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.

Review: Paul and Joe Beaute Fall 2011 - # 072 Soho Lipstick C

Paul and Joe Soho Lipstick C ($22 for 0.11 oz) is a vibrant orange shade that scream summer rather than fall. It's sheer and surprisingly wearable but buildable. When applied with 3 layers, it becomes opaque. I think Soho is very much like a sheerer version of Rouge d'Armani 401, a vibrant orange.

The texture is creamy, moisturizing and stay put. It's very similar to the feel of Dior Addict lipticks. The signature chrysanthemum is engraved onto the body of the lipstick. Such an exquisite design! I think it compliments medium skintone better than light skintone. A little bit of white teeth would help too. But you can always intensify or attenuate the brightness of the color as you wish.

You can swab the container between limited edition lipsticks.

Quick comparison with a few other orange/coral lipsticks and lipgloss.

I love the creamy texture of Soho! Plus you can always sheer it down if you're color-shied or play it up for fun bold looks.

Paul and Joe Beaute @ Beautyhabit.com

This is my first shopping trip at Beautyhabit.com. I must admit they give me the happiest makeup purchase I’ve made online. My Paul and Joe package arrived the next day after I placed my order. Isn’t that sweet? Though I must acknowledge the fact that their store is local, it is FAST I tell you.

The goodies came in bunch!

My actual order

My order after unboxed. Sworn!

Besides my order, I received 2 gifts with purchase, a 100- blotting-paper box and an emery board, which I expected. What surprised me was that personalized hand-written thank you note. And they didn’t just say blah blah blah, they gave me a coupon for my next purchase and 4 samples. I love how the discount will end in the next 25 days, rather than next week like many other types of what-so-called discount. It gives you some time to explore the site before you open your wallet.

 Gift with Purchase of $75 or more of Paul and Joe Beaute

The personal writing is at the back of this card. Sweet! 

My order came safe and sound, no scratch, perfect quality. Given my absolute satisfaction, the next shopping cart will be checked out in the matter of days. Two thumbs up for Beautyhabit.com!

Review: Dior 5-color eyeshadow quint in Rosy Nude (LE) – A fresh take on neutral colors

When I first saw the promo picture of Dior Rosy Nude ($58 for 0.21 oz), I thought it was boring and wouldn’t show up on me. I was completely wrong. It’s so beautiful, especially that pale pink and that shimmery peach! I can create many soft spring looks that are actually appropriate for any time of the year.

The palette contains a shimmery pearly pink white, a frosty light taupe, a satin pale cool pink, a shimmery peach with champagne flecks and a satin warm light brown. This is such a pretty color coordination. You also have pink and peach rather just earth-tone colors commonly used in neutral looks. The colors you see on the pan are what look like on your lids.

Dior Rosy Nude - indoors

Dior Rosy Nude - outdoors direct sunlight

The pink and peach shades of Rosy Nude are very special. I often avoid pink eyeshadows because most of the time I look bruised. I don’t have much pink stuff either. But this pink is lovely and so wearable. The shimmery peach is neutral enough for both warm- and cool-toned ladies out there. LOVE! If you want to use this palette for more dramatic looks, I would suggest Urban Decay 24/7 Whiskey to darken the outer V. The only downside is that pink comes off a bit during the day even on top of an eye primer.

I love the various finishes of the shadows. I find it’s much more convenient to create looks with mixture of satin and frost. So I don’t look like a disco-ball. All shadows are buttery smooth and glide on effortlessly.

The five beautiful eyeshadows house in a sleek sturdy Dior’s signature case. It comes with a mirror and 2 sponge-tipped applicators. All is packed in a velvet pouch.

Recommendation. Rosy Nude works well for everyday or travel. It’s very easy to wear though it will flatter light to medium skin tone better. A must-have! You have darker skin tone, you might find its companion Rosy Tan (permanently available) amazing too.

Review: Dior Healthy Glow Powder in Aurora - A “New Look” Bronzer

I truly believe Dior has just initiated a new way to wear bronzers. When you talk bronzer language, we immediately think of “tan”, “sun-kissed”, or sometimes “sun-burned”. Brown is the more prevalent base of bronzers. But Dior Aurora can be worn beautifully as a bronzer and a blush, giving your skin a healthy blushing look. You would get this look after walking under the sun for a while and if you are healthy. Sounds amazing right? I cannot use words to describe how much I appreciate Aurora.

Dior Aurora - direct sunlight

Dior Aurora ($46 for 0.35 oz) is a unique bronzer thanks to its peachy pink tinted.  The powder is very finely milled with sophisticated shimmer. Many have suggested it flatter fair to light skintone extremely well. I actually found it surprisingly beautiful on medium skintone as well. I’m about MAC NC30 – Dior Skinude 031. Nars Laguna bronzer can look muddy on me if I forget to use lighter hand. But Dior Aurora gives me a subtle and healthy glow on the cheeks.

My swatches don’t do the justice. You gotta try Aurora yourself!! It's breathtaking, IMO. I would highly recommend you check this out in person. Bronzers look SO different on various skintone. Also, the Beauty Look Book compared Dior Aurora with the other star product of Dior’s summer 2011 collection- Dior Sunset as well as other popular bronzers of this summer. Her particular post on these bronzers is phenomenal. Cafe Makeup did a gorgeous makeup look with Dior Aurora.