Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Liner, Swatches and Review

Illamasqua released the Precision Ink Liquid Liner for their Fall 2010 Art of Darkness collection. I've been in the market for a good liquid liner for ages, so I was really excited to try it out, even though the price was a little steep at $27. I actually impulsively bought both the black, Abyss, and the gold, Alchemy, before giving either a good try because I'm a sucker for anything gold. I'm only reviewing Abyss today, because I haven't had much of an opportunity to use Alchemy yet. Both colors feature a felt tip applicator and true vivid pigment. I'm not so great at applying liquid liner, so I'm happy to have an easy to use applicator like this one. The precision of the applicator is definitely just that, there's a lot of control.

So I'm not a liquid liner connoisseur, but I definitely expect quality from just about any beauty product that I use, and I must say I'm very disappointed with the Precision Ink Liquid Liner. I really wanted to like it, I really wanted to have a HG liquid liner that would stand by me to the end. But this is certainly not it. My biggest complaint about liquid liners in general is that if you aren't super careful of your eye area, it flakes right off. I always inadvertently rub the corner of my eye (which is actually out of habit, because I want to rub away any mascara gunk that might have accumulated), and end up with lopsided liner. This liner is billed as being long-wearing, but it's just as guilty as the rest for flaking. It's possible that a primer of some sort would fix the problem, but I'm not really down for that. I feel that I shouldn't have to apply something else to the whole lid in order for a liquid liner to last all day. Although, maybe I'm also expecting too much.

Another aspect of this liner that would disqualify it from HG status is the fact that it dries glossy. Only a matte liquid liner would enter that particular hall of fame. I'll definitely get a lot of use of the Precision Ink Liquid Liner because I intend on using it up, but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing. I think that Alchemy, the gold color, is a better buy. It's not for everyday wear, but the color is so beautiful and true to life that it's very much worth having. Tis the season to be festive after all. 

Chanel Extrait de Gloss, Swatches and Review

So I'm throwing my hat into the Chanel Extrait de Gloss review arena. There are already much better pictures and much more comprehensive reviews (most notably by Amy at cafemakeup.com), but hopefully I have something valid to add.

I ordered two colors from the Chanel website: imaginaire and confidence. Imaginaire is a slightly peachy pink color that looks killer with my pale complexion. Confidence is a slightly darker and more "nude" pink that boarders on "rosewood." And that really was the main surprise for me, the fact that confidence ended up being darker. It's even noticeably darker on my lips. Like whoa, even after being described as a light nude pink. They're both beautiful colors, but going on the descriptions, I would have thought that imaginaire was confidence and confidence was imaginaire.

They are both very similar colors, so you definitely don't need both. I wanted both because I'm really into these types of colors, but someone who doesn't need every natural pink lipgloss could definitely skip one. I would recommend imaginaire to fellow ghosts like myself, and confidence to people with a deeper skintone.

Top: Imaginaire Bottom: Confidence

As for the controversial applicator, I hardly even noticed it was different, so if you're considering ordering one sight unseen, don't sweat it.

Now for some swatch pictures!

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Both glosses have that subtle and enchanting Chanel glimmer. Yes, the depth, yes, the sheen. These are words that are used over and over again to describe Chanel's classy use of . . . all things. The verdict: these glosses lived up the hype and the Chanel reputation. Extrait de Gloss is definitely a welcome addition to their permanent line.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore: Review and Swatches

Illamasqua. Makeup for your alter ego. I was a goth-punk in high school. What can I say, it was 1999. But I most certainly did not align myself as such at the time. If you had asked me what I identified myself as back then, I would have said, "nothing, I'm not cool enough to be anything." But in hindsight, I was total goth-punk, complete with black spaghetti strap tank tops, stud belts, dyed hair, and black eyeliner, plus a whole crew of friends that were dropping out, drinking, and making the same fashion statement (my straight A's were a secret, apparently). The mere thought of it makes me cringe. Funny what ten years will do to your out look. Anyway, I'm not a participant in alternative culture these days. I think I'll always be counter in some way, because I'm such a loner. But I don't have an alter ego, and I don't need to make it up. But that doesn't mean that Illamasqua doesn't have a little something for anybody. The new Pure Pigment in Ore, released as part of the Art of Darkness collection for Fall 2010, is very main stream and everybody friendly.

Taste-y sparkly bronze goodness. Who am I to resist such a lovely color? I'm not at all afraid of glitter (maybe being an ex-goth-punk will do that to you) so I'm really into the sparkle of Ore. The chunks aren't too big, although fall out is fairly unavoidable if you use this as an eyeshadow. But fall out is another thing that doesn't typically bother me, especially with a product like Ore. It's so flashy on the lid anyway, that the fall out sparkles underneath sort of add to the effect, right? This is particularly awesome layered over cream things. The black Mac Cream Color base comes to immediately to mind.

I might mention that the packaging of the Illamasqua Pure Pigments are outright hands down superior to the Mac Pigment packaging. See that plug looking business on the underside of the cap? Well you guessed, it's a plug. Genius right? Why didn't Mac (and BareEscentuals, remember when that was the it brand, not anymore! ha!) think of that? It keeps the product from exploding anytime it's tilted away from being perfectly level. Gravity is no match for Pure Pigment, you can toss the packaging anyway you like, and the product with stay neatly contained. Let's give a round of applause.

Slightly out of focus shot to show the glitter. Lovely!

The whole Art of Darkness collection is pretty awesome, but this was the only product that I absolutely had to have. This and Viridian Nail Lacquer. Almost forgot about that. Now that I'm thinking about, I'm going to go explore my nail polish stash because I'm sure there is many a forgotten polish in there. Polishes that get purchased, and instantly whisked away to purgatory. So sad!

Dolce & Gabbana Lipstick in Orchid and Amethyst, Swatches and Review

This season, Dolce & Gabbana came out with three new lipstick shades: Orchid, Amethyst and Cosmopolitan. I swatched all three in store, and completely fell for Orchid and Amethyst. Realizing how similar cosmopolitan was to Chanel's Summer 2010 Rouge Allure in Genial, which I already own, I passed on that particular shade (although it was also very lovely). The other two are fairly unique to my stash. Orchid is a deep pink, Amethyst is a deep purple. Amethyst was featured in the Fall 2010 promotional picture with Scarlett Johanson, so I think there may have been some bias! Both are excellent on cooler toned skin, although I think a deep purple shade like amethyst would look rockin' on anyone. I really love the formula of these lipsticks, save for one thing: the scent. I like that it's a classic rosey lipstick fragrance, but it's just a little too overpowering for me at first. Like a true junkie, I suffer through the initial cloying scent until it fades 10 minutes later.

On the left: Orchid, On the right: Amethyst

Prior to purchasing these two colors, my only vampy lip color I owned was Dahlia, also from the D&G Classic Cream Lipstick line. I really love Dahlia because it is the exact lip color of a 1920s screen siren. Whenever I put it on, I feel like I could be the starlett of a Howard Hughes movie. The two new colors closely resemble Dahlia. As you can see, Dahlia falls directly between the two new shades, Amethyst and Orchid,

Swatches with comparison, from L to R: Dahlia, Amethyst, Orchid

Below you can see a lip swatch of Orchid. I used Paul & Joe Lip Pencil Duo in Scarlet to line my lips first. I wore this lip to work yesterday, combined with the brick colored blush featured in the "Soho de Chanel" compact. The two compliment each other very nicely. When I wear a strong or bright lip, I generally keep everything else light. One of the keys to pulling off a look like this is to make sure that your under eye is concealed fully. Orchid was a big hit, I got several compliments from my coworkers!