Kose Addiction Cheekpolish in Chic 01

Last time I announced I was "in love" with my latest Addiction Cheekpolish in Tadzio.

My infatuation led me into more promiscuity in the field of the cheek spectrum: In normal English "I liked it so much that I went for another colour"

 

I already announced my curiosity for Chic, a colour that I thought would be shader-like from the online swatch-chart of Kose Addiction ( 1st left):

You can understand my surprise was rather big when I saw it resembled something livery-orange.

 I had already seen the swatches from beautyblogger-maven DrivelaboutFrivol and her swatch of Fresh kinda scared me: no offence towards the perfect complexion & makeup-skilledness of ms. Drivol herself, but to me orange is something that reminds (most Dutch) of soccer matches and festivals.  I thought Chic would be really brownish compared to Fresh, and it a way it is, but still quite orangy imo.

However, blushes are often not what they appear to be: some look terribly boring and make a complexion speak a thousand cheekbones, and others are so fun and perky in the pan and look like carnival on me.

Addiction Chic: semi-blended, not completely

I had to think deep for a similar colour in my collection. I reached for Julie Hewett Natural:

 

Which was absolutely not a match at all. Anyhow, it does show how a dark shader-colour can look too unnatural when the skin gets paler:

(comparing swatch on 'tan' side of arm -NW 30)

When going pale in winter it is often difficult to find a good shader colour: most bronzers/shaders will become too stark and contrasting and I actually like a mixture of peach for more freshness.

Verdict:

• looks unappealingly liver but becomes soft peachy shader-colour on N15-25 skin
• formula is soft, velvet and without any hindering sparkles
• longlasting
• perfectly blendable, even for the clumsy & untooled
• mid-price range (Chanel) but more product
• perfect for under the cheekbones to define
• Mixing Tadzio & Chic makes a wonderful muted rose!

Conclusion:

It was love at first sight with Tadzio and Chic is more of a "friends first, longtime connection later". However, these type of relationships have more durability than the average crush and I have been reaching more for Chic lately than Tadzio. Chic really is a wonderful way to define the cheekbones without going too stark & shaderlike.

Intelligent Nutrients Anti-ageing Body Elixir

Since summer is almost officially over there is the luxury to hide our bodies in our comfortable clothes again.

However, let's not forget to pamper our bodies after doing us a favour during summertime, and still being our loyal servants under more layered autumnal wear:

I bought some Intelligent Nutrients body-elixirs, read oils, because of the rave reviews on the organic beautyblogs (here & here), were on sale at feelunique, and I actually wanted something with organic wholeness. 

[I still use non-organic oils too: I will review Darphin's gorgeously fraganced Huile Nourissante soon] 

And there is the packaging that spells out joy, or peacefulness: dependant on the type of oil you have.

motivating words imprinted in the cardboard packaging

I picked two aromas: Restore & Attune.

Attune, according to the site, smells like "High summer in a greenhouse".

Restore, is meant for "mental rehab & refuge" and smells like "A haute bohemian".

various proof of certificated organicness

The bottle is a green glass and has a hygienic pump-dispenser that pumps out small-enough amounts to dose your oils:

The list of ingredients is a total powerhouse of various precious oils:

 

This oil is absolutely not marketed as a dry oil, but the result was a wonderfully dewy-but-dry texture of my arm after 2 minutes:

 

Verdict: I think it is too early to draw conclusions yet, but I really like the two oils. "Attune" is more of the "happy oil" that is perfect on chirpy days, and the other is wonderful when I have the "tired blahs" and need some serious "restore".

Availability: There full-price again on feelunique.com, however, Beautybay.com has a slight discount going on right now.

Kose Addiction Cheek Polish in Tadzio 06

Kose Addiction +  new cheek product + new colours = obsession

That is the simple math for today. I had to buy this new cheek Polish and the only debate was:

1. would I stick to one colour?

2. what colour(s)

I decided to keep it on the modest side and picked one, in a colour that looked like a muted rosy pink online: Tadzio 06

Though I was enticed by the shader-like colour of Chic or the softer pink hue of Swingin':

The idea was that I loved the colour-scheme on the Autumn '13 model/face, who, besides being stunning, wears the type of colours I really crave.

Did you know she can blink really sweet for it in the animated video (besides of the standard 'turned-on'-gaze)

always good marketing: 'extase' face on a pretty model

Anyway, the descriptions are not something I can deciper yet. Perhaps I will go on a Japanese course one day. I'd love to visit Tokyo, for sure:

However, 12 ml is a generous amount of product. Indeed, the bottle reminds me of a Rescue Beauty Nailpolish tube:

And if you'd show this to your hapless boyfriend (male friend/brother): he wouldn't think it was a blush either. Totally nailpolish brush:

Swatch [with flash]

 

 Initially, I thought the idea of the muted Rosy Pink was more of a bright Rosy pink.

Swatch, unblended (natural daylight):

 

Swatch: slightly unblended, flash:

The colour is indeed brighter than I anticipated for. On the other hand, it is a colour that I do not have yet and bridges the gap between a poppy pink and a muted rose. Also, the wonderful way to perk up morning (maturing) skin.

Close Up:

So I mentured 'maturing skin' (oh, how we love these euphinism for 'older', right?). The close up shows how wonderfully it blends over imperfect skin. I am absolutely no blending pro and this blending has not been done with sophisticated brushes, just hands.

Verdict:

• Novelty: wonderful new colours
• Packaging: matte glass bottle is gorgeous, just a bit unhandy
• Hygiene: I'd suggest putting it from the brush to a clean spatula to keep it hygienic
• Pigment-value: incredibly pigmented. Personally, I had to tone it down with a tad of highlighter but excellent for the people who like visible colour
• Blendablity: really good. Even for the fast or unprecise.
• Colour: perfect prep-up for tired skin with a neutral/cooler undertone. Also, for people not really liking poppy pinks but still like a dash of freshness.
• Uniqueness: I'm a blush-o-holic but I haven't thought of a good dupe yet, colour-wise. As for the formula, there are similar products but not that many.
• Price: mid-to-expensive. About similar price as those new Chanel Le Blush Crèmes, only more value (more product), more original colours & better pigmentation.

CONCLUSION:

I have to be dodgy to say "I'm in love". And if I wasn't, the blush I am wearing could have fooled you. 

Summer of Fragrantica '13

The idea of September got me into recaptulating the things about Summer 2013.

And then...

there was the search for the ultimate summer perfume:

Looking at the middle bottle you might think I found my object of fragrantica 2013, but that beauty of a scent has been my 2012 discovery.

I haven't found it this year (yet), although I like the idea of Maison Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae.

Some of the scents I have been sampling & trying:

• Frederic Malle 'Dries van Noten'
• Frederic Malle 'un Fleur de Cassis'
• Rouge Bunny Rouge Chatoyant, Lilt & Incantation
• various Hermes, eg Jour d'Hermes
• L'Artisan Parfumeur Caligna, Dzingg, & Seville a L'Aube
• I knew Kai from 2008 but I tried it again if I was more gentle-feeling towards heady Gardenias
• Bex London N6

This sounds like a perfect example of a first world luxury problem ｡◕‿◕｡. Eventually I have found some gorgeous scentual concoctions in other types of aesthetic products, such as the Diptyque Tubereuse candle & the gorgeously scented Darphin nourishing satin bodyoil.

Have you found a fragance that has captured the mood of summer '13?