comparisons on the make-up blogette

FAQ & DISCLAIMER

About Me

My name is Sophia, and I am in my early 30s. I am from Singapore and I am the sole writer of this blog.

About this Blog

I started this blog in 2006, I like to use a wide range of brands though I seem to have a growing preference for higher-end brands in recent years. I also like to share interesting things I have come across about makeup and beauty.

Currently The Makeup Blogette receives 39,000 unique views monthly or 2,238,932 views and counting.

My Makeup Style

I like classic looks (neutral tones on eyes, anything goes for lips & cheeks), though occasionally I try out dramatic/ statement looks. I believe that a flawless base is the key to achieving great makeup looks. I also believe that if you don't have great skin to start with, fake it with a good foundation routine, and even greater skincare. I am currently loving Clarins & Lancome skincare products, and Vichy NormaDerm for tackling with breakouts.

What Cameras do I use?

Most of the pictures you see in post 2010 entries are taken with my Canon G-11. Previously I was using Canon Ixus 80. I do post some pictures which are taken with my iphone4 which I will state in that particular entry. I have stopped watermarking my pictures as of 2011, because I think watermarks are ugly in general, and does not prevent people from stealing my pictures if they wish to. I just take it as a compliment that my pictures are even worth stealing in the first place. I might look into getting a Canon EOS next year, not just for blogging purposes, but I also like photography in general.

My Favourite Makeup Brand(s)

It is hard to name just one, but I like NARS, Chanel, Illamasqua and the ocasional Guerlain, Dior & Urban Decay item. I own quite a stash of MAC items, but recently I have stopped catching up with their collections, and I much prefer to splurge on a few really outstanding items.

Where to find me

Twitter (link button above!) Email (stated above!) Instagram (makeup_blogette)

I have no official Facebook fan page, and currently have no intention to start one at all. The Makeup Blogette remains my personal hobby and property, so as such, I don't believe in having a Facebook fanpage for it.

Final Disclaimer

I bought/ paid for all of the products mentioned in this blog. I am not affliated to any company. If certain products are sent to me for review purposes, I will say so and express my honest opinions about them. In any case, I will only review and showcase the products which I have personally tried and tested, and enjoy using. I do not get paid to review anything.

No ads, no paid links etc please. I am in charge of all content and pictures here.

I am not a makeup artist, nor do I have any professional training in makeup.

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Chanel Le Vernis Taboo [Swatches & Comparisons]

Hi hi!!

Finally, Taboo is here... after a few months of looking around, and detecting its presence at our local counters. Thanks to Mabel, I managed to get it when I was totally stuck at work everyday the past week. It is a brilliant shade of deep metallic purple base, with multi color shimmer bits of red, purple and some blue. Some of the larger sparkling bits actually do show up after application. It is perfectly oqaque in two coats. I am very happy to add this to my collection.

I am also receiving many requests to review the Chanel Les Beiges collection, which is currently available at the ION and MBS chanel stores, but will be available at all Chanel counters over this weekend. I will be waiting a while to get the Les Beiges...and will definitely post my review and thoughts once I am done. Meanwhile Mable has a very comprehensive overview of the collection, so be sure to check out her blog and YT channel!

Close ups:

Swatches:

The inevitable comparison to Malice - one of my fave Chanel polishes -

Actually, I think I might prefer Malice - the smooth intense formula and that rich red..
Taboo might be in the same famliy of deep rich metallic purples like Illamasqua Baptise and NARS Purple Rain.

Hope this entry has been helpful, and thanks for looking!

Posted on June 11, 2013 at 2:13AM | Permalink | 2 Comments

Filed in: Nail Polish, haul, swatch, comparisons, Chanel Le Vernis, malice, chanel taboo | Tagged with: nail polish, haul, swatch, comparisons, malice, chanel le vernis, chanel taboo

June 11, 2013

Chanel Le Vernis Taboo [Swatches & Comparisons]

Hi hi!!

Close ups:

Swatches:

The inevitable comparison to Malice - one of my fave Chanel polishes -

Actually, I think I might prefer Malice - the smooth intense formula and that rich red..
Taboo might be in the same famliy of deep rich metallic purples like Illamasqua Baptise and NARS Purple Rain.

Hope this entry has been helpful, and thanks for looking!

Posted on June 11, 2013 at 2:13AM | Permalink | 2 Comments

March 21, 2013

NARS Spring 2013: Seduction Blush & Dressed to Kill Lipstick [Swatches & Comparisons]

Hi hi!

I got 2 items from the NARS Spring 2013 collection to show you today. For collection information and more swatches, click on this entry. The collection has been out for some time, and feature some very gorgeous and bold eye colors. But I am trying to stay away from stuff I wouldn't be using (do I need 5 green/ blue eyeshadows?) and pick up MORE stuff which I know I would use more often. I can always justify another red lipstick (top excuse - my sis is always wearing them anyway) or another blush (when you just have base and blush only on most days, blush suddenly becomes the focus of your face, after the brows).

The lipstick in dressed to kill was given to me during the NARS preview and it is a fuchsia red with gold shimmer. It has a satin finish.
I am sorry I don't have actual looks with both products (shock horror, no lip swatches too!), but I will try to post a quick look over this weekend!

A comparison with Joyous Red (from Fall 2011 I think) which is also a reddish lipstick with gold shimmer. Of course, they are not dupes, but just to show you the finish and texture.. Joyous Red is also one of my fave reds of all time.

As you can see, the gold shimmer is hardly visible when swatched, and also when applied on the lips. There is a slight sheen, but nothing that screams glittery, which I really appreciate.

Dressed to Kill is quite on the cooler side of the red spectrum, so if you are wary about this type of red, do try it out in store!

Next, is the blush in Seduction - I knew I wanted it the minute I saw images and information online. On the NARS site, it is described as a Sangria shade which is a deep wine color. There is a also a sheen to ths blush, a bold shade certainly. I ordered mine from SAKS.COM during the CNY period when they were offering free intl shipping (cos I had also wanted to restock my NARS ORAN candle).

I am glad I ordered this blush. It is a deep berry shade, and very intense. Best applied with a light hand, definitely.

I had to compare Seduction to Mounia which is one of my earliest NARS blushes, and long since discontinued. Both are rather intense reds, but nothing bright in the same family of their infamous Exhibit A.
Both has that sheen, and fine smooth texture.

Mounia is warmer, and redder while Seduction has a more rosy berry tone to it.

Here in this pic you can see the nuances of the two blushes better -

L - Seduction
R - Mounia

What did you get from the NARS SS2013 collection? Please share!

Hope this has been helpful, and thank you for reading!

Posted on March 21, 2013 at 12:50AM | Permalink | 2 Comments

Filed in: Review, haul, Swatches, comparisons, joyous red, Spring 2013, NARS SS2013, seduction blush, dressed to kill lipstick, mounia | Tagged with: review, haul, swatches, comparisons, Mounia, Spring 2013, joyous red, NARS SS2013, seduction blush, dressed to kill lipstick

March 21, 2013

NARS Spring 2013: Seduction Blush & Dressed to Kill Lipstick [Swatches & Comparisons]

Hi hi!

Dressed to Kill is quite on the cooler side of the red spectrum, so if you are wary about this type of red, do try it out in store!

I am glad I ordered this blush. It is a deep berry shade, and very intense. Best applied with a light hand, definitely.

Mounia is warmer, and redder while Seduction has a more rosy berry tone to it.

Here in this pic you can see the nuances of the two blushes better -

L - Seduction
R - Mounia

What did you get from the NARS SS2013 collection? Please share!

Hope this has been helpful, and thank you for reading!

Posted on March 21, 2013 at 12:50AM | Permalink | 2 Comments

December 24, 2012

Illamasqua Sophie Powder Blush & all my Illamasqua blushers swatched!

I had ordered Illamasqua's Sophie blush online sometime back... a long long time back. Out of the 17 blushers they listed on their site, I have accumulated 12 Illamasqua blushers over the years, with a couple which are probably discontinued. I will be showing you all swatches at the end of this entry.

I love Illamasqua blushers because they are extremely pigmented, and they are very long lasting. Most of their blushers are matte - I only have 2 shimmering blushers from them - including Sophie. The other one is Ambition. I think I prefer their matte blushes - they blend into the skin beautifully, and even the palest pink shows up intensely on me.

SOPHIE is described as a Golden Coral Shimmer. The shimmer bits are more obvious in the pan and they don't really translate onto your skin. Unless you pile on a lot of the blush - but then the coral would be too much... so when you apply this lightly, the shimmer bits don't actually get picked up.

how it looks like overall - note you just need the tiniest amount when using these extremely pigmented blushers.

and an armful of all my illamasqua blushes and one lone bronzer swatched -

close up by sections -

Tweak - deep hot pink

Panic - true red (discontinued)

Ambition - neutral brown pink, shimmer

Sophie - golden coral, shimmer

Lover - Soft Apricot

Tremble - Soft lilac pink

Chased - Bright rose pink

Hussy - Bright candy pink

Bronzer Writhe - Golden tan

Rumor - Soft matte brown, contour shade

Katie (one of my faves!) - Soft Candy Pink

Naked Rose (one of my faves!) - Natural beige Pink

Hope you find these swatches helpful, and thanks for reading!

Posted on December 24, 2012 at 12:33AM | Permalink | 1 Comment

Filed in: haul, comparisons, illamasqua blusher, sophie blush, review swatch | Tagged with: haul, comparisons, illamasqua blusher, sophie blush, review swatch

December 24, 2012

Illamasqua Sophie Powder Blush & all my Illamasqua blushers swatched!

how it looks like overall - note you just need the tiniest amount when using these extremely pigmented blushers.

and an armful of all my illamasqua blushes and one lone bronzer swatched -

Hope you find these swatches helpful, and thanks for reading!

Posted on December 24, 2012 at 12:33AM | Permalink | 1 Comment

Filed in: haul, comparisons, illamasqua blusher, sophie blush, review swatch | Tagged with: haul, comparisons, illamasqua blusher, sophie blush, review swatch

September 25, 2012

Nails Story: Some Color Comparisons

Hi hi!

This is a random entry comparing a few sets of similar nail polishes I have in my stash. And also to show off the amazing quality of my iphone5 which I bought yesterday (I got a 64GB, Black one, and for less than $2 LOL LOL LOL) so anyway, all the pictures in this entry and the next are taken with my iphone5. So happy that it is able to capture the shimmer and shine of all the different colors! Totally can use it during events, and take lots of awesome pictures, and with my bottomless pit of the storage...woots! I didn't think it was possible to make a better camera than the iphone4, but it is possible.. and I am still really impressed, and just super happy with my new phone.

So anyway... yes, first up, we have a pair of bright reddish orange - one from Deborah Lippmann Lara's Dream and Chanel's Holiday. I recently purchased Holiday - and then I realised, oh man, it is so similar to Lara's Dream. Not sure if it is apparent in the picture, but Holiday is slightly redder. I also prefer the formula of Holiday.

The angle in this picture makes the two look like total dupes. Well, I would say that they are 95% dupes.

Next, this set of comparisons, I gotten a couple of questions from girls asking how the Chanel Delicatesse compares to the Essie and the OPI shade. So here they are.

Essie All Tied Up - pinker and contains tiny tiny gold shimmer

Chanel Delicatesse - Creamy, browner

OPI Schapps Out of It! - Brighter than Delicatesse, contains very very tiny silver sheen

And here we have the greys, my fave comparison!

Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather - Dark warm grey

NARS Galion - Blackened mysterious grey

NARS Storm Bird - Pearlie looking medium rich grey

YSL Stormy Grey - Medium cool toned grey with a subtle sheen

Current Fave is Storm Bird

The dark purples - all Chanel. (2 coats, no topcoat)

Paradoxal - brownish purple with a super pretty purple-y sheen

Provocation - Creamy berry purple

Rouge Noir - Blackened red purple, the darkest of all

Hope you find this entry helpful!

Thanks for looking!

Posted on September 25, 2012 at 6:40AM | Permalink | 4 Comments

Filed in: chanel, Nail Polish, Review, NARS, Swatches, YSL, comparisons, Deborah Lippmann | Tagged with: chanel, nail polish, review, nars, YSL, swatches, comparisons, Deborah Lippmann

September 25, 2012

Nails Story: Some Color Comparisons

Hi hi!

The angle in this picture makes the two look like total dupes. Well, I would say that they are 95% dupes.

Next, this set of comparisons, I gotten a couple of questions from girls asking how the Chanel Delicatesse compares to the Essie and the OPI shade. So here they are.

Essie All Tied Up - pinker and contains tiny tiny gold shimmer

Chanel Delicatesse - Creamy, browner

OPI Schapps Out of It! - Brighter than Delicatesse, contains very very tiny silver sheen

And here we have the greys, my fave comparison!

Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather - Dark warm grey

NARS Galion - Blackened mysterious grey

NARS Storm Bird - Pearlie looking medium rich grey

YSL Stormy Grey - Medium cool toned grey with a subtle sheen

Current Fave is Storm Bird

The dark purples - all Chanel. (2 coats, no topcoat)

Paradoxal - brownish purple with a super pretty purple-y sheen

Provocation - Creamy berry purple

Rouge Noir - Blackened red purple, the darkest of all

Hope you find this entry helpful!

Thanks for looking!

Posted on September 25, 2012 at 6:40AM | Permalink | 4 Comments

September 21, 2012

Comparison of Chanel & Dior Taupe Brown Vernis

Hi hi!

Just a quick comparison and overview of my Chanel & Dior taupe brown nail polish. I have accumulate a bunch of these in my stash for the past couple of years from various collections, and so I will quickly show you them side by side.

First off, these I often find these colors very easy to wear, they might look boring to some people, but I personally think that they are more 'classic' than the typical reds and pinks. They (like the nudes) don't clash with your outfit, and don't take unnecessary attention away from your accessories and outfit. Whenever I wear a taupe brown (browny nude/ beige) you know, the more tanned nudes, I always get compliments and questions on what shade I am wearing. OPIs and Essies have several dupes too...but that's another story altogether.

The shades featured in this entry, and their availability

1. Chanel Particuliere - Permanent

2. Dior Trench - current season, Dior Nudeskin launch

3. Chanel Khaki Rose - Chanel's FNO special collection from 2 years aho

4. Dior Dune - Current season, Dior Nudeskin launch

5. Dior Bengale - current season, from Dior Golden Jungle collection

6. Chanel Khaki Brun - same as Khaki Rose

Formula on all these is fantastic, I have showed them with 2 even coats, no topcoat, and pictures are taken when the polish is semi-wet, which explains the ultra high shine.

First set of comparisons - the lighter browns, in particular Dior Trench and Chanel Khaki Rose.

I had first thought that Trench and Particuliere would be a total dupe of each other.. but Trench is slightly paler. Khaki Rose is warmer in tone. Dior Grege (not featured) is way paler, so I didn't include in this entry. Dior Dune is the darkest among all I am comparing.

another angle to show you the nuances of each shade

Just Khaki Rose & Trench.

Second set with the darker taupe browns. Khaki Brun contains some olive green tones, Dior Bengale is browner than Dune which looks more cool toned, even a bit of purpley undertone in shown in the pictures.

I think they are all different, but of course, I would consider them to be in the same family, and if you have a favourite, you defintely don't need to own all of them.

a last group shot!

I hope you find this helpful....and thanks for reading!

Posted on September 21, 2012 at 5:28PM | Permalink | 3 Comments

Filed in: chanel, Nail Polish, Dior, brown, swatch, nude, beige, taupe, comparisons, vernis | Tagged with: chanel, nail polish, dior, beige, brown, taupe, Nude, swatch, comparisons, vernis

September 21, 2012

Comparison of Chanel & Dior Taupe Brown Vernis

Hi hi!

The shades featured in this entry, and their availability

1. Chanel Particuliere - Permanent

2. Dior Trench - current season, Dior Nudeskin launch

3. Chanel Khaki Rose - Chanel's FNO special collection from 2 years aho

4. Dior Dune - Current season, Dior Nudeskin launch

5. Dior Bengale - current season, from Dior Golden Jungle collection

6. Chanel Khaki Brun - same as Khaki Rose

Formula on all these is fantastic, I have showed them with 2 even coats, no topcoat, and pictures are taken when the polish is semi-wet, which explains the ultra high shine.

First set of comparisons - the lighter browns, in particular Dior Trench and Chanel Khaki Rose.

another angle to show you the nuances of each shade

Just Khaki Rose & Trench.

I think they are all different, but of course, I would consider them to be in the same family, and if you have a favourite, you defintely don't need to own all of them.

a last group shot!

I hope you find this helpful....and thanks for reading!

Posted on September 21, 2012 at 5:28PM | Permalink | 3 Comments

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Chanel Le Vernis Taboo [Swatches & Comparisons]

Chanel Le Vernis Taboo [Swatches & Comparisons]

NARS Spring 2013: Seduction Blush & Dressed to Kill Lipstick [Swatches & Comparisons]

NARS Spring 2013: Seduction Blush & Dressed to Kill Lipstick [Swatches & Comparisons]

Illamasqua Sophie Powder Blush & all my Illamasqua blushers swatched!

Illamasqua Sophie Powder Blush & all my Illamasqua blushers swatched!

Nails Story: Some Color Comparisons

Nails Story: Some Color Comparisons

Comparison of Chanel & Dior Taupe Brown Vernis

Comparison of Chanel & Dior Taupe Brown Vernis

Search

About Me

e-mail

BLOGLOVIN

Follow @makeup_blogette on Instagram

Twitter Me!

Latest Headlines

Tags

2245 followers

Hot Links: Basic Makeup!

Reviews: Foundations

Latest Comments

Blogroll

FAQ & DISCLAIMER

Archive

Archives