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2010

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My Current Skincare Routine

April 1, 2010
Another request I received from my February survey was to write an article on what I use in my current skincare routine. This is a tough issue for me to write about because my skin is so finicky that I often change up products as soon as I finish using something up. Also, I haven’t found many holy grails which means I rarely repurchase a skincare item. Quite a few of my favorites have been discontinued (such as the Chanel Age Delay line, Shiseido’s original Pureness line before it was revamped and reformulated and Prescriptives Super Line Smoothing Cleanser).


Also, I know this is a no-no, but I don’t really take good care of my skin. Yes, I wash every morning and evening and tone afterwards. But I don’t always scrub, moisturize, mask or use sunscreen. So do please note, I am probably not the best resource for your skincare questions or advice. But at least 4 of you asked for skincare posts, so here it is!

My skin-type is overall normal, but super sensitive. I get breakouts occasionally, maybe once every other month and it typically takes a week for my skin to clear up. Considering that I’m pretty low maintenance with my skincare routine, I suppose I have decent skin. It’s by no means perfect – but this is something due to my own neglect.

I’ve used a variety of brands from Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena, Clinique, La Mer, La Prairie, Shiseido, Awake, NARS, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Paul & Joe, MAC, Prescriptives, Laura Mercier etc. So the range is from the drugstore product to the luxury lines. Skincare always intrigues me, but I am the biggest skeptic when it comes to those product descriptions and marketing campaigns claiming “best product.” I’m not am expert with ingredients, so if something claims to have some protein complex from an exotic plant that comes from the rain forest, I really have no idea how to process that information much less interpret how it will benefit me as a consumer.

This is what I’m using right now:

Cleanser – I typically like gel cleansers but my current ones are foaming/creamy:

  • Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser ($18.50 for 5 fl oz)- Foaming cream-mousse cleanser which is effective in cleansing but not too strong. My husband loves this stuff too.
  • NARS Balancing Foam Cleanser ($35.00 for 4.4 oz/125 ml) – Another foaming cleanser which is nice, I wouldn’t recommend it for dry skin, it’s not too strong for me, but it does strip away quite a bit in the cleansing process, I use this in the evenings. One thing I love about this is a little goes a long way. You only need a pea-sized amount.
Toner – I like that fresh clean feeling, so I tend to stay away from Shiseido toners or ones that have a gel-like texture or ones that are too strong which sting the skin:

  • La Mer The Tonic ($60.00 for 6.7 fl oz) – This is pricey, but I’ve repurchased this at least 6 times. It’s soothing and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and clean.
  • Paul & Joe Refreshing Skin Toner ($33.00 for 200 ml) – I’ve written about this before, but I tried this from a mini sized sample I received in a GWP. I took it with me on a trip to DC and fell in love. I think this is a good one for normal to dry skin. It’s not too rich, but just rich enough to help rebalance your skin. Whenever I get that over-washed tight feeling in my skin, this helps make your face feel more normal. I hope they never discontinue or reformulate this. I am on my second full sized bottle right now.
Scrub – I don’t scrub a lot. I actually like to use a washcloth to scrub my face with soap and water because I feel like it’s less harsh feeling on my skin. I have purchased a few from Laura Mercier, Clinique, Shiseido in the past, but right now I’m not using any. I’ve contemplated getting a Clarisonic but again, the ultimate skin-care skeptic that I am, I don’t know that I believe all the rave reviews are from actual consumers like you and me. If anyone has a recommendation, I’m all ears!

Mask – Again, I don’t use face masks very often. As you will read below, I don’t really use these masks for their intended purpose.

  • NARS Mud Mask ($45.00 for 3.6 oz/100 ml) – I’ve gone through 2 of these since NARS first released his skincare line. I have to admit I like this the most for the fun-factor. Yes, I’m weird, but there’s something I find fun about slathering your face with this thick black greyish mud. I can’t tell the visible difference it makes for my skin, but it does leave my face feeling clean and refined after 10-15 minutes. Scares the bejesus out of my dogs when I put it on though.
  • MAC Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask ($20 for 100 ml/3.4 fl oz) – This is my favorite mask ever and one I can definitely see results with. It’s so great I have to hide it from my husband who loves the fact that it heats up. Dear MAC, if you read this at all – please release this again in the exact same formula!
  • Paul & Joe Treatment Peel-Off Mask ($45 for 120 ml) – This tightens and firms the skin by clarifying. Similar to the NARS Mud Mask, I like this for the peel-off factor which I find fun. I had an obsession with peeling off dried glue from my fingers when I was in art class during grade school. Clearly I was not the brightest crayon in the box when it came to school. I would say this product is definitely not for dry skin.
Miscellaneous – I don’t have a current moisturizer favorite. I’m actually testing out a few sample minis but have yet to find one that doesn’t cause an allergic reaction and one that’s not too heavy. I’ve used La Mer’s Lotion, Shiseido White Lucent, Estee Lauder’s Ultimate Youth Cream, Dior Capture Totale, Px, Armani Crema Nera to name a few. Right now I’m trying to find one that doesn’t break the bank. I just cannot justify spending over $100 on a face lotion! My eye cream and sunscreen picks:

  • NARS Nourishing Eye Cream ($76 for .5 oz/15 ml) – Yes this is super pricey for the amount you get but a little seriously goes a REALLY long way. It’s a lightweight gel that I like to use on my lids which actually helps my shadow stay on longer throughout the day if I use this as a base. I don’t have eye wrinkles, so I can’t say whether or not it helps with fine lines or not.
  • Chanel UV Essential ($52 for 1 oz) – Again pricey, but this goes a long way too. It has a very fluid texture which helps it apply really easily. I’ve been using this over my moisturizer samples and it seems to help make the foundation apply better on the skin and last longer. Bonus is that it has SPF 50 which is something I definitely should start using. I’ve used this for about a month daily and no irritations, breakouts or problems. I definitely see myself repurchasing this in the future.
If any of you would like to share your holy grails for skincare, I’d love to hear your recommendations! I’ve been told (by the brand reps of course) that the 2-week skincare systems from Shiseido and Chanel are amazing and will give me perfect glowing skin, but I don’t want to spend the $200+ and wait 2+ weeks to see if there are any results.
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New Dior Addict Glosses & Lip Polish

March 31, 2010
Dior has released a new lipgloss called Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss which comes in a larger tube than the regular Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect formula. Does this mean the original Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflects are going away? I’m not sure. There are quite a few of the same shade numbers in the new packaging/formula, just with different names, my SA did not know when I asked her.

The new formula retails at the same price as the old, even though the newer tubes have slightly more product. Both retail for $26.50, the new tubes have 6.3 ml/.21 fl oz versus the older tubes which have 6 ml/.19 fl oz.

Also, new and exclusive to Sephora for Spring 2010, there is a new Lip Polish called Petal Pink in #004 for $29.50. I wrote about the other 3 lip polishes last June, click here for the review/swatches.

L to R: Lace Beige, Pink Silk, Negligee Pink, Petal Pink

Close up:


Overall lovely with nice soft-medium pigment and smooth texture. The new Addict Ultra-Glosses range from cream non-shimmer to soft iridescent to super sparkle, so there’s a wide range to suit your sparkle needs. I picked the ones that were more subdued. (From Nordstrom.) If you own any Dior glosses, I suggest you go through your current stash and write down the numbers of the colors you own so you don’t experience the same “do I already have this shade” that I did while playing with all the colors.

(FYI those not familiar with Dior, most of their lipglosses are labeled by number at the bottom, the product name is typically only on the boxes, making it a challenge to remember what colors you have.)

The new Lip Polish in Petal Pink is fairly sheer. If I had tested it in-store, I probably would have passed. It is very dupable from other milky pinks, although it does give your lips that pretty youthful looking glow. These are pricey at $29.50, but this is due to the roller-wand and unique ingredients. I personally find the rolling wand a bit awkward to use since I’m not used to it. (From Sephora.)

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Color Focus: Dove Grey Eyeshadows

March 30, 2010
I find it incredible how many different variations of grey there are. One particular color I don’t come across very often is dove-grey for eyeshadows, but perhaps this is because I don’t look for it very often. I personally define dove-grey as a blueish grey, but even the ones I pull out are probably subject to interpretation. I didn’t think I had many dove-grey shadows, but I managed to pull out a number of barely used dove-grey shadows from my stash. I need to use these more often. Even for something I would define as “dove-grey” there are quite a few variations. Some of them look more blue than grey. And I was surprised how neutral/warm Apres Ski looks on my skin compared to what I see in the container.

Armani Cream #2 (LE from Spring 2005), NARS Notorious (discontinued), Jouer Truffle, MAC Scene, Becca Chinchilla, Laura Mercier Stone Suede Satinee, Stila Shore, Laura Mercier Sable, Laura Mercier Twilight Grey, MAC Copperplate, MAC Apres Ski




Some of these you might even describe as taupe. I don’t use these a lot, but I think pairing these with a soft pearl shimmer would be pretty.

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Sneak Peeks from Paul & Joe and Edward Bess

March 28, 2010

Two of my favorite brands Paul & Joe and Edward Bess have some great new things coming out! I have some information on a few upcoming new products I am super excited about and wanted to share the details with you!

Paul & Joe has posted a preview scan of their upcoming Summer Brochure on Facebook, so check out their fan page. There are:

  • 3 lipsticks – Caravan (a natural coral pink), Sahara (a sexy vivid pink), Morocco (a warm golden pink)
  • 3 nail polishes – Marrakesh (a stunning exotic coral red), Mirage (a soft neutral sand brown), Oasis (a sophisticated earthy blue)
  • 2 shimmer powders – Dune & Desert Sand
  • + more: body shimmer oil, blotting papers, nail files

Jocelyn from Paul & Joe was kind enough to send me a few sneak peek photos:

* photos from Paul & Joe

* photos from Paul & Joe

Also coming in April (before the summer collection is released) are 5 new double-sided lipliners and 10 new wand lipglosses which I believe will replace the current wand glosses. I was lucky enough to be able to swatch testers of the lipliners! The lipglosses were lovely, but unfortunately I didn’t swatch those. The packaging is similar to the older wands but the tubes have the flower design embossed. (Disregard my scribbles to the right, I meant to say that lipglosses are being released in conjunction with the lipliners.) Each lipliner has 2 formulas on each pencil, one more creamy and slightly glossy and the other more opaque.

* Photo from Paul & Joe

Edward Bess has released some new products! I spoke with both Susan and Edward last week to get the 411 on the new products. They sent a swatch card in the mail which made me even more excited.

Soft Smoke Eyeshadow Trio which has:
* a pale color similar in concept to their Nude eyeshadow, but brighter less creamy/beige
* a soft dove-grey which is described as EB’s first true grey (a sister shade to Dusk which isn’t a true grey since it has a more mossy finish)
* a deep dark charcoal not quite as dark as Night Eyeshadow

Soft Orchid Blush: soft cool pink (see Amy’s lovely review for photos and description on CafeMakeup.com)

After Sunset Compact Rouge: described as a burned rose, almost bronzey, darker skinned girls who want more color, I think you’ll really like this!

BONUS NOTE: Note that Bergdorf Goodman is having their giftcard event coming up starting April 18 – I believe both counters are doing a promotion in addition to their $25 off $100 purchase.

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Color Focus: Soft Peach & Peachy-Gold Eyeshadows

March 27, 2010
You can’t go wrong with a soft peachy-gold eyeshadow for an all-over easy & quick eye look. For girls with medium skintone, there are tons of your-lids-but-better options out there for a no-fail shimmery peach. My all time favorite is Chanel Abricot which I hear has now been discontinued. Luckily you can probably still find it at one of your local counters. Some of the peachy shades look pale on my skin even though they look peachy in the container.

Dior Beige Select, Chanel Abricot, Trish McEvoy Golden Apricot, Bobbi Brown Golden Peach, Laura Mercier Guava (old formula)

MAC Rubenesque & Shu Uemura Cream P Beige

MAC Hush, Motif, Jest, Arena (in pro-palette form)

Urban Decay Blaze, MAC Evening Aura, MAC Say Yeah

Paul & Joe #22, Paul & Joe #003, Armani Maestro #19

MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Melon Pigment, Laura Mercier Gemstone Mineral Eye Color, Laura Mercier Peach Luster Mineral Eye Color

All the shades grouped together (note, I apologize for the error below, but the color labeled Dazzleray is actually Jardin Aires):



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Chanel Coromandel Le Vernis

March 26, 2010
Last August, Chanel released their Rouge Allure Laque collection in the US which included new rouge allure lipsticks, a new liquid lipstick and new nail polishes. I wrote about Ming, Dragon, Santal and Mythic last fall, but I soon added Coromandel Nail Polish to my collection – a very bright and very warm tomato-orange with slight red tones and has the slightest bit of iridescence in the bottle. The shimmer doesn’t really show up once you apply it. I don’t know that I can pull it off on the fingers but I love it for the toes even though it’s pretty vibrant. It’s one of those colors where I can’t really tell if it’s more orange or more red. It’s one of those right in-between colors.





I tried photographing a comparison of Dragon v Coromandel, but they pictures turned out pretty much the same so you can’t tell the difference. In real life, Dragon is similar, just more red and less orange.
Chanel Coromandel – 2 coats. Sandals by Tory Burch from Nordstrom.
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Trish McEvoy Natural Lipstick & Irresistible Petal Lipgloss

March 25, 2010
Trish McEvoy’s latest release, The Bronze Collection, is trickling into stores and I am really excited to report that the Irresistible Petal Lip Gloss that was in the Turquoise Petite Python Planner is available separately!
Products featured include: Dual Matte Bronzer in Medium, Mistake-Proof Sheer Application Brush, Classic Lip Color in Natural, Irresistible Petal Lipgloss.

Check out her website, TrishMcEvoy.com – The Bronze Collection for more details on each item. Even more exciting – Trish has done a video on the look which can be viewed on her Trish McEvoy FaceBook Fan Page. I just discovered her FB resource and it has a lot of great features! I like the look on the model from the video, although she’s quite a bit darker in skintone than I am, it’s nice to see how the products look on her.

And even better, another view for their promotional photo on the collection. I love that the look is simple and gorgeous and fresh. Photo from Trish McEvoy:

I found some of the items at Saks – the display unit was up, but the products were not yet featured for testing. Thanks to my iPhone, I was to check online for the product names and my SA kindly checked the drawers to see if they had any of the colors in-stock. They had the lipstick and lipgloss. I know Trish products pretty well now, so I didn’t need to test them out before buying. Seeing them in the tubes was enough for me to say, “yes, one of each please!”

Top: Irresistible Petal
Bottom: Natural


* Natural Lipstick ($23) is a new formula which is more matte than her other lipsticks. According to her video, this is the first of her new Classic Lip Color line which will consist of shades that are here to stay. It’s a natural pinky your-lips-but-better color. If you found the Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle too warm for you, I think the Trish McEvoy Natural might be a similar but less warm alternative for you to check out.

* Irresistible Petal ($25) is the third color in her Irresistible Lip Gloss formula (Irresistible reviewed back last July & Irresistible Pink, tried but not purchased) which all have a reflective sparkle quality. These have quite a bit more shimmer with tiny micro-sparkles than her regular lipglosses. I found Irresistible to be just as sparkly as MAC Dazzleglasses, but the newest Irresistible Petal has a more subdued sparkle. It’s a sheer light pink sparkle which has a faint minty scent and smooth glossy finish. The gloss gives me really full lips.

Here they are both swatched on my lips:


I wrote about the Python Planner set from Blue Mercury back during Christmas. The set was intended as a gift, but luckily I got to keep the actual python print planner since my friend liked the regular black quilted petite planner instead 🙂

I have too many planners to count in various sizes. The pros to using these include the fact that they keep you organized, they help you sort all your makeup items and tools, and it’s convenient to carry if you have a larger purse or for travel. The downside is that since it’s designed for Trish McEvoy products, you have to find pan eyeshadows/blushes to fit in her page to make full use of the planner. But if you’re not a 100% Trish user, not to worry, you can still fit quite a bit of other items from other brands into the sets.

This is what I have in mine today:

This is everything I was able to fit into the planner and there was still plenty more room to fit more stuff. Includes a variety of mini brushes, Chanel mascara, Paul & Joe lipliner, Edward Bess Afterglow Highlighter, Trish Eye Base + Lipstick + Luminizer + Petite Page + Lipliner + Lipgloss, Laura Mercier cream eyeshadow, Le Metier eyeliner etc.

How the planner fits neatly into my purse:

My purse contents (I have no idea why there is Splenda in my bag):

Overall thoughts: Both are pretty for spring. The Natural lipstick is indeed very natural looking. It gives me my-lips-but-better with a soft rosey tint. If you want more color, Trish definitely has some brighter lipsticks which are flattering and have a pretty finish. The lipgloss is very sheer, but I love the way it adds a bit of sparkle and it smells and feels great.
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