March Madness! Greens All Month - Chanel Khaki Vert

 Khaki Vert.

Among all the hunters, limes, kellys, neons, pine, army, etc, it's hard to stand out sometimes as a green.  Chanel Khaki Vert is one of the greens that sets itself a part from others in the rest of my collection.  It's sophisticated yet edgy.  Calm but tough.  This creamy, beigey green is fun for all seasons.  Maybe that's why I wear khaki green clothes all year round?

Les Khakis were released this past summer for Fall 2010, but I have yet to see a really good dupe for this shade.  Has anyone see one?  Leave a comment below if you have.


 Les Khakis.  


Chanel Khaki Vert Le Vernis Nail Colour is currently discontinued, as it was a limited edition color.

What's your most sophisticated shade of green?

Michelle Williams At 83rd Annual Academy Awards - Makeup Tutorial Inspired by Michelle's Silvery Blue Undereye Liner Oscar Look!

Michelle's Oscar Night Look and My Inspired Version.

Close-up of Michelle's eyes.  More subtle use of silvery grey eyeliner.

My inspired look, a little more dramatic.  
We all can't have Chanel haute couture, so we gotta bling another way.

Here's another gorgeous look from Oscar night.  I love it when stars are brave enough to use color in their makeup for the red carpet.  Even though subtle, Michelle Williams wore a shimmering silver blue eyeliner on her bottom lashline.  I recreated a similar, but more dramatic look, here.

On my face, I am wearing Guerlain Parare Gold Radiance Foundation in 03 dusted with MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.  On cheeks, Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Dust.  Lips MAC Kissable Lip Color in Enchantee mixed with Mehr lipstick.

 1. Prime eye with Nars Smudge Proof Eye Primer.
 2. Inglot Duraline + Sugarpill Lumi ChromaLust Loose Eyeshadow creates a luminous white, blue/green iridescent base to hold onto color all night.
 3. Add lid color.  I'm using MAC Eyeshadows in Waft and Gentle Fume.
 4. Highlight inner corners of the eyes with shimmering white.  I'm using Rondelle eyeshadow by MAC.
 5. Line the lower lashline thickly with a grey blue pencil.  I'm using Chanel Precision Eye Define in Denim.
 6. Line the outer 1/3 of the upper and lower waterline in a grey pencil.  I'm using Laura Mercier pencil eyeliner in Stormy Grey.
 7. Add MAC Reflects Pearl pigment to the lower lashline.  Use a solution like MAC Mixing Medium to help adhere these tiny glitters to the eye area.  (Remember to use caution and read labels when it comes to glitters.)
 8. Curl lashes and add mascara.  I'm using Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill.
 9.  Add false lashes and fill in eyebrows.  I used Bobbi Brown Gel Long Wear Eye Liner in Espresso Ink on my eyebrows.
A pretty look for your Blue Valentine.

Are there any Oscar winners or nominees that you haven't seen yet?  I have quite a few on my Netflix queue!

 Michelle Williams Image Source

Chanel Spring 2010 - Black Pearl (513) Le Vernis Nail Colour - Swatches


Black Pearl is a part of Chanel's Collection les Perles de Chanel.  I admit, I was going to pass on this color.  From initial pictures and swatches, I didn't think that this color was going to live up to the hype of past Chanel lacquers.  Though it may not be "Jade-worthy," Black Pearl is a sophisticated and a très chic take on a black/grey polish.  The overall effect is a lustrous steel gray with green irisdescent shimmer.  After seeing the bottle in real life, I really appreciated the green in the shade.  It brings a luminous effect to what could just be a flat steel metallic.  Instead, Black Pearl is a very grown-up and not at all gothy color.  You could definitely get away with this color at work even in a conservative environment. 

I found my bottle's formulation to be a little thin, but it wasn't at all streaky or runny.  Two coats for opacity.  Three thin coats would probably be best for a soft and pearly finish. 



 Can you see the green in the shade?


Black Pearl is $25 for 13ml, 0.4oz.  Black Pearl is limited edition and available at Chanel counters and at chanel.com.

What are your thoughts on this Black Pearl?  Do you have any favorite Chanel lacquers?

Chanel Ombres Perlées de Chanel - Spring 2010 - Eyeshadow Palette - Swatches

 Chanel Ombres Perlées de Chanel.

Chanel debuts Ombres Perlées de Chanel, a limited edition quint eyeshadow palette, for their Spring 2011 collection, Collection les Perles de Chanel.  Every picture of Coco, she is dripping not with diamonds but with pearls.  They have become synonymous with what is iconic Chanel.  The makeup from this collection captures that glowing luminescence that radiates from pearls. 

The eyeshadows in this quint are all of a pearl luster finish.  The texture is soft, creamy and blendable.  All the shades aren't just straight up frosts or shimmers.  Each carries a soft iridescence in blue, pink, violet, gold to add depth to the shade and draw glow where applied.  I am highly impressed overall with the quality of this palette so far.  It definitely stands up better than many of my recent Chanel quad purchases, especially the baked round eyeshadows.  I can't wait to play with this more.

We will feature another post with dupes of the shades from this palette, but I have to say that this is the first Chanel product in a long time that has gotten me excited.  More dish when I'm able to do a full review! But so far, very good!

 


 Lustrous colors.

 Click to enlarge.

Swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion.



Chanel Ombres Perlées de Chanel is $65, limited edition and available at Chanel.com.

Comps coming soon!  Are you a pearl girl (or guy)?  Do you have a favorite Chanel quad, quint, palette, single or limited edition?

Happy New Year - 2011 Will Rock - A Look Back at 2010

Peace, Love, Beauty in 2011!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope everyone's NYE was safe, happy and  most of all FUN!  We have a lot of high hopes for 2011. 

Not to dwell on the past, but we had to mention some of our favorite things from last year.  We are looking forward to all the exciting things in the world of beauty that 2011 has to offer.  We wish everyone the best this year.  Thank you so much for helping Beautyburg get off the ground in 2010, and we know that this is just the beginning of a really exciting future.  Beautyburg's New Year's Resolution is to try to be the best blog it can be!

So... Let's just revisit some of our favorite things from 2010.

These are in no particular order, and some products shown were not launched in 2010 but new to us that year.  For more detail click on the appropriate links to the reviews.








MAC Venomous Villains



E.L.F. HD Powder


OPI Shrek Collection - Fiercely Fiona on the right



Burberry - the makeup line


What were your favorite beauty items of 2010?  What are you looking forward to in 2011?  Do you have any beauty resolutions for 2011?

Chanel SOHO de Chanel Palette - Highlighting Powder and Blush - Rename Chanel Soso Palette

 
Soho de Chanel

Soho de Chanel is a part of the Soho Story collection, to celebrate the re-opening of Chanel's Soho store in NYC.  This highlighting powder and blush come in a classic Chanel black compact with angled brush on the side.
I feel so "meh" about this compact.  So "meh" in fact that this post has been sitting as a draft for a couple weeks.  I am all for special pressed patterns and limited edition products, but something about this palette feels so mediocre.  The saving grace is that it is pigmented where it needs to be and subtle where it needs to be.  Mixed together it's a very pretty blush.  But how many pretty blushes do we own?  I wanted wow factor, and this just didn't deliver.

Limited Edition, $65. Available at Chanel.com.

The compact with angled brush.


I just don't get a Soho or NYC vibe from this design.  What about you?


Swatched individually.

 
Mixed it's still pretty pigmented.
But worth $65?  I don't think so, ho.

Perplexing... Paradoxical.... Revlon Perplex vs. Chanel Paradoxal

 
Revlon Perplex

Revlon Perplex is a muted grey purple with violet iridescence.  Many bloggers have already done side by side comparisons with this and Chanel's Paradoxal. 

In the haste of traveling, I didn't have time to dig out my Paradoxal bottle to do a side by side swatch, but from looking at the bottles, Paradoxal seems to have slightly more pink iridescence.  Perplex is a little more purple with less shimmer.  But would the average person be able to see a difference, probably not.  The real question is would you know? 

I wore this over Thanksgiving weekend, and I was quite impressed with the durability.  Four days with very minimal tippage (this is with packing, unpacking and general traveling roughness).  I liked the application, and for a fifth of the price of the Chanel... why wouldn't you get this?


 
Chanel Paradoxal on the Index and Middle.
Castledew 9289 (a Korean brand) on Ring and Pinkie.
This photo is in sunlight.

Perplex came with its own display, but it's unclear whether it will be readily available in coming months and part of Revlon's permanent nail color offerings.  I bought it at my local CVS for $4.99.

Do dupes just make you lust further for the more expensive version?  Or are you happy to save some $ when possible?

Chanel Paradoxal vs. Castledew 9289


Chanel Paradoxal (Index and Middle), Castledew 9289 (Ring and Pinkie)


Chanel Paradoxal (Index and Middle), Castledew 9289 (Ring and Pinkie)

I know that everyone is always looking to dupe Chanel. For $23-25 per bottle (at retail), you could be getting 4 or more other polishes for the same price. Castledew is a Korean brand. They don't have a website that sells in the states, but I found a counter at a Korean supermarket in LA and thru third party sellers associated with Ebay. I paid $6 per bottle, but I'm sure it's less in Asia. 9289 is described on Castledew's site as "Galaxy Charcoal Brown." I could see that as accurate. It is slightly more shimmery than Paradoxal, but I found in opacity and application to be a very good dupe. The question is what's easier to find? For those in the states, the answer might be the Chanel