Suqqu Balancing Cheeks in 03 Hinageshi

I purchased a new Suqqu blush ages ago (months... honestly), and I just got around to reviewing it now. Thank goodness I take photos right after I buy things. LOL.

 

Top swatches are finger swatches, Bottom swatches done with the provided applicator/brush

Suqqu Hinageshi consists of a beautiful beige gold highlighter and a peach blush. The highlighter is soft, pigmented and melts into the skin. The peach blush is a little sheer, but I don't mind so much because it means I can depend on it in mornings when I am really in a rush (no clown cheeks here!!).

The brush supplied with the blush palette is magnificent, soft and lays down the pigment nicely on the skin. It helps create a very subtle veil of colour and it sheers out the highlighter so you don't get the super reflective effect (not a good look, right?).

I'm not sure if this palette is really worth the hefty pricetag, but if you tend to be heavy handed with the blush, or prefer a barely there blusher, you are sure to love this!

Cindy

Collective Haul- MAC Lipsticks in Hot Chocolate, Absolute Power and Ronnie Red (Archie's Girls)

I recently purchased some highly rated MAC lipsticks sight unseen from Nordstrom, and I have a few pictures and swatches for you today. 

Hot chocolate  is a satin lipstick. The name is spot on for this colour, its a milky chocolate brown. It has medium pigmentation and very smooth and buttery to apply to the lips.

Absolute Power (matte) looks like a dark red in the bullet, but it actually lacks pigmentation, and applies to a much brighter warm red than what I expected. It is actually a really nice formula to apply, its somewhere in between a matte and a satin formula, but I would actually hesitate to class this formula as a matte.

Ronnie Red (matte) is a bright red in the tube, and that is how it applies on the lips. The colour is very close to Absolute Power, its almost not worth having them both. Ronnie Red is very pigmented, with a buttery, smooth formula. This is my favourite from my purchases. Again, I don't think this is a MAC matte. Both Absolute Power and Ronnie Red have significantly less scent than Hot Chocolate, which is very vanilla-y (classic MAC scent).

 

As you can see from the swatches below, Ronnie Red and Absolute Power are so close in colour, they really could be identical. Absolute Power is a smidgen warmer, but not to a noticable extent. 

Also, Ruby Woo is so much more matte than Absolute Power and Ronnie Red. Ruby Woo really pulls on the lips, and its a really dry formula. For that reason, I might get more use out of these new reds in my collection.

From top: Ruby Woo (Matte), Ronnie Red (Matte), Absolute Power (Matte), and Hot Chocolate (Satin)

Have a good night!

Cindy

Currently Loving: Guerlain Cruel Gardenia EDP and Becca Gypsy

Just a post to update you on the things I am absolutely obsessed with this month. Guerlain Cruel Gardenia EDP is the inspiration behind the infamous Guerlain highlighter of the same name released last year. I found this gem in Neiman Marcus San Fransisco, which had an almost complete collection of Guerlain's perfumes. It was stocked to mirror the collection of perfumes available in the Paris headquarter. In short, it was heavenly.

The sales assistant gave me a kit to make my own samples of the perfume to take in my bag. I never knew that they can give pipettes and these small sample tubes!! :) How cool...

This luxurious perfume cost a cool 250 USD (plus tax). I love the beautiful packaging, and the name stamp on the side. I was told that the design is inspired by perfumes (and their special bottles) that Guerlain created especially for their royalty customers - can you tell that I am a sucker for a nice story? Haha...

One of the things I love about this perfume is that its not very "Guerlain". Its very soft and feminine to me, and not too overpowering. Most of all, it does not at all smell like a gardenia, and I can most definitely tell you that I hate gardenia scents with a passion. Cruel Gardenia has notes of gardenia, damask rose, peach, neroli, violet, ylang ylang, white musks, tonka bean, vanilla and sandalwood.

I have also been exploring more Becca highlighters lately, and my newest purchase is Becca Gypsy. Its a gorgeous warm pink with gold shimmer throughout. The powder is sheer by design and for that reason, I love it. Lisa Eldridge loves her Becca Pearl Highlighter (cream) because she says that it blends with the synergy of your skin to create the most belivable, gorgeous sheen for that fresh faced look. I must say I agree wholeheartedly with that comment. The shimmer in Becca Gypsy is so fine and melts into the skin.

Have a good night everyone, hope you enjoyed this review/rambling :)

xx Cindy

Tom Ford Burnished Amber (06) and Cognac Sable (02) - Review and Swatches

Following on from my previous review of Tom Ford's Shade and Illuminate, I will now talk about the two eye quads that I bought.

Tom Ford Burnished Amber is a beautifully coordinated palette of pale gold, shimmery pinked plum, bronze and shimmery bordeaux tones. I know that some of you may find that it sounds a little "bruisey" but I promise you it is not :)

Tom Ford Cognac Sable consists of a golden shimmery beige (slight orange undertone), orange bronze glitter, earth shimmery brown, and a plummy dark brown.

The eye quads are presented in the same packaging as the Shade and Illuminate cheek product. In short, the packaging is love for me. The velvet pouch actually feels velvety and does a fantastic job cleaning my finger prints off the perfectly shiny packaging.

The eyeshadows have medium pigmentation, but they are buildable. Burnished Amber really reminds me of Le Metier de Beaute's Silk Road palette (which I never got around to reviewing, apologies!) with an even softer texture. LMdB Silk Road is much much more pigmented though. I can't think of immediate dupes to the Cognac Sable eyeshadows. I think the glitter shade is pretty unique, not to mention super pretty layered over the golden beige. The shadows are quite powdery and will produce some fallout if you get too much on the brush at one time. Its not a problem if you tap off any excess powders prior to eye makeup application.

I don't know if I will willingly pay so much for an eye quad again from Tom Ford, just because I like my eyeshadows to be pigmented but I do think this luxury brand is worth checking out. I picked up these two because the colour combinations are quite unique but wearable and I am glad I did!

Cindy

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 - Pictures and Initial Thoughts

I purchased the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in Intensity 2 a couple of months back in New York. I have only just started playing with this product and can finally give you my initial thoughts on this 75 dollar baby.

Lets start with the packaging. I won't lie, I like it. I like it a lot. Out of all the velvet pouches provided by high end brands, this one is the best. The compact has a nice weight to it (not heavy like Guerlain, but not light like Chanel), and looks so luxurious. Bonus point for the giant mirror too :).

Now on to the product, its very VERY emollient. Blending is a breeze and it would be the perfect cream sculpting product if not for one thing: the product has a smell, like a plasticky, old lipstick scent... not a fan.

For fair/light skin tones, I think Intensity 1 is recommended. For medium/tan (NC/NW 30 onwards) skin tones, go for Intensity 2. The product sheers out a lot when blended so the darker shade would not be a problem at all.

I still prefer powder products for contouring but Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate provides a nice alternative. The fact that this is a cream and a very blendable one at that, application is super easy.

Here are some easy contouring tips for the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate:
1. When you use the contour shade, use a small firm brush in light strokes under your cheekbone.
2. Do not go too far into the centre of your face. Stop directly under the end of your eyebrow.
3. Blend the contour shade in an upward motion- not downwards as this will drag your face down.
4. Apply the illuminating shade on top of your cheekbones.

Do you have a favourite contouring product? I am still looking for my holy grail and would love to hear your thoughts :)

Night!
Cindy