Sunday, November 25, 2012

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 11/25/2012

The ladies from Beauty Blogazons are back or actually I made it to the roundup this week:D. I love reading about what other bloggers are enjoying or pondering upon. Have a great the rest of the weekend everyone!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Review: Tom Ford Beauty Fall 2012 - Narcissist Cheek Color

Tom Ford Narcissist tops all of my favorite blushes, powder, cream or gel! I ADORE it. I'm literally blown away.
Tom Ford Cheek Color Narcissist ($55 for 0.28 oz) belongs to his fall collection 2012. Let's start with the color and pigmentation. It's a bright red pink that also has blue undertone. The color is bold, strong and saturated. There's no way around it. When you are confident you rock Narcissist. But it's absolutely wearable.

I pick up the color with a standard blush brush, tab the brush on the pan, tab off the excess and lightly dust the powder on my cheeks. I then blend it out well. That's it. It stays there, fresh and looking the same for solid 12 hours till I take it off. Blown away, indeed! A little goes an extremely long way. You can see Narcissist in action here.

Now, don't be scared of the striking red pink. If you use Narcissist lightly, it mimics the natural healthy flush on your cheeks after a nice walk under the sun. If you have light skin tone, use less. Layer more if you are on the tanner side. Because Narcissist can be layered beautifully, it suits all skin tones and tastes for intensity.
Below are the comparison swatches of some pink blushes I own. Tom Ford Narcissist is the brightest and reddest. Smashbox Radiant Blush has more fuchsia undertone. The bright pink stripe in Guerlain Rouge G Blush Serie Noir has golden shimmer and warm pink undertone. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Dollface is a baby pink and has more white base. Edward Beass Compact Rouge in Love Affair has more raspberry base than Narcissist. 

 Swatched under direct sunlight

 Different angle to show the undertones of all the blushes
Tom Ford's permanent blushes gear toward frosty and shimmery finish yet Narcissist has matte finish. The powder is silkily smooth, so finely milled and weightless that I thought I touched velvet. The texture helps the pigment blends seamlessly into the skin, effortlessly. And this velvet texture applies to all of his powder products.

Tom Ford blushes come with a velvet pouch and large mirror. I love the case design but will prefer a more sturdy/luxe material. And usually with a price like this, I expect a nice quality brush like Burberry's. It doesn't mean that I'll use it. It's more for the convenience on the go.

Finally, I want to discuss the price point. You pay $55 for 0.28 oz of product or about $196/oz. This is double the amount of a standard blush. How does it compare to other high-end blushes?

In terms of price per quantity:

Burrberry: $42 for 0.24 oz ($175/oz).
Chanel: $43 for 0.21 oz ($205/oz).
Guerlain Duo: $50 for 0.21 oz ($238/oz).
Dior: $42 for 0.26 oz ($161/oz).
Le Mertier de Beaute: $30 for 0.13 oz ($230/oz).

Tom Ford blushes are priced in the higher range among the designer brands yet not the most expensive.  Now some may argue that Tom Ford Beauty enters the market recently while the others have been there for decades. It might not be reasonable to price the products at that range. I've tried all of the above except for Le Mertier de Beaute and the quality of Tom Ford blushes, Narcissist included, is extremely competitive to the other brands.

You sure have your rationing system to justify your beauty purchases. I'm not defending a 55-dollar blush as reasonable. It depends on your rationale. I think Narcissist is no ordinary investment. You have an exceptional high quality blush that is versatile for natural or bold cheeks. It will last a long time even when you use it daily.

Bottom line. PHENOMENAL. ADORE. OBSESSED. Get it before it's gone! 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Look: Casual Red Lips

I sported casual red lips through out the summer and forgot to do a post about it:D. Laura Mercier Cherrywood has subtle satin finish that dries almost matte. People immediately picked up this color and complimented every time I wore it. I'm overwhelmed and puzzled! It isn't my very favorite. I want a deeper red but this brown-based red is really easy to work with. 

Anyway, I much prefer red lips paired with casual outfit for an outing to special occasions. Hope you like it. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Joanne xx

Face
YSL Touche Eclat #8

Eyes
Burberry Taupe Brown Eyeshadow for brows and outter Vs
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Bobbi Brown Gel liner Espresso
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kil Stretch mascara

Lips
Laura Mercier Satin Lipstick in Cherrywood

Monday, November 19, 2012

Review: Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Liquid SPF 15

Happy Monday everyone! I can't remember since when Mondays have become exciting in my daily life. As long as Mondays don't seem so terribly long, I'm good. 

**A brief update: Sorry for the low posting frequency lately. I've embarked on a new project that I feel deeply connected with and hopefully many people will find it helpful. Nothing's related to my beauty addiction but it's involved heavy consultation and sharing. Right up my alley. Woot woot! 

Back to Mr Tom the man Ford's Traceless Foundation that is retailed for $78 (1 oz). Ouch! What a price. The largest pro of this foundation, in my opinion, is the buildability. You can layer it to create a sheer to full coverage. However, when 3 layers packed on my skin, it looks rather heavy and less natural. And then it stays on for solid 10 hours, no touch up and minimum shine. The texture is quite smooth and feels luxirious, although not as finely milled as my favorite Clarins Ever Matte or Burberry Sheer Luminous

The foundation comes in 12 shades. Mine is No 4 Bisque although No 5 Natural matches my skin quite well too. The girls at Tom Ford counter said that each shade has mixed undertones of different proportions. There's no designation for which shades are yellow-based and which are pink-based. That kind of makes senses since both No 4 and No 5 have yellow undertone only No 4 is a touch lighter and yellower. I've find No 4 a spot-on color match for my skin tone for about 3 hours. After that it turns muddy. 

The major con of Traceless, you guess it, is that it oxidizes like crazy on my skin, turning into 2 shades deeper than my true skin color. A big no no! Another issue I have with Traceless lies in its strong chemical scent. It reminds me how Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich foundation smells and the scent lingers throughout the whole 10-hour wear. Not exactly unpleasant, but not inviting either. 

What I like
  1. Long-wearing, solid 10 hours
  2. Good color match
  3. Light weight but not weightless
  4. Natural finish
  5. Buildable from sheer to full coverage
What I don't like
  1. Oxidize into muddy color after 3 hours
  2. Has strong scent throughout 10-hour wear. It reminds me the scent of Bobbi Brown moisturize rich foundation. It bothers me.
  3. Doesn't smooth out my skin as much as I expected (hello, traceless embedded in the name)
  4. While I can build it up to full coverage, it looks heavy with 3 layers
Bottom line. Good but not excellent. 

Now, Tom Ford is a luxury brand so I would expect the price. But I also expect a lot more from the foundation itself. Based on my preferences and my skin, I'd say it's not worth the investment. I'd rather save for his eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks.

Have you tried Traceless foundation liquid or stick version? According to the SA, the stick doesn't oxidize as much as the liquid. It stays true to the color on the stick. I tested it out at the counter but wasn't sure about the result. So yeah, I'll have to go back there...

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Friday, November 16, 2012

Beauty Bloggazons Weekly Roundups 11/16/2012

What do you do when tons of cleaning and cooking need to be done? Blogging, of course. Another the week has past and suddenly I find myself in the mid-November. We have guests coming and gifts and postcards to buy. Excited and panic! Have a great weekend everyone xx

Monday, November 12, 2012

Tom Ford Beauty Haul - First Impression

From dislike to doubt to adore and total addiction! Heck yes, I find the entire Tom Ford Beauty including his fabulous fragrances more than tempting. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would enjoy Tom Ford Beauty. I detest his provocative perfume ads in the past. And I still do. The price tag of the line, my goodness, really put me off. So I didn't follow any raves or rants about the brand around the world wide web.

Until I saw this documentary film. His way of life, the inner peace and the life he lives fully and completely have inspired me to make changes in my life (another looong story) and of course to own some of his products. Watching the film feels like sitting in a yoga workshop where people at higher spiritual state share their thoughts. That's how I feel. ;;)

Long for short, I made a couple of trips to Neiman Marcus at Houston Galleria, which by the way means huge deal. Parking and walking in that mall drives me insane. I usually feel like a victim of consumerism then loose interests quickly, and just go home. Fortunately, I had a good time at Tom Ford counter and did a huge damage to my wallet. As a result, I'm beauty sober until next year (no regrets :D)! I also tested the mascara, foundations (liquid and stick), and eyeliner pencil at the counter. Reviews of my orders are coming!

First thing first, the Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 ($75 for 0.49 oz) is the target of my trip. I'm an highlighter sucker and especially love the cream formula (like Edward Bess All over seduction). Naturally I have to try this. The price is steep, no doubt, but for a huge amount of product. It does require some blending practice but is worth every penny. 

I also got the Shade and Illuminate brush ($70). Seriously overpriced I must say. Nonetheless, it applies the product incredibly easy! I can also use it for other cream blushes and highlighters. Plus, I wasn't able to find a substitute for this brush. So for my skills and conditions, the dollars were well invested. 

Now comes the wildly popular Narcissist blush ($55 for 0.28 oz), the new limited edition for Fall 2012. It scared me away from the picture and even in person at first. However, none of Tom Ford permanent blushes really scream at me. They all have frosty finish, though subtle. Narcisssit has subdued satin finish that looks matte without drying on my cheeks. And the color is OMG, lovely pink flush to bright bold fuchsia. LOVE! Another wisely-spent. 

Then I certainly need some eyeshadow quads ($75 for 0.35 oz), the star products of the line. I picked up Cognac Sable the first trip and had to come back for Golden Mink. Phenomenal! The color, the texture, the wearing, the finish and the style blow me away. They all suit me so unbelievably well. I swatched most of eye color quads at the counter and they were all excellent, no dryness or fall-out. The question is which color theme/finish responses to your style. The two I purchased are versatile, wearable and have my name written all over them :D. More on how they work for me will be coming soon.

And there is a compulsive procurement, the brow sculptor in Espresso ($42 for 0.01 oz). It's beautiful, natural, user-friendly and uh over priced. I don't own any mechanic brown pencil, only have tried some in store. So my opinion is probably biased. In any case, this is an excellent product. 

No, I didn't forget about his lipsticks. The formula really moved me so much so that I almost got Indian Rose. The shades aren't that special (even deeper shades like Cherry Lush) beside the fact that they're seriously overpriced. The girls told me Jasmine Rouge lipsticks are of deeper shades, promising more interesting colors. For now I decided to wait.

Finally, the generous samples of Tom Ford fragrances. Gotta love the customer service!

The good news is I love all the fragrances. For years I fell for big brand names like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Bvlgari, etc... and never got intrigued enough to purchase a single full-sized bottle from them. Tom Ford perfumes stays put all day and lingers a unique scent that isn't overwhelming on my skin. And they express different selves of me. BIG LOVE!

The bad news is I love all the fragrances. Tough call to pick one.  They'll break my wallet too. I'm still looking for the one that has the power to withdraw $200 for 1.7 oz from my budget. Maybe there's none but the huge samples should last a while.

That's all guys. I was extremely exhausted after work and a sleepless night before visiting the counter. I made a mental note "to try not to buy" and was ready to bitch down any sale associate who tried too hard to sell. The girls at Tom Ford counter treated me well. They provided me with the information, chatted about the line and helped me to test and apply the products. I really appreciated they tried to make my trip fun and kept an open mind to the customers' knowledge. You know sometimes SAs talk you down to push/create needs for purchases. I hate that (Macy's Chanel counter at Mermorial City). If you live in Houston area, you must visit Tom Ford counter at Neiman Marcus. It's so much easier to decide which items to purchase, especially with Tom Ford's price. Plus the girls there are helpful and polite. 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Winner of Dior Smokey Design Palette is


Congratulations to Arielle at Beauty by Arielle!!! You've won a Dior 5-color All-in-One Artistry Smokey Design!! I will contact you shortly for shipping information.

A big thank you to all of you lovely ladies who participated in my first giveaway. Your support means a lot to me. We beauty bloggers know how much passion and dedication we pour into our blogs. And appreciation from readers is the most important reward (to me). 

I hope you enjoy your time on The Convenient Beauty and the fun (and wallet-breaking) beauty chit chats we have had! 

Love,

Joanne xx

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Convenient Beauty Blog Sale

UPDATED. Due to popular requests, I will ship worldwide. 

As promised, The Convenient Beauty Blog Sale is live now! Please click here to shop with full list of sale items.

The items either rarely got used or belong to the back-up collection of my all time favorites. 
Hope you'll like them! Happy shopping! 

Joanne xx

Here is a sneak peek

Friday, November 9, 2012

Review: Yves Saint Lauren La Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation SPF 19

Source: Sephora (not an affiliated link)
YSL Touche Eclat Foundation ($55 for 1 oz) has recently joined the army of new generation of lightweight foundations that are designed to give us the second skin effect. Particularly since I'm a fan of the well-known Touche Eclat highlight pen, I feel the urge to give the foundation version a serious try. 

Touche Eclat foundation has quite large shade range, addressing pink, neutral and yellow skin undertone. The pink-based shades are all named Beige Rose with a number indicating the intensity. Similarly, the neutral shades are all Beige and the yellow-based shades are all Beige Dore. I tried both Beige 40 and Beige Dore 40 on my skin and didn't notice much difference between the two. Beige Dore dries just a touch lighter. The good thing is this foundation doesn't oxidize a lot. A plus I should say.

Touche Eclat foundation offers sheer to medium coverage and natural finish. It covers the minor blemishes and even out the discoloration. It's light weight and feels comfortable on my skin. However, it doesn't provide the second skin effect. I can see the texture of my skin showing up lightly underneath this foundation.

Also, the consistency, the texture, coverage and even the shade of this foundation is very similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum.  I swatch Beige Dore 40 and Beige 40 against Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 53 below.  
The foundation is supposed to give you some sun protection. I don't get that SPF 19 thingy. Why not SPF 20? Anyway, I don't see my face turn ghostly white in flash photography so it can be ok for it.

Here are what I like about YSL Touche Eclat foundation
  1. decent coverage for me 
  2. natural finish
  3. doesn't oxidize to orangy/muddy color
  4. decent wearing about 6 hours without powder or primer
  5. pretty good color match
And what I don't like most is that it doesn't smooth out my skin. Besides, it produces almost exactly same result as Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum ($18 for 1 oz on ASOS) does. Since I already have Bourjois', I skip Touche Eclat. 

Bottom line. YSL Touche Eclat is a likable foundation to me. Everything from coverage, texture, shading, wearing is decent but not impressive enough to call my love.

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
 I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Review: Givenchy Fluid Foundation Airy-Light Mat Radiant SPF 20

Source: Sephora (not an affiliated link)

Givenchy Mat Radiant ($55 for 1 oz) caught my attention as soon as I read this glowing review by my sleepy princess GummyVision. Shade 4 is pink, Shade 6 is too dark so I decided my shade would be No 5. Mat Honey. It has the right depth and is yellow-based. When first applied, Shade 5 seems to be the right match for me. It lies between my face shade and neck shade and seems to create a natural transition from face to neck. Well, it is fabulous for about 15 minutes on my bare skin then it turns pink and orangy on my skin. GummyVision suggests a primer to reduce the oxidization. It helps a bit in my case but I prefer not using primer for daily makeup. 

Givenchy Mat Radiant dries in matte natural finish, which reminds me of my favorite Clarins Ever Matte. I totally agree with GummyVision that it looks like your skin but it's not your skin peeking through the foundation. 
I don't see the radiant effect either under sunlight or artificial lights, and even different angles. So I'm still puzzled with mat radiant effect that it claims.

In short, here are what I like
  1. good coverage for vein, discoloration and minor blemishes
  2. very natural finish as if it's my skin 
  3. smooth out my skin texture, making it look very fine and tight!!
  4. comfortable and weightless, no greasy feeling, no drying out 
  5. long-wearing, 8 hours without a primer or setting powder
My only complain is the color match, partly due to the oxidation.

Bottom line. Givenchy Mat Radiant is an excellent foundation if you love natural and weighless foundation that lasts long, and you can find your shade. You don't need to have good skin to make a good use of it. 

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup. 

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Review: Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation

Source: Nordstrom (not an affiliated link)

Quite a buzz it was when Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation ($62 for 1 oz) came out a few weeks ago. The most frequent rave I've heard are its long-wearing and natural finish. The latter intrigues my curiosity and at the same time concerns me a bit about the coverage.

Let's first talk about the shade range. It ain't large compared to its widely popular sister Luminous Silk but it seems to capture the color depth well. From the company's website, we know

Fair Shades: #2, #3, #4
Medium Shades: #4.5, #5, #5.5, #6.5, #7, #8
Dark Shades: #10, #11.5, #12

Shade 4.5 and 6.5 are yellow based but the first is too pale while the latter is too tan on my skin. My local Giorgio Armani counter didn't have shade #5. In fact, the girl told me there wasn't #5! Disbelieved but too tired to argue, I grabbed the samples of shade 5.5 and 4.5. So far, I've been enjoying the wear but this foundation has some drawbacks that I can't overcome (yet?).

Comparison of shade 4.5 (yellow-based) and 5.5 (pink-based)

A different lighting

Put aside the hefty price tag, here are what I like
  1. Doesn't turn orange on my skin throughout the day
  2. Dries instantly in natural finish, no need for powder
  3. Although sheer, it stays put for 8 hours without a primer or setting powder
  4. Feel comfortable, weightless like naked skin
  5. Smooth out my skin, which is a nice surprise since it's sheer
  6. Easy to apply (fingers are the best)
And what I don't like?
  1. Doesn't offer enough coverage for minor blemishes and uneven skin tone, even with 3 layers. Your skin peeks through the foundation. It definitely covers better than Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid but doesn't come as close to Burberry Luminous Sheer. I do prefer Burberry's (for many other reasons too). 
  2. I don't find a shade match (yet). Shade 4.5 captures the yellow of my skin while neutralize the redness. It's too pale though. Shade 5.5 has the right depth but too pink on me. 
I've tried several weightless foundations of new generation and they give me better coverage than Maestro in 1 or 2 layers. Because isn't designed as a full coverage foundation, I don't complain about the how it doesn't do it. But my personal preference is more coverage.
Swatches in layers to show you how Maestro builds
The sale associate told me that the company might issue more shades depending on the popularity of the foundation. I'm keeping my finger crossed! If I find the right shade, I will consider to put more effort in concealing minor blemishes with concealers instead of foundations like my current routine.

Bottom line. For now, I'll wait for better shade range. Although it wears longer than Burberry Sheer Luminous foundation, it doesn't cover minor blemishes as well. If you have good skin, definitely check it out. 

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
 I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup. 

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots
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