Guerlain - Art of Lines

Introduction:
This is a limited edition product from Guerlain for Spring 2005. This is also called the Calligraphy set.

Packaging:
Woo....ahhh...this is my response when I first took it out from the box. It is a rectangular black silk box with the gold Guerlain word on top. The mirror inside is huge that makes it convenient to use. It has 6 shades of eye shadows/liners in side with 2 brushes and 1 small mixing cup made by glass. Completely innovative and luxurious. The 2 brushes are of decent quality and better than a lot of branded eyeliner brushes I would say. The packaging itself is an art by itself.

Texture:
Can be used as eye shadow or eyeliner. All shades are metallic except black & white. Very pigmented. Scentless.

Price:
RM189.00,

*Worth every single cents.

Review:
Makeup could be artistic too! Although the name is Art of Lines but we used to call it The Calligraphy Set. YSL has a similar product too but this is far better. The 6 shades are matte black, matte white, metallic rose gold, metallic beige, metallic forest green, metallic royal blue. I'm impressed with this product. Although it said could be used as eye shadows but I find the powder is hard to blend as eye shadows. All the shades could be used wet with these 6 colors, you could actually mix out numerous color combination with the cute little cup. All the shades will gives a dramatic metallic look when use wet except the black & white. I like to dab the white color at the corner of the eyes.

Shu Uemura - Rouge Dessert Strawberry Souffle

Introduction:
This is a limited edition palette by Shu Uemura for Christmas 2004.

Packaging:
It comes in a mirrored silver square palette which holds 2 eye shadows and 1 Glow on blush. I like the standardisation of Shu's products. A Glow on blush is double size of the eye shadow so actually you could customize your own palette by putting in 2 eye shadows + 1 blush, 4 eye shadows or 2 blushes. I found the palette is a bit hard to open.

Texture:
The 2 eye shadows are from the Pearl (P) formula which appear a little coarse because of the pearl powder in it. The white powder does drop all over the face. The pink one has a finer texture and it is sheer.

The Glow on blush has a fine texture and quite pigmented.

Price:
Unknown as I got it from L'oreal warehouse sales but I'm sure it is definitely cheaper then buying 2 shadows and 1 blush separately. 10g.

Review:
From the 1st glance, this palette does not appeal to me at all. The color combination is a shimmery white, a iridescent cool pink eye shadows and a warm peach blush. I really doubt that why Shu pairs a warm tone blush with 2 cool tone eye shadows.
The shimmery white e/s is great as base and highlight. The iridescent pink e/s actually reflect some purple seen. It is surprisingly beautiful when the iridescent pink pairs with the white e/s. Shu does has his own reason to come out with this kind of combination! I use MAC Sweet Sage fluidline to line, the white in the front corner and pink all over the crease and it is beautiful.
However I still couldn't pull off the warm blush on me. It just doesn't compliment my olive NC30 skin tone.

MAC - Flowering Quad

Introduction:
MAC Flowering quad is an Asian exclusive limited edition palette comes out along with the Culture Bloom collection in Spring 2006.

Packaging:
Simple & versatile, light & small. No fancy packaging. MAC's Flowering quad comes in their 4 pan palette with transparent cover. I really appreciate MAC for making the cover transparent. It enable us to know what colors in the palette with just a glance without opening it. It could be a big trouble for a makeup enthusiast that owns a lot of eye shadows if she is to open every palette to see what's the color inside.

Texture:
2 of the eye shadows are lustre formula, 1 frost formula, 1 velvet formula

Price:
RM135
* Much cheaper than buying 4 eye shadows separately which will cost around RM220.

Review:
The colors in this palette are all special edition which is not available as MAC regular shades except Honesty (bronze with gold shimmer, lustre). The 3 colors are Blossomcherry (pink with gold shimmer, velvet), Early Dawn (apple green with gold shimmer, velvet) and Sunseed (iridescent peach flashes pink, frost formula). This is the 1st MAC palette that I bought. The shimmer of the 3 frost formula eye shadows really attracts me to splurge. This is a love at first sight. I know I must have it when I first saw it. Early Dawn is a little sheer to me but the color really fresh. The combination of apple green and pink makes the best color for spring. I love this palette.

Nars - Lust for Life Artist Palette

Introduction:
Nars artist palette in Lust for Life. Contains 3 eye shadows, 2 blushes and 3 lipcolors.

Packaging:
I just love Nars packaging. All their product is in black rubber case instead of metal. Very light weight and chic. However I have a very big complaint about the rubber thing. It becomes sticky after sometime and I have no way to recover it. This palette is quite bulky and heavy but the wide mirror inside make it convenient to use. I wish Nars could reduce the size of the casing.

Texture:
All the colors are matte. The eye shadows are sheer.

Price:
USD50, not available in Malaysia, nearest place is Singapore.

Review:
The eye shadows in this palette are Tokyo duo (icy white & lavender), New York ( brownish plum). The blushes are Matahari (matte pink) & Amour (matte peach). Lipsticks are Dolce Vita (plum), Pigalle (chocolate pink) & Fire Down Below (warm brownish red).
This palette is very versatile consider that it has both warm & cool colors which will do nicely in either cool or warm combination. This is extremely useful when traveling. For a cool combination, I use the Tokyo duo, Matahari with Dolce Vita. For warm look, I use the white from Tokyo duo, New York, Amour with Pigalle.
An amazing palette from Nars.

Benefit - Dandelion

Introduction:
Benefit is an US based cosmetic brand that made famous with their Benetint liquid blush.

Packaging:
This is adorable and versatile. I'm so glad that the packaging is so beautiful yet they could include the brush in it. The painting on the cardboard box is a dandelion, feel so romantic. The powder is until half of the container and the brush is put on top of the powder separated by a plastic layer. Very innovative. Although the brush has little use in applying the powder but I do appreciate the effort.

Texture:
The powder is not as fine as other brand and has a light scent in it. Very sheer.

Price:
USD24, not available in Malaysia. I bought mine from Benefit.com and they ship internationally.

Review:
Benefit claims this is an all over powder but I use it as a blush. The color is a peachy pink with slight shimmer. It is very sheer and hardly shows on my NC30 skintone. I have to layer quite a number of times to get it shows on me. If you're looking for a subtle glow, this is your choice. This might looks good on fair skin people. Overall, this is a product that I could live without. I got it just for the cute packaging.

Guerlain - Divinora KissKiss Lipgloss 61,01

Introduction:
Guerlain has come out with 3 limited edition Divinora KissKiss lipgloss for Spring 2006. 61 Dragee A Croquer is a ballet pink with pink micro-glitters, 01 Sucer A Croquer is a white with multi-colored micro-glitter. 60 Fraise A Croquer is a coral red with red micro-glitters.

Packaging:
I always adore Guerlain's packaging. I even collect their limited edition Meteorites face powder that comes out every year just for their packaging. Although lip gloss in a wand is not my prefer packaging (tube is the best packaging for lip gloss) but the elegance of the design impresses me. The applicator is a good quality, soft transparent synthetic brush that enable the gloss to be applied evenly. The brush is not the black plastic type like Bobbi Brown lip gloss that will become like a broom after a while. Anyway, I suggest you use a separate lip brush to pick up the gloss at home to avoid contamination.

Texture:
Merely like gel that is non-sticky, non-drying and lightweight. It feels very moisturizing too. Heavy scented.

Price:
RM78.00, 5ml, Made in France.

* A little on the expensive side compares with other brands.

Review:
61 – Dragee A Croquer
This is one of the most beautiful lip gloss that I ever seen. The color is a ballet pink with tons of pink micro-glitters. The pink reminds me of Sakura flowers. I'm amazed by how it looks on lips. Those micro-glitters reflect a light pink seen on lips and it is not glittery or metallic. Perfect for the innocent girly look. However, I'm a bit turn off by the strong coconuty smell and I feel there is some cooling sensation after apply which make my lips a bit numb. The smell differs from the usual KissKiss gloss and the other color no.01 smells much better than this.

01 – Sucer A Croquer
This gloss looks stunning in the tube and on the lips. It is a white gloss which appear clear on lips but infused with tons of multi-colored micro-glitters! It beautifies any lip colors with those micro-glitters and your lips will shine like diamonds under spotlights. This gloss is multi-purposed. I think every girl should has one tube of this gloss in her makeup. I've tested the Fraise color but doesn't impressed me much.

The SA in Lot10 Isetan told me that she has 8 tube of the No.61 pink color being shipped to her counter but one of her Japanese customer has booked all of them so I end up got mine at Mid Valley Metrojaya. These glosses are an limited edition items so grab them before they ran out.

Giorgio Armani - Hollywood Palette 2006

Introduction:
This is a limited edition palette from Giorgio Armani that was released in year 2006. Consist of 4 eye shadows and 1 sheer shimmer powder.

Packaging:
Packaged in Giorgio Armani's signature black color. This palette has 2 layers which holds 4 eye shadows on top and a sheer shimmer powder at the bottom layer. The compact is round with mirror inside. It has the same size with their blushes and compact powder. Stylish and elegant are what I could say about this. It is very handy to be carried around. This palette comes in a box with Armani's signature on it and the black compact was printed with Armani's signature in gold color.

Texture:
Eye shadows: the powder is ultra fine, very silky and tightly pressed.

Sheer shimmer powder: iridescent pink, fine powder.

Price:RM299.00/USD80, 4x0.6g, 1x8.5g. Made in Spain.

*GA's limited edition items are way overpriced in Malaysia. I got this from Hong Kong and they are only selling at HKD440 (RM218).

Review:
Finally got this babe in. Thanks to Chococake for doing the CP for me. This palette is beautiful at first glance. Consists of 4 eye shadow and 1 sheer shimmer powder. The 4 eye shadows are dark brown, khakis brown, iridescent purple and shimmery taupe.

I was disappointed with the sheer shimmer powder. I thought it was a blush when saw the palette on the web. How nice if it was a blush. It is a iridescent pink powder that reflects pink on different angles. However, it appears just as white powder on my face. It supposes to be a highlighter but I didn't find any highlighting effect from it. I'm considering to depot one of the GA blush and put it in here.

I found the texture of the 4 eye shadows is very silky and ultra fine. However, they are so tightly pressed in that the powder is hard to pick up using my eye shadow brush. The dark brown color is great for lining and shading. It is the most pigmented shade. The purple color reminds me of Urban Decay Asphyxia. It changes color in different angles. The shimmery taupe is very beautiful and the khakis brown is natural. Great for evening look or natural look. Overall, all the eye shadow shades are good but I'm just couldn't justify the USD80 for this palette.

This is a low quality Dior eye shadow imitation

1) The wording on the box is 'Diorskin Compact', 'Fond de Teint Osmose'. Diorskin compact is a compact foundation, not eye shadow.

2) The wording on the box says 'Eye shadow FPS 20 SPF'. Oh my gosh, this is definitely very wrong.

3) There is no color indication.

4) The side of the box printed with 'Diorskin compact 134 Beige clair/light beige'

5) The back of the compact just simply sticked with a white paper says 'Dior Fond De Teint Osmonse Lumiere Optimale Eye Shadow FPS 20 SPF No 3050'

6) The color combination is so awful! The Dior creative director has to be fired if she/he comes out with this color.

This is really a low quality imitation.

A Chanel Multi-effect Eye Shadow is fake if...

1) They have a faint scent, the authentic chanel e/s is scentless

2) There are no color indication on the box and compact. Only a sticker of no. for color on the box.

3) The texture is coarse and you could see white glitter in the e/s, the authentic one has very smooth texture.

4) The wording on the box written as :
This product can se sold only sy authorized chanel retailers. Who in this world will think Chanel makes such a typo error?

5) The net weight 3.7g, the authentic one is 3.5g.

6) The logo on the brush is white color, the authentic one is raised black acrylic.

7) The velvet pouch is thinner and the inner texture is different. The Chanel double C logo is blur.

8) The color is not in Chanel's official product color chart

The left one is fake, the right one is authentic.

The fake Chanel eye shadows.

This is the real one.

Giorgio Armani - Oscar Palette 2005

Introduction:
This is a limited edition palette from Giorgio Armani that was released in year 2005. Consist of 4 eye shadows and 2 lipcolors.

Packaging:
Packaged in Giorgio Armani's signature black color. This palette has 2 layers which holds 4 eye shadows on top and 2 lip colors at the bottom layer. The compact is round with mirror inside. It has the same size with their blushes and compact powder. Stylish and elegant are what I could say about this. It is very handy to be carried around. This palette comes in a box with Armani's signature on it and the black compact was printed with Armani's signature in gold color.

Texture:
Eye shadows: the powder is fine and very silky. All the colors are quite pigmented.

Lip colors: scentless & smooth.

Price:
RM299.00, 4x0.6g, 2x0.6ml. Made in France.

*GA's limited edition items are way overpriced in Malaysia. I got this from Hong Kong and they are only selling at HKD440 (RM218).

Review:
The 4 eye shadows are charcoal black, shimmery peachy pink, plum and white. The charcoal black color is great to use as liner. I like the peachy pink personally. It shows up very well on me and would do for natural look too. I don't really look good with the plum because it makes my Asian eyes look swollen. The white is just a normal white color. Generally I'm not that impressed with the color combination.

The 2 lip colors are just ordinary.

The quantity of the eye shadows and lip colors is very tiny. They would be finished soon if you used it everyday. I'd prefer the 2 lip colors being replaced by blush like their new Bronze Mania palette & the latest Hollywood 2006 (I got it on the way. Yeah!)

Chanel - Coromandels De Chanel

Introduction:
This is a limited edition star product from Chanel for fall 2005.

Packaging:
Comes in black acrylic square shape mirror compact with Chanel's signature velvet pouch. It also comes with a sponge tip applicator. The packaging is nice as usual but Chanel has been using the same packaging for years and I'm getting a little boring with it. I think Chanel seriously need to start planning of changing their packaging because there are a lot of Chanel imitation products in the market like eBay.

Texture:
The powders are a little coarse and the charcoal black is powdery, quite pigmented. It is scentless.

Price:
RM186.00, 14g/0.49oz Net Wt. Made in Italy.

* A little expensive compares to Chanel's pass season limited edition palette but I still think they worth the price.

Review:
This is the queen of all the Chanel's star products. I know I must have it when I saw the picture before it came out. It is just too beautiful to use! The flower imprint is made by laser but unfortunately the gold powders on the flowers are just the top layer and will disappear once you swipe over it. So I have to be very careful only pick up the black powder on blank area. The shimmery gold on the yellow parts also just the top layer.
This product could be used on eyes & cheek. The coral red makes a great blush but my blush brush really has a hard time on picking up the powder without touching the yellow & black powder. The black color is good for lining but need to use wet.
Overall, this product is quite versatile but I could live without it. I bought it just for the special imprint.

Giorgio Armani - Collector's Palette 2005

Introduction:
This is a limited edition palette from Giorgio Armani that was released in year 2005. Consist of 4 eye shadows and 2 lipcolors.

Packaging:
Packaged in Giorgio Armani's signature black color. This palette has 2 layers which holds 4 eye shaodws on top and 2 lip colors at the bottom layer. The compact is round with mirror inside. It has the same size with their blushes and compact powder. Stylish and elegant are what I could say about this. It is very handy to be carried around. This palette also comes with a chiffon pouch.

Texture:
Eye shadows: the powder is ultra fine and very silky however it is quite sheer and need to layer on a lot for more intense look.

Lip colors: scentless & smooth.

Price:
RM299.00, 4x0.6g, 2x0.6ml. Made in Spain.

*GA's limited edition items are way overpriced in Malaysia. I got this from Hong Kong and they are only selling at HKD440 (RM218).

Review:
The 4 eye shadows are shimmery beige, dark blue, sea blue and pale blue. These 3 blue colors are very unique and so far I haven't come across any similar shade yet. I'm a bit disappointed with the dark blue because it is very sheer when applied. I have to pile on tons of layer to get it to show up. It is impossible to use as liner. The sea blue and pale blue are very beautiful, especially the sea blue. I like to use the pale blue at the front corner of the eyes, beige to highlight brow bone, dark blue and sea blue at crease and line my lower lid with sea blue.
All these blue combination gives a mistery look to the eyes when used together.

The 2 lipcolor is a shimmery warm pale brown and matte cool pink. The 2 lip colors compliments the eye shadows when use together. I like the matte cool pink lipcolor although it wash me out a little but it looks gorgeous when I do smokey eyes with all the blues. The shimmery pale brown is less solid and could be used as gloss.

The quantity of the eye shadows and lip colors is very tiny. They would be finished soon if you used it everyday. I'd prefer the 2 lip colors being replaced by blush like their new Bronze Mania palette & the latest Hollywood 2006 (I got it on the way. Yeah!)