Sneak Peek: Guerlain Holiday 2012 Swatches

Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette

I was very tempted by the Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette, which surprised me because I don't like palettes that houses both lip and eye products. The three lighter eyeshadow shades are what I've come to expect from Guerlain - smooth, pigmented, exquisitely shimmery. The black shade is more on the matte side and thus didn't swatch as well, but eyeliner shades are usually that way.

The standout, in my opinion, is the texture of the two reds in the palette. When I touched it it was actually smooth, as in it didn't feel like usual cream-type lipsticks. I imagine this would be how all those lip velvet formulas would feel if they were in pot form. The swatches were made using one finger swipe, and I know I said I shouldn't get any more reds, but just look at that.

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot 

The Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow in 500 Les Ombres Turandot is so, so beautiful, except I know I definitely won't be able to pull off such warm colors. 

L-R: Meteorites Wulong, Shine Automatique #700 Altoum, #760 Lou-Ling

I hope you can see the very layered swatch of the Meteorites Wulong on the left. When swirled together, the powder is a pale, faintly shimmering pink. The two Shine Automatiques are quite sheer but can be layered for more intensity (do remember that Shine Automatiques are not made to be uber pigmented). Altoum is the perennial holiday gold, while Lou-Ling is a bright berry.

Edit: I took down my swatch picture for the nail lacquers because of the ugly horrid smudge on Lou-Ling, as I personally would hate to see it on any blog myself. You can proceed to Temptalia's site for her review of both Altoum and Lou-Ling.

I found the collection at Saks Fifth Avenue New York, which means it should reach Guerlain counters nationwide soon, if not already.

Dior Holiday 2012: Grand Bal Swatches

Department store lighting makes me die a little inside, but this is the only way I can get you information as soon as I get it. Below are guerrilla swatches of Dior Grand Bal Collection for Holiday 2012. 

Palette Grand Bal Carnet de Maquillage ($85)

The star of the collection is the Grand Bal Palette, inspired by the dance cards held by 18th century young women to keep track of their dance partners. It includes an eyeshadow duo of platinum and gold, two glosses, and one black eyeliner. The eyeshadow is super pigmented and creamy (the photo above is just one swipe). Texturally, they feel like the new Estee Lauder shadows. The glosses are a shimmering warm pink and a pearl white. As you can see, they're both very sheer. I didn't manage to swatch the black eyeliner since the counter's tester was glued down. 

The eyeliner is supposed to slide through the rings and hold the palette closed. According to the press release, the palette is a "must-have for the modern party girl," but I feel like having that mechanism is going to be such a hassle for touch ups that it wouldn't be worth it.

5-Couleurs Eyeshadow in Fairy Golds ($59)

5-Couleurs Eyeshadow in Night Golds ($59)

The two eyeshadow palettes in Fairy Golds and Night Golds are Dior holiday staples. I recall similar offerings from the past couple of years. Both are pretty, but I suggest a quick stash inventory before you buy.

L-R: Rouge Diorific ($36) in Diva #038, Marilyn #040, Diorling #037, Lady #039

Diva is a coral-tinged red, Marilyn leans fuchsia, Diorling is a true red, while Lady is a comparatively sheerer, watermelon red.

L-R: Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss ($28) in Lame Gold #424, Ceremony Red #774

Lame Gold is a gold gloss with gold glitter. Ceremony Red is red with microshimmer.

All in all, pretty but predictable. I wish a brand would come up with a holiday collection that didn't involve red and gold. I mean, year after year, how many gold glosses do we really need? Especially when we know pretty much every brand in the department store beauty level will be coming out with one. I suppose it's safe from a brand's perspective, but as a consumer it's creatively unsatisfying.

I swatched the collection at the Dior counter at Saks Fifth Avenue New York. If you'd like to order yours now, you can contact them at 212.940.2181. Do tell them I sent you!

Sneak Peek: Burberry Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipstick Swatches

Guerrilla swatches of the new Burberry Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipsticks, below:

L-R: No. 306 Pink Amber, No. 305 Honey Suckle, No. 304 Redwood, No. 303 Antique Pink, No. 302 Peony Rose, No. 301 Pink Apricot 

L-R: No. 312 Hawthorne Berry, No. 311 Bright Poppy, No. 310 Military Red, No. 309 Fuchsia Pink, No. 308 Pink Azalea, No. 307 Rose Pink

I haven't made my purchase so I can't say for sure how they wear. I tried on Bright Poppy and Military Red in store and they both went on smooth and even. They didn't sap moisture from my lips (at least, in the twenty minutes I had them on) and I must say I am definitely intrigued. I've been wanting to invest in a good matte for some time, but haven't been able to settle on a formula. Military Red might come back with me by the end of this week.

These are now available at Saks Fifth Avenue New York. I would like to thank the wonderful folk at Burberry who allowed me to swatch up a storm at their counter. If you would like to speak to a Burberry specialist but don't have a counter near you, please give them a call at 212.940.2836, and tell them I sent you!

Sneak Peek: Shiseido Lacquer Rouge

L-R: RD203 Portrait, RD305 Nymph, BE306 Camel, RS404 Disco, RD501 Drama, OR508 Blaze, RD607 Nocturne, RD702 Savage

Such is the perils of guerilla swatching, but I take what I can get! For a quick review (and better swatches), visit Ars Aromatica.

I couldn't test it at the counter because the SA was absent and I didn't want to use the included wand. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I finger-applied them to my lips. My initial impression is they feel very comfortable and moisturizing. From the way they swatched on the back of my hand, I am quite certain these could be sheered out easily if you want an alternative to full coverage. 

Shiseido Lacquer Rouges retail for $25 and is available at most major department stores and Sephora. The downside is they look tiny at 0.2oz, but that is the same size as a Chanel Rouge Allure Laque that used to go for $32, and those things take a long time to run out.

Preview: NARS Summer 2012 Collection Swatches

This afternoon, I was wondering idly if NARS summer might already be available, so on a whim I visited their website. I didn't actually expect it to be there, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted Ginta Lapina in all sorts of orange looking back at me on the main page. In fact, I must have went on there the moment they put the collection on, because @NARSissist (the official NARS Twitter handle) only announced it shortly after.

Narscosmetics.com was offering free 2-day shipping, but I wasn't having it. I needed them today. I'm sure most of you are aware I've been in a blogging slump lately, and there's just nothing like a good new collection to break me out of my beauty rut - after work, I basically ran to the NARS flagship store at 413 Bleecker St so I could sample the goodies firsthand.

Here are swatches of the entire collection:

NARS Summer 2012

L-R: Ramatuelle Eyeshadow Trio, Marie-Galante Eyeshadow Duo

L-R: Liberté Blush, Marie-Galante Eyeshadow Duo layered (lilac applied over blue)

L-R: Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Buenos Aires Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, Moscow Pure Matte Lipstick, Vendanges Sheer Lipstick, Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Tiber (? I'm not entirely sure.)

And my picks:

Finally, a preliminary look at how they perform on the face. In the picture below, I'm using Ramatuelle Eyeshadow Trio, Liberté Blush, and Moscow Pure Matte Lipstick (it doesn't look matte because I applied a heavy dose of balm underneath).

Full reviews to come in the next couple of days!

The NARS Summer 2012 Collection is currently exclusive to the Bleecker St store and narscosmetics.com. The full collection will be available at other locations on May 1.

Update: In addition to the free 2-day shipping upgrade, you can get 20 percent off purchases on narscosmetics.com with discount code SIERRA!

Dior Summer 2012 Croisette Collection

Here are some swatches of the Dior Croisette Collection for summer. Apologies for the shoddy department store lighting, but I take what I can get. 

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Brun Panama and Orange Sari

Dior Liner in 258 Turquoise

Top-bottom: Dior 5 Couleurs Croisette Eyeshadow Palette in 224 Swimming Pool and 654 Aurora

I couldn't swatch the eye glosses because the testers have not arrived. I also only swatched two of the three glosses because the pink-peach gloss didn't look very special to me (and in truth, I forgot). Although early press info from other blogs showed a fourth gold gloss, I did not see it at the counter. 

I tried on everything I swatched at the counter, but so far I was only moved to purchase the orange gloss and the nail polishes. I really liked how both the eyeshadow palettes looked on the eyes, but I was reluctant to purchase something I'd only use for a couple of months. We'll see if I change my mind in the next few weeks! Also, for inquiring minds, the orange gloss is pigmented. It will show up on your lips.

I took the pictures below when I got home a few hours later. I didn't pick up the turquoise liner but am now regretting it - it might be the first thing I've placed on my bottom lash line that wouldn't budge. I have Swimming Pool (anyone else think it's an unfortunate name?) on and it looks better than I thought cool blues could look on my eyes.

Lips: Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer in 201

Cheeks: Le Métier de Beauté Blush Kaleidoscope 2nd and 3rd tier, topped with Guerlain Sun Shimmer Highlighter in Spicy Coral

I believe the Dior counter at Saks Fifth Avenue New York is the first to receive the collection. I suppose it'll roll out at counters nationwide any day now. If you can't wait to get your hands on this, you can contact Aliyah (who's an absolute sweetheart) at 212-940-2260. Tell her Xiao of Messy Wands sent you!

Update: I just heard on Twitter that several pieces of Dior summer arrived on Sephora.com today!

Le Métier de Beauté Spring 2012 Preview: The Northern Lights Collection

I'm sure most of you have already seen this, but I feel like it's almost a requisite for me to post this information. Oh Le Métier how you make my heart race! March cannot roll around soon enough.

For Spring, the folks at Le Métier de Beauté takes inspiration from the ethereal northern skies and translates the ethereal beauty of the Aurora Borealis into hues for the lips, nails and eyes. 

You can click on them to view in mega-high resolution:

The Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit contains:

• Ionic - a satin/matte neutral peach
• Sky - a pale shimmering blue
• Magnetic - a blazing copper
• Equinox - a satin/matte twilight

The Aurora Kaleidoscope Lip Kit contains:

• Illuminate - a shimmering hot pink with a sheer finish
• Voltair - a satin nude mauve (seriously. an angel gets its wings everytime someone creates a nude mauve)
• Dynamos - an effervescent coral tangerine (effervescent! I wonder how it looks in real life)
• Eos - an opaque fuchsia

For the nails, you get:

• Aurora - an icy blue
• Solar Flare - a dusky rose-pink
• Faraday - a shimmering lavender taupe

I had the fortune to see these nail polishes firsthand about a month ago and I can assure you that Faraday will sell out before you know it (with "lavender taupe" as a description, who's surprised?). I'm so glad the company decided to roll out bigger bottles from this collection on. Faraday is a breathtaking nude and I know I'll need a lot of it.

As usual, the eye and lip kits retail for $95 and the nail polishes will go for $18. The Northern Lights collection should hit counters nationwide early March.

And here's a post-Valentine's Day treat to top off the flowers/chocolates/candies from yesterday: Dustin has a few things up his sleeve for Le Métier de Beauté coming soon. There is no other information I can give you (because even he doesn't know what will be in them yet), but when I have it you bet I'll let you know.

Sneak Peek: Le Metier de Beaute Lip Cremes in In The Know Bordeaux and Purple Haze

Update: It sure arrived early - In The Know Bordeaux and Purple Haze are now available at the Neiman Marcus site!

Let’s just get this out of the way: one of my all-time most disliked activity is moving in/moving out. There’s nothing like having a dedicated place to mess up and fill with paraphernalia and not worrying about how to move everything to another spot in nine months. The bulk of the earlier part of this month was spent unpacking an obscene amount of boxes at my new apartment - a real doozy, I tell you.

The usual horror was somewhat alleviated by one very very welcome gift. The first package I ever received at my new place was from Le Metier de Beaute PR, who kindly sent me a few pieces from the Fall collection. I was positively effervescent when two particular items caught my eye - a burgandy and a mauve pink housed in unmarked vials. Turns out, they’re sample tubes from the ongoing Le Metier de Beaute and Ken Downing collaboration, this time featuring limited edition lip cremes, set to reach counters in November.

If Messy Wands is known for anything, it would be my undying affection for LMdB lip cremes. In my short year of obsessing over the brand, I’ve seen them come up with new editions of everything from lipstick to nail polish to eye shadows, all but my love, the lip cremes. But now (or soon), we have new wands to play with! In this post I will be showing you both colors as they are, sans embellishment. I will post one on mixing them with other lip cremes on a later date. (For now, you can revisit my original Lip Creme Mixing post.)

Let’s start with Purple Haze. Purple Haze is the pigmented pink (mauvy pink, but still pink) gloss that’s been missing from the current Le Metier de Beaute lineup. This is not the sister to the sheer Sweet Creme. A swipe or two covers up your natural lip color. In its place sits an alternative to the traditional dark-hued fall.

I am a fan of berry and bordeaux lips so I tend to hoard them by the dozens come fall, but I keep forgetting my peeling lips suffer most in colder weather. Purple Haze will serve well in giving my grateful lips a break from those high maintenance colors on days I turn my attention to smokier eyes.

In The Know Bordeaux feels like the lip gloss equivalent of Red My Lips. It’s a rich cabernet with a wet finish that’s understated and tasteful.

I know some women scorn lip gloss (hello Eva Mendes) as if any lick of shine on the lips pronounces instant tackiness. I respectfully disagree, but if you’re inclined towards that view, give gloss a whirl with In The Know Bordeaux and let me know where you stand after.

Formula and texture for both are typical of Le Metier de Beaute lip cremes. Intensely pigmented, moisturizing, ever so slightly sticky, and boasts a 4-6 hour wear. Scent-wise, In The Know Bordeaux sports the familiar burnt vanilla we've come to expect from lip cremes, whereas Purple Haze reminds me of the smell of Vitamin C, in the best possible way of course (apologies for my scent descriptions. It's not among my fortes).

In The Know Bordeaux and Purple Haze will be exclusively available to Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com this coming November.

Edit: I know it's some time before these will be released, but I thought you guys might like to know what's coming out in the near future, especially since Holiday collections are beginning to hit stores (eep!). In a week or two I will post comparisons of In The Know Bordeaux and Framboise Creme, as well as any interesting creme mixes I find.

The items in this post were sent to Messy Wands from Le Metier de Beaute for consideration. I was not obliged to post about them, nor do I receive compensation for doing so.

Sneak Peek: Les Aquarelles de Chanel

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme program with some breaking news. I once said I was the type of girl who had to be at the counter on the first day a new collection launches. I wasn't lying. The Chanel counter at Bergdorf Goodman just received the Aquillaries de Chanel collection, so guess what I did after work today?

While not ideal, here are pictures of some of the new shades from the collection:

L-R: Twilight, Fauve, Gris Exquis, Stylo Yeux in Taupe, Rouge Coco Shine in Royallieu

Ombres Tissees in Beiges

Close-up of Ombres Tissees in Beiges

Ombres Tissees in Beiges is a highlighter with plenty of shimmer and flecks of fine (not chunky, but not microfine) glitter. While Ombres Tissees in Beiges comes in three strips of color, when swatched I couldn't see the difference between each of them.

I was disappointed to see that Joues Contraste in Pink Cloud came in the Euro baked formula. In the pan it looked like a light cotton candy pink. I couldn't get any pictures of swatches because the color blended right into my skin. My guess is Pink Cloud will be better suited for those with much lighter skin tones.

I'll try to post pictures of the items I bought (everything on my hand except Royallieu) this weekend!

Sneak Peek: Le Metier de Beaute Fall/Winter 2011 Silk Road, Part 2

Happy weekend, everyone! How will you be spending the best two days of the week? My weekend had just begun but the best part of it might already be over. Ah, but why, you ask? 

1. I caught RENT on Broadway. That's right! RENT was the first Broadway show I fell in love with, and the only show besides Wicked that I know every word to. I managed to snag tickets to the second day of their Off-Broadway revival, and I was wedged between theater critics galore. I loved when they laughed aloud, frowned when the man in front of me wasn't clapping when the audience was roaring away. I hope they get a good review, I cried my way through the whole of Act Two.

2. Remember how I said I was going to beg Dustin for the Fall look? WELL.

These weren't taken in my usual lighting, but I couldn't risk waiting till I got home. I already knew I was going to bawl my night away (it was so good for the soul). 

One thing I'd like to mention: I whipped a mirror out after the show to assess the damage under my eye. Nothing. Sure, I already dabbed at my eyes with a tissue, but I was still surprised I didn't have vestiges of mascara ala A Clockwork Orange down my eyes. My liquid liner wasn't swimming around, and all, I repeat, all of my eyeshadow remained on my lids . If it wasn't for my now visible eye circles and lack of bottom liner, you would never have known I was an absolute baby when they performed I'll Cover You (reprise). 

Tomorrow, a part of my childhood will end with the final installment of Harry Potter. I'm thinking I better be wearing Le Metier de Beaute, or no makeup at all. It is a given that I'm going to emerge bug-eyed from that cinema.