The Makeup Box

Lime Crime “Holiday Magic” Carousel Glosses swatches and tips

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Happy Holidays to All!

Just a quick post about a package in the mail a couple of days ago and almost fainted when I saw the goodies inside. Here’s a quick part 1 featuring the 3 new Holiday Magic glosses!

Disclaimer: Products in this post were sent by the company for review. I am under no obligation to make posts or give favorable reviews, and am not employed by any beauty brand.

With that said, enjoy!

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An Unlikely Love: Hilary Duff “With Love” Perfume

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The idea of combining mangosteen (no relation with the mango) with spices, flowers and sweet amber in a single perfume sounded like it might go into “Escada” territory (sugared, fruity mess). I didn’t have high hopes for this fragrance at all but decided to just spritz it at a perfume discount store for the heck of it.

Hilary Duff’s debut fragrance “With Love”, named after one of her songs (note to Marketers: please don’t name something you can sell for at least 10 years after something that becomes –at best – passé in a few months), is a surprisingly sophisticated and exotic little gem that is not at all teenybopper fragrance. 

Created by: 2 perfumers whose scents you are VERY likely to have already smelt…

• Rodrigo Flores-Roux (Clinique Happy, Donna Karan Black Cashmere, Peace Love & Juicy Couture)
• Stephen Nilsen (Madonna Truth or Dare, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Sarah Jessica Parker Dawn)

Top notes: Spices, Mangosteen

Heart notes: Cocobolo Wood, Mangosteen flower

Base notes: Amber milk, Amber musk (wut?)

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Despite the notes, this is not a sugar-bomb, fruit-bomb or spice-bomb of a fragrance.

I’d say the opening is quite translucent, despite the presence of spices and mangosteen (no relation to the mango). This is more how the velvety, white flesh smells sitting in its leathery shell after you tear it open – delicately sweet and slightly exotic – than how it tastes (intensely tart and sweet). You also get a soft, generic “allspice” type of note adding some complexity and depth without being too in-your-face. Then again, if you’re not used to spices this might smell more obvious to you.

Soon, it blooms into a honeyed floral heart (mangosteen flower), accompanied by a contrastingly dry, almost-mossy cocobolo note which adds a dash of fresh masculinity, and reminds me somewhat of sandalwood. (Cocobolo wood comes from Central America, and is used often for musical instruments, chess pieces, and expensive flooring). This is the point where my liking turns into outright love, as it’s complex and warm without going into Opium territory or Shalimar territory.

As it develops, everything warms up and gets milkier and cozier. I’m not sure what “amber milk” and “amber musk” are. Just imagine a glass of milk with a dash of smoky vanilla and a pinch of spices, sitting on a cocobolo wood table in the sun. It’s tasty but tasteful, and would work for dates, class, and the office.

 This is not a girly-girl scent and a lot of people find it quite unisex.

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One gripe? The bottle cap is a little finicky. Other than this, I do kinda like the retro feel.

Friday’s Eye of the Day, plus BH Cosmetics Eye and Lip Primer Review!

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Was testing out BH Cosmetics’ eye and lip primer ($7.77) and did a subtle eye with a colored twist, using MAC’s Tan pigment and Sable, with a dark navy Motorhead as liner of sorts. The shadows went on with pretty good intensity and stayed on with minimal fading over a 12 hour day. 

Texture:

This reminds me of Lime Crime’s famous Candy Eye Shadow Primer, but is more pigmented.

I personally think this works better on those who need a primer to prep slightly oily lids and make shadow last, and not so well for those who are looking for a base to intensify shadows. It doesn’t dull your shadow the way some primers can; it just doesn’t really enhance it in particular either.

(Strangely enough, BH does have another primer which is designed to hold on to shadows and neutralize discolorations as well. I’m not sure how that would compare to this, but I would guess this is better for normal/combi lids and the other is better for oilier skins.)

Appearance:

As mentioned, this has quite a lot of pigments - more than any other primer I’ve tried - so it’s like a sheer concealer almost. You will need to blend it out quickly and try not to over-apply or you could end up with slight patchiness. It will cover discolorations and veined lids better than clear primers like Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Coastal Scents Shadow Worx.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Nice, creamy/silky texture that goes on easily
• Sets quickly and doesn’t budget easily
• Holds on to shadow pretty well
• Pigmented, which means you can use it to conceal discolorations on lips and lids
• Portable size.

Cons:

• Very tiny. This comes in a 3g jar (which on the flip-side makes it portable). That said, I’ve found often with pot primers like Lime Crime’s as well as BH’s, a teeny tiny bit goes a very long way, so a small jar like this can last for months. You’re NOT supposed to over-apply.
• Dries and sets quite quickly, so make sure you apply a minimal amount or it can look patchy on the lids.
• If you have darker skin, this might look ashy on you. It might work ok on the lids, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a lip primer if you have tanned or deep skin.

Verdict: 

Overall, a good primer that is definitely worth the price tag! It isn’t quite as bullet-proof as the Lime Crime Shadow Helper, but it does very well at a fraction of the cost. 

On the other hand, I do prefer it to Too Faced Shadow Insurance (surprise!); I like the slight creaminess of this primer more. If you work fast, this will bring out your shadows better than the Too Faced, which tends to be too slippery/silicone-y.

This WILL work better on fair to medium skins, but might be too deep for the porcelain-skinned. For darker skins, lighter shades like these do tend to bring out bright colors better so it would work on the eyes, but I’d definitely avoid this as a lip primer.

Liquid Gold: Dior J’adore L’or Essence de Parfum

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Ah…. gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous… This is like a concentrated distillation of a million flowers’ souls. 

I’ve never been big fan of the original J’adore because it was like Estee Lauders Pleasures or Clinique Happy to me. Very nice and very popular, with nothing in it that was jarring, strong, or atypical enough to rock my world. 

I took a break from the fragrance game the past few years so I’ve been a little “out of it” and never even knew Dior had released a new Eau de Parfum version of J’adore, as well as the much more beautiful Essence de Parfum in 2010.

Developed by François Demachy, this fragrance is composed of only a few high-quality notes: May Rose and Jasmine from Grasse, and Vanilla absolute from Tahiti. The other notes are Tonka Bean, Patchouli, and Labdanum, but these are almost not noticeable for the most part. They merely bolstering the warmth and depth of the main stars, the jasmine and the rose, lending a golden, honeyed richness to the flowers, which can otherwise just come across as sweet, sweet, sweet.

The scent itself is quite linear. There isn’t a top-note, heart-note, dry-down. This fragrance is ALL warm, bodacious, and big floral heart.

The presentation is exquisite (and it should be considering the price), and this would make a fantastic gift for an important woman in your life. The bottle is accompanied by a little enveloped card detailing the source of the flowers and how every one was assembled by hand. It’s all wrapped in thin gift paper, nestled on a white bed in an embossed Christian Dior box, which is then slipped into a matching white and gold sleeve. 

I couldn’t resist taking it out to take some pictures for you, but I’m keeping this hidden in my closet as a gift for my mother, since she’s always been a fan of the original J’adore but could never bring herself to buy a bottle since she was mainly attracted to the bottle instead of the juice.

J’adore L’or retails for over US$100 in most countries (it’s over SG$200; ridiculous and painful compared to the US price, but oh well…) but you can always keep an eye out on sites such as Escentual.com or Fragrancex.com for good deals from time to time.

What’s the difference between Chanel Quads in the US vs other parts of the world (UK, EU, Asia-Pacific)?

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I was watching Wayne Goss’s video on Chanel quads in the US vs UK and decided to do some digging.

If you’ve been considering purchasing one of the delicious looking quads from Chanel, the below is some information you might want to consider before you spend.

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Pricing and Place of Manufacture

Depending on exchange rates, Chanel quads are comparable between the US and UK, but significantly more expensive in many other parts of the world (typically at least double the US price in Asia).

As far as I have seen, all quads are produced in France, regardless of which formulation/region you purchase it from.

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Weight vs Volume

The weight of the product we get is the major point of controversy here.

• US quads contain 6.8g (0.24oz) of product
• International quads contain 1.2g (0.04oz) of product, which is 5.666 times less material than a quad in the US

Now if you consider that Chanel quads are more expensive everywhere else than the US, the weight alone has gotten many buyers in the EU and Asia spluttering in disbelief and anger recently. 

“Why am I paying more for less???”

I cannot claim to know the definitive answer, but judging from the visual appearance and the difference in shadow production methods, I’d say the amount of actual color pigment you get is probably not that far off despite the weight.

Actual Volume

Now, unless someone from Chanel makes an official statement about this, we will never be able to tell, but visually, the volume of product you get is no different. Now, if anyone has hit pan on their quad, PLEASE upload and send me an image so we can do a direct comparison between the US/International versions to see if maybe one pan is deeper than the other! (I suspect the difference may not be too big though.)

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Texture and Density (Formulation)

Chanel US Quads differ from the International Quads in terms of texture and formulation. 

• Chanel US: Pressed, dense. More moist/creamy feeling, more pigmented, satiny, with more binder ingredients. (Think of a chewy cookie or brownie.)
• Chanel International: Baked, dry. Finish is translucent, without the volume of binders in the pressed version to give it weight and opacity. (Think of a dry cracker/cookie.)
• Analogy: The amount of cocoa powder might be very similar; you just get more moisture and other ingredients remaining in the brownie, compared to the cookie after baking.

Baked shadows contain less binder ingredients (oils, waxes, silicones, talc/titanium dioxide, etc), and contain a higher pigment density. However, this does not mean they give higher payoff or are denser. In fact, the opposite is often true because it’s the binders in shadows that allow the color pigments to pack onto onto your lids efficiently and stay there. 

Your brush will pick up more product in the US version, and you will get more color-payoff. 

If you want a similar rich finish from the International version, you will need to “add the moisture back” by using a moistened brush or sponge tip to pick up and apply your shadow. 

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Pros

• US: Pigmented, rich, creamy. If you like dense shadows and want a velvety feel and a stronger payoff, then this version is probably better for you. It will go on easier and stick to your lids well.
• International: If you are starting out in makeup, or want something that is almost fool-proof to apply and blend, this gives a subtle shimmer and a soft wash of lingerie-like color. Works with water for a richer finish so you have both options.

Cons:

• US: Color can go on heavier and will take more effort to blend seamlessly compared to the baked formula. 
• International: Building up color can be a pain, and sometimes one quad looks almost like another after it’s on, because the colors are so sheer that the difference is not that apparent. Also fades faster through the day, as the pigments don’t adhere to your skin that well.

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Application

• US: Apply with a soft fluffy blending brush like a MAC 217 so you can smoke and blend colors easily.
• International: Apply with a damp shadow brush OR just the sturdy sponge tips in the compact! (These are durable so wash them once every week to remove any buildup.)

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Verdict?

I wouldn’t go storming off to a Chanel counter demanding for my money back. (Actually, we can’t do this outside of the US, even if we wanted to!) The formula you get is just too different, so you’d be comparing Apples to Oranges. 

What I would do though, is caution you to test them at the counter, and think about what you want out of your shadows before shelling out.

I personally prefer pressed shadows to baked ones, because I like stronger color and creamy textures, so if I could choose, I’d go for the US quads though I don’t really mind the baked formula. It’s just that I’d rather be able to get high payoff without having to go through the hassle of dampening my brush.