Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, Radiant Light

It took a while for Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders to arrive in the DC area, and given the range of opinion about them from angry disappointment to rave reviews, I thought I needed to check them out in person.

Only one of the shades worked for me, Radiant Light.  Its golden peach tone warms my face and it gives it a golden luminosity unlike other products that I've tried.  Upon close inspection you can see a fine golden flecks.  Its not sparkly like Chanel's Mouche de Beaute, just warm, bright, and, well, radiant.  It softens my face, as if in a candle-lit restaurant.  I love it.

It's not as translucent as Hourglass claims.  I accidentally applied too much the first time and almost completely covered my blush, so it requires a light hand.   If you apply too much it looks cakey and emphasizes pores. 

The swatch below is heavily applied with a sponge applicator.  The tiny golden particles appear in the photo, but they are barely perceptible on my face.  In fact, I never noticed them until I looked at my face with a magnified mirror.

I bought the small brush Hourglass sells separately to use with the powders though applying with other soft, fluffy brushes works just as well.  I used an Essence foundation brush at first, which I bought at the drugstore, but the Hourglass brush is designed to fit the breadth of the compact, so makes for faster application.  It's about two inches wide, and soft and fluffy, and comes with its own pouch.  I suspect it will make a fine foundation brush as well.

The compact is plastic.  It would have been nice if it came in its own pouch too.

For whom this is important, the Ambient powders are free of parabens, talc, fragrance, nano-particles, and gluten.

I'm going to get a lot of use out this powder, I think.  Pinkish gold products suit my medium skin tone,  and it's very wearable for day since it does not add shine.  You could also use it as a very subtle highlighter.   I bought my compact from Marina at Space NK in Bloomingdales Tyson's Corner, 703-556-4569.  Marina is great with colors and she'll give you honest advice.  Give her a call. 

Le Metier de Beaute Femme Fatale Kaleidoscope

I didn't have to think too long before deciding to buy Le Metier de Beaute's latest kaleidoscope, Femme Fatale.  I thought that I may have some of the colors already, but I am intrigued by blue this season, so I jumped at it.

Oyster is similar to the the two top colors in my favorite kaleidoscope, Le Cirque.  The camera picked up the pink, but doesn't capture the gold and gray shimmer, which make it the perfect base, in my opinion, because it will skew warm or cool, depending upon the other colors you use.   It's one of my favorite Le Metier colors, more complex than the camera can capture and very versatile.  I wish it came in a single.

Sapphire has beautiful copper flecks in it! It is darker than the blue in the Melange set, which looks like the single shadow Midnight Sky.  Sapphire is just dark enough to keep it from looking too '60s, yet light enough to be noticeably blue.  It's the shade I've been looking for.

Autumn Rust is an warmish taupe with a subtle shimmer that when applied next to Oyster, looks very elegant.

Matte Plum is very close to the plum in Le Cirque, just a tad darker.

I have more experimenting to do, but in my favorite look so far I applied Oyster over the entire lid, Sapphire as thick liner to the top and bottom lids, Autumn Rust over the outer two thirds of the top lid,  finishing with Matte Plum in the outer corner.  It's going to be one of my favorite looks.

I'm really pleased with this kaleidoscope.  As I said earlier, Le Cirque is my favorite kaleidoscopes, especially the two top colors.  I've actually hit pan on one of them, so I'm happy to have the semi-dupe in Femme Fatale.  Sapphire is precisely what I've been looking for blue, and I can't have too many purple shadows!  Femme Fatale is limited edition, and only available on Le Metier's new site.

March Favorites

1.  Josie Maran Daily Moisturizer SPF40 and 100% Pure Argan Oil:  My skin is lot less oily since I've been using these daily and nightly.  It wasn't a surprise to the makeover artists and sales assistants to whom I've mentioned this.  Why hasn't anyone told us?  The daily moisturizer claims to defend against premature aging and reverse sun damage.  Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide provide full spectrum sun protection again UVA and UVB rays.  They blend into the skin quickly and do not look ashy after application. The moisturizer also contains argan oil and other ingredients that you can review here.  I use the 100% Pure Argan Oil on my face and neck at night.  Neither contain
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

I bought my traved-sized products at Sephora.

2.  Dolce and Gabbana Femme Fatale Eye Shadow Quad:  I've used this versatile quad almost everyday since I bought it.  It goes with everything in my wardrobe and I can change my look with different blush and lipstick or gloss.  See my full review here.

3.  Dior Nail Polishes  Dune 715 and Gris Trianon 306:  I'm a little late to the "greige" scene.  The these gray polishes look less stark with the inclusion of brown and cream undertones.  And they "went" with everything in this month's wardrobe.   The wear is fantastic:  minimum tip wear after seven days.  I used Dior's fast-drying topcoat.

4.  Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick:  I love this one for the day-long meetings and conferences I attend.  Quite a lot of product comes out when you remove the wand and tends to collect on the edges of the lip, so I apply to the center first then work out.  It dries down to a matte finish and feels a little tacky if you press your lips together.  It lasted through the morning and most was still on after lunch.  The colors shown on the Sephora and SpaceNK aren't as bright as they actually are, so I encourage you go see them for yourself.  The pink and orange are quite bright and will be perfect for spring and summer.  The color here is Icon.

5.  Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Longlasting Eyeliner Or Rose:  I almost returned this one.  I found that it drags when I try to apply it as a traditional eyeliner.  But I love the way its golden rose color brightens my eyes when applied on the lower inner lid and on the waterline. 

6.  T. LeClerc Eyeliner Pen:  Until I bought another brand of felt tip pen, I didn't appreciate how the length of the tip - about 3/4" - makes application so much easier especially along the upper waterline and when using the point to apply between the lashes.  It's waterproof so it stays put, only showing signs of wear by the end of my working day. 

What were your faves this month?

Dolce and Gabbana "Gems" Smooth Eye Colour Duo

 

 

 

 

 It comes with two sponge applicators, which I promptly lost!

Gems is a fabulous alternative to the usual brown, black, or blue smoky eye look.  These plum shadows don't look as though they go together, but they blend beautifully on the eyelid.  The lighter color on the left has the slightest bit of pink and purple sparkle, not really enough to notice from afar, but enough to give it some interest.  The darker shadow on the right is a deep plum/purple.  With a light hand it goes on sheer, and can be built up to a deeper hue.  I created a number of nice looks using the lighter color on the inner lid top and bottom, the darker color on the outer corners and as a bottom liner, and Chanel Or Rose waterproof liner on the inner lower waterline and below, blending well in the middle.  The darker color also looks great as a wide liner on the lower eye.  Done in black it would be too much, but in this shade it looks great.  These shadows don't need an under brow highlighter, but the white shadow in Femme Fatale makes a  pretty and subtle one.  They are long lasting, showing no sign of fading after 10 hours:  from 8am this morning until 6pm without a primer.  Like Femme Fatale,  Gems blends easily, and there's virtually no fall out. 

It isn't too dramatic a smoky eye for me to wear to the office, but I still didn't want too strong a lip so I wore the Dolce and Gabbana brownish pink lip gloss Praline  (discontinued, I think), lined first with a light coating of Chanel Brown Copper Aqua Crayon lip liner.  I covered the liner completely with the gloss so that my lips didn't look obviously lined, yet kept them from disappearing into the planes of my face.  Rock and Republic Bedroom was the blush of the day as well as NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in "Malaga."  "Malaga" is a little too dark for this time of year, but it wasn't that noticeable!

Gems was a gift from Dustin Lujan at Saks in Manhattan.  You can call him at 212-940-4949 to consult about Dolce and Gabbana products and colors, especially since the colors on the Saks website are not true.  Tell him I referred you.  While I trust him implicitly to choose colors for me, I wish we had Dolce and Gabbana here in Washington so that I can play. 

Chanel Mouche de Beaute Illuminating Powder

"This exclusive creation, a precious powder in an elegant gold shade enhanced with pink highlights, delicately illuminates the angles of the face with an exquisite effect."

After several seasons of illuminators that didn't work for me, I really looked forward to testing this one, expecting that that its rose gold undertones would suit my complexion. While it is a beautiful product, I found it too sparkly for day or office.  It doesn't illuminate, but highlights instead; "illuminate" suggests a more subtle effect than Mouche de Beaute gives.  The product adds the slightest bit of pink coloration; the gold cast disappears on my skin completely, adding only a colorless sheen.  The aforementioned sparkles leave a beautiful finish atop the cheekbones and under the brow bones, but it's not subtle enough to use in other areas typically highlighted, such as down the center of the nose, chin, or atop the inner brow.  

Mouche de Beaute comes in pouch with a large sponge applicator.  Those of you interested in a sheerer effect might want to try using a dense brush. 

I bought Mouche de Beaute ($80) from Ondrea Watson, Chanel Studio Counter Manager at the Seattle Nordstrom Flagship store, 206-628-2111. It's also available at Chanel.com.  

Dolce and Gabbana Femme Fatale Eyeshadow Quad

Dolce and Gabbana's Dustin Lujan, at Saks in New York, choose Femme Fatale to use in my makeover weekend before last. I would never have chosen it on my own. There are gazillion taupe quads out there, but they aren't all equal.  Femme Fatale, as you can see, contains a winter white, mauvish taupe, medium and dark brown.  The difference between this one and the others I've tried is the rich pigmentation, which makes all the difference, the finely milled texture, and the amount of shimmer added. 

The mauvish taupe is an excellent, if unexpected, base for the medium and dark browns in the quad.  It isn't noticeably mauve on the eyelid and has enough pink and gold shimmer to keep it from looking flat, giving it a satin finish instead.  The medium and dark brown shadows are matte, richly pigmented, and finely milled, making them super easy to blend.  They feel almost creamy when blending with fingers.  The degree of pigmentation makes them look as though actual shadows are cast on my eyes, instead of blocks of ash sitting atop my skin as so many others have.  The medium brown is dark enough for me to use in the crease for a nice office look; the darker brown creates a more dramatic look.  Both also look great as liners, dry or wet.  The winter white has just enough shimmer to give it depth, but not so much that it appears as a gash of metallic silver under your brow, or so little that it is just a blot of white.  There was a tiny bit of fall out when applying the darkest brown as a dry liner, but none from the other colors.  I noticed just the slightest bit of fading after eight hours. 

These swatches were applied with the sponge applicators that came with the quad.  The medium and dark browns can be built up to much darker shades, the darkest one almost black.  I love that all four colors in this quad will work beautifully for a wide range of skin tones, from the fairest to the darkest.  Here's another staple for my arsenal.

 

 

 

Dustin used Stromboli in these photos, an olive green liner shot with gold flecks, which I liked a lot.  I'll swatch Stromboli for you in another post.   I'm going try using other liner colors with this neutral quad to achieve different looks.  It has been so overcast here lately that I decided to inject some brightness in my makeup this week.  I used Femme Fatale with the Stromboli liner, LMdB Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complex as my foundation, a bronzer, and the golden Dolce and Gabbana lipgloss named simply Gold (pictured in this post) over a light rust-colored lip liner.  My face looked bright, and I felt bright!  

 

I bought Femme Fatale from Dustin Lujan at Saks.  Call him at 212-940-4949 to consult about products and especially colors since those shown online are not entirely inaccurate.  Or visit him in the store.  Tell him I sent you!

 

Vogue Knitting Live 2013 and Some Makeup

 

 

 

View from the 26^th floor Marriot Marquis in Times Square.  I could barely approach the window!

Thank goodness the snow arrived this week instead of last when I was in New York.   I went there primarily to attend Vogue Knitting  Live (VKL) at the Marriot Marquis, and while I would never have had to have left the hotel for VKL events, I wouldn’t have visited the Fashion District or shopped for makeup.  To get right to the point, VKL New York was a bit of a disappointment this year.  I arrived at my hotel about noon on Friday and went straight to the yarn market only ot find that it was a zoo already.  The usual complement of vendors were there, crammed into small spaces on two floors.  I had to fight my way into the Habu booth.  I was interested in finding some mercerized cotton yarn and any kind of Habu, but everything looked a big blur of sock and novelty yarn.  For the first time ever, I was faced with yarn and bought nothing. I was tempted this Habu Cotton Gima:

 

 

But I decided to just take a photo and order later if I decide what to make out of it.

I took one class on knitting peblums.  Granted, I learned something new, but I could  have done the same by reading instructions in a book or finding them on the Internet.  A class should have value added not readily translated into written instructions, in my opinion.  The instructor did have an interesting story about her work with Ralph Lauren, but it would have been even more itneresting if she had had a garment or two of her own design to show us and if she had shared more of her experiences as a knitwear designer.  The Vogue fashion show, so inspiring last year, was full of pedestrian designs and didn’t live up the Vogue name.  While the Marriott Marquis was comfortable hotel, the Hyatt, where it was held last year, was a better venue for Vogue Knitting Live.

This is not to discourage attendance to VKL generally.  I realize that these events are dependent upon hotel availability and the instructors the organizers are able to recruit; the Chicago class roster looked much more interesting for instance.  Also, there were a couple of three-day long design classes that looked interesting, but that I couldn't take because I could only stay in New York for two days. 

That said, it was good to be around knitters and my roomie, Diane.  We talked about knitting, design, bounced ideas off of each other, and tooled around the Fashion District looking for beads for her class, notions at M & J Trimming, and got a makeover for her at the Meatpacking District Sephora.  It was also great to see Shirley Paden, master knitter and designer.  Shirley, by the way, will be back in DC in February to teach her day-long design class and finishing class at Looped Yarn Works near Dupont Circle in DC, February 15-17.  I highly recommend it.  You can read my review here.

I also got to visit with my buddy Dustin Lujan at Saks.  Dustin works for Dolce and Gabbana Beauty now and gave me a beautiful makeover.  Here are some of the things I got:

 

I’ll write a full review in other posts, after I’ve had a chance to take decent photos, but will say that the taupes in the quad are a good match for my skin tone, which is unusual.  Most taupes just look like a blot of gray on my eyelids, but these look like a natural enhancement – i.e. actual shadows.  The green eyeliner works surprising well with the taupes, giving them a different look.  The concealer is the best I've used, and as others have said, the Passion Duo lipstick is luscious. 

Naomi Yasuda, celebrity manicurist and creator of Barneys Lady Gaga Nail Collection, was giving free D&G manicures that day.  Many of her nail designs are over the top for me, but she gave me a pretty lace and crystal manicure, which I will remove with great reluctance.

 

the crystals are not as milky as they appear in the photo.

 

I visited several Sephoras (they all seem to have different stuff).  The Times Square store had nail stations stocked with a variety of polishes and removers where customers can try on different looks.  I wish the Sephoras here had those. The stations were a mess thus no photos.  The stores in Time Square were just as crowded as the Square itself; Sephora did not seem to be sufficiently staffed to keep things in order.  The Soho store was just as crowded, but clean; had no nail bars, but they did have Edward Bess.  I wanted to look at his new eye shadow quads in person after seeing them all over the Net.  Given that eyeshadows look different on the eyelid than on the back of one’s hand, I should have tried them on, but they looked dupable out of my own stash, so I passed on them. 

 

The Meatpacking District Sephora was very elegant, which is not a characteristic that comes to my mind when I think of Sephora.  I should have taken photos, but I got totally caught up Diane’s makeover, then by actually looking around.  The store was bright enough to properly show the products, but not starkly bright like other Sephoras.  The walls were dark and potted orchids were scattered about.  Applicators and cleansers discretely placed around displays - so discrete they were almost invisible.  There were no cashiers; each sales assistant had an iPhone equipped with a price scanner and a credit card swiper.  Like the other stores, they carried Dolce and Gabbana and Giorgio Armani (surprise! I didn’t know Sephora carried Armani cosmetics).  Diane, who is not a makeup junkie, needed some basic products that she can apply easily and quickly with little fuss.   A sales assistant listened carefully to our requests and explanations, then sat her down at one of several clean and neat, mirrored stations and brought out some products out for us to consider. Here's what she got:

 

 

 

From top left:  Marula Facial Oil; Hourglass Illume Creme-to-Powder Bronzer Duo; Bite Lipstick; Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment; Makeup Forever eye pencil; Anastacia tinted brow gel; Dr. Jart+ Waterfuse Smart Gel (BB Cream)

 

The sales assistant was very good.  As Diane commented, she really heard what we said, and nailed suitable colors for Diane at the first go.  We were really impressed.  I enjoyed helping Diane navigate products, decide what she really wanted and would use, and make recommendations.  Now I want to shop for my other friends! 

I bought a couple of things there for myself too, and at Inglot, which I will review later. 

I did not see my DC knitting pals; I know that some stayed in Washington for Inauguration events.  Did you go to Vogue Knitting Live?  What did you think?