Dolce and Gabbana Luminous Cheek Color Swatches +

I've gotten a lot of questions about the Dolce and Gabbana blush shades, so basically I arrived at Saks today on a mission: swatching some blushes. 

The best lighting I could do of the physical swatches is outside, with flash. It's a cold, cloudy day. 19 degree weather to be exact. I had to be in a tank top outside of Saks. Yea, you get the idea. The things I do for this blog. :)

I hope these are helpful.

top to bottom: nude, sole, peach, tan, caramel, apricot, mocha, and rose

top to bottom: rosebud, delight, muave diamond, provocative, and warm 

The biggest surprise in terms of color: Apricot. It's not even pretty in the pan, but whoa what a GORGEOUS shade. 

A Special Thank You to Rouge Bunny Rouge

A little backstory...

I'm no stranger to the Rouge Bunny Rouge line, I do love their products, but of course I'm a person who tends to go through phases when it comes to makeup. For a while, I'll be into Suqqu or say, By Terry. Then I'll change to something like Dolce and Gabbana, and so on. They're all great brands, but I'm just a creature of phases I guess. 

I was curious about their new Skin Sanctuary Foundation and asked what shade would be my match. I was told a couple of different answers, and given someone like myself who buys RBR sight unseen...I wanted to make sure I had the right shade. Long story short, I asked for a sample of two shades that seemed like my coloring. 

I'm not one who asks for free things, a big reason is I feel awkward in asking. I'm not a big blogger (as in having a big audience), compared to a few others. Who am I to ask for free things? 

I get a package...honestly I was only expecting two foundation samples. 

This arrived instead:

um...

courtesy of http://memegenerator.net

I just wanted to say thank you to the Rouge Bunny Rouge team for sending me these items!

I've figured out my shade, which is Wheat Cream. I can give you some preliminary thoughts on this foundation:

texture: It's a thicker gel cream compared to Milk Aquarelle, and it's a medium to full coverage foundation. The viscosity is higher in Skin Sanctuary than Chantecaille Future Skin. It's definitely a velvet-matte finish. The finish is slightly less matte than my beloved By Terry Lumiere Veloutee, but the coverage is very similar. 

A couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to Skin Sanctuary is that if you have dry/flaky skin, I do suggest wearing a thick moisturizer if you desire a more luminous finish, or to help with the flaky spots. I also think that you have to blend the foundation, because even though it's a natural finish, when you're wearing a higher coverage foundation, I do recommend blending it a bit past the jawline so it's a seamless finish.

longevity: I wore it yesterday and it lasted me 8 hours with no primer. Granted I didn't take it out for a full test run, I do think it's a pretty stellar when it comes to longevity.

The biggest advantage it has over Milk Aquarelle is that there's minimal to no transfer at all. Milk Aquarelle has a bit of transfer, which isn't a dealbreaker, but the biggest con to Milk Aquarelle is that it didn't last an entire day, unless you wore a primer. Skin Sanctuary is definitely a winner so far. I'm really enjoying it and am seriously considering buying the full size. 

Thank you again, RBR. You're definitely the gold platinum standard when it comes to customer service and communication. I've already been a fan of your line, now I'm a lover. <3 You've seriously made my week. 

Random Post +

Hi everyone!

I hope things are going well for everyone now that January is seemingly coming to a quick close...

My end makeup-wise, nothing much is happening, so you may not see many posts. Reason being a lot of the new items that are being released aren't that interesting (to me). Spring and Summer collections are the ones that I buy the least from, since I tend to favor dark, deeper colors. 

For those of you who are like me and don't tend to buy stuff from Spring/Summer collections, this would be a good time to either buy items you normally don't buy...such as makeup brushes, lashes, blushes you never had the opportunity of getting.

What I have been watching are a lot of youtube videos :D

Faves of the moment:

I've been reading more CafeMakeup and her blog has been inspiring me to think about having more variety when it comes to posts. Instead of just reviews, just writing about things that I like in general. A good example is her Taupe Blush post.

I recently have spoken to IcegirlVentura on twitter, and OMG WHERE HAS SHE BEEN ALL MY LIFE !?!?!? Granted some of you may not speak/read spanish, her videos are so fun to watch. Or, you can see what she has to say on her blog here.

I've been watching brush videos (not surprising), but at the same time, I'm not really in the market to buy a lot of brushes at the moment. Odd, I know.

Then there's my future wife, er, friend Karima with her lovely Rouge Bunny Rouge tutorial.

Then we have MakeupMLC giving her first impressions of her newest Suqqu brush pretties:

Then there's always my fellow luxury makeupjunkie friend Debbick1 with her first Haul of 2013 :D

and my small haul:

A backup of Suqqu #4

Suqqu Cheek Brush (I know some of you may be surprised I didn't have this before). It's a brush I've avoided buying since I already have Chikuhodo Z4, but it was only a matter of time that I was curious enough to see how this brush compares.

Suqqu eyeliner brush

Suqqu loose powder

:)

Burberry Hydrangea Pink vs. Tom Ford Narcissist blush

Hi all!

I wanted to make a quick post before I head on over to the doctor's office. Basically there are people who are wondering how the two blushes compare in terms of color and formula.

Amount of product you get:

Burberry: 7 grams 
Tom Ford: 8 grams

The biggest difference is the texture. Tom Ford's is drier and not as easy to apply compared to Burberry Hydrangea Pink. HP is smoother, creamier to the touch, hence the nicer texture, and easier to apply. 

I will say I do prefer Narcissist color wise -- it's slightly more vibrant and a cooler based pink. 

Basically for those who missed out on Narcissist, Hydrangea Pink is a nice alternative and it's a bit cheaper. 

Onto the photos:

Burberry Hydrangea Pink on the left, Tom Ford Narcissist on the right

Burberry Hydrangea Pink on the left, Tom Ford Narcissist on the right

Dolce and Gabbana Contrasts Palette +

And so it continues with my reviews on Dolce and Gabbana makeup ...

My favorite eyeshadow palette thus far has to be Contrasts, I don't know if it's because it also happens to be my first palette from the line. Anyway ... 

Packaging: It's gold with Dolce and Gabbana lasered on the center. As I've stated my issues with the packaging in other reviews, it scratches really quickly and easily. It's a bit annoying since scratches easily ruin the look of the casing. 

Texture/Formula: Contrasts is definitely less powdery than Desert. They blend easily and has as nice buttery consistency, although not as buttery as Burberry single eyeshadows. They feel nicer than Tom Ford eyeshadows since TF's are dry in comparison. All of the colors in Contrasts are pretty consistent when it comes to the texture. I can't say the same for some of the other Dolce palettes though (as they are a hit or miss). 

What makes this palette a win for me -- one of the shades is a plummy brown, which tends to be a hard color for me to wear. When combined with the other shades it's totally easy for me to wear. I like the overall effect and look of the palette, since it compliments my skintone really well. I will say the color's aren't specifically unique, but the colors are nice to have in your bag for a fool-proof look.

Price and Size: $59 for 4.8g or 0.16 oz. 

daylight, cloudy lighting

I'm back :) Dolce and Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick Swatches +

Happy late holidays everyone! Lots of things happened in my life: busy working, a new pet, being home for the holidays...lots of traveling and no time for myself. 

I know there were a lot of people wondering about what I think of Dolce and Gabbana, which is the main reason why I came back for this post. 

Just be prepared...main reason is that Dustin now works for the line, which means I can actually swatch all the things, which is a 180 degree from previous experiences. As in, I will really get the time to play and see what I like from the line, rather than rushed swatches, or just seeing the limited line from Sephora. 

One of the few items I've gotten to really use over the holiday season are the Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick formula. Info from the Saks website: 

A collision of rich cream color and satin gloss in a thrilling encounter of impeccable contrast, in a way that no one else has done before. Resplendent with contrasting texture, it offers a layer of rich, creamy lip color elevated by a playful burst of gloss. Luxuriant cream bullet and smooth gloss prove the ultimate partners in crime; a collision of two powerful forces in an explosion of vibrancy and excellence. 

Packaging: gold, slim packaging. Very luxe in appearance, but the major downside to them is that they do scratch easily. Basically the same issue I have with By Terry lipstick packaging. 

Formula: The formula is something special. It has the slip of a gloss, the hydration of a balm, the opacity and creamy aspect of a lipstick. The closest formula I can think of are the Chantecaille lipchics, but they have a less balmy and waxy feel in comparison. Plus the opacity is significantly less in a lip chic. Plus the Gloss Fusions have longer lasting power. I'm really liking them, a LOT. The center of the lipstick tube it's like a lip balm kind of core. It has some shimmer too, but depending on the lipstick color, the shimmer is more apparent than other shades. It's not a chunky glitter, but a soft shimmer. 

The downside is that I wish they had more flattering shades for me. They have a decent selection of colors, but very few I find flattering on myself. 

As for lasting power: about 4 hours where I start to see some fading. That's okay, they're so easy (fool proof) to re-apply because of the glossy formula.

Price and Size: $34 for 3.0 grams, or 0.10 oz

ingredients and the such: 

 

L to R: Delight, Impact, Rose

L to R: Delight, Impact, Rose

L to R: Delight, Impact, Rose