Estee Lauder Sea Star Bronzing Blush Bronze Goddess Collection Summer 2011

As promised here's the star (sorry, cheesy pun) of Estee Lauder Goddess Collection for Summer 2011, Sea Star Bronzing Blush Bronze. So, is it a blush? a bronzer? It's both, I guess, depending on your natural color, taste and the look you're trying to achieve. As far as I'm concerned, the finish is too shimmery to be a daytime all-over bronzer, but talk to me on a sultry summer night and I might be wearing this Estee Lauder star with abandon.

The Sea Star Bronzing Blush is made of two parts- the bright salmon pink star (the fuchsia decoration is just an overspray, it's gone the first time you use it) and the lovely golden bronzer of the background. The star itself is raised and I'm not sure how deep it's embedded into the bronzer (i.e. how much of this color you actually get). You can use either one separately if you're into compact/brush engineering, but most of us would swirl our brush lightly over the design to collect both colors in a single application for a peachy bronzed shimmery look.

This Estee Lauder products is quite pigmented and I'm not sure how flattering it would look on the very fair. Karen of M&BB recommended using a fan brush if you're pale. I've played with a Yachio, a standard blush brush by Hakuhodo and a Guerlain duo-fiber, and so far the regular brush worked just fine, though I had to tone down the shimmer with a good finishing powder and a flat top brush. I'm just not a super shimmery person, at least not on a 30 F degree day in March. Still, I really like the finish of the Sea Star blush/bronzer. It's summery and the shimmer is very fine and looks luxurious.

The thing that doesn't look so high end is the plastic compact itself. I think Estee Lauder could have done a better job at choosing a packaging. It's not the plastic itself that I find objectionable- after all Guerlain Terracotta powder comes in a similar format. It's something about the color and opaqueness that reminds me some drugstore compacts of yore.

Bottom Line: June cannot be here soon enough.

Estee Lauder Sea Star Bronzing Blush ($34) Bronze Goddess Collection Summer 2011is available from your Lauder counters and esteelauder.com.

All photos are mine.

Estee Lauder Island Oasis Eye Shadow Palette Summer 2011 Bronze Goddess Soleil Collection

It happens about once every two or three years: I see an Estee Lauder makeup item that I actually want to buy. I had a feeling it was going to happen this year, considering the collaboration with makeup artist Tom Pecheux and the major revamping of Lauder's seasonal makeup collections. So here we are with Summer 2011 Bronze Goddess Soleil and the Island Oasis Eye Shadow Palette.

The colors in the Island Oasis palette are as summery as they get. They sing of the Caribbeans, Greek Islands or Hawaii- just choose your own island oasis (can I have all of the above?). They lean warm with shades of gold and bronze, though number 1(the dusty cypress green with gray undertones) and 3 (a gorgeous Mediterranean blue) are cool, and you can use the highlighter, the stone colored number 6 to mix with the warmer colors and tone them down.

The colors are wonderfully true to the pan and are quite pigmented- even number 6- and can be sheered out or intensified, depending on technique and the brushes you use. The six colors lend themselves to creating multiple summer looks and blend together well, and the palette itself is nothing short of gorgeous. It really fits the Bronze Goddess theme. The finish is shimmery and metallic (especially in 2 and 4) and I've experienced some fallout, especially from 1 and 6. It's nothing that can't be swept away, but still annoying.

Now, I'm spoiled. Just prior to getting the Island Oasis palette I was working and swatching a bunch of top quality eye shadows from a couple of my favorite brands. The kind that are so silky they feel like fairy wings and have the color depth and complexity you couldn't even dream about ten years ago. This level of luxury sets one's expectations pretty high. Too high for Estee Lauder. The eye shadows in the Bronze Goddess collection are very good, just not that good. Still, it's so pretty and gives a decent value, so I'm trying not to be too picky. After all, I know I'm going to reach for this palette again and again in the coming months.

Bottom Line: Feels like a beach vacation.

I still owe you photos and swatches of the Sea Star bronzing blush. The weather has turned and the light stop cooperating earlier today, so it'll have to wait till tomorrow or Friday. In the meantime you can see Karen's photos and review on Makeup & Beauty Blog. Her skin is darker than mine, so my swatches are going to be different, but you can get the idea. For cat lovers, Karen had her feline assistant, Tabs (my Sophie's future husband), pose with the compact.

Estee Lauder Island Oasis Eye Shadow Palette ($42)  from the Summer 2011 Bronze Goddess Soleil Collection is available from every department store under the sun and esteelauder.com.

All photos and veiny arms are mine.

Estee Lauder Summer 2011 Bronze Goddess Soleil Collection- Sneak Peek

The UPS guy just delivered these Estee Lauder (!) beauties, and I thought you might enjoy a quick look before I take them and start testing and playing. It's been pretty obvious that the people at Lauder decided to step up their game, but Bronze Goddess Soleil for Summer 2011 is the first time they really got my attention and money. I couldn't pass on the Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush- look how pretty it is. And the Island Oasis EyeShadow Palette had my name all over it. The nail polish is Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Shimmering Bronze.

Better photos, swatches and reviews coming in a day or two.

All photos are mine, guest appearance by Josephine.

Estee Lauder- Azuree

A bold leather chypre is among the last things one would expect to find in the Estee Lauder lineup. But one of the most wonderful fragrant secrets is Azuree, a 1969 Bernard Chant creation that is still available today. The marketing story for Azuree was something about Estee Lauder's villa in the French Riviera and the colors of the Mediterranean, but honestly, I don't see it. Azuree doesn't feel blue and sunny at all. It's related to other vintage leathers like Cabochard, Armani (1982) and even Bandit. It takes the wearer as far away from the Lauder yenta image as possible. It's an urban and elegant perfume. Not to mention sexy.

Azuree starts green and more than a little bitter. The aromatic herbs might be that Mediterranean connection, but this is not a bouquet of Herb de Provence, nor is the abundance of citrus in the top notes making Azuree light and fresh. It just adds to the bite and crispness of the scent. It means business and isn't afraid to say so. Before the dark oakmoss and leather dry-down appears there's a beautiful and restrained floral heart. It's not girly and not sweet: Azuree never stops being quite wearable for a man. Instead, the flowers- jasmine, geranium, rose and cyclamen (I sometimes also smell carnation, but it might just be an olfactory illusion)- tone down the perfume, though just a little. They keep it balanced and not too loud (a common issue with many a Lauder).

The dry-down is a chypre lover's heaven. Dark, a little smoky (the patchouli is doing its thing here in the best possible way)  and very leathery. It feels warm and familiar- not cuddly but also not the larger-than-life dominatrix of Bandit. I wonder how many of Azuree fans are ones who've known it for years and how many came to love it in the last decade. Estee Lauder is not doing anything to promote it- many (most) stores either don't stock it and if they do it's kept under the counter, just like the original Private Collection.

My own bottle, labeled as "Perfumed Cologne" is very old. It smells better than the testers I tried at Ulta, but they are still recognizable Azuree (I can't guarantee it's the same for the actual current bottles. I doubt the testers see much use). At $35 for 2oz Azuree is still one of the best deals in town.

Photo: French singer Sylvie Vartan, French Elle, November 1969