Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani swatches +

My personal favorite lipstick formula is from Giorgio Armani. It's creamy, but not too creamy. They're not drying, and the lasting power is amazing. I've tried:

Dolce & Gabbana: nice color selection, but the lasting power is so short. 

Chanel: not that long lasting, and I'm never that impressed with their color selection, although I know a lot of people love their lipsticks.
MAC: they're drying, the Amplified Cremes are nice, but not as long-lasting.
NARS (non mattes) they're ok, but not long lasting
Hourglass: the formula is too runny, although I can only speak for their red lipsticks.  
Guerlain: this stuff just slides off after a short while. 
Edward Bess: too creamy for me personally
Tom Ford: medicore lasting power, you can refer to my Smoke Red review 
YSL: too creamy, the smell is nauseating, and not long lasting at all.
Clinique: I like the texture, but not long lasting either.
Makeup Forever: nice texture and formula, but again, not as long lasting. I will say that they're better than most lipsticks out there, worth trying if you can.
Shu Uemura: this is my other favorite formula (Rouge Unlimited and their creme mattes), but this will have its own review. 

Ok aside from the formula, the color selection is pretty amazing considering that this particular formula hasn't been out that long. 

Duration: 6 hours and that entails drinking several drinks, eating 2 meals, and lots of talking. No touchup required during this time. 

Packaging: durable with a magnetic clasp. There's a bit of heft to them, but for me it's not an issue. 

What I personally own and swatches:

From top to bottom:

103
400
403
506
513
516
601

The shade I get most compliments on?: 513

What got me interested in this line?: Finding my HG pinky nude, and a GA MA chose 103 for me. It's my first Rouge d'Armani and it's my HG pinky nude. 

Which color I've been wearing as of late: 516

Downside: none. It's fragrance free and even if you have flakies on your lips, this lipstick formula doesn't accentuate them. Maybe the only downside is the price ( for some); it's $30. This has got to be my favorite item from Giorgio Armani, along with their fluid sheers. I'd pay $60 for these lipsticks, that's how much I love them. They really are that awesome. :)

Vincent Longo Water Canvas foundation +

Ok, as I was organizing my makeup storage, I totally found my Vincent Longo Water Canvas Foundation :D

This is the foundation I was wearing throughout the summer. Let's discuss how awesome this item is!

It's in a compact, cream to powder form, photo friendly, and the coverage I must say, is the most adjustable foundation I've come across. It can be light coverage, yet buildable to almost full without looking cakey or odd. It doesn't look like powder when applied, either. You and I both know when it's summertime, matte foundations take a backseat and we all tend to go for foundations that are more on the luminous side, or very natural looking.

The texture: when you touch it, it feels very sponge-y. It's a little odd when I first felt it, because I'm accustomed to liquid foundations.



Finish: it's like your skin, it can be light coverage for those super hot days in the summer. This stuff, DOES NOT BUDGE. AT ALL. I wore this on a day that was over 100 degrees with insane humidity and it didn't move. I was sweating in the scorching sun beating down on my face, walking down the streets of New York City and this stuff, even without primer, didn't come off.

I wore this at night and layered it and man I looked AMAZING in photos.

Application: I use Sonia Kashuk's synthetic Flat Top Blusher brush. This foundation can be applied wet (to sheer it out) or dry. For me personally, I prefer to apply it dry to give a bit more coverage.

This foundation is what I had imagined Makeup Forever Face and Body was supposed to be. This foundation, and I hate to say it...didn't cover anything on my face, and it came off within moments. This foundation, ladies and gentlemen, is at best mediocre.

Pros: great color selection, a friend of mine who is like NC43 got matched, but I forgot her specific shade. It's water based so if you're sensitive to a lot of foundations due to random ingredients, give this a try.

Downside: if you don't keep it sealed in the compact, it is water based, so it can and may evaporate. Price? 57 for the actual foundation, 16.50 for the compact that it comes in.

I know a few MAs that use this foundation for photoshoots and they adore this stuff. I can't blame them. This is probably one of the most underrated products I've come across. 

Here's a swatch: 

From Left to Right:

Chantecaille Future Skin in Vanilla

Vincent Longo Water Canvas

By Terry Lumiere Veloutee in Beige Naturel

crap, I forgot what shade I am... I'll edit this post when I go to spaceNK to figure out my shade. I want to say it's Soft Beige.





Is this HG? Yes, it is. It's my summer foundation. :) Well, I do have Peau de Vierge when I want to look luminous, but Water Canvas is a brilliant foundation.

Where it's sold? Vincent Longo online, SpaceNK.

Le Metier de Beaute Precision Liquid Eyeliner in Noir +

I guess today is a Le Metier de Beaute kind of day :)

I asked a MA who works for another high end brand (brand will not be disclosed) and I asked her, "have you heard of Le Metier de Beaute"? 

she responded "Why yes! my favorite item from them is their felt tip eyeliner". I didn't know if I was more surprised from the fact that her item is something that I deem boring, or that her favorite item is not what I had imagined (I actually associate Le Metier de Beaute with their amazing eyeshadows and (or) their lipcremes). 

In terms of what I've tried thus far in terms of eyeliners:

MAC blacktrack: it's nice, but it requires more work than usual because it requires a brush.

MAC penultimate: I just wasn't pleased with this overall. This stuff was hard to work with because I had to layer it for it to look "ok".

Bobbi Brown gel liner (it's blacker than MACs, but the formula is meh, it dries up too quickly).

Shu Uemura felt tip liner: I couldn't get this to work for the life of me, it skips, applies really unevenly. 

Shu Uemura painting liner: the formula is nicer and blacker than MACs. I've returned BBs gel liner a long time ago so I wasn't able to compare Shus and hers. The downside to the painting liner is that it fades if I don't have primer on my eyelids.

Loreal Lineur Intense: ok, this stuff doesn't even go on my eyelids. I don't understand the hype of this item, because it sucks.

NARS eyeliner stylo: it's a nice black, but the formula is hard to work with. It's really a pain in the ass, but if you can get it to work right, it's really nice.

Laura Mercier cake liner: I like this one too, but again, it requires a lot of work to get the consistency right. 

So how does Le Metier de Beaute's compare to all of these? 

A main theme on all of these eyeliners: they're all hard to work with. Skipping, the formula is the suck, and require a lot of work. 

Le Metiers isn't the blackest, but it's surely is easy to apply. Even with a super fast swipe, there's no skipping. I love this one because it's super thin barrel so it fits easily in my bag. I love this liner because it's a nice color to wear during the day. It's not a jet black and there are days I feel like a super black eyeliner is too harsh. As seen below, you can see how small/thin the liner is compared to a Giorgio Armani lipgloss: 

Let's see a super closeup of this liner with a super fast swipe: 

Forgive my poor application since I was caught off guard with my phone vibrating for the split second (as seen the slight bleeding/fanning) towards the right side of the pic. 

I swiped this very, very quickly. 

Lasting power: at least 7 hours. I love this eyeliner. I can't even begin to express how easy for me to apply this. I will say when first applied, there's a slight wet period so it can smudge if you blink very fast.  Once it dries after a couple of seconds, this stuff stays put. 

Pros: it's petrochemical free for all of you who were wondering what kind of ingredients are in this eyeliner. If I do 2 layers of this eyeliner, it's pretty black...but I'm sure there's a liquid eyeliner out there that's insanely black with only one swipe. I know it's out there *shakes fist*

A potential con: This eyeliner may not have as a long duration if you have oily lids. Well the price can be seen as a con too: $42. 

Le Metier de Beaute Ibiza lipstick

I've been asked about their lipsticks in terms of finish, how they look like on, etc.

I've never bothered to check them out, and I don't know why (I know, please check my temperature). The panties way would have been getting a red lipstick, but this time I let my MA suggest one for me. He said, let's try some Ibiza. 

I'm sure we all know how lip stains can be really drying on your lips. . . ? I only own 2 and I hardly reach for them for this reason. 

A little back story is Le Metier started off with lipsticks at first. The purpose or what they were trying to achieve with these lipsticks, is to create a moisturizing lipstain. These lipsticks aren't your typical lipsticks in the sense of just giving you a beautiful color that sits on top of your lips. These lipsticks sink a bit into your lips like a stain, and give a nice color payoff (a beautiful iridescence that most lipstains don't offer).   

My overall thoughts on this concept: "um, what? ... ... ..." anyway, I bought Ibiza because the color is really pretty. It's a moisturizing lipstain...they're not creamy or super moisturizing like Edward Bess or YSLs RVs, but they're not drying like most MAC lipsticks. The iridescence of these colors are so awesome. 

Ok here's a swatch: 

On top is Le Metier de Beaute Ibiza

on the bottom: Shu Wine 25. 

and a picture of the lipstick: 

Why did I use a blush to compare the color? Well, I really don't own many pinks, and the few I do own aren't similar to Ibiza. The main comparison to a blush is so you can see the beautiful sheen that Ibiza can compare to. Most people love NARS blushes for a pop of color...and then we have Shu blushes that are beautiful because of the finish it gives.

...this is exactly why I love Ibiza: the gorgeous finish.

Packaging: one small gripe, but I must say it--the lipstick itself rattles loose inside the plastic on the base. Um...yea. It's enough where it's pretty apparent, but I think it's just mine, because the testers all looked fine. 

Overall wear and duration: like 4.5 hours and you'll see some fading. The one thing about these lipsticks is that if you have dry/flaky lips, this lipstick may not be forgiving in terms of appearance. The lipstick does sink into your lips like a stain, so there's very minimal transfer (in comparison to my other non matte lipsticks) when you're drinking a beverage. I exfoliated my lips and then wore it again and man, such a difference overall in terms of how pretty it looks. 

I hope this brings some insight on what these lipsticks are all about. :) 

a bit about "The Black Panties" herself.

a bit about me:

I'm 27 years old. College graduate with a degree. I'm not currently pursuing a masters, but maybe sometime in the near future, but it's unlikely. I am currently employed. 

In terms of physical description: I'm around 5'3, skintone as I've stated is MAC NC25/30, Giorgio Armani Luminous in 5, By Terry in Beige Naturel, Chantecaille Future Skin in Nude. I have combination skin, but it is really, really sensitive. I'm sure most you have seen my face at one point or another, but for this blog, I'd like to remain faceless. Why be faceless...well, there's so much negativity in this internet world, that I'd rather not subject myself to it. Although a lot of people say I look like my mom.

Ethnicity: Latin-American, Spanish, Hispanic whatever you call it...yes, I know there's a difference between all three, but we'll leave it at that. I was born in the United States, but I have lived in Latin-America and in Spain. Most people see me, they don't think I speak Spanish. 

Significant other?: No, I've been single for quite some time. I guess I am a self-sufficient person. LOL. I do have great friends who keep me company.

What do I look for in a guy: this question is so ridiculous in of itself, but what I can tell you is the guys that I like/have liked/dated all have in common: tall (6 feet and taller), really smart. I can't be bothered with dumb people, I just don't have the time or patience for it. Also, I have only dated guys who aren't jealous and don't have self-esteem issues. I do love me European and Arab men. *shudder*

What makes an item HG? I mean aside from it looking awesome on me, the formula and longevity of the item on my face. A big factor for me is how easy it is to apply, use...etc. I'm one who doesn't like to do extra steps. My life is always a mad dash...and anything that saves me time, is a big factor in what makes something HG, believe it or not. 

Where did the name "panties" originate?: It has been an old nickname of mine, and there are a couple of reasons as to how it came into existence: in college, I was that person who would run around the dormitory in her panties at 2 am. Think Cameron Diaz in "Charlies Angels".  The other story is that two acquaintances just named me panties. Nothing sexual, I swear :). One of those guys I speak to like, once every 3 years or so. Panties is definitely a name I never really hear anymore, but I still embrace my nickname.

Why did I start a blog?: There are so many out there already, I really wasn't into the idea of starting one, until a friend of mine told me I should. I do love makeup, and now that I think about it, there are a lot of brands that people don't talk about. One of those reasons is because it's not readily available, or they're just expensive, or maybe there's just not much "talk" about the line. By Terry is one of those lines that fits all three categories. You can consider me Anti-Chanel because their products aren't that great, and for the price, there are better items out there. I mean if you like Chanel, that's cool, but I feel like everyone and their mother blogs about it. I hope I can bring to light some awesome makeup brands that I feel everyone should at least give a try. Just because it's not well known, it doesn't mean that it sucks. 

If you have any other questions that you would like to ask me, please feel free to ask. :)

Bioderma Crealine H2O

So I just finished using my regular makeup remover: Trilogy Cream Cleanser. I like the idea of a cream cleanser because it's not as drying on your skin, but overall this particular cream cleanser slightly burned my skin. Why? I know I'm just overall sensitive to most skincare that has a lot of fruit ingredients. I'll review this at a later date, but it is great if you aren't sensitive to those kinds of ingredients.

So I've seen in various places about this particular cleanser/makeup remover and how awesome it is. I went to a boutique pharmacy in Chelsea, NYC called New London Pharmacy and purchased the larger bottle. This location also sells other French brands Embryolisse, Nuxe, among other niche skincare brands.

The formula: definitely the consistency of water. No smell, or at least none that I can detect.

How to use: apply some on a cotton ball and just glide across sections of your face. It's not emulsifying, nor does it leave your skin feeling tight or dry. It's literally the same feeling as if you have water in that cotton ball. Simple enough. There's really no need to clean your face with a separate cleanser, at least for me. My skin really feels clean with  just this product alone.

What makes this item so great? You can remove heavy duty makeup, including waterproof stuff with 1-2 swipes. Most makeup removers require the extra step of washing your face afterwards. I'm a person who is always on the go and saving myself an extra step is a big plus. Another thing is that my face doesn't turn red with this product. Nor does this make my eyes sting/burn woo woo woo !! :) It's truly a magical product. This stuff removes just overall gunk on your face. I want to use this as my new overall skin cleanser/toner. I truly <3 this item.

When I purchased this item, the checkout clerk asked me: Are you a makeup artist? I replied "no, but why do you ask"? He basically stated that not many people know about the product and the few people that do purchase it are makeup artists.

Downside: limited supply in this location. I think it's the only place in NYC that sells it, and they sell out very quickly. I'm lucky I grabbed a bottle because it will last me a while. Overall this item is hard to find since it's from France.

Price: $48 at New London Pharmacy for 500 mL. I know it's sold a bit less elsewhere, but at least I know this now, plus there's nothing better than instant gratification :). I'm not one to order items online because I'm never home to pick it up.

Ingredients: water (aqua), peg-6 caprylic/capric glycerides, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose, fructooligosaccharides, propylene glycol, disodium edta, cetrimonium bromide.

What I've tried in the past for reference:

Shu Uemura cleansing oil: green, pink and white.
Ponds Cold cream: This is a good method if you have super dry skin, but it's a bit time consuming because you're removing cream off your face.
Lancome Bi-facil: which was my HG mu remover for a while, but again I have to wash my face after. 
YSL makeup remover: overpriced and it I just wasn't that impressed.
Trilogy cream cleanser: love this if I wasn't allergic to either the carrot or grapefruit extract. It really leaves your face clean.
MAC makeup wipes: burned my eyelids and made them raw. Talk about a serious chemical burn.

all of these are great, but Bioderma has taken center stage, front and center. <3

Paul & Joe Touch Up Brush

I know this seems a little nutty: me reviewing a lip brush. Why a lip brush? They're all basically the same, right? No, not really. I personally own my share of lipbrushes, some for just filling in the lips, others to create the crisp lip line, and of course a retractable one for touch ups.

So today, I was at the Le Metier de Beaute counter at Bergdorf Goodman and purchased an item, which I will review tomorrow. The Makeup Artist there used Paul and Joes lip brush to apply the lipstick. I stopped him dead in his tracks and asked, "Who makes this lipbrush!?!?" I sit there and play with it for a good minute or two, easily amused by it. He tells me who makes it and I make a mad dash to the Paul & Joe counter.

On top is the Paul and Joe lipbrush above a MAC 242 for reference.





Why is this lipbrush so special you ask? Let's take a peek as to why:

The top lipbrush is my Sephora one, which I've had for several years. It's a nice brush, but my personal pet peeve with this one is that when you close the brush, there's the hole where the brush itself comes out, and debris easily gets into the brush. It's slightly irritating constantly cleaning it, or wiping the debris on a napkin. I always carry my lipstick in my bag in case for touchups, because if i leave some of the lipstick on the Sephora brush, I couldn't use the brush for touchups. Thank you random bits of lint, whatever little crap that collects on the end of the brush.

The Paul and Joe brush in the top photo has a long cap, which is brilliant. I've owned lipbrushes with caps that easily come off in my bag, which leads to serious disasters. I swear my bag has ghosts in it, but back to the review.


You see that little silver ball? yes, it has a purpose:

The silver ball you manually push it up so the brush comes out. woooooo talk about an invitation to constantly play with it...sliding it up and down, and up and down...ok that sounds a little...gross. LOL

Yes, its a slightly longer brush, but it's pretty awesome. :D

Can we also discuss the pretty flower that's lasered into the lid? Also, the champagne pink colored brush is so feminine. You and I both know we have makeup stuff that's usually black, silver, or gold packaging, so this brush is easy to find in your makeup bag.

The brush itself: I don't know what kind of animal hair or material it is, but it's soft and there's no hair/bristle fallout. It's not my ideal brush for lining a crisp line, because I use a really stiff brush for that particular purpose, but this brush is what I was looking for: a touchup brush (in which the cap won't come off in my purse). Huzzah!!

The price? $18. Worth it? Next paycheck, I'm getting 2 more of these.

Where it's sold: The only P&J counter in the USA is at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC.

By Terry Lumiere Veloutee

Ok, ok, ok, I swear this will be my last post on By Terry for a while.


This is my review on her foundation Lumiere Veloutee. So I own Le Metier de Beaute Peau de Vierge (my luminous foundation) you know, for everyday wear since it has SPF. I also own Chantecaille Future Skin (which is my skin but better foundation), but yet I don't own a matte foundation. I've tried a couple of matte ones, even Shu Nobara which is still one of my favorite foundations. Since I was taken away with By Terrys Touchee Veloutee concealer, I decided to swatch the foundation in store. Then I tried it on my face a couple of weeks later...well as you can see, I now own it :)

Finish: It's definitely matte, but not chalky. I would consider this more of a satin-matte finish because it does give you some inner glow. I've been photographed with this foundation and it's seriously beautiful. It looks like the satin-matte version of my skin. It blurs out any imperfections and diffuses anything wrong on your skin.


Texture: it's a liquid foundation, but when applied, up close it almost looks like it sets to a powder like finish. It doesn't look like powder either, but it doesn't look like you're wearing a liquid foundation either. What makes me happy is that you can apply this foundation with just fingers and it blends so easily. :D Another aspect is that you need to shake the foundation before applying. It covers my large pores on my forehead without primer, which is awesome


Coverage: It's medium, buildable to full.


How it compares to other matte foundations:


Shu Nobara: is creamier in consistency, and it's very slightly more luminous in photos. The main reason why I've never purchased Shu Nobara is because of the stick foundation form (which means you have to use a brush), and it's no longer sold in the states. I hate ordering items online because I'm never home to pick up my packages.
MUFE Mat Velvet: this foundation is runnier, messier in terms of consistency. I tried it out once and it accentuated certain spots on my face and it dried out my skin. I don't understand how that happened. Plus you can tell I was wearing foundation, and that's a no-no.
YSL teint-resist: It's a nice foundation, definitely long lasting, but I couldn't get matched because my undertone is a bit odd. It photographed okay, but I wasn't impressed overall.

From left to right: 

(I photographed this with heavy flash with no lights in my room turned on)


Le Metier Peau de Vierge layered on so you can see the luminousity.


Chantecaille Future Skin: this is in vanilla, yes it's too light on me now. I'm now nude, but I'll buy it eventually. I mix it with LMdB sometimes to tone down the luminous effect.


By Terry Lumiere Veloutee in #3 (Beige Naturel).


last but not least !!


Duration: I wore it yesterday without primer, no touchup, no setting powder. It lasts at least 8 hours with no fading. I went to sleep since I wasn't feeling well so I can't tell you if it was able to withstand more than the 8.


Scent: yes, it does have a scent. I can't put my finger on the smell in terms of what it is, but it reminds me of baby powder. The scent does linger on your face too, but the smell personally doesn't bother me.


and one turnoff: The packaging. To lift the cap, you have to lift it straight up. I made the mistake of twisting and lifting it up at the same time and then boom ! the pump twisted off. I don't know if I just got a bad jar, or if all of them are packaged like that. I'll investigate this further. It is a bit irritating, but since I don't travel with foundation, I'll permanently keep the cap off from now on.


The price: $105. Yikes ! Is it worth it? If you have a photo friendly foundation, then you don't need it. I already had a photo friendly foundation, but I personally love a matte finish and I finally found it ! :D

Inglot AMC Lip Gloss/Gloss

I know there are some of you who are curious about Inglot Cosmetics :)

I've passed by it in Times Square and never bothered to go inside until a couple of months ago. I know people are more curious about certain items over others, but the one standout aside from their nail polishes (which I haven't purchased yet, but will hopefully soon) are their AMC lipgloss. 

As you can see from the tube, it's in your face bright and holographic like. My eyes went like O_O It's clear, purple, blue and pink!!! My eyes couldnt handle the hotness so I grabbed it ! Worn itself it makes my lips look like a slightly bluer pink. Applied over a lipstick...oh my gee. I tried to photograph this a bazillion times on my lips, on my hands, and I cannot get a good photo for the life of me. 

Pictured below from L to R: 

NARS albatross l/g, Inglot 541, and Giorgio Armani 513 lipstick

In this photo you can see from L to R:

NARS albatross

Inglot 541

and then GA 513 underneath Inglot 541. See how hard it is to photograph a holographic l/g? This picture doesn't do this lip combo justice. You can somewhat see the pretty sheen it gives. :\ This picture is an ultimate fail. ah well, at least I tried, right? 

Texture: it's not sticky, it's a bit on the runny side. It doesn't pill on my lips or leave a funky gunk on my lips after a while, which is nice.

In terms of the lasting power, it is a bit underwhelming, but the prettiness of this gloss kinda makes up for it. :) 

The price: I vaguely remember it costing me around $15-16. Definitely a reasonable price :) 

By Terry Baume de Rose lip treatment

You know how all of us have some form of a bad habit? In some cases its biting nails, picking on pimples, scratching itchy skin? Well my bad habit is biting my lips. Whenever I'm anxious, nervous, or just whenever...I bite them. It's bad because I bite them to the point where they bleed. Gross, eh?

I normally use Burts Bees chapstick and that is sufficient for the summer, but in the wintertime I get nagged by my parents, sister, friends to get something for my cracked lips. And so it began...

I've tried:

Regular vaseline

Aquaphor

Carmex

Kiehl's lip treatment

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Korres lip butters

LUSH honey trap

There's a few more I've tried, but I can't remember anymore. Basically the ones I've listed did nothing for me. They absolutely did nothing. That's right, I said it: NOTHING. Well to be fair, the best one out of that group is LUSHs honey trap. 

So I'm visiting the counters and my MA asked me in a middle of a discussion: "do you use anything for your lips? There's a lip treatment that I use for myself..." I gave him a stare, probably the "I don't believe you" stare. Anyway, he used By Terry Baume de Rose underneath a matte lipstick. I didn't think much of it at the time (I didn't buy the balm then). A few days later, I woke up with a cracked lip. I ran over to the counter and bought it. I'm almost on week 2 of this and I have to say: this is great. 

Smell: Yes, it smells like rose, similar to the Smiths Rosebud Salve smell. 

Packaging: in pot form (which is the more popular & the more concentrated form) and in lipgloss packaging. I adore the glass packaging.

Price: It's $58 for the pot, $52 for the lipgloss. Definitely get the pot form since it's more concentrated and you can literally use up the entire pot. You and I both know it's hard to get the last bits of a lipgloss. 

What I will say is the application is the hardest part of this item: it's best to apply it on your lips with fingers, not with a lipbrush and you need to rub the balm in a bit. The less you use, the better (at least for me). It's a bit irritating to dip my lipbrush in the pot, then swipe the brush onto my finger, and then rub the balm on my lips with my finger. I made the mistake of using it like a lipgloss (dip brush in pot, apply like a gloss). It slid off my lips this way.

You need time for this stuff to work. I almost to threw in the towel on this one until I saw how the flakeys on the edge of my lips and the major cracks on my lips are gone.

What's also interesting about this item is that I've used it on my cuticles and man, they are a lot softer and no more hangnails ! :D

Random aside: I really don't see the purpose of having SPF in this lip balm, in part because this lip treatment is best worn at night, when you're asleep.