Joining in Yumeko's weekly photo challenge again!
1. Something you ate this week
Vienetta ice cream cake is a childhood favourite that I recently re-discovered, thanks to my husband. The best part is the crisp chocolate layers interspersed throughout!
Breakfast at Paul.
A simple lunch by the lake.
2. Something you bought this week
The new Essence Colour Arts collection features 20 loose pigments which can be mixed into the eye base, lip base and nail base.
I picked up the pigments in 06 WOW It's Orange, 09 Be My Brightsmaid and 19 Kiss The Frog, plus the Multi-tasker, a soft silicon spatula applicator that can be used for mixing and applying the pigments.
3. Something you wore this week
Discovered this week that Becca Eye Tint in Romanticism makes a fabulous base for Shu Uemura glitter eyeshadows, outperforming Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I've also been testing out Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush 50 Plum Wine, which is lovely except that the blush arrived completely dislodged from the metal pan and stuck to the lid. Jill Stuart Blush Blossom 07 Charming Lily is great for everyday wear. And I hit pan on my Dior Diorskin Forever Compact foundation!
4. Something you read this week
My dear sweet husband hunted down the September issues of Glamour and Elle UK for me, scoring the free Jemma Kidd I-Glamour Define Eyeliner 03 Blue with the latter.
5. Something that made you smile this week
The lilies and gladiolus finally bloomed in my garden, after months of watering them daily.
A great place for spending a lazy summer day is the Lavaux vineyard terraces by the lake near Lausanne.
If you would like to join in the fun, just leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to check it out!
Cucuba is the new Cuban-inspired collection by Catrice, featuring warm brown and bronze shades, mustard yellow, bright coral and soft mint green. I've been looking forward to this collection for the lovely mint shades.
Of the five Loose Eye Shadows, I purchased C02 Reggaeton, C04 Havana Drum and C05 Take It Mint. I would have picked up C03 Salsa Cubana (coral pink) too but it was sold out.
Reggaeton and Havana Drum are richly pigmented even without using a primer, while Take It Mint swatches more sheer with an icy finish. When applied over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Reggaeton and Havana Drum have a molten metallic finish that easily rival the best pigments by MAC. Made in Poland, these are quite a steal at CHF4.75 for 2g.
The two Liquid Shimmer Eye Liners (CHF4.75, 3.2ml) have very slim brush applicators. While the shimmer is visible in the tube, it is hardly detectable when applied. The Take It Mint eyeliner leans more Tiffany-blue than the Loose Eye Shadow of the same name.
Swatches below on bare skin without any primer.
In the pic below, the loose eye shadows are swatched over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Both Reggaeton and Havana Drum are just single swipes each.
Love the looks done on the model for this collection!
The Essence A New League collection just arrived at my local supermarket, which was a bit of a surprise as it was supposed to have been the trend edition for May/June 2012.
Let’s hit the court! If you’re into the college look and British tennis and golf chic, you’ll love the new essence trend edition "a new league". In May and June 2012, the focus is on high-class colors like white, green, red and blue as well as stripes and diamond patterns. This trend edition is inspired by the clean, retro-sporty preppy look of the 30’s, which is enjoying a true revival at the moment! And as the special highlight of this trend edition, let us present the colorful and transparent hair ties – game, set and match for "a new league".
The most interesting item in the collection is the Multi-Color Bronzing Powder 01 Go Classy, Go Retro with a argyle mosaic design comprising four tones. There are also three shimmery cream eyeshadows, two eyeliner pens and a red lip tint, plus a pocket brush and hair ties.
There are four nail polishes in red, blue, green and brown.
The more grown-up sister brand of Essence, Catrice also had a new seasonal collection, Cruise Couture, on display.
Sunbathing on a yacht, diving into the deep blue ocean to cool off and heading to the most exclusive parties in town in the evening… welcome to St. Tropez! The Limited Edition “Cruise Couture” by CATRICE whips you away on a short trip to the Côte d’Azur in May 2012. The world of colors combines nautical blue shades with fresh pink and coral nuances. In the fashion industry, this maritime color combination is called the “French New Wave” and this year, the interpretation by high-end fashion designers is even more luxurious and glamorous than ever before! The matching CATRICE look is an absolute must as beach wear and stylish city looks merge into one. Whether you’re heading for the beach or going on a shopping spree, these fresh colors in various blue nuances as well as coral, apricot and pink shades are stylish and elegant!
I swatched the eyeshadow palette and lipsticks but they didn't impress me much. The eyeshadows all seemed sheer. The nailpolishes also looked rather ordinary.
Miami Roller Girl is the new 'trend edition' by Essence for July/August, with sporty bright shades of yellow, coral and pink. The display at my local supermarket was sadly virtually wiped out by the time I came across it, with some products from earlier collections stuck in it. You can see swatches of the blush and four nail polishes on Parokeets.
The collection includes three shimmery powder eyeshadows (CHF2.75).
There are also clip-on hair extensions in three shades, of which two are shown here.
Fortunately, there was one final piece of the blush in 01 Dates On Skates (CHF4.50), which was what I really wanted from this collection.
The gradational tones in orange, coral and pink feel quite smooth to touch, but they apply very sheer with a brush. The blush is a soft matte. It contains 8g, which is very generous (versus 6g for MAC powder blushes).
I swatched the three shades individually with my fingertip in the left half of the pic below, and blended all three shades with a blush brush on the right half.
I also picked up the eyeshadows in 01 Bienvenido a Miami and 02 Vice, Vice Baby (Essence comes up with the funniest shade names at times!). Embossed with a raised palm tree pattern, this looked pretty easy to wear with a gentle shimmer. These are made in Poland. I'm not swatching these as I'll probably gift these to a friend.
Of the six new Armani Eyes To Kill released as part of the Aqua collection for summer, I purchased #24 Smokey Copper, #25 Rusted Gold and #28 Red Platine from Nordstrom.com.
#24 Smokey Copper is a sooty black mixed with bronzed gold. This applies as a smokey antique brown olive on me.
#25 Rusted Gold is a black mixed with paler gold reflects. This is murkier and less brown-toned compared to Smoky Copper.
#28 Red Platine is a copper gold mixed with burgundy. This looked more crumbly and messy in the pot compared to the other two.
Below are comparison swatches with the other Eyes To Kill in my collection. These swatches were 2-3 swipes each on bare skin with no primer. Compared to L'Oreal Color Infallibles, Armani Eyes To Kill tend to have a richer color payoff. For swatches of all six shades in the Aqua collection, do check out The Beauty Look Book, Front Row Beauty and Perilously Pale.
For this look, I used #24 Smokey Copper from the upper lashline to the crease, and Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes #1 Jewel Dress. Smoky Copper applied very smoothly, building up quickly to a smooth, opaque finish with a bit of a glimmer. In the pot, it looks sparkly under a spotlight but when applied on the lids, the finish is more understated without any obvious glitter bits. Once it sets, it does not crease or smudge, which is impressive.
The other products used for this look are: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation in Fair and Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Spirited, Paul & Joe Matte Pressed Powder, Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer 51, Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes in Blackest Black, K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02, MAC Fly-by-Blu Pearlglide Eyeliner and Suqqu Nuancing Cheeks EX03 Akanemizu.
For applying the Eyes To Kill, I used Louise Young brush LY13, which gives precise application and is good for layering and smudging.
