Suqqu Spring 2013: EX-13 Ginusudama

Several pieces of the Suqqu spring collection landed on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago, courtesy of a (well placed) loved one in London. I didn't find many of the US releases this season exciting and haven't been making new purchases, so the package was a welcome dose of beauty. I've mentioned on Twitter some time ago that I've largely weaned myself off the need to buy and own lots of things, but it's always nice getting something pretty in the mail.

A review of the spring palettes would not be complete without mention of this different, duochrome-ish white-silver packaging (as opposed to the usual black). I assume it is an allusion to the color of pearls, as the products from the entire spring collection ends with the word pearl (genius, I am).

Swatched clockwise from the top left, Ginusudama contains a pearlescent pink, a bronze-copper, an ivory, and a decidedly duochrome purple-gray. Though really, those are crude words to describe the colors above. Each shade flickers and changes slightly in the light. The formula, if you can believe, is even more buttery smooth compared to the regular quads. It's pigmented but light – you can't overwhelm the eyes with this palette, no matter how much you pile on.

The Look

For the look above, I used the palette in the most generic way possible. White as under brow and inner corner highlight, pink all over then layered with the copper, and purple-gray shade as liner. Because the color palette was so light, I knew I couldn't rely on my go-to nude. I reached for a shade I've never tested before, NARS Velvet Gloss in New Lover, and was surprised that it complemented the look very nicely indeed. Perhaps it's in the coolness of the shades? Nevertheless, that's a friendly pink added to the trusted stash, and we all know doesn't happen very often.

Suqqu EX-13 Ginusudama is available at ichibankao.com in the US, albeit with a high markup.

Products Used:
Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Light Medium
RMS "Un" Cover-Up in #22
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in Moss Green
Suqqu EX-13 Ginusudama Blend Color Eyeshadow
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Guerlain Blush G Sakura (Asia Exclusive)
NARS Velvet Gloss in New Lover

Editorial: Copper+Blue

The title of this post could have been a lot of things. I briefly entertained:

How To Make Your Lips Look Three Times Larger Than Usual
I Didn't Know They Make Foundations Like This Now
The Tale of Two Clavicles
Erghfghgfgh Make Up!

But I suppose Copper+Blue will suffice. I have to thank Larie for assigning me homework yesterday and breaking me out of my makeup rut. I've been doing the simple brows/lashes/blush routine for the past two weeks and almost forgot what a good amount of color could do to my face.

Sung Hee in Elle Vietnam, September 2012 (source)

For the record, the above picture was the inspiration. Below is what I cobbled up.

I took one hour to recreate what seemed like a really simple look. There was a lot of prep and tweaking involved on my part. I wanted the lips to look like hers and I underestimated the amount of gloss needed. I also needed my skin to be absolutely smooth sans Photoshop. Those things take time, yo.

Anyway, first I applied a thin layer of Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige all over my face, blending it into the neck (my lines are deep and permanent, can't mask that). I've only used this foundation twice and so far I'm still in shock. I didn't know foundation could do this to skin! When I first had it on I wasn't used to it because I looked airbrushed. Best of all, the texture is so liquid-y and lightweight that I can't even feel it on my skin. It covered redness and evened out my skintone. I only had to add a dab of RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22 around my under eye area for, dare I say, flawless skin.

To sculpt the cheeks, I swept on Chanel Brume d'Or in a sideways triangle.

After prepping the skin, I sketched in thick eyebrows with a pronounced arch with my Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil. I used Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil as an eye base, then layered True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, and Tuscan Sunset respectively over it. To emulate the gleam on Sung Hee's lids, I applied Sugar to the center of my eyelid. I highlighted under my brows with Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder.

I didn't have that beautiful green in my arsenal (of course, now I have to find one just like it) so I substituted it with the blue in the Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. I applied Noir Precision Liquid Liner closely on the lash line and waterline, and finished with a big swipe of Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara.

For lips, I swiped on Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade and topped it with Le Métier de Beauté Vanilla Rose then a thick layer of Creme de la Creme applied with a lip brush. It doesn't look much in the close-ups (in fact, shudder at those lip lines!), but my lips looked three times plumper from afar.

I really should do this when I go out sometime. It's sort of a pity (and a waste of perfectly good makeup) that I wear almost nothing when I step out of my house.

At any rate, happy weekend to all!

Products Used:
Face -
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige
RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22
Chanel Brume d'Or

Eyes -
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil
Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, Tuscan Sunset, and Sugar
Le Métier de Beauté Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Métier de Beauté Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara

Lips -
Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade
Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crème in Vanilla Rose and Creme de la Creme

Before It's Gone: Suqqu Kakitsubata 01 Eyeshadow Quad

The word around the blogosphere (Drivel About Frivol, The Non-Blonde, and @GlossedTweets) is Suqqu has discontinued their 01-06 eyeshadow quads. Of those, I own Ginbudou 06 and Keshizumi 04 (seen here). Here is a look at Kakitsubata 01 before it's gone forever.

taking cues from Alexander Wang Fall 2012

Kakitsubata is the most "neutral" of the Suqqu palettes I own. It's made up of a fleshy peach, coppered brown, matte violet and matte ivory. The violet was splotchy in the swatch but performed well when used as a liner, which is its official purpose anyway. The rest of the quad are buttery smooth. 

I am weird with earthy tones because I actually find it very hard to wear brown. I think Kakitsubata works for me because it leans copper, and I stumbled upon the right shadow placement. When I place browns on my crease the look ends up muddy, so instead I blended it all over my brow bone and it looked much better. I love making new discoveries. Eyeshadow suddenly became much more fun.

Cheeks: Paul & Joe Color Powder CS Inseparables; Lips: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Rapture

I suppose this post is dedicated to those lucky 'uns from London and Japan where Suqqu counters exist, as it is no longer stocked on ichibankao.com for US folk. I do think the colors in this particular palette are easily dupe-able, and I was really excited about the look and wanted to share... Please don't throw your makeup brushes at me.

The Summer Lip Conundrum

I've been trying out the "bronzed summer look" recently and since contouring is one of my favorite things to do, you can imagine how much I'm enjoying it. That said, I'd get my brows, eyes, cheeks done but can never figure out what lip to pair the look with. I have a bronze goddess image in my mind that lacks a pair of lips. Eep.

So today I took it as a personal challenge to find a lip that works! I tried on a couple lipsticks I've been eyeing for a long time but never really had a chance to use, and some well-loved glosses for good measure. (Only while writing this post I noticed I forgot to include a peach selection. Sigh.)

Cle de Peau 206 Sweet Watermelon

I've been trying to make Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer 206 Sweet Watermelon work on me for the longest time. For some reason this coral pink clashes with everything I wear–in fact, even when I'm not wearing any eye makeup! This looks okay in pictures but in real life I felt it was too warm for the overall look, or specifically my skintone.

Burberry Feather Pink Lip Mist

Burberry Feather Pink Lip Mist No. 209 was my first ever Burberry acquisition. It was a welcome gift at one of my first internships and I cherish it to this day. While swatched similarly to Cle de Peau 206, on the lips it's lighter, cooler, and much pinker. While pretty, it somehow also doesn't fit the whole look.

Chanel Calypso

I thought Chanel Calypso Glossimer would do the trick. After all, isn't coral the quintessential summer color?

Eh.

LMdB Indian Summer (Copper Leaf layered over Ginger Snap)

Finally I thought, since I was going for this bronze-y feel copper might be a good direction to head toward, and I do think it does the trick...

Bare lips... okay no, a slick of Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment

But I found that a bare lip works best in the end. I suppose since summer is all about paring down, less really should be more!

(Also, just so there is no confusion. All the products featured in this post wears fantastically and are some of the most comfortable lip stuff I own. I was just particularly hard on them in terms of how well they work with the look I was going for.)

For reference, here are swatches of all the lip products used in this post:

L-R: LMdB Indian Summer layered, Copper Leaf, Ginger Snap, Chanel Calypso, Burberry Feather Pink, Cle de Peau 206

Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer 206 retails for $60 (the refill is $35 and holder $25. Yikes!), Burberry Feather Pink Lip Mist is $30, Chanel Calypso Glossimer is $29.50, and the Le Métier de Beauté Indian Summer duo is $65.

What is your go-to summer lip product? I would love to get some ideas!

Oh, and Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues: Indian Summer

More guerrilla swatches! This time of the latest Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues Indian Summer set (it's a mouthful, I know). Copper Leaf immediately reminded me of Silk Road nail polish from last fall, and while I don't have a comparison picture, it looks exactly the same in the tube. You can imagine how ecstatic that made me. Silk Road is my all-time favorite polish from the brand.

L-R: Ginger Snap, Copper Leaf, Chocolate Creme, Cocoa Creme

I was surprised to find that Ginger Snap features the Lip Creme formula. Since it was so sheer, it felt more like a Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss. It doesn't do much but add a bit of color and shimmer to the lips, but sometimes that's exactly what a girl wants.

In the pictures below, I applied Copper Leaf and layered it with Ginger Snap. 

I didn't manage to swatch the two orange nail polishes because my nails were freshly manicured when I went to the counter. Shawn (the Boston LMdB artist) sacrificed his fingers to show me how it looked and it turned out to be pumpkin-y, which I felt would accentuate every tinge of yellow in my skin. For those who are interested, theultimatemakeup provided swatches and comparison shots, as well as a detailed review.

Le Métier de Beauté Summer Haute House Hues Indian Summer set retails for $65 and should be available at Bergdorf's and all Neiman Marcus counters. The Neiman Marcus Camp Gorgeous event began a couple of days ago, but there is still time (ends June 10) to stock up on beauty goods. The Le Métier de Beauté GWP is a discontinued Bella Bronzer and the cutest mini Traviata blush/bronzer duo, and will be yours with a purchase of $125 and above. If you don't have a Neiman Marcus counter near you, you can contact Traci Dastou at 617-536-3660 x2111 and she will definitely help you with your order. You can also contact Dustin Lujan of Bergdorf's at 212-872-8612 (though I don't think Bergdorf's offers the GWP). Do let them know I sent you!

I'm Back! + Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

It is odd to be back in the fray after one of the most decadent weeks I've had in a very long time. I graduated on Monday (where Bobbi Brown accepted an honorary degree! Random trivia: Bobbi Brown went to Emerson College as an undergraduate), and brought my parents around New York, Niagara Falls, and took a (sort of embarrassing but super fun) Segway tour through Washington, DC. I wanted to look at more memorials (other fun facts: I actually have a minor in Visual Studies and the Arts and took a class on urban public art in my final year) and visit more museums and was really excited to see all those works I've only studied on screen and paper, but alas my family was less amused by twisted colored metal and odd shapes on the grass. Perhaps I'll return to DC anon. It is architecturally a breathtaking city.

After my parents left, I spent the entire weekend quite guiltily indulging in, well, fun that I haven't had time to have for the earlier part of the year. I spent the past two days in equal amounts of playing Diablo III, watching Mad Men, and reading The Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire. Imagine my alternating fist pumps to killing decayed monsters, Peggy Olsen (and goodness I want to move like Christina Hendricks), and crying "Winter is coming!!" to the stubborn warring kings. It was such a good weekend, but once school ends vacations become short. And unemployed graduates need to find jobs (sigh).

I figured a quick one will do after a week of absence, and I checked to make sure this was still available before I posted it. Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light is part of their spring release, an intriguing confection of indigo navy polish with what looks like copper flakies in the bottle.

A shot to show how it looks in the bottle

On application and closer inspection, the flakies are actually red/orange/yellow/green, though when directly in the light it reflects copper. The indigo navy base is jelly-ish, and the formula seems to be thicker than usual, so it was not a breeze to apply. It requires two coats for full opacity.

I received many compliments when wearing this color, and wore it a full five days with nary a chip. It's one of the more intriguing colors that came out for spring, and if you don't mind suffering a little during application (and have an ardent weakness for flakies), I say get it before it's gone!

Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light retails for $18 and can still be found on nordstrom.com and neimanmarcus.com.

An Open Letter to Le Métier de Beauté/On the Coast Eye Kit

As you probably know, Le Métier de Beauté recently released a few exclusive kaleidoscopes to celebrate their debut at Saks Fifth Avenue. Out of the three, I purchased the saks.com exclusive On the Coast. 

You all already know I am a die-hard fan of the company. I've heard three people in the past weekend telling me that I cover Le Métier de Beauté too much on Messy Wands, and I defend my choice of doing so because frankly, I can't help it. The quality of the eye and lip products (and skincare! but we haven't had this conversation) are simply fantastic, and I haven't had anyone contradict me on that front before. And well, if something is working well, why try to fix it?

That said, as a consumer I sometimes get peeved about the abundant exclusives that the company doles out. (If this sentiment triggers comments, I hope everyone will be level-headed and respectful about it. What I hope to facilitate is a discussion, not finger pointing.) It's perfectly understandable to want to celebrate a debut, or a once-a-year event, or anything justified at all, really, but as someone who owns perhaps two-thirds of the kaleidoscopes they've created (this is not factual. I don't actually know how many kaleidoscopes they've made), the exclusives usually make me feel a little sore. I would purchase it thinking it looks amazing, only to get it and find out why I thought so: there are usually a few dupes of existing colors I already own in those new exclusives. If this was a one-time mishap, I wouldn't think much of it. But I've had this happen to me on four different occasions by now. 

I know the logical next step is to be level-headed about exclusives, maybe wait a little for swatches, but it's difficult with these things, knowing how limited in amount they are. I mean, On the Coast was sold out in mere hours after it went online! As a fangirl, I would have hated missing out on Smoldering Embarkment and Antiquité Poupee (to this day I get emails from readers asking if I know of a way to get one), both of which were produced in limited quantities, and the latter was sold out a day after it reached counters. I don't blame the company for the tiny amount. Sometimes I forget that Le Métier de Beauté is an independent company and relatively new to the beauty market. But if budget was really the issue, why make so many exclusives in so many spots? 

I have to bite my own tongue for saying that, because I realize some of my favorites are exclusives curated by Dustin for Bergdorf's (full disclosure: I purchased and fell in love with Smoldering Embarkment even before I met him). Though in my defense, in the past his exclusives are released in conjunction with the year-end holiday season. I also realize that many people won't have my problem encountering dupes, since they don't own something like 18 eye kits and counting. It's just that the company has set the bar at an utmost high regarding quality and creativity, and I just wish it were applied to every single one of its creations. I also understand that the company maintains that it's the interaction between the color that counts, and even if some colors are dupes the layered result might be different. But I'll just put it this way: hypothetically, would you prefer getting three exclusive kaleidoscopes containing some dupes, or just one with never-before-seen shades? 

Clockwise: On the Coast (1st and 2nd shade), Cherry Blossom (1st shade), Splendid Frost (1st shade)

L-R: On the Coast (3rd shade), Devotion (first shade - it looks darker irl), Capitol (3rd shade)

*I don't have an exact dupe for the third shade of On the Coast.

In the end, I know it's a marketing strategy on the company's part, one that I can't fault if I look at it from the business end of things, since it seems to work extremely well. As a consumer, however, I wish for quality over quantity (and by this, I mean less kaleidoscopes that end up looking same-ish and more experimentations with color – the eyeshadows in every kaleidoscope are on par with their usual excellent formula). It pains me that every time the company releases an exclusive collection they receive so much flak and backlash from loving customers because they weren't able to get their hands on the kaleidoscope. Then after all that, I receive the kaleidoscope only to be disappointed with it because I already own the exact same colors. It's the kind of thing that slowly whittles away your love for a brand, and I hope this does not persist with the one company that made me want to start a blog in the first place.


All that said, since I own three out of four of the colors of On the Coast, I decided there is really no reason for me to hold on to it. I was going to return it to saks.com (it is completely unsullied. The only thing I did was take it out of the box and photograph it), but I thought maybe one of you might have wanted it and missed out when it was available. If you're interested in purchasing On the Coast, send me an email at messywands [at] gmail [dot] com and we can work out the details. For swatches, visit Creature of Design's post here.

Estée Lauder Illuminating Gelée Powder in Shimmering Sands

It was really hard for me to write this review because I approached the product with a bias, which means my opinion would be harsher than the product probably deserves. After enduring the horrible smell from my Bronze Sands palette, I wasn't very keen on putting something similar even nearer to my nostrils. Thankfully Estée Lauder Illuminating Gelée Powder in Shimmering Sands came without the horrid chemical smell. (In retrospect, I'm quite sure the Bronze Sands palette I received was defective.)

See, this is the problem, and why I hesitated for so long to publish this. There is nothing evidently wrong with this palette, but I don't like it. The texture is unique to Estée Lauder's gelée powder formula, where the closest description seems to be that it is "cream to powder" (it isn't actually cream but I guess that's the best word to describe the wet-but-not-actually-wet feeling you get when you touch the powder). It's smooth and bright and wonderfully metallic when swatched, but like the eye shadows lose its gleam when applied with a brush. 

Eyes: Estée Lauder Bronze Sands

Shimmering Sands is a metallic copper at the back of my hand, but becomes an odd reddish brown when applied on my cheeks. I'm not entirely sure if it is meant to be a bronzer, blush, or a contour color, but it doesn't seem to suit my coloring. I think someone with a darker skin tone would enjoy Shimmering Sands better. On me it's neither here or there, which makes it difficult for me to use.

I find it funny how I struggled to write all this - I don't have to like every good product that's available in the market, right?

Estée Lauder Illuminating Gelée Powder in Shimmering Sands retails for $42 and is available at Estée Lauder counters nationwide, as well as esteelauder.com. I purchased mine from nordstrom.com. 

Le Métier de Beauté Spring 2012: Northern Lights (The Auroras) Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Le Métier de Beauté's spring collection has finally hit counters! This is the last of my spring wants, and now that I have it I can move on to obsessing over summer (have you seen Dior? Guerlain? NARS? Ugh, so pretty). 

The Le Métier de Beauté Northern Lights (The Auroras) Kaleidoscope Eye Kit feels different compared to all the others I own. I won't say it's less pigmented (just take a look at the hand swatch below), but it does produce a more subtle effect on the eyes compared to previous kits. Since the Le Métier spring lip features a bolder shade of pink, I think Northern Lights is made to be worn hand in hand with the Aurora Lip Kit.

L-R: Ionic, Sky, Magnetic, Equinox, all four shades blended together

I'm sure most of you are tired of hearing me rave about the brand, so I won't add any spluttering exultations to this review. The textures, colors, formula, and lasting power of the shadows are on par with previous releases, so if these are colors you think you'll wear, I say go for it! 

For those interested (this was the look featured on St. Patrick's Day), here is the bevy of products I used to create the look in this post:

• Skin: Chantecaille 'Just Skin' Tinted Moisturizer in Nude, Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Shade 2, Cle de Peau Concealer in Ochre, Guerlain Cruel Gardenia, Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Loose Powder 1
• Eyes: Le Métier de Beauté Northern Lights Eye Kit, Le Métier de Beauté Noir Precision Eye Liner, Guerlain Noir G Mascara, Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow 01 Moss Green
• Cheeks: Burberry Earthy Blush, Burberry Cameo Blush, Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmer Brick Compact, Guerlain Terracotta Blush 02 Sunny Pink
• Lips: Le Métier de Beauté Rouge Lip Liner, Le Métier de Beauté Aurora Lip Kit

I mixed a pump of Peau Vierge with Chantecaille 'Just Skin' to add radiance to the skin. Using Guerlain Cruel Gardenia, I highlighted the area above my cheekbones, down the nose, and above my cupid's bow. Finally, I set with loose powder. 

I applied all four shades of Northern Lights on my eyes using the company's signature couches de couleurs method (explained here), and added more of Equinox on the crease for definition. I then lined my eyes with liquid liner, and layered a generous amount of mascara on my lashes. 

The cheeks are a little complicated, and I don't know why I did what I did (I'm sure there is a simpler way to create the same effect), but I like how it turned out. First, I contoured below the cheeks and along the jaw line with Burberry Earthy Blush, then  I applied Guerlain Cruel Gardenia on my cheeks and patted Burberry Cameo Blush over it. I topped that off with Guerlain Sunny Pink Terracotta Blush, and went over everything with Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmer Brick. It's more products than I think was necessary (though they really didn't weigh a thing), but my cheeks were glowing all night long.

Le Métier de Beauté Northern Lights (The Auroras) Kaleidoscope Eye Kit retails for $95 and is available at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. As usual, if you don't have a counter near you, please do not hesitate to contact Dustin Lujan of Bergdorf's at 212-872-8612 and tell him I sent you. Everything from the spring collection is limited edition, so don't wait too long!