Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Convoitise (and others)

Way back in Easter, I received a glorious surprise parcel from a European makeup fairy, and it included (along with far, far more treats than I deserve) the then-new-and-European-exclusive shade of Convoitise to join my Chanel Illusion D'Ombre family.

I have never been and am not a Chanel girl, finding the skincare ridiculous and most of the makeup lacklustre, but the Illusions D'Ombre have remained my favourite cream eyeshadows since release and they cannot be said to lack lustre in any sense :D Glitterfest:

natural light

full afternoon sun

artificial light with flash

For any eagle-eyed, link-clicky pedants being all, "Hey... if Mirifique was your favourite, where is it now?" -- in short, sod's law, it dried out [Illusoire and Épatant, which I also bought on initial release, are still going strong], I flooded it with an excess of glycerin trying to revive it, and thoroughly ruined it. If anyone's rescued theirs, I'd love to hear how. In the meantime, I'm re-tightening lids like a maniac and storing upside down, as with all cream products.

These aren't exactly my usual obscure beauty blogfare, so I'll skip the usual epic ramble on texture etc. But I hope you can pick up from my swatches that, with the first four establishing the 'standard' Illusion D'Ombre finish, Vision sits on the chunky-irregular-glitter [actually, it kind of sucks, but it was a Christmas present and works okay as topcoat over a sticky base] and Convoitise on the delicate-microshimmer sides. Both of these have tonal sparkle, rather than the multicoloured glitters of the other four -- Vision shifting from warm to warmer, and Convoitise from neutral to cool.

But throughout its shifts, Convoitise retains an unusual creamy aspect (the colour, not the texture/finish). Probably most accurately described as 'gold', it isn't metallic at all -- more of a soft sunlight-through-peach-skin auroral haze thing. Perfect paired with pastels.

1. Florals...for spring? :P

Convoitise on centre of lid, Catrice Mint of Change in inner third and Art Deco 297 in the outer, with a mix of Art Deco 267 and 285 on the lower lashline. GOSH White eye kohl and Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister mascara.

All these new German products accompanied Convoitise in the same fairy parcel, along with Addiction Damask Rose cheekstick, worn here on lips and cheeks.

me trying to look suitably demure and landing somewhere past 'prim' into 'constipated'

2. Er... Spring into summer? Mix'n'match? Well, they can't all have a theme.

An elongated shape this time with Convoitise over the lid and lower lashline, Art Deco 285 by itself to shade edge, and the last of my RBR Long-Lasting Pencil in Lola to line. Fasio Full Dynamic Volume BR300 mascara to complete the colour palette (similar to the look from my original mascara review).

As you'll have gathered by now, so much pretty-prettiness on eyes impels me to reach for a bright lip: Addiction Le Mépris Lip Crayon is currently my most eye-searing shade (applied in a far more precise way than usual, in kind of a '20s shape) and because if you're going to clash, you may as well kerlash, bright pink cheeks courtesy of Dolce&Gabbana Provocative.

As with most of my enduring loves, I wear my Illusions D'Ombre far more often than I think to drivel about them, but you can find some looks with Ebloui here, with Rivière (LE, which I've since ditched) here, and Abstraction here.

Addiction x Jean-Michel Basquiat Soda Lunch

Every season there seems to be one particular collection that just nails the zeitgeist and pulls me back in to this makeup hobby. Since its 2009 launch, Kosé Addiction has consistently remained one of the ones to watch for innovative textures, colours and stories every season, and I declare their release of six eyeshadow quads in Basquiat cases the collection of summer 2013.

My pick from the six was the limited edition Soda Lunch, which features the most unusual colour-combo and the coolest case in makeup history. Don't even try to contradict me. Your argument is invalid because DINOSAUR.

And many of my very favourite bloggers agree. For in-the-field swatches of all six quads (four to become permanent in plain cases, two limited edition), see my darling So Lonely in Gorgeous' pair of posts. For more dinophilia in particular, see and squee: Swatcharama!, Wondegondigo and Rouge Deluxe.

My pictures will just supplement theirs, because moar pron = moar better, always, amirite?

I think you can tell from the pans alone that these are from the silky and tightly packed school of Japanese eyeshadow, with the white softest/creamiest and the yellow driest/firmest; this makes perfect sense to me because the white will usually function as a wash/base, and the yellow as controlled accent, uses which the textures facilitate beautifully. Also, DUOCHROME PAHRPAL ZOMG. This totally makes up for my disappointment with Suqqu Sumiredama, which also featured a blurple duochrome.

Swatches

(Comparisons will follow once I'm back in London and have full access to my stuff.)

As usual, swatches are made with the included sponge applicators onto my bare arm -- two swipes for the the teal, one swipe for the other three shades.

natural light, indirect

full sun, deliberate fuzz

From left to right: 

turquoise satin base with sparse lime and periwinkle microshimmer

delicate rainbow sparkle that reads as an opalescent white rather than a metallic

primary yellow matte base with sparse silver and cool lemon microshimmer

purple metallic base with dense blue duochrome shimmer and sparse green and pink sparkle

While the blurple duochrome is the most attention-seeking shade, bless its pretty twinkly heart, the 'secret shimmer'* in the turquoise and yellow are for me the cleverest aspect of a very clever palette. With my unfortunate combination of garish-clown tastes and paper-thin, dry skin, I know through painful experience just how chalky and flat this kind of saturated bright can look sitting on top the skin, and yellows in particular tend to darken from promising lemoniness to muddy mustard; the secret shimmer in these shades barely registers as a satin finish, while keeping the tones true-to-pan, ensuring the kind of blendability more commonly found in metallics or frosts than mattes and retaining a pigmented translucency that melds beautifully with even my dry skin. In keeping with the playfulness of the colours and case, the overall effect is at once bold and light -- graffiti.

*A trick that Sugarpill also employs -- if you look closely, you'll find a similar kind of secret shimmer lurking in their 'matte' brights -- but the finer milling, clearer bases and greater tonal complexity of these Addiction colours are more flattering on me; Sugarpill Burning Heart (with a warmer yellow and purple) is heading out to make room for Soda Lunch.

My first look with this quad uses all four shades, something I probably won't do that often in future. A bit scrappy, and built mostly around the rainbow white as negative space, because I wanted something graphic but not too precise or heavy. Also, no foundation because melting. But hey, I had fun :D

Concealer: Burberry Sheer 01
Mascara: Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister
Brows: SUQQU Brow Pen 01 Moss Green
Blush: Shu Uemura Sakura (LE, summer 2006)
Lip: Fresh Sugar Rosé

CLIO Reviewathon Part II: Looks

See Part I for the reviews proper, swatches and comparisons of my Peach and Lily Clio haul.

Apologies for the delay in getting this post together -- my laptop and I were caught in a tropical thunderstorm shortly after arriving in Hong Kong and I lost all my to-be-uploaded pictures. :'( So there will be some seriously scrappy shots and floating eyes without face context, but on the plus side, your scrolling fingers will be at less risk of developing tendonitis.

Anyway, these looks using my Clio goodies are all more or less slavish imitations of Jung Saem Mool's, Korean makeup artist to da starz, and doyenne of modern, neutral looks with many a clever twist of shaping or textural combination, to enhance a wider variety of eyeshapes than the textbook 'average' eye commonly found in English-language makeup teaching (or the one, usually exceptionally flat and monolidded type, which is thrown in to represent ALL 'Asian' eyes). Okay, soapboxing aside, she employs lots of interesting liner shapes, which makes for the perfect pairing with Clio, known especially for its liners. Though I miss the even wackier Engrish of her older, no-longer-online vids.

1. Widened Eyes

This is a great, targeted video which offers a very simple way to widen close-set eyes, which I also have, though otherwise my eyeshape differs quite a bit from her model's :) It gives that 'inbuilt smize' thing, which I think is characteristic of current Korean makeup trends -- I've seen Japanese magazines call it 'Korean liner' in fact!

My skin prefers grey to brown as a neutral, so instead of the brown powder shadow she used to shade the model's liner, I smoked out the edges of my Gelspresso Golden Black pencil line for a coal-with-warm-shimmer instead. My lower lashline neutral sparkle is Friday Glow Liquid Eyeshadow Sheer Beige, with Twistup Long Lash for a nothingy mascara, 

Lip and cheek inspiration comes from this video's cutesy cool pinks, and centered, rounded blush placement (note that it also features this widened eyeshape, an ongoing trend in K-makeup). I used Etude House Fresh Cherry Lip Tint 2 Pink topped with RBR Kiss Elixir lip balm, and Miss Tangerine Choux Cream Blusher #3 Miss Berry.

2. Extended Eye

Wait, didn't you just do this? I hear you ask. :D Such is the subtlety of JSM's variations. This look also extends the liner past the eye, but angled slightly up, and instead of joining with the lower lashline at the outer edge to place emphasis on that corner, it's mirrored by a lighter lower lashline wing. This all works to lengthen the eye again, but also to widen it vertically (open it up), though with all this stuff going on at the outer corner, and both lines tapering as we move inwards, this look also makes the eyes seem wider-set.

I did a slightly more kicky-neutral version, with Gelspresso Golden Khaki pencil on the upper lashline and Friday Glow Liquid Eyeshadow Deepen Brown on the lower. Er... and then I added a wash of Friday Glow in Sheer Beige all over the lid, because SPARKLY. The way my eye curves means it looks sparkliest over the centre of my eye, so it adds to the vertically 'opened out' look. Ahem, totally intentional and planned and stuff.

natural light

bathroom light to capture SPARKLE

3. Gradation Technique

This combines a vertical gradation (i.e. a smokey eye, fading out from a darkened lashline) with horizontal shading at both inner and outer thirds (sometimes called a 'tulip' placement) to open the eye up both upwards and outwards, while adding dimension and depth. This is the kind of thing to throw at people who claim that black rimming the waterline always closes up the eye, or makes 'Asian' eyes look smaller; there's a reason smokey eyes (not necessarily using the classic 'smokey eye' colours) are actually the ones you see most often in Asian magazines and ads. Because it's so balanced, this look would suit most, though if your eyes are very close-set (or you want to make them look as wide-set as possible) you might want to skip the darkened inner corner; those who prefer to minimise very prominent or bulging eyes may want to skip the central highlight.

I used all creams to create this look, as the Clio textures are so blendable they layer and blend much like great powder shadows anyway: both Friday Glow liquids to create the 'tulip', WP brush liner on the upper lashline, smoked out with Gelspresso Golden Black pencil, and the versatile Eye Guard liner on the waterline. Volumising

Contour-placement blush and popsicle lip both with Etude House Cherry Lip Tint 1 Red, inspiration courtesy of this vid (which features a similar combination of vertical and horizontal gradations, although with the horizontal one going more traditionally from lightest at the inner corner to darkest at the outer):

I lost a few other JSM-inspired looks in the great hard-drive flood, but there will be more in future posts I'm sure! (And in past ones -- she's a big influence on me, as you can probably tell.) Do you have a particular favourite video, look, or technique of hers? 

In the meantime, here are two winged liner looks which aren't particularly JSM-ish, but which show how well the Clio Twisturn liquids layer and build:

Club Black sandwiching Night Purple in natural light

and vice versa, in bathroom lighting -- bottom of the barrel pics, okay?

CLIO Reviewathon Part I

This post was originally going to start with the word "recently". Unfortunately my lackadaisicalness as a blogger means that I now have to begin "several moons ago...."

So several moons ago, the lovely ladies from Peach and Lily, an America-based e-shop stocking some more unusual brands from Korea and Japan, sent me a parcel full of Clio products to try. Their professionalism, attention to detail, niche stock and lightning-fast shipping [they will be rolling out international shipping soon] recalls the early days of zuneta, and the beautiful (pahrpal!) wrapping and handwritten note added to the boutique experience. If you go play on their site, you'll also find thoughtful editorials and ingredients lists(!!! -- take note every other retailer and brandsite ever) as well.

The unpurpled contents (minus a generous stack of Korean skincare samples):

As always, my reviews express my own uncensored opinions of these products, formed over several months *procrastinator's cough* of use. I have split the review into two posts -- this one includes product pictures, ingredients, swatches and my thoughts on texture and performance, and the following post will show the products on mah face in various iterations, inspired by the youtube videos of Korean makeup artist Jung Saem Mool.

CLIO Professional is a mid-range Korean brand which features several cult eye products -- their liners in particular are as popular as those by La Rose de Versailles or K-Palette in Japan. The brand's image is a little edgier than the usual cute, office-safe or my-face-but-better offerings and pigmentation across these products are consequently stronger than you might expect of an Asian brand. Clio also markets itself as international: many of these products are manufactured in Germany or Italy (both producers of awesome liners), and others bear striking resemblances to popular Japanese formulas.

1. Eye Guard Waterproof Liner

I wrote about this amusingly-shaped contraption honeymoonishly and after two months it has retained its place in my daily staples drawer. Its tapered yet bendable felt-tip uncaps evenly saturated with liquid and draws a perfectly even, opaque line at every angle from tip to base for everything from tightlining (absolute tip) and barely-there liner (angled tip) to waterlining or an epic wing (side), and that never dispenses too much liquid to clump or blob. A true, dense black in a formula balanced perfectly between slickness and quick-drying, and a finish neither flat matte (which for blacks can tend to ashiness) nor obviously glossy, this has replaced every other plain black liner I own and I've already purchased a backup ready to go.
After a week in Hong Kong with 30ºC+ and 90%+ humidity, I can report that despite taking about ten seconds to apply, it lasts through even the sweatiest, rainiest, Asian-long-hoursiest workday without issue. All that, and it removes easily with my regular Fancl cleansing oil, leaving no stain behind (as some of the most tenacious Japanese liquids can).
And, ashamed as I am to admit it, the ridiculous packaging is extremely ergonomic.

Made in Germany. Ingredients.

Applicator Comparison 

The Clio is the softest and most malleable (but not at all floppy) felt-tip I've ever tried, almost more like a very dense, precise sponge. It has a second taper right at the end which allows for extremely fine dotting in between lashes used at a 90º angle, making it in practice just as efficient at precise lining as the Hourglass Script Precision liner, which feels like you're tattooing your lashline with each incredibly painful stab. The Kiko Super Colour liquid liner felt-tip is exactly the same as those found on Stila, MUFE, MAC Liquidlasts and a plethora of others.

2. Waterproof Brush Liner Kill Black

One of Clio's cult products, this liquid liner pen came in a set with an O'Tank Volume mascara mini (reviewed below no. 4). 

As with the Eye Guard liner, this applies smoothly as a rich saturated black liquid in an impressively water- and smudge-proof formula which is non-staining and a breeze to remove at the end of the day. Its formula is very slightly wetter and glossier than the felt-tip's, so you have a little more time to smoke edges, add layers or correct any hiccups. Though the traditional brush is faster for big wings like wot they show on the box, I still prefer the Eye Guard liner for sheer versatility and wackiness, but that's not to denigrate this one in any way -- it is very similar to and every bit as good as the very best Japanese liquid liner pens I've tried in the past (KATE Super Sharp and La Rose de Versailles being my favourites).

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, this is formulated in Japan although made in Korea. Ingredients.

Applicator Comparison: 

The Clio WP Brush tip is most similar to the latest incarnation of KATE Super Sharp (S) in shape, though marginally pointier and with a longer length closer to that of La Rose de Versailles' Oscar liner. There isn't really much to choose from between the four Japan-formulated pens on the right -- clearly I have very specific brush liner tastes. (I hasten to add that the other three are all ones I've finished and kept around for blog pic purposes.) The Clio Twisturn brush is noticeably thicker and softer -- of which more below in #3.

3. Waterproof Twisturn Liner 6 Night Purple and 7 Club Black

As shown in the comparison pic above, these sparkly liquid liners come with a thicker, loftier and softer brush than your average plain black pen liner, and the formula is also runnier, a light liquid that borders on gel. Unlike the automatic Brush Liner or Eye Guard Liner, you twist the bottom of these pens to dispense the amount of pigment required -- one click for a delicate wash with sparse shimmer; two or three for an opaque glitter-packed line in a darker, richer version of the colour. These do layer excellently, over themselves or other gel/liquid liners laid down as base, so building up to a graphic wing doesn't result in flaking or balling up; it just takes a bit more time. Personally, I find the combination of high-slip formula and bendy brush a bit overwhelming on my small eyes, and tend to reach for a more precise brush to pick up product from the clicked-up blob, dab off any excess on the back of my hand, and apply separately.

Single line swatches:

Three layers:

Even when built up, Night Purple has more of a pearlised finish with pink and blue microshimmer, while Club Black is darkest gunmetal with silver glitter of various sizes and a finer rainbow of microshimmer scattered through. Of the two, I prefer Club Black -- its base is texturally lighter and so doesn't set to the more solid-looking film of Night Purple, and scattered sparkle tends to be more flattering on my skin. Both however, are tubing liners, which means they form a film as they set and remove (with cleansing oil) in little clumps or balls like the waterproof glitter liquid liners from Stila, MUFE etc.

Comparison swatches

Night Purple with Kiko Super Colour Eyeliner in 110 Pearly Regal Purple, Pixi Black Tulip and THREE Eye Belong.

Club Black with THREE Eye Rock, Clio Gelspresso Liner Golden Black (see below #4) and RBR Long-Lasting Pencil Calypso.

Overall, the Twisturn liners are very similar to the Japanese cult favourite Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liners, but are made in Korea. Ingredients.

4. Gelspresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liner 3 Golden Khaki and 7 Golden Black

This was the one Clio product I had heard of before Peach and Lily wrote to me, shimmery gel pencils famed for bold pigment and lasting power even on the oiliest hooded lids in humid East Asian summers. My lids produce zero oil :( but while not the creamiest these have enough slip not to drag, and since arriving in Hong Kong I can testify that they remain pristine through a drenching by tropical rainstorm and some aggressive sleep-deprived watery-eye-rubbing.

Each twist-up pencil includes a sharpener in the base -- helpfully, because while not as buttery as the Pixi or THREE liners I adore, these are after all gels and do blunt quickly, so if you want a very neat-edged shape, you'll have to sharpen the tip often, use a separate brush, or prepare to clean up. Or, of course, you can go with the grunginess of a blunt tip and scribble these on before blending/smoking out with a pencil brush. On my dry lids, I get about 10 seconds of blending time before the unbudgeable setting; most people will have a bit longer to work with -- from what I've read, around 30 seconds seems average and should suffice for a great smokey eye.

One stroke swatches on top, built-up scribbles below -- there isn't too much difference in either precision or opacity. I particularly like that both these shades marry a cooler, ashier base with neutral-to-warm gold shimmer -- it makes for balanced, versatile colours that complement a wide range of shadows.

Comparison swatches

Golden Khaki with Kiko Super Colour Eye Liner 113 Olive Green and THREE Eye Doll.

See above in section #3 for Golden Black comparisons.

I found these most comparable to the Rouge Bunny Rouge twist-up Long-Lasting Eye Pencils, which I also like very much. Formulated in Italy, made in China. Ingredients.

5. Friday Glow Liquid Eyeshadow 2 Sheer Beige and 5 Deepen Brown

I adore non-powder formulas but am consequently extremely picky about them; my record with liquid eyeshadows has been rocky -- Rouge Bunny Rouge's elegant demi-matte neutrals are staples, but various formula niggles prevent me from truly loving those from Ellis Faas, Paul&Joe and Addiction. These Clio Friday Glow Liquid Eyeshadows have made the utter love list. Ridiculously silkily blendable with that dry silicone slip, wearable as a gossamer veil or easily layered to make a opaque washes packed with multi-toned, multi-sized sparkle, these dimensional neutrals have stayed in my weekly rotation for months.

Topped with dense but soft pencil brushes (around the dimensions of the No 7 Smokey Eye Brush of Lisa Eldridge fame) rather than the more usual sponge tip or synthetic flat brush, it's actually feasible for me to both apply and blend these straight from the tube in a pinch, though a separate blending brush does yield smoother results. Initially dispensing as an unusual 'dry liquid' much like the RBR creams, these set to a very elegant lightweight creamy-powder finish undetectable on the lids, and remains blendable, so you can take your time and make a range of shapes, much like any good powder shadow.
In complexity of sparkle, ease of use, lasting power, and zero fallout, they rival the Sonia Rykiel mousse eyeshadows which are some of the most dazzling I've ever encountered.

Straight-from-the-tube swatches: 

Comparison swatches:

Sheer Beige with the peach from Suqqu 01 Kakitsubata, the peach from Visee x Smacky Glam BR-7 Bitter Brown, Sonia Rykiel Mousse Eyeshadow 05, beige side from Paul&Joe Eye Gloss Duo 05 Bourgeoisie, Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Convoitise, RBR Sleeping Underneath a Mandarin Tree pigment, gold from Suqqu 06 Ginbudou, Fyrinnae Nijiro.

Close-up with fuzz of Clio Sheer Beige, Sonia Rykiel 05, Paul&Joe Bourgeoisie and Chanel Convoitise -- this gives a truer idea of the complexity of texture irl.

Deepen Brown with the darker side of P&J Eye Gloss Duo in Bourgeoisie, Kiko Long-Lasting Stick Eyeshadow 04 Golden Chocolate, RBR Long-Lasting Eye Pencil Lola, darkest shade from Visee x Smacky Glam BR-7 Bitter Brown.

Close-up of P&J Bourgeoisie, Clio Deepen Brown and Kiko Golden Chocolate (most texturally accurate):

Made in Germany. Ingredients.

6. Mascaras: Twistup Long Lash and Curling, O'Tank Volume

I am even pickier about mascaras than I am about most other things, so let's get the positives out of the way first. Both of these formulas are true black, neither too wet nor too dry, unscented, are waterproof but not too crispy, and easily removed with cleansing oil, don't smudge or flake throughout the day, and the bristle brushes are of reasonable size, with a slight curve to fit around the eye and well designed, so that you don't end up with globs of formula or have to resort to scraping out the inside of the tube to try and get something onto the brush.

Brush comparisons

Maybelline Rocket Volum'Express WP, Fasio Full Dynamic Volume, Clio O'Tank Volume, Clio Twistup Long Lash and Curling, Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister.

Now for the dealbreakers. Twistup Long Lash is a very thin, dry, fibre formula, which adds length but no volume. For my reasonably long but very thin lashes, that just results in anemic splindliness. Those with straight but naturally thicker lashes might find this a good everyday no-mascara mascara; the brush is dainty and fits wonderfully around every contour and would work as a lower-lash brush too. If only it was fibre-free, this would've made a good replacement for my discontinued HG defining mascara, Shu Mascara Basic.

fibresssss

The O'Tank Volume dealbreaker is simply that it wilts my curl. This is a scant five minute after application:

O'Tank's thicker bristles and formula can also make it start to clump after a few strokes (as you can spot on my outer lower lashline); it leaves lashes soft enough that the clumps are easily brushed through, but I am too lazy to bother doing that with a lacklustre formula.

Both mascaras are made in Korea. Twistup ingredients. O'Tank ingredients.

In conclusion (pause for gusty sighs of relief from the two people still reading), this is the first Korean brand with this impressive a hit-rate for me. The standouts for me are the Eye Guard Liquid Liner (#1) and Friday Glow Liquid Eyeshadows (#5) but I would also heartily recommend the Waterproof Brush Liner (#2) and Gelspresso Liners (#4), especially to those who tend to experience smudging with eyeliners. Twisturn Liners (#3) are worth a try if you're after easy-to-use sparkly liquids and dislike felt-tip applicators, but for me Kiko Super Colour are still the winners.
Both mascaras were fails for me, but if your lash issues are opposite to mine (i.e. thick, shorter lashes) and have small eyes Twistup Long Lash, with its delicate lengthening waterproof formula and dainty brush, might prove a winner. O'Tank would be a decent volumising formula for the naturally curly-lashed, but isn't so exceptional that it's worth going out of your way to track down.