Beauty and the Packaging
During the past years I have been utterly seduced by beautiful high-end products and innovative packaging designs, I splurge with the idea of using all of them although clearly I won’t manage to use up everything !
I did rave about these products in the past but there is also a dark side to them that I sometimes only notice afterwards, when facing a more intense daily usage. If I didn’t care about the product itself, I would simply not repurchase it. However, the items I will show you below are items that I will repurchase no matter what -providing I can still find them and I can afford it- because the product is so good that I am ok to compromise and I will find a way to live with the inconvenience incurred. But, love doesn’t always need to come with pain !!! so if there is any way for the Companies to neutralize this pain, I certainly encourage it ! 
The purpose of this post is to :
- share some tips and tricks in case you are experiencing the same situation with similar products, if you do and you have some advice please also share back with us!
- marketing teams are sometimes scanning for reviews or for feedback from customers, if you have an opinion on these items, either agree or disagree, please also kindly share !
Below some incriminated products that make me question their design, you may recognize some of them :
The Power of Makeup, my thoughts
When I started to be seriously interested in makeup and beauty products I never thought it would come with the whole package : new amazing friends, new creativity challenges and more fun, but sometimes telling your friends you are passionate about makeup can be seen as “inappropriate for your age“, “shallow“, or “pointless“, I had this kind of conversation more than once :
“What do you do on your free time?“
..this, that and I have a beauty/makeup blog“
“oh…. really ? you don’t look like that kind of woman…“
“hmmm and what would that particular kind be ?”
There is a sudden embarrassing silence, then I stop their agony and change subject before they have a stroke… Maybe I don’t match the “beauty model magazine” standards, or can you not enjoy makeup after you reached a certain age ?? Ok, I don’t wear a killer smokey eye on a daily basis but make up is not only intended for runways or movies and it’s not only meant to make you look fake and superficial, I just want to have fun and use it to make me look healthier, glamorous, yet natural.
I receive many emails from women in their 40+ who would like to start using make up but who just don’t know where to start. Unfortunately I am no professional, all I know I got it from talking to make up artists or to sales assistants at the beauty counters, getting advice from Youtube gurus and watching nice and useful videos so if I can manage a nice make up look, you definitely can.
My needs were different some years ago, now I focus more on anti-ageing tutorials and products more adapted to mature skin. It depends what you are expecting from makeup, just make you feel better ? more confident ? younger ? fresher ? desirable ? or just conceal a few flaws ? Lisa Eldridge gives great advice on her channel so just try Youtube and search for what you want to do and try it for yourself. Tammy is a sweetheart, I just recently discovered her channel, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, a great resource for anti-ageing advice and she is so fun to watch. If you know of any other gurus that give anti-ageing tips, please share !
I will be 42 in 2 weeks therefore today I am simply trying to achieve an enhanced version of me, a fresher and healthier one, exactly like Wayne says here. I cannot pull off strong and heavy makeup looks at my age but I can still look sexy with a smokey eye, there is a beautiful and hot smokey eye for everyone, it’s just a matter of getting to know your features, choosing the appropriate products for you and using efficient make up tools also helps a lot, it takes time but it’s so worth it.
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill #11 and #12
These two palettes have been released a few months ago but they just arrived here in Switzerland. I was really interested in the taupe #11 Mystery and when I saw the purple, #12 Fatal, and swatched it at the counter I really fell in love with these fresh and luminous shades.
This is what Armani says :
Giorgio Armani introduces four new Eyes to Kill Quad Shimmers featuring iridescent, eye-catching colors with electric shine. Real innovation in the formulation of a powder eyeshadow: an intense formula that melds perfectly with a satin, pearly veil producing amplified light effects. Irresistible with its extremely soft, sensorial appeal, the eyeshadow arms the eyes with a flawless weapon all day long.
Hmmmm…
- Irresistible ? yes. They are gorgeous wearable shades, nice satin or pearly finish depending on the shades, perfect for any occasion (work, evening).
- Innovation ?? I don’t see innovation here because once I started using them I realized I had very similar shades in my collection, it’s actually intriguing how close these are to the Chanel quads below. Is there any link with their creative director ? Otherwise I just don’t get it but it seems like they have been copied.
- Lasting “all day long” ?? definitely not on my eyes, even with a primer. I noticed that after 3 hours the application fades and it barely shows anymore. I apply my makeup at around 6h30 in the morning, if I was relying on these palettes to keep me looking fresh and prepped all day long they would miserably fail. I am not saying that I necessarily have the Russel Howard’s effect at 10:03 but I know that if I want to look like I still have makeup on at 10:03, I definitely need to add some other item to help, for example a more intense lipstick paired with them.
Chanel Printemps Précieux
I knew Printemps Précieux was going to be very tempting for me, when I saw the collection in person I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Here are the items I have selected, a lot, but surprisingly all were interesting – even the Raffinement quad in the EU version :
As you may know already, Chanel Poudre Signée is a masterpiece. The compact is slightly bigger than other compacts like the Lumière d’artifices or the Ombres Tissées, but the product weights 8g, vs 18g for the Lumière d’artifices.
Both the color and the texture are exquisite. That’s the glow I am looking for, natural glow with a very subtle iridescence.
Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation – My thoughts
As you may already know, I have VERY dry skin and I LOVE foundations, sometimes these two can be a deadly combination.
When I finally found the right skincare, I went crazy about foundations, today I wish I could test them all!
I heard many raves about this “revolutionary” Armani Fusion and I jumped, I jumped so fast that I bought the wrong one. Shame on me for not being able to be reasonable and wait for the testers!
I am not going to bring you an in depth review today, I will just briefly share my experience and also the advice I have been given at the Armani counter.
This foundation comes in a glass bottle :
Summer 2012 favorites
I don’t know about you, but here in Switzerland you can clearly feel that summer 2012 is over.
I thought I would write a post on products I have been using the most during the last season, this can involve LE items, older season items, early fall releases… I just took all the products that have been used and loved the most and here they are :
Requested post : Green – gold – bronze eyeshadows…
A sweet follower asked me what I could recommend her that would be similar to the Mac Desires and Devices, well, I had so much to talk about that I thought I could use a little post
I think many of us are drawn to complex shades, I am addicted to taupes… but here I will try to show Helen, and you, some green-gold-bronze type of shadows.
Helen, I hope this will help you in your hunt for the perfect green-gold-bronze eyeshadow or pencil
In this picture, there are some similar products that could come close to that Mac Desires and Devices liner, others would need a little help but I will explain :
The Mac Buried Treasure is a great long-lasting pencil eyeliner, I love to use it, it’s actually nearly all the time in my daily makeup bag. It’s quite similar to the Mac Desires and Devices and if you put Chantecaille Sel on top of it, the result gets even a bit more complex, when I wear Mac Buried Treasure on the outer eye, I extend the liner in the inner corner with a bit of Sel eyeshadow, gets lighter in the inner corner of the eye and darker in the outer corner… you get the idea, a gradient application. I always keep it very thin, if needed I will use a smudge brush to apply the pencil very close to the eyelashes.
Rouge d’Armani lipsticks – a well-deserved Award
When I first tried this formula, I was thrilled, I loved everything about it. I started with the very safe 102 that I could wear on a daily basis paired with any look, I loved to create dark eye looks and that lipstick was just perfect.
As you can see I went totally wild and crazy about them, the good consequence is that today I own most of the range…
There is something about them that makes them look incredibly stunning on the lips, whatever the age. I am finally able to wear bright shades and yet still look elegant ! The color range is so tempting, I think these were the first lipsticks that really got me addicted and made me try more dazzling and daring shades.
Rouge d’Armani is a very long-lasting formula, they claim 8 hours but on my lips there is no way they last the 8 hours, they do last around 3 to 4 hours but I am happy with that, the darker ones last longer than the others and the stain remains on the lips for a very long time, it will slowly fade in an even and natural looking way, my lips never look dry or patchy.
The packaging is also gorgeous and elegant, it’s a black lacquered case with a magnetic closure, feels heavy, solid and luxurious.
A short shopping trip to London…
The tiny duck is a lip gloss…
I am just back from a 4-day shopping trip in London, I know some of you are wondering what new make up items I got over there, so here they are and I added some swatches for part of them. Some were already in my most wanted shopping list and others are new discoveries.
I had the most wonderful time in this city, as always… I will not only share the hauling but also give you some more details on the trip, maybe you are planning to go there soon and you are wondering where are the best places to shop for make up and beauty.
I have been traveling to London very often, either for work, for shopping, or for special events like the RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo) and soon also IMATS (International Make-Up Artist Trade Show).
First, the haul. Then, if you are interested, there will be more about me and about London and also some personal tips if you are planning to go there for shopping, just grab a coffee and keep reading if you feel like… it’s a bit long I am afraid 
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