Random Swatching - Spot the Cheap Stuff

I was at CVS yesterday and I'm not really sure what possessed me but suddenly I looked down and had 2 Wet n Wild holiday palettes in my hand.  Oh, yes I do... it was the red eyeshadow.  I wanted *NEEDED* that red eyeshadow.  I figured at $5 it was no big risk so held on to them and ended up buying them. 

Anyone that reads this blog or knows me, knows that I am a label whore.  It's not something I'm proud of - choosing form over function, being a makeup purist, a snob, whatever you want to call it - it's just the way it is.  I used to rationalize it by saying that if I was going to pay $12 for a drugstore product, I might as well just go buy department store brands.  Sounded good to my ears anyway.

Now, when anyone asks me, I tell the truth.  The truth is this:  There are probably many good drugstore products out there and I've come across a few but I always end up giving them away because I can't stand to see WnW or Revlon bumping uglies with my Chantecaille, Dior and Chanel.  There, I said it.  The packaging on almost all drugstore products (except in the asian brands) is sorely lacking.  I buy makeup not because I need it but because I like it.  I like pretty, sparkly, girly things and if I'm going to blow my money on non-essential items, then I'm going all out!

Anyway, I did come home with these WnW palettes and I have to say that I was impressed.  There were 3-4 very good quality shadows in both palettes and 2-3 sucky ones.  Honestly, the same thing happens in Dior quints.  Bad news, the red one (the whole reason I got sucked in) was a piece of shit. 

Up above, you saw some swatches on my hand.  Are there any cheap ones on there?  Are there any high end?  Am I just messing with your head?  :)  Go up and look again and see what you think.  I'm going to give the answers below.
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OK, ya back?  Made your decisions? 

1 = Dior (Endless Shine Quint)
2 = WnW (Coloricon Palette)
3 =  Dior (Endless Shine Quint)
4 = WnW (Coloricon Palette)
5 = Dior (Endless Shine Quint)
6 = WnW (Coloricon Palette)

I wasn't trying to dupe colors, just pulling colors that I had handy and that were in the same color families.  Did you have it right?  I was pretty impressed with the WnW.

Here are some more pics.
7 = Bobbi Brown
8 = WnW
9 = Bobbi Brown
10 = WnW
11 = Chantecaille
12 = WnW
13 = Chantecaille
14 = WnW
15 = WnW

A Few of My Favorite Things (October 2010)

Skincare:
Cleanser - First Aid Beauty Foaming, Boscia Makeup Breakup
Scrub - Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish
Mask - Chantecaille Detox
Treatment - Rexaline Hydra-Force, Sircuit Skin Fixzit
Moisturizer - Rexaline Hydra-Dose (Night), IQ Derma Clear Remedy (Day, freebie w/ dermstore order)
Eyes - Shiseido Nutriperfect Eye Serum, Bobbi Brown Eye Balm (Day), Rexaline Hydra-EyeZone (Night)

Face:
Primer - Nada, haven't found anything that doesn't just make me greasy or break me out.
Foundation - Chantecaille Future Skin (Alabaster), Diorskin Forever Compact (#020)
Concealer - I haven't been using any.  It's not that my skin's so great that I don't need it, it's just that lately I feel like it just makes me look worse.
Powder - Guerlain Meteorites (Mythic), Chantecaille Compact Makeup (Bamboo)
Blush - Becca Sylph, R&R Kinky, R&R Spank
Setting - I've been using Chantecaille Pure Rosewater a lot lately after I do my makeup to take care of any dry/flaky areas due to the weather change.

Eyes:
Primer - NARS Eyeshadow Base
Shadow - Chantecaille Les Muses Ethereal Eyes Palette, R&R Veil, Chanel Taupe Grise & Lotus, Bobbi Brown Day to Night Cool Palette
Liner - Chanel Gris Le Stylo, Stila Smudgestick in Moray, MAC Pearlglide (Bankroll)
Mascara - Chantecaille Faux Cils followed by Bare Escentuals Buxom while still wet
Brows - Diorshow Brow Styler & YSL Brow Pencil #4

Lips:
Gloss - Chanel Extrait in Emoi
Lipstick - Chantecaille Lip Chic in Tea Rose & Anais, Dior Serum de Rouge from the Tailleur Bar Set

Body:
Body Wash - Molton Brown Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod
Lotion - Molton Brown Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod (I wish they made an EDT or body spray of this!)
Perfume - Hermes Ambre Narguile, Dior Hypnotic Poison (I love when fall arrives so I can break these two out, they're two of my favorites), Narciso Rodriguez for Her

Chantecaille Lip Chic Swatches - Anais, China Rose, Tea Rose, Zinnia

Please ignore the yucky wrought iron, I took them outside to get truer color pics. :)

These are my favorite lipstick formulas ever.  They feel very soothing on your lips and are excellent for those that don't care for the heavy feel of lipsticks or sticky mess of gloss.  Did I mention they smell like vanilla bean ice cream? These retail for $30 each and can sometimes be found on evilbay for much less.  This is one lip product that I consider worth the splurge.

Chanteaille Les Muses (aka Ethereal Eyes) EOTD

I'm going to call this one - When Bad Things Happen to Good Makeup...

Oh, it's not *horrible* but I didn't do this palette justice. Note to self: Stop trying to line your waterline. You know it never works on you.

That said, all I used was the palette. I used the black shadow to line. Chantecaille Les Muses (aka Ethereal Eyes) is one of the best palettes I've had the good fortune to diddle. Every color is perfect, they work together, they're very well pigmented and they are sooooooo soft. Would you laugh if I told you I did today's makeup with my fingers? I didn't intend to wear makeup but started playing with Les Muses and next thing I knew, I had a full face of makeup on including lipgloss. Anyway, because I was too lazy to deal with brushes today, I did use my fingers and the little eyeliner brush included in the palette for the lining.

Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara

My first impression of this mascara was "meh".... it wasn't bad I just didn't see how it could possibly be worthy of the name "Faux Cils."  Well, I went to take an EOTD pic and gasped when I saw what my lashes looked like.  Sometimes it's good to take a look from a different perspective, lol. 

Highlights:

• It hasn't flaked or smudged on me.
• It holds a curl extremely well.
• It is a really nice, lush black.
• The brush is nice, not super huge and not tiny either.  It's not one of those plastic brushes.
• It's not a super wet formula so it doesn't take forever to dry.
• That's pretty much all I can think of to say about mascara.

Final  Word:  Not worth the dough in my opinion.  It's a nice mascara but it's not life changing.  If you have some extra money to throw down for a new mascara, consider something else.  Diorshow Extase or YSL Faux Cils would be my choice.

Chantecaille Eyeshadow Swatches - Palette d'Olivia & Sylvia

Chantecaille Eyeshadow Swatches (Tigers in the Wild, Les Dauphins, Sylvie's Personal)

Chantecaille Papillon Single Swatches (Bleu & Violet)

Chantecaille Palette d'Olivia

(click to enlarge)

I love this palette.  The shadows are all very smooth and finely milled and well pigmented.  The colors are gorgeous.  I imagine this being the perfect travel and everyday palette.  I will swatch it tomorrow and add photos.

Colors are:

• Perle
• Granite
• Quartz
• Obsidian
• Tanzanite
• Peony
• Zinc
• Joy Blush

My Little Chantecaille Collection

It's small but I love it. Chantecaille makeup is just amazing. It is very finely milled and has good pigmentation. It's not in your face color like MAC or NARS but can easily be sheered out or built up to suit you. I consider Chantecaille a luxury brand. Everything (except maybe concealers & mascaras, I haven't tried any of those) are top notch. If you ever have the opportunity, check them out!

Chantecaille Anais Lip Chic

I want them all. There, I said it. This has to be the greatest feeling lipstick I've ever used. It's amazing. Sort of a gel/wax hybrid is how it feels on the lips. Smells sort of artificial vanilla (but fades and is actually pleasant in my opinion). I'd say it feels like a really luxurious lip balm. Actually, they feel sort of similar to the HIP Jelly Balms. But, hey.... these are CHANTECAILLE! :) These are very subtle and natural looking. Due to the formula, however, you will definitely have to reapply this after eating or drinking and a couple of times throughout the day. I don't mind that at all as my favorite type of lip products are sheer, non-sticky, glossy & moisturizing. This fits the bill. Price is $30 and can be bought at Chantecaille.com and some department stores (both in person and online). From the Chantecaille website: Lip Chic is a revolutionary hybrid that combines the high shine and plumping effects of a gloss with the rich, even coverage of a lipstick. It goes on with an incredibly soft, lightweight texture as it helps to smooth and firm the lips. This exceptionally comfortable formula is easy to apply in an even finish that is shiny but never sticky. Lip Chic leaves lips fuller and decidedly more youthful in appearance, but never irritated.