(Alexander McQueen for MAC Eye Shadow in Haunting)
The Alexander McQueen for MAC collection is exclusive to Harrods in the UK and was out on October 3. The eyeshadow in Haunting was the item I looked forward to the most. I stopped by Harrods today and decided to buy it after being so indecisive about whether to get it or not. (I shall explain more later.)
I will post a review of this after I try it on. Do come back!
(See images of the items and the swatches of the collection on Specktra.Net Forum.)
AYURA is one of my all-time favorite brands and it would be the brand of my choice if I could only live on one cosmetics brand. I will certainly bring you more AYURA items one by one later on. (See the Japanese site for all the more current information and images of the products. Both sites, like most other websites for Japanese cosmetics brands, are for information only and don’t offer on-line ordering.)
AYURA Aura Veil α was out in spring 2006 to replace the previous AYURA blushers. It comes in four shades and mine is PK-11 Sweet Pink. It is a gradation blusher with the shade running from a light peach on the right to a soft coral pink on the left.
The blusher is fairly well-pigmented and with minimal shimmer.
I love the very understated and elegantly curvy packaging (which is always the case with AYURA products):
(the tulip-shape packaging)
There is a separate compartment for the brush. It is a good-quality brush and I can sometimes simply use this one to apply the blusher instead of my usual blusher brush. (The case/brush set is sold separately and the quality doesn’t disappoint.)
The blusher goes on the bottom layer:
The colors stay fresh, don’t darken overtime, and last well. They are girlie and playful shades that I enjoy using from time to time to create a warm complexion. Also, in recent issues of some Japanese cosmetics magazines, I have noticed that soft warm blushers like this are often used to accompany minty green eyeshadows to create a very fresh look. Overall, like Anna Sui’s Face Color Accent, it scores good points in many aspects!
Both Pink Cashmere and Pink Sizzle are richly-pigmented. Pink Cashmere is a girlie peachy pink that goes on slightly cooler and has a frosty finish, while Pink Sizzle is a glamorous cherry magenta that has a very smooth and velvety matte finish.
I personally prefer Pink Sizzle, simply because the finish is more versatile. (On my lips, a frosty lipstick will always only look frosty.) Just putting it on will create a velvety matte finish. Blotting the lips with a tissue makes the finish completely matte (while the intense pigment is retained). Layering on a clear gloss makes the magenta even more electrifying.
In October 2007, FACE Atelier is donating 20% of the sales of the Rhapsody in Pink lipstick collection to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Even though my blog is mostly about beauty, I do love fashion just as much.
I have been looking through various spring & summer 2008 ready-to-wear collections in the last few weeks, and one of the collections that I really like is Zac Posen’s.
It is a well-balanced collection with various elements. With wearable and editorial pieces, Zac Posen has created clean lines, feminine frills, timeless neutrals and bold shades. I especially love the gowns toward the end of the runway show (01:35 on the clip above).
Some of my other favorite pieces (the more colorful ones) are not shown in the video clip. You can see the entire runway show here and see the beautiful stills on the Vogue UK website.
(Bella Il Fiore Powder Room) (from bellabeauty.net)
Considering the size of Bella Il Fiore‘s Powder Room(10.5cm x 9.5cm x 6.5cm), the fact that there are 6 lip colors, 4 blushers, and 9 eyeshadows is fairly impressive. Apart from that, all the compartments fit snugly together and never feel fiddly.
It comes in a matching pink/black box (right):
(love the packaging…)
(all out in display)
The 6 lip glosses are my favorites in this set. They have a glassy vinyl finish and last well. All shades have understated shimmer and fair color density (not too sheer). I like the fact that the selection includes both warmer and cooler shades.
(six lip glosses)
The blushers are velvety and well-pigmented. They all have shimmer but it is not too over-powering. Some of these shades are good for bronzing and shading as well.
(the blushers)
The easy-to-wear eyeshadows are also smooth and pretty well-pigmented. The only matte shade is the cream-white toward bottom right. All others have fine shimmer. All the shades go on as they are in the pans, except that the olive (upper right) goes on much greyer.
(the eyeshadows)
Overall, this set should work for people with both warm and cool skin-tones, although the blushers will work much better for warm skin-tones and I would love to see one cool pink blusher among the four. Other than that, this nicely packaged set is versatile and is suitable for both daytime and evening. I have been enjoying playing with all the shades (as well as opening and closing all the drawers)!
