My two favorite lip treatments right now are Hourglass N° 28 Lip Treatment Oil ($42 for 0.25 oz) and Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner ($25 for 0.52 oz.). When it comes to trying new lip balms I tend to get a little nervous. I have sensitive lips and some lip treatments cause either numbing or allergic reactions (such as Kiehls and many of the drugstore brands). The ones with a plumping factor are usually a no-go for me. Some make my lips feel more dried out than moisturized (like La Mer) I also prefer lip treatments that are in squeeze tubes rather than pots or twist up sticks.
Hourglass N° 28 Lip Treatment Oil was sent as a press sample. I was actually able to try it in store before I received my sample. The finish and texture is smooth and shiny. The lip treatment is infused with 14 different oils: Bois De Rose,
Lavender, Geranium, Petitgrain, Lemon, Rosemary, Vanilla, Clove, Amyris,
Orange, Ylang Ylang, Eucalyptus, Cedar, and Rose Geranium. It also contains
lipid-rich plant oils that include Hazelnut, Kukui Nut, Rose Hip,
Borage, Olive, Green Tea, Cherry Pit, Sweet Almond, Jojoba, and Evening
Primrose, and is fortified with vitamins A, B5, C, and E.
The product is designed to provide deep hydration while reducing the appearance of depth in wrinkles. I did notice it smoothed out the lips but the look result was like most other clear lip glosses and lip balms. The shine and moisture smoothed out the wrinkles. There is a soft soothing herbal scent to the Hourglass Lip Treatment Oil. It’s a like a spa for the lips. My favorite part is the texture. It’s a medium-thick texture which adheres well to the lips. There’s not too much slip that it feels greasy like some lip balms do, but it’s not too thick. I’ve been using this one to two times per week, usually in the evenings to help hydrate the lips. The packaging is quite unique. There is a beveled gold-plated tip that dispenses the product easily without any mess. The tube is compact enough to store in your makeup bag and easy to travel with. (Full ingredient list on Sephora.com)
above on the nails, YSL Prune Minimale No. 07
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Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner is a tried and true staple. This has a smooth texture that makes the lips feel well moisturized and soft. There is a soft scent to it which is hard to describe but it’s very gentle and soft, almost honey-like but not quite. It has a calming quality and a very luxurious feel. The black sleek tube has a cap that twists on well so it doesn’t leak. I can’t rave enough about this one. I’ve gone through many tubes. (Full ingredient list below.)
on the nails Chanel Paradoxal
If you have sensitive lips and are looking for something luxurious and soothing for normal to dry lips, I’d recommend both of these. I personally prefer the Jo Malone for the scent and price, but the Hourglass is nice as a weekly treatment.
I’ve had YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 La Laque Couture ($25 for 0.34 fl oz/10ml at Nordstrom) for over a year but have never had a chance to review it. Some of the YSL nail lacquers can be hard to find since most stores don’t carry the entire color range. Certain stores have exclusive shades. I’m not sure if Prune Minimale is one of those colors but I’ve only been able to find it at Nordstrom in the US. Prune Minimale No. 7 is a dark vampy plum-brown. In the bottle it appears to a wine color with shimmer. On the nails the shimmer is invisible and it applies significantly darker than what you see in the bottle. It gives full coverage with two coats. Lasting power was quite good – I took it off on day five to swatch comparisons and there was minimal tip wear. From arms length this looks very similar to a number of other vampy shades. I pulled a few to compare (scroll down). YSL Prune Minimale proved to be one of the darker vamps that I own.
Comparisons below to Chanel Rouge Noir, Vamp, Accessoire and Strong:
I think YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 is a lovely but fairly standard vamp. It’s a sharp classic color that is something you can wear year round. However I was surprised about the attention it received for something I found to be very basic. YSL Prune Minimale received a significant amount of attention over the last week though from co-workers as well as from both of my favorite Chanel and Dior reps at Nordstrom – they all wanted to know what color it was.
Overall I’m impressed with the quality and wear. If you look closely you can tell that it is different from Chanel classics like Rouge Noir and Vamp. It’s about 1-2 shades darker, cooler and more brown than Rouge Noir. So far I’ve only seen it at Nordstrom but if you’ve spotted it elsewhere please share in the comments. (I searched about 10 other retailers online that carry YSL and couldn’t find it listed anywhere.)
YSL Prune Minimale No. 7 retails for $25. You can find it now instores and online at Nordstrom.
This past week on Instagram. I’ve had somewhat of a tumultuous work week so my planned reviews for the week had to be pushed aside. Checking my favorite blog reads and Instagram feed has been my perfect break throughout the week. Thank you all for entering my giveaway – remember to enter by Sunday evening PST (see 2 posts below). I’m loving all the feedback and comments!
Diptyque Violette Scented Candle $60
I’ve received so many raves and recommendations on this one, I’ve added it to my wishlist to smell in store. Have you tried this one? Thoughts?
Diorshow Fusion Mono Eyeshadow $30
A new cream shadow formula from Dior. The colors look absolutely stunning. I have high hopes for these but they haven’t arrived in store yet. I restricted myself to ordering just Etoile which looks like a gorgeous gunmetal shimmer.
Chanel Affinité Le Blush Crème de Chanel $38
None of the stores near me received this hot pink blush for sale (only testers) and I’ve been stalking counters and online for it. It was on Chanel.com for a brief moment but sold out quickly before I could add to my cart and buy. Nordstrom.com now has it up online – I snagged it immediately this morning.
Dior Merveille Addict Lip Gloss (Nordstrom Exclusive) $29.50
This was a Nordstrom Exclusive I never saw at any of my counters. I’m assuming it sold out during the Early Access. My local Dior reps from Nordstrom didn’t even know about this one. Perhaps it was extremely limited? It’s still online although I haven’t seen many reviews for this one yet.
I’m doing two giveaways as a thank you and to celebrate four years of blogging (I missed my blog anniversary in May). There will be two separate winners (applicable to US only due to shipping restrictions on nail polishes) each of whom will receive:
Either Chanel Riva or Steel nail polish (sorry I only have one of each so selection of color will be at random, both are brand new)
Minis of each item from the Chanel Resynchonizing Skincare line, day/night/weekend
Mini of Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
A mini Chanel Venice booklette (I received two during a recent event, you can’t find these anywhere for purchase)
Black drawstring Chanel pouch
Three additional mini goodies (these will be a surprise!)
How to enter:
1) You must be in the US and have a US shipping address.
2) Fill out this survey – survey is now closed.
For additional entries:
3) Follow me on Twitter @beautylookbook and retweet the giveaway tweet (be sure to retweet directly so I can track entries).
4) Enter a comment below and tell me about one item you’ve purchased from reading The Beauty Look Book this year or one post that has inspired you (note that no spam comments with any kind of links will be published). Please be sure to enter in a way for me to contact you whether it’s an email address or Twitter Id, or fill in your Google Profile in the options so I can add your additional entries.
To qualify you must fill out the survey, have a valid US shipping address and provide a way for me to contact you. (Sorry I cannot ship nail polish overseas.) Giveaway will end on Sunday 8/4/2013 at 11:45 PM PST. Entries will be collected and gathered. Two will be selected at random and announced the following week. Giveaway winners will be contacted and must respond within 24 hours. Each winner will receive package within one week of receiving shipping address information. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Good luck!
My usual go-to for brush cleanser is usually Neutrogena Rainbath Shower and Bath Gel in the Original version or occasionally MAC Brush Cleaner. Although baby shampoo is often a popular recommendation from many, I tend to avoid it as I find it sometimes leaves a slight residue on the brushes. At my latest Chanel event, I asked the artist what she thought was the best brush cleanser for foundation and concealer brushes. Although I find soapy warm water can clean these, I usually have to wash in at least 3-4 rounds to get them fully cleaned. She said hands down Bobbi Brown’s Brush Cleanser ($16.50 for 3.4 oz) and Brush Cleaning Spray ($22 for 3 oz). I decided to try the cleanser and give it a thorough test (the reviews online seemed very favorable).
Bobbi Brown’s Brush Cleanser is a clear liquid that comes in a black squeeze tube. It’s not quite as fluid as toners, but not thick like a gel. The cap flips open.
I tested the Bobbi Brown Brush Cleanser with about a dozen brushes this weekend. I’ll show the before and after results below with three different sets of brushes. Although I’m sure most know how to wash their own brushes, I’ll do a quick tutorial of the steps I used to test the Bobbi Brown. The instructions on the box were fairly simple and easy to follow. Basically wet the brushes, squeeze a small amount into the palm of your hand (I found a dime size worked for 3 brushes at a time), massage the cleaner into brushes, rinse completely, squeeze water out, reshape and lay flat to dry.
I found the brush cleanser to work extremely well with all of my brushes. There was a slight minty scent to the product, but it disappears after washing the brushes. You only need a small amount and it foams up just slightly as you work it into your brushes. I was really impressed at how well the brush cleaner cleaned my foundation brushes. My used foundation brushes usually needed 3-5 rounds of cleaning with strong dish soap before the creams budge. With the Bobbi Brown Brush Cleanser, I only needed 2 rounds to get them completely clean. Huge thumbs up! The only brush that didn’t come completely clean was the MAC Duo Fibre 130 (probably because I had remnants of a darker Armani Fluid Sheer sitting on it for a few days).
Three sets of testing with before and after photos. Below, the dirty brushes, scroll to the bottom to see the after look:
Brushes after cleaning and drying (I let them dry through the afternoon):
Overall extremely impressed. I found Bobbi Brown’s Brush Cleanser to be extremely effective but not too harsh. The brushes dried nicely without any residue left on them. I’m ecstatic my foundation brushes were cleaned very quickly and effectively. The cleanser seemed to be versatile for all different types of bristles and hairs. Most of the white brushes returned to their original white cream color. The only one that did not was the MAC Duo Fibre (which probably needs a few more rounds of cleaning). The price of $16.50 is reasonable since a little goes a long way. Still, given the frequency which I wash my brushes, I would probably want to reserve this for the brushes that need an extra effective cleanser. Neutrogena is a cheaper option (Costco size bottles that is) and just as effective for most of the brushes (except the ones I use for cream products). Bottom line: huge thumbs up. I think I need to try the brush spray next.
I bought my Bobbi Brown Brush Cleaner at Nordstrom. It’s also available at all Bobbi Brown counters and retailers.
Right now I’m loving Sara Bareilles’ new album The Blessed Unrest, my new Céline Trio in black, Chanel Riva (limited from 2010/2011), YSL Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy (I’ve finally been converted), Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream, Moroccan Oil treatment and mini Chanel perfume bottles I’ve collected. Currently loving these reads:
The Sunday Girl has compiled a helpful list in her Blogging Advice from Fellow Bloggers
Makeup Stash has a first look preview of Tom Ford Fall 2013