Bobbi Brown 25th Anniversary Nude Library Celebration Kit

Bobbi Brown was the brand that introduced yellow-based foundations and neutral makeup to the masses, for which we will be forever grateful. This year, they turn 25 and celebrate with one of the most mind-blowing kits ever for neutral addicts.

The Nude Library is housed in a gorgeous box styled to look like Bergdorf Goodman in NYC, where Bobbi opened her first makeup counter selling 10 shades of lipstick. (They sold a month's supply within a single day, and the rest is history.)

Inside there are a handful of their most iconic products - a Skin Foundation Stick, lipstick (but of course), gel liner,  Shimmer Brick, and that most covetable of all things; a 40-shade Nude Library palette that pulls together eight of Bobbi Brown's best selling 5-shade nude eye palettes over the years.

The palette reminds me of the University foundation palettes, where you have a divider separating two sections of shadows which are grouped exactly as they were in their original palettes. Nude on Nude, Navy on Nude, Desert Twilight, etc. If you ever fell in love with one of these in the past and ran out, or would just love to own all of them, this is where you can have them all in one place.

Lust, Not Must: Luxe Beauty Products I Prefer Not To Be Without

You know there are always products that you buy even though you know logically, that there are lot of affordable alternatives? They aren’t a “MUST” and life most definitely can go on without them. However budget allowing, you will keep going for these - over cheaper alternatives - every time. 

Here are some of mine!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quads - so pricey, but so gorgeous. And the color combinations are always so beautifully put together that you don’t need to be great at color coordination to put a great eye look together.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balms - finding perfect lip balm is like finding a perfect mascara; everyone likes something different. And it's like Goldilocks trying different bowls of porridge when you're looking for the perfect one - some are not moisturizing enough, some are too gloopy and sticky, some are too runny, some are too thick... I always sigh despairingly at how expensive a tube of Fresh Sugar balm is compared to something I can pick up at the drugstore - but I always repurchase them. And I sigh and wish I was one of those for whom Maybelline Babylips works just fine.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks - no these are not the most expensive lipsticks I own; but I do use them up pretty darned fast because they are so soft and creamy and need lots of touching up through the day. But we still love them.

La Mer The Intensive Revitalizing Mask - sleeping packs and leave-on masks are a dime a dozen these days. So why do I have to fall in love with one of the most expensive ones around? This is instantly nourishing but still feels fresh on my dry skin. The comfortable feeling and glow lasts for the whole day.

Aurelia Bamboo Muslin Cloths - hot cloth cleansing has made a world of difference for my skin. It polishes and exfoliates without irritating my dry and semi-sensitive skin. And these anti-bacterial, ultra-soft muslins are still my favorite. I remove makeup and use a cream cleanser, then dampen one of these in hot water and finish my face cleansing routine with a few wipes. No foaming wash required.

Serge Lutens fragrances - no these aren’t the priciest as far as niche scents are concerned, but I definitely have more favorites from this line - and use these more - than my Frederic Malles or any of the other niche lines. So naturally I wish they were cheaper or came in larger, more economical sizes than the standard 50ml.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation and Concealer - this costs a veritable bomb. But it makes my skin feel so good and gives such a perfected, luminous, demi-matte finish that I just buy it against my better judgment. Plus, having a matching concealer in the cap is just - handy.

Shu Uemura Color Atelier Eye Shadow Swatches and Review

Shu Uemura has revamped their eyeshadow line and added an additional 41 shades, They will also be resurrecting 5 discontinued shades, so the total will eventually add up to 100 whopping colors.

Currently in Singapore, there is stock for 82 colors. 41 new, 41 catalogue. Once stock issues have been sorted out all 100 shades in 6 textures (matte, pearl, metallic, shimmer, iridescent, and glitter) will be available for you to pick to your heart's content. 

If you've never purchased Shu shadows before, you'll know they usually work with a custom-system where you buy empty 4-pan palettes for SGD$25 (that's the most common size) and slot in individual shadows at $22 each. The shadows are very reasonably priced as far as high-end shadows go in Singapore, but the palettes themselves tend to be a bit expensive.

If you're put off by that, what a lot of people do is keep their eyeshadows and blushes in the original plastic cases, buy one or two eyeshadow palettes, and just slot in 4 shadows - or 2 shadows and a blush - whenever they need to bring their makeup around. (Or skip the palette entirely if you don't travel or have large custom palettes already; it's up to you.)

Grey-toned smoky eye done with the 4-pan palette pictured at top of post

Shu Uemura shadows have always been great quality; there's no dispute on that. But I've always felt their strength was in the metallic (ME), iridescent (IR) and glitter (G) textures, and not so much the mattes, which were not as buildable or blendable.

But I was quite surprised after swatching 41 new and 2 re-promoted shades below that a lot of the mattes were actually my favorites of the lot. They are designed to have high color fidelity; what you see is what you get. And the textures are also meant to be ultra-smooth and easy to blend.

My custom palette is composed of the below shades:

M 907 -  matte white (catalogue)

M 613 - matte baby aqua (new)

M 935 - matte dove grey (new)

IR 685 - iridescent navy (new)

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Honeymoon

A number of Tom Ford's original Eye Color Quads were replaced earlier this year with some newer quads. Sad because two of my faves - Lavender Lust and Cognac Sable - were discontinued. But at the same time happy because they did add a number of gorgeous new palettes.

Of course, since these new palettes just launched a couple of months, you might want to give the counter a call before you go down because the first batch was sold out (enthusiastic fans called up to reserve stock) even before they hit the shelves.

One of those which got the most attention was Honeymoon, a burnished gold and wine palette which has the same gossamer texture as the ever-popular Nude Dip palette. 

The shades are decidedly Autumnal - gold, bronze, wine, and burgundy, like falling leaves and ambery booze. And even though it looks a little dramatic in the pan, the colors are actually pretty wearable and work nicely with the natural tones of skin. 

I would expect this quad works for all skin tones from tan to very pale, although you should take care to even out your skin tone and hide any discolorations, excess redness and dark circles, etc if you are very pale. If you have a very deep skin tone, you might get more of a warm shimmer rather than obvious color, but this palette will not ever look chalky because the pigments are so translucent.

The only criticism of the palettes with this iridescent texture is the complete lack of matte shades, so if you have a lot of fine lines around your eye area, you might want to keep the shadows to the lid area or else choose a different palette, as the pearl pigments will catch and magnify uneven texture and lines.

Below's a tutorial to recreate this simple look!

The Body Shop Holiday 2015 Swinging Silver Palette (and Frosted Plum)

Whether you're into bath and body products or not, you have to hand it to The Body Shop for great holiday makeup.

I'm quite a fan of their eye-shadows which were reformulated about 2-3 years back. And Christmas is the season where they come up with annual limited edition eyeshadow quads that are perfect for the party season, and won't break the bank. If you're not sure how to use the shades, there are instructions and a diagram on the back of the package.

I received the Singing Silver eye palette (below) for review, and had to immediately dig in when I touched the shadows.

This is a cool-toned palette, but there is a little warmth (a peach pink) to add some soft, prettiness, and also prevents the look for being too harsh and cool. You get a warm peach pink, a soft grey, a blackened navy and an aluminium silver.

The swatches are done with fingers, but the eye look is done with brushes, so you can see the quality is pretty consistent. If I have to nit-pick, I would say the grey shade has a bit more fallout than the rest, and as is normal for most brands and formulas, the dark black-navy tends to come off more like charcoal than blue when applied sheer with a brush. But these are slight, and not major problems.

Tip: To get the deep sapphire blue tones to come out more, I would apply with a brush and blend first, then as a last step, dab on a little extra navy with a clean finger to intensify the color. But if you prefer a more neutral look, just use a brush and it will look like a smoky charcoal tone.

But really, the quality is great overall, and the peach and silver are fantastic.

The best part for me is probably the versatility. The peach shade itself can be used as a warm transition color in the socket if you have pale to medium skin. You can wear the peach and grey for a simple warm-neutral day look, just the navy and silver for a dramatic night look, or skip the peach if you want a very cool-toned Rock'n'Roll smoky eye with cool greys and blues.

The packaging is no-frills. Eco-friendly cardboard that won't weigh down your makeup bag. If you care about luxe packaging this won't be for you - but as a reasonably-priced gift for someone who just wants good quality makeup or step out of their neutral comfort zone and try different colors for the holidays, I recommend checking this palette out.

For the eye look here, I had

1. peach all over the lid
2. grey in the socket and blended up and out at the outer corners
3. navy in the outer half of lids
4. silver in inner corners and down the center of the eye

I used a metallic navy pencil from Urban Decay to accent the lash line, then used the sponge tip in the palette to run the navy shadow over the pencil. This sets the pencil and brings out more of the navy blue in the look. You can use any other navy liner you own. Or stick with black for a more neutral look. 

P.S. aside from the makeup, I do want to quickly show some products from the Frosted Plum body range as well because I really liked the scent a lot more than I would have expected. It is juicy and fruity, but also quite perfume-y and quite grown-up; you won't smell like candy or a can of juice if you know what I mean.

I wouldn't call it "fine fragrance" but if you enjoy fun girly scents from Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret etc, this would be perfect for you.

The range includes full-size body products like body butters and shower gels, but there are also fizzy bath melts and a shimmering perfumed body spray to "frost" your skin. But the cutest thing is probably the Frosted Plum Feel Good Tin. This big metallic reusable purple tin contains mini sizes of the shower gel, lotion, body butter, scrub, and lip balm.

Perfect for sampling the full range - or for making someone's eyes pop out when you gift it to them.

MAC Eyeshadow Times Nine Palette Swatches

MAC's launching four Eyeshadow Times Nine palettes at Sephora ION on 27 June, 3 July at other counters, and these nifty compact palettes have nine small 0.8g pans (a tiny bit more than half of a regular 1.5g MAC shadow) of shades in the permanent line. If you're new to MAC and interested in trying a cross-section of shades without paying a ton of money for 9 full-size shades, this is nice and neat.

Plus, there's the extra bonus that this is compact and portable. If you're traveling and you want options for day and night looks, these are going to give you those.

I've got swatches of all 4 here and I'll share some opinions on each one if you're not quite sure which you like more.


Amber Times Nine 

The Amber palette is a great option for beginners who love neutrals. It's got a nice mix of transition shades, as well as pale shimmery highlights and deep smoky browns; not too warm and not too cool.

I love all the mattes and shimmers in here, although I'm not a fan of Lustres (shades marked with an "L") because they tend to fall right off the lid unless you apply a good base first. Still, Don't Tell is a gorgeous shade which I believe is not in the permanent line.

Recommend this for girls who are just starting out and don't own many neutrals.

Navy Times Nine

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the shades in Navy Times Ten. If you are not someone who typically goes for blues, don't worry because this is actually more like a Cool Neutral palette. Aside from a couple of shades, everything else is actually a neutral.

And even the 2 blues are quite beautiful; especially the matte navy shade called Mulled Over. With the exception of Black Tied, which is a bit patchier and hardier to blend than the others, the rest are beautiful soft cool shades. Definitely worth a look if you like greys and taupes, because the options are very chic and there is NOTHING 80's about the blues.

Purple Times Nine

I'll just say upfront that Purple Times Nine is my least favorite of the four. Not because I don't like purples. I love them. I just feel a couple of the softer shades (Poignant, Lightly Sugared, Mancatcher) can look a little similar once applied on the skin so it would have been nicer to get shades that were a bit more different.

5 Favorite Neutral Eye Palettes: Jan - Jun 2015

I'm a huge fan of neutrals, obviously, and I have a ton, but I figured I should narrow things down and just feature 5 of my absolute favorites - the ones that are not only in permanent collections (no limited editions!) but that I would pick over the others for various reasons.

And no - there isn't a single Naked palette in here because nobody needs another post about a Naked palette!

Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Trio - Budget/Drugstore

This one I've loved for a few years now and forgot about it until I did a clean-out and rediscovered it earlier this year. Not only is it cheap as chips, the quality and color combination are absolutely outstanding. A little powdery and crumbly maybe, but that's small price to pay.
That metallic taupe is one of the most gorgeous shadows around, and I'd say the palette is worth the price just for that shade alone, although the other 2 shades are pretty good too.

Sephora Colorful 5 Pale to rich taupe palette - Mid range

With the exception of the dark matte shade, which takes a bit of effort to build up in intensity, this palette is BEAUTIFUL quality. In fact I would say the pearlescent shades are actually equal in quality to high-end Dior or Marc Jacobs palettes.

The palette isn't much to look at packaging-wise, but the product itself is great and can take you from subtle day looks to dramatic smoky or sparkly looks as well.

Dior Eye Reviver Illuminating Neutrals palette 001 - High-end

Dior has several neutral palettes, including the very beautiful Cuir Cannage which I have a deep love for. But if you have to pick just one, I believe the Eye Reviver palette gives you more options for the price because it's got a matte base shade, and a gel liner as well.
I'm not a huge fan of having cream/gel products in the same palette with powders, but even if you ignore the liner, there are 5 beautifully creamy powder shades. Definitely a worthwhile investment in my opinion.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Cognac Sable - Luxe

Tom Ford quads are - in Singapore - some of the best high-end shadows to invest in considering how much product you get for the price, high though it might be. The colors are all tastefully assembled and the textures are ultra flattering even for mature eyelids. Plus, they are very silky and have minimal fall-out.

I've loved almost every single Eye Color Quad I bought but my favorite warm palette has got to be Cognac Sable. Golden Mink is pretty but in terms of versatility, it loses to Cognac Sable, because this is a palette where you can get away with putting any single shade all over your lids, and you would be able to get 4 completely different effects, from soft to sparkly to smoky to dramatic.

With Golden Mink, the differences between the shades aren't that apparent compared to Cognac Sable.

By Terry Eye Designer Palette - Luxe

I probably don't need to say too much about this 10-shade matte palette because I have a full post with swatches of every single shade right here. You definitely don't need to spend so much on a neutral palette when there are many other options around, but if you're in the market for a splurge that is as practical as it is luxurious, this is it. 

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette Haul and Swatches: Atmosphere,Obscura, and Exposure

When I saw the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes on Net-a-porter.com, I knew I had to try them. These 5 color eyeshadow palettes look like solidified silt on a riverbed. (Or ribbons of thick fudge in multi-flavored ice-cream.)

These shadows come in a range of gorgeous neutral tones, and the formula is INCREDIBLY pigmented. Almost to the point where they are a bit tricky to use without making a mess. They don't feel like traditional pressed pigments, and they aren't baked. You barely need to touch them to get lots of pigmentation.

But the problem is also that they can go on patchy or give you tons of fall-out simply because so much of it comes up once touched. If you are using brushes to apply these, be careful to use a very light touch or you will use up the palette in no time. And these don't come cheap at USD$58 (around SGD$66) per compact.

I picked 3 of the 5 available palettes:

• Atmosphere - matte Neapolitan ice cream colors of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, dark chocolate and one satin-textured chocolate fudge color
• Obscura - warm rich brown tones with 1 satin creme brulee shade, 2 metallic bronzes and 2 satin/matte dark cocoa shades
• Exposure - rosy-plum and wine browns in shimmer and satin textures

I've got the 3 palettes swatched for you here.

As you can see, the colors are beautiful. So are the textures. But you DO need to know how to work with them or you can make a mess. The best thing you can do is to treat these like loose pigments. The shimmery shades can be applied damp (although I suggest picking up the colors on your brush before misting the brush - not applying moisture to the palette directly), and can give you a molten look. But whether you decide to use them dry or wet, I would highly suggest putting on a primer or base first so the pigments have something to grab and cling on to. Otherwise, they can dust and blend right off your skin.

And try to pack on the colors using a firmer, flatter brush just so you don't whip up pigments all over the place. It is quite a waste when you dip a fluffy brush in and see the colors fly everywhere.

Do I recommend these?

If you're a real collector, an Hourglass fan, or you love the look of these palettes, and you don't mind the price or working with loose pigments, then go for it. 

If not, these are very expensive for what they are, and I will say the formula isn't as "sophisticated" as I expected them to be. They are pigmented if you touch them, but they are finicky and trickier to apply than other high-end shadows. Basically they aren't as easy for makeup newbies to use as - say - a Marc Jacobs, Chanel or Dior palette would be. I personally feel if you're paying so much, you should expect products to be MORE foolproof than usual.

I don't regret getting these but I won't repurchase. And if you're on a budget, I wouldn't suggest you get these, even though they're real pretty to look at in the pan. You can get far more bang for your buck with any of the Urban Decay palettes.