Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation

The Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation is the latest addition to my foundation arsenal.  I picked this up a few weeks ago after reading a review on The Beauty Look Book.  I was in search for a light weight, natural looking full coverage foundation.  After wearing this foundation daily since I purchased it, I can whole heartedly say that this foundation does provide a natural full coverage finish.


The texture of the product is a creamy, whipped like consistency.  When you dip your finger or spatula (provided with the foundation) in to the product, you get a dollop of foundation which doesn't move or drip like a liquid.  When applied to the skin it definitely feels light on the skin.  I don't feel the foundation is heavy or thick.  


The color range is excellent, with 15 shades to choose from.  What is interesting is that the color of the foundation in the jar is much darker than when it is applied to the skin.  When I first brought this home I thought it was much too dark for me, but when I applied it the color matched perfectly.  Still I had hesitations and went back to the counter for another color matching.  One shade lighter was definitely much too light.  I did not notice any darkening or oxidation of the foundation on my skin.  The color stayed true all day.


The finish of this foundation is a satin one.  I applied this foundation to moisturized skin, with a traditional foundation brush and no primer.  I set it with the Dolce and Gabbana Powder Foundation.  Even after 12-15 hours of wear, my skin had a subtle glow, and did not look greasy.  Drier skin types may not need any setting powder.  My skin had a flawless full coverage finish and looked completely natural.  I was quite impressed by the wear time of this foundation.  I barely needed to touch up prior to going out at night, even after a long day at work.  


Overall, I really love this foundation.  It gives the skin an effortless full coverage, without looking cakey or greasy.  The finish is very natural and flawless, and the coverage lasts all day and well in to the night! The Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation retails for $66.00 for 1.0 fl oz/30 ml, and is available at Saks Fifth Avenue.  

Tom Ford Beauty: Final Thoughts

For the past week and a half I have been playing with the new Tom Ford Beauty products I purchased, and wearing them daily.  My initial thoughts of the products I tested were that they were nice, but for the exorbitant price tag I expected more.  After using the products daily, I find that they are growing on me.  I'm actually really enjoying using them!


The Eye Shadow Quad in Cognac Sable: At first I found the shadows to be a bit powdery in texture, and I still feel that way.  However, the colors in this quad are absolutely gorgeous and work together effortlessly.  I have been using the light golden shade all over the lid, followed by the medium brown shade in the crease.  For nights out, I apply the glittery copper shade to the lid, and use the dark brown to smoke out the eye. The shadows do apply beautifully and last all day.  I experienced minimal fall out with these shadows, even the glittery shade which is certainly a pleasant surprise.  Overall, I am happy with this purchase and will be getting a lot of use out of this quad!  


The Cheek Color in Savage: This blush is a bit powdery as well, but again the color is gorgeous.  It is a red toned blush, which looks quite natural on my skin tone.  The blush is a little difficult to work with, as I find it is very pigmented and difficult to blend.  Using the right brush with this product is essential to place the color exactly where you want it.  The blush lasted all day on my cheeks as well, which is not usually the case with most blushes.


The Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Rose Crush:  The gloss delivers opaque color, which is very pretty.  However, this is a sticky formula.  I find the color disappears long before the stickiness.  If you hate the feel of sticky glosses, you will not like this.  


The Private Blend Lip Color in Coco Ravish:  The Tom Ford lipsticks are definitely the star of the collection.  These lipsticks are among my absolute favorites in terms of the formula.  I don't find the formula to have changed much from the original release.  The formula is still ultra creamy, highly pigmented and long lasting.  Definitely give these a try!

Overall, I do like the products that I have purchased.  I am in love with the lipstick and the eye shadow quad.  I already have purchased several colors in the lipstick and use them all often!  In terms of the shadows, I just adore this color combination and find it very sophisticated and wearable.  You also receive a lot of product.  I may purchase another quad in the future, probably Burnished Amber as this is the only other one which calls out to me, but for now I am happy with just this one.  In my opinion, Cognac Sable is worth the price.  

EOTD by Dustin Lujan Featuring the Le Metier de Beaute Holiday Kaleidoscope: Antiquité Poupée

Dustin Lujan, creator of the Holiday Kaleidoscope for Le Metier de Beaute, was kind enough to do my makeup today so we could see this kit in action! Click here for a in depth look at the Holiday Kaleidoscope, Antiquité Poupée.  Of course Dustin used the signature "couches de couleur" technique of layering the shadows to create this look.

On the eyes, Dustin used the Dualistic Eye Pencil in Champagne as a base.  He then placed a wash of Rose Champagne all over the lid, followed by Burlap Sorrel and Tarnished Russet.  He then used Ember Ash along the lashline.  He mixed all four shades together and applied them to my lower lash line.  Rose Champagne was used as a highlight for the inner corner of my eye.  The eyes were then lined with the Precision Liquid Liner in Noir, and for my lashes he used the Anamorphic Lash Mascara in Aubergine.


For the rest of the face, Dustin used the Radiance Powder Rouge in Rumor on my cheeks and the lip liner in Rouge, followed by the Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Bali and topped with the Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss in Bali.  

I think the finished look is a polished and sophisticated one for the holiday season! I love the lip combination paired with the eye look!  The Holiday Kaleidoscope will be available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman in the first week of December, and will retail for $95.00.

Le Metier de Beaute Holiday Kaleidoscope: Antiquité Poupée

For Holiday 2011, Le Metier de Beaute's own Dustin Lujan created the Eye Kaleidoscope Kit, Antiquité Poupée, french for "Ancient Doll".  Dustin's inspiration for this eye shadow collection was the whimsical beauty and romance of vintage dolls. 

Dusty Rose is the top shade, and is a warm champagne color with pink undertones.  It is beautiful for a wash of color all over the lid, and as a highlight for the brow bone or inner tear duct area. 

Dusty Rose

Burlap Sorrel is the second shade, and a stunner.  This is a silvery taupe color, with hints of grey.  

Burlap Sorrel

Tarnished Russet is the hot shade.  This is a matte shade, and has a rusty red hue.  Layered on top of the first two shades, the color brings out the rosiness of the previous two shades.  It really helps to add dimension to the lid and warmth. 

Tarnished Russet

Ember Ash is a cool bluish silver, again with a dark grey base.  This shade is perfect for adding depth to the lashline.

Ember Ash

The Holiday Kaleidoscope will come specially packaged in a gold box, with an ornament. It will be available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, in limited quantity.  Call Dustin at 212-872-8612 to reserve yours today! 

Update: Click here for an EOTD by Dustin himself with this amazing new kaleidoscope!

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Tom Ford Cheek Color in Savage

The last of the pieces I ordered from the Tom Ford Color Cosmetics line is the Cheek Color in Savage.  The website reads:

Symmetrical, sculpted cheekbones are vital to creating the Tom Ford look. This sumptuous powder blush delivers layers of possibility, from a sultry glow to a more dramatic, color-rich look. Formulated with spherical pearls and rich emollients, it glides onto skin with the comfort of a cream, achieving outstanding luminosity and a velvety transparency.

My initial thoughts:

The packaging is similar to the quads, but much less bulky.  It is more compact and actually quite chic.  The compact comes again in a brown suede pouch with Tom Ford embossed on the front.  

The color is very interesting and unique.  It is a reddish brown tone with hints of peach and copper.  The color is not entirely matte either, but close up you can see very fine shimmer particles.  The shimmer is very, very slight so creates just a luminous glow to the skin without looking like a disco ball. The pigmentation is medium, which is acceptable in my opinion for a blush.  I actually prefer my blushes to be less pigmented so you can build the color more easily.

The texture is where I get a little lost.  It is nice, but a bit powdery.  I don't feel the luxurious creamy texture that I long for in a nice high end blush.  

Overall I like the color, but again the texture just doesn't live up to my expectations considering the price.  The Tom Ford Cheek Color retails for $55.00 for 0.28 oz/8 g of product, and is available now at Bergdorf Goodman.  I'll post a full review of the products I purchased from the Tom Ford collection once I have had a chance to play with the products more.  

Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lipgloss in Rose Crush

Holy pigmentation! That was my first thought on swatching the Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lipgloss in Rose Crush. This color is a very creamy rose pink with brown undertones.  There is no sparkle or glitter in this shade.  It almost looks like a liquid lipstick.  The swatch appears much darker than the color on the lips.  On my skin tone, it appears as a nude pink with high shine. I think of this as a sophisticated gloss. 

The formula, while extremely pigmented, is slightly sticky.  It feels quite sticky at first, and then subsides a bit but definitely remains on the sticky side.  This reminds me of the MAC lipglass.  In reading the product description on the website, I think the description fits exactly:

A high-shine, color-saturated gloss designed to achieve bold and glamorous lips. Its smooth and creamy texture has high adherence and easy comfort. It can be worn alone or layered over Tom Ford Lip Color to add dimension to the lips.

I don't mind a little stickiness in my gloss, but those that do might want to pass on this.  I think the color is beautiful, and I don't have a gloss that is creamy rather than full of glitter or shimmer.  However, I will probably stick to this one shade.  The Tom Ford Beauty range is available now at Bergdorf Goodman.  The Ultra Shine Lipgloss retails for $45.00 for 0.24 oz/ 7 ml.  

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Cognac Sable

I was thrilled today to find that my Tom Ford Beauty preorder selections had arrived!  I was so excited that I had to immediately post my initial thoughts.  First up is the Eye Color Quad in Cognac Sable.  I selected this quad mostly because of the lovely coppery orange shade with loads of sparkle.  The other shades are neutrals, and while not as original, are entirely wearable.  

The packaging while very chic is actually quite large and bulky.  The Tom Ford logo is imprinted on the side in gold.  The rest of the case is mirrored and dark brown and comes in a velvet pouch.  It comes with 2 standard applicators. Starting from the left, there is a brown tinged gold with a satin finish, then a coppery orange with lots of gold glitter, a dark true brown with tiny shimmers, and a lighter rust brown with a satin finish.  On first swipe, the texture is a bit powdery, and the pigmentation is fair.  It did take some building up of the color to achieve a nice dark swatch.  

My first impression is good, but not great.  I think I was expecting a little more.  I love the sparkly orange shade, I think it is stunning and I don't own anything like it.  However, in terms of the texture and pigmentation, I prefer the quality of Le Metier de Beaute.  Perhaps I need to play around a bit more and see how the shadows wear.  Tom Ford Beauty is available now at Bergdorf Goodman.  The Eye Color Quads retail for $75.00 for 0.35 oz/10 g of product.  


Have you tried anything from Tom Ford Beauty?  What are your thoughts?