Browsing Category

California

Boutique California Diptyque Travel

Diptyque Beverly Hills Candle

May 1, 2015

To celebrate the opening of the new boutique in Beverly Hills, Diptyque has created a special limited-edition candle inspired by the iconic city. The Diptyque Beverly Hills Candle retails for $70 and is exclusive to the Beverly Hills store in Los Angeles. comes packaged in a stunning bright turquoise glass jar with contrasting yellow palm prints. It’s a floral citrus that gives a fresh summer beachy vibe that I am completely head over heels in love with. The throw is quite good on this one and the scent fills up our living room within 10-15 minutes of burning. The notes in this one include: lemon essential oil, mint essential oil, orchid accord and freesia. The notes according to Diptyque:

Beverly Hills Candle next to a small full-twist photophore (boutique exclusive) and a small Baies

Diptyque Beverly Hills has a similar refreshing vibe to that of the Tomas Maier + Diptyque Palm Beach. The Tomas Maier candle is more citrusy while the Beverly Hills candle has more of a sweet more rounded tone to it. I’ve already burned through my first one in the course of two weeks (which is a record time for me, it takes me forever to burn through candles). Since it is limited-edition I stocked up on multiples when I ordered it and I’m glad I did because it’s all I want my home to smell like right now.

Tom Ford Skinny Dip, Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunnies, Harper’s Baazar, Moleskin Notebook

The Diptyque Beverly Hills candle is a limited-edition scent, exclusive to the Beverly Hills Boutique on North Beverly Boulevard. You can call the store at (310) 385-5941 to purchase over the phone or buy in store too. I highly recommend this one. The scent is refreshingly bright and summery and the turquoise and yellow packaging design makes for a fun colorful accent to your desk or shelf.

P.S. In case you are new to luxury candles, make sure to visit my Candle Care Tips post on how to burn them properly.

Have you checked out the Beverly Hills Diptyque candle or the store? 

20 Comments
Boutique California Hourglass Cosmetics Travel

Hourglass Cosmetics Flagship Store Opens on Abbot Kinney

September 21, 2014

On Thursday Hourglass Cosmetics hosted a special preview event to celebrate the opening of their Flagship Store on Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach. The unveiling of their first retail store marks the brand’s 10 year anniversary. Per Hourglass founder and CEO Carisa Janes, “it is a milestone occasion” where a”brick-and-mortar location is an opportunity to bring the brand to life with state-of-the-art design and exceptional service.”

I was thrilled to be able to attend the preview celebration and was thoroughly impressed with the sleek and modern design of the store. The store itself is 1400 square feet with an upper level for makeup application, lessons and private services. At the event they had several stations where you could get your lip makeup done by one of their artists. By the time I arrived I found the entire store was extremely busy and packed with makeup artists, editors, bloggers and other industry experts who were invited. I only stayed for a short time but saw some familiar faces and said hello to Beauty Professor and Beauty Frosting. Even though it was very crowded, I managed to weave my way through the store and snap a few detail shots. The store has an exquisite design that is beautiful. It is sleek, modern and inviting. I hope to be able to visit Venice Beach again in the upcoming month to experience the store in its entirety.

The store officially opens to the public on Septenber 22, 2014.

Among the items I was able to preview in the store include the line’s first skincare item, the Equilibrium Serum which will be exclusive to the boutique for a while (scheduled to launch soon). There was also an Ambient Lighting Bar which looked interesting and I need to find out more about. It’s designed to be a way for clients to customize their own palette with three shades of the Ambient Lighting Powder (review on Luminous Light and Radiant Light). I saw most of the product lineup displayed with the exception of the eye palettes/shadows but it could have possibly been something I simply missed due to the crowd. I was really hoping they would have the new Ambient Lighting Blush Palette available for preview at the store but it had not arrived yet.

As we left there was a small gift bag given away to each attendee, mine included one of the Ambient Lighting Powder Palettes. Since I already have one of the palettes, I’m giving my extra one away. You can enter via the Rafflecopter widget below (refer to the widget for terms and conditions). There are several ways to enter and I’m making this an international giveaway where 1 winner will be selected to receive 1 Ambient Lighting Palette (you must be 18 years or older).

A huge thanks to Hourglass for hosting such a lovely and well organized preview event for inviting me! I can’t wait until my next visit to the store to experience the entire line in person. The store officially opens to the public on September 22, 2014.

You can enter the giveaway below, there are multiple ways to enter, entries will be collected through the 25th of September and end at 11:45 PM PST. See terms in widget for more information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

192 Comments
Boutique California Travel

NARS 8412 Melrose Boutique

April 4, 2014

I made my first trip to the NARS Boutique in Los Angeles on Melrose last weekend (follow them on Twitter @NARS8412Melrose or the official NARS account @NARSissist). The boutique has a sleek and modern design with large wall-sized NARS prints, clean crisp kiosk displays and individual mini booths in front of large mirrors for makeup application. One of the artists helped show me how to use the new contouring powders. In addition I loved playing with the new brush line and matte multiples. The Melrose store opened in late 2012 – if you haven’t been to a NARS boutique before,  I highly recommend visiting one.

Some snapshots the store kindly let me take of their beautiful store:

Have you been to a NARS boutique before? If so, which one?
10 Comments
Boutique California Travel

Diptyque Paris Boutique | Larchmont, Los Angeles

March 26, 2014

Diptyque recently opened another boutique in Los Angeles on Larchmont. The store has an intimate cozy design with a similar vibe to the boutique in Costa Mesa. The store reps were incredibly friendly to everyone even with the store packed with customers. I learned more about the new skincare line and received a few samples with a purchase (still haven’t tested them yet but eager to). I also left with a long wishlist of new candles to try but managed to leave with only two new ones. I love that the boutiques carry some exclusive scents and more accessories – it makes the visit fun with new things to discover and learn about.

I always love visiting a new boutique. Diptyque always manages to style their home candles and fragrances so beautifully in stores. You can find more coverage from The Beauty Look Book visits on Diptyque Boutiques located in San Francisco and South Coast Plaza. Have you visited one of the boutiques?

3 Comments
Boutique California Travel

Caudalie Boutique and Spa Opens on Abbot Kinney in Venice

March 14, 2014

Caudalie and Byrdie hosted an event to celebrate opening of the new Caudalie West Coast Boutique and Spa in Venice. I made every effort to clear my calendar to attend. I’ve been a die-hard fan of the Divine Oil and Cleansing Water and couldn’t wait to see the entire line in a boutique setting (most stores or counters I’ve seen only have a part of the line stocked). Caudalie founders Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas made a special appearance and greeted each customer and offered tips, advice and recommendations to each individual. Mathilde was so kind to personally demonstrate how to use their cult-status Beauty Elixir on me. The event was hosted with wine and food catered by Ginger in the Kitchen. Each attendee had the opportunity to sign up for a 10 minute facial or 5 minute hand massage treatment in their spa area. I opted for the hand treatment where they applied their Hand and Nail Cream on one hand and on the other they mixed one spritz of the Divine Oil with Body Butter. It was a beautiful event. I can’t wait to go back for a second visit. There is so much I wanted to try but in the excitement was not able to. I ended up purchasing the small Favorites Set which has the Lip Conditioner, Hand and Nail Cream, Vinosource, Beauty Elixir and Cleansing Water in small sizes. Here are some snapshots. I hope you enjoy!



Travel-sized beauty items perfect for on-the-go:

Each attendee left with a generous gift trio:

It was a beautiful in a cleverly designed space. If you are in the Los Angeles area add this to your list to visit. Skincare fans note that Aesop is down the street on Abbot Kinney. Also in the Los Angeles area (about 30 minutes away) includes some lovely boutiques such as Malin+Goetz, Diptyque, Le Labo, Woodley and Bunny. It’s definitely worth a weekend trip to visit. Thank you Caudalie and Byrdie for hosting such a lovely event!

You can follow Caudalie on Facebook, Twitter @CaudalieUSA , Instagram @Caudalie. They had a two-day grand opening for the Venice Boutique, use #CaudalieLA to search for more photos. PS online at US.Caudalie.com there is a promotion for a free full-sized Hand and Nail Cream with a $50 purchase with code InTheBag (while supplies last).

10 Comments
Boutique California Travel

Diptyque Boutique South Coast Plaza

November 2, 2013

Diptyque recently opened a boutique in Southern California at the South Coast Plaza shopping center. This is the sixth store opened in the US. The store is beautifully decorated with Diptyque-themed wall paper. Each section of the store is styled with home accents and vintage-looking books. I hope this will give you a sense of the store ambiance (even though photos were taken with my iPhone in dim store lighting). You can also find Diptyque at South Coast Plaza at the Nordstrom store and SpaceNK Apothecary located in Bloomingdales. The Diptyque Boutique offers a wider selection of scents, including boutique exclusives, body care items and accessories. I could have spent hours in the store. I will definitely be making many trips back in the near future.

If you’re in Southern California, it’s definitely worth visiting! Have you been to a Diptyque boutique? You can read about my visit to the San Francisco Maiden Lane store here. I love how each store seems to be unique.
8 Comments
Boutique California Diptyque Travel

Diptyque Boutique Maiden Lane – San Francisco

October 27, 2013
Diptyque | Maiden Lane, San Francisco

I took a much-needed mini vacation this month with my husband. We spent a week in San Francisco visiting family and friends. I’ve been a die-hard Diptyque fan so the Diptyque Store on Maiden Lane was on my list of must-see places. The store featured the new Diptyque Electric Diffuser (quite impressive) which will accomodate a small selection of scents in 34 boulevard st germain, Figuier, Baies, Amber and Feu de Bois. Both my husband and I were seriously tempted.

The Maiden Lane boutique is a small intimate store. It has a warm slightly rustic-library feel with the wood shelves and decor. The store is split into an upper and lower level creating a home-like feel. The combination of all the scents was so incredible. I wished I could take the entire store and transport it into my own home. I learned so much from the Diptyque staff on each of the different categories of scents – they were incredibly friendly and patient with all our questions as we asked about each candle. I’ve since developed quite a long wish list of items to try in the future. Due to our traveling situation I limited myself to 2 items (since we didn’t want to check any luggage) and purchased two of the Boutique Exclusives in Mousses (forest-moss) and Tilleul (linden tree). If you have a chance to visit one of the boutiques I highly recommend it. The store Diptyque reps are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. The stores themselves are decorated so beautifully – I felt inspired to up the game in our own house decoration-wise with subtle candle accents.

Mini 2.4 oz candles shown below all lined up ($28 each):

Boutique accessories (photophores are store exclusives):

My picks Mousses  and Tilleul

Have you been to a Diptyque Boutique? I normally purchase my candles from Nordstrom or Barneys but fell completely in love with the Diptyque store. What are your favorite Diptyque items?

Follow the beauty look book via Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin
16 Comments