THREE La Teinte des Bijouxxx Collection for Holiday 2014

Today I'm excited to showcase THREE's holiday 2014 collection: La Teinte des Bijouxxx. It's a small collection with two sets of Shimmering Color Veil loose pigment trios. The final gift set in the collection is a three piece brush set.

Picture heavy post!

The pigment sets are housed in a simple, sleek but rather mediocre black satin box, though I'm personally happy with the lack of tacky peripherals you often find with the Japanese holiday coffrets (they try very hard to out tackify each other year on year!). The pigment tubs are very basic see through screw cap containers, each containing 0.9g of product. Do note that the net weight of the permanent lineup is 1.7g, almost double that of a single in the set, and that packaging slightly more elaborate. On net weight alone, I think you get a better deal with the permanent line up as it’s almost double the amount, but not more than double the price. However, there is an exclusive shade in each set, so it really comes down to whether you love the LE shades.

The brush set contains three weasel and horse hair brushes; a Blend In Brush Round (LE travel size), a Color Veil Brush SS (LE travel size), and an exclusive Color Veil Brush XM, as well as the exclusive black makeup pouch. They’re all flat paddle type brushes that work well with these pigments. As much as I wanted to take all three sets home, I passed on the brush set since I plan on getting the Nars holiday brush set and maybe one of the MAC ones.

Here’s a closer look at each shade by set, and some stash comparisons. You can also check out a small clip of these sparkling goodies in my IG here. To save my sanity, I've not compared them to pan based powders or liquids, though in hindsight I should have compared with a few of the Etude House Play 101 pencils (reviewed here).

Shimmering Color Veil Bijoux Box 1 contains:

Ice Blink #29 - a soft feathery snowy white with diamante effect micro glitter.

Pink Topaz Gisele #X02 (LE) - a mauve pink with pink, purple and gold micro glitter. The glitters here are the largest flecks in this set.

333 Dreamers #38 - a "deep purple that almost looks gray" with skyblue, purple, pink and silver micro glitter.

Box 1 = bottom row swatch

Even when swatching on the back of my hand, I had difficulty with Ice Blink. It’s either too ‘feathery’ and clumpy or it’s barely there at all. A flat paddle brush doesn’t help, and I have better luck patting it on with fingers. Under good indoor lighting the glitters are very pretty, very fitting to its name. Nonetheless, this one was my least favourite by far.

Pink Topaz Gisele and 333 Dreamers are exquisite. They apply great with a paddle brush and can be blended without disappearing. They are very complimentary to each other, and this set was what used on the model for the promotional pictures.

Some stash comparisons:

a. Ice Blink

b. Dior Fusion Mono in Lune #001

c. RMK Ingenious Cream & Powder Eyes in Silver Gold #01 (LE)

The Dior is much more metallic and silver, while the RMK has pink tones.

a. Pink Topaz Gisele (LE)

b. Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in New Moon #97 (LE)

c. MUFE Aqua Cream in 17

The Chanel has much more gold and silver hues, the MUFE is close in colour very little sparkle effect.

a. 333 Dreamers

b. Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Diapason #92

c. RMK Ingenious Cream & Powder Eyes in Purple #03 (LE)

d. Armani ETK Silk in #33

e. Armani ETK Silk in #3

No real close comparisons here, 333 Dreamer is much more grey.

Shimmering Color Veil Bijoux Box 2 contains:

Wild is the Wind #33 - a “grace blue that shines like light reflecting on water” with pink and blue micro glitter.

Black Diamond Iris #X03 (LE) - stormy black grey that leans purple with a rainbow of micro glitters.

Shadowland #35 - a “brown color that is reminiscent of cocoa powder” with gold pink and green micro glitters.  

Box 2 = top row swatch

The colours in Set 2 reminds of me this year's Chanel holiday eye palette and I'm far more impressed with these than Chanel's mediocre performer. I don’t really agree with the official description of Shadowland, it’s more of a muted mustard gold to me and I don’t really see the green in there. All three pigments give me spectacular performance, and Shadowland is deceivingly pigmented, so a tiny bit goes a long way.

Some stash comparisons:

a. Wild is the Wind

b. Armani ETK Silk in #10

c. Armani ETK Silk in #35

Both the ETKs are much more silver.

a. Black Diamond Iris (LE)

b. NYX Roll On Shimmer in Onyx #04

c. Armani ETK Silk in #4

d. Dior Fusion Mono in Cosmos #281

e. Dior Fusion Mono in Aventure #081

Black Diamond Iris leans more purple than the other which are grey/black/blue based.

a. Shadowland

b. NYX Roll On Shimmer in Walnut #16

c. NYX Roll On Shimmer in Almond #11

d. MUFE Aqua Cream in #15

Shadowland probably lies in the middle of the two NYXs in terms of colour, and the MUFA is quite close in colour, but has no glitter effect.

The texture of all of them are super super fine and almost wet to the touch. Indeed the main reason I didn't get the more affordable MAC Heirloom pigment sets was because they came with pigments that was purely glitter, and big pieces at that. Would not be very fun with those piece falling into the eyes. Using a paddle brush I am able to get intense colour with all except one of the pigments (Ice Blink), thus it's possible to use these as an eyeliner.

Lasting power is about ten-ish hours on me, after which it starts dulling and the colour fades a bit. There's very minimal fallout, and certainly if I blended a bit under the lower lashes, it more or less 'hides' any fallout. Have not needed to use a primer or spritz my brushes with fixing spray. One observation made trying to hand swatch for photos, they didn't perform as well on the back of my hands, which is quite dry, so those with drier eye lids will want to use something to help adherence.

A note about the NYX Roll Ons, they’re really amazing for the price and in person, they are pretty good dupes of the Color Veils. However, they do tend to fall out, so some type of fixing spray is a must, and they blend away to nothing very easily, so dabbing is my perferred way to apply them.

Below are my first try’s with each set. Look 3 was my failed attempt to recreate the promotional picture, before remembering to check their website for the tutorial (in Japanese only)
Look 1: using Shimmering Color Veil Bijoux Box 2

Black Diamond Iris unblended

Black Diamond Iris blended towards crease, Wild is the Wind blended in inner third, Shadowland blended in socket line and brow bone area

Look 2: using Shimmering Color Veil Bijoux Box 1

Pink Topaz Gisele as blended liner, 333 Dreamers in outer third, Ice Blink in inner corner and brow bone area

Look 3: using Box 1 and Shadowland

PTG unblended

PTG blended upward towards crease into Shadowland, Ice Blink in inner corners and brow area

Other things used:

Mikimoto Essence Liquid Foundation in OC03 or Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in 2

Chantecaille Compact Makeup in Shell

MUFE Full Cover concealer in #6 for spots

Chantecaille Le Camouflage Stylo in 2 or Diorskin Star concealer in 001 for under eye

THREE Color Veil for Cheeks in Wind Swept Love #16

THREE Flash Performance Eyeliners in Eye Belong #04 (Look 3) & Eye Rock #05 (Look 1)

Shu Uemura Brow Pencil Hard Formula 9 in Seal Brown 02

YSL Gloss Volupte in 106 in Look

Cle de Peau Shimmering Lip Gloss in #1 from the Holiday 2014 lip gloss trio (really regret giving the other two to family, this stuff is like a glossy serum lip balm on my lips)
Can't remember which mascaras were used

Brushes used with pigments:

MUFE #10S (from the older lineup)

Smashbox #15

Smashbox #20

In all honesty, I find the Shimmering Color Veil pigments to be easier to use than their 4D palettes (haven't tried the eyeshadow duos yet though), simply because the pigments worked spectacularly well with whatever random and clean brush I picked up, while the 4D palettes are a little picky with brushes... or it could just be my crappy skills.

All in all, I love both of these sets very much. If you want a more timeless, perhaps safer option, then Set 2 allows for a sparkly take on a classic grey smokey eye. If you want something warmer and slightly more colourful then the coppery purple tones in Set 1 is well worth a look.

Now that I've had a proper introduction into loose pigments, I'm eager for more! Have you tried any?

xx

Noodles :D

Etude House Dear My Wish Lipsticks Review

Etude House's latest lipstick launch arrived in Taiwan last week, and it far exceeded my expectations. The promotional pictures reminded me of Laneige’s promos (they're both part of Amore Pacific Corp.) and I had no plans of checking them out because my brain is stuck within the labyrinth of new foundation launches.

Fate of course steered me into an EH store a few days ago that had a pristine display of these new gems, so who am I to refuse?

Image from Etude House Taiwan official Line account

The website (Taiwan version) shows a lineup of 10 shades, but I only saw 9 at the store, the missing RD302 shade a plum, and they are housed in typical EH barely acceptable tacky princess packaging. I ended up picking BE102 and PK003, but I might go back and get RD301 and RD302 if that’s available.

Cliched and over dramatic as it is, it was love at first swatch. They glided onto the skin with wonderful pigmentation and buttery creaminess. Things get even better when I applied it onto my lips. The opacity is incredible in just one swipe and more importantly it really smoothes out my lips, making it look and feel more polished than before application. Because it is quite opaque, I think I’ll have to use a lip brush with these, since any wonky application straight from the tube is pretty obvious.

It wears almost weightless, and the only reason why I can tell something is there is because my lips are smoother than normal when I smoosh them together out of habit. I can’t tell if these contain fragrance or not, I think I’m picking up a very very faint rose scent, but it’s less than a whisper, and certainly doesn’t taste of anything.

My lips definitely love the feel of these more than the Laniege Lipstick Serum Intense, and shock horror the new Guerlain Kiss Kisses, as well as the Dior Rouge Baume. I want to compare these to the Nars Audacious lipsticks, but I’m still trying to decide what colour to get.

L: BE102 / C: PK003 / R: RD306 (Blooming line)

BE102 in the tube and when I first swatched, it looks like a bricky beige with mauve hints, but applied it leans quite fleshy pink on me. PK003 is a gorgeous bold bright magenta with white undertones. I never understood what white undertones meant until now. Compared to PK002 which is also a bright magenta, PK003 contains a distinctive bright whiteness to it.

Both BE102 and PK003 leave an even stain, and with PK003 you’ll want to remove with a heavy duty remover to get it all off. The second PK003 picture is with it largely blotted off (or so I thought) and my favourite  Ettusais glossy lip balm on top.

Wearing BE102

Wearing PK003

PK003 blotted, lip balmed

Price wise, these are currently EH’s highest priced lipsticks, and they are on the high end of drugstore prices, though still a good deal lower than MAC and UD lipsticks.

I also picked up a lipstick from one of their older lines, the Dear My Blooming in RD306, which looks almost black in the tube, but applies a reddened brick, simply because it is so rare to see Asian brands do such colours. The new Wish formula is definitely a huge improvement in terms of opacity, finish and comfort.

Wearing RD306

If you have access to Etude House, I highly recommend checking these out. EH also ships internationally now, so definitely consider these Dear My Wish lipsticks if you’re making an order.

What was your most recent lipstick love?

xx

Noodles:)

Chantecaille 15 Year Anniversary Trio and Bliss Cheek Shade Review, Swatch and Comparison

This fall, Chantecaille celebrates their 15th anniversary with a small collection of soft, natural fall colours with a LE eye palette, a blusher, 2 lipsticks and 2 glosses (one of which is new, the rest are repromotes), and a liquid liner (repromote).

Picture heavy post.

The main attraction of the collection is of course the LE 15 Year Anniversary Eye Shade Trio. The pattern on the packaging and embossed on the shadows include animals of the land, air and sea, represented by the endangered elephant, butterfly and sea turtle. In case you’re wondering, the signature on the packaging is Sylvie Chantecaille’s, the founder of the brand.

I love the meaning behind each of Chantecaille's special edition animal palettes. While I don't know how much they do generate for the various causes, it's better than nothing, and it’s such an elegant the way to generate awareness.

Proceeds from this palette will be donated to:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephants) http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

The Monarch Butterfly Fund http://www.monarchbutterflyfund.org/

WIDECAST (sea turtles) http://www.widecast.org/

The shadows can be applied wet or dry. I’ve only tried it dry because I don’t want to risk turning these into a hard crisp, and I really can’t be bothered with wet eyeshadow brushes.

In the swatch comparisons below: a. Chantecaille / b. Cle de Peau #303 / c. Chanel Poesie

The elephant is a plummy, ‘deep, earthy aubergine’, and the actual elephant embossing has a more pronounced shimmery overspray. It’s a very flattering plummy brown shade with rose gold shimmer. Used dry, it’s pretty sheer, and even built up, it’s got a slight translucency to it that may turn off many (since this is the most pigmented shade). The shimmer is quiet and subdued, applied it looks more like a dimensional matte than a shimmer. The CdP is lighter, cooler and more fully purple, the Chanel is much more metallic.

The butterfly is a soft pink ‘warm buttery vanilla’ that at first contained this electric pink iridescent shimmer that really looks gorgeous on the lids. Sadly that was only an overspray, and the pink shimmer underneath, while more dense, is very very subtle, to the point of undetectable on the lids. A shame really, because I might have considered a backup of this trio otherwise. The CdP is more beige apricot and metallic, the Chanel is similar in colour but much more metallic.

The sea turtle is a rose copper with rose gold shimmer and is very flattering for my skintone. I’ve used this shade the most, and is my favourite shade of the trio. It gives my hooded monolidded eyes this depth of dimension, and I’m convinced it makes my dark brown eyes look larger. While it is a copper, there is enough brown and tan in there that makes this a great crease colour for me too. This is the most shimmery shade of the trio, more satine than the elephant shade, but faaaar from being anywhere near bling. The CdPs are both much more purple, the Chanel is browner and has purple tones.

In my limited experience with Chantecaille shadows, I would say these are on par with the palettes released more recently (say from the last two years), and that pigmentation is on the sheerer, more translucent side. Textually, all three are very finely milled and silky soft, though not buttery soft (compared to say Armani Eyes to Kill Solos). The sea turtle shade however, is slightly less silky soft to the fingertip touch than the other two, but with application via brush, I couldn’t tell a difference. I applied without primer, and it lasts me all day (though the butterfly shade is hard to tell).

Wearing Chantecaille 15 Year Anniversary Trio and Cheek Shade in Bliss

I think there will be many who will think this is much too overpriced for how sheer the palette is. I have read that many have been disappointed with the more recent palettes because of the lack of pigment compared to the older palettes, and this palette will likely disappoint those people. Also, there is a high chance most would have dupes of all three of the shades (even from within the brand I feel).

Here’s a full palette swatch comparison of the Chantecaille with Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Poesie #234 (FOTD here) and CdP Eye Color Quad in Baby Universe #303 (FOTD here).

Poesie is easily the most metallic and bling-tiful. Baby Universe shares the same translucent beauty, but contains separate matte and shimmer shades.

Personally, I do really like this palette, and I’ve been reaching for it non-stop. It may not be the same level of love I give to the new Chanel or CdP quads, but I find this a very flattering and wearable glowly matte, and it feels good to have contributed to wildlife conservation in this way also.

The other LE item in this collection is the Cheek Shade in Bliss. If you brought this without swatching and hoped for a soft pastel pink, you may be in for a disappointment. On the skin, I'd describe Bliss as a bronzing blusher. There's a terra-cotta to the blusher that gives it a burnt orange tinge.

Wearing the butterfly and sea turtle shades on the eyes, Cheek Shade in Bliss and the Luminous Lip Gloss in Mulberry

The website describes the formula as giving ‘the most subtly convincing blush of color’ and I totally agree. It gives me an incredibly natural flush, that looks like I've just had a good workout. There is no shimmer that I can see, but the blush is far from matte. The light reflecting particles in there brings to my cheeks this lovely luminous glow.

It's not overly pigmented, and again there is a translucent sheerness to it, but it's easily buildable. I'm not familiar with Chantecaille's powder blushers (I have their cream ones which I love and really should do a post on) so I can't tell you how the measures up with the permanent line. The wear is great, lasting me all day, both the pigment and luminosity.

Above is a comparison of Bliss (left) with Chanel Joues Contraste in Innocence #160 (center / FOTD here) and Giorgio Armani Cheek Fabric in Daybreak #503 (right). Can you see how Bliss just molds to the skin so naturally with the dreaded swatch edge. It's in the same rose orange spirit as Daybreak, but the latter has much more visible shimmer. If I remember correctly all three blushers are LE.

I think natural translucency, glowly matte are my conclusions of the two limited edition items from Chantecaille’s 15 year anniversary collection. Both are right up my alley and I’m really enjoying using each of them.

From the collection I did also pick up two lip products, a Luminous Lip Gloss in Mulberry (an aubergine brown with gold, silver and green flecks of glitter, not merely shimmer, that can’t be felt on the lips) seen worn in the Bliss pic, and Hydra Chic Lipstick in Fairy Moss which hasn’t arrived at counter yet, so I’ll hope to do a lippy post later.

Have you picked up any of Chantecaille’s Anniversary items?

xx

Noodles :)