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2013

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The Top 13 Beauty Discoveries in 2013

December 31, 2013
The top 13 beauty discoveries of 2013 from The Beauty Look Book (reviews from the past year are linked for each item listed):
  1. Caudalie Divine Oil – my absolute favorite beauty discovery this year
  2. By Terry Baume de Rose – pure luxury for the lips, worth every penny
  3. Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade – my holy grail hair product to add shine, remove frizz, long lasting and smells amazing, my husband also loves this for his hair
  4. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder – the perfect answer to glowing skin and my second favorite discovery this year
  5. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette – lovely rose-gold neutrals
  6. Chanel Taboo Le Vernis – a dramatic purple with red and silver shimmers, The Beauty Look Book’s second most popular post from 2013
  7. Dior Diablotine Le Vernis – the most striking intense coral red shimmer
  8. Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colors – unfortunately these were released in very limited quantities, but close alternatives you can get right now are MAC Magnetic Nude Skinfinishes in Magnetic Appeal and Fairly Precious
  9. Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse Foundations – I’ve mixed Light and Medium to get a good match, I’ve found that this is indeed the perfect full coverage foundation that gives a flawless airbrushed look that still manages to look natural, I truly hope Edward releases this to all his counters and in more shades (it was a QVC exclusive that sold out almost instantly)
  10. Chanel Les Beiges Powders – my favorite is 20 for all over, 30 and 40 work wonders for natural contouring and adding a soft glow of color to the face
  11. Diptyque 10-Piece Set – special release this holiday and the perfect way to try multiple scents at a more affordable price than buying the full sizes of each candle
  12. YSL Rouge Volupte Shines – my favorite lipsticks of the year for and The Beauty Look Book’s most popular post from 2013
  13. Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Initiation – holiday 2013 release and the perfect bronze shimmer
I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for each and every one of my readers. You inspire me every week with your thoughtful and insightful comments/e-mails/tweets. I can’t express enough how appreciative I am for those of you who take the time to share your expertise and add your input to my weekly features. Your experiences, tips and tricks help others like myself figure out what works or how to make things work better. Thank you for following my blog and for your support.

What were your top beauty discoveries this year?

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OPI Wonderous Star | Holiday 2013

December 30, 2013

On my nails right now: OPI Wonderous Star from the holiday OPI + Mariah Carey collaboration. I just checked out the collection at my local Ulta even though the collection was released several months ago (see swatches on Beauty Geeks and Makeup and Beauty Blog). Wonderous Star is a glorious champagne gold sparkle infused with chunks of black glitter. The base is clear making the finish slightly transparent. I applied it with two coats and was impressed that the finish was very smooth even though it was loaded with glitters and sparkle. I haven’t seen anything like it. It’s definitely one of a kind.

Swatched with two coats:

I definitely recommend checking it out sooner than later before it’s gone. What do you have on your nails right now?

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Chanel Impulsion #93 Illusion D’Ombre | Spring 2014

December 29, 2013

The Chanel Spring collection has two new Illusion D’Ombres in Diapason #92 (purple) and Impusion #93 (pink). I picked up Impulsion #93 ($36 for 4g/0.14 oz, made in France) a pale silvery pink with intense sparkles. The silver sparkles resemble prisms in the sense that once applied, the sparkles reflect different colors as it catches the light. It makes the eyes sparkle as if it has extremely-fine micro glitters. It’s definitely one of the most sparkly shadows I own. I found the color to be long wearing without any fall out when applied with fingers. Using a brush can result in some sparkles falling on the cheeks.

Coverage is easy to control with layering. A light hand will give a nice sheer wash of sparkle with a hint of pale pink shimmer.

Close up of the silver sparkles:

Comparisons to a few other pinks and neutrals: MAC Vintage Selection Paint Pot, Armani Eyes to Kill #29 (review here), Bobbi Brown Cool Lilac, Armani Eyes to Kill #8 (review here), Dior Chimere (review here), Chanel Emerville (swatched here), Chanel Abstraction

I’ve been testing Impulsion #93 for a few days now and I love the color and the shimmer effect. I find the color to be quite unique with the texture and finish although you can get a similar effect with other shades. I’m not sure that I could wear this to work all over the lids since it’s quite shimmery. I think I could wear this with a light hand for everyday. It does make a lovely color to dab on top of your regular eyeshadow to add a bit of sparkle (think Tom Ford glitters but taken down 2-3 notches with the bling-factor). I give it a thumbs up. I passed on the purple shade since purples can make my eyes look tired. I may go back to the counter to revisit and test though.

Chanel Impulsion #93 is currently listed as a limited-edition shade, you can find it along with the rest of the Chanel Spring collection at counters now, online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Saks and Chanel.com.
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Instagram | @beautylookbook nail polishes

December 27, 2013
A year of @beautylookbook instagram nail polishes:

Due to popular request, I’m working on a hand and nail care post. I’m constantly asked whether my manicures are self-applied or done by a professional. I would say the split is about 60/40 for self/professional. I’m getting things organized to write a post about all of my staples and tips. Bottom line is that tons of practice helps. You can see (and perhaps laugh or cringe) at my self-applied manicures from 2009 here or 2010 here and compare it to this year’s self-applied swatching in 2013 here. I am still a total 100% fail when it comes to self-applied pedicures. If you have tips I’d love to hear them!
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MAC Magnetic Nude – The Beauty Look Book Picks

December 27, 2013
MAC’s Magnetic Nude Collection was just released a couple days ago (in stores today). Thanks to other bloggers with early access and amazing swatches, I was able to pick out a few items the day before Christmas and order online to avoid the crowds. I’ve been a huge fan of the Extra Dimension products (unique shimmery items that are not quite creams yet not quite powders). Superb Extra Dimension Skinfinish (from 2012) has been at the top of my list even though the frost is quite intense. Those who missed out before will be happy to learn it’s made another appearance in the Magnetic Nude collection this year. The items are selling out online fast, you may have to order from multiple sources if you opt for online ordering. I hope these swatches and reviews will help if you can’t get to a store or counter. My picks:
The Extra Dimension Skinfinishes in Magnetic Appeal and Fairly Precious are both stunning shimmery colors. I do think both are must-haves. They are more glowy versions of Tom Ford’s Illuminating Highlighter Sticks (limited release from May, now discontinued). What I like about these is that there is more pigment than frost (even though they are very shimmery). They give the skin a glow with color rather than just a pale frost. Magnetic Appeal is a soft tan gold while Fairly Precious is a lovely warm light pink. Superb has been re-released. It’s paler and significantly more frosted. Right now all are available online at Nordstrom and Maccosmetics.com.

The Extra Dimension Eye Shadows have quite a few repromoted shades. I didn’t double check my stash to see that I already had Sweet Heat (in the larger size from 2012) so I have a duplicate now. Sweet Heat is a frosted champagne. Silver Dawn is every taupe-lover’s dream. It’s a metallic taupe silver. Both shades are layerable and the pigment is easy to control. A light swipe will give a sheer wash. Use a denser brush or your fingers for more coverage. For these I actually prefer using my fingers to apply by smudging on the lids. Sweet Heat is online Nordstrom. Right now Silver Dawn is still at Maccosmetics.com.

For the lips, I narrowed down my pick to just one lipglass in Oh My Darling, a light shimmery pink pearl, and Morning Rose Cremesheen Lipstick, a soft cool pink. Both are fairly safe feminine neutrals. I like the cremesheens for their high pigment and full coverage with a non-matte finish. Oh My Darling Lipglass is semi-sheer. You can definitely see a light pink pearl on the lips but it doesn’t wash out the face. Morning Rose is available at Nordstrom. Oh My Darling is available at Maccosmetics.com.

All the items I picked out swatched on one arm:

I’m really happy with all my picks. Even happier I managed to pick out a few things before the entire collection sold out. If I had to limit myself to three items, I would pick the Skinfinish Highlighters in Magnetic Appeal and Fairly Precious along with the Morning Rose Lipstick. I haven’t had a chance to compare the other items, but they are pretty basic colors – knowing the volume MAC releases, there’s a good chance there are similar items (which is a good thing if you miss out on their fast-selling limited items).

Did you check out the Magnetic Nude collection? What did you think? Any highlights or loves?
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