Spring 2016 – Bubbly Michelle

NARS Spring 2016 – Collection Review, Photos & Swatches

March 8, 2016March 8, 2016by Bubbly Michelle8 Comments

Be it jetting off to an exotic holiday destination or just looking for some great neutrals to refresh your makeup wardrobe for spring 2016, NARS has got you covered. There’s a creative palette of blues, mulled wine, warm pinks to choose from and cater to every makeup addicts needs.

The NARS 2016 Colour Collection consists of,

3 Dual Intensity eyeshadows, Tarvos (mint), Cressida (midnight blue), Kari (warm rose)

Duo eyeshadow Hammamet with a matte beige & bronze rose

Impassioned blush – A soft muted pink

2 Lip glosses, Instant Crash (soft apricot), Vida Loca (guava)

2 Lipsticks, Rosecliff (soft rose) & Banned Red (mulled wine)

My favourites as always are the Dual-Intensity eyeshadows. Even though the colours seen here aren’t for day to day use, I really love them for a creative, fresh evening eye look. My personal favourite is the minty shade Tarvos. The pigmentation is excellent, silky smooth and almost metallic worn wet!

Cressida on the other hand was slightly sheerer with less colour pay off but equally pretty. I really love the two combined for maximum shock effect.

For those of you who can’t get enough of the NARS lipsticks, Banned Red is a must! As always the formula is ultra comfortable with good colour payoff. For a fully opaque seductive mulled wine pout you only need two passes. However I prefer to wear this pushed onto the lips as a stain. It’s one of those effortless colours that can work for day or night.

More swatches!

Here’s Banned Red & Impassioned.

Impassion is a very finely milled muted rosy pink blush with excellent pigmentation Even though it shows up very faint on my tanned complexion I noticed it doesn’t look as ashy as it looks in the pan. It appears more of a soft rose pink which would work great with almost any makeup look. I’d categorise this as a neutral.

If you are on the paler side and struggle to find an everyday ‘nude’ that doesn’t look too yellow on the skin, Impassioned is for you!

Here’s a closer look.

Now onto an eye look I created with the two eyeshadows. I used Cressida all over the lid with a dab of Tarvos (wet) patted onto the centre of the lid.

Lips are a mix of tinted lip balm topped with NARS gloss Easy Lover (a sheer blue toned fuchsia) and for cheeks I used NARS Impassioned topped with Desire.

Bottom Line

Quality wise the products did not disappoint with the exception of Cressida which I felt could have been better pigmented. Tarvos on the other hand was my must have recommendation from this collection. I see myself pairing this with neutral beige eyes as well for a pop of colour.

Price List (Singapore)

Collection now available at Tangs Orchard.

Makeup

Tom Ford Cream Colour For Eyes | Review, Photos & Swatches

February 21, 2016February 21, 2016by Bubbly Michelle12 Comments

Here to discuss the new Tom Ford Cream Colours for Spring 2016 today and it just so happens these finally landed on our shores.

Talk about perfect timing! My post is just in time for a bit of weekend shopping!

Packaging wise, I find very few makeup brands entice me like Tom Ford does. I love the rich mahogany screw on cap with a regal TF boldly plastered on, and the glass jar itself weighs like a S$68 product should. Overall I’ve never had any problems with these dying out and look as fresh as the day I purchased them, a testament to sound packaging.

Formula & Application

Tom Ford cream shadows come in a whipped, smooth mousse-y consistency. I love how lightweight they feel even though it’s a highly, highly pigment product. A little truly goes a long way with these.

If you are new to TF cream shadows, you’ll find the formula does take a bit of getting used to and the trick is to layer them on bit by bit for good opacity.

For more on application you can refer this earlier post, click here.

Of the 8 shades released, I have 5 to share with you today (two from previous releases which are repromotes).

Midnight Violet – A warm deep plum

Blue Siren – A medium sea foam blue

Opale – A pale shimmering champagne ivory

Platinum – A light/medium taupe

Spice – A warm medium golden brown

Sphinx – A golden peach with pink duochrome

Burnished Copper – A medium khaki green

Caviar – Charcoal black

The opacity of a single layer (blended out) can vary from sheer to medium with the lighter shades such as Opale & Blue Siren significantly sheerer.

I also found Opale particularly sheer and applies as a translucent wash of pearly shimmer rather than the pale champagne it looks in the jar. Of course these build up beautifully and Opale can be layered on to look like glistening champagne ivory if needed, but takes extra effort and careful building up in comparison to the others.

Overall my favourites are Platinum, Spice and Midnight Violet. Though incredibly neutral in nature, these look stunning on the eyes and far from boring! For those of you on the hunt for something more unique, i’d suggest Sphinx. A rather interesting option. Although I passed on this shade due to it’s intense warm tones, it should look lovely on rosier skin types with blue or light green eyes.

On to an eye look I created with 2 of the new shades I received.

Opale as an inner corner highlight, Platinum for the lower lash line & Blue Siren on the lid.

Some new findings!

Apparently these don’t survive that great worn outdoors in 85°F weather (pretty much 365 days a year in Sri Lanka) and the wear time is significantly cut down to around 5 hours wear (before it starts to crease) as opposed to my usual 10+ hours. Crazy heat paired with oily lids aren’t the best combo in case you were wondering.

However, If your day to day activities don’t include potential ‘sun bathing’ you can expect these wear without any creasing for up to 8-9 hours and even longer if layered with any powders on top!

I find them to be THE BEST cream colour product in the market in terms of longevity.

Other Info

The new cream shadows come in a noticeably smaller jar in comparison to the limited edition releases that we’ve seen before. However, looking at actual product the difference is just 1.2g/ 0.04 oz , which is not much at all. And given that these don’t empty in a hurry, I’m sure that 1.2g won’t be missed!

Bottom Line

Personally I find these a great alternative to powder shadows with much less hassle to apply. I just throw them on and am out the door in less than 10 mins tops!

Pricing and Availability

All cream shadows are now available at the Tom Ford Beauty counter at Tangs retailing at S$68 a pop.

Makeup

NARS Hot Sand Collection | Review, Photos & Swatches

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016by Bubbly Michelle21 Comments

Only a few makeup collections excite me these days and one of them is NARS, particularly the Hot Sand collection that hit the Tangs counter earlier this year!

I received the multiple and the Illuminator as press samples but also purchased the duo for todays review since that’s what I was most excited about!

So for those of you who didn’t know, the Illuminator is actually an existing product. The whole collection was in fact designed around it to highlight lips, cheeks and eyes.

What I love about this particular highlight was that the colour is so unique. I actually struggled to find anything even remotely close and I believe that’s what truly sucked me in.

The base is a peachy champagne, something that would work great on most skin tones since it’s not quite as yellow as majority of highlighters today. I also feel it’ll work well on even the lightest complexions, those who shy away from warm highlighters.

Hot Sand Multiple

The multiple in my opinion was the most subtle of three formulations. It’s for someone who wears light makeup and requires only a subtle highlight. I noticed the base colour looked more peach in comparison to the illuminator though which blends in even more with the skin since it sheers out a fair bit.

Overall I found the best method of application was to go directly on to the cheekbones with the stick without picking it up with a brush or fingers. Plus the texture felt almost crumbly in comparison to other multiples that made it near impossible to apply with fingers anyway.

Hot Sand Illuminator

This one’s for either mixing in with foundation for a more dewy effect or even as a subtle highlight just patted on over foundation. I actually enjoy mixing in illuminators with foundations and I find it’s got just the right amount of glow without an overly sparkly finish.

Here’re some comparison swatches. The closest match I could find was the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, slightly warmer and less liquidy in comparison.

Hot Sand Laguna Blush/Bronzer duo.

This comes with the Hot Sand highlighter and their popular Laguna Bronzer (there’s also a Hot Sand highlighter and Orgasm blush duo too if you prefer that version better).

A perfect companion to take along on your summer holidays.

Here’s a closer look.

I found the powder version more intense in comparison to the multiple & Illuminator but just right for everyday use. It’s my favourite of the three.

As you can see the peachiness is more pronounced here and doesn’t make my already sallow skin look any more yellow. I love the finely milled texture and it applies evenly without emphasising texture on the skin too much.

For comparison, i’ve pulled out three NARS highlighters I had on hand.

The lack of warm undertones is clearer since Tribulation & Albatross have an obvious golden shimmer. The shimmer in Hot Sand is an ethereal silvery beige.

One more set of comparisons but this time with a few other popular highlighters from Becca & Laura Mercier.

The closest match I had was this LE Chanel highlighter which I used tonnes back in the day. It was my go to and the only highlighter I own that looks used!

Needless to say I adore the new NARS Hot Sand just as much since it’s so close to my old favourite!

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a new and exciting product to pack for summer travels this year I believe the Hot Sand collection is well worth a look. Specially the duo which i’m already in love with! It’s a great everyday shade with just the right amount of shimmer that’ll look natural and elegant worn.

Pricing & Availability

Available now, retailing exclusively at Tangs.

NARS Multiple – S$60

NARS Illuminator – S$45

NARS Hot Sand Duo – S$65

Makeup

Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color – Photos, Swatches & Review

January 30, 2016February 2, 2016by Bubbly Michelle11 Comments

This spring Tom Ford surprised everyone with a new and EXCITING debut, Patent Finish Lip Color. Yeah, count me tired of that annoying matte liquid lipstick trend that’s taking over the world. My poor dry lips will never get on board that.

But seriously, how perfectly bold are these stunning shades of reds to berries hitting Tom Ford counters right now. Gimme more!

Since it’s customary to discuss packaging before product formulation over here, let’s start with that.

These hybrid gloss/lip stains come in a click pen version complete with a plush sponge tip applicator. As much as I like the idea of a sponge tip over traditional wand type packaging for liquid lip products, I found the clicking mechanism a bit annoying. It took over 20 clicks to get the product moving along (think Stila gloss pens…. loathe) and THEN, needed several clicks to get product out for every application. To be honest I was worried it just won’t dispense anymore and I had a bad batch, but I was wrong! That’s just the way they are it seems.

Anyways clicker fail aside, I love the overall look of the product and applicator. The sponge tip allows very good control for perfectly sharp edges. LOVE it!

Formula

The product is essentially a gloss on steroids. No joke possibly the most pigmented glossy formula I’ve ever come across.

They feel like a thick gel texture as they glide on, with each stroke delivering intense colour. I also liked that there weren’t any noticeable strokes and didn’t settle into lines which made the finish so professional. I truly do love that applicator, it’s magic.

As with all Tom Ford lip products there’s a scent to these. Something like a vanilla scent that quickly fades away leaving you with just smooth, juicy colour. The product also didn’t feel sticky on the lips and super comfortable to wear (you can barely feel them on).

As far as longevity goes, these do stick around for a couple of hours and stain. Although it’s worth noting I detected slight migration and strongly recommend a lip liner with these to stay put (I think the perfect match would be an invisible lip liner like the one’s by Kiko or Lipstick Queen).

Overall the formula was faultless as you’d expect and was a clear winner for me.

On to swatches! I have No Vacancy and Stolen Cherry. Two gorgeous reds (old habits do die hard! 😉 right?)

In comparison to a few other liquid lipsticks and glosses in my stash, the Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color is less opaque than the Armani Lip Maestro. Mac Retro Matte is obviously matte and fully opaque. Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Liquid Lipsticks are more opaque and a semi matte finish and the Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Gloss more translucent & less pigmented.

On to lip swatches of Stolen Cherry and No Vacancy.

Stolen Cherry is a deeper red with a neutral tone with No Vacancy a brighter, more of an orangey red.

For easy shopping, here’s a complete set of swatches, all thanks to a little Tom Ford fairy 😉 (swatches taken indoors in artificial lighting)

Final Verdict

Apart from the dispensing mechanism which clearly wasn’t working for me, I do love the product. I feel the end result was lovely and worth trying. But of course as all glossy finishes it’s high maintenance, goes without saying, and does get on your teeth & around the face (perils of long hair) if you aren’t careful.

For more swatches & a review, do drop by lovely Ree’s blog. Click here!

Collection Info & Pricing

The Patent Finish Lip Colors are set to retail at SGD 72. (New & permanent)

Launch date- End February at the Tangs Tom Ford Beauty counter.