Review: Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Dragon 75 [discontinued]

As requested by a reader today will be a review of a discontinued product by Chanel.  The product is a Rouge Allure Laque shade “Dragon 75”. Whilst the product is discontinued, there are some still floating around online but at a higher price than what it retailed for.

This is a red, an intense red not for the faint hearted. It has a metallic sheen which can lead the colour to be deceiving. At different angles of the light hitting the colour it can look lighter or darker.  The colour from the photos of the swatch on my arm and on lips appears quite bright and almost like a candy apple colour. In person, the swatches, on the wand and on lips appear more of a rich almost blood red colour. For most people the colour will be a kind of candy apple red, and for those with highly pigmented (darker) lips it will come out more like a red wine colour.

Dragon 75 applies a lightweight creamy texture with slight resistance feel of a glossy shine stain. These types of laques/lacquers (from any brand) are designed for long wear, so whilst being richly pigmented they stain the lips in a way too.  In fact if you take a touch of the colour and rub it onto the lips you can create a more subtle colour and add a clear gloss for shine if the full opacity of the laque is not desired. With high pigmented laques and especially a red one, a lip liner is you best friend.  A laque/laquer having a more liquid consistency can move and start to feather and show up unwanted lines more so than a lipstick. From the photo here can be seen the laque applied with the wand applicator and then another swatch applied the same way and then rubbed with finger tip to show stain effect and how you could wear as a softer colour.

The laque comes in the black casing with a touch of gold for the iconic logo and the white writing of the brand name we have come to know as of course Chanel!  For the RRP$50 (AU) you get 6mls of laque. This may seem a lot but you are paying for higher quality ingredients and the brand. Now that the product has been discontinued it is now highly coveted and could be considered maybe a collector item, some prices at online sites are as high as $120. If you love and adore Chanel you are probably going to want this either way. If it is just for the colour then you are most likely only to want to pay the retail price for it. So do you let the brand sway you or the product itself, talk to you?

What are your thoughts?  Have you tried Chanel’s famous Dragon? Would you try it now? As always constructive feedback is welcomed and would love to hear your thoughts.

<3 MJH




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Review: Lime Crime Chinadoll Palette

Today I will be reviewing Lime Crime’s Limited Edition fantasy ‘Chinadoll palette’ which I was fortunate enough to win in a competition on the Makeupnet.com.au’s facebook page. Firstly I’d like to say I won this palette through my own personal account and did not say I was a makeup artist, and this review is not sponsored by Makeupnet or Lime Crime.

Lime Crime never disappoint when it comes to packaging their products in the cute unicorn pink and purple that we have come to know, (not forgetting the green turquoise packaging of the Candy Eyeshadow Helper).   Before revealing their product Lime Crime introduce to you the Golden envelope cardboard covering embossed with the Lime Crime font and decoration including embossed unicorn stamp, Doe Deere has named Unicorn Mail.

This limited edition palette is packaged in a purple tin, embossed in gold with the Lime Crime logo and design which could be interpreted as a fan. This to me makes more sense going with the new fantasy palette soon to be released (May 1^st) Palette D’Antoinette, since the visual has the model holding a fan, where as in the Chinadoll palette visual their model is holding a parasol. Either way the packaging is still cute and attractive.

 

The eyeshadows themselves are in metal pans pressed into a plastic holder. At first look this may seem a bit odd considering the packaging on the outside. But after further thought,  Lime Crime have this as a limited edition and therefore a collectable and so people can use the metal casing for other purposes once they have used the eyeshadows.

As always when ordering from Lime Crime or their official suppliers, you receive a generous sample of their Candy Eyeshadow Helper. This waterproof eyeshadow base not only intensifies the colour of eyeshadows and pigments but also helps them to be longer lasting and not to crease. Most eye primers do the same thing, but if you want a primer that stays and I mean stays then try the Lime Crime Candy eyeshadow helper! It is removed only with a waterproof eye makeup remover. Usually I remove my makeup with baby wipes and then cleanse. However the baby wipes hardly budged the eyeshadow when using the Candy eye shadow helper. I used Lancôme’s Bi Facil...in just two swipes it was off!

Below are swatches of the eyeshadows without the eyeshadow base, the bottom row is of the eyeshadows wet and the top row is of the eyeshadows dry. (Left to right- Lotus Noir, Jade-o-lade, Goldfish, Parasol and Fly Dragon Fly)

Wetting the eyeshadows definitely increases the intensity of the colours, apart from the Fly Dragon Fly.  I found when I used the eyeshadows wet; they moved and felt much like wet colour paints.

The textures of the eyeshadows are lovely, soft and have an almost buttery creamy feel to them. One thing I did notice is Fly Dragon Fly did not feel as smooth when testing the product on my arm, that is, the texture did not felt as fine as the rest. Now this may just be the batch I received, I do not know, and is not to say everyone’s palette with Fly Dragon Fly will have the same texture I found.

Here are swatches of the palette applied over the Lime Crime eye base.  You can instantly see the intensity is much greater even comparing to the eyeshadows when wet. After swatching with the primer I would not consider using the palette without it. I also swatched a matte Inglot Freedom System eyeshadow using the Lime Crime primer underneath, I left the shadows for a couple of minutes and then tested for movement. Although they all held in place quite well, the Chinadoll palette eyeshadows definitely held their place better than the Inglot Freedom system eyeshadow.


Overall the quality of the palette’s eyeshadows is on par with its price RRP$34.95, on the Lime Crime website. Considering the cult following Lime Crime have, I think their prices are competitive and in tune with their products. The pigmentation of the eyeshadows is very good, but to be honest I did expect more when comparing to the opacity of their lip products.

If you like matte eyeshadows then this palette is perfect, apart from the yellow gold, which if you’re into shiny things like me you’ll like more. If you want to learn to play with colour or perhaps colours you wouldn’t usually use together, I recommend buying this palette. Another great reason to get this palette is if you need to work on your blending skills. Matte colours will show up more if not blended well, so it is a great way to help improve your blending skills if you feel you need it, and it always depends on what look you are trying to achieve.


How is this for a good advertisement for the Lime Crime Candy eyeshadow helper! Went to bed and forgot I had the swatches on my arm and in the morning this is how the eyeshadows had coped throughout the night.

Here is also a couple of pictures of one look I came up with.

Would do you think, would you try the Chinadoll palette? Or have you tried it already? Loved it, hated it? Are you waiting to try the new Palette D’Antoinette launching in May? Hope you liked my review and as always, constructive feedback on content always welcomed.

<3 MJH




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Consistency and TLC

Do you know what the largest organ of the human body is? Intestines? Brain? Lungs?

Nope!
It is our skin!


 It is something that a lot of us take for granted and I used one of those guilty people.
A beautifully finished makeup ‘flawless’ as some say, starts with good skin.


As you can see from this photo of Victoria Beckham, her skin here is not at its usual quality. The irregular texture of her skin here makes it hard for a smooth finish of foundation. She has also used highlighting products and a dewy finish foundation. These two products are not particularly a good choice when having your photo taken if you have a couple bumps on your face. The flash from the camera picks up the reflector ingredients in the products highlighting what we usually try to hide.

For those who do suffer from bad skin and when I say bad skin I mean breakouts, acne and pimples, the less makeup the better. One reason the skin could be suffering from breakouts is the pores are getting clogged. Putting more makeup on this does not allowed the skin to breathe and can clogged the skin more.
A great way to help project your skin when applying makeup is to use a silicon base primer first. You can get ones that are oil-free which is perfect for the more oily or combination skins. The reason a silicon base primer is suitable is because the silicon creates a smoothing effect, this can help stop makeup settling into fine lines or pores. The smoothing effect from the silicon also creates a barrier which protects the skin.


Good skin starts with skincare.


The 3 major steps:

• Cleanse

Using a cleanser suitable to your skin type – dry, combination, normal, oily or sensitive.
Some are milk, gel, baume or foaming. Some are rinse off and others are tissue off.
Although the foaming cleansers are thought to help lift out impurities through the air of the foaming, there isn’t really a specific advantage to the different types, they are more for customer preference.

• Toner/ Softener/Lotion

Why is a toner important? A toner locks in the existing moisture in skin. Then there are the other added benefits of softening of the skin to make it suppler. Toners containing alcohol are good for tightening the pores and helping absorb excess oils, the ones that clog pores and cause breakouts.
Again there are different types, ones alcohol-free, enriched for a more dehydrated or mature skin, milky for dry skin, matifying for oily skin and some are even cooling or refreshing which is great for those hot summers!

• Moisturise

Your moisturiser is helping replenish the moisture you have lost and normalize your Ph levels in your skin.Many moisturizers have added benefits for the skin and everyday concerns people have. These may be anti aging, restoring, replenishment or matifying for oil absorption.
We have day moisturisers, some which contain SPF for your sun protection. Then there in your night cream, a cream a bit more enriched and more concentrated. Why are night creams important?Our skin is more active at night. This is when our skin cells are reproducing and turning over. Whatever is on your skin at night your skin breathes in – which is why your beauty therapist/beauty advisor always says NEVER sleep with you makeup on. This can leading to clogging on the pores and overall just isn’t good for your skin.


A step that is not always remembered that is also important is Exfoliating.
Exfoliating helps to remove dead skin cells, which can clog the pores. Removing these dead skin cells help leave the skin brightened in tone, improved texture and more overall youthful appearance. Exfoliate once a week and twice a week for drier skin types.

Masks or masques are also great products, these should only be used once or twice a week depending on your skin type and the type of masque you are using. You can get masques for hydration, refining for drawing out impurities, retinol and firming masques. Some come in tubes and you apply the product yourself, others come with the product called a second skin which is a material soaked in ingredients for super concentration. For example the second skin masques can provide an instant result of a product of what the result would be after using for 7 days.

Sometimes less is more and this can go for skincare also. Using too many products for some skins can sensitize them. This does not mean everyone should not or cannot use serums and youth activators.A skin that becomes sensitized can become inflamed from redness and even develop breakouts. There are so many products out on the beauty wall a lot of it is trial and error finding what works for you.

You now know the tools to good skin care but does that mean you will have good skin? Not necessarily. One most important thing is consistency. Building a routine and being consistent with your skin care is very important. If you only use your a skin product once in a blue moon, you’re not going to see results. This is very true for anti-aging products in particular.

I hope you have found this post informative and helpful.What do you do for your skin care routine? Is there anything you do not recommend? Or anything you would recommend? Would love to hear any thoughts or comments! Constructive feedback on content always welcomed.

<3 MJH





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The owner of this blog does not share personal information with third-parties nor does the owner store information is collected about your visit for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser’s settings. The owner is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without permission.
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Spring is in the Air Part 2

The Spring colour collections also feature limited edition nail polish colours. I’m not usually into nail polish. I love the look on it on other people but always feel it makes my hands look old when I wear it! Maybe I’ve been wearing the wrong colours? ;)

When I first saw the pastille green nail polish from Dior and Lancôme, I was unsure of it. I went home and all night the colour was in my mind! I woke up a woman obsessed with pastille mint green nail polish! In fact I am in love all pastille nail colours now!


Lancôme offer 3 choices of colours for the collection this season.  All matte and in creamy pastille colours: green, pink and peach.  All beautiful colours but the formula is quite thin. A thinner formula means easy chipping in my experience.


Dior has launched two nail colours for the collection, a vivid creamy purple which is just a tad brighter than lilac, and a gorgeous shimmery pastille mint green.  Purple is normally my favourite colour but the green in this is amazing!  Out of the 3 brands I think Dior is the most popular with their nail polishes, they are good quality and my favourite thing is the brush! Instead of the long flimsy brush where you usually need to do 2 or 3 strokes to cover the nail, Dior provide a wider and firmer brush with a slant at the end of the brush which is perfect for the edges near the cuticle.


Like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent equips their nail varnish with the wider and slanted brush.  I think these types of brushes are a great idea, especially for those like myself who are not always good at ‘staying inside the lines’. =P   I absolutely adore the green in this collection! The brown, orange and pink are matte, whilst the green has a metallic shimmer through. The down-side to these are they must be purchased as a duo. The orange and pink come together as do the green and brown.  If these were purchasable singularly they would walk off the shelves but as duos they are going to be sitting there a bit longer!


 Now that I am a little obsessed with nail colours I recently went out and bought some colours. Because I am not a huge nail devotee, I didn’t splurge of ‘high’ quality varnishes.  One of the colours I bought was ‘minted’ by Revlon. The colour is exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been wearing it for 3 days now and it hasn’t chipped! I applied 2 coats, with no top coat or base coat, just the colour varnish. One thing I have found when I do wear nail polish is, if not within the first hour it chips within the first day.

[ Image courtesy to Raspberry Jam Blog by Cheon-Hwa - fashion & design, beauty and lifestyle.]

Other colours I have recently bought but yet to try are Revlon ‘Blue Lagoon’, OPI ‘Mod About You’ and Inglot ‘150’. These are my current pastille nail varnish purchases.
What nail colours are you in love with this season or just at current?  Or what cosmetics have caught your eye? Would really love to hear everyone's thoughts and current must have items!


<3 MJH







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Spring is in the Air Part 1

What comes to mind when we think of Spring?  The birds and the bees, new arrival of animals and the flower in bloom? Wait a minute? Am I writing a blog on the weather? No, but the reason Spring is relevant to this post is because in cosmetic land the houses are releasing their Spring Colour Collections for 2012!
 
For houses Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Lancôme their collections appear to have a definite influence from the colours of spring!  Green, orange and pink are present in all 3 collections.

 
 
Both the Dior and Yves Saint Laurent visuals feature soft feminim eyes, with purples and pinks. I personally love these kinds of eye looks. It is a great way to show people how to pull off colour. Dior showing an almost soft rock type look, imaging that women can be both soft and feminim but still hold their own. Yves Saint Laurent stay true to the soft girl look, adding edge through hair styling and accessories. The Lancôme visual shows off the collections green and pink eyeshdaows, offering a feminim and sophisticated look. Aaron DeMay (Lancôme National Makeup Artist) once again shows his edgy style that he brings to the counters of Lancôme.

 
Here you can the colour of the collections how they are sold. As you can see green and pink are the main influence of the season. 
Lancome is selling a beautiful green palette, using the bold to grab the attention of younger customers, whilst also offering a softer pink tone palette their regular clientele. Sometimes with the Lancome colours on the quads is that they are usually not that great in pigment. But with majority of the colour collection releases the eyeshadows are always more greatly pigmented.  The shadow texture is as always with Lancome soft and silky and easy to apply. I am in love with the pearl and irredescence of the lighter colours in these quads.  I for one believe anyone can wear ‘glittery’ products, it is all a matter of how you apply and it knowing when to add just a little or enough.
 
 
I am really excited by the Dior palettes, the shadows are what looks to be a cream powder, the embossing on the products make them look almost not real. The eyeshadow itself is soft and smooth and blendable. The thing I am most excited about is that these are more pigmented than the usual Dior eyeshadows. The colours I think are beautiful and I think offer to both a young and mature clientele.  The only issue is because these are highly pigmented in that silky sheen of irredescence most mature clients will shy away from this as metallic can accentuate fine lines and dry skin.
 
 
Yves Saint Laurent, the luxury house of the bold.  Never fails to impress me. One thing Yves Saint Laurent know and that is colour and pigment. Oh and did I forget shimmer? I am sad that the cosmetic industry is still very quiet for YSL as I believe they have a lot to offer.  One palette of the collection highly glittery and shimmery packed with bright colours, although they are bright they this palette in particular is still soft, to display the soft femininity of a gentle female. The second palette is more matte but packed with pigment!
 
 
I love all of the eyeshadows for each collection. Sadly though I don’t think they will sell as well as they should. Altough everyone loves colour, the majority of the public are scared of it. The main thing people think of is how do I wear it? People are not taught hold to apply it so it is still wearable and, hmm  lets say not ‘scary’.  I insist, if you love colour ask the consultants on counter to show you how to wear, how to apply it. They are there to help!
 
What do you think about bright colours and the latest colours exploding onto luxury cosmetic counters?  What is one colour you have always loved but too afraid to experiment with?
I’d love your feedback and your thoughts on these new colour collections!
 
<3 MJH
 
 
 
 
 
 
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All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
This policy is subject to change at anytime.