Dior Rosy Tan Quint

I am a little late getting this one.  I didn't think I was interested until I saw it last night at Sephora and I snatched it right up.  I had been veering away from Dior over the last few months and focusing more on Chanel & Chantecaille.  This quint has restored my faith in Dior.  The texture and quality of every shadow in this palette is remarkable, very smooth, very pigmented.  If you don't have it and like these sorts of colors, do yourself a favor and buy it before they are all gone.

Dragulous Weekend Look

Last weekend was the National Entertainer of the Year competition.  It's like a Miss America pageant for queens.  It's amazing.  I will throw in a couple of pictures from that weekend.  So, I wanted to do something a little fabulous and Amy Winehouse had just passed away so I decided on wings.  For me, this was a pretty dramatic look (unless I'm just sitting around the house then I will paint myself to hell and back) but it was still fairly tame and pretty. 

The weather is ridiculously hot so I also had to keep that in mind when doing my makeup because no matter what kind of base or setting products I use, I WILL look like a hot mess within a few hours if I overdo it.  What I'm saying is, I had to try to get the pop I wanted while keeping it fairly minimal. 

I kept it simple on my face with just Diorskin Forever Compact foundation.  Did I mention that I'm tan now?  Like... NC30ish tan?!?  I know I don't look it in these photos but from further back, I guess I do.  Yeah, I was a 010 in the compact foundation, now 030 is too light but I haven't felt like buying more foundation yet.  Anyway, back to my face.  I used the blush from Chantecaille Sylvia's Personal Palette.  On my lips, I used Tarte Lip Stain in Amused.  That's it.

Here are my eye pics.  (Oh yeah, I'm very blonde at the moment too.  I made a few changes while I was away.)  :)  I'll list what I used after the pics.

All I used on my eyes was the Vendome palette from Guerlain as far as shadows go.  I used the top (lightest) color on my browbone,  on my lid I used the color below it and in the crease I used the color on the bottom.  Then I used Urban Decay's 24/7 eye liner in Oil slick and lined my upper eyelids.  I followed that up with the gorgeous blue from this palette and my smudge brush.  I swept that across and then smudged a bit into my lower lashline.  Mascara was Dior Extase immediately followed by Dior Iconic.  Brows were done with the Diorshow Brow Stylist.  The eyes took me maybe fifteen minutes.

And.....

Somewhere out there, there is a picture of me doing some sort of ninja pose using my middle (favorite) fingers and bending over in front of this awesome bitch.  If I ever get a copy, maybe I'll post.  Let's say it was the last pic of the evening and I was feeling no pain.  But my makeup held up!  Ha.

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

Dior Five Golds Holiday 2010 Quint - Swatches and EOTD

I thought this quint would be really nasty on me.  I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  I fell in love with the two bronzy/gold colors.  I'm always up for silver.  But the black shadow & the champagne one?  Meh.  The champagne one's texture leaves much to be desires.  It's kind of hard and just yucky.

I thought that these colors would be way too warm for me, but I tested it in the store and those bronzes made my blue eyes jump right out of my face.  Maybe I'm having a bad day today, maybe the lighting in the store was more flattering, maybe I'm a nutjob.... whatever the reason, it just doesn't look as good as it did the other night.

If you don't have quadrillions of silvers and bronzes already, then it may be a nice choice for you.  If you (like most of us) already have colors in these color families that you love, I'd skip this one.  It's not bad, it's just not very special or great.

I wasn't planning on taking full face pics, but I couldn't get an up close pic that was true to color, so I had to include a pic of my ugly mug (sans lipstick).  The color is very true in that one.

Products Used:
Laura Mercier Silk Creme
MUFE Full Cover mixed with Dior Skinflash Pen in Gold (under eyes)
Guerlain Meteorites Voyage in Poudre d'Or (LOVE)
NARS Douceur Blush
Dior Five Golds (Champagne, 2 bronzes)
MAC Chamomile on browbone
MAC Petro Blue Pearlglide
Bare Escentuals Buxom Mascara
YSL Brow Pencil #4

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

Dior Pink Golds Minaudiere Palette Holiday 2010 Swatches

This is a quality piece, a collectible to be sure.  The compact is heavy and beautiful.  I love the little hinged cover over the lipglosses.  I normally hate mixed palettes because I hate the powder migrating into the creams.  Yuck. 

When I first opened the palette, I was a bit disappointed.  On first touch, it feels a bit chalky.  I think you're going to have to play with these a little bit to see which applicator/method works best for you.  I can normally make just about anything work with my fingers.... not this.  It did work extremely well with the sponge applicator included.  I haven't tried a brush yet.  The colors are gorgeous.  I'd call the darkest and medium shades metallic rather than frosty.  The lightest shade is on the frosty side.   The lipglosses seem nice and suit the palette well. 

Bottom Line:  Colors are excellent and all work well together.  Texture (after the initial dip) is fairly soft and well pigmented.  Not a must have unless you are a collector.  I think all of the colors are dupeable.  What cannot be duped is the luxe packaging - and those of us that are high end hoors know that's sometimes one of the biggest deciding factors before making a purchase. :)

Dior Tailleur Bar Palette & Serum de Rouge

This palette is amazing. I'll add pics a little bit later of the packaging & the palette itself. The colors are gorgeous and the quality far surpasses anything I've laid eyes/hands on from Dior.... ever. They are creamy soft (but still powder) and intensely pigmented except for the fleshtone one which I just can't really get to in order to provide a good swatch. $90 is steep. Do you NEED it? No. But you know you want it. :D

A Quint A Day: Day 3- Dior Smoky Crystal

If you love silvers and silvery taupes, this is the quint for you!  I love this one.  It's one of the newer ones that is up to the old quint quality.  Every shadow is soft and pigmented.  Fantastic colors.

Grade:  A+

A Quint A Day: Day 2 - Dior Petal Shine

One of my favorite quints.  I love the iridescence of this one and the colors are wonderful.  Every color in this palette is wearable and they all coordinate very well with one another.

GRADE:  A

A Quint A Day: Day 1 - Dior Misty Mauve

I've decided to feature a Dior Quint per day w/ pics & swatches.  At the end, I'll assign a "grade" as to how I feel about it.  Misty Mauve is very nice.  Not a favorite, because some of the shadows aren't as soft as the older palettes.  In general, the newer ones have been rather disappointing

Grade:  B

Dior Misty Mauve EOTD

I love this quint. I can't wait till the weather gets cooler so I can have more fun with it. :)

In this one I used the 3 darkest colors from the quint, the icy pink on the inner corners, R&R Veil on browbone, Stila Smudgestick (the blue one, can't remember the name right now), Dior Extase Mascara & YSL Brow Pencil #4.

Dior Serum de Rouge - Raspberry & Mocha

Here are some quick swatches of my first (and probably last) Dior Serum de Rouge lipsticks. I chose Raspberry & Mocha. I managed to get unused testers of them for around $12 each. They look exactly the same as the retail packaging except the end is color coded and has the number on it.

Don't get me wrong, I think these are very nice lipsticks but I don't think they warrant the $32 price tag. $22? Maybe. They seem to be fairly long lasting when you consider their texture - which is like a very thick, creamy, non-sticky lipgloss. I actually put some on and then fell asleep and it was still there when I woke up an hour later. 2 hours after that and it's still on. I haven't eaten anything though. It still feels very creamy and moisturizing on my lips.

The colors are fairly true to how they look in the tube but not quite as dramatic on the lips. I detect some sort of very faint fruity smell when I first apply them but it quickly fades and it's not that noticeable even when you first apply it.

Overall, if you find a deal, I recommend these. If you feel like a splurge, I'd spend my money somewhere else.

Dior Misty Mauve Quint (Pics & Swatches)

When I saw this one, I had to have it. It's gorgeous. The texture is on par with the better quints (like Stylish Move) and the colors are perfect for fall. I can't wait for it to cool down so that I can use this bad boy. I did do a smokey eye with it a few weeks ago when I was going out to a club because I figured it would be dark enough it didn't matter if my makeup didn't look summery. It wore well, no creasing (used UDPP) or fading and I had it on for... Oh.... 12 hours? Yeah, long night. The colors are a frosty white, icy pale pink (though they called it lilac), a dark matte plummy taupe, blackened purple with fine silver shimmer, and a pale mauve with an almost metallic finish. I think this one would look great with Clinique Starry Plum Creamshaper but I seem to have misplaced mine and couldn't try it.

Dior Smokey Light, Diorskin Nude Concealer, Anastasia Brow Pen

I really love this new brow pen. It does such an amazing job. If you saw my brows without it, you would not believe it.

I am also really loving the new Dior concealer. So, 2 wins on my sephora F&F order, lol.

I used:

UDPP

Dior Smokey Light Mini Quint - 2 taupey colors & the highlight shade

Laura Mercier Black Gold Kohl to line top & bottom

BE Buxom Mascara

Diorskin Nude Concealer - Shade 1

DuWop Mango Blushbooster

Foundation is Armani Luminous Silk Foundation #2

Oh, and I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture or not but my eyelashes have actually grown. I've been using castor oil for about a month. I don't apply it religiously, just when I remember and they have definitely grown and are fuller. I noticed it the other day when I was curling my lashes that my lashes now peek up over the top of my curler. They didn't used to do that. :)

Dior Smoky Crystal Quint Swatches & Comparison to Smokey Light

I am so in love with this quint. Dior has redeemed itself in my eyes after a few of their recent follies. The texture is amazing, typical of the iridescent quints. It is extremely cool toned. As you can see, it does have a couple of similar colors to the Smokey Light mini quint that is available at sephora as part of a set but Smokey Light is warmer.

NARS Jolie Poupee

Went a little overboard today. :) Nars Jolie Poupee Purple from Dior Smoky Crystal inner 1/3 of lid Silver from Dior Smoky Crystal between the 2 e/l "wings" MUFE #35 to highlight Stila Smudgepot in Gray UD Yeyo 24/7 inner corners Chanel Exceptionnel Mascara

Dior Chrome & YSL Midnight EOTD

I saw this e/s and immediately had to have it. Absolutely gorgeous. Used Lid: Dior Chrome High Impact Solo Eye Shadow Crease: YSL Midnight Quint - Dk Gray Browbone: YSL Midnight Quint - Highlight Color Upperliner: WnW Mega Liner Felt Tip Lower Lashline: YSL Midnight Quint - Black Waterline: HIP Chrome Liner in Silver Lining Mascara: BE Buxom

Dior Stylish Move Quint

Dior Night Butterfly (A more daytime friendly look)

Used: MAC PP in Soft Ochre Dior Night Butterfly UD Gunmetal 24/7 (upper & lower liner) MUFE Champagne Aqua Eyes (inner corners) Prestige My Biggest Lashes

Dior Quints

I have a couple that are not pictured here... will get to it eventually as well as swatching.