YSL Summer Collection 2012: Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed and Pure Chromatics in Nº 8 Reviews, Photos, Swatches


Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed and Pure Chromatics in Nº 9

When I laid my eyes on these two beauties from YSL’s summer collection (product information and photos are here), I knew I had to review them first! Read on to see what I think about Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed and Pure Chromatics in Nº 9.


Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed — indirect natural light


Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed — under direct sunlight

Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed ($60) is described as a “satiny light, rosy apricot”, and that is how it translates on my skin. It consists of rose, brown and apricot powders embossed in a python print in a beautiful brown compact. The finish is not shimmery, but instead the skin looks lit up and alive. This is a light bronzer that will wear beautifully on fair to medium skin, especially for very fair skin who have problems with bronzers looking dirty on their skin. I love the big surface area for the apricot shade, which is such a universally flattering blush shade.


Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed — separate / swirled together

My only annoyance with this bronzer: as soon as I apply it on my face, I could smell the product on my brush! The product has a makeup-y fragrance, but it quickly dissipates in less than a minute. I wish it wasn’t scented at all.

The shades of YSL Nº 2 Sunkissed remind me of my (still) holy grail bronzer from last summer, Dior Aurora, so I wanted to post comparison swatches of the two. It turns out, they are not similar at all. Sunkissed is lighter and pinker, but they do have that same beautiful finish.


Terre Saharienne in Nº 2 Sunkissed (finger swatch, brush swatch) vs. Dior Aurora


Pure Chromatics in Nº 8 — indirect natural light



Pure Chromatics in Nº 8 — under direct sunlight

JLo in “Waiting For Tonight.” That is what I think of when I see this palette. Pure Chromatics in Nº 8 ($74) is a shimmery palette of champagne, medium beige, coppery brown and olive green. This palette is unapologetically shimmery. I’ve never seen so much shimmer packed into one eyeshadow quad before. The medium to dark shades have a more visible shimmer, while the champagne shade highlights my brow bone perfectly.

I found a few issues with this palette. First, the lack of variety with eyeshadow textures turned me off. It is very hard to wear on its own. It’s just a lot of shimmer, shimmer, SHIMMER! The beige or olive shade would make beautiful matte/satin eyeshadows, and would make this a more wearable palette. Next, the eyeshadows are very soft to the point that they ended up falling down to my cheeks. It’s nice, but these problems and the non-unique colours make this easily dupe-able , so I don’t think it’s a must-have.

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Watercolour Pastels Rule in Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection.


Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection

Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection brings us sheer pastels and rosy shades to mirror the flowers blooming in the spring.  The limited edition packaging features a flower in watercolour art which is just beautiful to look at.


Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection — Packaging


Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet, Couleur Folle in Folie Pêche, Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet


Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet, Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet, Couleur Folle in Folie Pêche — Swatches

The Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet ($36, limited edition) is a mix of sheer pastel pink, blue, violet and yellow eyeshadows.  The eyeshadows are smooth, sparkly and mostly too cool-toned for my taste.  It was a bit of a letdown as I was really hoping for something more from the violet shade.  These eyeshadows are better suited for those who wear sheer washes of colour on their eyes.

The Couleur Folle Mineral Loose Powder Eyeshadow in Folie Pêche ($18, new permanent shade) is a rose gold shade that is more up my alley (and it’s totally gorgeous!).  The shade is divine for highlighting the eyes or cheeks, or even to turn into a lipgloss.

The Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet ($17, new permanent shade) is what I wanted the eyeshadow to be: bold and vibrant violet. Nothing bad to say about this really; it’s just lovely and very waterproof.


Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo

As a little taste of summer (yay!), I love that we’re seeing a bronzer in this collection. The Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo ($32, limited edition) is a blend of two powder tones: a lighter peachy shade, and a typical bronzer shade.  Both have fine shimmers that show up glowy rather than gigantic sparkles on your face.  The finish is subtle and the shade can definitely work across many skin tones.


Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve, Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve, Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella


Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve, Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve, Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella — Swatches

The Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve ($16, new permanent shade) is exactly as the name suggests.  While some may find it boring, this is a lip shade that is universally flattering and pretty.  In my experience, Lise Watier Waterproof Lip Crayons are the absolute best in terms of texture and longevity.  True story: it lasted through a very greasy dim sum dinner, which in my opinion is the ultimate test for a lip liner.  I love this one, go try this or the 18 other shades if you haven’t had the chance yet!

Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve ($19, new permanent shade) is a shade that compliments Rose Mauve very well.  The lipstick has a light fruity scent and provides plenty of moisture for winter-chapped lips.

Finally, finish off your spring pouty lips (right? :P ) with a gloss.  The Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella ($20, limited edition) is a soft rose with mauve shimmers to emphasize your lips.  I like the non-sticky formula and the high shine finish.

My personal favourites from the collection are Couleur Folle Mineral Loose Powder Eyeshadow in Folie Pêche, Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo, Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve.  They are easier for me — who is tan and warm-toned — to pull off.  Cool pastel shades (lavenders, pinks, blues) look all sorts of wrong on my skin tone.  However, paler beauties will get more mileage out of the shades; check out my blogging friends Tracy @ Beauty Reflections and Perilously Pale‘s reviews for proof. :)

These products are available now at Lise Watier counters, Shoppers Drugmart and LiseWatier.com.  Did any products from the collection catch your eye?

Best of Beauty: My Favourite Products of 2011.

Out of the many products that I tried this year, here are the 9 that have stolen my heart forever (in no particular order).  Links lead to the products’ corresponding reviews.

Diorskin Nude Healthy Glow Powder in Aurora is the first Dior makeup I ever bought, and is still my favourite bronzer to this day. Let’s hope they come out with another great one next summer. (Limited Edition for Summer 2011)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush gets a lot of rave reviews and for good reason. I recently added Exposed to my stash and my friends agree that it is a universally flattering blush.

MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Bright Forecast is my first line of defence against under eye circles every. single. day. It is life changing.

Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara is my favourite mascara of the year. I recommend it to everyone.

Lise Watier Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Quad in Équinoxe + Métamorfix Liquid Transformer was the best makeup palette/set I tried this year. The colours and performance are unparalleled. (Limited Edition for Fall 2011)

Giorgio Armani Rouge d’Armani in Rouge 406 is a beautiful red lipstick and the formula is divine. I try a lot of lipsticks and think that the Rouge d’Armani is one of the best. I must try more colours next year. (Limited Edition for Fall 2011)

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil is one product I can’t stop raving about. What can I say; I just love it so much!  This one isn’t new; it’s a classic that I got to finally try this year.

Velour Lashes in You Complete Me gives me Bambi eyes. That is all.

THANN Jasmine Blossom Set is a staple in my bathroom. I just can’t get enough.

What are your favourite beauty products of 2011?