Giorgio Armani Kaleidoscope Collection Fall 2013 - Scarabeo Face and Eye Palette #2 Venomous Green

There are so makeup products that have you at hello. The Scarabeo Face and Eye Palette from Giorgio Armani's Fall collection was just such an item. I stopped by the Neiman Marcus at Garden State Plaze on my drive back from New York earlier this fall, intending to stretch my legs and poke around for a few minutes. I ended up at the Giorgio Armani counter, trying to avoid the slightly-too-aggressive SA by taking great interest in one of the displays, when this beautiful palette caught my eye.

I was actually, literally, knocked a step back. It was just that beautiful. I felt like I was looking at the makeup equivalent of a mermaid, all golden green and pink shimmers. I knew I had to have it, no questions asked. (I identify strongly with my Pisces sign, and when something gives a Pisces the mermaid vibe, you GET IT.)

In retrospect, I probably should have at least asked for the price, because 88$ is quite a bit, even for something that went straight to my beauty soul like this did.

The top portion is a blush in the shade Light Pink. I don't think the name really captures the colour - it's more of a warm pink with a very subtle undertone of plum. Just enough to make this a little duskier than hues of this nature usually are. There is a fine golden shimmer that doesn't look sparkly one applied. It creates a beautiful glow, but can emphasize pores and texture if you bring it too far forward on your face. Applied to the cheekbones, it does double-duty as a blush and highlighter.

It also has an incredibly fine-milled, smooth texture that has incredible payoff yet blends out like a cream product might. Due to the super time texture, tapping of your brush is necessary, or you'll wind up with way more than you need loaded onto the bristles.

The blush is, simply put, amazing.

I wish I could be as loving towards the eyeshadows, but as gorgeous as they are, they were not quite the perfection I was expecting.

Copper Wood (brown shade on the left): This is a dark bark brown shade, with pale bronze and almost olive shimmer. It super finely-milled silky and a touch dry. It has intense pigmentation but a tendency to get very powdery when applied with a brush, with a fair bit of debris cascading down on the face during application. Because of that fine texture and tendency to powder, it also sheers out easily. When a deep shade like this does that, the effect can look murky and dirty. It does much better when applied with a sponge tip, or when the brush is lightly sprayed with water or fixative. Otherwise you just have to be very carefully when applying and blending.

Iridescent Jade (middle green shade): This looks like a metallic apple green in the pan, but that top layer is deceptive. It's actually jade green shimmer, with a teeny bit of paler iridescence. Again, it is beautifully pigmented, with a super fine, super smooth texture. It doesn't have the same issues with dryness or powderiness that Copper Wood does, but it is equally susceptible to sheering out. Because of the vividness of the shade, it doesn't look murky but it can look faded. If you want to keep that brightness, you do need to apply with a packing brush, and be very careful about blending out any edges.

Sea Green (green-gray shade on the right): This is a pale silvery green, that applies more silver than it looks in the pan. It is fine, smooth and soft, and a sheerer than the other two shades. It's a gorgeous shade to use on the inner corner, or over Iridescent Jade to make it more luminous. Again, it shares that same propensity for sheering out, though in a highlight shade that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The wear time is not fantastic unless used over a primer. I found they faded after about 4-5 hours without one, but stayed looking good for 8 hours with one.

Overall, I have to say that I am still in love with this palette - but it's a crazy, irrational love. The blush is sublime, but the eyeshadows, while beautiful, are problematic. For this price point, it really should be flawless.

Availability: Currently still at Saks, possibly other counters. Price is 88$ USD, 95$ CAD.

Pros: Stunning colour range, blush is a less obvious version of pink and the eyeshadows work well together. Blush has a lovely sheen that works as a highlighter, and blends suberbly. Texture on everything is incredibly smooth and fine.

Cons: Blush can emphasize texture and pores due to the sheen. Eyeshadows are all so fine that they need to be applied carefully (and ideally over a primer), or risk over blending, looking dusty or faded. Copper Wood shade is prone to powderiness and fallout, best used wet or with a sponge applicator.

(I purchased this item. Post is not sponsored or compensated. All opinions are my own.)

Skincare Heroes - #1 Bioderma Sensibio H2O Solution Micellaire and Sensibio AR Creme Anti-Rougeurs

As I've mentioned before, I'm investing a lot of time this year in expanding my skincare horizons. As I've been testing left and right, I've found myself returning back to several key products, and, on occasion, integrating some of the new items into my closet of all-star, hero products. I thought I would start a series devoted to these - the tried and true, as well as the new heavy hitters.

The first one is a duo I've been using for years: Bioderma Sensibio AR Creme Anti-Rougeurs and Bioderma Sensibio H2O Solution Micellaire.

(Not this particular set, obviously, since I've gone through bottles of these. This Bioderma Solution Micellaire was actually sent to me so I could try the fancy flip-top version. Verdict? Fancy flip-top is awesome. Especially for my crack-of-dawn morning routine.)

The Bioderma Sensibio H2OSolution Micellaire is, of course, YouTube Famous. It has been touted by every beauty guru on the planet, and for good reason. It is a gentle and effective. I generally go in for a good oil cleanse in the evenings, but when it comes to quickly removing makeup, cleaning my skin in the morning, or touching up makeup mistakes - absolutely nothing beats this. (For heavier eye makeup I've found that soaking a cotton pad and letting it rest over my eyes is key to dissolving everything and incurring a minimum of tugging.)

I've used it for years, and it's the first staple to go into my skin prep kit if I'm working on someone else. Nothing is 100% hypoallergenic, but this comes pretty close. I can feel secure using it on almost anyone.

The Bioderma Sensibio Creme Anti-Rougeurs is my stand-by from when I was dealing with a lot of redness in my skin. Undiagnosed rosacea, chemical irritation, acne irritation - who knows? I was red, I was miserable, and this cream was the only thing that appeased it and made my skin calmer and less florid, especially over time. I don't need to use it daily now, but it's my standard for when my skin is acting up.

It's not heavily moisturizing and, in fact, has a really nice texture for oilier skin - very nice to use on clients with acne-prone skin that have obvious redness and irritation, since it will soothe and hydrate just enough. On myself,  I'll sometimes use it in place of moisturizer in the heavier summer months.

What about you guys? Have you fallen on the Bioderma bandwagon? What are your must-have skin saviours?

(One of the items was provided by the brand/PR for review, the other I purchased. This post is not sponsored or compensated. All opinions are my own.)

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fall 2013 Polishes - Chop Chop Copper and Currant Trend

Sally Hansen has released several awesome new collections for the Fall season, including the Triple Shine series (which, er, I may have indulged in just this past weekend) and the Fuzzy Coat collection. Liz over at Beauty Reductionista did a great review of the Designer collection for the Complete Salon Manicure line as well. I had the opportunity to try out a few of the limited fall shades from their Insta-Dri line - my first ever, actually!

These are Chop Chop Copper and Currant Trend:

Chop Chop Copper is a pale bronze foil with gold and pink micro glitter. I included a blurred picture because my iPhone camera refuses to pick up the subtle and totally incredible shimmer. It's beautiful as is, but when it catches the light, it's nuts.

It is on the sheerer side, so you'll have to layer it on for maximum impact. This is three coats.

As promised, it does dry faster than the average polish but I was still better off applying a quick-dry topcoat. My Pisces klutziness will not be outmatched, and I still had dings when I went without a topcoat.

Currant Trend is a super intense red violet shimmer, with hot pink and indigo micro-shimmer. The base colour is vivid but the shimmer subdued in natural light, but picks up a lot more in sunlight. Again, I included a blurred picture to show off that multi-dimensional shimmer.

I found this to have a really good formula, giving great coverage at two coats, which is what I'm wearing here.

The brush for these is fairly wide, with a rounded tip. It worked well - not my absolute favourite, but not problematic.

Overall I'm really pleased with my first foray into the Insta-Dri line. I do wish they dried rock hard faster, but that's my inability to avoid knocking into things speaking. I think for the average person, the drying time would be more than adequate.

Availability: These were a Fall release, with distribution across drugstores and other mass retailers. Prices vary, though 4.95$ is the suggested price.

Pros: Really awesome colours and multi-dimensional shimmer. Quick drying time, about 60 seconds for a touchable level of hardness. Currant Trend had a lovely, opaque formula.

Cons: Chop Chop Copper was on the sheerer side, which required at minimum 3 coats to achieve bottle depth. If you're ding-prone, a quick-dry topcoat is still necessary.

(These items were provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated. All opinions are my own.)