Styling Friday - Feeling Blue Fall

Finally I can write Happy Friday to you all! This past week has been rough and exhausting. I managed to sleep a little and stay awake for work without coffee. It's time for another episode of styling dream, i.e. Victoria Beckham blue dress.

I think a smokey eye and warm complexion will compliment the vibrant blue. And there's a pair of spiky heels to add some edge. However, I want to keep the outfit chic, so yes, lots of gold jewelry. I hope you enjoy it.

Feeling Blue Fall by convenientbeaut featuring a shimmer eyeshadow

Lancome Friends & Family Sale 20% Off

* Free standard shipping on any order until 12/25/2011, no code needed!

Friends and Family starts 11/28 through 12/02/2011. 

Review: Laura Mercier Eye Color Sable and Lacome Color Design Volcano

Laura Mercier Sable ($22 for 0.09 oz) and Lancome Volcano ($18 for 0.05 oz) are beautiful taupe greys. Laura Mercier Sable is the lighter version of Lancome Volcano but is more shimmery. The first possesses powerful yet sophisticated teal shimmer that strikingly resembles to that of Chanel Prelude. Don't be concerned with this shimmer in Sable since it's very subtle and elegant.

Both have silky soft texture but Lancome Volcano feels more powdery and less smooth than Laura Mercier Sable. The first has similar texture to a typical satin MAC eyeshadow, whereas the latter is buttery smooth like a Urban Decay deluxe eyeshadow.

What I found really disappointing are the mediocre pigmentation and short wearing. Both look awesome on top of Laura Mercier eye basic at first. They fade so quickly that by the time I finish my full face makeup, half of the pigmentation is already gone. The only patch of color that stay put after 8-hour wears is the part layered on top of an eye primer and a creamy base like Bobbi Brown gel liner or Urban Decay 24/7 pencil.

On a more positive note, Laura Mercier and Lancome single eyeshadows are housed in sturdy case that would travel well with you. The first has a mirror for touching up on the go.

Bottom line. Gorgeous wearable color, decent texture and reasonably priced. As much as I love the color and fine shimmer, I wasn't impressed with the longevity and pigmentation.  It's a tough call to whether spending time with products that don't completely win my heart. But I decided to review these two eyeshadows anyway since some of you might find their flaws negligible. So check them out! Both are easy to pull off for everyday simple looks. 

My go-to brown eyeliners - Chanel Espresso, Lancome Black Coffee, Urban Decay 24/7 Whiskey

Brown eyeliners can be tricky for those who have darker features. I have black hair, black brows and black eyelashes. So I had the toughest time finding a good brown eyeliners to save my self from a bruised eye tragedy. If you also have dark features like me you may find these eyeliners as lovely as I do. 

Chanel Stylo Yeux Espresso ($29) is a deep cool brown. It is truly waterproof and stays put more than 5 hours. It's not as soft as Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners but noticeably softer than Lancome Le Crayon Khol. I would recommend you warm Espresso up in the back of your hand before applying on your lashline. The result is flawless and very natural. 

Lancome Le Crayon Khol Black Coffee ($24.5) is also a deep cool brown but slightly cooler than Chanel Espresso. It's not as soft as the other two eyeliners so warming up beforehand would also help for a more even application. Black Coffee doesn't survive after the first two hours on my lids. I usually use Black Coffee as a base rather than an eyeliner. 

Urban Decay 24/7 Whishkey ($18) is the warmest and softest of the bunch. It glides on the most smoothly and easily but it doesn't last as long as Chanel Espresso. Because its warm undertone, I prefer Whiskey for either  lower lashlines or as eyeshadow base. It looks very natural on my warm skintone. No warm up needed. 

Lancôme! I’d love to love you

My motivation behind this planed love affair is Lancome’s awesome gift with purchase programs. Their GWPs are really good though varying in values. All GWPs are deluxe samples. If you like me, i.e. signing up for the mailing lists of major department stores’, Lancome.com, online beauty retailers and the likes, you might have also received GWP offers daily.  

My mom is a long-time Lancome’s devotee and many of my friends adore the brand. I myself find several great products, Lancome Arliner for example. Lancome and I just need that X-factor. For some mysterious reasons, I’ve found majority of Lancome makeup line no mediocre but no amazing either. The colors are so common. The texture is good but not great. I’ve tried foundations, mascaras, eyeshadows, lipsticks, lipglosses, blushes, etc.. and am not impressed, not hooked. 

I need help to appreciate the brand. Do you have the same problem – not loving a well loved brand? Am I completely blind or is there a certain foundation for my (very likely) lonely opinion?

Review: Paul and Joe Beaute Summer 2011 - # 003 Sailor's Delight Lipgloss B

Paul and Joe Sailor's Delight ($22 for  0.21 oz) is a sheer orange lip gloss with obvious but fine gold shimmer. It feels comfortable on my lips, moisturizing and non-sticky. It has a citrus kind of smell, which is not surprising for a fruity color  lipgloss. I think it's best to layer on top of lipstick but if you prefer just a hint of bright orange it will do too. When applied alone it leaves mostly gold shimmer on my lips and very little color. My lips are naturally pink. However, it makes my teeth look a bit too yellow than usual.

Sailor's Delight has more color than Lancome's Touched by Light Juicy Tube that is only a layer of golden shimmer. It's more orange and less coral than Laura Mercier Bellini lipglaze. Bellini has pearl finish and thicker texture. Overall, I like Sailor's Delight but it's not exceptionally good or pretty. It's a decent lipgloss that is easy to wear.  For more comparison of Sailor's Delight with other orange lipsticks please click here.

Last minute packing - one-week worth of makeup

This is a last-minute trip in every single meaning of it. I didn't plan to go nor bring full-face makeup. So I decided to go for no-brainer items. I tried to pick the most user-friendly products, basically as fool-proof as possible. You would obviously spot out many products I've raved about. I guess I love those so much mainly because they're gorgeous and easy-to-use.

1. Sigma travel brush set; 2. Dior Skinnude; 3. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Set Powder; 4. Dior Healthy Glow Aurora; 5. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Nectar; 6. Lancome Pink Prevew (also for blush); 7. Laura Mercier Cherrywood; 8. Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle; 9. Guerlain Rouge G Orange Euphorique; 10. Urban Decay Primer Potion (travel size); 11. Dior 5-color quint Rosy Nude; 12. Armani Eyes to Kill #3 Purpura; 13. Urban Decay Duo Eyeliner 24/7 Whishkey/Zero; 14. Lancome Art Liner in Black; 15. Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara (travel size)

Right before running to the airport, I grabbed Armani Eyes to Kill #6 Khaki Pulse which is not pictured here. A review on these amazing eyeshadows will be up soon.

What would you choose to bring on 1-week trip? How do you decide what to bring?

Classic & Classical - Pride & Prejudice – The Makeup

I found the natural makeup over of Keira Knightley rather hard to replicate. I want to capture her youth, smartness and charming beauty. Here is my take. Flawless matte skin. Rosy cheeks. Matte rosy lips. Wash of eye shadow. Thick fine lashes. 

 1. Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder; 2. Misha BB Cream as foundation; 3. Chanel Rouge Coco Madmoiselle; 4. Lancome Pink Preview as cream blush; 5. Benefit Box Powder Blush Coralista to set Pink Preview; 6. Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow 407; 7. MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow; 8. DiorShow Iconic; 9. DiorShow Extase

How I apply these products:

- Apply a small amount of Misha BB cream for a flawless natural finish

- Set the BB cream with Laura Mercier Translucent setting powder. Use a light hand and small amount.

- Apply a light wash of Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow 407 - a pretty peach color on the lid. 

- Use MAC Soft Brown for the outer V and on the creases lightly. If you're fair-skinned, you can use Soft Brown wet for eyeliner. I skip eyeliner in this look. 

- Apply 1 coat of DiorShow Iconic to curl and define the lashes followed by DiorShow Extase for volumizing effect. 

- Dab Lancome Pink Preview on the cheeks, blend to the intensity you want then set it with Benefit Conralista;

- Apply Chanel Rouse Coco Mademoiselle on the lips to stain it first. Remove the excess by a tissue. Re-apply it lightly for pretty medium pink. 

I don't want to use all pink, though I try to stick with pink and peach family. All the swatches were overdone for the sake of the photos. 

What would be your makeup look inspired by Pride & Prejudice 2005 Movie?

Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 1
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 2
Pride & Prejudice Obsession Part 3

Review: Lip and cheek in a stick – Laura Mercier Audrey and Lancome Pink Preview

Your mothers sometimes have the best beauty tips. My mother used to double her lipsticks as blushes, a great way of fast application and cut down the budget. I can’t remember we had multiples, pot rouge or lip and cheek stain three decades ago. So before I found other alternatives, I used lipsticks as a blush.

My mother often complained how her creamy lipsticks didn’t stay on or the colors were just too clown-like. The lipstick we need should behave like a cream blush. Finally, I discovered Laura Mercier Cream lipstick in Audrey and Lancome Matte lipstick in Pink Preview.

First of all, both are wonderful lipsticks on their own. Laura Mercier Audrey ($22 for 0.14 oz) is the most universal shade of lipcolor I’ve ever encountered. It is a beautiful warm rose that flatters all skintones and types. It shows up differently on people but all are very wearble and classy. If I can nominate for a typical French’s lipcolor, Audrey would win my vote. The texture is creamy and nourishing. It doesn’t peel my lips at all. Lancome Pink Preview ($22) is a youthful cool pale pink that wouldn’t wash out any skintone if used with a light hand. Despite its matte texture, Pink Preview feels moisturized and comfortable on my lips. It stays on well too.

Both work flawlessly as blushes. They glide on smoothly on my cheeks and at the same time stay put for more than 3 hours. If you wish to extend the wearing, you might want to apply them BEFORE setting powder. I apply Audrey and Pink Preview with my clean fingers then blend on the apples of my cheeks.

Recommendation: You can reduce the amount of makeup while traveling with these lipsticks.