Blue Smoke

I've mentioned before how all the effort to keep one's eyes look young and bright doesn't necessary go well with the smoky eye look, especially if you're trying to use black as the base color. This is why I save the black liner for the cleaner brighter look of natural and brown shadows, and look for alternatives for creating a smoky look.

One that works really well for me is combining Lancome Artliner in Smoke with their Color Design eye shadow in Garment.


Smoke, despite its name has way more blue in it than grey. It's pretty much navy color (something that's been missing from this line in a while. Their blueberry color, while very pretty, is way too light and bright for non-blondes. It looks garish on my skin and does nothing for my dark brown eyes), less dramatic than black, but still dark enough to define the lid nicely.



Garment is one of their Intense series. Strongly pigmented color that isn't shy about it. It is surprisingly wearable, though. It's not shimmery and the blue, while unmistakable is elegant and lady-like. It's not screaming 80s, that's for sure. The texture is soft, blends well with other shadows, responds nicely to different brushes and can play a part in many looks, depending on the brush and the amount of color you're using. The only complaint I might have is regarding it's staying power- though it didn't crease on my lid, it faded significantly when I didn't use a primer underneath.


I created a lovely evening look by combining these shadow and liner with just a touch of Bourjois' silver eye shadow (applied with a soft, thick eye contour brush).

Still in the Dark

So, how many people were at the Chanel counter today to pick up their Black Satin polish? I wasn't there, because I'm quite happy with my little less goth look, which this week is courtesy of Estee Lauder. I got my Dark Chocolate polish, and have been wearing it since Thursday.



It's a red based brown, less chocolatey than I had hoped for, but dark and on the vamp side. It required three layers to get the depth of color that can be seen in the color swatch from their web site, and in applying it felt thinner than the Essie polishes I've been wearing lately. But it might be because of the base coat I'm using (OPI's Start to Finish)


The other problem with this polish is its lack of sheen. It absolutely requires a top coat, because it gets dull in a matter of hours. I'm still wishing for a polish that has a milk chocolate look, but it would do for now. It does look pretty, even if my husband couldn't see the difference between this one and Essie's Wicked.

Two Glosses

I coveted YSL's Golden Gloss for quite some time, but somehow I've always managed to get some other gloss instead. But, a couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to get my Golden Praline. It's a lovely neutral rose shade with a bit of beige in it. The color is almost nude on me, but it has a lot of sparkle. So much, actually, that I wouldn't wear it during the day. It looks great for a more glamorous night time face, with some heavy duty eye makeup. This pairing is a classic, because it keeps things balanced while not letting my lips look washed out.

The texture is very similar to Chanel's Glossimer. Not too sticky, but a bit gritty because of the sparkles. It doesn't bother me, unlike the way it smells. This is something I don't get. Golden Gloss is a luxury product. It's on the pricey side, has a beautiful packaging and it's supposed to make me feel glamorous. But it smells medicinal-herbal, and probably worse than any Juicy Tube I've ever came across. The scent lingers for about 15 minutes before it stops bothering me.

Unlike the YSL that ended up being a bit disappointing, I didn't have too many expectation from the long and narrow plastic tube of Urban Decay's Ultraglide. How wrong I was! It has become my favorite gloss over the last week. The color I'm wearing is Hustle, which is a plummish brown. It's pretty dark, so if you're fair-skinned I'd be somewhat careful with that, but looks very natural on me. It's shiny but no shimmer or sparkle, perfect for daytime and feels wonderful on the lips- not sticky or gooey.

It's lasting power is impressive for a gloss, and the smell is rich vanilla. It reminds me of a good-quality vanilla extract.