Review: Chanel Particuliere vs OPI Over the Taupe

This is the post that i have been wanting to do but for some reason i kept putting it off until my good sister reminded me when we were browsing at the Chanel's counter at Metro Paragon during the members' sale day (i prefer to browse certain counters during sales as that's when the not so helpful SAs are busy to attend to "big fishes"and so the "planktons" can browse and check things out to their heart contents in peace. : ) )

This post might be quite similar to one that i have done earlier introducing the Browns in my collection, in fact the point of this post is to answer a question that is there hanging in my head whenever i see OPI's Over the Taupe: Is Particuliere = Over the Taupe? Are they identical Twins? A 100% dupe for each other? Or they are merely related?

Now, the answer......

Nope, they are not 100% dupe for each other. Yes, they are related and might very well be identical twins (if one doesn't put them side by side and scrutinize them closely).

L to R: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Tapue and Chanel Particuliere.

L to R: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Taupe and Chanel Particuliere.


T to B: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Taupe and Chanel Particuliere.

L to R: Chanel Particuliere, OPI Over the Taupe and OPI You Don't Know Jacques.

In terms of formula, I find that OPI applies more smoothly than Chanel (i applied 2 coats for each), and that OPI has thinner consistency plus it takes a much shorter time for each coat to dry totally compared to Chanel (i accidentally snag OPI Over the Taupe when i was applying the 2nd coat : ( ). Since Chanel's has a thicker consistency, 2 coats of the polish gives a more "solid" or opaque look than OPI's which i think can be achieved with a 3rd coat.

I do find Particuliere is more of a brown than Over the Taupe, it is not as "bright"as Over the Taupe whereby Over the Taupe has a little of a red or pink tone to it. It is slightly warmer than Particuliere. The difference between the 2 is more obvious when they are placed side by side especially when the tones are highlighted upon closer look. However, i do find that they are very similar to each other and yet so different in some aspects.

In conclusion, personally i prefer Over the Taupe more as it looks better with my skintone and i very much prefer OPI's formula than Chanel's. Price wise, OPI retails at S$23.55 (if you are spreeing, OPI would usually cost around S$9.00 per bottle) and Chanel retails at S$36.00 (if i remember correctly), OPI wins hands down economically. Of course the exception would be if Chanel has a colour that there is absolutely no dupe or anything remotely close to it, then yes go ahead and splurge on THAT colour, otherwise nope....

I swatched You Don't Know Jacques for the comparison and yes... it belongs to the Browns family but a distant relative, whereas Particuliere and Over the Taupe are close siblings born perhaps a year between each other.

OPI

Priced at S$23.55 for 15ml, available at Sephora and Metro Paragon (as well as online Spree).

Chanel
Priced at S$36.00 for 11ml, available at all Chanel Counters (it is a permanent colour, from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection).

Review: Nail Polishes Coming soon......

My humble nail polish stash..... Reviews coming soon......

Review: OPI My Private Jet and Black Shatter, Chanel's Black Satin and Givenchy Elegant Pearl

Every now and then, i will tidy up my makeup and skincare stuffs which i do feel therapeutic and that's when i realised i actually have enough nail polishes to group them into colour groups (although my nail polish stash might seem to be small compared to the others out there).

This post is about the Blacks and the Silver that i have currently in my nail polish stash (which is evergrowing as days went by, depending on what interest me. : ) )

Without further introduction, i present the Blacks and the Silver to you......

L to R: Givenchy Elegant Pearl, Chanel Black Satin, OPI My Private Jet and OPI Black Shatter.

Givenchy Elegant Pearl from 2009 Holiday collection.

167 Elegant Pearl - 5.5ml.

Chanel 219 Black Satin- 11ml.

OPI My Private Jet.

NL B59 My Private Jet-15ml. OPI Katy Perry Collection Black Shatter NL E59 Black Shatter- 15ml
L to R: Chanel Black Satin, OPI My Private Jet, OPI Black Shatter on top of MAC Originality and Givenchy Elegant Pearl.



L to R: Givenchy Elegant Pearl, OPI Black Shatter over MAC Originality and Chanel Black Satin.

My favourite of this lot is Chanel's Black Satin (permanent item), it applies smoothly and evenly for me, i just need 1 coat for the colour to show plus the glossy finishing is something that makes the black pop for me. There are some blogs that compared Chanel's Black Satin with Zoya's Raven as well as OPI's Black Onyx.

However, i am unable to lay my hands on Zoya's Raven at the moment (they are not available in Singapore if i am not wrong) and i do not have OPI's Black Onyx in the stash to do a direct comparison. Perhaps when i am able to lay my hands on both polishes, i will do another review : ) Currently, it is still my favourite out of the lot (though i can't wear this colour to work : ( ), i will still grab every chance i can to put it on.

OPI's My Private Jet (permanent item) is sort of a "legendary" favourite among many nail polish fanatics and i can see why when i first swatched it. To call it a black is misleading because it isn't a black nail polish, but a steel gray with tiny silver shimmer in it. Nevertheless, just as expected from OPI, My Private Jet swatch beautifully with just 1 coat and that's all i need for application. A unique colour, i would say.

I happen to come across Givenchy' Elegant Pearl by chance (got it during a sale) and was immediately attracted to it. Some may have compared it to Chanel's Steel (though i did swatch it at Chanel Counter), i do find that they are 2 very different nail polishes. Elegant Pearl is a lighter steel gray with a little shimmer in it whereas Steel is a dark steel, almost black polish with shimmer. I would say Elegant Pearl and My Private Jet are rather similar in colour (in the bottle), but when they are swatched the difference is more promiment. 1 coat is sufficient to obtain a decent opaque swatch.

Now, for OPI's Black Shatter from the Katy Perry Collection....... this is the nail polish that i had trouble hunting it down (having to go to quite a number of places to hunt for it, its even out of stock for a long time on certain spree website for the entire collection! ).

My perseverance did pay off as i spotted it in Metro during the 20% storewide sale, i knew i had to grab it and so i did. Well, this is indeed a interesting item to add into my collection. As you can see in the swatches above, the polish "cracked" into pieces which resembles leopard prints to me (perhaps due to MAC's Originality which i used as a base colour to show the "crack").

When the crack dried it is actually a matte black and it is quite fragile (it rubs off easily even when completely dried). What i did was to apply a top coat to give it some shine and to "seal" the cracks. Definitely a must have if you are seeking for something outside the norm or to spice up your collection.

A word of caution for application of Black Shatter, you must wait patiently for the base colour coat to dry completely before applying the Black Shatter plus Black Shatter dries very fast and easily so one has to be quick in the application otherwise the polish on the brush can become lumpy in no time.

For the Black Shatter fans, there are news that OPI is going to introduce more "shatter" polishes but i am not too sure of the colours that will be available... that's something to look forward to : )

OPI nail polishes

Priced at S$23.500 for 15ml at Metro Paragon and S$23.50 at Sephora (wonder why the S$0.05 difference ? ). Much cheaper if you plan to go on a spree with friends.

Chanel nail polishes

Priced at S$35.00 for 11ml, available at all Chanel counters.

Givenchy nail polishes

Price unavailable for 5.5ml ( i bought mine at a sale, so its only S$10.00)

Haul: Laneige Beauty Bazaar 2010

As i was going through my stash this afternoon, i realised that i have yet to do a post on the Laneige Beauty Bazaar haul which happened late last year.

Looking at what i hauled last year during the Beauty Bazaar (i went on the first day) and what i managed to lay my hands on this year (i went on the second day), i say... go on the first day if you are keen on getting popular skincare stuffs as well as limited edition items.

2 Water sleeping pack, 2 lipglosses, 2 lipsticks and 1 limited edition eyeshadow palette.

Top to bottom: lipgloss-YR327 Tangerine Sour and LR109 Hot Pink, limited edtion eyeshadow palette, lipsticks-P44 Fresh Berry and LR03 Pink Beige.

L to R: LR03 Pink Beige and P44 Fresh Berry.

Swatches L to R: Fresh Berry and Pink Beige.

The Eyeshadow palatte. Swatches L to R clockwise.

2 lipglosses for S$15.00

2 lipsticks for S$15.00

1 eyeshadow palatte for S$15.00

2 Water sleeping pack mask at S$30.00 each.

Total Damage: S$105.00

Accessory: Alice in Wonderland Socks

This post is not related to skincare nor cosmetics, i posted it because there were too cute not to be shared. : )

I gotten them from People's Park OG.

Alice in Wonderland socks in Fuschia Pink and Teal blue.

Note the cute pictures printed on each toe.

Aren't they cute?

I can't bear to wear them as the rubber picture print might be rubbed off due to friction against the shoes.

Review: Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream

This might be IT.

I was on the quest for my HG eyecream for a couple of years......i have tried Origins, Elizabeth Arden, The Bodyshop, etc..... They have worked fairly well but they just lack that ultra hydration quality that i am looking for.

I received Clinique's Repairwear Intensive Eye cream as part of the GWP (Gift with Purchase) with the products that i bought during 2 Metro sales ago. I have never tried anything else from Clinique apart from their liquid facial soap and Super City Block Oil free daily face protectpr with SPF 40.

This deluxe sample size eye cream is a good chance for me to try it out first, instead of taking the plunge straightaway and then ultimately found it to be unsuitable (that's good money thrown into the sea).

Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream- 5ml.

The creamy texture of the eye cream.

Slightly thicker consistency.

Result.

The eye cream is housed in a plastic jar and one have to dip fingers into the jar to obtain the appropriate amount for each application. I don't really like this type of packaging as bacteria and germs can be introduced into the product easily if one does not observe certain hygiene rules or through the air (frequent opening and closing of the jar). It would be better if it comes in a tube form (minimize the chances of contaminating the product). In this case, i used a small spatula to scoop out the amount i need and applied it to the back of my hand.

Upon application, the eye cream spreads easily on the skin and is easily absorbed, this is rather unexpected to me as when i first open the plastic jar, i was quite turn off by the creamy and rich looking eye cream (i prefer my eye cream to be light). I was pondering if the eye cream is too much for the skin around my eyes ( as i have combination skin type), i was skeptical if i should try it on the eye areas directly.

The eye cream doesn't leaves a greasy film on the back of my hand and so i proceed to apply it on my eye area.

After warming the cream, some patting and letting the eye cream to "settle" down into the skin, the fine lines around my eyes have soften, they are not that obvious and the skin looks supple as well as more hydrated compared to the various eye creams that i have used previously.

According to Clinique, this Repairwear Intensive eye cream is an anti-aging product that is targeted at the lines around the eye areas and wrinkles, it replenishes antioxidants, strengthen the skin around the eyes for a refreshed and brighter look.

I am not too sure about the antioxidants replenishing part, what i do see and the results that i get is, my fine lines around the eye areas are less obvious, they look rather supple and sufficiently moisturised (i look less tired).

As i am writing this, i have reached the bottom of the jar (after using it for approximately 2 months, day and night daily), a little goes a long way and i think the full size 15 ml can last me a good 7 months of so. The eye cream actually improved the condition of the areas around my eyes, so it is quite a worthy investment in my books.

In terms of scent, Clinique's facial products do not possess any detectable scent in general, this eye cream is no exception. It is practically fragrance free, though i would have prefered a sublt soothing scent to it (it would enhance the whole experience). Since the product is fragrance free, it should sit well with people who are allergic to fragrance of any sort.

Now, will i return for the full size jar?

Yes, of course.

Price is unavailable as i received the sample size as part of a GWP.

It comes in 15ml 0r 0.5oz (in Singapore), there is also a 30ml or 1.0oz size (maybe only available in the States).

Available at all Clinique Counters.

Main Ingredients: I do not have the listing with me as the sample size jar comes unboxed.

Haul @ Isetan: Laneige Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes and Kose Mask

Every now and then Shopping centres in Singapore will have great deals for beauty fanatics like you and me either towards the mid of the year or the end of the year (which is very close to the Festive season).

This haul is no exception, it is the end result of iresistible deals that Isetan offers only for 1 day in the month of April.

I present the 2nd haul in the month of April......

Goodies from Laneige and Kose.

Laneige Perfect Renew Duo Touch Eyes Set.

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eye Cream (full size), sample size cleansing oil, skin refiner and emulsion.

Laneige Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes cream- day and night (15ml each).

The famous Kose Seikisho Mask White.

The Laneige Perfect Renew Dual Touch set costed S$69.00 which i do consider is a great deal as the Dual Touch eye cream retails for S$99.00 alone, what's more Laneige throws in a few decent sample sized products in the set too (the samples are useful for travels).

I have always wanted to try out the Perfect Renew Dual Touch eye cream as the texture is quite light and the scent captivated me on the spot. Will do a review on them once i start to use it.

What really got me excited was the 1 for 1 promotion (usual retail price a tube is S$35.00) that Kose had for their bestseller Seikisho Mask White. I finished a tube of it sometime ago and found them to be effective and efficient in removing dirts from pores as well as blackheads on my nose, so this time round i stocked up some.

I was skeptical about this Kose promotion initially as it is a little on the "too good to be true" kind, perhaps the expiry date is near and so the promotion but i was so wrong. The mask will only be expired in the year 2015!

As the Kose and Laneige counters are located in Isetan Scotts and Isetan Orchard respectively, i had to visit them separately to obtain the goodies (which is quite an exhaustive walk having to move among the crowds even though its a weekday afternoon).

And so, there you are.... my 2nd haul in the month of April. : )

If you missed this round of promotion, do watch out for another one (maybe towards the end of the year).

Haul: Laneige Beauty Bazaar April 2011

I shall not waste too many words here......

My haul from the recent Laneige Beauty Bazaar @ Robinson Raffles City......

Skincare set, 6 eyeshadows and 1 limited edition cream blusher.

The special care skincare set.

A full sized Clear C-effector, Strawberry Yogurt Peeling Gel, sample sized Water sleeping pack_ex and Strawberry Yogurt pack.

The 6 eyeshadows, 3 colours, 2 each.

Eyeshadows from top to bottom: YR25 Coral Peach, NR08 Sheer Berry and DYR32 Coral Brown.

Blusher: Mystic Viel Blusher in Mystic Pink (Limited Edition from 2010).

YR25 Coral Peach.

NR08 Sheer Berry.

DYR32 Coral Brown.

Mystic Pink Cream Blusher from the Mystic Veil Collection.

Total Damage: S$80.00

Laneige Beauty Bazaar

It's here again.

Laneige Beauty Bazaar at Robinson Raffles City Level 3 from 7th to 9th April, 10.30am to 8.30pm.

Savings up to 80% on Skincare and Cosmetics.

Sightings from previous Laneige Beauty Bazaar:

1. Lipstick and lipglosses, 2 for S$15.00

2. Foundations for S$20.00 to S25.00 each, refills at S$10.00 to S$15.oo each.

3. Single eyeshadows and Limited Edition eye palette at S$15.oo each.

4. Water Sleeping Pack mask at S$30.00 each.

5. Tons of sample sized skincare products and cleansers at S$1.00 each or so....

6. Clear C-effector at S$25.oo and some other skincare products.

I am not too sure how different the range would be like this time round, do check it out if you are interested.

Update of sightings on 8th April 2011:

I couldn't make it on the first day of the sale, however i managed to pull myself to join the long queue on the 2nd day...

1. No lipglosses in sight (there were lots last year), there are only 2 colours for the lipsticks, both are dark berries @ S$15.00 for 2.

2. Limited eyeshadows single selections, 5 colours (2 pinks, 2 browns and 1 lilac purple) @ S$5.00 for 2 (great deal if the colour suits you. : ) ).

The eyeshadow single usually retails for S$25.00 each at the counter. No limited edition eye palette in sight by the time i reached : ( , they were sold for S$15.00 each (the Mystic Veil 2010 collection).

3. Eyebrow palette at S$15.00 each (sold out already early in the afternoon).

4. As for blusher, only the limited edition Mystic Veil Cream blusher is available (pink) @ S$15.00 each (there were a small mountain of it when i left at about 8pm).

5. Eyeliners were S$15.00 for 2 (only 2 colours).

6. Foundation, i have only seen the liquid foundation #31 (for darker skintone) and the Mystic Veil cream foundation (jar), for S$15.00 each.

7. For the skincare range, practically non-existent as they were quickly snapped up on the first day, only samples of toner and emulsion left @ S$5.00 for 10.

8. Some bags and towels were for sale too... That's all.

Judging by the amount of products that are available when i left the room, i very much doubt if there is going to be anything left for tomorrow, however i am not too sure if they will replenish stocks on the last day (9th April) but do drop by to try your luck if you are interested.