TOM FORD offers bright matte lip-options for spring 2015 with two brand new shades: Electric Pink and Velvet Violet

Last week I was overly excited when I saw two new lipstick shades added to Tom Ford's Lip Color Matte line on Douglas (German department store): Electric Pink and Velvet Violet

After swatching in store and thinking back and forth I placed an order because Electric Pink No. 15 had to be mine =) Velvet Violet didn't seem that special for me so luckily could save some money :p

Tom Ford 15 Electric Pink

Tom Ford 15 Electric Pink

While I was on the hunt for some new bright shades for the warmer months another shade caught my eye as well:

No. 06 Flame - an awesome orange red!

Tom Ford 06 Flame and 15 Electric Pink

Tom Ford 06 Flame (L) 15 Electric Pink (R)

Tom Ford 06 Flame (L) 15 Electric Pink (R)

Interested in some swatches? These will definitly rock spring and summer!

BY TERRY Ombre Blackstar "Color-Fix" Cream Eye Shadows in 03 Blond Opal, 04 Bronze Moon and 05 Misty Rock

Lately I feel like By Terry's Cream Shadow Sticks (30€/$43/£28) are getting more and more attention and hyped up on blogs and youtube. 
I think I've first got interested in those golden pen-like beauties because of Amelia Liana, both her youtube channel and blog. She was talking about this product so convinced and excited that I had to give at least one colour a go! By the way, I really really recommend her blog and channel, she knows what she's talking about :)

So I did start with her favorite Bronze Moon and it has absolutely blown me away, it's sooooo good! 
... Blond Opal and Misty Rock had to follow cause these colours are right up my alley, neutral and wearable on a daily basis!

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - packaging

The packaging is quite unspectacular but beautiful to look at. I's completely golden with the decription on it and a stripe showing the shade. It comes in the standard By Terry box...

Now, on to the shades I own - let's let the photos speak for themselves:

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 05 Misty Rock - 04 Bronze Moon - 03 Blond Opal (L to R)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (bottom up)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 05 Misty Rock - 04 Bronze Moon - 03 Blond Opal (L to R)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (bottom up)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (bottom up)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (L to R)

On to the swatches:

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (L to R, w/o flash)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 03 Blond Opal  - 04 Bronze Moon - 05 Misty Rock  (L to R, with flash)

Staying power: 

This stuff has an amazing staying power! Just for reference: The swatches on my arm still were there on the next day and I had to remove them with an eye makeup cleanser!!! 
On my eyelids it didn't smudge or move - I have quite normal lids, in this time of the year they're are more on the oily side. Just for being on the safe side I would prime the eyelids with a good primer like the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Nars Pro Prime...

Shades: 

03 Blonde Opal is a shimmery peachy gold shade which has a gorgeous sheen to it. It does remind me a lot of MAC Nylon eyeshadow and works great as an inner corner highlight. In texture it's a bit harder to work with than the other two shades, it's somehow not as smooth when applied and stiffer in consistency, but don't get me wrong, these shadows are generally all heavenly smooth and easy to work with - this particulary one just needs a tiny bit more effort than the others.

04 Bronze Moon is my favorite go-to bronzy shade and the favorite of the bunch! It's extremy smooth and glides on to the eyelids and blends like a dream. This one is definitly a great smoky eye option for days when you don't want to spend ages for your makeup and just are on a hurry - it's fool-proof and effortless!
The shade is best decribed as a perfect bronze-taupy-brown: not too warm and bronzy, not too cool and chocolaty. It definitly has some taupe and silver iridescence to it.

05 Misty Rock is also great in texture, the only downside could be the high amount of shimmer (almost glitter) in it. It's a beautiful pinky bronze color with a coppery and silvery shimmer to it. It's very similar to Tom Ford's Cream Color for Eyes in Pink Haze shadewise, which was limited, so that would be great alternative!

Bottom line:

I think these eyeshadow sticks are the best on the market and despite the high price point worth the money! They are effortless and fool-proof to apply and work with. You can also easily build the colors without patchiness. The product itself is so highly pigmented that you won't run out easily, which maybe can justify the price ;)

Another plus is that these shadows have an awesome staying power, so I can do 100% recommend these and will purchase myself a few other shade for sure!

The only downside is the poor shade range, but let's hope that By Terry brings out new shades every now and then...

Love,

D.

An addition to my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Collection: Dim Infusion and Luminous Flush

After reviewing the Ambient Lighting Blushes in Mood Exposure and Diffused Heat here, I couldn't help myself and had to get my hands on Dim Infusion and Luminous Flush too!

And here they are...

Hourglass Luminous Flush

Burberry 09 Coral Pink - Hourglass Luminous Flush (L to R)

Burberry 09 Coral Pink - Hourglass Luminous Flush (bottom up)

Luminous Flush is a coral-pink which gives a beautiful flushy glow to the cheeks.

Hourglass Dim Infusion

Dim Infusion is a very subtle blush: It's a very soft apricot-peach, reminded my a lot of Nars Sex Appeal...

Rimmel Santa Rose - Hourglass Dim Infusion - Nars Sex Appeal (L to R) 

Rimmel Santa Rose - Hourglass Dim Infusion - Nars Sex Appeal (L to R)

Bottom line:

My favorites of the line are definitly Dim Infusion and Mood Exposure: Both are very soft on the cheeks. 

Dim Infusion is a blush you can wear with all kinds of makeup, it'll never be 'over-the-top' and too much! It gives just a warm glow to the cheeks and lifts up the complexion, makes you look fresh of course.

Mood Exposure is deeper, but still a very natural looking blush, which I tend to use when I'm wearing a bolder lip or smoky eyes, not both together...

Luminous Flush gives, like the name already says, a beautiful flush to the cheeks and lifts the complexion - it makes you look healthy and fresh on days you maybe don't!

If I had to skip one, it would probably be Diffused Heat: I simply don't gravitate towards it that much, maybe it's because it's nothing special to me and has some more obvious glitter particles in it. 

I'm not quite sure yet, but sometimes it is how it is with makeup - either you use it almost every day, or it ends up and dissapears in your overloaded drawers...

Love,

D.

Clé de Peau Beauté Correcteur Visage Concealer - Worth the hype? A comparison to Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer

I was never a stick or creamy concealer lover until I came across Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer (£23/$32) by reading a blogpost about it... 
Because Hourglass caught my attention lately anyways, I was really excited about it and did some research of course on youtube too! At least since watching the gorgeous gossmakeupartist or TheSublimeAgent saying good things about this product I ordered it through SpaceNK :) 

Of course dealing with this one made coming across the 'oh-so-famous' Clé de Peau ($70) one unavoidable! 

Therefore the colours Ivory and Beige had to make their long way from the States to Germany and here they are:

Clé de Peau BEAUTÉ Correcteur Visage Concealer packaging

Clé de Peau BEAUTÉ Correcteur Visage Concealer packaging

The CdP Concealer comes with a good amount of product, which of course should be expected for the extraordinary price (5g/.17 oz.).

The packaging is sleek in shiny black and has quite some waight to it. On top of the cap it has a blue crystal-looking part, which catches the eye. It opens by pulling the cap, not twisting.

This concealer has a slight perfumy scent to it, which disappears once applied.

Clé de Peau BEAUTÉ Correcteur Visage Concealer in Beige

Clé de Peau BEAUTÉ Correcteur Visage Concealer in Beige

CdP Correcteur Visage Concealer in Ivory

CdP Correcteur Visage Concealer in Ivory

This concealer is super pigmented and has a very creamy consistency. I only use it for my under-eye area and therefore never apply it directly from the bullet. I rather pick and warm up the product with me finger and tap it into the skin which works beautifully! I think it's too 'hard' and thick in consistency to apply directly on the delicate eye are. 
Nevertheless, if you've found the right colour-match you could apply it directly on other parts of the face and blend in, that would work of course!

It's definitly a long wearing formula and didn't crease on my eye area for about 10 hours after setting it with powder. It didn't settle into fine lines either, but I generally haven't got those problems yet. For mature skin I'd definitly recommend setting it for safety's sake!

Colourwise Ivory is the lightest in the range and has a yellow undertone, Beige is a little darker and has a rosy undertone, which can work awesome to counteract dark circles and give a brightening effect! Sadly there are only two other shades: Ochre and Honey, which are darker, but still not darker than a NC/NW35-40.

And here is the Hourglass Hidden Corrective one:

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in Sand

The bullet of this one is slimmer and it comes with less product (3,5g/.12 oz.). It comes in the typical Hourglass shiny mahagony packaging with gold letters on it...

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in Sand

The Hourglass concealer  is also highly pigmented and very creamy on the skin. You can definitly apply it directly from the bullet to the skin, it literally glides on! It blends easily into the skin, I prefer using fingers. This one has a softer texture, so I would use it directly on the eye area too, but applying with fingers I still prefer. The warmth of the skin almost melts this product so that both methods would work.
I think this particulary concealer is ideal for touch-ups! It blends effortlessly and always melts into the skin and looks skinlike, not matte. You can apply over and under makeup, both work! 
This is definitly a holy grail item for me makeup bag which can freshen up your whole makeup in seconds!

In comparison it hasn't got a noticeable perfumy scent to it, more a slightly waxy one.

And some comparison swatches:

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in Sand

CdP Correcteur Visage Concealer in Ivory

CdP Ivory - Hourglass Sand 

CdP Ivory - CdP Beige - Hourglass Sand (left to right, with  flash) 

CdP Ivory - CdP Beige - Hourglass Sand (left to right, w/o flash) 

Sorry for my kind of horrible looking arm... 

Bottom line:

If you don't want to spend so much on a concealer I would definitly recommend the Hourglass one, which performes excellent. I think it's even easier to work with than with the CdP! It doesn't need much blending, melts easier into the skin and has a beautiful skin-like finish. In addition to that it didn't smudge or budge and was quite long-wearing.

I'm only afraid that this one you'll have to repurchase much quicker...

The CdP one is so pigmented that it will last definitly a long time! 

But it needs more effort: You have to apply it with fingers, not straight from the bullet, and really work it in and set. But it also works on the undereyes and the complexion. It just isn't that much 'on-the-go' appropriate, which you should take in consideration.

Love,

D.

CHIKUHODO Z-Series - "La Crème de la Crème" of Makeup Brushes

"Chikuhodo by Tesshyu" - Does that name ring a bell?! 

... Oh yessss, in my case since ageees :) Well, truth be told, since about a year or two:

It began after acquiring a taste for SUQQU's grey squirrel brushes, thanks to the gorgeous and suuuuuper fabulous Miss Eldridge!

Once you've tried a squirrel hair brush, you'll probably hate all your goat and synthetic hair brushes from MAC, Sigma and Co... So think twice before jumping into this luxurious experience, it could end up wickedly expensive!!!

Anyways, let's just have a look at what I purchased:

Z-2, Z-10, Z-5, Z-4, Z-1 (left , bottom up)

First of all, every brush does come in plastic packaging, like for example MAC brushes, with some japanease letters on it (which I sadly don't understand). I personally think that's a great pity for the high quality of the brushes and their prices. 
They should rather come in boxes like SUQQU brushes...

So let's look closely at the individual babies!

The biggest and most expensive one I purchased is the Z-1 Powder Brush (RP $226):

CH Z-1

CH Z-1

 Hair: 100% Grey Squirrel 

Shape: Round

Length: 160mm

Hair length: 45mm

This powder brush is extremly soft - you even don't feel the individual bristles on your skin, more as a whole... 
It's not too fluffy, like the SUQQU Face for example, so that you can apply and really buff product on the face. It picks up enough pigment, but don't get me wrong, you'll never be able to "overload" the brush and apply too much product!
The SUQQU one in comparison has less density and therefore feels more 'airy' and softer, but actually both are equally as soft. 
In shape SUQQU is more tapered, the Chikuhodo is more rounded.

SUQQU Face, CH Z-1 (bottom up)

SUQQU Face, CH Z-1 (left to right)

I love using this one for bronzer - it applies the perfect amount of my Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons (which is reeeeally pigmented) without any problems and buffs and blends it like a dream! If you prefer heavier application you can always build up the product ;) 
Of course it is soft enough to apply loose powder perfectly without overloading or caking, and at the same time it's dense enough for buffing in pressed powders or even powder foundations! 

A fierce competition to SUQQU Cheek -  Chikuhodo Z-4 (RP $92):

CH Z-4

CH Z-4

 Hair: 100% Grey Squirrel
  Shape: Flat Round

Length: 150mm

Hair length: 36mm

This brush is labeled as "Cheek / Hightlight Brush" and is very very similar to the legendary SUQQU Cheek Brush! 
It is again, equally as soft (because of the grey squirrel hair) and has about the same size:

SUQQU Cheek, CH Z-4 (bottom up)

SUQQU Cheek, CH Z-4 (left to right)

Again, the SUQQU one is fluffier, I think that's how SUQQU brushes are designed! Therefore the SUQQU Cheek fluffs out more and spreads the product on a bigger area (but you can control that of course). 

I think the lenght of the hair should be approximately the same... 

Z-4 allowes you more control and precise application, so if you're going for an accurate look and don't like to apply blush on certain areas, go for this one ;) 
This cheek brush is also perfect for applying highlighter on top of the cheekbones, setting the under eye area and specific parts of the face and even contouring, because it has a flat side 
- so again, a multitasker!

The last face brush I ordered: Z-2 Highlight (RP $99)

This particulary brush is very pointy, a candle-shaped brush which is again heavenly soft. It is smaller than I thought when I read about it:

CH Z-2

CH Z-2

Hair: 100% Grey Squirrel 

Shape: Candle Shape

Length: 150mm

Hair length: 37mm

It is comparable to the MAC 168 sizewise and shapewise:

CH Z-2, MAC 168 (left to right)

The Z-2 has a pointier end and again, is definitly a million times softer. I like to use this one for contouring with highly pigmented powders such as Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder or Chanel Notorious, which can look muddy and awefull applied wrong.

 It never applies too much and therefore the shadow looks very natural and realistic - that's the point with contouring, right?!

Of course it works perfect with powder hightlighters too and can be used for setting in specific areas on the face.

I only wouldn't recommend it for cream products - and this applies for all of this grey squirrel hair brushes - because the hair is too delicate and high quality that creams and liquids could easily damage it! The manufacturer even recommends to wash grey squirrel hair brushes only rarely because of the possible damaged caused by water and harsh cleanser...

Now on to the two eye brushes: Z-5 (RP $56) and Z-10 (RP $45)

CH Z-5

CH Z-5

 Hair: 100% Grey Squirrel 

Shape: Flat Round

Length: 135mm

Hair length: 19mm

 Z-5 is a perfect allrounder!!! Definitly one of my favorites from the collection. 
It has a flat side for laying down colour, but is at the same time fluffy enough to blend shadows - that's quite comparable to Tom Ford's 11 brush:

Tom Ford 11, SUQQU F, SUQQU L, CH Z-5 (bottom up)

Tom Ford 11, SUQQU F, SUQQU L, CH Z-5 (left to right)

SUQQU L's hair is longer and it's fluffier, whereas SUQQU F is just flat and can only pack on colour or smudge...

CH Z-10

And last but not least Z-10: It looks like a smaller version of Z-2 and basically it is!

CH Z-10

 Hair: 100% Grey Squirrel 

Shape: Candle Shape

Length: 125mm

Hair length: 11mm

It's perfect for applying colour on the lower lashline and smudging liner. It also works great as a crease brush and is an excellent brush for creating a cut-crease or deepening the outer-v! I wish I had the SUQQU S Eyeshadow Brush for comparison but unfortunately it seems to be discontinued since ages...

In shape it's quite comparable to pencil brushes like the MAC 219:

CH Z-10, MAC 219 (bottom up)

CH Z-10, MAC 219 (bottom up)

The only downside for this is that it hasn't got that much density to make smudging effortless, but it works and is very gentle to the delicate eye area!

Bottom line

You can purchase Chikuhodo brushes from the sole official distributor now-eproject online for the most affordable prices. 
I wouldn't recommend purchasing them through eBay or something like that unless you have no other opportunity, because the prices are mostly higher and you'll never know where the product comes from and if they're authentic ;)

If you planning on splurging on new luxury brushes, especially squirrel hair ones, try Chikuhodo first I would say! 
SUQQU is great, without doubt, but the Z-Series is of the same quality and is a lot cheaper and probably more accessible. 
Just according to performance I would probably pass on the SUQQU versions if I wouldn't be a "brush-a-holic" and (more or less) "normal" brush-lover :p

Nonetheless I think they are different enough to have them all (SUQQU Face, Cheek and CH Z-1, Z-4), but the most similar ones are SUQQU Cheek and Z-4!

   

Love,

D.