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. 

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? 

Chanel Ombre Contraste "Notorius" Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks

 

As odd as it looks, this is a brilliant product.  I love to contour my face when I have time.  Ombre Contraste Notorius Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks takes some practice to apply but looks beautiful when done right.  I brushed the sculpting powder from the hairline toward the center of face, beneath the cheek bone.  Then I applied blush on to the cheekbone, overlapping Notorious just a bit, which helps to blend.  Viola!  Sculpted cheekbones. 

Ooops, a little scratch...

Chanel describes Notorious' color as mauve-taupe, but I seen a hint of red in it too. 

There's room from this cool-toned contour product in my makeup collection as well as a warm one. My other favorite contour product is Tom Ford's Shade and Illuminate Sculptor. I use Number 2, a warm dark brown. It looks great with the warmer toned blushes I use, but Notorious pairs perfectly with the cooler-toned products such as Chanel's true-red Rouge blush from the Byzance collection.

It doesn't look as good as an eye shadow on my NC45 skin tone, but per Charlestongirl, it makes a great eyebrow product. 

For other Notorious reviews see Messy Wands and Glossed in Translation.

I bought Notorious from Georgia at Saks, Chevy Chase, Maryland, (240) 497-5363.  It's also available on Chanel.com.






 

Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Powder Foundation

I had been curious about this powder foundation since I started using the Dolce and Gabbana cream foundation months ago but given the difficulties of finding the right color I didn't want to buy it without examining it in person first.  I stopped into Saks when I was in New York last month to get color matched and "Almond" turned out to be a perfect color for me.  It doesn't go on as orange as it looks in the pan, but imparts a healthy glow.  Love.

Click on photos to enlarge.

 

The powder section lifts to reveal sponge storage and another mirror.

It can be applied to dry or wet.  Both methods of application provide sheer to full coverage.  Dry application looks a little powdery at first but within 30 minutes or so settles into a natural look.  The wet application looks matte at first then looks natural within thirty minutes.   Dolce and Gabbana claims that these two applications provide very different looks – the dry application can provide a sheerer application than the wet, the wet application is supposed to be velvety -  but I can't tell the difference by mid-day.  Because I have oily skin, my face looks dewy either way.   

Still, this is one of my favorite foundations.  Both methods of application covered subtle discolorations, evening out my skin tone, and even covered a lighter shade of concealer.  Both applications are buildable and do not oxidize.  Why have I never tried powder foundations before?  (Well, actually, I have - turns out that the Jane Iredale compact product I've had for years turns out to be a powder foundation too!  I thought it was pressed powder.  Anyway…) The dry application with a brush is the fastest ever- speed and ease of application are requirements for my early morning routine.  I can’t wait to try it in the summer when my skin is super oily. 

I usually use Tatcha papers to blot oily bits after lunch.  Unlike some foundations that come off on the paper when blotting, this foundation stays put.  Though one could use it for touch ups during the day or for evening, I’ve found it really isn’t necessary, given the foundation’s lasting power. 

The Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Powder Foundation sells for $59 at selected Saks stores and online.  The color chart on the Dolce and Gabbana site is better than the one on the Saks site, but I highly recommended getting color matched in person.  Check the Dolce and Gabbana sites for store locations.

Do you have a favorite powder foundation?

Tom Ford Brow Sculptor

Sorry that I've been slow to review the new makeup I bought in New York a few weeks ago.  Sabrina's post on Tom Ford lip glosses jump started me today, and I've used the comments I made on her blog as part of my review of Tom Ford's Brow Sculptor.

I love, love this product. The color, Taupe, is perfect for me. It's lighter than my hair color so doesn't look harsh, but dark enough to define my brows, and has no hint of red. The unique, self-described "calligraphy" tip makes for fast, easy, and varied application. Depending upon how you hold it, you can apply fine lines or broad swathes of color, and it covers any grays you might have. The sharpener screws out of the spoolie/brush end, and acts like a plane to sharpen the tip. I've used it everyday since I bought it and will repurchase when I run out.

I also bought the Shade and Illuminate contouring and highlighting cream and two nail polishes.  Though the high price point was a factor, the surprisingly poorly lit counters at the New York Saks and Bergdorf  Goodman made me reluctant to buy more.  (I've read that some California and London counters are just as poorly lit.)  Neither store had skin care or foundation samples and that the sales associate (SA) at the Bergdorf counter was reluctant to make any for me. Finally convinced that I would not buy the foundation without wearing a sample for a day or two, she scrounged up a container from another counter to make a sample for me after she rang my purchases. I was in a hurry by the time I arrived at Saks so didn't ask for any skin care samples there. The promo photos of Bitter Bitch nail polish looked wonderful - I saw a beautiful muted taupe/mauve color in the promotional photos - but I didn't buy it because in Bergdorf's lighting it didn't look any different from Chanel's Vamp, which I already have.  I passed.   Perhaps I'll give it another look if the line ever arrives at DC counters and I have more time to step outside in the sunlight to look at it.  I hope we do get the Tom Ford line here:  some of the other products in the line look promising, but I won't buy before being able to assess colors in person.  The Brow Sculptor sells for $42 at selected Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks stores and online.

Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation

Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation is one of Dolce and Gabbana's newest products.  It provides medium to maximum coverage with an SPF of 15.  Of the 15 shades offered, Amber 148 and Soft Tan 160 match my NC45 skin tone when blended in.  But Amber 148, subtly pink in tone, turned gray within an hour of application, so I went with Soft Tan 160, which is...orange.  Yes.  I tested the foundation for three days applied over Olay Regenerist Moisturizer SPF 50, using a variety of application methods.  On the first day I used the foundation brush included in a gift with purchase Saks featured that day, which resulted in maximum coverage. Naturally, it seems heavier than a liquid foundation when first applied, but is weightless after it dries down. It looks matte at first, but settled into a semi-matte look and is not at all cakey. It did not turn gray or oxidize.  But it was...orange.  Fortunately I just worked in my cube that day! 

I used Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complex on the second day, and applied the foundation with a kabuki brush.  Peau Vierge's illuminating quality canceled the foundation's orangy tinge, and the kabuki brush made for a sheerer application.  Love.  I used  a Sephora 44 stippling brush the third day which gave even sheerer coverage.  Love even more.

The creamy consistency of this foundation won't be suitable for me during the hot, humid summers here, but it will be perfect during the cold winter months. 

The foundation comes in an elegant, but heavy glass jar, and comes with a spatula. I will decant into a smaller plastic screw-top jar for daily use, so that I don't have to dip daily into the larger container and risk contamination.  It will also be handier for travel.
I've include an image of the color chart Saks mailed; the one on the site no way near represents the true colors.  Though the mailed chart is more accurate, given the vagaries of skin tone and color matching, I strongly advise you to visit a counter and get testers before purchasing.

Click to enlarge

I'm impressed with the quality of this product and would like to try the powder foundation, which has gotten rave reviews, but I'll wait until I can visit the Saks counter in New York in January.
I bought my foundation from Alissa Masuda at the Post Street Saks in San Francisco, 415-438-5224; It's also available on the Saks site.