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 :
Holiday post – Beauty items packed lightly…
I used to pack too much makeup in the past but I am getting better, this time I really have to pack even lighter, I don’t have the choice since we are leaving on our motorbikes. Not my favorite means of transport but next year I will do something more “me”, maybe New York or the Maldives ?
I started packing, even though I could absolutely leave home only with my moisturizer, my mascara and my lip balm, I decided to pack some more things, still too many but let’s see what I can do…, so far it sums up to :
Ultimate flattering matte and satin eyeshadows for everyone
Some years ago I felt it was time to upgrade my makeup products and adapt my makeup routine, I sat at the Trish McEvoy counter one day and they told me what I was doing wrong. They kept on saying “Now you have to… Now you cannot..” it was a bit upsetting because I had to face the fact that I wasn’t 20 anymore and I was also sad because I loved shimmery and metallic textures and daring looks. However, when I left their counter that day, I looked much younger and refreshed, they weren’t wrong at the end 
I am in my 40′s and it’s now a necessity for me to pay attention to what makeup I wear and how I wear it, these are my eyeshadow rules and recommendations :
- Find the right texture, not too powdery, not too shimmery, if you see that the texture accentuates the wrinkles and settles into the lines, upgrade your makeup to a more appropriate eyeshadow finish
- Place the dark colors at the right place, use smaller and more precise brushes
- Blend well and define without harsh lines
- Find the colors and the looks that are the best for you, “Less is more” is definitely the best way to go, but with the right products and right techniques there is no reason you could not afford a more dramatic look
- Always use a primer, it will help to prevent the eyeshadow from sliding into the fine lines and I choose a primer that is lighter than my foundation (Laura Mercier, Trish or UD Eden)
- After applying the eyeshadow, if I find that the result is too shimmery and not appropriate, I take a cotton a go softly over the eyeshadow application, it really does help to remove that over shimmery-looking effect when I don’t have time to start over.
- I sometimes use secret-weapon products like the Trish Line Refiner for around the eyes orthe Chantecaille Lip contour for around the lips…
- Last but it’s actually the most important advice I could give you : use good make up brushes !
The eyeshadows I will show you here are mattes, satin, some are even more shimmery but they all are extremely forgiving and flattering, I have tried to pick mostly mattes but I really love a more luminous and silky finish so there’s a bit of everything :
Most of them are extremely expensive brands, you can find less expensive brands that also work well but here I am talking about ultimate results and most of the time you will have to pay the price for that.
Some of these palettes might be discontinued and I am really sorry about that, but, it will show them to you anyway, this will give you an idea of what the brand has and if one day you come across some sale or outlet, then you may even find them at a good price. If I mention them here, it’s because I highly recommend them and I am hoping that if they are not available anymore, the Brand will re-promote them or add them into their permanent collection.
Addiction – Blush brush, eyeshadow brushes B, P, C and S
This is just a short review of some of the new Addiction brushes, first I ordered the blush brush, the eyeshadow B and the S, then I thought the P and C would really be interesting and I splurged on these other two as well.
Overall, I am happy to have them but not that blown away by their quality, mainly because since they are so difficult to get from anywhere outside of Japan, we have to pay a higher price for them, therefore not reflecting their “real” value for money.
Addiction brushes – very first pics
Kose Addiction just released their 15 makeup brush collection, they are of great quality but not easy to get and they can get really expensive if you don’t have direct access to them in Japan.
Since there aren’t many pictures available yet, I will post mine even if I only got 3. At least they will give you an idea of their size. The review will come later on when I have had the chance to experiment with them, I am starting tomorrow ! I have already washed the eye shadow ones, I did not wash the blush brush yet since I wanted to take some pics tonight and was afraid it did no dry before.
I ordered them from CherryCosmetics on July 15th and I received the parcel today July 26th, well, it arrived yesterday but I only could pick it up this morning. It came with a beautiful packaging, and a note. Cherry also sent me the original paper bag and some samples as a gift ! The brushes are expensive but at least you get great service, they kept clear and friendly communication all along. I just wish I did not had to pay so much for the customs taxes !
10 Long lasting plum, violet, purple or aubergine pencil eyeliners
Some years ago I was afraid of wearing anything else than brown or black eyeliner. Recently, after watching many Youtube tutorials on purple looks, I started playing with them until I finally managed to create fun looks still appropriate for my age.
I loved to wear a beautiful and colorful eyeliner but since I was wearing contact lenses, of course one eye always feels more or less comfortable than the other when you are wearing lenses… and that was causing my eyeliner to fade more on one eye than the other… after 4 hours I could already see that happening and it was upsetting, I have no time and I don’t want to have to reapply make up during the day.
I first started wearing the Clinique or Estee Lauder long lasting eyeliners, then I crossed borders and discovered Urban Decay and By Terry in London, today I am in love with the Chanels and the Addiction !
Kose Addiction BlackJack VS Rouge Bunny Rouge Salome
I just wanted to show you the difference between these two amazing black eye liner pencils. They are both black, they both last forever, but there is just a “little” difference in the blending and the intensity.
The Rouge Bunny Rouge Salome is much more black, more intense, but it’s also more difficult to blend, if you apply it and you want a blended or smudged application, you have to do it WHILE applying, you cannot wait 2 seconds, it will set and don’t give you a second chance.
Japanese blushes – Suqqu, RMK, Addiction, Shu Uemura and a few little others…
In my opinion, Japan has the most amazing quality make up products, but they are also extremely expensive and difficult to get.
These blushes are from different Japanese brands that I have discovered either a long time ago or just very recently like for example Kose Addiction. I will try to share here my personal experience and my preferences, I would be really interested and happy to know what other Japanese brands you have tried and what blush shades you love and recommend.
Shu Uemura
I have collected these blushes through the years, some I really love and still enjoy wearing, but others I don’t actually use anymore. I thought I would share swatches of all of them since that may help someone who could be searching to compare the shades.
Kose Addiction – Eyeliner in 02 Sugar Blond – HG Alert
I have hesitated a very long time before ordering this eyeliner from Kose Addiction and I am happy I decided to finally get it.
My make up routine involves a beige cream liner, every single day.
On a daily basis I use it for contouring my lips, in a very light and extremely blended application, you can not even see it but it’s there. First step I contour my lips (outer line) with a beige liner, blend to an almost invisible line, then apply a dark lipliner closer to the lips and blend inwards, then I use another neutral lipliner to fill the lips… It sounds like a heavy routine but it takes me a few seconds only. When this combined lipliner base is applied, my lips look defined, younger, full, and the lipstick lasts a very long time, even when the lipstick is gone, the base remains visible throughout the day.
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