Look: Special Occasion FOTD - Vampy Lips with Tom Ford Beauty

Hello lovelies, here is another look that I put together for my upcoming formal party. I'm wearing a dark teal dress and 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 features dark vampy lips. I decided to use Tom Ford Black Orchid at its maximum seductive dose :D. As usual, please scroll down for full makeup breakdown. 

So ladies and gentlemen, do you think this is a better idea for my teal dress? 

Trying to look seductive. I need to venture out of my comfort zone with posing. When reviewing all of my pictures, I felt my neck hurt :))

Me, holding a tissue to blot my lips :) Cute eh? ;;) 

Makeup Worn

Face

Burberry Sheer Glow Trench  6 (Trench 5 review is here)

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2

Tom Ford Blush Lovelust (to be reviewed)

YSL Touche Eclat 8

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Eye

Rimmel Spicy Bronze

Tom Ford Brow Sculptor Espresso

Dior Beige Massai (Ivory and Rusty)

Tom Form Golden Mink (Coral glitter) (to be reviewed)

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner Espresso

Lip

Tom Ford Lipstick Black Orchid (4 layers)

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: 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

Givenchy Mat Radiant Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Doll Face

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

YSL Touche Eclat #8

Eyes

Burberry Taupe Brown Eyeshadow for brows and outter Vs

Urban Decay Primer Potion

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Liquid Diamond 

Bobbi Brown Gel liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kil Stretch mascara

Lips

Laura Mercier Satin Lipstick in Cherrywood

Review: Burberry Lip Glow Natural Lipgloss in Cameo

Lipglosses tend to grab the last spot in my beauty wish list. I can't find many lipglosses that feel lightweight, non-sticky and stay-put. When I tried out Burberry, I was uber skeptical on a lipgloss splurge. This glowing review by temptalia really gave me the kick to order Cameo.

Burberry Lipgloss 08 Cameo ($27 for 0.2 oz) is a beautiful pink peach with the most subtle hint of shimmer. It feels incredibly comfortable on my lips, almost weight less. It's not goopy or sticky at the slightest. You know how your flying hair can stick to your lip gloss (like Edward Bess lipgloss, Bobbi Brown high shimmer lipgloss, Nars lipgloss, MAC lip glass, Laura Mercier lip glaze, Chanel Glossimer and many others)? I don't have that problem with Burberry Cameo.

At first, I thought I already had a frostier version of Cameo - Laura Mercier lip glaze in Bellini, one of my fav for years. They look rather similar in the tube. However, Burberry Cameo has higher consistency, more opaque and also pinker. Laura Mercier Bellini is a softer peach and highly shimmery.

Burberry Cameo stays fresh for 3 solid hours, then it starts to fade but still retains the stain at hour 5. I think that's decent. This lipgloss isn't meant to last long or to be super pigmented anyway. It looks great by itself, a soft pink peach with a natural sheen. It also works well to tone down any bright lip color and give it a boost with some sheen. I give Cameo two thumbs up for being great quality and truly versatile.

Bottom line. Love! Phenomenal lipgloss, and I don't even like lipglosses. Highly recommended!

Have you tried Burberry lipglosses? Any recommendations or should I just go with their lip mist? 

Review: Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation

Aahh, foundation always challenges my application skills and patience. I have the toughest time to find a great foundation. My skin turns all foundations into red-based color either orange or muddy or pink. An ideal foundation for me will smooth out my skin, dry in natural finish and will not turn orange.

Only Clarins Ever Matte has grant all my wishes for the summer. It however leaves little dry patches when the dryer weather hits Houston. And it leans pink, although at the slightest, enough to get me unsatisfied. So here I test and test again. I've been collecting samples of some the new foundations coming out this fall. Let's start with what used to be Burberry's only foundation.

Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation ($52 for 1 oz) comes in 9 shades. It seems like the odd-numbered shades are yellow-based and the even-numbered leans more neutral. Trench No 5 lies between the shade of my neck and my face but is closer to the first. My face skin is one shade darker than my neck. Yeah, troublesome I know. And Trench No 5 solves this problem. It doesn't turn orange through out the day either.

Burberry Sheer Luminous covers my green veins quite well with 2 layers. 

I don't find it luminous to the level that mirrors the description. It's really natural and weightless. My face feels naked! However, it becomes shiny at hour 5 on my T-zone. That's not particularly bad compared to Clarins Ever Matte (hour 6), Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (hour 3), Chanel Mat Lumiere (hour 5), Dior Skin Nude (hour 5), Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich (hour 5), and Bourjois Healthy Mix and Healthy Mix Serum (hour 5).

Although designed as a sheer foundation, it can be built up to full coverage and somehow still look like second skin. Love love love it! Better yet, it stays on for 6 hours when applied sheerly without setting powder and 8 hours with two layers and a bit of powder on the T-zone.

The texture is so heavenly smooth and lightweight. You can feel the silicon slip through your fingers yet not as much as Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk does. It's also less liquidy and more like cream type of foundation.

Bottom line. It might be the one for me. Highly recommended! Since so many new foundations have been released this fall and all promise revolutionary technology and exceptional finish, I must try them, especially Giorgio Armani Maestro, before declaring Burberry Sheer Luminous is the winner for me.

Have your tried Burberry Sheer Luminous Foundation? Any thoughts on how it compares to your favorite?

*****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: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 17 Pearl Grey

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No 17 Pearl Grey ($29 for 0.088 oz) caught my attention in half a second. Seriously, because pearl and grey is the combination that calls my name. Needless to say, I expected high quality and a wearable grey that doesn't overwhelm with shimmer. I was half right!

Pearl Grey is a true cool shimmery grey. On my warm skin tone, it looks more flattering when used lightly or intensely to the more opaque. It becomes muddy on my eyelids if used between these two ends of the spectrum. So, I need some other shades to boost Pearl Grey. My favorite combination is L'Oreal Infallible Liquid Diamond in the inner half of the lids, Burberry Pearl Grey in the outer half and Burberry Taupe Brown to define the outer V and bring some warmth to balance the look. For an easy throw-away smokey look, I use lots of black eyeliner and Pearl Grey alone! 

The shimmer of Pearl Grey is very delicate and finely milled. It gives my lids enough sheen and work-appropriate. Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Pearl Grey is housed in a luxe hefty metal case. The texture is smooth, easy-to-blend, easy-to-build-up and soft. It stays fresh for 10 hours with a standard primer. 

I think Pearl Grey compliments cool tone the best. It's one of those shimmery shade that you can wear to work and rock a casual smokey eyes. Pearl Grey is a nice eyeshadow but not the best grey I have in my collection. 

Bottom line. Like but not love, mostly due to the shade. The quality is phenomenal. 

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. 

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!

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. 

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!

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No.22 Pale Barley

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No.22 Pale Barley ($30 for 0.088 oz) is one of the two new additions to the permanent line from the Spring 2012 collection. At the first glance, I thought I had something "similar" in the stash. Honestly, it looked rather boring in the pan. Pale Barley turns out to be an original and gorgeous shade. Beautiful. Truly versatile. Easy to wear.  

 

It's hard to describe Pale Barley (to me). It's a brown beige fused with delicate golden and champagne shimmer, creating a nuance and understated sheen on my lids. It might sound like "just another neutral" and you might picture a subtle beige on your lids. But Pale Barley delivers the unexpected. It blends in with my skintone (medium warm undertone) without looking plain. I imagine it would pop out more on lighter complexion and even work as a highligter on darker skintone. Interestingly, the more intense the layering, the more golden it becomes. You can use this to add more drama to the look or tone it down to just a wash of golden sheen on your lids. Burberry executes this shade beautifully! I can't say enough how impressed I am.

I wore this fresh and clean look, pairing Pale Barley with Midnight Brown. I also used Taupe Brown at the outer corner for some depth. Below are some comparision swatches with some of my favorite Dior quints that contain certain shades I thought would be similar to Pale Barley and Burberry Midnight Brown. 

Like other Burberry eyeshadows, Pale Barley glides on the skin smoothly. The texture is buttery soft without being powdery. No fall-outs was detected through the day. It stays fresh for at least 10 hours with a standard primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion. If you still hesitate to try Burberry eyeshadows, I urge you to visit a Burberry counter! Or take a chance to order online;) You won't be disappointed!

Bottom line. Love so much! Phenomenal color and quality. Extremely versatile. If I could only have one Burberry eyeshadow, I would pick Pale Barley. 

Review: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 09 Rosewood

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 09 Rosewood ($29 for 0.088 oz) was the first eyeshadow I wanted to try from the line. The reason: it seems like it suits both warm and cool tone; and the shimmer is subdued and soft. I had high expectation for Rosewood quality-wise and color-wise.

Rosewood crosses between a taupy brown and rosy mauve, i.e. really a soft rosy wooden color. I don't own any color like this. Dior 5-color quint Sunset Cafe has a silver mauve that is more mauvy; Urban Decay Toasted is more rosy; Urban Decay Sidecar is more taupy. Rosewood has subtle pearly finish that produces a sheen for your lids.

Burberry Rosewood would work great for a wash of color on light skin and cool undertone. For medium warm tone like mine, the wooden undertone matches my skin too close. It still looks good on me but not as great as it could. If used alone on me, it looks rather plain since it lacks of depth. That doesn't bother me but deflates my excitement a bit. So I layer either Burberry Taupe Brown (which by the way is a surprisingly interesting color!) or Burberry Midnight Brown at the outer corners for more definition. Urban Decay Hustle also compliments Burberry Rosewood beautifully.

The texture of Rosewood is buttery smooth without any fall-outs or over-powdery. It's very easy to blend and layer. It stays fresh 10 hours with a standard primer, looking exactly the same as when first applied. Now, among all the six Burberry eyeshadows I own, Rosewood lies on the sheer side but in a good way. No matter how sheer I apply Rosewood on top a primer, it stays put. 

Bottom line. Phenomenal quality. It's blendable, layerable and stays fresh for at least 10 hours. I highly recommend Rosewood for light complexion with cool or neutral undertone.