Spring2017 – Bubbly Michelle

Clé de Peau Beauté S/S 2017 Cream Blush Review

March 22, 2017November 10, 2018by Bubbly Michelle5 Comments

Among the many spring collections possibly the most exciting blush release has to be the new potted cream blushes by Clé de Peau. I managed to get my hands on these as soon as they hit counters and was pretty much all I wore when I travelled to Singapore and Venice. I love the ease of brush free application, plus these fit into the tiniest of makeup bags which is always a good thing! They just had to come with me.

Cle de peau spring 2017 cream blush

Packaging

The packaging of these blushes are identical to their cream shadows. Small pots, but contain a fair amount of product (6g).

I like that the screw top is also quite secure, and judging from the cream shadows i’ve had for a few years now, it prevents the product from drying out.

Formula

Among the 4 shades available, the one that instantly caught my eye was the brightest! Persimmon Orange! and since I’m a lover of pink, I decided to pick up Fig Pink as well. I literally could never walk away from a counter with just ONE blush.. Specially when it’s a new product release. Right?

I discovered the texture to be similar to the cream eyeshadows. They are balm like with amazing pigmentation. I believe it’ll take months of continuous use to make a sizeable dent in these and therefore, a product that will ‘last forever’!

The tiniest bit is required for a soft luminous blushing glow. I try to use as little as possible and build up from there. Luckily these blend very easily and any ‘clown cheeks’ can be fixed with some more blending and setting powder.

What I love about the formula is that the blush contains the finest shimmer, almost a sheen when applied. The result is a very healthy, natural look. The product does set, but doesn’t dry to a powder either so the sheen last throughout the day unless you decide to set it further with a powder or a powder blush to extend wear (although these last on their own quite well, and i’m talking aaaalllll day!).

Swatches!

Cle de peau cream blush swatches

Apart from the blushes I purchased, I also received a little sample of the 4th blush shade Peach Beige. Therefore included here!

Fig pink is a medium muted pink. Not too warm or rosy.

Persimmon Orange is a bright, almost neutral orange.

Peach Beige is a neutral rosy beige.

Here’s what a combination of Persimmon Orange and Fig Pink looks worn. I used the orange towards the outer corner of my cheek and the pink as a ‘pop’ towards the centre. (Please excuse my otherwise naked face, I always feel so weird without mascara.. )

I believe my mug shot captures the finish of these gorgeous blushes perfectly. They melt into the skin and look so natural!

Bottom Line

The Clé de Peau Cream blushes are absolutely wonderful. I would recommend them to anyone! And for the price you pay (SGD65) they will last quite a while.

My top recommendation would be Fig Pink, an elegant pink that looks great on it’s own to elevate the complexion. I also use this as a base under nude blushes too for an extra tint of pink. The result is very natural and long lasting.

P.S- a quick note for anyone sensitive to fragrance (me included) these cream blushes are quite heavily scented (to my dismay..) Although what’s great is this scent isn’t noticeable on application, it just lingers in the pot.

Availability

I purchased mine at the Tangs Clé de Peau counter. At the time all but shade 1 was sold out, but I hear they restock regularly.

Lastly, hope you found todays review useful, and happy mid week! ❤

Makeup

Tom Ford Spring 2017 | Preview, Swatches & Photos

February 23, 2017November 10, 2018by Bubbly Michelle9 Comments

Later this week Tom Ford spring 2017 finally hits Singapore. A host of exciting new releases as well as newly reformulated blushes and shade extensions!

I was lucky to get a look at these gorgeous goodies earlier this week. Swatch, play and test run! Truth be told, Tom Ford releases are what I look forward to the most each season, there’s always something exciting and innovative and this season did not disappoint!

Among the new collection are two new Shade & Illuminate Cheek palettes, six Lip Contour Duos & three brand new Cheek Colours.

I’ll be focussing mainly on the Lip Contour Duos as they are limited edition, with a quick look and swatches of the rest.

tf lip contour duo

No words needed, but these are the stuff of dreams! Absolutely stunning saturated shades from nudes to corals to pinks.

tom-ford-saboteur

The packaging is identical in size and design to the blushes. Small, compact and easy to store. However as far as portability and application on-the-go is concerned, I find the applicator duo quite useless. The lip brush is sparse and doesn’t perform as well a regular lip brush would (colour applies rather streaky and uneven). I also instinctively shy away from sponges for sanitary reasons.

So far i’ve been using these with clean fingers. Plus I don’t really feel the need to touch up through the day so it’s been working out fine for me.

tf-swatches

The lipsticks apply creamy and smooth as seen in the swatches above. What’s interesting though is they are ultimately matte! and set into a velvety finish. I believe this finish lends a modern edginess to the overall look created. Something unexpected and tasteful.

On a side note, I wouldn’t recommend these duos to anyone with dry, dehydrated or flakey lips. The formula isn’t hydrating (even though they apply creamy) and tends to emphasize flakes.

So far my top pic would be Tantalize. The contrast between the shades allows endless possibilities. For an instance, a Korean ombre lip. Just fill in the entire lip with the lighter shade and dab on the bright coral in the middle and blend. Easy peasy!

P.S – For more pics of this collection & previews, join me here on Instagram!

tf-new-blush

Also exciting is the new blush line up, with all existing shades freshly reformulated. The most noticeable difference was that the shimmer content is now minimal and no longer have the ‘glowing from within’ look that TF blushes normally achieve. Overall they look matte/satin once swatched, with an exception to the shade Flush that is now satin with chunkier, noticeable shimmer.

The colours of the older shades do seem slightly different as well. Flush is noticeably more pink, with Ravish looking more brown as opposed to it’s usual rose tone (If you never owned the old Ravish, PICK IT UP NOW).

I haven’t had the opportunity to see all the reformulated shades (Frantic Pink, Love Lust & Savage are missing here), but overall I do believe the new blushes are slightly more powdery.

tomford-blushes

Here’re swatches of the three new shades alongside the (new) old ones.

tf-blush-swatches

Gratuitous (new) is a mid tone plum in a satin finish.

Disclosure (new) is a pink rose.

Inhibition (new) is peachy nude.

Savage is a warm rust.

Wicked is a neutral mid tone pink.

Flush is a bright pink coral in a satin finish.

My top pick from the new blushes would be Inhibition. It fills the gap for a good everyday neutral. Literally love at first sight!

Bottom Line

It’s the Lip Contour Duos that are on my must-have list. Even though the palette form can be tricky to work with, the product alone screems high end, high quality, luxurious, which Tom Ford represents. Hypnotic colour that’s bold and audacious!

The pricing too make these even more tempting (SGD85), technically two lipsticks for the price of one.

The Shade and Illuminate duos (not featured in this post), were two blush & highlight additions to the existing Shade and Illuminate palettes. I found the colour very glossy and a little too sheer for my liking. My first impression, they aren’t must haves. Specially in the kind of humid weather we live in Asia, they run the risk of looking oily on the skin. I’ll be swatching and reviewing this separately after a longer test run, so stay tuned 🙂

Other Info

All products discussed here will be available at Robinsons Tom Ford counter on the 25th February with Tangs carrying the line from the 2nd March.

*I urge you to run, not walk to the counters to grab the Lip Contour Duos. LE products tend to disappear from the counters within a matter of hours, and these are too beautiful to pass up!

Makeup

NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer | Review, Photos & Complete Swatches

February 12, 2017November 10, 2018by Bubbly Michelle6 Comments

This February NARS introduced a new concealer to their line up of complexion products. A formula that promises the highest coverage with a natural-looking finish; a mix that’s hard to come by in the world of makeup!

NARS Soft matte complete concealer

Packaging

This new concealer comes packaged in a small acrylic pot with a screw top lid. It’s sleek, it’s sturdy and true to the typical NARS aesthetic.

nars-packaging

Formula

According to the press info at hand, this new concealer is an oil-free formula that blurs, conceals and smoothes out imperfections. There’s an Optimal Diffusion Powder that helps light diffuse just so that it instantly transforms the look of the skin to smoother and softer focus finish, skincare ingredients such as peptides to boosts collagen and Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate and soften skin for a healthier look.

nars-swatches

The formula is velvety smooth when swatched. It blends easily and covers any imperfections with ease! I prefer this for the under eyes as it covers my dark circles like no other.

As with most concealers i’ve tested and used before this too creases quite easily. I blame the deep lines under my eyes. Nothing really is crease-proof on me, including the NARS Radiant Creamy concealer which I didn’t enjoy truth be told.

In general, formulas that set work best for me, and this does. The concealer stays in place and minimises further migration into wrinkles.

Longevity

Overall I find this the best wearing formula thus far. This concealer does.not.budge. It looks as fresh at the end of the day as when applied. My holy grail Clé de Peau concealer doesn’t beat the staying power of this.

On to some swatches of concealers currently in use.

nars-swatch-comp

The best colour match for me is the MUFE Ultra HD. Lightweight with medium coverage. And the closest corresponding shade in the NARS line up is Custard. However with the fuller coverage formula, it ends up looking too light on my medium olive skin. Therefore my best recommendation for NC 35 skin would be Macadamia or Ginger.

Here’s a before & after.

untitled-1

The overall look is a more even toned fresher, less tired face. In real life the effect is even more exaggerated.

Bottom Line

It does live up to the claim of extra EXTRA coverage with an undetectable finish, and even though this does crease on me i’m willing to let it slide (no pun intended) purely for the fact that it covers so well without looking cake-y AND lasts all day.

If you are looking for something for severe dark circles, this would be the best place to start. I hope you love this new concealer as much as I do!

Swatches!

Pricing & Other Info

The Soft Matte Complete Concealer retails at SGD45 for 6.2g. Available at NARS boutiques and counters.

*Thank you NARS Singapore for the samples to test!

Makeup

Tom Ford Solar Exposure Palette | Photos, Swatches & Review

January 25, 2017February 23, 2017by Bubbly Michelle26 Comments

Among all the spring beauty releases happening right now, there’s a surprise Tom Ford palette to be launched soon. It’s another Soleil Palette similar to ones launched during the holidays. Exquisitely packaged and just as gorgeous, it’s sure to disappear as fast!

At first glance it does look quite similar to the Warm palette as many of you had commented on the initial photo I posted on Instagram. But is it really?

Here’s a closer look!

Each of these palettes come with 4 eyeshadows (in shimmer, satin & celestial finish) and a blush & highlight.

This new palette includes a peach blush with fine gold shimmer, a neutral pale yellow, a soft rosy brown glitter, a neutral light taupe-y brown, a deep satin brown and a pale pink highlight with fine silver shimmer.

All except the darkest eyeshadow shade swatched well with smooth application and good pigmentation. The deep brown was in comparison slightly drier. When tested out on the eyes I did not see any problem getting it to show up though which made up for the poor swatch.

The main difference I saw between previous palettes and this new addition is the blush was considerably more shimmery.

The Warm and Cool palette blushes seem to have a similar formula to Flush from the permanent line. While this is more along the lines of the Lovelust or Ravish. The result is more glowy.

Here’s a look at all three lined up! I believe the new Solar Exposure palette to be the ‘neutral’ palette. A well balanced mix of colours that don’t lean quite as warm or cool.

(All swatches taken on a primed arm in natural light near a window)

The differences between the palettes are quite obvious. As you can see, the highlight shade seen in the swatches show Solar Exposure to have a silver glow rather than a warm beige as the Warm palette.

Here’re a few extra swatches of the blushes and highlighters alone just so you see the subtle differences clearer.

Bottom Line

Quality wise, the palette is good! I didn’t see any shades perform badly. Although i’d have liked the darkest eyeshadow to swatch as well as the other three shadows.

What’s interesting to note is the darkest eyeshadow in all three palettes to be of similar formula. If you have already swatched or own the Warm or Cool palettes, you’d know what to expect.

Among the blushes, the Solar Exposure palette had the best finish in terms of colour a performance. It was blendable, smooth and easily buildable.

Final verdict, if you already own one of these palettes (specially the Warm) I don’t think having this as a second palette a must. No palette is a must have at SGD250 to be honest. More of a want i’d say. Though if you do have some extra cash to splash….. you know where to head to come February!