Currently Lemming: Stila Smudge Sticks (Swatches)

What Stila Says:
"Obsessed for Smudge Pots? You'll go crazy for Smudge Sticks! This highly pigmented, waterproof eye liner glides on to deliver intense, vibrant color with staying power.

These easy to apply, eye liners have it all:

* Long Lasting
* Waterproof
* Easy to apply
* Several shimmer intense shades to make eyes stand out
* Vibrant colors
* Self sharpening propel pencil
Shades:
stingray- Black
lionfish- Brown with Shimmer
purple tang- Purple with Shimmer
moray- Olive with Shimmer
koi- Metallic Gold
silverdollar- Metallic Silver
peacock- Cobalt Blue
blue ribbon- Navy Grey"
(Source)

Lets see. We'll go through this one by one.
Long lasting? Yes, they lasted on my hand through a nap and halfway through a shower (Will elaborate on this later).
Easy to apply? Yes, these are incredibly creamy and set within 15 seconds.
Shimmery, intense, vibrant shades? CHECK! LOVE these colors!
Waterproof? Erm. Remember when I said halfway through a shower? They began fading once the hot water spattered on my hand and when I rubbed lightly, they disappeared even more and were completely gone with one good rub. Now, I realize that Stila doesn't claim these to be rub proof, but the colors lose their vibrant shades once the water hit the swatches. I don't recommend that you wear these to the beach.





stingray- Black. This seemed more of a satin black than a matte black--its got a bit of a sheen.
lionfish- This looks cool in the photos but its really more of a dark brown brown with golden undertones. Seems to be metallic rather than with shimmer.
purple tang- SO GORGEOUS. Deep metallic blue purple.
moray- Olive, there's really nothing more to it. Pretty shade.
koi- This is a very brassy gold...However, this and Silver Dollar are much more metallic than the others.
silverdollar- Pure silver.
peacock- Not really what I'd call 'cobalt blue', I think its more teal. Also a little more matte and satiny than metallic.
blue ribbon- Murky middle blue-grey. Also very pretty!

MAC Coral Lipstick Comparision

With the release of MAC's Spring Colour Forecast collection in February and Lancome's Chris & Tell [the latest in the line of Pret-A-Porter series that included Peter Som's PS Kiss, and Thakoon's Pixel Pink], coral lipsticks have been extremely popular. And with summer coming up, coral is bound for a welcome back into the makeup world. [Let's check out Chanel's Rouge Allure in Genial shall we? Can I say gorgeous?]

Anyways, Spring Colour Forecast included Fresh Salmon. This is the color that is supposed to dupe Chris & Tell. But wait, didn't MAC release Lollipop Loving not too long ago? How do they compare?






Here you go :). Better late than never!

Swatches: Requested New MAC hauls

This is a requested post :) My hauls from MAC recently--Rated R starflash, Strike A Pose starflash and Push The Edge pigment.



Push The Edge looks much more like how it really applies on my eyes in the 3rd pic, on my finger. I didn't pick up enough of the product in the 2nd pic. It's more of a chunky pigment, and a tiny bit chalky, but I really love the color.

The two starflash formula eyeshadows are a bit sheerer than I remember Starflash to be but I like them alot too! Very unique shades in my opinion.

Swatches: Erika F Comparisions

When I was in Taiwan this year, I saw quite a few eyeshadows that I thought could dupe the infamous Erika F from Lancome. Of course, in the name of blogging, I bought the two that I saw: Shu Uemura ME471 and Art Deco 45. Here's how they stack up:

ME471: The most pigmented of the three, and the most olivey. I guess that's obvious because its named Olive ME471. Amazing buttery texture, and shimmery.
Ombre Absolute 144 Erika F: Super glittery and most green, and also lightest. This has probably the most issues with fall out, and its worst vice is because of all the glitter.
45: This looks hideously warm next to the other two, very bronze. It doesn't on its own, but now that I have this next to Erika F, it's nothing like 144.

So far, the closest dupe for Erika F is Shu Uemura number 471 but it doesn't have the glitter and more green / silver that Erika F is.

The search continues...

Swatches: Shu Uemura Glow On & ArtDeco Eyeshadow

Readers' requests :) Here we are, Shu uemura glow ons in P pink 30 and P wine 25, and ArtDeco single eyeshadow in 243, 45, 239, 206, 77 and 264.




Comparision of 45 with shu uemura ME471 and Lancome Erika F:




Hope that helps :)

Swatches: Anna Sui Glitter Eye Color Stick

[image from ichibankao.com]
Apologize for the no post yesterday, I was extremely busy trying to get everything ready for my flight back home! But yes, here we have sheer color sticks which are used for the major glitter. Its something not usually found in Japanese lines [where they aim for soft, finely milled shimmer] so I thought it would be interesting.

Actually....I think it's a waste of 25USD. You see the pigment on my arm? It took ALOT of layers to just get that much color! While I know the main purpose isn't for the color, it's still disappointing. I mean, why make so many colors if they won't show up properly when applied?

You can see from the photo that there are flecks of serious glitter in there, and I suppose you'd just swipe on your lid, blend and top with shadow. I doubt these would hold up though if you have problems with creasing. They have a decent texture, on the dry side but the glitter doesn't grit when rubbed against the skin.

I'd give these a pass, and remember: All Anna Sui products are heavily scented with rose!

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: Jill Stuart Lipstick Part 2

[image from ichibankao.com]

Continuing from yesterday: Here are the rest of the lipsticks!

Swatches: Jill Stuart Lipstick Part 1

[image from ichibankao.com]

Today we are going to take a look at Jill Stuart lipsticks. These retail for 850NTD which is about 26USD, so pretty pricey! They are more sheer than full on pigment, which seems to be popular in Japanese lines, very shiny and come in 19 colors. Beware--these ARE scented with rosey floral and do not seem to dissipate. I would compare these to tinted lipbalms more than lipstick.




07-10 are pretty much clear on my arm. This is after several swipes--that's how pigmented these are, but those are sheer colors.
07 is a light nude, but of course you can't tell that on my arm...
08 is a light baby pink, but again hard to tell on my arm.
09 has more pigment and is a medium cool leaning pink.
10 is a very frosty light lilac lipstick. I can't see it looking too great honestly...

Keep in mind that while these look very scary in the tube [especially number 1 as a bright scarlet red!] they turn very wearable on the lips.
Are you eying any?

Swatches: Shu Uemura Primitribe Collection Fall 2009

Shu uemura fall is now on counters in Taiwan, even though the stock is actually quite the mess with a only a few stores that have stock RIGHT NOW and even fewer with the complete collection. [Rolls eyes] Great job Shu for botching up another release.

I must say though that this COMPLETELY makes up for the stupid summer collection [and with special packaging too!]. I totally WANT those gel liners, yellow and turquoise have my name labeled on it!

Okay, the reviews. The gel liners are SO CREAMY and so richly pigmented its insane. Citrine [yellow] has slight shimmer that probably won't show up on the eye, Turquoise has more shimmer [but it still probably won't show up once applied] and Spinel is matte. They are so gorgeous, I keep swatching them every time I go past the counter.They retail for 24USD.

The lipsticks are pretty, but only the BG942 and WN297 are being released in the US. The US also has a color PK300 that Asia doesn't get. But all of these are extremely rich and creamy and pigmented--I have my eye on BG910 which is a bit sheerer in color [BG950S is also sheerer]. WN297 is not as dark as it looks in the tube [almost blackish!] and goes on much more purpley fucshia. One of these sets you back 23USD.

The cream sticks [not sure of the exact product name] are not that creamy, nor that pigmented. My SA said that they are supposed to be used as a base for eyeshadow or can be used alone for a translucent wash of color. They are available in four shades--Blazed Gold and Rich Earth also have some glitter in them. All are appropriately 'autumny'. They lasted a whole afternoon on my arm and didn't rub off on my purse or clothes, which I think is because of their drier texture. These are 700NTD which is about 21USD. Please note that Taiwan gets a bit of a discount on shu uemura and the US price may be slightly higher.

The nail polish is quite bright, a blue-based hot pink and I don't like it on my skintone because it tends towards trashy on me [probably because of the blue undertones]. If you like blue pinks though then a bottle will cost you sixteen bucks. Definetly use two coats and a top coat on it and it will last you quite awhile!

Lastly, the blushes. They are GORGEOUS. SOO pretty. Unique though....no. Probably not. But these are great quality and you get two colors [I think for contouring and regular blush] in the same compact for the price of one. [Wow I sound like an infomercial there--two for the price of one! I wish shu did buy one get one free ;-)]. These retail for 21USD. I will let the pictures speak for themselves as they are accurate! As with all shu blushes, these are buildable, glowy and pigmented. My favorite formula!











Please also note that there is a new Limited Edition false eyelash available as well.

So, what do you think? Will you be indulging in Shu Primitribe?

Swatches: Jill Stuart Fall 2009

Hey guys, guess what? Yes, the title is correct, I've got swatches of Jill Stuart Fall! [Except for the mix blush because that would never show up in pictures. I think I will try to take a picture this weekend of the display!] And it seems that everything is permanent!

Check it out! I really liked the new Seductive Eyes palette, [1450 NTD which is about 44USD] even though it might seem similar to Jill Stuart's other palettes because of the pink, but I like it. I won't be picking it up though because I can never pull off pinks.

The new Brilliance Eyes [1450 NTD which is about 44USD] severely disappointed me. The online promo was giving me the false belief that the third color would be a lovely vibrant midtone blue--it's actually more of a faded medium periwinkle. It is growing on me though and I may just pick it up.

The new Jelly Lip gloss [660NTD which is about 20USD] is pretty much just clear with pink frost/shimmer that the camera doesn't pick up. If all goes well, I will be redoing this and the Lip Luster's swatch as well.

Speaking of the Lip Lusters [800NTD which is about 24USD], they are very pigmented, but the shades are just so run of the mill. I don't see any need to spend 24 bucks on this.

The nail polishes are pretty but again, you can find better. I only did one coat of then--but 2 coats of 38 makes it look just a slightly blued black, 37 is only a smidge darker than 36 and both are very sheer. Pass, especially for 450NTD which is almost 14USD!

Also this collection introduces a cuticle oil treatment for 620 NTD which is almost 19USD. Please keep in mind that all items are scented with the traditional Jill Stuart floral rose scent.

Pictures:









What do you think?