Swatches: Mish-mash of random items

Today's post is just a chance to pull out all those random swatches I've accumulated...so, here goes.



Shu uemura White Recovery EX+ Instand Spot Brightener: 45$

That's all for today :)

Swatches: Shu Uemura NEW Glow Ons

Yes! Shu uemura finally adds to their collection of glow ons with M wine 24, P pink 34 and P peach 35. Aren't they pretty?

Glow ons retail for 21$ USD on the USA site.

Swatches: Jill Stuart Loose Blush

[image from ichibankao.com]
By request of Catherine :) Unfortunately the counter I go to only seems to have the following shadoes, there was no sight of 04, or 06. Weird!
Anyways, the blush. They are pretty sheer, but can easily be layered. For the swatches I took a clump of the powder and rubbed [the SA did NOT look happy with me digging in the pots!!]. I would guess that up to skintones NC30 they would work well, but beyond that I'm not so sure. All of these have shimmer and retail for 1250NTD which is about 38 USD, which is kind of pricey!

-01 is a very pretty blue pink, seems to be more mauvey than 02.
-02 is more blue and lighter than 01.
-03 is a very unique [in Japanese brands] mauvey rose I guess? Very pretty. This one, 07 and 10 are more pigmented.
-05 is an even more unique orangey color. This one tends on the sheerer side, so it's more wearable.
-07 is kind of like 10, but seems to be a warm dusky rose.
-10 is a pinky dusty rose color.

Hope this helps you Catherine :)

Swatches: Gransenbon 'Gran Brush' Powder Blush

Source.

Gransenbon is a Japanese brand, on the pricey end of drugstore. These blushes cost about 19USD, and I don't have 04 because the tester was stolen [who DOES that?]. They are all shimmery, and have very nice texture as well as being highly pigmented. Alot of people love their blushes for good reason. However, they recently discontinued alot [which accounts for the gaps between numbers] that were extremely pretty : (. Check out the pics:

Swatches: K-Palette Color Disk Cheek

Source from here.

Many of us have never heard of K-Palette before, so I will enlighten you! K-palette is a division of the company that owns Gransenbon [famous for their blushes, that we will take a look at tomorow]. K-palette's blushes are totally inferior to Gransenbon's, but that doesn't really matter as their real stand out is the 1 Day Tattoo liquid eyeliner. But that is another story.

Of course, K-palette branched out into eyeshadow palettes, eyebrows, lipgloss and blushes. So that brings us full circle!
These blushes retail for roughly 18USD. They are on the sheer side [I had to run my finger in these several times to get this level of color], and I don't really recommend that you buy the blushes for that price tag.

Swatches: Aube Couture Designing Blush

[picture from ichibankao.com]

These lovely new blushes from Aube Couture retail for roughly 25USD, promosing to deliver a sculpted [contoured??] look that is accomplished by the way the blusher is pressed in the pan. As you can see in the picture above, the top and bottom are slanted so it makes the middle of the pan higher. It's..hm...kind of like those McDonalds fry cartons, if they folded in the top too.

I don't know about the look it's supposed to give, but logic says that if you swipe a brush evenly across the surface, the part that is raised higher gets more pigment--and the overall effect is to make your cheeks 'sculpted'.

They are a bit on the sheer side--I would call them medium pigment, but able to be layered and I think it makes them alot more wearable. Not bad, with that fancy packaging for 25$.

Swatches: Lavshuca Cheek Color

[picture from ichibankao.com]

Kanebo Lavshuca is a drugstore line, though a bit more expensive than Majolica Majorca, it's closest competitor. I believe these cheek colors retail for about USD, give or take.

These are on the sheer side, which in my opinion, makes them more wearable. They have a good range of shades that are most commonly bought, and as they don't really concentrate on the cheeks, its a good range for them. As all Lavshuca, these are packaged in a burgundy plastic with a clear cover. There isn't a brush that comes with this and I like that, because usually the ones brands give you suck and are a waste of space. This is definetly worth your money.

Review: Lancome Plum Fantasy Magique Mousse Blush

Wow, this review is long overdue! I promised you this weeks ago, but haven't had much opportunity [aka, excuse for forgetting ;-)] to sit down and type this up. But here we go!

Please note that this product is discontinued and while your local store / counter may have a few left, for best opportunity to purchase this, go to a local outlet store or websites.

While I swapped for this, it used to cost 28$ for 0.26 oz or 7 grams. I thought that it cost so much, but now that I've used it, and see the amount you really need, it's a decent price.

The color of Plum Fantasy is, indeed, plum. But it's not purpley, it's very rosey--rosey bronze with the dustiness of plum is how I'd describe it. I really do like it, but it has big sparkles in it. Not really fine shimmer that translates into glow once applied--this is bits of silver sparkle. I would have prefered that Lancome keep these matte! I, for one, don't like overly shimmery blush and this is one reason why I don't use this as much as I would if it were matte.




Of course, the part you've all been waiting for--the texture! It's spongey! It's moussey! It's super soft! It's pigmented! It's...Lancome Magique Mousse blush!

Out of the [decidedly not that many] cream or mousse products I've tried, only two have really made my eyes pop out at the texture. That's this stuff, and Jill Stuart Jelly Eyes [a review for another day]. It's so different! And it's not bad. Imagine whipped cream. Now imagine that it's firmer than whipped cream and spreadable [don't tell me you've never wanted to moosh your finger around in a cream product before!]. It easily blends into my skin, and the texture is really amazing. I love it!




All of this deliciously amazing product is housed in a frosted glass jar that feels nicely weighty. The cap is black with a golden rose--Lancome's symbol--on it. When all is said and done, this gem is definetly worth hunting down--Dang Lancome for discontinuing the series!

Update: Here is a picture of me wearing no blush:



Then wearing Plum Fantasy [used lightly, not a fan of heavy blush]

Teaser: Lancome Magique Mouse Blush

Teehee! I got this in the mail a few days ago, and love it! Here are a few pics to hopefully tide you over until I type up the review. But I highly advise you to rush out to your Lancome counter now, and see if they still have more of these discontinued beauties!! Why does Lancome always have to discontinue the good stuff?

These were 28$ at last count, for 0.25 Oz or 7 grams.

Review: Lancome Freeze Frame Cream Blush

It seems to be Lancome Blush week over here! You'll see why soon. This particular blush is touted to be:

"Sensational effects cream blush. Smooth Hold."

And to:
"Design your cheeks with a creamy touch of color. Blendable. Lasting. Sensational Effects.

A beautifully blendable, silky cream blush that gives cheeks even, lasting color. Smooth and non-greasy, it glides onto cheeks softly and evenly. Perfect for all skin types. In 3 finishes: sheer, shimmer and riche."

(Source)

Sounds great right? It is. But that didn't stop me from swapping Freeze Frame away. Why? Well, I'll tell you why.

Colour Design Blush is an Allure's choice (just thought I'd throw that out there.)
The texture is indeed, silky, blendable and a whole lot of good. It's not as thick as say, MAC cream blush, or as Lancome's own Magique mousse blushes (Now discontinued), or Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge. I like that it has alot more 'slip'; as it seems to blend so much more easily.

Smooth and Non-greasy? Check. Like I said before, this blush has alot of slip, and so is very smooth. Blushes with that quality tend to be more on the greasy side, but this one is not. So far, so good!

These blushes are very pigmented, but a light hand can let you get away with most of the colors, if you want to shell out 27$ for each one. Color Design blush comes in 11 colors, ranging from light pink to gold to red and plum, to mocha and what looks like dark rust. You can find any perfect shade for your skintone and preferences in the line.

Which brings me to another thing--price. I swear that last time I looked, these were only 23$. Why the sneaky price raises Lancome? And to 27$--almost as much as a Chanel lipstick! I don't think I could bring myself to purchase one cream blush for that much! (P.S. I had swapped for Freeze Frame in the first place!) Although, some time in the future, I probably will buy the Petticoat Pink color...you know how makeup addicts are!

Freeze Frame is indeed for use as a highlighter. The lady at the counter did tell me that it could be used as blush on super-pale complexions though, when I went to investigate some more. I'm not sure how well that would work as I don't have super pale skin and don't know anyone who does.

As a highlighter on NC20 MAC skin, it works really well. It adds sort of a luminescent shimmery glow--I couldn't tell you the color as I am horrible with color descriptions, and hope that your questions will be answered by the pics. They last very well on my combo-oily skin, but I just don't reach for highlighters! I must have about 7, and never use them! (This is the reason why Freeze Frame had to go).



The packaging is just OK. Sometimes it looks tacky to me; sometimes its just meh. You slide the clear cover back, like the Color Design eyeshadows, and voila, you can now use the blush. When you aren't using it, it locks securely shut.

All in all, another really great Lancome blush, and while Freeze Frame was not for my preferences, I might pick up some more later on.

Review: Shu Uemura Powder Blushes (Glow Ons)

(No idea what shade this is as the site doesn't say. taken from shuuemura-usa.com)
Product information:
What shu says about their glow on blushes:
"A variation of colors to enhance the natural glow of the cheeks. Available in pearl and matte shades."
(--taken from the shuuemura-usa site)
So the product is called glow on to enhance our natural glow. Interesting! The pan for a blush is double that of their eyeshadow, and weighs in at 5g, 0.17 oz.

(Shades pictured are: ME beige 800 eyeshadow and P Wine 29 blush)
Formulas: Unlike their shadows, Shu blushes only have two formulas: M (Matte) and P (Pearl). Matte blushes are without shimmer, Pearl blushes do have shimmer. However, for those who are shimmer-shy, it translates to a glow on your face. I love shu blushes for doing that!

Naming: Since there are only two formulas, this is easier than their shadows; it's only one or the other. Basically, the numbers go from:
20-under: Miscellaneous (Usually LE blushes go here). Includes a purple and red blush.
20s: Wines
30s: Pinks
40s: Peaches
50s: Oranges
60s: Only one, a Brick.
70s: Browns
80s: Ambers
90s: Highlighting shades (gold, silver).

The rule for eyeshadows also applies to blush: the higher the number, the darker it is. So, P Peach 47 would be darker than P Peach 40.

To avoid confusion, here it is:
P: In the Pearl formula.
Peach: The color.
47: Of medium darkness.

Depotting/Packaging: Like the eyeshadows, there are two holes on the back in which you can poke through using a toothpick or pen to lift the pans out and pop into a palette. Again, I wish shu could magnetize their palettes/blushes and eyeshadows since reusing glue is rather nasty. The packaging of the blushes was recently revamped as well, to become more streamlined and close more securely. However...I've knicked blushes of both packaging.
Depotting:

Old/New Packaging:


Colors: Comes in an array of 37 colors in two finishes. I own the following:

P Gold 93D: One of the highlighter shades, it's a warm buttery gold. I'd recommend this one to warmer skintones. Gives a great glow!


Harmonious Orange: Limited Edition for Spring 2008. I actually had wanted to get Tranquil Pink, but they sent me the wrong one :X. It's a burnt, dusty orange. The design in it is almost faded after two uses as well. This is matte.


P Wine 29: Definetly a wine, comparable to MAC's Breath of Plum but redder. Gorgeous shade.


Lastly, P Peach 47: A true peach, no pink in it. Very pigmented! My first shu blush.


P Peach 40: I used to have this but swapped it away as I already have P47, which shows up better on me. This one was much lighter than P Peach 47, which I'd recommend for paler ladies.

Swatches:



Price: 21$ for one, which is 4$ cheaper than NARS blushes which are often compared to Glow Ons. Great value, since a swipe will do you.