Shiseido Ocean Summer- Red Triton Lipstick (RD 630) and Rainbow Lip Gloss (SV 809)

As promised, here are the two lip products from Shiseido Ocean Summer 2010 collection. Perfect Rouge lipstick in Red Triton RD 630 is a beautiful rich color that has been functioning lately as my everyday red. It looks warmer in the tube, so I was surprised to discover that it's actually quite rosy. The lipstick is very pigmented and darker than you'd expect from a summer color, which makes it a great day-to-night item.

Shiseido Perfect Rouge lipsticks tend to be on the dry side, and Red Triton is no exception. I usually top them with a gloss, so the new Luminizing Lip Gloss in Rainbow (SV 809)- a clear shimmery little thing- was just what I wanted. The gloss has a wonderful gel-like texture. It's not sticky at all, feels rich and moisturizing and has a lasting nourishing effect on the lips. I love the lacquered finish and the way it transforms the lipstick and makes it very glamorous. I don't love the glitter. It's very fine, but still quite noticeable and I'm just not a glitter person. The shimmery particles remain on the lips after the gloss itself wears off, which is another thing I could live without.

By the way, this is a red triton:

Shiseido Ocean Summer Red Triton Lipstick ($25) and Luminizing Lip Gloss in Rainbow ($22) are available from most department stores as well as from Sephora. Mine were purchased at Nordstrom online.

Shiseido makeup and swatch photos are all by me. Red triton photo by Richard Ling.

Shiseido Ocean Summer Collection- Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil Black Sand (BK904)

The limited edition Ocean Summer collection is the most exciting release we had from Shiseido in quite some time. Makeup Artistic Director Dick Page has put together a line of deceivingly low-key colors that create an almost sheer summery look that accentuate lips and eyes with just the right amount of drama. While I passed on the gold eye shadow (I already have enough of them) and the bronzer (ditto), I had to have Black Sand (BK 904), the limited edition eyeliner pencil and also the lip products that I'll show you tomorrow.

A quick rummage through my makeup drawers revealed I don't own any other Shiseido eyeliner, and that's going to change soon because I'm very happy and impressed with the Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil's performance. It's soft enough to glide easily without pulling the lid, which is a major consideration for me. The line can be drawn thin or thick and smudged with the sponge tip on the other end of the pencil. Smudging doesn't dilute or fade the rich pigment which stays in place over a lid primer for as long as you need it. I've worn the eyeliner throughout a couple of hot and humid days with several outdoor forays and it didn't budge until I removed it at night. An accidental eye rubbing didn't do much damage, either.

Black Sand is a gorgeous almost black color with a hint of dark olive green and fine gold shimmer. It can be the focus of a dramatic evening look if applied heavily and smudged into a smoky look, but the mellow not-quite black is also very daytime appropriate because it lacks the harshness of a true black. I can't think of anyone who can't pull it off, it's really that easy and flattering.

Bottom line: I wish Black Sand would become part of the regular line.

Shiseido Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil ($20) and the rest of the 2010 Ocean Summer Collection is available from Sephora and most decent department stores, including online.

All photos are mine.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Lip Gloss- Fantasy And Guava

Both Fantasy, a shimmery pink plum from the regular line, and Guava, the new Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics limited edition for summer, are a great pick-me-up for tired lips and faces (I think it's the humidity. Everything feels limp and sluggish).

Guava comes in a new plumping-hydrating formula, that smooths and fills up the lips without irritation, but even the regular formula of Fantasy feels nourishing (it contains several natural oils and extracts) and very comfortable. The glosses aren't too sticky and have an average lasting power. The pigment in Fantasy is quite rich and shows beautifully, while Guava is very sheer. The latter looks very shiny and red in the tube, but on the lips it has that pretty "just bitten" effect. I love such glosses, especially in the summer when they give lips a full and healthy look that doesn't compete with anything else I might have going on my face (bronzed cheeks or a bold eyeliner).

Bottom line: fun and pretty.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Lip Gloss ($21 each) and the rest of the line can be found at Henri Bendel and online at ybskin.com. Press samples were provided by the company.

All photos are mine.

Essie Nail Polish Summer Collection

I had to get myself out of the beige nail polish rut and do something summery. Essie Summer Collection looked too adorable to pass. The colors are happy, beachy and spell "Vacation". Or maybe it's just my imagination. I decided I could live without the tomato red of Vermillionaire and Miss Matched, a pale lavender, so I opted for the 4 piece mini set. I love mini nail polish bottles, especially since it's been a while since I used any one color so often I actually finished it (or even came close).

Knockout Pout is the hottest pink (cream texture) and I really wanted to love it. But it was too loud and looked borderline trashy against my skin. I don't know why. The color is pretty and summery but my hands looked rather awful wearing it. I ended up removing the polish within less than an hour. Next came Haute As Hello, a pink coral cream. I felt it was much better and something I'd definitely wear on a hot summer day. Then I noticed it made my skin look yellow and sickly. I still like it a lot, but it might have to be relegated to my toes.

My hands weren't too happy with all dips in the polish remover. They required some serious TLC before I could go on, so I took a break, applied Lush Full Of Grace serum and finished with Kanebo Sensai hand cream  (best thing ever. I think I'm down to my last sample and that scares me).

Pretty Edgy is as green as it gets and should thrill any green nail polish fiend who likes shiny, creamy textures. It looks nice on my hands and I can actually see myself wearing it when I'm feeling...edgy, I guess. It's not an everyday color for me and I'm a bit too conservative nail-wise to feel completely comfortable with it, but I've been staring at the bottle so much  it has definitely grown on me.

Is anyone surprised to learn I've been wearing Demure Vixen for the second week in a row? A muted mauve with a very pale rosy/brown tone it doesn't stand out or calls any attention to itself, but I like it best for everyday purpose. It's beautiful, very chic and always appropriate. Demure Vixen is the one iridescent color in the (almost) all-cream collection, but the iridescence is mostly lost by the time you apply the third coat (necessary for a full coverage). It's the only color that was easy to apply without fighting streaks (I think the mini brush is not ideal). The other colors were very streaky for the first two coats but settled nicely by the third one, so it's not a big issue. You need three coats to get the full effect of the color as you see it in the bottle.

The 4 piece mini set of Essie Nail Polish Summer Collection ($17) is available from essieshop.com. Individual full size bottles ($8 each) are available from select nail salons and online.

All photos are mine.

Le Metier de Beaute Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss For Summer 2010- Manhattan

This Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss in Manhattan, a shimmery nude beige, is part of Le Metier de Beaute Endless Summer collection. Regular readers know I don't do beige lips. Ever. But Le Metier is on my shortlist of favorite makeup brands and I'm willing to try anything and everything they produce.

The quality of the Sheer Brilliance glosses is always outstanding. They are rich, hydrating and comfortable on the lips and have a beautiful finish. Manhattan is probably the most beautiful nude color I've come across but I still can't wear it alone. It makes my lips look milky. A good look for a kitten, not so much for a person. But I've been wearing Manhattan regularly over dark lipsticks that could use some toning down for summer. Let's face it, my favorite full coverage plums and burgundies can look a bit out of place on a hot summer morning, and apparently, a shimmery beige gloss was just what I needed.

The shimmer, by the way, is very fine and subtle. It's a little more noticeable over a dark lipstick, but still very office-friendly.

Bottom line: more useful than I expected.

Le Metier de Beaute Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss ($32) is available from Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Manhattan isn't yet listed online, but that should happen any day now. My press sample was provided by the company.

All photos are mine.

Giorgio Armani Bronze Mediterranean Palette For Summer 2010

The pictures tell the story here. This palette says "Summer" and means it- sea, sun, bronzed skin. Like a retro ad that makes you pack and go on a glamorous vacation.

The eye shadow colors are saturated and have a nice sheen. The finish is silky and very smooth even if the pale green one tends to crumble a little (see photo). I use the bronze eye shadow on the lid/crease with a hint of one of the bolder colors either as a liner or blended in for depth and interest. Younger and braver faces might go all the way with the palette, but I'm enamored with the way it creates an easy and elegant summer look. An eyelid primer keeps the colors in place and preserves the shimmer and finish for an entire day, even in murky weather.

The bronzer was a lovely surprise. It looks dark in the pan, but it's sheer enough to look very natural. It's not too orange or too brown- just perfect to create a realistic sun-kissed look. It's one of the most versatile and easy to use bronzers I own, because it's not shimmery and the texture is sheer but buildable. I'm not sure how flattering it is for the palest porcelain skin tones, but it should work for those of us who tend to tan naturally (except that we don't. Hence bronzers).

Bottom Line: Probably the best palette of the season.

Giorgio Armani Bronze Mediterranean Palette For Summer 2010 ($85)  is available from top department store and the company's website.

All palette and swatch photos are mine. Mediterranean road-trip poster: andyheckathorne.com

Givenchy Le Prisme Eye Shadow- Summer 2010 Island Lagoon

Givenchy Summer 2010 collection offers two limited edition Le Prisme eye shadows- Island Lagoon and Island Sand (a gold/bronze combination), two shades of Le Fleur de Frangipanier bronzer/illuminating powder and two Pop Crystal lip gloss colors. I looked at all of them and was instantly enamored with little piece of tropical vacation dream, Island Lagoon.

The eye shadow compact has several shades of rich blue in a splash pattern that is lovely but a little too gimmicky to be useful. Properly separating the colors would have been less visually appealing but easier to apply  if one wants a particular shade for contouring or highlighting. It's perfectly fine, though, if what you want is to swirl your brush and collect a little of each and you can control how much to get of the dark or light shades.

The eye shadow is very finely milled and looks silky smooth on the eyelid. One of the best things about it is that while the color is buildable and you can get some serious blue intensity if you insist, in normal use (1-2 brush strokes) the color looks sheer, modern and very flattering. My swatches show what you get from one brush swirl over the darkest and the lightest parts of the compact. I used a smaller and denser brush than I use on my lids to collect the colors and show the difference. It's more subtle when you you use a regular eye shadow brush.

Bottom Line: Not as striking as it seems in the compact but surprisingly good and wearable.

Givenchy Le Prisme Eye Shadow Island Lagoon ($29) and the rest of the Summer 2010 collection are available from Sephora. For some reason, givenchybeauty.com is still stuck in the spring collection and doesn't yet have the newest items. So much for launching spiffy new e-commerce.

All photos are mine. Let's keep it that way.

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow - Ready-to-Glow (#649)

This one was Karla's fault. She swatched the new Summer 2010 Dior eye shadow quint, Ready-to-Glow a few weeks ago and I promptly headed out to buy it. This palette is just that gorgeous.

The colors are cool(ish)-to-neutral except for the peach that is decidedly warmer . I can wear each and every one of these colors and have found all of them to be flattering and versatile.  I don't wear more than two or three of them together in the classic highlighter-crease-lash line method, but that's a personal preference. Since the texture is so soft and blendable I'm sure you can make four or even all five work together, I just never feel the need to do it.  The pigment is rich and strong, the finish is extraordinarily shiny, but despite the high voltage the softer colors can also work for day if used with a light hand and blended well. Of course, the possibilities for a sexy evening look are many.

Performance-wise, I'm highly impressed with this Dior quint. I always use a lid primer, so there are no creasing or longevity issues. When I use a spectacular base (the one from Kanebo Sensai), the finish stays fresh all day long with no fading.

Bottom Line: Actually worth the price.

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow - Ready-to-Glow ($58) is available at Dior counters everywhere as well as from Sephora.

All photos are mine.

Zoya Summer 2010 Nail Polish Collections: Flash and Sparkle

You can't blame my cats for deciding the bottles of Zoya's Summer 2010 collections are toys. Just look how bright and happy everything looks. Sparkle and Flash are a great pick-me-up. You just can't feel down when playing with these colors, and play I did. I ended up with something like this:

But, seriously. Nobody does metallics like Zoya, and Sparkle takes it up a notch, with dense shimmer that calls for hot summer nights out on the town. The shine is disco-worthy, and you can go from classic reds and fuchsia to the stunning green (Ivanka) and blue (Charla). Would I dare wearing them out in public? Maybe. Mimi, the dark purple is more my thing and I know it will serve me well into the fall.

Flash is the cream range. Two coats of each color brings you almost to perfection. Three is better, but I tend to mess things up waiting for the polish to dry, so I'll stick with two. Robyn is the amazing dark turquoise/ocean blue. I can't pull it off on my hands, but I see many a pedi in my future. Flash is extra summery and I'm having a hard time picking a favorite. Maybe the soft orange of Jancyn.

Zoya Summer 2010 Nail Polish Collections, Flash and Sparkle ($7 per bottle), are available from artofbeauty.com. I recieved them as a PR freebie.

All photos of Zoya bottles by me. Models: Lizzy, Buffy and Giselle.
Vintage Natural Wonders ad: paperpursuits.blogspot.com