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. 

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

Dolce and Gabbana Desert Palette:

Hi all!

Happy late Thanksgiving everyone <3 I hope everyone had a great day with loved ones. My turkey day was on Saturday at my friends house. I got to eat fried turkey leftovers. mmmmm delicious.

A bit of a random aside...I'm still here with the new boyfriends place with a fraction of my stash. How I've managed to stay here living out of a bag for like a month is beyond me. I've been busy doing the domestic housewife kind of thing: cooking, cleaning, doing his laundry. Yes, I know, even my mom is surprised. 

Moving along, me being here has made me realize what are the items I truly use often, and what's necessary for me. Most of my makeup is currently living in a Tom Ford shopping bag. I need to think of a better storage solution in the meantime.

I'm in a happy place in my life right now. I think I need to come out of my closet and admit to him I blog as a hobby. He has no idea the extent of my stash and how obsessed I am with makeup. I think he's still a bit weirded out by being with someone who is in deep into something so girly. 

Back to the purpose of the review:

Dolce and Gabbana Desert !

Packaging: It's gold with Dolce and Gabbana lasered on the center. I love the look of the packaging since it's unique and definitely glam. The major downside -- it scratches SO EASILY. Not a makeup bag friendly packaging, because it definitely harms the appearance once you see a small scratch. oh well. By Terry has this same issue too, so it's not that big of a surprise.

Texture/Formula: Here's the deal with Dolce eyeshadows ... I still think their quads are hit or miss. I've noticed a pattern that their matte shades tend to be a nicer formula than their shimmer or non-matte shades. A bit odd especially because matte shades are usually the formula that is so hard to work with. I swatched Vulcano and Elegance quads and hated the texture. Desert is a lot nicer in comparison. The eyeshadows in Desert are buttery, although a bit powdery. Once you use a brush to blend, the powdery texture goes away and blends really well. 

A D&G associate said yesterday that their eyeshadows contain silicone, so they don't need a primer. Sadly I threw away the boxes so I can't confirm this. I have worn them without primer and they definitely are longer lasting than a standard eyeshadow. 

Price and Size: $59 for 4.8g or 0.16 oz. The eyeshadows seem a bit small, but I don't really mind since I never finish eyeshadows anyway.

Worth having: I do like the quad because all 4 shades I do use, and it's great to carry with you (besides my packaging scratching gripe). It's my favorite Dolce quad aside from Contrasts, which I'll discuss at a later date.  

a distance shot. That pint may or may not be finished in one sitting :x

Dolce and Gabbana Makeup and Sephora:

Hi everyone!

I've always had a few people who asked what I felt about Dolce and Gabbana makeup. I've owned a couple of lipsticks a few years ago, and didn't care much for them since they weren't long lasting, so I gave them away to a friend. 

Since that time, whenever I would go to a counter, the associates at Saks weren't so friendly. They always told me to not touch the displays, or simply asked what I wanted to buy without letting me swatch anything. Not a great experience from the Saks counter, so I steered clear for the longest time. Plus some of their eyeshadows that I managed to swatch weren't the greatest in quality. So the few things I had to say weren't so great...not so great regular lipsticks, hit or miss palettes.

But I was informed that D&G makeup is now sold at Sephora in Times Square, I had to see it for myself...it was during VIB and their regional artist was there, so I got to really sit down and have an informative session.

Long story short, I became VIB after getting a few things, so some of the items I got for 20% off. 

Rosebud blush thanks to the recommendation of debbick1 on YouTube. Really a lovely shade, but I know for sure that there's a couple of other shades that I'd like to wear as well. I'll get those items at a future date. 

Contrasts palette

Passion lipgloss

Delight and Rose gloss fusion lipsticks. these items I will review, so much better than their regular lipsticks.

last but not least: their Perfect Creamy Finish Foundation. I never have liked cream foundations, but this one...it's delicious. I'll have to wear it for a few more days to give a final verdict.

Anyway, I'm sure D&G makeup will expand at other locations, so be on the lookout for this line in the future :)