Those who have experienced the luxury of Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color will be excited to learn that Tom Ford’s upcoming makeup line will be expanded to include new shades of lipstick. I received a preview card of the upcoming shades and am already creating a wishlist. Some existing colors have been mixed together to create new ones which means a few will be discontinued. Also, the new shades will all come in the dark mahogany colored packaging instead of the white. I’ve been told Neimans expects the release to be sometime in October. I apologize the scan of the card I received is a bit blurry but here is the new lineup.
New shades: Nude Vanille, Sable Smoke, Pink Adboe, Coco Ravish, Deep Mink, Spanish Pink, Indian Rose, Casablanca, Flamingo, Violet Fatale, Wild Ginger, Scarlet Rouge, Crimson Noir
Original shades that are staying: Black Orchid, Blush Nude, Cherry Lush, Pink Dusk, True Coral
Original shades that will be phased out: Bruised Plum, Ginger Fawn, Moroccan Rouge, Pure Pink, Smoke Red, Vanilla Suede, Warm Sable
Beaut.ie: The Irish Beauty Blog gives us a first look at beautiful real life preview photos and BellaSugar has some promotional photos as well. Of the existing shades, I adore Pink Dusk (a highly pigmented nude pink, aka perfection in a tube) and I’ve been eager to try more but none of the other shades have really spoken to me. I look forward to seeing the new colors. If you’ve fallen in love with any particular shade, I recommend you check to see if it’s on the new lineup – now might be the time to stock up if it’s going to be discontinued.
Jo Malone has introduced a new fragrance collection called Wild Bluebell available in four different pieces: cologne, body & hand wash, body creme and home candle. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus and I have fallen in love with every piece in the line. It’s a light and fresh floral that smells like a spring garden with top notes of fresh bluebell (engineered equivalent) and clove combined with hints of lily of the valley, eglantine, jasmine, white amber and musk. The theme is more whimsical and fairy-tale like with the focus on a nymph-like character and white rabbits rather than the actual product.
My local Neimans Jo Malone rep called me the minute it arrived. I asked for her thoughts over the phone and she felt it was a nice light scent but very different for Jo Malone. Her impression was that it would be a wonderful layering piece. A few customers who came in reported they smelled watermelon before it dried down. Although some have not been thrilled with departure of recent releases (Tea Collection & Cherry Blossom) from traditional Jo Malone scents, I have been ecstatic with all recent collections this year These are lighter, fresher, less complex scents that are great for the no-perfume kind of woman like myself. To me, the recent releases feel more youthful and energizing. I love the variety and feel the new releases this year layer well with the other scents in the line.
I went with an open mind not knowing what to expect. I cannot put my nose exactly on what it is I smell except that it’s refreshing and light, just like spring. It’s clearly floral, but the hints of clove and musk prevent it from being overly floral. When I first sprayed it on my wrist, I smelled a slight hint of watermelon, but not in the fruity sense. At first spritz I noticed a fresh wave of fragrance similar to a fresh watermelon but this dries down to a floral. Best Things in Beauty has a wonderful detailed review and Lipglossipping has more information and beautiful preview photos from an event earlier this year. I highly recommend you read their reviews to learn more.
I splurged on the cologne & candle online and the body wash instore. Over the past week I’ve found everything very calming and refreshing. I don’t recommend ordering the candles online during the summer – the heat can be damaging as it will melt the product causing a mess. Mine, thankfully, arrived in perfect condition due to a rush shipment.
The lasting power on the cologne and shower gel is light to medium. I find most fragrances tend to fade quickly on me but I am one that prefers lighter scents that aren’t overpowering. The candles are to die for and Wild Bluebell has been burning in my home the past week. I can easily see myself stocking up on a few during September’s Beauty Event. I love everything about this fragrance and am testing out the body creme right now.
Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills has all the items except the candle which they expect to be receiving soon. The official release is scheduled for September and they are expecting new displays in the Wild Bluebell theme with blue ribbons and little bells for their bags. They have one of the most beautiful Jo Malone displays I’ve ever seen (front and in the corner of the store). If you happen to be in LA, I highly recommend you visit them. This past weekend I met the team at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills for the first time: Navid, Bryan and Henga. All extremely knowledgeable, helpful and wonderful. I highly recommend you visit their store to experience Jo Malone first hand.
The price points and offerings for the Wild Bluebell Collection:
Cologne 30 ml $55
Cologne 100 ml $110
Body & Handwash 250 ml $50
Body Creme 175 ml $75
Home Candle 200g/45 hours burn time $65
PS – On an unrelated note, Edward Bess will be in-store at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills until Wednesday!
Have you tried this? What are your thoughts? What are your favorite Jo Malone items?
I surprised myself by caving on a glitter nail polish: Deborah Lippmann’s Glitter in the Air. I’m the type of woman who detests glitter makeup. I think there are so many beautiful products out there that are ruined simply because the designer has added chunky glitter. There are a few exceptions such as some MAC Dazzleglasses, anything from Chanel, a few Urban Decay shadows but for the most part I hate glitter.
It was love at first sight for Deborah Lippmann’s Glitter in the Air ($18). The bottle looks like a blue daydream. It’s a pale milky blue base infused with multi-colored glitter in different sizes. It’s just beautiful! Being wary of glitter, I decided to wait and look for reviews to see how it looked on others. The reviews have been mixed but the result is so intriguing and different. I had to give it a try. I kept the reviews from Polish Police, All Lacquered Up and Temptalia in mind when trying this.
My first attempt had a decent glitter payoff, but the finish was uneven. A professional application resulted in 2 glitter spots per nail. After 2 fails, I decided to try it one more time with 4 coats and finally was able to achieve the right glitter to nail ratio I was looking for. I found the tips from Temptalia extremely helpful to dab lightlightly and apply slow and smooth to avoid the glitter from being dragged off the nail. The pale blue is fairly clear so the result on the nail is a pale sheer tinted blue-cream looking color. The formula is set up to disperse the glitter in an uneven manner (which I love).
Overall I like it but I wish it had more glitter in the bottle. It would make the application so much easier. It really is the most high maintenance nail polish I own. To achieve an even application requires quite a bit of work and extra time for drying in between those 4 coats. I really like the result though. It’s fun without being too juvenile.
Stay tuned for reviews on Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, Guerlain Les Noirs, Chanel Pink Cloud, Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air & Giorgio Armani Jacquard Eye Palette 2.
Over the years I’ve discovered a number of excellent foundation primers such as MAC Prep & Prime, Chanel Base Lumiere, Le Blanc de Chanel, Smashbox Photofinish, NARS (the original version) and Guerlain Meteorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer. I’m always on the hunt for tips and tricks that will help me achieve that flawless foundation finish. Primers are often key to achieving a natural even look. Considering the fact that I have sensitive skin, I’ve had quite a bit success in finding good primers from numerous brands, however, few have managed to keep my makeup looking fresh all day from morning until late afternoon. I was recently sent a sample package from Hourglass and over the past week have been putting the Veil Mineral Primer to the test. The primer comes in 2 sizes at Sephora: 0.33 oz for $17 and a larger size of 1.00 oz for $52 (both with pump dispensers). I received the smaller size to sample. The product comes in a liquid formula with a white tint. The satiny finish is supposed to smooth out the appearance of your skin, absorb oil and minimize pores. From the swatch below you can see that the product lightened my skin slightly.
The Veil Mineral Primer is described as oil free, paraben free, fragrance free, nanoparticle free, gluten free, synthetic dye free, sulfate free, phthalate free, vegan and water resistant. The ingredient listing is shown below:
I’ve tested this for a few days and am very pleased with the results. The liquid fluid texture makes it easy to apply as it glides on flawlessly. I found one pump sufficient to cover the entire face which provides your skin with a smooth satiny canvas. I was surprised how the Veil Mineral Primer helped the application of the foundation to achieve a truly flawless finish. I love that the box had a few tips on how to apply this product – I found these extremely helpful.
I tried this primer several different ways:
Method 1: Apply like a regular primer all over the face (over Cle de Peau moisturizer & under Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation) – my foundation and powder lasted all day and looked just as fresh as when I first applied it, however this made my face look pale and pasty from the white cast of the primer
Method 2: Apply all over bare face (skip moisturizer and apply Guerlain Lingerie de Peau) – same result as above, but I believe you need a moisturizer, the finish really is so satiny that without moisturizer, I personally thought this felt too dry on my skin
Method 3: Mix 1/2 and 1/2 primer and foundation (tested with Guerlain & Chanel) – the result was less white, but my foundation was lightened by a tiny bit
Method 4: Mix 1 part primer to 2 parts foundation (tested with Guerlain & Chanel) – this was the best result for me and mixing a larger proportion of foundation to about a 1/2 pump of the primer and blending with a foundation brush gave a smooth velvety looking finish and helped my foundation/powder last all day
Overall I am thoroughly impressed by the performance of this primer. After several days of using this, no breakouts, no clogged pores, no irritation, no dryness or thick feeling finish. I can’t believe how well my foundation, powder and blush have been holding up in the summer humidity. I still need a touch up on the nose in the afternoon, but the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer has helped make my makeup last longer than most primers. Have you tried this primer before? Thoughts? Application tips?
Sophy Robson tweeted a sneak peek of the new Le Vernis shades in Rose Caché, Rose Exubérant & Pirate
Glamour Russia has a gorgeous video via YouTube of the new smoky blue quad from Chanel’s Sophisticated Eye Collection, the video isn’t in English but the application is just beautiful! (I believe the one in the video is the Euro Version, see the US Version on Cafe Makeup)
I’ve been craving something red especially after having a lengthy discussion with Jonesy this weekend about finding the perfect red nail polish. She had recently found her holy grail red (she has promised a post on this soon) and had to call me asap because she knew I would understand her excitement =) I, on the other hand, have about a dozen “perfect reds.” My favorite is still Chanel Dragon, but I’m always open to trying something new. After a 9 to 1 vote on Twitter for bright red cremes (versus dark red shimmer), I put on Le Métier de Beauté Ken Downing’s Kontagious Koral (exclusive to Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman) & Chanel Coromandel #473 (discontinued).
Le Métier de Beauté Kontagious Koral is a limited edition shade created by Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing. It’s a hot vibrant warm red coral that I believe is universally flattering. (Proof can be seen on The Ultimate Makeup, Perilously Pale & Pink Sith to name a few.) It’s one of the brightest reds I own but still very wearable. To those who wanted a red version Dior’s Aloha, this will be the answer to your prayers. It applied beautifully with just one coat but I almost always prefer at least two. The finish is smooth, even and rich.
Chanel Coromandel is an old favorite. It’s a warm coral red with a hint of shimmer in the bottle. On the nails the shimmer does not really show up though. Compared to LMdB’s Kontagious Koral, it’s a deeper almost more mature kind of warm red. I believe it’s been discontinued now. This is a classic shade I wish they would bring back.
Here I’ve tried to show the difference (Chanel has a bit of shimmer):
I couldn’t get a good shot showing them on the fingers and toes side by side. The cloudy weather made the colors look the same with my camera. I did try a swatch comparison with a few other colors. No luck here either. For comparison purposes, you can see Dior Trafalgar is more orangey than Le Métier de Beauté Kontagious Koral. I’ve compared it to Chanel Rouge Fatal a deeper red to show the brightness of the other shades.
They are both fairly similar but not exact dupes. Bottom line is that I can’t stop staring at my nails. The Kontagious Koral is listed as limited edition but you can still get it online at Neimanmarcus.com. What are your favorite bright reds?
