Tag Archives: luxury makeup

Chanel and Givenchy Blushes, Gucci Foundation, and Hourglass Setting Powder

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These are some of my newest purchases. I wanted to include them in my previous luxury post, but I didn’t want to rush through the testing process. So, I essentially split them into smaller parts. With the holidays approaching and my interest in luxury makeup still at an all time high, I’m sure there will be more to come.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder Blush in 6 Flanelle Rubis

In the order of the swatches clockwise: 4, 2, 3, 1

In the order of the swatches clockwise: 4, 2, 3, 1

If I didn’t have experience with the Prisme Libre Setting/Finishing powder, I would never have gotten this because I would have assumed it would be too messy, but the tape method (controlling how many holes are open) works wonders. I still don’t see the benefit of having four different shades of face powder, but it’s quite enticing to have four blush options in one with the ability to custom mix shades. Suddenly the $43 price seems like a bargain if two or more of the four colors are appealing.

I purchased the deepest option from Givenchy, but I expected the two lightest ones not to work. I was pleasantly surprised that despite being so light on my skin, the color shows through as I blend them in, perhaps becoming one with my foundation in deepening the shade. I still have to build them up a bit, and the lightest one remains subtle, but the second-lightest is easier to see after just a couple of layers. The third darkest in depth just takes one well blended layer to be seen and is my favorite out of all of them. It’s like a dark coral-peach. The darkest looks quite beautiful if applied in a sheer layer as a flush of color, but this is the only one of the four that is stubborn to use. I don’t consider the need to build up a blush to be an issue, unless it adds a significant amount of time to my makeup routine. Additionally, needing to spend more time to blend because it grips wherever it first touches the skin, like this red one, is what I consider a flaw. I can get it to look smooth if I spend enough time buffing it, but I don’t like how much effort it takes. It even hinders my ability to enjoy using this blush with all the sifter holes open because I can literally see where the red powder looks patchy on my cheek and isn’t blending as easily with the other shades. So, to avoid all the extra work, I keep that one completely blocked. So, the ways I’ve been using this blush is with the third darkest shade by itself or the three blendable colors together.
Also, none of these fade on me. They last on my cheeks all day.

It’s my preference right now to wear shimmery (but not metallic) blushes or ones with a sheen. This blush is a bit more matte than I’d like, but it’s at least not flat matte, which is why I still like it. The quality of the powder is nice, but when it comes to blushes, there are a ton that I love. A lot of brands, including ones from the drugstore, can make a fantastic blush. So, the quality isn’t a good enough reason for me to add to my collection anymore. Being a good performer is a given, but now I also require pretty packaging and colors that fill me with excitement the moment I see them on my cheeks. I think the black lid with the mirror on top and pink Givenchy logo looks very nice. The shades are complimentary to my skin tone as well, so I’m happy to have it, but my other blushes are so good that this would still fall into the middle of the pack if I had to rank my collection. The custom mixing feature is what helps keep this worth the price and not regret buying it.

Lastly, I just wanted to add that the blushes are heavily perfumed and even stronger than my face powder. I don’t know if this is just a discrepancy between the full-size face powders or the newly produced mini face powders. I also can’t confirm if all the mini powders are like that or if it just happens to be mine. Fortunately, despite how strong it is when I initially apply the blush to my cheeks, I can’t smell it once I’m finished blending it in.
Also, this blush container is the same size as the mini of the powder.

Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder – Talc Free in Translucent Deep

I feel quite lucky to have gotten this for less than full price when Sephora accidentally listed this and the other new shade on the website for $36 instead of $49. I prefer Hourglass’ finishing powders, but as far as setting powders go, I am still very happy with this.

As someone with dry skin who doesn’t use the same amount of powder as I see a lot of other people use on social media, I’m not a good resource for face powder recommendations for anyone who needs oil control to be tested. What I can say is that this powder succeeds in not making my dry skin look drier. I’m able to use this under my eyes without it darkening anything, like some powders do. It’s super finely milled. It’s smooth and blends right into the skin to mattify without looking powdery. The finish just looks like skin, it’s so natural looking.

This reminds me of the Laura Mercier Powder, but even more lightweight. I preferred Laura Mercier’s Medium-Deep version over their original translucent shade, but I used it knowing it would make me look slightly darker. This shade Deep from Hourglass is exactly the kind of color I wanted from Laura Mercier, but couldn’t get. It’s got the yellow tone, like Laura Mercier’s Honey, but it’s a better depth for me.

With that in mind, I think this one from Hourglass should have been called Medium-Deep, and hopefully they will release a fourth version that’s darker. Even though these powders are “translucent” they are still capable of leaving a cast if they are too far off from the wearer’s skintone. I’m not sure how well this will work on someone with a Deep-Dark skin tone several shades darker than mine.
I’m a little more hawk-eyed when it comes to what Hourglass does, because of their past shenanigans, but I give them props for expanding even this far. Their Deep is darker than Pat Mcgrath’s Deep that I really didn’t like anywhere besides my under eyes (just as the product name suggested).

I attempted to do a flashback test, but my current cell phone camera with flash just makes everything washed out. I couldn’t see a cast when I took a picture using my old cell phone camera with flash on, so I’m going to say that it passes, but I don’t know how it’ll be with flash photography from a professional camera.

Gucci Eternite de Beaute Foundation in 410N (deluxe sample)

I have to start off stating the obvious that it’s quite strange that the shade I purchased in the original Gucci foundation has a smaller number and is listed as being in the medium category, yet the sample I got from Sephora of the new foundation is a higher number and described as medium-deep, yet it’s lighter than the original.
Selfridges had this on sale for $27 in January 2023, and I assumed the price was low because it just wasn’t selling well and was going to be discontinued to make room for the new line. However, the original arrived looking quite separated in the bottle and I can’t help but wonder if the formula went off and the color darkened considerably, and if this could be why it was marked down so low to get rid of it quickly. The first time I wore the original it transferred beyond anything I’d ever seen before. I could literally swipe it off my face and leave a completely bald spot without a drop of foundation lingering, like wiping food off one’s chin. I had no idea if mine was like this because it had turned, or if the original was supposed to perform this way. That’s why I never reviewed it, along with the fact that it was way too dark for me.

This new foundation is much nicer and is surprisingly close to my correct shade! I’d estimate it’s just one shade darker. At some point I’ll be caught in a position that I’ll forgot to reapply sunscreen, and this color will be spot on. Demonstrations of me wearing it are in the Givenchy and Chanel blush sections of this post. It’s described as, “luminous matte,” but I consider it a semi-matte or natural finish at most. I have foundations that make me look a lot more luminous, as seen in other pictures I’ve taken throughout this blog. The only time I get shiny is because of the Florida heat. Then, it just takes me dabbing away the moisture to look matte again. My natural oils coming through after many hours of wear only leads to the tiniest bit of glow, but still not to the level of my actual radiant type of foundations.
I get nearly full coverage with two pumps and it’s possible to build up to full, but it can look a little mask-like because it’s not a 100% shade match for me, so I prefer a less is more approach with this foundation. This is also not the kind of foundation I would set with powder, considering my skin type. It has a self setting quality to it anyway so that if I touch my face, I don’t see any foundation on my finger. This foundation feels a bit dry unless I wear moisturizing products with it, such as facial oil.

Overall, it looks pretty in the full-coverage and matte way. Since those aren’t my preference anymore, I can’t say for sure whether that impacts my memory of liking the Nars Soft Matte foundation way more than the one from Gucci since I wore them at different points in time. So, I guess take it with a grain of salt when I say I recommend the Nars, which is $20 lower in price, over the Gucci foundations. I just know that I won’t be buying the full size of the new one and the old one will be decluttered.

Chanel Excel Blush / Chanel Douceur D’Équinoxe Blush Harmony in 797 Beige & Corail and 798 Beige Rose & Mauve

I spent hours agonizing over which of the two blush shades to purchase. Rose et Mauve was the more unique color offering from Chanel, but I knew a shade like Beige et Corail would be used way more often by me (provided it showed up). I tried to apply the lesson I learned from my post called Blushes So Good I Needed Another…or So I Thought. When it comes to buying more than one blush, whichever shade I love most is the one I’m going to use 9 times out of 10. So, I decided to go with Beige et Corail. After watching many videos and seeing a photo of Rose et Mauve on someone with a dark skintone, I started wanting that other shade even more. Ultimately, when it came back in stock on Chanel’s website, I took my chance and bought it before it sold out again.

On the left is the blush and bronzer. On the right and below the blushes are worn on a face without bronzer in order to show them distinctly.

The Beige and Corail shade takes a lot of product to show up on me. Using my Sonia G Smooth Buffer brush, I have to swirl my brush in the compact (trying to focus pressure more on the outsides where the orange part is the most exposed) five times and apply that amount to the face in three layers in order to get the opacity I want. I can definitely see it in person, but the shade matches my foundation color too closely in photos. I’ve made so many attempts, but I cannot get any better than the two pictures I posted here. In photos, it just looks too much like a bronzer. However, how it looks in person is much more important to me, so on that front I’m happy with it. I can wear it all day with no fading. It has tiny micro shimmer that keeps it from looking flat matte. It’s just so pretty on the skin, so I’m glad I bought it. Also, considering how much swirling into the compact I need to do, I’m surprised to see how much of the leaf detail is still visible on the surface. They’re starting to wear down in some places, but I probably still have a ways to go before it’s gone, and those that don’t need to build up this blush as much will have it last even longer.

Rose and Mauve takes a single layer of three swirls into the compact to get a visible flush of color on my cheeks. I like that it’s more pigmented. It’s still a bit darker of a blush than my usual tastes, but I focus on picking up product mainly in the double C’s so that there’s more pink than plum on my cheeks. I think this is why I ended up surprisingly liking this blush. I like the look even more when I apply this lightly and add Beige Coral on top.
Essentially the combination gives a pinkier rosier flush. It’s similar to the combination I created when I mixed Fenty’s RiRi and Big Melons together, which is yet another mauve and orange-coral mashup. I tried taking a picture of them mixed, but it just looks like a slightly lighter application of Rose and Mauve in the photos.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m happy I bought them both!

That’s everything for today! Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤

A Little Luxury: My First Hermès Beauty and Dior Backstage Purchases

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I’m as much addicted to getting a good deal as I am to collecting blushes, so when I was able to get Rose Feu (the only shade I wanted from the Rose Hermès line) just ten days after the product launched, and for significantly less money via Mercari, it felt like I had reached the pinnacle of my blush obsession. This is the first, and most likely last, time I will ever exceed my $40 maximum for a single blush. I also know I will likely never get a deal as good as this one on a luxury makeup product again.

This special circumstance of obtaining a product that would normally be out of my reach has made new blush launches less exciting to me. For once, I finally feel like my collection is complete. That being said, I still have a plethora of blushes from my collection (and newer ones I purchased just before this one) that I have not reviewed yet on my blog, so the blush content will continue along with eyeshadows, face palettes, and other makeup I love.

Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powder in Rose Feu

The powder is soft to the touch and there is very little kickup when I dip my brush into the compact. The amount of blush I pick up with one tap of my brush is all I need per cheek. This blush gives good color payoff without sacrificing how well it blends into the skin, but I cannot confirm if all the other shades within the line are as pigmented.

I have quite an unreasonable amount of blushes, so I was surprised how difficult it was to find a color dupe for Rose Feu. It is described on the Hermès website as a, “purple hibiscus, fiery, intense, illuminated with a hint of carmine.” I see a slight plum tinge when I look directly at the pan, but it is a rosy terracotta hue on my skin. Perhaps the fiery claim comes from that.
I’m glad it’s somewhat unique to my collection because that makes it more special. However, when it comes to the formula and performance, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes and many of the blushes from MAC are just as good as this one. Rose Feu matches, but doesn’t surpass, the quality of my absolute favorites despite the vast price differences.

Rose Feu on the cheeks and in the crease of the eye.

How it looks on bare skin differs from when it’s applied over foundation. While dry, it takes on the rosy-terracotta I mentioned. The closest match I found was MAC’s Pinch Me, which is slightly more coral than Rose Feu. The Nearly Wild blush from the new Sigma Cor-de-Rosa Blush palette is close as well, but slightly too pink. Another somewhat similar shade, but in a shimmer formula, is Water Lily from Oden’s Eye.

Swatches over bare skin with flash off (left) and flash on (right).

As demonstrated in the photo below of the swatches over foundation, the most similar shades I have are CoverFX’s Spiced Cinnamon and MAC’s Burnt Pepper, depending on the light. The more Rose Feu is built up over foundation and blended in, the more red it becomes.

Swatches on top of foundation with flash off (left) and flash on (right).

I think this blush is beautiful and performs well, but you’re paying for the name and aesthetic on this one. I can’t even include the feel of the compact in what you’re paying for, only the design of it because a common complaint among luxury lovers is that the compact is plastic instead of metal, or at least that the component isn’t comparatively as weighty as the Hermès lipsticks. I’m so used to plastic packaging from brands whose blushes I love, such as Nabla, MAC, Lys, and Hourglass, that it felt on par with what I’m used to having. Patrick Ta’s packaging is probably the only blush compact I have that feels more expensive than the one from Hermès. It feels light for a luxury product, but certainly not cheap. I do admit, I would have been very unhappy if I paid full price (plus tax) for this blush because at that price point I expect Pat Mcgrath level of packaging.
As much as I like this blush, I recommend skipping it for those who want it purely for the quality. There are so many brands that charge less money for the same great performance.

According to this Youtuber, the refill pans that Hermès is selling for $48 will not stick in an empty magnetic palette. Naturally, one would think that a great way to have the blush, but save money by not purchasing the packaging, would be to get a refill and pop it in a magnetic palette. A magnetic sticker that can be attached on the back of the pan would be required to get it to work for that purpose.

Dior Backstage Face and Body Powder No-Powder in 4N and 5N

The photo on the left was taken with my camera and shows the more neutral tones to these shades. The photo on the right was taken with my cell phone. The photo below, taken using my camera with flash on, is the most accurate depiction of what the powders look like.

I mentioned my luck with the Hermès blush. Ironically, I had a chance to save money on the Dior Backstage Powder, but I purchased the wrong shade during the Sephora VIB sale and the one I needed wasn’t restocked before the sale ended. I was impatient to get the right color, so I purchased it at full price from the Dior website.

In the initial reviews I saw for this product, the recommendation was to get a shade lighter than your Dior foundation match. This made sense because Dior described this as being a product intended to “warm the complexion,” in addition to setting makeup. To have that “sun-kissed effect” they advertised, the shades would need to run slightly darker. In my particular case, I should not have gone lighter. 4N was nice and did give the promised “luminous matte finish” without looking glittery, or even that shimmery. However, it was a touch too light to use all over my face. It worked great as an under-eye brightener, but I didn’t want a $40 powder I could only use under my eyes. I returned that shade to Sephora and purchased 5N directly from Dior’s website. I was impressed by the presentation when it arrived. The gift bag is cute and I like that Dior gives free samples and offers free shipping.

In terms of what the powder can do, it does set the face without looking powdery. I can pack on multiple layers and it doesn’t ever looked textured, cakey, or dry. I also really like the sheen it leaves on my skin. However, because it still contains micro shimmer, it doesn’t remove shine from the face. It may mattify the oils a little, but areas will still have a sheen, so I’m not sure how much those with oily skin will like this powder. It also doesn’t blur* or extend the wear of my makeup. I don’t consider it a must-have product, but I liked the way it made my skin look, which is why I still wanted to have it in my collection.

*May 18th, 2021 UPDATE: I cannot see a blurring effect when I apply this powder over foundation, which attests to the quality of the foundations I use most often. However, when I applied the Dior powder over my skin on a minimal makeup day when I skipped using foundation, I was able to see the blurring properties. So, I have to amend my statement and say that it does blur, but the results range from minimal to very noticeable depending on what other products are paired with it.

I’ve also seen the recommendations to get a deeper shade to use as an actual bronzer. I’m intrigued by that idea, but considering my difficulty getting a shade for my face, I fear I would have trouble figuring out how dark of a powder I would need to get a product like this to show. Plus, I suspect the outcome would be similar to the effect and performance of my Nabla Skin Bronzing powder in Profile. In fact, my first thought when I tried the Dior powder all over my face was that it’s exactly how I imagine a Nabla Skin Glazing Setting Powder would be like.

This also brings me to the point where I have to give Dior praise for these powders running so deep. It’s not a common thing to see. I just wish they offered more than neutral powders and included some warmer options as well. That being said, in the product photos, some shades look a bit red toned. 5N would have been perfect if it was a little more golden, but I’m happy with the shade match. It’s close enough to my skin tone that you can’t see a difference in photos between when I’m using it and when I don’t have it on. I’m wearing it in the Hermès cheek swatch photo, but the luminous look to my skin is from the Uoma Beauty Foundation, Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, and a Jaclyn Hill highlighter. Although this powder doesn’t break the bank as much as the Hermès blush, I don’t know if I fully recommend it either. It all depends on whether it’s worth $40 to have a nice sheen that will never look powdery, with minimal additional benefits.

Lastly, I try to remember to mention whenever products have fragrance in them. The blush has a floral perfume-like scent and the powder has a soapy perfume-like scent. I can smell them when I first apply them, but it doesn’t linger on the skin.

That’s all for today! Much love!
-Lili ❤