Saturday, September 29, 2012

Beauty Blogazon Roundup Week 9/29/2012

Blogazons sisters are back! Please check out these lovely blog links :) Hope you have a great weekend! 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 07 Taupe Brown

This review was initially aimed to rant about Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 7 Taupe Brown ($29 for 0.088 oz). Since I saved hard to purchase it, I refused to believe that it was a miss and tried different ways to rock it. Fortunately, Taupe Brown, beside having excellent quality, works wonderfully to complement other eyeshadows in my collection. And it's beautiful!

Taupe Brown looks rather dull and mediocre in the pan at first. It's a matte taupe brown, leaning neither warm or cool. I grabbed it under the taupe craze influence. So it concerned me at first when I used it alone or strongly defined my outer V with Burberry eyeshadow Rosewood. I didn't know how opaque I'd want and the test run horrified me. My eyes looked heavy and bruised. 

But, Taupe Brown works wonderfully with Rosewood with a light hand. It adds warmth to cool shades (e.g. L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow Liquid Diamond and Burberry eyeshadow Pearl Grey), and injects some coolness to warm shades like Burberry eyeshadow Pale Barley and Midnight Brown. It balances out the eye makeup color. So cool! Quite a few of my other eyeshadows got used more often ever since I figured how to wear Taupe Brown :) I love the effect it creates and its versatility. 

Plus, Taupe Brown matches my brow color quite perfectly and stays put. If I want full natural brows, I use Taupe Brown. It's however not a unique shade at least not that I know of. You can find similar colors from any brand for this basic shade. Maybe not exact dupes, but close. 

Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Taupe Brown has buttery smooth texture though less so than satin/shimmer finish. Once applied on top of a standard primer, it stays fresh for at least 10 hours. It might fall off a bit when used on the brows. I shield the under eye areas with a tissue and the problem is solved.

Now, would I recommend it for every body? If you love taupe and want a versatile neutral eyeshadow to support other eyeshadows in your collection, you would want to check this out. However, you might already own something similar at lower price tag, then you can safely skip it. For those who want to try out Burberry eyeshadows, I would suggest other shades like Pale Barley, Midnight Brown or Midnight Blue.

Bottom line. My everyday beauty secret. Love it but might not for everyone. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Look: Neutral and Hot Pink

Houston rises and shines at 93F today. The fall equinox has just came and technically we're in the middle of the fall. I'm sort of panicking as time flies by so fast and in a few months is Christmas. In the fare well of the summer, I thought I post this neutral look with a pop of pink.

Since the lips take the center stage, I kept the eye makeup neutral and sheen coupled with glowy cheeks. Everything is subtle and understated so that the lip can shine. Chanel Glossimer in Pink Teaser is a gorgeous bright pink that stays put and moisturizes my lips. It's also very wearable, and frankly you can wear this type of pink year round.

Please pardon my brows! In my own fashion, I forgot to do the brows that day :D. I hope you all had an awesome summer! xx
Face
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
YSL Touch Eclat 
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

Eye
Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel Liner Espresso
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

Lip

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 20 Midnight Blue

Blue eyeshadows have a special place in my makeup memories. Growing up in the hay day of bright eye makeup, I used to play up my eyes with all shades of blue. Today, I don't wear blues as often, only for smokey looks or intense eyeliners. But it's hard to find a good blue that doesn't get into your face or else it looks old fashion. Burberry Midnight Blue ($29 for 0.088 oz) is the perfect blue for smokey eye.
Midnight Blue is a dark blue with purple undertone and soft grey shimmer. It goes on opaque, not at all sheer as the name suggests. You can either use it sheer with a blending brush or layer for more intense look. I think Midnight Blue works best when you rock it to the max. The blue pigment, the purple undertone and the grey shimmer all fully show up with two layer. It's stunning!! Big love!

Because it's layerable, Midnight Blue can be used alone to create a smokey look. You just need to deposit more powder on the areas you want to define, e.g outer corners of the eyes. But that would require good blending skills as this eyeshadow is intense, no joke. I don't have really good hands so I use Edward Bess Storm eyeshadow on the inner corner and to soften the edges. The result is modern and sexy (I think ;;)).

Swatched under direct sunlight

Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Midnight Blue has buttery smooth texture that is soft without over powdery. It glides on like a charm and very easy to blend.

Midnight Blue does produce fall-outs during application, which dark eyeshadows tend to behave anyway, but stays fresh 10 hours after that with a standard primer. I would recommend you finish the eyes before doing the base and use a tissue to cover under eye areas from fall-outs.

Bottom line. Phenomenal color and quality. Multi-dimensional, Midnight Blue is a perfect candidate for smokey eyes look with single color. The purple undertone makes it a more wearable blue. A must-have for all the blue lovers!

Beauty Blogazon Weekly Roundup 9/23/2012

You probably have noticed I'm a member of The Blogazons, a beauty blogger community. I'd love to share some of the highlights from the group this week.


Glitter.Gloss.Garbage. : Lush Emotional Brilliance Left Glitter.Gloss.Garbage Underwhelmed

Polarbelle: Polarbelle wants you to enter to win a set of four beautiful Orly nail polishes.

Girl Gloss: Girl Gloss looks at How to Apply Foundation with tips and tricks for perfect makeup

Shades Of Beauty, Inc.: Nanacoco Crystal HD Polish...A BSS find not to be overlooked

Perilously Pale: Don't let the word glitter scare you! The Rouge Bunny Rouge Fire Drops Loose Glitter Pigments are softly shimmering dimensional eyeshadows anyone can love! Perilously Pale shows us swatches of all the shades.

Jamegackie: Ready For Halloween Nails? Check out these Nightmare Before Christmas inspired nails!

The Convenient Beauty: The Convenient Beauty is loving the unique color turn-out of Burberry Devon Sunset lipstick

The Beauty Think Tank: The Beauty Think Tank gives you the lowdown on September's Birchbox, complete with witty commentary.

Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom: Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom showcases the bright green neon of Color Club Limelight

Beauty Info Zone: Butter London polishes have something for everyone with their new Fall/Winter collection. Come pick your favorite

.Love My Nails: Check out my awesomely cute manicure for the third week of the Girly Girl Challenge, It's really awesome.

A Little Polish: Don't want the summer to end? Check out Stephanie's Leafy Green Mani before it's too late!

TheFabZilla: It's the great battle of the gel eyeliners at TheFabZilla. See which won between INGLOT 77 Matte and MAC Blacktrack Fluidline.

Blush and Beakers: Among the frenzy of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 this beauty blogger got to cover backstage at Timo Weiland.

Lisa's Nail Obsession: Delicate and elegant girly girl nail art.

Lacquer Buzz: Are you ready to embark on a nail art journey around the world? Lacquer Buzz takes you to the most exotic destinations. Next stop: Spain!

Trouble-MAker on Heels: No7 Skin Illuminator made Troublemakeronheels' skin radiant and healthy looking

The Beauty Specialist!: Ray participated for the first time in an eye make-up contest & wants your opinion regarding her looks.

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Lola's Secret Beauty Blog recently made the fantastic discovery that Ken Downing's mythologized Le Métier de Beauté Lip Creme Lip Gloss in Purple Haze is still available- what an extraordinary coup!

Liesl Loves Pretty Things: Liesl loves silver holos. Find out Why Butter London Dodgy Barnett is her favorite.

Pinked Polish: Pinked Polish is Celebrating 500 likes on Facebook with a Huge 2 Part Giveaway.

Kimpelling Beauty: Girly Girl Nail Challenge: Delicate and Elegant. butter LONDON Knees Up with lace stamping

Cosmetics Aficionado: Did Buxom's Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian give Cosmetics Aficionado big and healthy lips? Find out!

Passion for Polish: Leopard print nails, anyone? Check out Passion for Polish's tutorial!

Bliss Works Beauty: Fun & funky manis, reviews of beauty products, & coupon codes to save you $$$.

Midnight Manicures: Midnight Manicures shares with you the do's and don'ts when it comes to Essie's no place like chrome polish.

Crows' Feet, Cupcakes, and Cellulite: Anastasia Kisses On My List (Vol. 2) HydraFull gloss set passes Crows' Feet, Cupcakes, and Cellulite's "Gloss Greatness" test with flying colors!

adore-a-polish: Join in on the swatch-a-thon! 7 of Avon's eye shadow quad's and one duo take to the stage in a swatching frenzy.

Peace Love and Glitter: YoHave you ever been curious about the waxing? You know, the process of ripping the hair out of your skin? It sounds scary, but it's really not (and your hair stays gone for a lot longer than shaving!). This is a simple explanation of how the process works and what you can expect from it.

Très Beau Glamour: Looking to find a way to pamper your feet without spending a ton of money? Want your own personal foot spa? With three items you can create the perfect spa treatment for your feet. Check out Nay's review on the Avon's Foot Works in Cherry Ice.

DeyiMizu: Fall is here; Get warm with this warm fall FOTD Ishah x Beauty: Ishah x Beauty creates love heart nails using the Red Carpet Manicure DIY gel kit.

Beauty Fiends: Julia at Beauty Fiends has the limited edition Dita Von Teese Classics collection beauty box and shadows from ArtDeco!

Beauty Thesis: A re-creation of Erica Dixon's makeup from the Love & Hip Hop Atlanta reunion show.

Beauty Product Review: e.l.f. is getting Villainous with their new Limited Edition Disney Villains Palette. Come check it out!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Review: Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick No 28 Devon Sunset

Burberry 'Lip Cover' Soft Satin in Devon Sunset ($30 for 0.13 oz) is a creamy pink peach that has equal pink and peach. When first applied, it leans toward peach and slightly chalky then gradually changes to a meadium peachy pink on my lips. I LOVE IT! I don't have any lip color like this. It goes on opaque with 2 layers but you can get away with just one.

The texture is creamy, light weight and moisturizing. My lips are extra dry so lip balm is always a must. Without the lip balm, Devon Sunset peels a bit after 3 hours. The lip balm extends the moisturizing of Devon Sunset all day (about 8 hours). Devon Sunset wears well for 6 hours, although color changes (but which lipsticks don't) as it sinks into your lips. After hour 6, it's up to you to touch up or not. I prefer not because I love the transformed color.

Devon Sunset is housed in a metal square case that I think really gorgeous and elegant. Burberry check is on the case and the lipstick itself. It's kind of special. Usually you see a brand name or a brand logo or cute design (like Paul and Joe) on the lipstick. I think the check brings something different to the look but if you're a fan of the brand, I guess it won't be a surprise (like it's to me :D).

Swatched under direct sunlight

On my lips after one-hour wear. You can see now it's a peachy pink and still moisturizing. I did use a lip balm underneath. But my lips can chap even so with other lipsticks. 

Makeup breakdown listed here
I think almost every prestigious cosmetic brand execute their lipsticks extremely well. It's easy (for me) to find a good moisturizing long wearing lipstick on the market. Is Burberry lip cover really special compared to other luxury brands like Chanel, Guerlain, Dior or Lancome, Bobbi Brown, Nars? I don't think so, except for the Burberry signature check mark embroidered on the lipstick. I love Devon Sunset simple for the color and its unique turn-out on my lips. And I will repurchase it for that reason. Everything else, the texture, wearing, moisturizing, packaging and price range, lands at the same level as other high-end brands.

Is it a must-have? For me yes. As I mentioned earlier, I don't have any lip color like this and know no dupe for it. Is it really a must-have for everyone? Quality-wise, no. It's an excellent lipstick but you can find the same quality from other luxury brands too. However, if you love lipsticks or love Burberry or love to try out the brand, Devon Sunset and lip cover in generally should secure a spot in your stash.

Have you try Burberry Lip Cover? What other good color would you recommend? I also have Rosewood but I'm not as excited about it. 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No 21 Midnight Brown

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No 21 Midnight Brown ($29 for 0.088 oz) belongs to the Spring 2012 collection and is added to the permanent line. Having quite a few browns in possession, I half-doubted that Midnight Brown would offer me any excitement. But I trusted the brand's sophisticated style and hey, no risk no fun. I'm so glad I did because Midnight Brown turned out to be yet another unique wearable brown.
Midnight Brown is a shimmery medium chocolate brown that has all the element right. It leans more warm but stays neutral enough to compliment all skintones. It might look like a deep color in the pan, but it's actually quite a soft color. Still, you can build it up for intensity as desired.

The texture is super finely milled and butter smooth. It glides on easily without any fall-outs. The shimmer fused in Midnight Brown accentuates the color, giving the eyelids a soft sheen. However, I wish it had more a satin finish. Just a personal preference. I feel that way it'd look more chic and unique than the regular shimmery browns.

Midnight Brown wears well for 10 hours on top of a standard primer. I love to pair it with Burberry Rosewood and Pale Barley (like here), and virtually any other shades that I want a bit of sheen and warmth balance (e.g.,Edward Bess Mirage and Storm). Midnight Brown is also a great overall lid color by itself.

Below are some comparisons to Burberry Midnight Brown
Brown is a classic color but can be very boring and outdated sometimes. This makes any creation of a new brown more and more challenging. Burberry brings us a brown that's universal enough for all personalities to love and yet unique enough to intrigue brown-lovers. Bravo Burberry!

Bottom line. Another outstanding product by Burberry. Phenomenal color and quality. Great by itself or to create dimension the eyes. Natural or intense looks, Midnight Brown got you covered. A must-have!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A blogger's reward

Blogging is something that I genuinely love to do. My blog is where I share what I love, learn about makeup and meet like-minded people. It never requires me any "trying" to post on my blog. I just grab the inspiration and run away with it. With that being said, any beauty blogger would know how much time (and money) and effort we put in our blogs. I simply feels rewarding when my readers and fellow bloggers appreciate my sharing. 

I have received two Liebster nominations from Tina at 2 Petite and Becca of The Beauty Sample.  Earlier this year, Edward Bess's official facebook fan page shared 3 of my blogs. They means a lot to me!


While typing this post, I'm in such a good mood and filled with positive energy that I urge to ramble. I will continue with some beauty goodies soon, I promise :D.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog! I hope you have fun here. Please feel free to leave me your blog/webpage links, I'd love to visit yours too.

xx Joanne

My quest for the inner peace. Ep 2 - Belly fat and peace

Happy Sunday everyone! I just finished my daily yoga routine, feeling energized yet so relaxed that I got inspired to share with you my journey for a better health. 
When starting this post series, I was three weeks into Dahn Yoga training. I expected to feel absolutely calm and peaceful in few months. These mini-documentary posts would hold me in place one day at a time to find the inner peace. Little did I know that I'd find it in week five. I am peace, literally. I didn't feel any anger, resentment, frustration or sadness, nothing but peace. It roots deeply inside a body and soul that I own and have the ability to manifest. So technically, I can end the series here. But it ain't that easy to keep the peace positioned inside my mind. If I didn't have to work, I'd just spend time on meditation. But I do. We human beings in this busy world never stop receiving stress and toxics as the results of our daily life. We then have to release stress out of our body and mind. My vision now is to go deeper into all the troubles that brought me to yoga in the first place, and focus on the positive aspect of my life and some initial improvements I made through the training. 

Here they are.

I lost 2 pounds after one week and have remained the same weight until now - three month mark. And guess where? My belly. I've tried countless fitness regimes that targeted the core and abs like pilates. They helped my muscles but did nothing to my belly. This first response encouraged me to keep on going. 

My mind and my physical body have more connection. I become more aware of my physical healthy status, which really motivates me to follow the training. As a control freak as I am, the idea of self-healing is appealing to me. I now have faith in myself that I can master my emotions, strength and weaknesses under any circumstances. I become calmer and more stable. It's much harder to get me annoyed or angry these days. I am happy about this. 

I do believe that Dahn Yoga is the training I need. It's not only a physical training program but also a spiritual and mental support with methods and tools. And trust me. I'm a scientist. It takes a heck lot to convince me a health training program can enhance my spiritual life, which in turns will improve my physical conditions. My husband noticed the changes first hand. He's been telling me that I no longer get on his nerves :D. Yoga works for me. The more I believe, the faster and deeper I recover from stress.

This post has more ramblings than usual. I just have to share. Until next time, I wish you all health and happiness. 

xx Joanne


Where the mind goes; the energy follows; the blood flows and the matter occurs.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Look: Go Berry Chic with Edward Bess

Have you ever dressed up your face and stayed home? I have, many times, shamelessly! It did take my husband some time to immune with my fun outfits or wild makeup test run when he got home. As awkward as it sounds, those makeup trials really help a big deal when I'm in hurry. I can just pull out whatever look I have tried before without thinking. Anyway, in one of those days, I wore Edward Bess Berry Chic palette to create a understated flirty look and to test out L'Oreal Full Definition mascara.

I created this look using everything in the palette except for the plummy lipgloss. The highlighter has dries out a bit yet still produces seamless glow for my cheeks. Other products included Bobbi Brown gel liner in Espresso, Burberry Taupe Brown eyeshadow for the brows, Clarin Ever Matte Foundation and Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder.

Edward Bess Berry Chic palette was released last fall together with Back to Basics.  You can find them now on Sephora.com (and selected Sephora stores), EdwardBess.com, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman (in store and online). They are retailed at $75.


Do you think this hair style enhance the "innocent" look? I thought so :D

A close-up to show you the winged eyeliner and the L'Oreal mascara that is supposed to give me length, volume and lash separation. How do you rate this mascara?

I hope everybody is having a great week!

xoxo

Joanne
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...