Shu Uemura: Karl for Shu Prestigious Bordeaux Eye & Cheek Palette (post Xmas sale purchase)

I've probably said this before - well I know I've been saying it to myself and chastising myself - but I'm so behind with my posting at the moment that some of the products I'm finally getting around to posting are no longer available.  Damn you Limited Editions!!! Oh well, shall we appreciate this post as a bit of eye candy perhaps then??

I'd been eyeing the LE Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Eye & Cheek palettes for a while, and decided they were extremely cute BUT a bit out of my price range.   Of course good friend Ling, renowned for her bird of prey's eye for a bargain, spotted them on sale, and tempted me from afar while I was on holiday... Then of course she offered to make the purchase for me before they were gone forever.  With an offer like that I couldn't/wouldn't refuse!

All of the products in the Mon Shu line bear the cute but edgy image of the Mon Shu girl designed by Karl Lagerfeld in collaboration with Shu Uemura's artistic director Kakuyasu Uchiide.   There were two eye & cheek palettes to choose from:  the more cool green/grey/blue toned Smoky Velvet palette and my choice, the gold and plum toned Prestigious Bordeaux palette.  The colours are quite shimmery and theatrical so I was a little nervous but I guess I'm up for a bit more of a colour challenge these days.

Once you open the palette you get a sense of the wonderful theatrical possibilities inside - I remember how excited I was when I first swatched it in store.  I was initially puzzled by the red shade but this is the cheek colour in the palette.   Anyhow, just look at the cuteness:  the Mon Shu outline in the mirror;  the vibrant colours and textures.  Very photogenic isn't it?...

According to Kakuyasu Uchiide the palette is best used as follows:  "...The...two [right] shades combined help to create a beautiful contour and gradation around the eyes. The left shade in the middle section can be applied on top of it for blending. Although the shades look classic and luxurious at once, the texture is very modern. The glitter shadow in the [left] creates an accent. My recommendation is to apply...[it]in the inner corner of the eyes or lower lash line. The red is meant to be used as blush.".

Top row swatched left to right:
inner highlight, lid highlight/blending shade, contour/liner

Bottom row swatched left to right:
blush, lid/blending shade, contour

I haven't done a full road-test on this yet (I feel like I need an occasion to take it for its first outing) but I can see possibilities for some exotic after dark looks - I love the combination of shimmery blackened purple with sparkly gold!  If there's one drawback with this palette it's the tiny blush pan - a small brush runs the risk of heavy coverage and a larger brush could inadvertently pick up the surrounding shades.  Oh well, I'm well enough enamored with the eyeshadow colours in the palette to make up for that little difficulty.

Overall:  I'm happy with this little LE.

That's it for now.

Vita :)

The wishlist haul! (MAC, Jill Stuart & a little something extra)

Only a few days ago I was reviewing my empties, now here I am with a new haul post!  It's been a long time between drinks seeing that my last cosmetics haul was back at the beginning of January because of that little interlude brought about by P10P.   I've harped on about P10P long enough so now it's time to shelve it and not go there again (at least for the rest of the year!) You know, I'll probably keep whining about the pain involved in my lip product ban but I'm making headway there too so it shouldn't be too much longer if I keep focusing on using a limited selection of colours! 

This post-pan haul was always going to be a bit of a splurge - I had a little kitty of money put away as I pocketed $5 for each week I went without  to put towards a luxury item (I ended up with $75) and I wanted to honour my wishlist.  Now $75 doesn't go very far on luxe products here in Australia so I well and truly blew my budget but in most cases it was worth it.  

"Alright, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up..." 

MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow

 (Grand Galaxy)

I nearly missed out on these as they were already sold out at David Jones.  Luckily enough Myer next door had almost the full complement of colours to choose from.  These eye shadows have a liquid-powder formula so they apply like silk.   I purchased Grand Galaxy because I loved how luminously the cool grey-toned purple swatched against my skin.  I can see this one as an amazing shimmery smokey eye on its own or paired with Phloof! as an inner corner highlight.

MAC Powder Blush

(Immortal Flower)

MAC's Tres Cheek collection was bit easier to find, thank goodness because I HAD to have this blush shade.  Immortal Flower was rather more peachy IRL than I was expecting but after the MAC artist applied it on my cheeks I knew it was right for me.  It's a satin finish, so shimmer-free and very natural.  I can get a bit heavy-handed with blush so goof-proof shades like this are best for me.

The MAC swatches:

Immortal Flower & Grand Galaxy

Jill Stuart Mix-Blush Compact

(01 Baby Blush)

 

I took a huge, very expensive gamble buying this blush because there were no testers to try and you know *gulp* I'm still not sure because this looked so very, VERY sheer when I finally swatched it on the inside of my arm.  I'll admit a big part of the reason I bought it was because I have a silly girly desire to own all things Jill Stuart and well - look at the cute packaging right!?! 

Now for the invisible swatch - Trust me it's there, somewhere on my arm. I think you can just make out the pale pink swatch lines??? I hope this shows up better on primed cheeks!  Damn, the colours looked way more vibrant in the palette...

Shu Uemura Nail Color

(ciel blue)

 

Not on the wishlist but what a beautiful blue!  I saw this lovely shade discounted at the Shu counter and thought why not?  My first Shu Uemura polish and it cost me less than a bottle of OPI.

I've done a very ordinary tape swatch but I can't wait to wear this colour because I love how it looks against my skin.  It's making me crave spring already:

Sorry about the little gap between posts.  I haven't lost my mojo, I've just been super busy and a power outage the other night didn't exactly help either!

Until next time.

Vita :)