CHANEL "Illusion D'Ombre" in Illusoire Review and Swatches

Illusion D'ombre for the fall 2011 collection brings 6 creamy gel eye shadows that come in tiny, round pots similar to Armani Eyes to Kill, but completely different as a texture and feel.
Out of all Illusion D'ombre shades, I felt more drawn to Illusoire and Epatant than the others. Epatant is still on my wish list for the future, as those eye-shadows are part of Chanel's permanent line. Chanel Illusion D'ombre in Illusoire is a smoky purple – gray shade, metallic, iridescent and radiant with a mouse – gel texture, bouncy and slippery that can cake if applied in a thick layer. The best way to use it is to layer the product.

Illusoire is simillar to Graphite in a way that it really changes depending on light. It picks more purple in sun light, and more smoky-gray in shade. The brush included with it will let me pick enough color to apply it in a light coat for an everyday look, but outside of that is useless. It's not too great for blending, and leaves me with a messy glittery look. Maybe some people had more luck with it.

   

This is a really shimmery and glittery eye-shadow as you can see from the bits left on the pot's cap. I did apply it with fingers and the brush , and I'm a fan of the finger as it gets blended deeply and I can get less fallout in that way. Illusoire is not exactly like Armani Eyes to Kill as Armani's are powder eye shadows and Chanel's is closer to a cream. One great think about it is that it does not crease. It stays put and lasts for plenty of hours.

CHANEL Illusions D'Ombres in Graphite Review and Swatches

I would describe Chanel ILLUSIONS D'OMBRE in Graphite as a dark – gray gunmetal shade with added white- silvery or golden shimmers ( depending on the lighting ) that bring a subtle green tone to it. It's foil metallic, very shinny and crazy glittery and all together play really well to achieve a mirror effect. Although Chanel Graphite has so much glitter in it, it does not feel gritty; it's smooth and flows easily. I call this shade Urban Contemporary Chic with an industrial edge.  

The shade seen in the bottle, with its beautiful, warm golden-green tone, can be achieved by applying the nail polish in two coats. Applied in one coat will look sheer, cooler, and oriented towards light – gray. 

Plenty of glitter and a metallic sheen reflect the light differently depending on the light source. In the sun you can see all those mesmerizing sparkles, glistening in the light. In artificial lighting depending on the angle you look at, it could look very cool dark, almost light black, or warm-light silvery with golden specks. It's quite a multifaceted color – rich and complex.  

It works beautifully with Illusion D' Ombre Eye Shadow in Epatant. 

GIVENCHY Vernis Please Nail Polish in Acid Orange 175

Am I orange obsessed , am I? I wonder if you guys think: “Not again, find another color”. I got this orange mania while I was a teenager , wearing orange shoes, purses, clothes , all my world was pretty much orange. With this year's trend, I can finally wear orange without feeling like a weirdo, “ just following the fashion”.

Givenchy nail polish in Acid Orange is a tangerine - orange color, a bit closer to a neon orange. It looks lighter in some lighting and has a very high shine finish, like a top coat was applied. It's pigmented so no need to apply 2 coats.

This is a mini nail polish weighing only 5,5 ml ( .18 Oz) with a lid larger and taller than the bottle itself. As much as I like Givenchy square packaging, having the lid attached to the brush makes it difficult to apply it . It does not fit properly in my hands.

 I don't know if it's the brush or the texture itself, but seems to get really messy if it's applied in a light layer, but odd enough it evens out once it's dry. It seems that the best way of using it is to load the brush with as much nail polish and not drag it more than twice. That way leaves you with a nice, clean, perfect look. It lasted more than 5 days without any chipping. I really love this color. It has so much depth and vibrancy, it's fresh and young and really screams summer.  
   

Givenchy Acid Orange nail polish Swatch 

Lighter shade in strong lighting 

Price: $16,50

What do you think about orange nail polishes?  Would you wear this color? 

Gloss d'ARMANI Lip Gloss Swatches - GIORGIO ARMANI

Giorgio Armani Gloss d'Armani comes in 18 shades which include nude, pink, red and plum colors. I would have liked to see some orange shades too, unfortunately there aren't any. The shades are not named, just labeled with numbers.  
The nude beige series is numbered starting with 100, pinks 500, reds 400 and plums 600. There is one shade labeled 200 as part of nude, which was not available in the store.

The Gloss d'Armani lip glosses have a really intense, high degree of shine, and radiant glitter particles are found in some shades more than others. I haven't seen any glitter in Red 400, the Armani signature shade, which seemed really pigmented and did not need to be layered as a swatch. I haven't try it on my lips yet, but this shade in particular looked like it could be prone to bleeding. The glosses applicator is an angled doe foot.

Here's some swatches for Gloss d'Armani:

Nude 100 - is the most sheer, and lightest one of all, more of a white - beige 

Nude 101 - adds a little bit more beige to the shade 

Nude 103 - is a beige brown with plenty of glitters

Nude 104 - a  beige - coral shade

Pink 500 - a light, soft pink
Pink 501 - a peachy pink
Pink 503 - a stronger-reddish pink
Pink 504 - a lavender -rose pink, really light with iridescent pink, purple glitters - this one really comes with lots of them.  

 Red 400- Armani signature red
 Red 402 - a coral, orange color, not really a red
 Red 403 - is more of a pink coral with plenty of tiny sparkles


Plum 600 - pinkish plum
Plum 601 - rich, vibrant, lush plum

Missing 200, 502, 505,  401, 602. The store did not carry them.   


Which one is your favorite? What do you think about them ?

LANCOME New Eye Shadow - Color Design Eye Brightening All-in-one 5 Shadow and Liner in Amethyst Glam

Lancome released 12 new eye shadows this spring, a selection of neutrals, bronze, cool blues, pinks, purples and greens. I did see only 10 for sale in the store, but online are 2 more, so if you are interested in the colors, check online too for more color options.

Each individual Lancome Color Design Shadow and Liner palette is comprised of 5 different colored eye shadows which are labeled by their use (all over base, lid, highlighter, crease, and liner). Some of the palettes come with matte and shimmery colors, while others have only shimmery, glassy shades with fine glittery particles.

I picked Amethyst Glam, a vibrant and spring-like palette based on various lilac, rose shades of purple. The colors are all shimmery, no matte at all in this one.

Here is a breakdown of the colors: 

- an all over base shimmery pink, lilac- white
- a shimmery lilac -rose for the lid
- a shimmery gray-purple for the crease
- the most glistening one of all, pink-purple for highlighter
- and a deep,blue violet with lots of glittery particles for the liner.
                          

       

Now let's take a look at the pigmentation. Those are really sheer colors (as you can see in the swatch picture), which changed drastically applied wet. While some of the shades changed only slightly, the eyeliner color seemed to improve a lot.  The eye shadows are pretty soft and they adhere well to the skin.   The palette is really beautiful, but as far as the pigmentation goes, it might be disappointing for some people.

As shimmery as they are, the glitter fall out is pretty minimal. The palette comes with a step-by-step booklet on how to achieve a day and a night look, none of them really fit the shape of my eye, but it might work great on other people, and  it's a nice addition to the palette.   

                                          Lancome 5 Shadow and Liner Night Look  

  Do I recommend this palette? 

Yes, if you love purples, and don't mind applying them wet for a better effect and color. 

No, if you really don't like sheer, shimmery shades, and of course if  purple is not your choice.        

Spring Nail Polish; Lilac,Pastel shade - Chanel Lilac Sky

Chanel Lilac Sky is a creamy, pastel nail polish with a shiny, shimmery, pearl finish. A soft pink shade of purple - lavender color for the Spring Season and a great companion  for Lancome Color Fever Lavande Ballerine if you'd like to pair the nail polish color with a close shade of lipstick. The formula is a little bit difficult to work with. It dries very fast and once dried leaves streaky marks behind. It needs some practice and some spare time for a clean application. One coat will leave you with a more pinkish natural-purple shade and two coats has a darker appearance. It looks lovely both ways, but I prefer it with a double coat.    

Chanel Lilac Sky nail polish and cherry blossoms

Chanel Lilac Sky Swatch and

 Lancome Color Fever Lavande Ballerine 

New Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick Swatches

Lancome L'Absolu Nu collection includes lots of pinks, one red color, two coral- orange shades and plenty of browns. The lipsticks are really sheer, kind of like the new Dior Addict lipsticks.  

The lipsticks glide easily and are really soft. Two or three layers are needed for full coverage. They have a shimmery, translucent texture with tiny glitters, which are fragments of mother of pearl. Lancome's idea was to create a lipstick that will enhance the color of the lips, adding only a slight tone to them. If you like pigmented lipsticks those are not a good option for you, but if you are inclined towards sheer ones, they really deserve a try. The lasting power will not go too far, but they are a beautiful option for a day look.

 Here are a few swatches of some of the colors:                                          

                                                Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick Swatches 

148 Coral Ribbon

                                                                     386 Evening Lace 

 318 Pink Moire 

 112 Coral Sand 

 346 Rose Veil 

 161 Red Chiffon 

       Daisy Rose 

                                                                     214 Cream Lace                         

Spring came to town: