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.

Guerlain Holiday 2010 Meteorites - Perles D'Or & Poudre D'Or

Today I got the loose version of the holiday meteorites and thought I'd share pics.  I shared my thoughts about meteorites in the post HERE earlier this week.

Guerlain Metorites Voyage Poudre d'Or (Holiday 2010)

This is so pretty.  A pure luxury purchase.  I love meteorites.  You don't *think* you need them or that they really make a difference, but they do.  First, they just make me feel pampered and pretty... just owning them, lol.  Every time I open them I get a whiff of the candied violets and it makes me instantly happy (Yes, I AM a ball sniffer).  What they do depends on which ones you get but overall (unless you get some of the older LE sparkly ones or some of the bright all pink ones) what they do is give you a glow and sort of create a soft focus effect on your face.  The balls and the voyage are my faves.  I don't care for the pressed ones that have a beaded surface.  The compact on those is impractical and they're much more shimmery than the other formulations.

Different colors counteract certain issues your complexion may have.  Green for red splotches, Purple for sallow skin, etc.  I really would recommend the Mythic voyage meteorites to anyone that is fair to light skinned.  Over the years, I've gone through 5 of the refills.  The compacts are expensive but you can score them on ebay for fairly cheap (that's how I got my original one) and the refills cost around $45-$50. 

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

Guerlain Blush 4 Eclats - Tendre Aurore

This is my first Guerlain blush and I have to say that I am impressed.  It is so soft but not in the usual powdery way (like Lorac or Stila e/s).  It feels velvety to the touch.  Pigmentation is very good.  I actually really love this color but I think it would be something only suitable for fair skintones.  Darker skintones could use it as a highlighter I suppose.  On me, this blush just gives a hint of color and looks extremely natural.  My cheeks but better.  :)  It could be made more dramatic by using the colors separately or you can apply it blended together and then pick up some color from one of the darker shades and go over the area toward the bottom, keeping it light on top and giving you some contour.  These blushes have the signature Guerlain scent - candied violets - which I happen to love.  It doesn't linger upon application but every time you open the compact you get a nice waft of fragrance.

Guerlain Place Vendome EOTD

I used the palette exclusively for this. No other products, except mascara. :)

Guerlain Fall Eyeshadow Palettes - Sevres, Vendome, Passy

(click to enlarge)

I wanted to put all of these in one place to show the differences between the palettes.  I chose not to get Champs or the warm one (can't remember the name) though it's been difficult abstaining.  :)  These palettes have made me love Guerlain so much more.  I always liked many of their products, but felt that their eyeshadow was lacking.  They definitely have a winner with this formulation and I hope they continue to crank them out.

Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation - Beige Pale

This foundation is great.  It's super easy to work with, smells nice, covers well, wears like iron & doesn't break me out.  I really don't think I can ask for more.  The texture is very thin.  The main reason I wanted to post this is to show that the "pale" shade is really not all that pale at all.  It's an almost perfect match for my currently tanned skin.  I am currently Diorskin Forever Compact #030 and LM Silk Creme in Beige Ivory.  This is just a smidge lighter than those two - perfect for winter.  Here's a pic and a swatch.

Guerlain Rue de Passy EOTD

Guerlain 29 Rue de Sevres EOTD (Take 2)

I apologize that the coloring is a little off. I didn't move when I took the pics but somehow the lighting is different. The upper right and lower left show the aqua the truest.

For this one I used the aqua color on the lid, the medium taupe in crease and the dark taupe in outer crease. I used the eyeliner included in the palette on top & bottom. On the bottom I smudged some of the aqua into the lashline. Highlight color is R&R Veil. Mascara is Dior Extase.

I really cannot express how much I love this palette. It's pretty much the perfect cool neutral palette. Can't wait to check out Rue de Passy.

Guerlain 29 Rue de Sevres Palette EOTD

While I love Guerlain, I generally don't care for their eyeshadows. Every quad I've ever had has been a disappointment. Chalky, poor pigmentation and you really have to DIG to get any color onto your brush. So, I wasn't sure what to expect with this - I kept my expectations low while really hoping that I'd be surprised. SURPRISE!!! I love this. The textures are very soft and buttery. Color payoff is excellent. I even used the liner (and brush) included in this palette. Not one color is a dud. So, without further adieu, here's an EOTD using Rue de Sevres. The entire eye is done in the palette, except the waterline which is Stila Topaz Kajal.

Guerlain Perles des Mers

Please ignore the text on the pic - it's PERLES not NACRES. :-P Used: Guerlain Perles des Mers Quad Laura Mercier Black Turquoise Kohl BE Buxom Mascara

Guerlain Pressed Meteorites in Nacre des Mers

I had been wanting this one since I first laid eyes on it online. I debated a while - I already have the balls in Mythic & Beige Chic and the Voyage Meteorites in Mythic. Finally, I just ordered it and have been waiting patiently for close to 2 weeks for it to arrive. Thoughts: This compact is huge, extremely thick and I'm having a hard time seeing the point in the case being so thick. Maybe someone can explain it to me. It's pretty, dark bronzy color on the sides and bottom while the top looks like a light coppery pink with seashell looking accents. It is a screw on lid which I find annoying. It has no mirror which is also annoying. If you're going to make something this huge then at least put a mirror in the damn thing. Especially considering the $65 price tag. I am more than willing to overlook those few shortcomings now that I have seen and used the actual powder. This stuff is gorgeous. It has a shimmery overspray which pretty much came off after the first swipe of my big brush. But the powder itself is infused with a very subtle shimmer. It ranges in shades from a very light fleshtone, to apricot, to a light mocha with an aqua green correcting shade in the center. I swirl my brush over the top and pick them all up at once. It feels like velvet on the skin and once applied truly lives up to what the bottom of the compact says "Illuminating Perfecting Pressed Powder". Gives your skin a polished healthy glow.

Bronze Dore

Products Used: UDPP Guerlain Bronze Dore Quad Prestige WP eyeliner in Suede (top) Prestige WP eyeliner in Payday (bottom) NYX Doll Eye Long Mascara Anastasia Brow Duo in Ash Blonde