Powders -Cle de Peau - Luminizing Relief Powder
west58 11/30/2007 9:55:00 PM
This unique powder was recommended to me by a makeup artist whom I hired to give me a make-over and to edit and replace my make-up products. She's well known and works on women who are even better known (shhh ... no names please) and gave me recommendations that pulled from make-up lines at all price points. I'm a PPP with auburn hair. On this list were 2 Cle de Peau products: the eye brow pencil and this powder. At first I was skeptical; I mean, this is really pricey and what's the big deal -- it looks like a pale pink blush. But wow, it really is different. The color is extremely pale pink with a bit of lilac in it and I was told to use it as a highlighter, to brush on top of my blush, and over the outer areas of my eyes. The powder is micro-micro-micro fine. And it has the most subtle amount of gleam. Not shine, not shimmer, but a surface that has a kind of light to it. I put this in the category of a luxury make-up product (you know these Cle de Peau products -- expensive and inevitably sold in 2 parts, the package and the refillable product) but one that can give a major boost and finish to your make-up. I'd be curious to hear from women who have used the product in the other color, which is a light camel color that's meant to be a contour color.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Christian Dior - Dior Bronze Blush in Sunset Fiesta 002
west58 11/30/2007 9:40:00 PM
This blush was recommended to me by a make-up artist who works on many mega celebrities. I had hired her for an hour to clear through and edit my make-up collection and also give me a make-over. In putting the overall look together she chose a really interesting mix of brands but when it came to blush, this is what she chose for me -- I'm a PPP, auburn-haired, and in my 50's (but of course, I look like I'm in my 40's). This blush is simply gorgeous. I don't have much to add to what's already been written but the colors have fairly robust pigment so you don't need much to give you color. The texture is fine and perfect. And the packaging is really gorgeous. The product is clearly popular because I had trouble finding it in NYC. Sephora finally came through. I hope it lasts a long time because I'm in love.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Christian Dior - Bronze Sun Couture palette #002
west58 10/13/2007 10:55:00 PM
This product is called a bronzer but I think of it as a multi-segment blush. It's a single compact that has 4 blush colors all in a contiguous row: a warm beige, a pinky-terracotta, a lighter-but-not-light coral, and a pinkish highlighter. The packaging is simply gorgeous -- it's a single rectangular compact made of a glossy brownish material that has some transparent depth and comes with a slip case -- and includes a nice brush. The textures are very fine and the colors are substantial enough that you could either use each individually or else sweep a brush along two or more. I just had a make-up lesson with a very knowing and big-deal-experienced make-up artist and this was a product she recommended to use on my very pale-with-slight-yellow-undertone skin; she had me use it by sweeping a blush brush along all four colors and applying it that way. As another has written, this would be great to travel with because of its versatility. The density of the color can vary depending upon how much product you put on your brush, going from a faint coral color to an intense coral-pink blush. I bought mine at Sephona where they said they had trouble getting it but now have it in stock, as well as a second version of it in a slightly lighter mix of colors.
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Palettes -Giorgio Armani - Eye mania palette (#10)
west58 10/8/2007 10:41:00 PM
I wish I had read the previous review before I bought this palette. The colors are lovely. The packaging is gorgeous. The texture of the powders are excellent. And the mix of sheer/shimmer/matte adds to the flexibility of this palette. But is it so special to be worth its price? Absolutely not. The most useful of all the colors is the taupey- nude color but it's the second smallest of the four, making this palette likely to be unevenly used up. If you're hooked on Armani (and I am), the investment would be better spent on individual eye shadows which will last forever.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Powder Blush #11
west58 9/2/2007 9:35:00 PM
I'd like to add an elaborating comment to the previous post and that's to say that this color is like Armani's #2 powder blush but with a slightly pink- blue cast. The texture is gorgeous and the color is light, but it's more a blue-pink than a coral pink. Lovely, flattering, and sheer and the leather-textured case is very chic. I'm a PPP with auburn hair and the color is very, very flattering even though I thought I should only wear non-blue blushes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -NARS - Lipstick in Dolce Vita
west58 9/2/2007 9:24:00 PM
What a lovely color. What a perfect texture. The color is a natural soft rose. Not exactly MLBB but slightly more "artificial" meaning it adds prettiness and flattering color. You're clearly wearing lip color but it still looks natural and flattering. The texture is sheer with pigment so that the color has presence and it feels wonderful on the lips and if you want more density, you can add more layers. The color provides coverage but isn't thick or artificial. Most of all, everything about it is simply pretty. I'm a PPP with auburn hair, hazel eyes, and simply love this lipstick. I'm on my 4th or 5th tube and get a bit of a panic whenever a tube gets low. May they never discontinue it because if I could only have one lip color, this would be it.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Janet Sartin - Lip Sartinizer Lip Balm
west58 6/1/2007 9:56:00 PM
The bright fushia pink color may lead you to think this balm will add lots of color. It won't. Instead it is sheer, soothing, with no fragrance, adding the slightest glossy shimmer without any goo. It's pretty on its own or as the base for a lipstick, making any lipstick go on smoother and with a lighter finish. I also wear mine at night as a moisturizing balm. The product is now sold in a more sanitary tube but I still miss the little jars it used to come in. A wonderful product.
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Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk Foundation
west58 5/3/2007 8:44:00 PM
I recently had my make-up done by a fabulous professional MUA and she used a variety of products made by all the major (and a few lesser-known) companies. But when it came to foundation, she was a devotee of Armani's LSF (I'm a PPP and she suggested I use a combo of #'s 2 and 4). She used a single pump for my entire face, a dampened sponge to help apply it, and produced the most divine finish -- which I've since been able to easily reproduce. The line has a broad range of colors, the finish is a perfect balance of dewy and smooth, and the result is the goal we all aspire to: even, pretty skin. I agree with an earlier poster in that I wish the frosted glass bottle let me see how much product was left. But this is a small complaint for such a brilliant product. That MUA who did my make-up swore that this was -- hands-down -- the best foundation ever on the market.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Giorgio Armani - Fluid Sheer #7
west58 4/15/2007 10:53:00 PM
I add a drop of this to a drop of my Armani Foundation and mix them together before applying with a brush and it adds sheerness and luminous. I'm a PPP and I love the extremely subtle glow that it gives to my skin. Not at all a shimmer, but just a fresh glow that's as nice for day time as evening. I now buy a bottle of this each time I need a new bottle of foundation. Love it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Giorgio Armani - Fresh Berry Palette 1
west58 4/15/2007 10:41:00 PM
In addition to what has already been said, I've got 4 other reasons why I love this product. One, the blush color is extremely wearable as it's a pinky-coral color that can be layered from very light to deep. I am an auburn-haired PPP but I can imagine this looking gorgeous on someone with olive or darker skin. Two, the texture is a creamy powder that is easy to apply. I usually use my fingers but occasionally use my Becca foundation blush (that I've turned over to using only with blushes). Three, I love the sleek Armani packaging. I don't often use the sheer powder that came with the blush but it's extremely fine milled and a bonus to have. And finally, the amount of the blush is very generous -- this is going to last a long, long time.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Blush #2
west58 3/24/2007 10:42:00 AM
It's hard to add anything new to all the comments already made here but since I love this blush so much I have to add my voice. The color is a soft and pretty peach/pink with a very subtle shimmer. The packaging is sleek and beautiful, classic Armani, and the black compact contains a large disc of the blush so that it will last a long time. I'm a PPP and this blush adds a perfect, healthy-looking, color to my cheeks that's perfect for daytime and also pretty and flattering for nighttime. And the color lasts, unlike some blushes that I've found just disappear soon after applying. I also use this blush over my favorite Armani Fluid Sheer (#11). A HG blush.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Giorgio Armani - Hollywood 2006 Palette
west58 3/6/2007 11:08:00 PM
Very sophisticated colors in gorgeous packaging. The compact combines 4 chic, lightly shimmered eye shadow colors with a soft and pretty face powder. These are not, however, eyeshadows to use if you want to see the makeup instead of your eyes. It's instead elegant and subtle. The compact is beautiful and typical of Armani: black and sleek. The eye shadow alone are worth the price with 4 shades that will flatter almost any eye color. The second layer of the compact contains a lightly shimmered powder. It's not aggressive glitter, but soft and pretty and faintly pink and totally flattering sheer powder. I'm hoarding this and want it to last forever.
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Blush -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Pigments Fluid Blush 2
west58 2/8/2007 10:57:00 PM
Oh, yes. Everything that she said. This product is gorgeous in every way. Perfect pink/coral. So natural. So pretty. And because it's a Fluid Sheer, it applies as light or layered as you like. Good to know it's going to be around longer than a limited edition because it's hot: today I bought the last one at Barney's.
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Lipstick -Giorgio Armani - armanisilk lipstick
west58 5/6/2006 9:04:00 PM
This is the first Armani cosmetics product that has ever disappointed me and so I'm confused. Was it me or is it the product? Maybe I chose the wrong color? I bought #20 which is a rich coral-red which should be great on me and I thought it looked great in the store. Instead I think what's not working is the formulation. The color is intense and rich as the Mania lipsticks are, but it's more opaque. It's not fully matte but definitely not shiny. And without one of the companion glosses that are being sold separately (which I did not buy but the MUA did apply, which is maybe why it looked better in the store) to go over these Silk lipsticks, I think they look rather dull and flat. Like you're wearing an old lipstick. It's also a little bit drying and takes some extra effort to fully remove at the end of the day. Loving the color I experimented and found that if I put it over (not under) a tiny bit of a sheer greasy cream like Elizabeth Arden's 8-hour Cream, it turns into a beautiful coral-red sheer with some staying power. But it's unlikely I'd try another one from this, Armani's newest lip line. For me it's back to their Mania and sheer lipsticks.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Guinot - Longue vie yeux
west58 4/23/2006 8:15:00 PM
My eyes are terrible (dark circles, very fine lines, sagging lids) and I've tried so very many eye creams that I have at least major experience if not expertise in these products. This Guinot eye cream was recommended to me by the woman who gives me facials but in a rare case, she missed on this one. It did nothing to hydrate and nothing to diminish the appearance of the lines or the dark circles and if an eye cream isn't going to do any of those things, what's the point? Like most Guinot products, it has a very strong scent. I don't mind this in a cleanser, but putting a perfumed product on your eyes can't be good and I'm convinced it caused irritation and itching. The packaging requires sticking your fingers into the little screw-top jar, not exactly sanitary. It's expensive. And it's kind of sticky-drying when it goes on and into your skin. I tried it for a week and then it went into the trash. I won't buy again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No