Review: Chanel Dentelle Precieuse Illuminating Powder

Chanel Dentelle Precieuse Illuminating Powder ($80 for 0.21 oz) is a stunning highlighter that delivers a phenomenal quality. It offers luxurious packaging, exquisite lace design, a velvety smooth texture, an extremely flattering shade of beige with ultra fine multi shimmer, and that's not all. It stays on for 8 hours under humid weather like what we're having here in Houston.

Sounds awesome eh? However, Chanel Dentelle Precieuse is not a must-have. Yes, you hear me right. I found several alternatives that possess the same quality and only fail to compete with the beauty of Chanel's latest collector item. Not to mention the 80-dollar-plus-tax-plus-quite-a-few-run-around-to-locate-it price tag for just decent amount of product. I don't hate it, actually I love it. But I have better choices.

Before you Chanel Dentelle fans stone me, please hear my reasoning. The Chanel beauty comes in a pretty velvet pouch, a decent brush, and a large mirror. All is very convenient for touch up or traveling. You don't have to worry about bringing an extra mirror or brush or the case will be scratched. It's already taken care of.

The powder comes in a pretty velvet pouch. 

When you open the pouch, the brush is tucked neatly in the smaller compartment. It's actually quite a good brush. The bristles are soft and densely pack. I might use it for on the go, although I always prefer my own brushes.

Now onto the embossed dentelle. Breathtakingly beautiful and elegant isn't it? The lace details are so real that I had goose bumps taking these photos. So incredibly exquisite! You can see the thickness of the embossed lace. So Chanel!

Next to the window, under cloudy sky

Under direct sunlight

The multi shimmer reflects sunlight

Chanel Dentelle Precieuse has more to offer than just the pretty face. It's a warm peachy beige with a hint of pink infused with multi shimmer. Don't let the shimmer worry you as it's ultra fine and looks natural on the skin. From all the swatches I've seen on the internet so far, I think it works wonderful for all skin tone. The beige is delicately balanced with both peach and soft pink. For fair-skinned girls, I would recommend you use a light hand to highlight. It could well be a blush if you're really fair. On my light medium skin, it blends seamlessly into my skin color, leaving a sheen rather than a shine on the skin.

The texture of the power is silkily smooth without over powdery. It makes the blending effortless. So far so good right? I don't have any complains about the quality or the color itself. When I played around with Chanel Dentelle Precieuse at the counter, I thought of several other highlighters in my collection. So I pulled them out for comparison.

I swatched the bronzier stripes of Dior Shimmer Star Amber Diamond next to Chanel Dentelle. The colors are painfully similar. Dior Amber Diamond doesn't have as soft and smooth texture as Chanel's, yet the difference is nuance. The multi shimmer in Chanel Dentelle is a touch more visible, and may I say, sexier than Dior's. However, I can create more variations of highlighter with Dior Amber Diamond by simply swirling different color stripes together. Plus, Dior's priced roughly at $48 for 0.35 oz compared to Chanel's 0.21 oz of product at $80. Dior Amber Diamond wins, in my book. She doesn't have that stunning lace though. 

Cream: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal, Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow 

Powder: Dior Shimmer Star Amber Diamond, Chanelle Dentelle Precieuse 

I also found two other highlighters in the cream formula, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal ($41 for 1.7 oz) and Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow ($38 for 0.08 oz), aka my all time favorite highlighter. They have the same peachy beige color as Chanel Dentelle. However, Edward Bess' has more subtle shimmer and Becca's has shinier and more metallic finish. On my skin these two look slightly different from Chanel Dentelle but mainly due to the different shimmer levels. Edward Bess Afterglow is tiny and turns out to be more expensive than Chanel Dentelle, $99 for 0.21 oz of Edward Bess Afterglow. Becca Opal is considerably more affordable than Chanel's. 

Different lighting to show the color

So my point is, if you already own one of those highlighters, and the chance is you have something similar to them anyway, you won't need Chanel Dentelle Precieuse. It's definitely a collector item. At the same time, if you collect beautifully designed makeup items, then you need to check it out.

I'm debating whether to keep Chanel Dentelle Precieuse. The lace does make me wonder...

One last picture of this beautiful piece of art.

Have you check out Chanel Dentelle Precieuse? Anyone wants to convince me to keep it? 

Look: Wedding Makeup Take 2

How I would have done my wedding makeup? For the peace of mind, I hired a professional makeup artist. And I think she did a good job for the pictures. They turned out OK. I still looked like myself! But I wasn't satisfied. My dress has peal and crystal details, so does the veil. The make up was a bit too done up especially with the eyes. She used a pair of natural looking false lashes and jet black eyeliner. She also altered the shape of the inner corners of my eyelids so that they appeared to be more even. Why on earth did I let her do so? Those eyelid tapes were uncomfy and didn't feel right, although they were teeny tiny.

I felt like a more subtle and relax look would balance out my wedding gown better. Here are my wedding makeup for pre-wedding photos. And by the way, the hubs and I endured the photo session for the sake of our parents. We knew back then that we would laugh at these pictures some day. We already did.

The dress. Me a few years back,  a couple of days before the wedding ceremony.

The traditional dress. I was very into bright floral at the time. Now I would opted for a simple white instead. 

This is how I would have much preferred. Glowy skin, softly contoured cheeks, natural eye shadow, crisp eyeliner, and casual red lips. So I keep my complexion matte with glowy cheeks. I want full brown, natural and well defined eyeshadows and NO FALSIES. No objection to false lashes but I love the relaxing look of my lashes. I also opted for a undone throw-away red lips instead of the classic bridal soft pink lips. There you have it.

My re-do makeup. Cool lighting. I wasn't topless guys. 

My re-do makeup. Warm lighting. My actual wedding jewelry. Peals! 

Makeup breakdown

Face

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation SPF 15 in 108

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer Custard

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight (everybody should own it)

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 (contour shade)

Tom Ford Blush Narcissist

Eyes

Dior 5-color eyeshadow quint Beige Massai (my all time favorite palette)

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Mascara

Tom Ford Brow Sculptor Espresso

Lips

EOS Lip balm

Laura Mercier Satin Lipstick Cherrywood (same here)

I had so much fun writing this post. Tell me what you think ladies. And if there's enough interest, I'll do another look (yes, I have something else in mind too).

Joanne xoxo

Look: Special Occasion FOTD - Silvery Taupe Eyes Nude Pink

Back in January, I was brainstorming a look for an evening special event. After twitting about my ideas, my blogger friends voted for 3 looks a) copper eye and bright pink lips; b) bronze eyes and dark lips; and c) silvery taupe eyes and nude pink lips. 

Guess which look I sported for the event? I picked this one! I though it contrasted my teal dress subtly and still added a bit of drama to the look :D. And to be honest, I simply love everything about this look and decided to go with my instinct.The high shimmery silvery taupe against nude pink lips. I love my glowy cheeks (thank you thank you Edward Bess!) that seamlessly changes from a highlighter to blush. Love Tom Ford blush in Savage for this look! It ties all color and texture together. 

Since the eyes are rather intense, I kept the skin very natural. On that day I used Burberry Sheer Luminous Trench 6 (review of Trench 5 is here). I replaced it with Tom Ford Traceless Stick Foundation Natural for this post while testing the sucker. It's phenomenal for my skin!! Reviews of Tom Ford items used in this post are on their way. I finished the write-up yet don't want to overwhelm you guys with my opinionated rambles ;;)

As usual, please scroll down for full makeup breakdown. 

I look funny but this picture shows the makeup the best

Look breakdown

Face

Tom Ford Traceless Stick Foundation 05 Natural (reviewed on the way)

YSL Touche Eclat 08

Laura Mercier Setting Powder

Laure Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-3

Tom Ford Cheek Color Savage (reviewed on the way)

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

Eyes

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill #4 Pulp Fiction

Dior 5-color eyeshadow Beige Massai (deep brown, ivory, peach)

Bobbi Brown Long-wearing Gel Liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Mascara

Lips

Chanel Rouge Allure Exquisite

Tom Ford Lip Gloss Rose Crush (reviewed soon)

Look: Special Occasion FOTD- Coppery Eyes and Bright Pink

The type of makeup I sport frequently tend to be very wearable. So when a formal occasion comes up, I feel a bit nervous about my makeup choices. I still want to look like myself (hence no dramatic eyeliner) and play up one feature on my face. I'm wearing a dark teal dress and also want something to contrast it.

After twitting about my ideas, my blogger friends voted for 3 looks a) copper eye and bright pink lips; b) bronze eyes and dark lips; c) silvery taupe eyes and nude pink lips. Today's look focuses on the bright pink lips. You can find the full makeup breakdown at the end of the post. 

How do you think this against a dark teal dress? 

Strong bright lighting washes off the warmth in my skin :( I don't have to worry about this during the party but this pictures don't show the correct of the coloring

Slightly warmer lighting

Makeup Worn

Face

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation 108

YSL Touche Eclat 08

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

Bourjois Blush le Cendre de Rose Brune (to be reviewed)

Eyes

Tom Ford Brow Sculptor Espresso

Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Cognac Sable

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Mascara

Lips

YSL Rouge Couture Fuchsia 27 

Look: Before Chanel Notorious There Was Burberry Taupe Brown

OK. Burberry Taupe Brow is much deeper than Chanel Notorious, I know. But in a moment of uber-frustration while hunting for that mauve-grey sculting veil, I used Taupe Brown to satisfy the craving. I used a small fluffy brush to pick up the color, tap off the excess and very lightly dab it on under my cheekbones. I repeated this about 3 times until the shade looked more realistic. The comments are all yours :D.

Now that I laid my hands on Chanel Notorious, I will do another look for comparison.

But first, ta-da! Any possible dupes for Notorious have you come up with?

Look: Blushing pink with Tom Ford Narcissist

Ever since Tom Ford Narcissist blush became a staple in my makeup collection, I've wanted to do a natural look with it. It's a vibrant blue-based red pink that can make anybody look like a clown with just one swipe. But it is that blue and red undertones that match those colors on my skin (and many others' I believe). So I can create a healthy blushing cheeks at ease. 

I opted for natural sheer foundation (Burberry), pink lips (Tom Ford Indian Rose) and eye makeup (Edward Bess Mirage and Intimate) to balance out the strong cheeks. I myself think this look is a bit overly sweet, especially that white button-up shirt. When reviewing the photos, I thought I looked like trying too hard to be 17 again ;;). Anyway, next time a  little black dress should solve the issue.    

How do you like the soft pink theme of this look? Please scroll down for the makeup products I used. 

 Posed under direct sunlight, hence that look :D. Can you see the glow on my cheeks? The more I wear Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate (#2), the more I love it!

 Another shot to show you the satin finish of Edward Bess eyeshadows in Mirage and Intimate 

and the glow, yes of course :)

Make up breakdown

Face

Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation Trench 5

YSL Touche Eclat No 8

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC 3

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 (highlighter only)

Tom Ford Blush Narcissist

Eye

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow Mirage and Intimate

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Mascara

Tom Ford Brow Sculptor Espresso

Lips

Tom Ford Lipstick Indian Rose

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

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

YSL Touch Eclat 

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

Eye

Dior 5-color eyeshadow Rosy Tan

Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel Liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

Lip

Chanel Glossimier Pink Teaser (limited edition)

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

Summer beauty essentials

Happy Monday everyone! While typing this line, I can't believe I'm feeling happy on Monday. A mental note to mention this at my yoga class.

As we're rolling half way through Houston hot summer, I thought it'd be fun to share some of my must-have beauty products in the summer.

Kiehl's Super Fluid SPF 50+; Kiehl's Avocado Eyecream; Tom's natural deodorant 

Clarins Ever Matte Skin Balancing Foundation (review is coming soon); Dior Healthy Glow Powder in Aurora

Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight and Afterglow Irreplaceable!!

Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel eyeliner in Espresso; Giorgio Armani Eyesto Kill Pulp Fuction #4

Dolce and Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Soiree; Guerlain Rouge G Serie Noir Orange Euphorique

Blue nail polishes

And this adorable Paul and Joe makeup bag (a gift with purchase last summer)

What products do you swear by for the summer? 

Hope everyone's having a great summer. 

Joanne

Look: Meet Doan - Part 1 Young and Fresh

I'm so excited to introduce my friend Doan. She loves sport, food, traveling and photography, which is why she's helping me out with my make-over series. She's naturally gorgeous, fresh and dynamic, and very photogenic. So I opted to focus on her skin and brows and keep the makeup simple and understated. 

For the everyday look, I wanted glowy cheeks and soft pink lips. I also used plum eyeshadows to enhance her brown eyes and a silvery mauve (of the same quint) to brighten up the lower lashlines. 

Here is her gorgeous smile....

A close up

Photo by Doan (she was posing "innocent" for this particular look :))

Face
Chanel Mat Lumiere 4.0 Beige
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
YSL Touche Eclat 08
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal
NARS Orgasm blush

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
Dior 5-color eyeshadow in Stylish Move (all shades but the pearl white)
Dior Show Extase mascara
Guerlain Ecrin 6-color eyeshadow in Place Vendome (the dark grey to define the brows)

Lip
Edward Bess Berry Chic pink gloss in the palette

Next time, we'll see her in a different style. I hope you enjoy this mini make-over. Thanks so much for reading!

Quick look

My friends and I had a girl's makeup/hangout the other day. I can't wait to share the looks I did on my friends. A special thank you to Doan and Jessica for their incredible patience. Also, I thought I'd post a picture of the look I wore that day. It's my husband's favorite and mine too, simple, easy and natural for everyday.

Photo by Doan

Face
Clarins Ever Matte Foundation 108
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder for T-zone
YSL Touche Eclat 08
Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight
Dior Bronzer in Aurora (as blush)

Eye
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
Dior 5-color eyeshadow in Beige Massai (all shades except the rusty color)
Bobbi Brown long-wear gel eyeliner in Espresso
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch mascara (sample)
Shu Uemura eyelash curler

Lip
Dolce & Gabbana shine lipstick in Soiree

Have a great week!

Review: Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair

Being a huge fan of Edward Bess, especially after falling in love with Back to Basics and Berry Chic palettes, I was determined to try his compact rouge. So I picked up Love Affair during Sephora VIB sale a few months back. And once again, I'm blown away by the wearability of the color, the stay put power and the ease of use. My Edward Bess obsession lives on...

 

Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair ($38 for 0.05 oz) is a baby pink cream blush/lip color. It looks bright pink in the pot and highly pigmented. However, it becomes a natural pink flush on your cheeks as blended out. I just use my clean fingers to apply Love Affair for a sheer effect. It glides smoothly on my cheeks. Since it's a bright color, a little goes a long way. A foundation brush will blend well too but I feel like it wastes some product and I don't need opaque application anyway.

The wonderful thing about Edward Bess Compact Rouge, in my opinion, lies in the super long-wearing. I have been wearing Love Affair almost every day during the past 3 months. The weather in Houston has shipped from dry to humid and from cool to hot. The thin application of Love Affair stay fresh for over 10 hours no matter what. It literally looks the same at the end of the day when I remove my makeup. It's a huge plus since my cheeks tend not to hold blushes well.

Indoor. Heavy swatch (top left) and actual application (bottom right)

Outdoors, direct sunlight. Heavy swatch (left) and actual application (right)

It compliments a wide range of skin tones. On fairer skin, it creates a baby rosy cheeks. It pops as pink flush on darker skin. It works well for both more conservative office looks and spring/summer parties.

Bottom line. Quick. Easy. Fool-proof. Wearable. Beautiful. Love Affair is simply a MUST-HAVE!   

Compare: Edward Bess Quad Royales 01 South of France, 02 Monte Carlo, 03 Summer in Capri

Edward Bess has recently added Quad Royales to his superb beauty line. They are South of France 01, Monte Carlo 02, and Summer in Capri 03. Retailed at $45 for 0.25 oz, they are on sale at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Zuneta and thankfully Sephora (online only for now). Although I do think they are truly different in color and finish, I can see some of you might want to justify for one quad only.

Let's take a few moments to cherish them again. 

South of France is a beautiful soft beige pink with golden and lavender shimmer. 

Monte Carlo is a shimmery peachy bronze with peachy and coppery shimmer. 

Summer in Capri is a pink peach with pink shimmer and beige undertone. 

On my arm, they don't look a million miles away from each other but you can still see different shades.

Under direct sunlight, Monte Carlo gives a more metallic sheen while Summer in Capri has cool pink shimmer and South of France creates a soft warm sheen. 

I really love this particular picture as it shows how these quads behave based on their types of shimmer. Monte Carlo has the most shimmer and slightly frosty. Summer in Capri has the least shimmer yet produces a cool sheen. South of France simply brightens up my skin. 

What is my absolute favorite? Tough call, I tell you. They all have excellent texture, soft yet not too powdery. I personally prefer South of France to the other two quads by the thinness of a razor. I just love its uniqueness that stands out from all the highlighters in my possession. I don't have a dupe for neither Summer in Capri and Monte Carlo in my stash, but the latter is not too different from my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar. Summer in Capri is more unique than Monte Carlo. They both are more subtle and sophisticated than Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, hence more wearable and fool-proof. 

Does it mean that I can settle with only one of the three Quad Royales? Nope :d. High quality, elegant color and long wearing completely grab my heart. So yeah, I collected them all and I won't stop looking forward to a (few more) Quad Royale in the future.