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 :)

By Terry Holiday 2012 -- Or de Rose Blush Prestige and Opaline Flash

So after having issues with my machine, seeing a boy who doesn't seem to stop asking questions about my makeup, being sick, not to mention now visiting my parents...here I am.

Now, let's discuss Terry Holiday (in terms of what I purchased):

Or de Rose Blush Prestige: it's not the first liquid blush from Terry that I own, but in comparison to the others, it's less sparkly. I remember reviewing them for the first time a while back and having a hard time explaining why I like them. Reason being the crazy shimmer factor -- it's probably why not a lot of people like them. Anyway, so the holiday blush has less sparkle, but definitely has a significant shimmer...it's more refined in finish than her other three. 

The color in of itself can be seen as a rose gold, but on me in some lighting it can be seen as a peach. What else is more luxurious than 24 carat pink gold liquid blush in glass packaging? It's a nice surprise to see something warm and summery in feel being incorporated into a holiday collection. I really like the shade and of course the formula is easy to apply, blend and it sets really well. The major downside to her liquid blushes is the super strong rose fragrance, it's a stronger rose than her other products like lipstick and skincare.

The blush is $79 + tax for 15 mL or 0.5 fl oz

Opaline Flash Crayon Kôhl Terrybly: This one I was on the fence on in terms of idea. A pink eyeliner to brighten the eye area? I thought to myself, "yea, more like having pink eye". When I saw it at the counter I just had to look at it. When I saw the tester and swatched it, I then thought to myself, "well this isn't what I had in mind". You know how a champagne color has that nice frost to it? This very soft, light pink shade has a frost finish to it too. I took it home, applied it on my waterline, and my mom of all people said "you look wide awake". Yea, I'll be getting another one of these. It comes with a sharpener too. 

The pencil is $33.50 for 1.2 grams or 0.04 oz. 

Overall I'm happy with my items, although I do wish Terry had inserted a lipstick to this collection. 

If I ever get to meet her again, I'll ask her to make a lipstick and think of me :-) (ok, wishful thinking).

pictures below: 

opaline flash on the left, Or de Rose Blush Prestige on the right (with flash)

Or de Rose Blush Prestige on the top, opaline flash on the bottom  (low flash)

Addiction Cheek Stick in Tea Rose +

Good morning everyone!

I'm still not at my house...but my life is more "normal", especially when it comes to transportation. I'm still with friends, which means my makeup stash is far far away. But as a result, I'm reviewing things I'm liking as of late. ;)

One of my newer possessions, Addiction Cheek Stick in Tea Rose is definitely something that I'm seriously enjoying. 

Packaging: It looks like a lipstick ... It comes in a black square tube with a magenta/fuchsia kind of base and "Addiction" is written on the side of the tube. Pretty good packaging if you ask me, and I love the magenta/fuchsia accent. The small downside is that it shows fingerprints easily. Seriously not a deal breaker for me.

Formula: It feels like a balmy lipstick in terms of how it glides onto the skin. Beautiful texture if you ask me, and it can be applied on the lips like a standard lipstick. I tried it on once, and it's not opaque nor as long lasting (on the lips) for my personal taste. It's nice to use when you're in a pinch for the lips. As for a cheek product, it's quite lovely. It lasts on your cheeks for around 5 hours. What I enjoy most about these is the soft focus sheen it has when applied on the cheeks, yet it still has a natural finish. The main downside is that it's not as long lasting as I'd like, but I can't complain. I do prefer the Becca Beach Tints for longevity, but the formula of the Addiction Cheek Sticks are much more refined, as in they're not as sticky as Becca BT. Addiction has a beautiful selection of colors and their lighter colors are wonderful for fair skintypes. 

As for Tea Rose, I adore it since it's a warm nude shade that actually shows up on my skin. It's perfection for me. I'm so glad I've found a great warm nude blush :D

Price and Size: ¥4050 (on Ichibankao) for 3.8g

top to bottom: Tea Rose, Rose Bar, Damask Rose (no flash)

top to bottom: Tea Rose, Rose Bar, Damask Rose (with flash)

left: Tea Rose || right: Rose Bar

Armani Lip Maestro in 501 and 502 First Impressions +

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is okay after Hurricane Sandy. I'm not at home with all of my makeup, but I am safe with power. Thank you to all who had asked how I'm doing since right now I am in a location where I can walk to most places, whereas had I been stuck at my regular residence, I would have access to almost nothing. 

Given my circumstances, I can only really give a small review on the new Armani Lip Maestro and my first impressions of them.

Packaging: I don't like the new Armani red cap packaging. They're like the Gloss d'Armani, except the Lip Maestros have a red cap, which I feel is a bit tacky looking. I do wish they had like another color lid, like gunmetal or something. 

Formula: They remind me of the new Guerlain liquid lipsticks in terms of slip (when swatched on my arms). They have slip, and when applied on the lips, it can be patted on like a stain, or full on velvet like lipstick. Once set, there's no slip like a standard lipstick. No shimmer in any of the ones I've swatched so far.  They're not sticky at all and the color selection is pretty good, but the colors I've seen are bold and vibrant colors.

What I can say is that they do last at least 3 hours, but the downside to them (from the couple of times I've worn them), is that they don't fade as nicely as I'd like, plus they're not as long lasting as I'd had hoped. 

I will say that I do like the formula since it clings on like a stain, and aren't drying on the lips like the Hourglass liquid lipsticks. I do think those with dry lips will need a bit of balm before applying the lip maestro. When you do wear it, there's also a bit of transfer if you apply it with the doe foot, but if u pat it on like a stain (using fingers or rubbing it in with a lip brush, there's minimal to almost no transfer).

I'll do a better review or maybe an update once I've worn them for a few more days, but I hope you enjoy the swatches.

In the meantime I need to figure out how to get some of my clothes...since the trains are down and I need some clothes. 

Price and Size: Price it's either $28 or $30. for the life of me I can't find my receipt. The size is 6.5 ml or 0.22 fl. oz

Onto the pics

501 on left, 502 on right

501 on top, 502 on bottom

(this pic is color accurate)

My makeup Brushes and Thoughts +

I was asked to do a video on my makeup brushes....and due to my nature to explain my thoughts on them, I broke it down into four sections. I hope you enjoy the videos and feel free to ask me any questions in the comments :) 

Introduction, Face & Lip Brushes:

Cheek Brushes:

Eyeshadow Laydown and Eyeliner Brushes:

Eyeshadow Blending & Crease Brushes and Conclusion:

Haul Video :)

Please be aware that I made a mistake with comparing By Terry Beach Bomb to Florita. I meant to compare it to Orpheline blush. Thank you for understanding. LOL

Video: 2 parts -- What's in my makeup bag?

Part I: the makeup bag itself  

 the makeup bag itself seen here.

dimensions of the bag: 6" height x 8.75" width x 1.25" depth 

 the Alexander Wang bag I would like to get seen here.

---

 Part II: the makeup pretties:

By Terry Hyraluronic Hydra-Primer

So yesterday/today is the official release of By Terrys new liquid primer. It's taken me a while to get around to reviewing it for a couple of reasons:

1. I wanted to test it on a couple of different foundations to see how it wears
2. Being busy getting ready to pack for my vacation. My plane leaves in the morning. 

Packaging: Tube packaging with a silver cap. Nothing special. I do wish there was a way to see how much you have used the actual product. 

Formula: It feels somewhere in between a primer and a serum, probably due to the hyaluronic acid. It feels like a serum in comparison to Shu Uemura's Stage Performer, yet slightly less runny than Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Once applied on the skin, you feel a serious hydrating sensation. The one negative to the formula is that if you apply a lot of the product, it does slightly pill (rolls off). The product itself is white, but once applied and blended onto the skin, it becomes colorless. It's definitely matte in finish, as in your skin doesn't look luminous, it just looks the same. 

I first tried it with Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle foundation to see how it would do with a foundation that tends to separate on the parts of my skin that are oily / large pores (basically my T-zone). The foundation holds up much better and lasts longer on my skin. By hour 10, my foundation still looked as if it was freshly applied. When I had samples of Hourglass Mineral Veil by hour 8 it would slightly separate (hardly noticeable though).

What I have noticed with Armani Maestro when worn alone is that after day 4, it slightly makes my skin drier. So then I tried Maestro with the primer underneath. Day 8 and my skin didn't feel drier. So if you're someone who loves Maestro and want to wear it every day, but feel like it can dry you out after a few days, try it with this primer. It's wonderful.

I feel like this item will be a staple come winter time when my skin is on the dry side. I've been using it almost everyday, sometimes without foundation because of the nice hydrating sensation it gives. 

Price and Size: $59 for 40 mL, 1.33 fl oz

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October as some of you may know is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm sure we all know someone or know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer, it never hurts to remind everyone (myself included) to get screened / tested. My experience with breast cancer is my mom. In the past 10 years, she had 2 tumors (one in each breast) and had them removed thanks to early detection. I'm glad I have her as an example because she always gets screened every six months. 

Which basically puts me in a higher risk category :| 


Just some random info (which I didn't know):

• Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
• Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every year starting at age 40
• 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer (includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors). [In the USA]

Really? Every three years starting at age 20? I thought it was every year. oops. 

information thanks to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

Everyone gets involved in some way, shape or form in terms of raising awareness, and some people like to donate or purchase items whose proceeds go towards Breast Cancer Awareness. Since it's a beauty blog, I figure it would be helpful to know some of the companies who are selling items that go towards a great cause. 

Laura Mericer

Bobbi Brown

Estee Lauder

Sephora

Ulta

If you know of other places/brands that are selling products whose proceeds go towards breast cancer awareness, please comment. 

thanks for listening.