having to moisturize my lips prior - it will keep them hydrated for however long I have it on my lips, and even a little while after.

If I had to choose, Bagatelle is definitely my favorite glossimer. It's like a softer version of Amour.

Chanel Amour Glossimer

Chanel Amour Glossimer

Chanel Amour Glossimer swatch
Chanel Amour Glossimer on my lips

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches!

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick ($35) which means "Smile" in French, is a soft pink with fine golden shimmer. It looks like a bright watermelon light pink in the tube, but once the color is applied, it's a sheer warm soft pink. It's a great universal shade especially on warm skin tones, as the golden bits gives the pink some added brightness, so it's not a pink that will wash you out. In fact, it's one of those perfect lipsticks that you can mindlessly toss in your bag for every day and it's so subtle that you can wear it on your no-makeup days or with any makeup look.

If you're looking for loads of pigment, you will want to look elsewhere because the color is very sheer - and although you can build the color with multiple passes, you won't reach opaque coverage. The texture is slippery like a balm and will leave your lips tinted, moisturized and slightly glossy. It's basically like a luxury tinted lip balm.

Unfortunately as with sheer lipstick formulas, the lasting power won't be super long, so you might need to reapply a few times throughout the day between meals - not that I mind. Since the color is sheer, you can just pop some on - no mirror needed.

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick

Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick

Chanel Sourire Lipstick Swatches
From left to right: Chanel Amour Glossimer, Chanel Sourire Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick & Chanel Surprenante Rouge Allure Lipstick. (The other lip products will be reviewed shortly - I just happened to swatch them all at the same time.)